“What’s it like?” Ann asked, looking to the dragons with her. Like Ann, Nim was in human form while Pt’this was in his usual elf form. “Disorienting.” Nim frowned. “Beautiful.” Pt’this contradicted. “They are,” Nim agreed. “Until you start absorbing their energy, and you can’t think.” “That happens on the ground too.” Ann pointed out. She looked up at the sky wistfully, waiting. This would be the first year the Shades of Night would come that Ann could take dragon form. She was half dragon and half human. She’d been born in human form to a human mother and had only learned a couple of years ago that her father was a dragon. Now, she wanted to fly among the Shades. Nim was trying to talk her out of it. Pt’this was supposed to be too, but he enjoyed flying among them also. The Shades of Night were made up of residual magic. Somewhere in the center of a maze of catacombs under the palace was a well that collected the residual magic given off by spells cast. Every five years the well would fill and at sunset, the magic would burst forth like colored lights flying through the air. Eventually, the energy would dissipate, but it took all night for the well to empty. Being surrounded by this much magical energy, mages would absorb it involuntarily, filling themselves capacity. Holding that much energy was like drinking several pots of pure caffeine. It caused difficulty thinking and a great deal of confusion. Casting spells to release the energy only delayed the effect, as few spells were sustainable all night, which is what was needed. “We could follow the Shades back to their source,” Ann suggested. “We can find well.” Pt’this shook his head. “We’d get lost down there. We won’t be able to find our way out.” “Nim has a perfect memory.” Ann pointed out. “Not during the Shades.” Nim frowned. “I may not forget as much as everyone else, but the Shades mess with my memory too. There’s a reason that well is in that maze. It’s dangerous. If someone had access to that much power, they’d be unstoppable. They’d be stronger than the immortals.” “What about…” Ann started. Nim cut her off. “And look at the problems that caused, look at the cost.” Ann nodded. The cost had been great. In the risk of losing control was even greater. If The Well of the Shades of Night were accessible, the temptation would be overwhelming. They watched as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. The first shade appeared, shooting out from under the palace into the sky like a caged bird suddenly freed. It was followed by another and another, more and more until the sky was filled with colors. It was beautiful. “Let’s go up for a little bit.” Nim relented. “We can fly among them until we start to feel it.” He took true form and flew off. Ann and Pt’this followed suit. Ann marveled at the sight. She’d always loved to watch the Shades from the ground. This was even more amazing. Some passed so close she could reach out and touch them. Then, one passed through her. It had no more substance than a fog, less really for it had no water to feel wet. But she felt the energy from it. It bled into her like water into a sponge. With it touching her, she took all the energy from it. She flew through another and absorbed it too. It felt slightly different. A third grazed her wing. It did no damage of course. It too felt different. She wondered if the feel was related to the individual spells that had released each or if each color was different. She went after one red one and then another. They did feel the same. She decided to try a couple of blues. She continued chasing them as they swirled in the sky, tossed by the air currents made stronger by each beat of her wings. It had been a while since she held this much energy. It felt good not having to hold back. She’d paid such a price to control the quantity of magic she possessed, tortured past breaking, fracturing her mind, splitting it in two. It was ashamed to never indulge in it. Her darker half, created by that torture, still slept, but she stirred at the power flowing through her. Ann was oblivious, becoming consumed by the Shades. She’d made a game of chasing specific colors. Ann absorbed one after another after another. The colored energy was all she knew. Her darker half started pointing out different ones for her to chase. That half was awake now, but Ann still controlled the movement. She was starting after a low one when pain shot through her head. She clutched at it, almost forgetting to stay aloft. “Ann!” Nim’s voice came again telepathically. This time, it was a little softer so it was a little less painful. Half-breeds like her didn’t handle telepathy from full-blooded dragons well. It was horribly painful. He had shouted into her mind to get her attention. She realized she’d been heading towards the entrance to the catacombs, lured by her darker half. Now, she couldn’t stop. The pain caused by Nim’s sending had been enough of a distraction she’d lost control, and her darker half had taken over. She heard the monster’s laughter as she entered the catacombs. **** Ann sat up, gasping for breath. She looked around. She was in her own bed. “What is it?” Andy sat up next to her. “What happened to the Shades? How did I get out of the catacombs?” She asked. “You had another nightmare,” Andy assured her. “The Shades aren’t for a couple months yet.” He held her close and lay back down. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure you’re okay.” Ann nodded and closed her eyes hoping to get a little more sleep. From the back of her mind, she heard her darker half whisper, “That was a warning. I’ve worked hard to be good for your sake. Do not ruin that. Do not fly during the Shades. There’s a reason the immortals avoid them.”