Heir of Shadows (The Shadowborne Legacy Book 1)

by Emma Harley

  “So where are you planning to go with no money, no food and no knowledge of the world you’re in?” Raina didn’t answer him, swiping the atlas off the ground and shoving it into her bag. She walked further into the woods, listening carefully for footsteps in case he was following her. After a few minutes of silence, she leapt into a tree, hoping to examine the map further.

  “You’re not doing a good job of running away you know.” Raina almost fell from the branch she was perched on as Taranis grabbed her tightly.

  “Why the hell are you following me?” she snapped, whirling round to the silver eyed Fae. His canines flashed as he gave her an obnoxious grin.

  “Well when I spotted a rebellious young princess drop from her window and somersault over the wall clad in black and laden with weapons, I must say I became curious. So I followed you. It is my job to protect the royal family after all.” Raina scoffed and dropped off the tree.

  “I’m not part of the royal family. I already told those two that I want nothing to do with them or the throne. So you can go home and pat yourself on the back for being a good guard dog.” Taranis snorted as she stormed off, waiting to get out of view before she melted into the shadows again. She blinked and he was in front of her once again.

  “How the hell do you do that?” she snarled, as he side-stepped to block her way.

  “Teleportation. A useful little skill I must say,” he boasted, “now before you try and escape me again, where do you think you’re going?” Raina sighed and cocked her head.

  “I’m going to the shadow walker territory to try and break the damn curse on my blood so I can become a human and go back to my own world, or die trying. Now get out of my way,” she hissed, pushing past him. He fell into step beside her, much to her eternal annoyance. “You know the legend says you must face a god and win, right?” Raina ignored him.

  “So what are you planning to do, summon this god and ask him nicely, then when he says no, you’re just going to blow yourself up in the hope that you take him out with you?”

  “Pretty much,” she mumbled absent-mindedly, pausing to look around her for a moment. Taranis pointed to the east.

  “The docks are that way.” Raina took a step before spinning around to him.

  “How do you know where I’m going, and my plan for taking the god out?” Taranis smirked.

  “It’s not that hard to work out, but also, I can manipulate minds and read your thoughts. The male clicked his fingers and Raina appeared in the bedroom of the suites in a flash.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she snapped viciously, lunging for him. He stepped lazily to the side and pushed her back towards the bed.

  “I’d be a terrible general if that was the extent of my power now wouldn’t I? I brought you back to your room before you were spotted missing. Although judging from the sounds within the castle, you’ve already been missed.”

  Raina growled and tossed her bag to the floor, palming a hunting knife from her boot.

  “You need to learn to stay out of my business. I’m leaving and if you follow me again, I won’t shed a tear when I burn you to a crisp.”

  Taranis smirked and slipped her over his shoulder, hauling her down the hallway as though she were a sack of laundry. He dropped her on her knees in the foyer, but Raina lunged for him, knife in hand. He blocked her easily with a loud clang from his sword, spinning to face her and tutting.

  “Now why would you try something like that?”

  Raina lunged again, only to slam against a brick wall of strength as he easily parried her attacks. Each swipe and lunge was met with a blocking blow as he lazily swung his sword to parry. Raina felt the lightning spark along her arms, infusing the blades she now held. Taranis cocked an eyebrow, still refusing to attack. Raina leapt, but before she could land another blow, something solid slammed into her, pinning her to the floor underneath snapping canines.

  “What the hell are you playing at?” Logan snapped, a low growl rumbling through his throat. Raina’s eyes were hazed with red as she snapped her canines at Logan’s throat, but his hands held her firm against the ground. A click and a waft of cinnamon and juniper alerted her to Davin and JJ’s presence.

  “What in the ruddy hell is going on out here?” the king snarled, his blood-red cloak swirling around him as he observed the scene.

  “Your Highness wasn’t too pleased when I foiled her escape,” Taranis explained, sheathing his sword with a small sigh. Raina launched Logan off her with a swift kick and rolled to her feet. JJ had his gun aimed at her, his face contorted in fury.

  “So we were right. You were running away and leaving us?” he roared. Raina didn’t take her eyes off the king and the general as she snapped back.

  “I am no longer your responsibility, I told you I’m leaving the squad.”

  “How did you disappear so quickly? Your mother followed you up to your rooms after I heard your argument and you were gone. Even the soldiers around the area hadn’t spotted you.” Raina wiggled her fingers.

  “Fae speed and shadow walker powers. If I don’t want to be found, I won’t be.”

  Taranis coughed. “Except I found you quite easily.” Raina ignored the comment and kept her eyes on the king.

  “I’m leaving for the shadow walker territory tonight. I’d like you to look after my friends until I return.” The king raised an eyebrow at her.

  “If you return. You can’t possibly think I am going to let you go through with this,” he argued. Raina shrugged.

  “I’m not asking your permission. I’m asking you to take care of my friends until I return. If I don’t come back then you’ll just have to keep them safe anyway, won’t you?” Aija had joined her husband, visibly confused by the situation. The king shook his head.

  “I have no issue taking care of your team. But I do take issue with you travelling alone to a dangerous part of the land and risking your life to break a curse. Do you really detest your life enough to throw it away on a foolish venture?” Raina shrugged.

  “Honestly it beats living for centuries as a beast with uncontrollable powers. And should I survive, I can remove my memories and live as a human once again back in my old world.”

  Davin scoffed. “You’ll still be a Fae. You’ll live a long life and still have to watch us all die while you stop aging. And you won’t even know why it’s happening.”

  “I’m not immortal yet. If I can get this done quickly before the immortality sets in, then I can still live a human life,” she insisted, her voice raising in anger. Aija finally spoke up.

  “That is enough Raina. You may not like it, but you are a Fae, if only half. Why are you so determined to keep us out of your life? Even if you return to the human world, you all faked your deaths did you not? There is nothing left for you back there,” the queen reasoned with her.

  JJ nodded. “We gave up everything for you Phoenix, and this is how you plan to repay us?” Raina’s chest was aching as she looked him in the eye.

  “I can’t lose any of you. You’re safer here,” she choked. Logan growled.

  “This again? You have got to get over your issues Raina. I know damn well you’re terrified of going alone, and you’re afraid of dying. But you’re being a bitch on purpose to push us away, hoping it will hurt less if you die,” he snarled, staring her down angrily as he stepped closer to her.

  “I had no intention of getting closer to you anyway,” she hissed, “now I’m going to leave, get out of my way.” Logan gripped her wrists, refusing to let her past.

  “Let go of me Logan,” Raina snarled, sparks dancing at her fingertips. His grip didn’t budge as she shoved a feeble shoulder into him. “Get out of my way!”

  “Over my dead body am I letting you do this Raina,” he growled through gritted teeth. Raina shoved against him again, to no avail.

  “This is nothing to do with you, why the hell do you even care?” she snarled, tugging her arms to try and escape his grip.

  “Because I’m in love with you Raina!
” he snarled, bringing her wriggling to a stop, “I’ve been in love with you since we met. And like hell am I going to let you walk into certain death!” Raina stared at him, willing her heart to stop pounding as she shoved everything back.

  Deep within her soul sat a darkened chest. The little box she had been pushing her emotions into for years, living in a state of denial and general numbness. It was better than the alternative. Easier to let go of people when she put it all in there and locked it away. Raina shoved it all in, steeling herself before the pain kicked in. She slipped her wrists out of Logan’s loosened grip and looked blankly at him.

  “I told you not to get too close.”

  Raina brushed past him, making her way to the stairs before JJ wrenched her back.

  “Are you fucking heartless Raina?” he roared, his face scanning hers for any sign of emotion. She didn’t even flinch, turning instead to Alexei and Aija.

  “I made it clear I wasn’t staying. I have no intention of playing happy families with either of you. You need to understand you have no daughter, and my mother is dead and buried in the human world. I’m not being the replacement for the child you threw away,” Raina stated dully as the queen broke, tears falling fat and fast down her cheeks.

  Raina wasn’t quick enough to block the blow from JJ. His fist connected with her jaw, sending a wave of searing pain through her head. Her own fist flying into his gut, he was lifted a foot in the air before dropping to the floor with a groan.

  “Pack it in both of you!” Davin roared, rushing to get JJ to his feet. As he straightened up, he pointed the anti-Fae gun at Raina.

  “If you’re so desperate to die, then say the word. You obviously don’t give a shit about any of us anyway,” he panted, trying to keep the gun steadily pointed at her chest. Raina shrugged.

  “It would be a waste to die here, I have a mission to carry out,” she sighed, rolling her eyes as Alicia, Izak and Nick found them again.

  “What the fuck is going on here?” Alicia demanded, before rushing to JJ’s side.

  Taranis clicked his tongue and cocked his head at Raina.

  “Well it looks like the princess has a few abilities we didn’t know about,” he announced, walking closer to her, “how long have you been able to seal off your emotions little one?”

  Logan looked between them in confusion as Raina cocked her head at him. “Since I was a teenager. Why is that important?”

  Taranis exchanged a grave look with the king.

  “Occasionally some Fae are born with certain abilities that aren’t passed on by blood. One kind is called Berserkers. They can store away negative emotions and pain, and unleash it in an unrivalled blast of power. Untrained, they are one of the most dangerous creatures in this world. Even a trained one can change the tide of battle. It seems like the princess has been storing hers up for quite some time,” he explained, his eyes glowing as he looked her over. Logan scowled.

  “So she has no emotions?” he asked, but the general shook his head.

  “On the contrary, it seems like your little love confession was a little too much for her to handle. She just shut away everything she is feeling. Right now she is probably numb, but her emotions should return in a few days.” JJ spat blood onto the floor.

  “So she’s not a regular bomb, she’s a damn nuke that could go off at any moment?” Taranis shrugged and tipped Raina’s chin up to look him in the eye.

  “I can manipulate her mind to keep her emotions at bay until we find a better solution. Unfortunately I am a very busy man and I don’t have the time to be babysitting an unruly royal,” he drawled, ignoring Logan’s snarling as he touched Raina. “Your majesties, I would suggest some type of magic-nullifying measures until Raina can complete her mission. As it stands, she could lift the lid of that box whenever she feels like it and blow us all to pieces. Perhaps facing a god is the lesser of two evils in this case.”

  Logan growled in his face as he pulled him away from Raina.

  “What are you playing at Taranis? She can’t go fight a god she’ll be killed!”

  The general snarled at Logan.

  “Princess or not, she’s not only a danger to herself, but possibly everyone in this city. Who knows how much she has been building up for years, all waiting to explode. On top of that there’s her curse that will send her powers running wild too. She could level the city in a single eruption.” The king gripped Aija’s hand as he thought carefully.

  “There isn’t a lot of options left to us. But why should Raina be the one to fight the god? There are hundreds of shadow walkers in that tribe, surely they could fight in her place?” Raina scoffed.

  “What a stupid idea. They haven’t had power for centuries, they would be useless. The legend said a shadow walker in bindings did it not?” Logan nodded, not looking her in the eye.

  “I’ll get them to put a few bindings on me. And once I have the god in front of me, I’ll let loose.” Raina turned to head up to the rooms. “I’m bored of you all now, I’m going to bed.”

  Logan stared at her retreating back as her team stood shaking with anger. Aija looked over JJ, before turning to one of the silent guards by the front door.

  “Please escort our guest to the medic, he has taken quite a blow.” Davin helped JJ follow the guard as Alicia trailed behind them anxiously. Aija wiped the tear from her eye as she turned to Logan.

  “Take comfort in this, Captain. She would not have felt the need to bury her emotions if she had none to hide. If Raina is determined to carry out this plan, she feels like she is protecting you from further heartache by rejecting you if she doesn’t come home.” Logan glanced quickly at the queen.

  “She pushed me away as a human too. Every time she got close she would freeze up and push back. I think she is right, I need to move on. We just won’t work,” he snapped, storming off through a set of doors.

  “We have to let her go Aija,” the king strained, not quite looking his wife in the eye. The queen brushed a lock of stray hair behind her ear, staring at the stairs her daughter had disappeared above.

  “This was never supposed to be her burden Alexei. She should have grown up as a princess, not lived through war and terror before she has even hit maturity. Now she may die to rid herself from the sins of others,” Aija snapped, fixing herself before a gilded mirror, “we must return to our guests before we are missed. General Taranis, can I ask you to keep watch over my daughter and ensure she doesn’t run away again?”

  The general bowed low without a word as the queen swept into the ballroom, her husband following silently behind.

  Chapter 12

  General Taranis ordered additional guards to stand watch under the balcony, hindering any further attempts for Raina to escape. In fact the stalwart soldier had perched himself outside her suite and followed her like a dog everywhere she went and judging by the insufferable grin he had plastered on his face, he was fiercely enjoying her irritation.

  Her old comrades had made a point to avoid her, Alicia being the only one daring to brave her glare as she flitted around collecting their gear from her room. Raina had stood blankly as Alicia snarled in her face, voicing the disgust they all felt about her actions. She couldn't even summon the will to care.

  Taranis had brushed over what a “berserker” was, but Raina hadn’t paid much attention. Shoving everything into the box was safer and easier. She didn’t care if anyone hated her for it, it didn’t even faze her how they felt. That box of pain and agony was the most consistent part of her life, no matter what she faced, the box always seemed to have space to hide it all away. Now it seemed to make more sense, it was yet another revelation about her cursed life.

  Raina stretched out against the railings of the balcony, watching numerous party-goers wobble into luxurious cars and carriages, the latter being pulled by the strangest creatures. Bodies like wild horses yet feathered like birds, with the face of an eagle and large leathery wings almost like a bat.

  Padding softly throughout the
room, she examined the odd collection of ornaments adorning the mantel above a blazing fire kept alive by magic no doubt, judging by the lack of smoke and kindling. Muffled voices floated through to her sensitive ears and she strained her ears to listen.

  Loud buzzing and hissing instantly flooded her eardrums with piercing agony and she clamped her hands over her ears in pain. She was barely adjusting to a new body, focusing on one sound amongst a world of noise was going to be difficult. The voices grew silent as footsteps approached her door, not bothering to knock. Logan stormed in, his face stony compared to Kalen’s sympathetic expression.

  Taranis and the king followed after them, the former clutching a clunky wooden chest. Raina looked between them dully before the king spoke.

  “We have to take precautions Raina, I’m sorry we have to do this,” he muttered, pulling two heavy metal cuffs from the chest. Raina cocked an eyebrow.

  “How exactly do you suppose I’m going to take down a god if you want to smother my magic?” Raina scowled, sniffing at the cuffs. Their mere presence seemed to suck the oxygen from the air, and she could feel her magic recoil at them.

  “These are made of meticium,” Kalen explained, “They should stifle your magic enough to stop any further outbursts of magic. Some may still get through, but we won’t know until we try.” Raina scoffed in disgust.

  “I’m not putting those on, I need access to my full powers for this mission,” she snarled, shoving her hands in her pockets. Taranis grinned.

  “I was expecting you would put up some sort of argument against it, which is why I am so glad His Majesty allowed me permission to do anything necessary to get them on you.”

  Raina froze, unable to move her limbs as the king advanced towards her warily. As though tugged by strings, her arms stretched out before her and he clamped the cuffs around her slim wrists. As soon as the curved metal touched her skin, it felt like a heavy blanket had been dropped over her. Raina struggled to catch a breath as her magic was pushed deep within her, curling into a tiny ball in the pit of her stomach. She dropped to her knees, desperate for a breath of oxygen to stop the throttling dullness that enveloped her.