by J. G. Maltos
"I'm sorry,” I rush out again. "If I have—"
"Aries." It was soft at first, barely above a whisper; I thought perhaps I misheard him. "You may call me Aries, Princess." This time his voice is stronger, more confident.
"Aries?" I say and notice how his name feels light and familiar on my tongue. "And how exactly did you end up in my chamber, Aries?"
"Ahh." The confidence is gone in his voice, this time replaced by a heavy strain. "That would be a long and complicated answer."
I pull out the chair next to me and take a seat. "As long as it's a good one. Quite frankly, I rather hate the idea of someone being in my room without my permission, much less my knowledge." I give myself a mental pat on the back for sounding much more relaxed than I am. My hands curl into fists to calm their shaking.
Aries takes this as an invitation and takes a few steps toward the end of my table. There is something about his movements that makes me uneasy. Maybe it is the way his figure did not indicate that it was moving, or that he makes no noise as he comes closer.
"I am here to help you, Princess."
At this, I narrow my eyes at him. "Help me? Why would I need your help?"
"All those years in the cells, Princess," he says. "Have you not wondered why they've kept you alive? "
"Prisoner of war." I shrug. "I was a torture trophy. What better way to show a victory against a kingdom than capturing its princess?" Everything the guards did floods my head. Their useless games, their joy at my pain. At first, I had wondered what my family and I had done to result in such hatred. Quickly, it became clear they didn't need a reason. I had stopped asking why a long time ago.
"Princess," he sounds urgent now, "surely you remember their interrogations that held you clueless. How they would force answers to questions you could never understand. If they had truly succeeded in their goal, then they would have no need to hide you."
My back stiffens at this and immediately I am standing from my seat, putting more distance between me and the shadow. "How did you know that? How could you have possibly known that?" I feel the air escaping me, drying out my lungs in panic. The memories of my time in the cells run through in flashes behind my eyes.
Could he possibly know the powers I can wield? How much does he know?
"I assure you I am on your side, Princess," Aries calls out. "Although I am limited in my knowledge and my abilities, I am here to help and protect you."
"That doesn't answer my question," I scorn.
"Very well," he sighs. "I've seen the books you and your companions have been reading. What have you gathered from the Shadow Kingdom?"
I grow impatient and my words come out sharp. "Not Much. The Shadow Kingdom got greedy. The other Kingdoms had to restore balance. The Shadow Stone got destroyed. The end."
Aries' figure moves, and I had the sense my summary displeased him. "I believe the power lies in knowledge, so long as it's true and untainted. History is the victor's retelling and as such, is prone to half-truths and one-sided perspectives," he lets out another sigh. "Nevermind that. What have you gathered regarding the Shadow People's abilities?"
I simply shake my head. “The volume was thick, I was lucky I gathered as much as I did.”
He nods in understanding. "That is where the answer becomes complicated, Princess."
My legs feel heavy beneath me, and against my better judgment, I retake my seat closer to Aries. "And how do you plan on helping me, exactly?" I peer up at him through tired eyes. "My hand went right through you earlier. You couldn't swat a fly like that, much less an enemy or a book."
A dark chuckle escapes Aries. “Not everything is as it appears Princess, you should know that.”
I sit in shock as the dark smoke that lines his silhouette shifts and distorts. The black smoke moves around him like snakes shifting into itself. They tighten around the figure so that its edges become clearer, sharper. The smoke clears away, revealing black combat boots tied up to his ankles first. Then black jeans, followed by a dark, long sleeve and leather jacket hugging his chest and shoulders.
I rip my stare away from his chest toward his face. The smoke reveals the man behind the velvet voice. His tan complexion stands out against his dark attire. His features are sharp and pristine, almost too perfect to be hidden behind a wall of smoke. His dark brown hair swirls within the remains of the black fog.
But it isn't this that makes my breath catch in my throat. Coal-black eyes stare back at me with such intensity that my heart jumps at the sight. Like the rest of his body, the smoke clears within his eyes. They reveal a set of golden hues that shine bright against his complexion. The entrancing eyes dance with the light of the room, his lashes kiss his cheeks as he peers down at me.
"I assure you, Princess, I am more than capable." His lips twitch into a smirk and he lifts a waiting palm toward me. "Would you like to see for yourself?" He lifts a palm, coaxing me to touch him.
But his voice passes through my eyes like a muffle. His golden eyes captivate me and the wind is knocked out of me. The cells. Those eyes. My breathing picks up yet again. I shove my chair back away from him, needing distance from him as his eyes dart back and forth between mine.
"You," I whisper.
Something flashes within the same eyes I had dreamed about for so long. They were there when I was dragged out of the water before losing consciousness. The same eyes that I had once associated with my savior before a cruel realization awakened me to the knowledge that I would never escape the pain, not really.
I can still feel the warm hands on my chest, pumping my heart to keep beating, to keep living. Those golden eyes hovered over me then, before disappearing and leaving me to suffer more. They had given me hope that they would return and rescue me from my torture. With every second I stare at his eyes, a strong feeling of hate slithers around my heart binds it with every heartbeat.
I stand, knocking the chair over with a loud crash. A surge of loathing flows through my veins and into the tips of my fingers, begging them to curl into a fist. My eyes burn with unshed tears and loathing."Help me? Protect?" A bitter laugh escapes my lips. "You can keep your protection. Just like you did back then."
His golden eyes dim as his shadows dance around his eyes. "I'm not sure what you mean, Princess." His face holds no emotion, but his voice wavers and gives him away.
"Damn well you do," I bite back. "I don't know what sick game you have built in that smoke brain of yours, but I swear I will make you suffer the way you left me to suffer."
His hands ball into fists. "I don't understand." His jaw tightens and he tries to trap me in his gaze, but I force my stare to the marble floor. I couldn't bear to look into those eyes any longer.
"Do you think I'm a fool?" I say through clenched teeth. "I know it was you. I saw you there in the cells. Your eyes—” My voice cracks. "I thought you saved me at first, but you were there to make me go crazy amongst everything else." I run a frantic hand through my hair. "I knew I wasn't crazy." A half cry, half laugh escapes my lips and the rims of my eyes blurry with tears that threaten to spill over in any second. I see his boots move a short step toward me and I have no choice but to face him.
"Stop," I try to yell, but it comes out more like a whimper and I scold myself for sounding so weak. "Don't you dare take another step." My hand raises, and the tips of my fingers glow a dim green that slowly move up like veins up my arms. I stare down in amazement.
I look back at Aries and realize he is staring back at me with emotions I'm all too familiar with. Sadness and pity.
He inches closer to me, his palms raised, as if he is nearing a wild animal. He stares at my palms as I stare back at him in disgust, ready to tell him exactly everything I have built up all these years.
"Calm do—“ The sound of the library door jiggles, tearing our attention away from each other. It jiggles again, more desperately this time, and we turn back to each other with equally shocked looks.
I don't know what comes over me, but I jump in fr
ont of him just in time for the door swung open, blocking him from whoever was about to walk in. I look behind me but he vanishes into the air.
"Princess Althea?" Evie stands at the doorway, rubbing her tired palms over her eyes. "What are you doing here so late?" she asks as she runs a lazy hand through her hair, trying to tame her bed hair.
"I— I couldn't sleep, Evie." My voice catches in my throat, but luckily she's too groggy to notice anything of importance. "I wanted to find more books we could use. I tried not to wake you.”
Evie nods her heavy head. It is clear she is struggling to stay awake. "Come back to the room now, Princess. It's not safe for you to be alone right now."
I nod back at her, afraid if I speak again she would catch the lingering emotions that threaten to spill over. She turns back toward my chamber, and as I follow her, I feel the cold trail of tears that trailed down my face. A cold breeze feathers my cheek, drying my tears and I pause at the doorway, giving one final glance around the locked window and empty library. An intoxicating, smoky aroma surrounds me, leaving me with no doubt that I am not alone, even now.
Chapter 8
My blood-curdling screams wake me from my nightmare. My body remains heavy with sleep, but my mind races with the images that follow me out of my dreams. I can still smell the stench of blood and sweat from the seemingly endless cage fights. My arms ache with the memory of being dragged from my bed into the interrogation room.
The room suffocates me, and I force my breathing to slow into a soft lull. My hands loosen the death grip they held on the silk sheets and move to push against my eyes, forcing out the visions of my nightmare.
Suddenly, the memory of the night before resurfaces. Of him.
His words ring through my mind, echoing like a beacon. I’m here to help you. I am not your enemy. My heart is torn between doubt and naïve hope. He could have the answers I need, but how can he protect me now when I need him the most in the cells?
A single tear leaves a hot trail down my cheek. To my relief, the room is empty. The other girls must have left without wanting to wake me. I push past the ache in my chest. It would have been nice to wake up with my friends by my side, but then again, it would probably be better if they weren’t here to witness my night terrors.
I move toward the shower, washing away the sweat that stuck to my skin. Although the warmth of the water felt nice, it does little to soothe the knots that have settled within my body.
Too preoccupied with my thoughts, I pay little mind to the actual attire I choose for the day. I grab the first things my hands found and throw them on absentmindedly. It isn't until I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror that I notice how drastically different I look. I re-wrap my wounds that are scabbing over.
My fingers graze my cheeks as I notice they have a faint color to them, a soft blush that makes me look more alive. And my lips finally heal from their cracks. Now that I've had decent meals more frequently, they are no longer shrunken from malnutrition and thirst. I lean in closer and notice the brown of my eyes has gone lighter. They shine bright with a speck of honey against the mess that was my dark hair. I seem like a completely different person.
My back stiffens as a familiar feeling crawls beneath my skin. I freeze for a second, preparing myself to see him once more. "Aries," I say and surprise myself with how steady my voice sounds.
Black fog collects itself at the foot of my bed, slowly revealing the man who had haunted my dreams. He wears the same attire from our conversation last night, bringing a new wave of questions. His wide golden eyes stare back at me. "Princess, how did you—?"
"No." I lift a sharp hand and ignore the pit that grows at the bottom of my stomach. "You don't get to ask any questions. Not when you come into my room, yet again, without permission." I walk past him, toward the window where I have a clear view of the rose garden. "I ask the questions. You answer them. Simple."
"As you wish, Princess." Out of the corner of my eye, I notice him sit stiffly at the foot of my bed. He stares at me with expectant eyes, waiting for me to continue.
Instinctively, I reach toward my mother's necklace that hangs around my neck and grasp it tightly in my hand. The white rose within the glass stares back at me and the memory of my mother floods back to me. The warmth of the sun washes over me, seeping into my bones.
I can do this. "Why were you in the cells with me?" I finally ask.
Aries shifts in his seat. The movements are slow and awkward, and I realize how foreign being in this form may be for him. "I think it best for me to start from the beginning, Princess. Then you can make your decision regarding me." His husky voice echoes in my room. "As I've said before, I am limited in my abilities. Because of that, I was often left powerless to intervene. Until recently." His eyes dart to me, flashing with doubt before settling on his hands that lay flat on his thighs. He continues with a sigh. "My father was Ruler of the Realm and King of the Shadow Kingdom. He wished for me to become a strong and fierce ruler after him and so, I was exposed to the reality of the world at a young age."
His father ruled the kingdom that fell around a century ago? But here he is now. He looks like he couldn't be more than a year or two older than me. My eyes widen with a new wave of questions, but Aries continues without noticing.
"My family tried to be kind and fair rulers, but there were times when our hands were forced. I may not have agreed with every choice that was made, but I assure you it was far from what your history describes it to be. My father and I had a disagreement the night our kingdom truly fell and the Shadow crystal was destroyed.” He's looking at me now, and I am surprised to find that his intense, golden eyes have glassed over with emotion. "Princess, our stories are not too different. At the very least, your Kingdom still stands— even if it is amongst the rubble."
I lean against the window frame, unsure of how to respond. In the end, I decide to say nothing.
"Our powers were great," he pushes through my silence. "We could create shadows that withstood the force of your physical world. Your hand would not have gone through them as it did with me last night. They were ideal soldiers. They had no souls but they were as real as you and I." His voice falters at the end and I see his heavy body lean forward.
Without thinking, I take a step toward him with my arms outstretched, as if to catch him. He lifts his head in one sharp movement, and I freeze. His golden eyes are gone, replaced by a black cast that swallowed his gaze. An odd feeling creeps up my spine. He's looking at me, but I feel as if he isn't really here at all.
After a moment, his eyes glaze away from the dark cast and return to their golden hue. He blinks away the daze and gives me a sheepish bow. "I apologize, Princess. Staying in this form requires energy I am no longer accustomed to using."
I give him a small awkward nod, embarrassed at my reaction, and walk back to my place by the window.
Aries continues. "Not only could we create shadows, but we could also keep still the life of a person. We could possess their shadows, and as a result, we could control their every movement, every thought, and every cell in their body."
"That's horrible." Disgust drips off my tongue before I could stop it, but in the end, it doesn’t matter to me much. I think back to the cell, how they would leave me broken and sedated. How I could feel myself within my body, yet they left me too numb to move sometimes. "You can take someone's self-control away? Do you have any idea how that feels?"
He looks taken aback by the sudden loudness of my tone and his face distorts into one of anger. "We took no pride in such deeds." Aries stands from his spot, his body rigid at my accusations. "My family, my people even, avoided such measures unless necessary. When we attach to someone's shadow, we see, hear, and feel everything they do. We feel their fear, their sadness, their pain. Overshadowing comes at a price, Princess, it leaves a mark on both souls."
Something within me twists, begging me to know. "Have you ever Overshadowed somebody?"
He looks back at me with burning eyes a
nd I feel myself shrink as if I crossed a line. "Yes." I think back to the night of the attack on the Frost Kingdom when One Ear died. Had that been what I had seen?
Aries sits back down, and I know not to ask any further. He relaxes his hands against his thigh once again, letting out a deep sigh. "Those types of powers are why we were feared. Our Kingdom depended on our stone more than any of the other kingdoms depended on theirs. When it was destroyed, we felt ourselves disappearing, becoming the very thing we controlled. We are unsure as to why we haven't perished completely. I am the only one capable of reverting into my physical body, although it wears me out fairly quickly. Others have taken to their shadow forms completely." His voice hitches and I can only imagine what could be going through his mind.
He clears his throat, bringing back the stability in his voice. "That is why I couldn't do more for you back in the cells. Staying in this form limits me, but I could not let you die, Princess, although you may have wished for it many times." He looks up at me with determination, or perhaps admiration? The glint in his eye is gone before I can process it.
"Why save me at all?" I ask, just as confused as I was from the beginning. "Where do I fit into any of this?" I clasp my mother's necklace once again, afraid of the answer.
“They would have come back for you,” he corrects me. “ I just beat them to it. They wouldn’t have killed you that easily.” All traces of emotion left Aries's face. "But to answer your question, have you heard of the Divine?"
“You answered my question with a question,” I jeer, lifting an eyebrow.
A scoff escapes his full lips. “Have you or have you not.”
I give a small nod. "My mother spoke highly of them. They were a special form of Elite that could control all six elements, but each Divine was the master of one ability, without limitations. They had vanished soon after the fall of your kingdom, according to the volumes, along with The Book of Divine."
Aries smiles in encouragement. "Well, Princess, after our crystal was destroyed, the Divine warned the Elite of the consequences before they despaired. Riots will rise, kingdoms will fall from the unbalance." Aries turns fully to me, his face shadowed with seriousness. “Our kingdom has fallen but we are still very much alive.” His voice tightens, noticing my discomfort.