One minute, I was standing near Ebony. The next, I was on the ground, sobbing my heart out. Why does this always happen to me? I used what energy I had left to drag Ebony to the chains. I plopped down right beside him. Ebony had become unconscious and his face was cast into shadow.

Suddenly, the chains vanished. They did not peel, like they did for Ebony, rather, they faded into nothingness. I used this opportunity to seize Ebony by the waist and pushed him past the border of stone. I just sat there, sniffling and unsure of what to do, until a voice in my head urgently whispered: Escape. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind until now. I awoke from my stupor and heaved Ebony up onto my shoulder.

I raced down corridors, turning left and right at random intervals. Twice I ran into a dead end, and twice I had given up hope when a small voice echoed in my ear: For Ebony. My strength revived, I had continued on. Finally, I reached the exit. I was about to cross over to the door when Ebony stirred. He muttered, "Wha's happenin'?" then his head dropped down once more. I ignored him and dashed toward the door. I wrenched it open and dived out of the door.

We were free. We were free. That was all my mind was thinking. I gently lowered Ebony to the ground and smiled at the clearing. The sun was shining, the birds were tweeting, and we were free. Sweating and sighing with relief, I slumped on the ground and the darkness overcame my senses. The world was fading to black once more.

I jolted awake, panting and sweating. I stretched my hand out to where Ebony was supposed to be, but there was only ground there. I glanced at my surroundings. Slime stained the walls, ragged paintings hung in clusters, worn furniture dotted the room, and papers thrown askew all made me shudder in disgust. Early morning light was filtered in through a covered window. The curtains covering the window were mangled and torn, and the air smelled of sandalwood. I glanced down and found myself seated on a woven stretcher. Candles surrounded my bed and leaves dotted my skin. The wooden shack appeared to contain more than one room, for a worn door hung from battered hinges in front of me.

A voice echoed throughout the room, "Ahh...so you're awake, deary." Her tone was musical and floated through the room.

I jerked my head back as cold water was poured on my frizzy hair. "Do not worry about your friend, he is in good hands..." whispered the mystic voice.

I twisted my head around to peek at the mysterious voice. It was coming from an old woman. The woman was probably in her late sixties and her long, black hair was slowly fading into white. Her eyes were glowing, sharp green orbs that gave her an air of motherhood. Her mouth was poised into a wicked grin, making her look maniacal. Her clothes consisted of a long, dark blue robe that reached until her knees. The robe was embroidered with faint yellow squares that seemed to light up her entire body. Finally, I looked back up at her calming, keen eyes.

Then, my brain caught up and I registered what she had just said. Hmm...my friend...Ebony! Where is he?

She instantly replied in a hushed tone, "Come...I'll take you to him."

It was as if she could read my mind. I obediently got up and followed her towards the ominous door. She pushed the door open, and the creak echoed through the  desolate hallway that now stood before me. I crept down the hallway, my ears straining for any sound. The woman was right behind me, and she directed me to a wooden door that was slightly ajar. I sprinted toward the door and lowered my shoulder. I aimed for the door, and my shoulder pushed through the door. The room was exactly like the room I had been in. A young girl, about my age, stood up and started yelling in a foreign language.

At last, the old woman burst through the door and began calming the other girl. Even after the girl had stopped yelling, she still eyed me warily.

The girl strode toward the door, and I got a clear view of Ebony. I dashed toward him, and it seemed as if the whole world had stopped and it was just me and him in that secluded room.

He was still sweating and panting. His face was screwed up in pain, but as I neared closer to him, his face slowly began to smile. "H-Harley?" he managed to say.

I broke into a grin and caressed his cheek with my hand. "Yeah, how are you doing?" I replied, my voice breaking up.

"G-Good. How are you?" he asked as if nothing was wrong.

"I-I'm good," I replied casually, even though I was one second from breaking down. I was just so glad to be in the presence of Ebony. I lowered my voice and continued, "But, do you know who these people are? I mean, can we trust them?"

Ebony tried to sit up to get a better look at the woman and the girl. He winced in pain and the girl rushed to his side. She took his hand and began to recite, "Deep breaths, deep breaths."

She seemed to fancy him, and my temper rose. I was about to yell when the woman started to introduce herself.

"I'm Dazi," she said lazily, "and this is my granddaughter, Lezli." Lezli glared at me while she stroked Ebony's cheek.

"Your friend here is approaching death," Lezli replied stiffly. I looked back at her in disgust and I slowly remembered that Ebony is a shade! He cannot die, so he will be one of the Banished soon! Lezli seemed to notice my alarmed state, and started to ask me something, when Dazi breezily said, "Lezli, we have asked her enough questions. Now, let's tell her our story," she took a deep breath, then continued, "I come from a long line of Cursors. They have the power to heal. My daughter carried that power, but sadly, Lezli does not. It is strange that your friend cannot be healed, even by me. Anyway, moving on. My daughter died, and a little piece inside me did too. I began to care for Lezli on my own. We moved to this shack in Lokar's Bane and healed any animal that came by. Lezli is no Cursor, but she is a Loeki. She has the power to foresee important moments in the future. One day, she foretold of a girl that would need help in saving her friend who was near death. I took this fortune very seriously and prepared for the day. It so happened that today was the day, and that I was on the lookout. Sadly, I cannot heal your friend, but I know of someone who can. He deals in the undead."

At the word "undead", Lezli turned to face her grandmother, her eyes wide with alarm. Of course! She didn't know Ebony was a shade, that's why she was flirting with him! I thought. It's not like I care. I hastily added. 

"Where is he?" I eagerly asked, on the edge of my seat.

"You shall travel two miles northeast and then travel down the winding river. The river breaks into a waterfall, and you shall have to jump down the waterfall. Whether you survive or not, that will be his choice," Dazi directed.

"Can I at least know his name?" I asked, annoyed.

"Sshh...we do not speak of his name here...come...I will take you to a safer location..." Lezli replied harshly.

We all got up and jogged to the door. I followed them down the winding corridors, and out into a garden. The garden was surrounded by hundreds of floating pixies. I tried to focus on one, but they seemed to fade into nature. The garden contained millions upon millions of colorful flowers. They all seemed to glow in the moonlight.

Lezli turned to me and whispered, "His name is Zerriki."

I gasped. Zerriki? It could not be.

I cautiously asked, "Does Zerriki have a--a--a brother?"

"Yes, but that poor brother was turned undead twelve years ago. Since then, Zerriki has wanted to aide any of the undead: you know, wraiths, ghosts, and shades," Dazi added. She had a dazed look in her eyes and was breathing deeply. She turned toward Lezli and muttered something to her. Lezli only nodded in turn, then she looked at me and said seriously, "Come, my grandmother cannot hold the Shielding Spell for long."

I nodded to express my understanding and set off to find Ebony's room. Lezli seemed to have warmed up to me, she was idly chatting to me as we walked down the corridor.

"So, how did you meet your friend?"

"I-"

"Wait, which one is he? A shade, wraith, or a ghost? I think ghosts are the cutest, but shades--yuck. I mean, you can't even see their faces. Wraiths are--"

"That's enough, Lezli," Dazi stated firmly.

After that, it only took a few minutes and I was back in the company of Ebony. He was dozing and I didn't have the heart to wake him up. I started making preparations for the long journey ahead. Dazi mentioned that she had a special potion that will restore Ebony to his full strength, but only for a few days. She told me that the trip only lasts two days, if you are quick enough.

At last, after two full days of packing, I was ready. I only needed to go over the list one last time. Clothes, check. Food, check. Water, check. Sleeping bags, check. Compass, check. Dagger, check. Sword, check. Weird amulet that Dazi gave me, check. Ebony, I glanced over at Ebony, who was sitting upright, and thought back to my mental checklist. Ebony, soon-to-be check.

I leaned over the makeshift bed and grabbed the special potion. I grabbed Ebony's chin and barely convinced him to drink it. After he drank the whole potion, he began to clutch his stomach and roll over in pain. I sat there, watching him with a worried expression. Dazi wouldn't lie, I told myself, the potion will work. The potion will work.

Suddenly, Ebony sat up as if nothing had happened. He held out his hands and surveyed them. He looked up at me, satisfied. Ebony jumped up and did a victory lap around the room. I watched him, and he seemed to notice that I was sporting a dismal expression.

"What?" he asked, his grin wide as an elephant.

I barely managed to stutter out, "W-Well, y-y-you see, umm..."

He continued to stare at me, confused, and I was internally beating myself up. Why couldn't I say it?

Finally, I blurted out, "You're not cured. This potion only revives your strength for a few days. We are going to visit someone who can heal you."

His grin slowly slid into a frown as he registered my words. He stared at me absentmindedly.

Suddenly, Ebony turned toward the door and said joyfully, "Come on then, we haven't got all day."

I sighed in relief and ran to catch up to Ebony. We thanked Dazi and Lezli, and proceeded to walk out of the door.

I turned toward Ebony, and whispered seriously, "You know that this is going to be dangerous."

He only smiled at me and shot back, "What, are you afraid to get a little dirty, abnormal girl?"

And that's how I knew that Ebony was back to normal. I grinned back at him and we both jogged out into the forest, the setting sun just in front of us. Things were going great.

Oh, how wrong I was.