Page 84 of Bargain with Fate
Stephen opened his mouth as if to answer, then turned around and bolted.
I groaned loudly. “Are you serious?” He wouldn’t get far, especially with that gait. He ran like a sidewinder. I worried he’d trip over his own feet and hurt himself. “Stephen, stop!”
The wizard kept going, leaving me no choice but to run after him. A light jog bridged the gap between us within seconds. I grabbed him by the back of the collar and pulled him to the ground as gently as I could. Stephen was older than dirt; it would be easy to break him if I wasn’t careful.
“Be gentle with me. I have the hollow bones of a bird,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I only want to know about your shadow. Where is it now?”
“In my condo,” Stephen said, as I helped him to his feet. “I warded the closet to keep him inside.”
“Why?”
“He’s been a bit of a troublemaker. I had to do something to contain him.”
“Why is he a separate entity? Why isn’t he attached to you, copying your movements like a regular shadow?”
Stephen lowered his gaze. “I’m a wizard. I like to experiment.”
“Let me guess: this one went horribly wrong.”
We entered the building and climbed the staircase to the third floor. “What do you know about shadows, Maya?”
“I take it you don’t mean scientifically.”
“No, although as a wizard, I’m naturally a big fan of science.”
“Naturally.” As a mage, my father was too. And he’d demonstrated endless patience for my litany of childlike questions. Pushback and curiosity were positive and healthy qualities. It was when I grew older and stopped asking questions that my moral compass went askew.
“The ancient Egyptians referred to a shadow as a Khaibit. They considered it an essential part of the soul.” Stephen dug into the front pocket of his trousers and produced a key. “They believed that if you lost your shadow, you lost part of your spiritual essence.”
“And you wanted to test that theory?”
“Among others.” Stephen unlocked the front door, and we stepped inside the condo. At a glance, it was the neatest interior I’d encountered in the Neighborhood. Not a dust bunny in sight, nor a knickknack out of place.
“Do you have a cleaning service?” I asked.
He beamed. “No, I use a cleaning spell…” He faltered. “I’m not supposed to do that, am I?”
“You’re not supposed to perform unauthorized magic, no.”
“This is why I didn’t tell anyone about my experiment. I know how Neighbors talk. Someone would’ve ratted me out.”
“If they had, maybe Darlene Garvey would still be alive.”
He lowered his gaze to the floor. “You don’t know it was him.”
“She said a man-shaped shadow assaulted her.”
He gave a casual shrug. “It could’ve been an actual man.”
“You said yourself that your shadow is troublesome, which is why you locked him up. Maybe he’s acting out because he’s frightened. He doesn’t know how to behave without your actions to guide him. Some African tribes believe the shadow is a reflection of a person’s vulnerability. That it’s sacred and needs protection.”
“Mine certainly doesn’t,” he murmured. He entered a bedroom on the right. “He’s in here.” Stephen opened the closet door with a flourish.
I peered inside. “I don’t see anything.”
“That’s because it’s dark. Without light, there can be no shadows.” He flipped the switch.
