Shadows in the Borderlands
The swamp mist clung to every branch and reed, curling around the water like living fingers. Stien and Cros moved silently through the marsh, their desiccated forms blending with the shadows. The air was thick, humid, and carried the distant hum of insects, the occasional splash of a fish, and far-off wolf calls.
The Shadelings they had been tracking were close. Stien's ghostly hand extended, fingers wisps of black smoke, barely brushing the surface of a puddle as he signaled Cros. Their incorporeal forms allowed them to float above the muck, unseen by the wandering vampires who huddled in the shallows, feeding blindly on the occasional unfortunate swamp rat.
"These are the ones," Stien whispered, the voice like dry parchment rustling. "They sense our presence but do not yet recognize the threat of who we now are."
Cros tilted forward, sensing the small cluster of Shadelings below them. Their cave was deeper than the last, but that was no hindrance to a shadeling and they both began to descended into the damp earth.
"This is where Tiffany begins," Cros said, almost reverently. "The first recruits for the new covert unit."
"Tiffany and Ariel. They are our cornerstones."
Their forms slipped into the earth as if they were swallowed up.
---
Stien appeared in the cavern first. Ariel's mind pressed against his as she assessed the situation through his eyes. Cros was there half a second later and she did the same with him.
All that she saw, and all that she relayed to them Tiffany knew without being told. Tiffany and Ariel had been developing a link that made the as one. And the link seemed to stay open and adjusted as needed.
Tiffany nodded as watched the situation unfold, knowing she could interject herself whenever she wished.
"You can serve," Stien murmured, voice like sand through a hollow tube. "You can grow stronger, sharpen your mind, become something more."
There were five shadelings present. They all looked on in silence and confusion.
"Who would we serve, and how would we grow stronger?" a large shadeling had stepped forward and spoken. His voice like rough sandpaper against a wooden surface.
Both Stien and Cros moved into their first corporeal form. They elongated, their eyes became more lively, their skin less desiccated and more solid. When they spoke their voices had warmth and depth.
The five shadelings looked on, two with greed, two in joy, and one in fear.
Ariel quickly pointed out the four they wanted and the one that would most likely not be a good fit. Tiffany nodded in agreement.
The large Shadeling, one of the greedy ones, ran his cracked tongue along his desiccated lips. "Tells us who we need to follow to obtain this."
Stien looked at him with an indifference that made him move back. "Before you can even meet her you have to swear allegiance to her. She is a powerful werewolf and her second is a powerful Shadeling. Understand that if you are loyal to them and their master they will be loyal and good to you."
Cros stepped forward. "So who will pledge before ever even knowing to who, because what have the vamps given shadelings but misery in search of pain and negativity?"
All five bowed and began swearing loyalty. Tiffany and Ariel watched the one who originally hesitated but directed Stien and Cros to bring all five to them.
Stien and Cros reverted to their primary form and used their enhanced senses to understand the surroundings above them.
They looked to each other. They could both sense the vampires above moving toward Luna Azul territory.
Cross turned to the new recruits. "Come. See what you all could be capable of."
---
Meanwhile, Marco watched from the Silver Moon stronghold, his eyes scanning the borders of the Lost Swamp. The scouts' reports were steady, coordinated — a testament to the precision Caleb and Dale had drilled into the troops.
He watched the shadelings in their hole rise to the surface to taken on a group of vampires with a smile. Seeing through Tiffany's eyes was always an asset and having such a capable force was an incredible advantage.
One of the Blood Trace scouts pulled from a shadow beside him and took a knee.
"Alpha. Vampires move through the swamps in all sectors, they are moving to Luna Azul. Three of the Shadeling's underground nests have been verified and Lady Tiffany and her Shadelings say that they can handle all three."
Marco nodded and the werewolf rose, bowed, and melted back into shadow.
The border was tense. Luna Azul patrollers were fiercely defending their boarders, and the swamp was crawling with opportunistic vampire raiders. Yet Marco's dominance radiated, holding his subordinates in line. Any hint of hesitation or deviation met with the weight of his authority, a reminder that Silver Moon's order was absolute.
A Luna Azul scout approached and paused, Caleb waiting for him to consent to the audience.
"Let him advance."
Caleb did as he was told but, patted the wolf down, and then followed him closely.
The werewolf bowed. "Alpha Marco. My Alphas request your help on the upper ridge in the valley below your stronghold."
Marco tilted his head. He had known about the vampires cutting across his mountain but when he offered help Luna Azula asked him to help on a different front, sighting that the piece of ridge separating their territories was easy to defend.
Now they needed help.
He looked to Cabel. "Send two units, in Luna Azul colors."
"Yes Alpha"
"Thank you Alpha Marco."
He sat back into his seat, thoughts running through his head. He considered the implications of all of this: Adonis and Elbon might notice unusual activity. Amber would certainly take note if Silver Moon wolves were seen acting outside their known territory, and he had decided to use Silver Moon colors for the most part. The game was delicate; every move could shift the balance.
---
Back in the field, Tiffany's and Ariel's presences were felt even from a distance. Stien and Cros communicated with Ariel mentally and she with Tiffany. They shared impressions of the Shadelings. Their bond was instantaneous and subtle, conveying information that would have taken hours to speak.
All seven of the shadelings rose from the ground as one. The five remained low but Stien and Cros rose high into the air as if they wanted to be seen.
---
A ripple in the swamp drew their attention: five vampires moving toward the Shadelings. They didn't see the five but they saw and felt both Stien and Cros.
Cros acted first, feeding just enough doubt and fear into the vampires' minds to make them hesitate. Stien followed, a spectral hand brushing a vampire's temple, quickly draining a trace of malice, leaving the creature trembling but alive. Tiffany's voice whispered through the mental bond: Steady… precision…
The vampires fled into the mist, leaving the Shadelings unscathed. Even in the midst of subtle combat, Stien and Cros had shown adaptability, discretion, and intelligence — all qualities Tiffany needed for her covert unit.
---
As the Shadelings settled, a faint disturbance shimmered in the air — another presence approaching from the swamp.
Stien froze. Cros's smoky form tensed. Tiffany's mental voice, steady and commanding, cut through the unease: Stay calm. Observe first.
From the shadows, a small hint of movement, too deliberate to be random. Scouts? Hunters? Or another force entirely?
Marco, watching through distant psychic eyes, felt the tension spike. A trace of Moas stirred within him, whispering with amusement:
> "Every shadow has its price. Every whisper carries a cost. How long before the game slips beyond your grasp?"
The Shadelings tensed, Tiffany's presence steadying them. The borderlands held their breath, and the stage was set for conflicts both mental and physical, with Silver Moon's covert army quietly taking shape.