Whoever had attacked her, she had not sensed their intent to harm.
That frightened her.
Enyo winced as she was shaken again. The sound of wheels rolling against the ground stopped, leading her to believe that she was no longer moving. Did that mean she’d get to find out who her attacker was? She hoped so. She would at least like to put a face to her enemy.
The fabric of the wagon parted to reveal the outside. It was dark out. The sky had turned into a twilight banner of stars, though that banner was currently being obscured by a pale man with chalk-like skin and a handsome face. He had long hair, pointed ears, and, perhaps oddest of all, his eyes were entirely white.
“I see that you’re finally awake, Dark Lady,” the man said.
Enyo jolted. She remembered being called that once before, back when she was really young. It happened the one time that her dad had taken her out of the mansion. They had met a man whose entire body had been hidden in darkness, as if the light abstained from him. That man had called her “Dark Lady” back then, too.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
“My name is Wraith.” The man bowed low. “I apologize for the improper accommodation, but since we are currently in transit, there is not much to be done about that. Please bear with it until we reach the darklands.”
The darklands?!
Now she understood; this person must have been working for the Dark Council. There couldn’t be any other explanation. Yet, if that really was the case, why, then, had he stabbed Fellis? Was it because he desired to be the one who claimed the glory of returning her to the darklands? She didn’t know. She wasn’t even sure if it mattered.
Fellis…
Despite what her maid had done, she hoped the woman was all right.
“I have no intention of returning to the darklands,” Enyo said.
“That is unfortunate.” Wraith shook his head as if disappointed. “I was ordered to bring you back, you see? So there is no way I could release you, which means that you are going to the darklands whether you like it or not. Now, then, please keep quiet until we pass the upcoming village.”
As he finished speaking, something dark wrapped around her mouth. Enyo released a muffled shout. It didn’t do any good. Whatever this thing was, it completely muffled her voice.
“Do not bother yelling. That cloth over your mouth was created from shadows. Since I am connected to all shadows, it means that I can send your scream to any shadow of my choosing. No one near that town is going to hear you, so you shouldn’t waste your breath.”
The fabric fell back, and Enyo heard receding footsteps. The wagon jolted a little, then it started rolling again, making her teeth rattle as the wheels hit numerous bumps on the road.
I need to get out of here…
She needed to escape from this man. She couldn’t go back to the darklands—no, she wouldn’t go back. Enyo didn’t want to return to that place, which was filled with the despair of her people. She wanted to go back to Jacob. She wanted to be with Jacob and start a new life somewhere else, in a world far from this one.
Looking at the shadows that were binding her, Enyo thought about the best method of escaping. Shadows were weak against light magic. She could easily break these bonds, but if she did that, then she would be outed as a light magic user.
No one but Fellis, her father, and Jacob knew that she could use both light and dark magic. When her father had found out about it, he had told her to keep it a secret. She was to tell no one. Of course, she had told Jacob, but that was different. He was a hero, and what’s more, she needed to earn his trust, so she couldn’t afford to keep secrets from him.
I don’t think I have much of a choice. If I want to get out of this, then…
Enyo closed her eyes and chanted. She didn’t worry about the man hearing her. He was apparently sending her voice somewhere else.
“Lumos. Luminous. Lucidus.”
She felt the tug on her navel as light burst from her body like an oil lamp catching fire. The shadows holding her evaporated instantly, and Enyo didn’t waste time scrambling to her feet and jumping from the wagon. Hitting solid ground, she stumbled forward after losing her balance. However, she quickly regained it and began running away.
A shadow appeared in front of her. It rose into the air as if it had physical mass, and then it took the shape of a person. The shadows soon fell away to reveal Wraith. The dark clansmen was staring at her with an intense frown, as if she was a puzzle that he couldn’t solve.
“How did you escape from my bindings?” he asked. Enyo said nothing. “You refuse to speak? Very well. This is a most troubling situation that we now find ourselves in. I am supposed to bring you in alive and unharmed, but if you can escape from my bindings, then it makes holding you much more difficult. And you probably won’t agree to come with me quietly, will you?”
“Of course not,” Enyo said. “What makes you think I’d ever agree to return to the darklands, especially with someone like you?”
“Yes, that is the answer I expected.” Wraith suddenly disappeared. Then, with his voice echoing all around her, he said, “it looks like I have no choice but to hurt you. Do forgive me, Dark Lady.”
Enyo didn’t know where the man was going to appear. Behind her? To the left? The right? There was no telling where he would show up, but it didn’t really matter. He wouldn’t be able to use his shadow magic if she destroyed the shadows around her.
“Lux. Lumin. Luminous. Accendo!”
Light engulfed Enyo’s body, brightening the entire area, bathing the land around her in radiance. All of the shadows were burnt away. They disappeared as if they never were.
Wraith screamed as the shadow that he’d been hiding in was destroyed. He covered his face with his hands, rolling along the ground as steam rose from his body. She narrowed her eyes. Being a person who controlled shadows, he must have been physically weak to light as well.
“Ugh… agh! I can’t believe it… you’re a light user?!”
“That’s right,” Enyo said proudly. “I’m a light user.”
“There’s no way! One who bears the title ‘Dark Lady’ couldn’t possibly be a light magic user!”
“I don’t know much about this ‘Dark Lady’ business, and I don’t really care. If you don’t like the fact that I can use light magic, then return to the darklands and leave me alone already!”
“I cannot do that.” Holding a hand to his face, Wraith stood warily to his feet. “Your light magic is all the more reason I must return with you in tow. We must exorcise this blasphemous power from you immediately!”
“That’s never going to happen!”
Enyo clapped her hands together and chanted once more.
“Candidus. Lucidus. Aduro.”
As she moved her hands apart, light gathered between them, until a small orb was formed. The orb grew in brightness. It was so bright that Wraith raised his forearms to protect his face. While her foe was distracted, Enyo pushed her hands out, launching the orb toward Wraith at speeds that he couldn’t match.
The orb struck his chest and detonated. Whiteness. The entire world became a world of white. Enyo had to close her eyes, lest she be blinded by the light that erupted from the attack. When the light died down, Enyo lowered her arms and opened her eyes.
Wraith was gone.
She sighed in relief.
“Hmph. I’m surprised Wraith was defeated so easily. Then again, light magic is his greatest weakness,” a female voice said, though Enyo couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
“Who’s there?” Enyo demanded. “Are you another lackey of the Dark Council?”
“I resent being called a ‘lackey,’” the woman said. “It is true that I obey the will of the Dark Council, but I only do so for personal reasons. Once I have what I want, the council can go die, for all I care. Now, why don’t you come with me… little girl,” the voice whispered right next to her ear.
Enyo spun around and leapt backward. No one w
as there.
“Tsk. Tsk. I’m not over there, dear child,” the voice said from behind her again. Enyo spun around, only to find that no one was there, again.
Is she using magic?
“Where are you hiding?” Enyo demanded to know, which caused the woman to laugh.
“Now why should I tell you something like that? Doing so would ruin my fun. Besides, unlike that idiot, Wraith, I am not keen on being blinded or blasted with that light magic of yours.”
Did that mean she was another shadow user? No, specialized magic like that was rare within the Dark Clan. She’d never heard of two people sharing the same kind of unique magic. But if she wasn’t a shadow magic user, then how was she able to hide so well?
“Lux. Lumin. Luminous. Accendo!”
Light exploded from Enyo’s body like radiant waves of energy. They covered the land around her in luminescence, evaporating all of the shadows in her vicinity. She expected the person hiding to suddenly appear like Wraith had. She expected them to be in pain from her light magic.
That didn’t happen.
Pain shot through her left shoulder like a searing bolt of lightning, making her gasp as she stumbled forward and brought her right hand to her shoulder. Something warm and wet became stuck to her hand. Pulling it back, Enyo gaped when she saw crimson liquid covering her hand like paint.
“W-what is… how…?”
“Are you wondering how I injured you?” The woman laughed again. “I’d be happy to tell you. However, I’m on something of a time schedule. So sorry. Maybe next time.”
Enyo was given no time to retort as something crashed into her back, sending her stumbling forward. Before she could get too far, another something hit her in the chest, leaving her gasping in agonic asphyxia. It felt like her ribcage had been crushed!
“What’s wrong? Not going to fight back?”
Enyo would have retorted, but something hard clipped her shoulder, sending her spinning to the ground. She landed with a harsh thud. Pain traveled up her shoulder as it was jarred from the impact, but she had no time to recover as something large slammed into her back.
“Ah… ah…” Enyo tried to scream, but all that came out was a series of agonized rasps. Her vision was going white. Pain overrode every one of her senses.
“Oh, you poor dear. It looks like you fell down and got injured. Here, let me help you up.”
As if gravity had suddenly increased, Enyo found herself be smashed against the ground. She would’ve screamed as the feeling of her bones being crushed slammed into her like a tidal wave. She couldn’t. She couldn’t even breathe. Her chest was being compressed. It felt like her body was being flattened by a stampede. Everything hurt!
“Ah!”
The pressure suddenly ceased. Groaning, Enyo tried to get up, but her body wasn’t working. She couldn’t even move her arms.
Boots appeared in front of her face, black and high-heeled. They were open toed, so she could see the perfectly manicured nails, which were painted the same black as the boots. She tried to lift her head, to raise it and look at her assailant. It was impossible. Her body wouldn’t respond to her commands. She felt numb.
“Look at you,” the woman that she had been fighting said, scorn clear in her voice. She spoke like she was drinking poison. “I cannot fathom how someone so lacking in talent could possibly be the Dark Lady of our clan. To think that you are the one who’s going to give birth to our new Dark Lord is shameful. Hmph! Truly, this world is filled with blasphemy.”
Enyo cried out as a sharp heel dug into her cheek.
“Be grateful that I am supposed to take you in alive. Were it not for the Dark Council’s orders, I would have already disposed of you.”
Even though the pain was horrific, Enyo pushed past it and tried to think of a way out of this situation. Her body wasn’t moving, but she still had her mind. Also, her opponent had just revealed herself to gloat. There had to be some way she could take advantage of that… fact…?
That’s it!
“…” she mumbled.
“What was that?” The heel left her back. A shadow cast the stars in darkness. “Why don’t you speak a little louder?”
“Lux. Lumin. Luminous. Accendo!”
“GYAAA!”
Light burst from Enyo’s body like fireworks during a celebration. She couldn’t see what the result of her attack was, but she could certainly hear the incredible width of breadth of the woman’s swearing.
“You little cunt! How dare you do this to me!!! I’ll kill you!!”
Enyo felt a moment of satisfaction at getting the better of her adversary—too bad it was only a moment, because the next thing she felt was pain as something hard slammed into her side. The world spun around. Her back squealed in pain as she crashed back into the ground. The stars hung above her, but she only saw them for a moment before they were blocked out by a face.
It was a gorgeous face, admittedly. White skin. Blood red lips. Seductive purple eyes. The face that appeared before her was the kind that most men would have killed people over, and in fact, it wouldn’t have surprised her if this woman had gotten people to kill for her. Right now, however, that face was marred by an ugly snarl full of hatred.
“I hope you’ve enjoyed your life so far,” the woman spat. “I might not be allowed to kill you, but I will take great joy in making you wish that you had been killed.”
Enyo would have loved to say something witty, but she’d already lost her ability to speak. She’d never been so injured in her life. Even though the pain had faded to a dull ache, she could tell that her body was a wreck. She no longer had the strength to so much as talk.
The woman snorted as she stood back up. “Pathetic wench. I am going to enjoy teaching you your place.”
As Enyo prepared herself for what could only be more pain, a loud shout reached her ears.
“ENYO!!”
In that exact moment, multiple things seemed to happen at once. The ground that she was on exploded, the woman who’d been hurting her screamed in agony, and a pair of strong arms picked her up. A familiar scent drifted into her nose. She recognized it, this masculine smell. Beneath the sweat and scent of steel, it was the fragrance that she had come to associate with comfort.
Enyo didn’t know when it happened, but as she felt herself being carried off, she fell asleep, secure in the knowledge that she could leave the rest to Jacob.
***
Jacob couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this worried. Enyo was unconscious, her body covered in blood and bruises. Crimson liquid trickled down her mouth, and her face was smeared with sweat and dirt.
The area around Jacob was a mess, remnants of the battle that Enyo had fought. Several meters away was a large pillar of earth, which rose from the ground, a monolithic reminder of what had happened to his companion.
There was a mighty flap next to him—the drake, which kicked up dust and wind as it landed on the ground. Fellis alighted from the mount and rushed over to him.
“Jumping from the drake while it was in mid-flight was reckless,” Fellis said. “Aren’t you supposed to be afraid of heights?”
“I’m not afraid of heights. I just don’t like them.”
“So you say, but…” Fellis trailed off, shrugged, and then cast a concerned gaze on Enyo. “Is she okay?”
“She’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”
Jacob set Enyo on the ground and placed his hands on her, one on her forehead and the other in the center of her chest, right against her beating heart. His hands glowed a light blue.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m regulating her chi,” Jacob said, frowning in concentration. “By regulating and boosting her chi with my own, I can help her own body speed up the healing natural process.”
“I see…”
“You didn’t understand any of that, did you?”
“Nope.”
As they spoke, a woman walked out from behind the pillar. She limped forward,
her lips split into a snarl. Her black dress was in tatters. Burns marred her pale skin and some of her hair had been burnt away, ruining the seductive beauty that she had once possessed.
“Fellis,” the woman hissed out the “s” of Fellis’s name like it was a curse. “I knew that you couldn’t be trusted! When the Dark Council hears about this—”
“I don’t care if the Dark Council hears about this,” Fellis cut off. “I never planned on handing Enyo over to them. You think your words are going to scare me?”
“Tch! I’ve always hated you, you fucking bitch.”
“There’s the pot calling the kettle black.”
Jacob finished regulating Enyo’s internal energy. There was nothing left for him to do. The rest was up to her.
Standing up, he turned to face the woman who’d caused his companion so much pain. He was surprised at the amount of hatred he felt for this woman. However, he couldn’t deny that, right now, he really wanted to bash her face in until it was nothing but a bloody smear.
“I don’t know what your Dark Council wants with Enyo,” he said, and his voice sounded harsh and grating even to his own ears. “Truthfully, I don’t care. The moment you hurt Enyo, you made yourself my enemy. You’re not going to get the chance to tell them about Fellis’s betrayal. I’m not letting you get away.”
The woman shifted her attention from Fellis to him. She blinked once. Then she smiled.
“Oh, my. What a handsome young man,” she purred, her change shifting as though the sight of a male caused her entire emotional paradigm to change. “How would you like to come with me and—”
She wasn’t able to say anymore.
Because Jacob had just smashed his fist into her face.
It was like a thunderclap, echoing across the vast plane. The air distorted where his fist connected with her left cheek, blasting out from the point of impact with a loud boom! What followed was the woman being launched off her feet and sent shooting backwards like a falling star. She slammed into the large earth pillar that she had created, blowing a hole straight through it and causing the entire thing to crumble like a house of cards.
Journey of a Betrayed Hero- Volume 1 Page 17