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his blade would end them, and then all would be well.
    "The Goblins are mine!" he said, raising his
sword. This was it. Lannon was going to give himself completely to his power.
He was tired of being thought of as a passive fighter who shunned violence. He
was convinced that others laughed at him behind his back, thinking that for all
his power he was a wimp. It was time to show them what he was made of--that a
Dark Watchman should be feared and respected. His sorcery surged into his
blade, as he prepared to strike.
    "Don't kill them!" Taith pleaded.
    Lannon heard Taith's voice, and he hesitated. He turned and
glared at the boy. "Why should I spare them?"
    "I don't know," said Taith, looking desperate.
"But I know you should. Your...your face looks evil, Lannon. You're
different!"
    "I'm different?" said Lannon. He pondered that.
He didn't think anything about him had changed. "Nonsense, Taith. It's a
trick of Tharnin. Now cover your eyes if you can't handle a bit of death and
destruction." Lannon chuckled. Taith was so pathetically weak. He would
have to learn to toughen up if he wanted to be a Knight. Lannon turned back to
his grim work, again preparing to strike.
    Vorden seized Lannon's arm. "Wait...I think the boy is
right. You seem different somehow. Let me do this, Lannon."
    Lannon shoved Vorden away. "Mind your own business.
You're the one who was tainted by the Deep Shadow, not me. I can control
myself." He felt enraged at Vorden for interfering. He wanted to punch him
in the jaw.
    Vorden bowed his head in shame.
    But Taith ran to Lannon and seized him, wrapping his arms
around him. "Just leave them alone, Lannon. You're not cruel like
that."
    "It's not cruelty," said Lannon. But Taith's
words and actions had made him realize he was behaving strangely.
    "Sheath your sword, Lannon," said Vorden. "I
sense the Deep Shadow at work in you. I can't prove it, but I know it's in
there."
    "Vorden!" Aldreya's eyes widened. "That is a
very serious accusation. Lannon has every right to slay those Goblins."
She strode forward and seized Taith's arm, tearing him away from Lannon and
covering his eyes.
    But Vorden refused to yield.
    "Enough!" Jerret growled. He rose, drew his
broadsword, and made quick work of the Goblins and their Mother Tree, soaking
the back of the cave in black blood. When he was done, he cleaned his blade and
sheathed it.
    "I guess that settles it," said Jace, yawning.
    "Disgusting," said Dallsa, turning away with a
sigh.
    Lannon simply stood in shocked silence, his sword dangling
from his hand. What had happened to him? What dark power had sought to seize
control? Was it truly the Deep Shadow as Vorden had insisted? Lannon wondered
if this was the beginning of the end for him--that downward path to evil that
all Dark Watchmen seemed to eventually walk. If so, could he stop it somehow?
Should he take his own life before it was too late? These thoughts swirled
through his mind and left him more miserable than he had ever felt before.
    Dallsa clutched his shoulder. "Is everything okay,
Lannon?"
    Lannon could only shake his head.
    And then Jace was there, peering down at him. "Don't
fret, young man," said the sorcerer. "You were just having a moment.
Happens from time to time to the best of us. Calm yourself and have some
cheese." He smiled.
    "What can I do?" Lannon asked, feeling helpless.
    "Stay true to yourself," said Jace. "Or
something like that. And have some cheese." He waved something under
Lannon's nose.
    Lannon's eyes slowly focused on the important object that
Jace was presenting to him. It was a chunk of cheddar with a few bites missing.
    ***
    They tended to the horses, and then dried themselves with
sorcery. They sat in a circle on quilts, wondering how long the storm would
keep them prisoner. Everyone still seemed sullen and quick to anger.
    "This cave reeks of evil," said Jace.
"That's why everyone is temperamental. The Deep Shadow comes in many
forms. It seeps into the blood."
    Aldreya smirked. "And