The Darkness of Shadoewynne: Book 3 of the Shadoewynne series

by Penelope Kein

  A wry chuckle escaped me, despite my effort to stop it. There was even a little laughter in my voice as I answered him. “Isn’t this normal? Sure seems like it to me.”

  He shrunk in on himself a little at my tone. He looked away from me and his voice was so quiet that I had to step closer to hear him. “It shouldn’t be. We should be at college, living the same life all college students do.” His voice dropped further. “None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for me. It’s all my fault.”

  I tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, look at me!” I waited until his grey eyes were on me. “NONE of this is your fault. They would have found me, eventually. For fuck’s sake, my mother was guiding the bastards. They would have won without you! Do you understand? You saved me in so many ways. If you hadn’t invited me to Travis’s paintball war, I never would have met him, or Kait.” He opened his mouth and I put a finger to his lips to stop him. “I know what you are going to say, and the Svikari would have found me, anyway. Again, my mother. Moving on. You wouldn’t have been there to bring me back when they abducted me. They would have had me. They would have won.” I could see the hope back in his eyes, so I lightened the mood. “You weren’t everything, though. I mean, I was pretty awesome there, too.” He laughed, his eyes dancing.

  “You’re right. You are pretty awesome. What did I do to deserve you?”

  I smirked and wound my arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. His tongue traced my lips so I let him in. His hands tightened on my waist and he kissed me like his life depended on it.

  One hand was wandering when a voice said, “As much as I hate to say it, we don’t have time for that, Princess. Where is Travis?”

  I reluctantly disengaged from David. It relieved me to see no shadows when I looked into his eyes. He was done with the self-recriminations, at least for now. Without moving from David’s arms, I answered Kait. “He went to pack us more clothes. I just need to grab my laptop, and I’ll be ready to go.”

  Kait made a noise, which I think was an acknowledgement, but I wasn’t really sure. What had that scout said? I’ve never seen him in such a bad mood.

  I looked over my shoulder at him. He was scowling at us, so I disentangled myself from David and went to him. While running my finger through his hair, I breathed, “What’s the matter?”

  He rested his forehead on my shoulder as I massaged his scalp. He made little noises of pleasure before he answered. “It’s not just magical beasts dying. The people of Shadoewynne need the magic to live. We need to figure this out.” My fingers moved to his neck, rubbing the tension out of the corded muscles there.

  “We will, Kait. Somehow, we will.”

  Chapter 13

  Travis walked in a moment later with a small suitcase. “I assume we will be traveling normally this time and not trekking through the woods?”

  “Yes.” Kait almost mumbled it. If we weren’t getting ready to head out into yet another life-threatening situation, Kait would be super cute right now. His head was still on my shoulder and it almost looked like he was going to sleep.

  Travis raised an eyebrow at me and I just shook my head. Kait needed this time to pull himself together. I wouldn’t rush him, no matter how much of a hurry he had been in before. It didn’t last long. With a heavy exhale, he lifted his head before kissing me tenderly with his fingers threading through my hair, which was still down.

  He pulled away before I could deepen the kiss. A wry smile played on his lips as he said, “I told you we don’t have time for that, Princess. Go get your laptop so we can leave.”

  I pouted playfully at him for a moment before I ran to get the computer. By the time I was ready, they were all waiting by the door for me.

  “Come on, Babe, Pearl is waiting for us.” I squealed with delight as I pushed past them to go give my dragon some love. They all chuckled at my antics, and Pearl snorted happily when she saw me. I shot a triumphant smile over my shoulder at Kait, who was shaking his head.

  With my hands out, I ran up to her. She put her head down so my hands landed right where she wanted scratched. Her warm scales glistened as she moved around so I was hitting all the right spots and she chuffed her appreciation at me.

  “Princess, we need to go.” Kait’s voice was firm. I pulled away but Pearl lifted her head and blew a stream of cold air towards Kait’s face before head butting me again. The force of the blast blew his hair upwards and froze it in place. Ice crystals formed on his hair and eyebrows. Kait’s look of bewilderment was comical. Pearl glared at him for a second before moving her coruscating blue eyes to me.

  A rich voice sounded in my mind. “A little to the left, please.” My mouth dropped open. Did Pearl just speak to me?

  I leaned a little closer to her and whispered, “Did you say something?”

  A corner of her mouth ticked up. “Yes, silly Shadoewynne. Now, scratch harder.”

  A grin grew across my face as I scratched harder.

  Kait stepped up next to me and his voice was hard as he said, “Pearl, we are on an important mission. We need to go.”

  Her second lid closed disdainfully. Her nose turned away from him, and she spoke into my mind again. “Tell him I do not care.” I repeated her words with a smirk.

  “Why are you not speaking to me?” Kait’s tone was cajoling as he ran a finger between her eyes, which slid closed as he did.

  I giggled. “She said you are being mean and she no longer likes you.”

  “Dragons!” He muttered under his breath as he walked away. As he loaded the suitcases into the compartment in the back of the carriage, and my bag with the scout reports and computer into the seating area, he continued to grumble.

  “That is good. I like you. You will be my pet.” Pearls voice in my head was smug as she made this declaration. I pressed my face against her side to stifle the giggles that still wanted to erupt. A thump behind me made me glance back. Kait had slammed the carriage down. “Ignore the bossy Shadoewynne. You are where you need to be.” Her eye was tracking his pacing.

  “I’m sorry, Pearl. He’s right, we need to go. It’s actually very important. I will scratch you more when we get there, okay?”

  “Humph. I am not sure I like you anymore. Fine. Get in the box. We will go where you need to go, then you will groom me with a nice, scrubby brush, like the grown boy does. There is an itch between my wings that I cannot get.” Grown boy? Who is that?

  I laughed softly to myself as I hurried toward the carriage. Travis saw me coming, so he climbed in, but Kait waited for me. He still had a bemused look as he placed a hand on my back to steady me up the steps.

  “What’s the matter, Kait?” He was staring at Pearl like he’d never seen her before. He shook his head and climbed in after me. I sat down on the soft cushion between David and Travis, while Kait sat across from us. Both the guys pulled the curtains back so we could see outside as Pearl took off.

  “Kait, who’s driving?”

  Kait jumped. “Wha?”

  I frowned. That wasn’t like Kait at all. I changed seats to sit next to him and felt his forehead. He didn’t feel like he was running a fever. “I said, who’s driving? Are you feeling all right?”

  He shrugged with one shoulder. “I only drove the last time for appearances. As you know, now, Pearl is very smart. I just told her where we are going and she’ll take us there. It’s about a five-hour flight.” He looked out the window.

  “Kait. Are you feeling okay? You didn’t answer that question.”

  He blinked at me once, but didn’t seem to see me. That’s it. I need to see if there’s something wrong.

  Without asking, I pulled my power to my hands and placed them on his head. A dark power immediately assaulted me. Shit! Fuckity fuck! I don’t know if I can do this without Eir. Screw that! I have to!

  I gathered the darkness into a spot, pulling it from the corners of his mind. It fought me, forming spikes that stabbed toward my heart, then turning slippery like an oil to coat my mental hands. Ka
it’s mental image stood in a dark corner off to the side, blankly staring into space, and he didn’t respond to anything I did. As I grappled with the black goo, I moved closer to him. When the darkness lifted as I neared, I noticed his eyes and mouth were black pits of nothingness. I swore and rushed over to him, still dragging the struggling ooze. As I examined him, it became clear that the blackness coating him was not the same power as what I was currently fighting, so I would need to take care of the goo before dealing with this new threat.

  Determined not to relive what happened with David again, I threw everything I had into subduing it. My hands slammed together with the dark power in-between as I screamed my fury at it. It resisted for a moment before popping into the form of a large, shiny black ball with a loud bang. I shoved it into my metaphysical pocket before turning back to Kait.

  His skin was shiny and pale and the blackness from his eyes and mouth was creeping into his face in small cracks. It formed wispy tendrils into the room, looking like a black fog rolling out of his face. I tried to pull the power to me but it was like it wasn’t even there. My hand started toward my braid as I thought about it, but I forced it away. I am not a hesitant pushover any more!

  I closed my eyes, feeling the ebb and flow of power around me. An idea formed. I went to him and put my hands on this one’s head. Another dark power was waiting for me, pouncing as soon as I opened my barriers. Somehow, I was ready for it. A part of me knew that would happen, just as I knew I couldn’t tame it the same way I did the last one. For this power, I imagined a glass jar which I used to catch it as it leapt at me. It sucked into the jar, funneling from all parts of the Kait in front of me. When the last bit of darkness had pulled into it, I spun the lid on, sealing it away. I held the jar up in front of me, watching the darkness swirl inside for a moment before stepping back to open my eyes and look at Kait.

  His eyes and mouth were back to normal, but he was still staring sightlessly. Damn it! I placed my hands on his head again, but everything seemed normal. I searched my feelings for the spot that Kait’s bond lived in my head, only to be confronted with overwhelming sadness. My eyes flew to his, then I noticed very slight movements. He is dreaming! What’s the best way to wake him up? In fairy tales, it was always the kiss of their true love that woke them from their spelled slumber. Many other tales were true, or at least based on a truth, so why not?

  It was creepy, leaning toward him and not having his eyes track me or his mouth tick up in that little smile he always has just for me. His lips against mine were hard, cold and unyielding, like marble. I ran my hands through his hair as I tenderly kissed him, desperately hoping it would work. His lips softened against mine and a hand pulled me closer as his tongue sought entrance into my mouth. I gladly let him in. When he pulled away, I was gasping and not only because of lack of air.

  A finger came up to run along my cheek, causing me to notice for the first time the wetness there. He looked at his finger in puzzlement for a minute before his brown eyes came up to mine. “Why were you crying and why are you in my mind?”

  I couldn’t help the crazy laughter. I need to get a handle on this or people will wonder about my mental health. When I could talk, I said, “Let me step out and we can talk in the real world.”

  He nodded.

  I opened my real eyes and sat back on the seat. His eyes opened just a second later. David and Travis were discussing a seemingly random movie and didn’t appear to notice anything had happened. Kait speared me with his gaze, then said, “What happened?”

  “You were acting weird, so I thought I would check you. There was some sort of dark power in your mind, so I pulled it out and turned it into a marble like I did the curse.” As I explained the rest of what happened, I felt my pockets, but the little ball wasn’t in there. The back of my mind began contemplating what had happened to the little ball and the glass jar while I continued.

  Kait chuckled as I finished. “Just like a fairy tale, huh? Well, I see you are learning to listen to your instincts. That is good. I’m very proud of you.”

  I could feel my face heating as I looked to the floor of the gently swaying carriage. He put a finger under my chin and lifted my head until I was looking in his eyes. “I mean it. You’ve come a long way in just a few weeks.”

  Even though I was uncomfortable accepting praise, and my face burned even hotter, I knew he was right. The butterflies that always attacked my stomach had flown away and my scalp no longer hurt from pulling on my hair as I twirled it. I knew my worth, and my own mind, better than I ever had before. I cleared my throat, “Thank you, Kait. That means a lot to me, but it is partially because of you and the guys. I wouldn’t be where I am mentally if not for y’all.”

  He leaned in and kissed my temple. “We are just helping you learn how great you are.”

  I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I snuggled in next to him without saying a word as I began to watch David and Travis. Their conversation had turned into an argument about the physics of time travel. David was flailing his arms around but froze when his eyes met mine.

  A cocky grin formed before he said, “Sugar will agree with me. I’m right, aren’t I?”

  I laughed. “I have no idea. I only started paying attention to your conversation a minute ago and I don’t know what your hypothesis is or what Travis’s is. So, I’m gonna stay out of this one.”

  David pouted but went back to arguing with Travis quickly. The cadence of their words and the swaying of the carriage lulled me into sleep.

  *********

  The feel of falling woke me up. My stomach was in my throat as I looked around. Before I could figure out what was going on, we jerked hard to the side, then we rose quickly, pressing me into the seat. My panicked gaze found Kait. “What’s happening?”

  “Pearl flew too close to a dragon nest. I guess they are nesting farther out than they usually do. The female dragon is chasing us. As long as Pearl doesn’t attack her, she won’t do more than run us off.” We dropped again, causing my butt to lift slightly off the seat. I glanced out the window to see a huge blue dragon zipping toward us from the side. Her neck stretched out to nip at Pearl’s wing as she approached. Pearl swerved at the last minute, throwing me into Travis.

  His elbow connected with my ribs, causing me to gasp in pain. I rubbed the spot. “Yeah, but will we survive that? Damn, Travis, your elbow is pointy!”

  Travis was rubbing his elbow as he said, “You’re one to talk! Your ribs are hard! Somehow you landed on my funny-bone, too!”

  We dipped and zagged the other direction. Now I flew back into Kait, with Travis on top of me. My stomach seized as motion sickness set in. As Travis pushed off me, I said, “This is getting ridiculous! Kait, is there anything we can do?”

  He shook his head. “Pearl just needs to hightail it out of what the other dragon perceives is her area. From how long this has been going on, we should be about out.”

  Out the window, Pearls wings picked up speed and I pressed into my seat again. I swallowed hard. This wouldn’t be pretty if it didn’t end soon. A glance out the window showed the blue dragon roaring at our back before it turned around. Oh, thank God!

  I slumped in my seat as I desperately swallowed back the bile.

  Kait and David gave me sympathetic looks as I squeezed my eyes shut. “Are we there yet?” My voice was barely a whisper.

  Kait rubbed my back as he said, “Probably about five or ten minutes.” I nodded without opening my eyes.

  After a few minutes, the queasiness receded, and I could look around again. The view out the window was breathtaking. We were heading towards a massive, snowcapped mountain that appeared to be smoking. Tropical vegetation covered the ground below us, moving gently in the breeze caused by Pearl’s wings. Wait, we aren’t low enough for that.

  I squinted at the flashes of red between the green foliage. At a clearing, a red dragon a little larger than a horse darted out, chasing after a rabbit darting ahead of it. I gasped as I pressed my face
against the window, straining to see more dragons.

  Kait chuckled at me. A large castle came into view. It was mostly stereotypical, with turrets and pretty ivy climbing the walls. The stone shone like mother-of-pearl, with an iridescent pink sheen where the sun hit and the green ivy projected a beautiful green color against the castle walls, like the leaves were crystal. We circled once around the courtyard before we settled down; the carriage unhooking and dragging the dusty ground behind Pearl as she landed. I grabbed my bag and threw open the door. The heat hit us like a physical thing driving me a step back into David. He put his hands on my shoulders.

  “Yeah, you don’t want to stay outdoors long here. The average temp is above 110 Fahrenheit here in the winter. Come on, let’s get inside the castle.” We hurried out of the carriage and into the shaded, cooler area by the door. As we approached, a man in a classic butler’s tux opened the door. He bowed as we passed him.

  “Master Kait. We have prepared the room. If you will follow me?” He swept by us, quickly taking his place in front as he led us through an intimidating maze of opulent hallways. Glittering tapestries covered the wall and delicate vases sat on intricately carved, well-oiled wooden tables nestled into alcoves. There were no windows, and no visible source of light, but an ambient glow gave the hallway enough light to see without being overwhelming. The whole setting screamed money and I felt completely out of place. Before I could sink too far into my anxiety Kait took my hand, and with his touch, my fear evaporated. I realized how silly I was being and I straightened my back and squared my shoulders. Kait squeezed my hand and let go as the butler stopped.

  He bowed again, his right hand pointing toward a massive, carved double door. “This is the room for you and your party, Master Kait. Your baggage will be here shortly. Is there anything I can help with in the meantime?”

  “No, Bartholomew, I think we are good. Thank you. Please have them leave the baggage at the door, we do not wish to be disturbed until dinner.”