There was a crack of thunder from somewhere in the blue sky. Will looked up, unable to understand where it had come from. He rested his hand on the hilt of the sword hanging at his hip.

‘Did you hear that?’ he asked, looking across the empty battlefield to Rajhu. The man shook his head, cocking an eyebrow. ‘You’re hearing things, now?’

Will sighed, looking back to the clear afternoon sky.

It had been hours since the battle with General Val’kez. Still, Buri and the others were cleaning up after the mess that had been left behind. There were people moving about, peeking out of the large building, to see the aftermath of battle. Will knew most, if not all of the people that lived here had seen as much or more in their day. He didn’t know how they felt about such things now, however.

‘Raj, there was thunder. Just now, out of the blue sky.’

‘Please…’ Rajhu dragged a hand down his face, grumbling as he set his eyes on Will once more. ‘No more adventure, Will… For one day, let’s be done with it…’

‘You’re just going to ignore this?’

Rajhu furrowed his brow. He stepped forward, until he was no more than a pace from Will. Leaning in, he looked up, toward the heavens. His eyes lingered for a moment, before returning to Will. ‘Yes.’ He insisted, turning and hurrying away.

‘Raj… Where are you going?’ Will called.

‘Away!’ Rajhu snapped in response. ‘Away from magic and men and Wishcharmers! I need to be alone!’

The man waved off Will’s look of concern and headed away, wandering off to the right, toward an overgrown path that wound it’s way past the huge home, and into the thick mountain forest.

Will watched Rajhu go, his eyes lingering on him as he went.

Something wasn’t right.

As Rajhu walked away, Will could see a shadow lingering where it shouldn’t have been. It hung off of the shadow of Rajhu’s hand, too large and square to be a trick of the light. Will narrowed his eyes.

‘What in the world…’ he whispered, taking a step forward.

‘Woah! Where you headed?’

Will looked up suddenly, his eyes met by a shirtless man with red hair. He didn’t look to be much older than Will, if he was at all. It was this man who’d come to their aid in battle. It had been he who defeated Val’kez.

‘Sorry?’ Will asked, blinking.

‘You look like you were confused by something! I’m Rua, by the way… Cool sword!’

Will shook his head. ‘Oh, thanks…’

‘No problem!’ Rua smiled. ‘I’m good at pointing out stuff. You got pretty banged up, ya know. Are you and your friend okay?’

Will nodded absently, looking off into the trees. ‘Yeah… That old lady patched us up pretty good.’

‘Amazing!’ he laughed. ‘She can bring guys back from the brink of death, you know?’

Will didn’t doubt it. He and Rajhu hadn’t been in good shape when the battle had finally ended. Now he felt sore, but little else.

‘So… that Rajhu is your friend?’

‘Yeah… We’ve known each other for years. He’s my best friend.’

‘And a Wishcharmer…’

Will looked to the man. He nodded, not knowing what else to do. Buri had told Will that Rua was a Wishcharmer, and could help Rajhu learn to master his powers, but still… He didn’t know this man. While Buri may trust him, Will had no reason to do likewise.

‘Listen, I appreciate you coming in at the last minute and saving our necks…’

‘Hey, who doesn’t like a good fight, right?’

Will smirked. ‘Alright… I’ve gotta go find my friend, now. You’ll excuse me?’

‘Sure thing, man…’

Will nodded to the man and stepped past him. He started forward, veering toward the tree line. He needed to find Raj, to tell him about the strange shadow he had seen. The man wouldn’t like it, but Will didn’t have a good feeling. Something about that shadow was wrong, and he needed to get to the bottom of it. If he could find Rajhu, may be they could go ask Buri about it.

Will took a deep breath, settling into an easy pace. He walked on, divining on what that shadow could possibly mean. He felt his hand reach up, and wrap around the hilt of the Taintless Blade. An icy hot clarity poured through him, raging against every synapse. In a rush of motion, Buri flickered into existence before him. The man’s form shook, distorting and shifting.

‘Will! Rajhu… Wayward Shadow!’

With no explanation, the man vanished once more and Will stumbled through the spot where the visage of the man had stood. Gasping, Will pulled his hand away from the sword, looking around, his whole body aching from the act.

‘Wh-’ Will gasped again. ‘Wayward Shadow?’ he echoed aloud, looking around. ‘What is that supposed to mean?’ he shouted, looking around. He grabbed the hilt of the Taintless Blade again, but nothing happened as his flesh brushed the soft cloth wrappings.

‘Woah… You talk to your sword, too?’ Rua asked, walking up and standing beside Will. ‘You’re a pretty crazy guy, you know?’

Will straightened, pushing past Rua. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t have time to talk right now… I… I need to find Raj!’ He started away again.

‘I guess you’re right!’ Rua said. ‘If there’s a Wayward Shadow around here… then we’re all in big trouble…’

Will stopped in his tracks. He felt a shiver of fear crawling up his spine as he turned to face the young Wishcharmer. He man stood, placid, with his hands in the pockets of his tattered pants.

‘You know what a Wayward Shadow is?’ Will asked.

Rua shrugged. ‘Doesn’t everyone?’

Will shook his head. ‘You don’t understand me. I need to know. Rua, what is a Wayward Shadow?’

The Wishcharmer sighed, his head drooping for a moment. Pain washed over his features before settling into a steely look of resignation.

‘Djinn magic… Some of their most powerful. I’ve only come across them once before… But they’re dangerous.’

‘How dangerous?’ Will pressed.

‘The worst.’ Rua breathes. ‘They’re little worlds, attached to people, and filled with creatures of the Djinn’s own making. They call them Shadelings… But that’s not the worst part…’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, lots of things… But what should concern you right now is… they were created specifically to kill Wishcharmers…’

Will felt as though the ground had dropped out from under him. He turned to the distant tree line, his eyes darting here and there.

‘Oh no… Rajhu…’ He whispered.