Cast Into Shadow

by Angela Colsin

  “Mikail?”

  Silence.

  “Okay, don't give me the silent treatment. I'm blindfolded in a strange place, and if I can't at least have some conversation, I'm gonna snap and take you with me.”

  Following her empty threat, she heard a soft grumble, but the stubborn Dok'aal still didn't speak. Guess it's time to break out the big guns.

  “Fine, I'll just sing a song to pass the time.”

  Clearing her throat, Kivsey began singing 99 Bottles of Beer, hoping the entire while her life wasn't about to come to an abrupt halt, and not just because the song was so repetitive.

  She also had no aptitude for carrying even a simple tune.

  Still, the Dok'aal didn't react—at first. He merely continued on, allowing Kivsey to make it all the way to ninety-one before bringing their walk to an abrupt halt by tugging on her shoulders.

  “Is that really necessary, human?” he growled.

  “Hey, you're the one who wouldn't engage in some mild conversation.”

  “Do you have to talk?”

  “Do you have to sound so annoyed?”

  “Only when a human is singing annoying songs, or chatting my ears off.”

  “Fitting, because I only chat so much when I can't see a thing.”

  “Keep it up and you'll be immobile as well.”

  At that, he started moving again, and Kivsey groaned. Maybe it was going to be harder to get under his skin than she'd thought. But she wasn't quitting, giving the Warlord fifteen minutes before he finally relented and allowed her to remove the blindfold.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ♦

  Mikail wasn't going to last another fifteen minutes keeping Kivsey blindfolded, and not because of her singing or numerous complaints.

  Instead, he'd only pretended to be vexed because she obviously believed annoying him would change his mind—and her song was so repetitive it nearly did the trick. But in truth, he was curious to see what she'd say or do to regain her vision, and would've endured another ten bottles being passed around if it meant finding out.

  Yet he almost felt as if blindfolding her was actually pointless, and had only impeded their journey. Perhaps it was simply a matter of eagerness to return home as quickly as possible, but there was also a strange lack of mistrust where this female was concerned.

  He hadn't even complained when she'd typed her message in Latin script despite knowing it would've been easy for her to lie about what she'd written. Of course, she had no reason to. Such an act would've only made things harder on those trying to locate her, so he wasn't wholly concerned.

  But was his lack of suspicion a mistake? It was hard to say, and he wanted to keep her blindfolded at least until they'd passed an area his people called The Hamlet—a large cavern possessing several passageways connecting with different areas of Vrella.

  The tunnels leading there weren't far from their current location, either. So he kept Kivsey blindfolded for now, and continued to answer her questions while pretending to dislike being asked.

  And her next inquiry was unexpected.

  “You're a Warlord, aren't you?”

  He stared at the back of her head in surprise. “How do you know of Warlords?”

  “Well, I don't. At least, not much. I only guessed because of how quickly you killed those ogres.”

  A sensible deduction. “I am. What else do you know of them?”

  “They're specially trained to defend their people.”

  “Correct,” he confirmed, then decided to ask, “and what's your primary occupation?”

  “Me? I'm an intelligence agent.”

  He was silent for a considerate moment, then suggested, “You mean a spy?”

  “Not precisely. I don't actually travel around collecting information in secret. I just keep what The Bastion knows organized for use in assisting our operatives in the field, especially when they're on difficult missions.”

  Completely intrigued, Mikail asked, “What kinds of missions?”

  “Oh, um,” she drew out, trying to think of an example. “I used to work with a guy who was hunting vampires, and he took out a number of lairs keeping humans captive. Usually, he'd travel there during the day while I stayed at our base and used our information to assist.”

  Mikail thought that over, suggesting, “So you don't normally travel into the … field?”

  “No, only when there's a chance that communication would be hindered by the environment. For example, the mine where that portal sphere was located blocked signals from being sent, so I volunteered to travel with Tyrone personally.”

  “Even though you can't fight?”

  “Hey, I'm a decent marksman, and there aren't a lot of monsters in Terra that require more than a gun to take out. But we had no reason to think any would be in that mine. I also have some medical training that comes in handy.”

  “Fair enough,” he conceded, then warned her to be careful as they approached a rocky pathway leading around several large boulders.

  Kivsey groaned in the process, cautiously navigating at his direction while asking, “Are you going to let me take this thing off yet? It's itchy.”

  “No. Now answer another question.”

  “I thought you weren't interested in talking.”

  “I thought you were.”

  “Fine,” she grumbled. “Shoot, big guy.”

  Mikail smirked, somehow enjoying the way she called him big guy as he asked, “Why do you wear glasses?”

  “Uh,” she drew out, countering as if he should know, “because my vision isn't the greatest?”

  “But you said your elven lineage allows you to see better than most humans.”

  “Oh, that. I meant that I see light in the dark better, but that has nothing to do with my visual acuity. I'm nearsighted, so things far away are blurry.”

  Mikail nodded despite the fact that she couldn't see it, and found himself parting his lips to ask another question. He wouldn't have many chances to learn more about this strange woman who'd been trapped in his world, after all, and her attitude was just sassy enough to make baiting her extremely amusing.

  Yet, at the last second, his question was interrupted by the growl of a wyrm in the distance, echoing off the tall cavern walls.

  The sound prompted Kivsey to stop walking entirely, followed by impulsively reaching to pull the blindfold away. So he grabbed her wrists to stop her, finding them small enough for his fingers to encompass entirely.

  For some reason, their size difference was intriguing, but she thankfully distracted him from the disconcerting thought by tugging at her hands while demanding, “What the fuck was that?”

  “A wyrm,” he answered casually, “and it's nowhere near here.”

  “A wyrm?” Turning her head as if she could see him, Kivsey twisted her wrists even harder while insisting, “Let me take this damned thing off! I don't want to get eaten without at least knowing what's going on!”

  “Isn't ignorance supposed to be bliss?”

  “Not in this case!”

  She sounded legitimately distressed, which didn't help Mikail's resolve to leave the blindfold where it was. Instead, he wanted to remove it for her, or find some way to ease her fears, which reminded him of his earlier suspicions over the possibility of bonding with her as a mate.

  Could his desire to offer comfort stem from some instinctive need to care and provide for her? The thought was irritating if only because he didn't have an answer, prompting him to growl in retorting, “You must truly know little of Warlords if you believe I'd ever let a wyrm get that close, and it's still too soon to let you remove it.”

  Sighing, Kivsey faced forward again and muttered, “You could not be more annoying.”

  “I was just thinking the same thing about you, human,” he returned, releasing her wrists before urging her to walk again.

  In turn, the woman started grumbling under her breath, but the only words he could make out were big asshole, and something about wishing she had a ceiling
fan handy.

  Mikail had no idea what to think.

  The longer he was in this woman's presence, the more vexing she became—and the stronger his curiosity grew.

  But another loud growl sounded before he could truly consider it, and though further away this time, Kivsey asked, “Are you sure that thing isn't close enough to be a threat?”

  “I'm as sure it's not a threat right now as I'm sure you're—”

  “The most annoying person you've ever met,” she interjected. “Yeah, I got that.”

  Mikail pursed his lips at her accurate assumption, deciding to ask, “How do you know I wasn't about to say I'm sure you won't be wearing the blindfold much longer?”

  Her shoulders tensed under his palms, her head turning to the side in asking, “You were?”

  “No, but you should hold onto that sense of hope.”

  “That's it! You're—”

  RaaAaaAAAah!

  The sudden, loud wail had Kivsey gasping, but Mikail didn't give her time to question it. Instead, he clamped a hand over her mouth and latched the other arm around her torso, swiftly drawing her toward a few large boulders to crouch down.

  Kivsey tore her blindfold off on the way, but he allowed it if only because of the source of the sound, which soon leaped into sight.

  A three foot tall goblin.

  The hunched-over creature cast a pair of gleaming, golden eyes about, and was soon joined by a few others, meaning more were likely lurking somewhere nearby. All of them were bald with yellow-green skin and lanky appendages, and seemed to be fighting over some unidentifiable object—probably food, or a piece of gold.

  During their scuffle, Mikail silently cloaked himself and Kivsey in shadow to keep from being spotted—not that the creatures posed a large threat. In fact, a single goblin would usually run from a Dok'aal such as himself.

  But sadly, they found courage in numbers, and he didn't feel like taking the time to put them down. It would be much easier to slip by undetected instead, and thankfully, there was an alternate path just west of their current position that would lead to the tunnels connecting with The Hamlet.

  So he let a soft shush next to Kivsey's ear to inform her to be quiet. Once she'd given a nod of confirmation, he removed his hand from her mouth and turned to lift her with ease. Carrying her in such a fashion would keep her cloaked in shadows with him, though, in the process of standing, he realized her blindfold was now laying on the ground about five feet away.

  Mikail scowled, hesitating before moving on. While he was certain Kivsey was sufficiently lost, he would've preferred to keep her blindfolded until they'd passed The Hamlet. But replacing the strap meant breaking physical contact and allowing her to become visible to the nearby goblins—and he wasn't certain the risk was worth it.

  Yet, and much to his surprise, he found there was no need to worry.

  Kivsey had just covered her eyes with her hands.

  After her numerous complaints, he hadn't expected her to show such consideration, but there she was, blocking her own vision to keep from learning the way forward. Why, he wasn't entirely sure. Did she actually respect his wish to keep Satorala's location secret despite her grousing over the blindfold? Or was she simply afraid of him?

  Whatever the answer, he wasted no time, moving west to the caves while the goblins remained oblivious.

  On the way, he couldn't help thinking his lack of mistrust wasn't such a bad thing after all.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ♦

  Kivsey had never seen a goblin with her own two eyes, but the more intriguing aspect of their encounter was Mikail's method of escaping the creatures' notice.

  The pesky beings appeared so abruptly they'd startled her into impulsively removing her blindfold as Mikail pulled her toward several large boulders to duck out of sight. She hadn't meant to drop the leather strap on the way either, but her attention was quickly drawn from it when the Warlord cloaked them both in the shadows of the caves.

  Immediately, their bodies took on a translucent quality that proved they were invisible, distracting Kivsey so thoroughly she nearly forgot to agree to be quiet when the Warlord let a shush against her ear.

  In turn, the sound drew an unexpectedly pleasant shiver across her neck. Her ears had always been sensitive, so it wasn't surprising. But considering the source, she wasn't certain she appreciated her clandestine enjoyment of the sensation, pushing it from her mind as he lifted her from the ground to carry in another direction under cloak.

  On the way, she wondered if his ability to keep her in such a state was dependent upon physical contact. Whatever the case, the goblins remained blissfully oblivious, and she covered her eyes despite her desire to take in their surroundings—and despite her dislike of Mikail.

  The prickly Warlord didn't deserve such consideration, and was quickly turning out to be one of the most galling men she'd ever met.

  You should hold onto that sense of hope, he'd stated.

  She wanted to kick him in the shins.

  But no matter how irritating he was, she could appreciate the needs of his people to remain hidden, and there was no reason to make their situation more difficult than it already was. After all, she only had to put up with Mikail until this trip was over, so the sooner they could get it done, the better.

  At the thought, it felt as if Mikail had made a turn, carrying her for several minutes more before finally stopping and placing her on solid ground again. All grew silent in turn, and she waited patiently while keeping her eyes covered, believing he was about to replace the blindfold.

  But when several moments passed, and nothing happened, she finally whispered, “Mikail?”

  “Hmm?”

  His casual tone prompted her to peek through her fingers to realize a blindfold was completely pointless—wherever they were, it was so dark she couldn't see a damned thing.

  Lowering her arms, she asked, “Where are you? I can't see in here.”

  “Then turn on your flashlight and tell me if you see an exit or not.”

  His direction seemed strange, but she flipped the switch anyway, revealing the fact that they were in a tall, but slightly narrow tunnel. From where they stood were three different paths, and Kivsey couldn't see an exit in either direction, even when she replaced her glasses.

  So not only did she have no idea where they were now, she also didn't know how to return to The Nexus from their current position, and finally answered, “No, I don't.”

  At that, she looked left where Mikail was leaning against the wall with his thick arms crossed and his gaze studiously pointing away from the light, reminding her of his sensitivity.

  “Oh, sorry,” she began, reaching to flip the switch again.

  Yet he took her hand to stop her. “I'll be fine.”

  “Are you sure? I thought bright light caused Dok'aal pain.”

  “It does at first. We just take longer to acclimate.”

  She nodded, supposing it was the same as waking in the middle of the night and checking a phone, or a laptop. The glare of the screen was always painfully blinding, and she wondered if there was a way to help him adjust more quickly.

  That's when an idea struck, and she tugged her blouse from the waistband of her pants to drape over the flashlight, dimming it.

  “Is that better?”

  Finally, he looked in her direction as if testing it, then gave a nod, offering the chance to see his face in clear light for the first time, and Kivsey could only think one thing.

  Damn.

  Mikail wasn't simply handsome, he was sexy, the light playing off the strong angles of his jaw and cheekbones in a way that gave him a devious appeal. His lips were sensuously shaped, the bottom thicker, and his ears tapered into high points behind his braids.

  Still, such good looks didn't come without a little intimidation—his pupils had contracted into thin slits against the light, their shape proving he was part demon, as did the fanged canines in his mouth that showed when he spoke.


  “You won't need the blindfold from here on out, but before we go, tell me why you covered your eyes when I started carrying you.”

  The inquiry was unexpected, and she shrugged plainly. “You've made it clear that your people want Satorala to remain secret, and I honestly don't care to know where it's located. All I want is to get there so I can go home as quickly as possible.”

  It wasn't easy holding Mikail's scrutinizing gaze if only because his crimson eyes seemed to stare right through her. But he soon nodded as if he believed her, then motioned in the proper direction without responding.

  As they started walking again, she got the distinct feeling her decision to cover her eyes had either impressed him, or made it marginally easier for him to trust her. Either way, she was glad to be rid of the blindfold, and decided not to ask his reasons in case he changed his mind.

  Instead, she inquired, “By the way, how did you make us invisible?”

  “It's called darkwalking,” he explained. “My people can move through shadows unnoticed.”

  “Really? I've never heard of that before. Is it ever perceptible?”

  Mikail seemed to consider his answer before stating, “A trained eye can detect the way light bends around our bodies when cloaked, particularly if it's not dark. Someone with keen ears might hear our movements. But otherwise, no.”

  If that was true, then stealth would still be an issue as far as movement was concerned. But Mikail had proven to be an expert. Not only had he slipped by the goblins undetected, he'd dispatched those ogres without letting anyone onto the fact that he was there.

  The thought offered Kivsey a welcome sense of comfort as far as her safety was concerned, particularly after hearing that wyrm growling in the distance earlier.

  It also made her curious to know more about his people, and since they didn't have anything better to do than talk, she asked.

  “So what are the Dok'aal like, anyway? Fun loving? Religious?”

  After a brief moment of thought, he implied, “We're spirited, and adhere to tradition, but not at the cost of new ideals. As for religion, the Goddess of Wisdom is our patron deity.”