A Kingdom of Shadow

by Clara Johnson

  The sun was setting. I had been hunting in the woods again. Only this time, I didn’t stray as far and killed two rabbits. I had a nagging feeling that I should not go back to the spot where I’d found the man.

  In truth, I didn’t want to face another demon wolf. It might’ve been my imagination but I highly doubt it. My injury and the man’s proved it so that it was very real. But what would anyone say if I were to tell people the truth? Yes, the man would probably be on my side, but people would think we had lost our minds. There was no such thing as a demon wolf; you would only see something like that in stories.

  I couldn’t tell Albert or Mother about what I’d seen. They both had enough to worry about as it was, but it was increasingly difficult for me to suppress the image of that deteriorating flesh, the darkness that seemed to shroud the beast, and the eyes. Its eyes haunted my dreams. There was a power behind them I didn’t want to ever see again.

  Goddess protect me and my family.

  Mother made dinner with the two rabbits I’d brought home while I gave Albert his medicine. “This taste better than the others.”

  “Marion said this recipe has been in her family for generations. I guess they had a lot of time to perfect the taste,” I said with a smile.

  Albert chuckled.

  “I do feel a little better. Maybe one day I won’t have to take this anymore.”

  I hated it when he brought this up. He once told me when he first became ill that he didn’t want to have to depend on medicine to stay healthy. I understood how he felt, but I had trouble believing he would overcome this and never need medicine. He’d grow stronger and he’d be able to be more independent, but he may always need supplements to stay that way.

  We fought about this very topic a few times before.

  I frowned. “Albert, you may always need the—”

  “I don’t want to take it anymore!” he shouted and threw his glass at the wall. The glass cracked, but didn’t shatter. When I went to pick it up, he gave a quiet sob.

  “Listen,” I began, taking a deep breath, “I only meant that you may need it. You said it yourself that you are feeling better, maybe this was the medicine you needed after all. It’s only been a few days. It may take some time for it to—”

  “It always takes time! You always say that and I never get better!” He narrowed his watery eyes.

  “Albert—”

  “No. You always tell me that we will just try something else. You have been telling me that for a really long time now. I don’t want to keep trying something else. Nothing is working the way it should be. I should be better by now!” He sobbed harder.

  I reached out to hold him, but he ran from the room, escaping my touch.

  I didn’t go after him. What could I say? That he will get better? He was right, it was all I would tell him. I tried to give him hope, but we’d gone through so many medicines these past two years, and this one was the first to show any promise.

  He was angry and so was I but there is little we can do. All our hope went into finding a cure or at least a treatment that may allow him to live longer and better. Seeing how sick he was . . . all the blood . . . I knew that death was slowly eating away my brother’s life. There was no way for me to tell when his last days would be with me, but I’d fight every day and gladly give my life so he could live. He deserved better than this.

  I glanced at Mother who was cooking as if nothing had happened. Not even she could look at me nor would she comfort Albert in his time of need. The air in the room seemed dense making it harder for me to breath so I walked outside to get some fresh air.

  The instant chill nipped at my nose. I huddled my hands under my armpits for warmth. Looking at our cottage, I was reminded of the poor condition of our roof. Before the snow came, we had three distinct leaks coming from our roof. I hoped that I would be able to find some way to fix them before the snow melted.

  This cottage was once beautiful but it was nothing more than a shell of what it used to be. I remembered a time where Mother had her lavish garden full of flowers of every color you could imagine with two distinct rose bushes at the ends.

  I tried replanting them over the years, but I lacked my mother’s talent for it. Everything I planted seemed to die within a few weeks. Eventually, I gave up trying and let the ground underneath remain its lifeless self.

  A breeze passed through my body causing the hairs on my neck to rise. The urge to look behind me was overwhelming as if something or someone was watching me. I looked over my should to find nothing but the woods about a hundred feet away. I waited several minutes before I turned away.

  Snap.

  I spun around to find a pair of red eyes piercing the night.

  CHAPTER 6

  I couldn’t run into the cottage fast enough. I slammed the door shut and pushed a chair in front of it as a barricade. They were here. How many were there? I’d only seen one pair of eyes, but that doesn’t mean it was alone.

  Wolves, from what my father told me, traveled in packs. One of them may run ahead of the others to scout out the area for food. Could it be similar with a demon wolf? It is possible that it was only part of a pack? If so, why did it take two days for its companions to follow us here. I thought for a long moment. The blood trail, that must’ve lead them here.

  I looked at the man laying on the table. They must’ve come for him.

  What was I supposed to do? How could I protect my family?

  Mother came around the corner with a concerned look on her face.

  “Mother, go to Albert’s bedroom and lock the door. There’s something outside.”

  She didn’t move. I placed my hands on her shoulders.

  “Please, go. I’ll take care of this.”

  Her body trembled. “Ellyn, what is out there?”

  “You know that wolf that attacked our guest? Well, it had friends.”

  Mother capped her hand over her mouth.

  “Go,’ I snapped. Mother turned and ran to Albert’s bedroom.

  I pulled back the curtain to see several pairs of red eyes now. Guess Father was right, they did travel in packs, but I didn’t understand why they weren’t approaching the cottage yet. They remained still with their eyes fixated on our home. I’d maybe have a few minutes at most before they attempted to get in.

  I ran to the back door, snatched up my ax and barricaded the door with a nearby cabinet. It probably wouldn’t hold them back for long, but I had to buy myself as much time as I could. I went back to the front door.

  The red eyes came closer and closer to the cottage. My body trembled uncontrollably. I gripped the ax with all my strength to calm myself. It was so dark out that I could only see the silhouette of the demon wolves.

  The world seemed to slow down as they began stepping towards the cottage. I was able to count three distinct pair of eyes as they approached. The sight of them made me break out in a cold sweat. My heart raced causing my breaths to be uneven and stiff.

  Before they reached the front porch, they stopped as if they waited for something. One of them threw its head back and released a deafening howl.

  I covered my ears, but it was futile as the howl seemed to pierce right into my head. Moments passed before it finally stopped. I lowered my hands and watched as they made their final approach.

  Bang!

  The force of the impact knocked me back to the floor.

  Bang! Bang!

  How could it have that much strength? It was as if a bear was attacking with its huge paws!

  Another bang, and another. It was going to break down the door at any moment. I barely escaped with my life with just one of these. How can I stop four of them?

  Albert and Mother screamed.

  Something was in their room.

  Oh, Goddess!

  I picked myself up and sprinted for Albert’s bedroom. Making it only five steps, I heard the front door smash open. I barely had time to swing my ax when the demon wol
f attacked with its large paws at my leg. My ax managed to graze its back, but I didn’t do much damage.

  I screamed in agony. I felt as though he’s torn through my flesh to the very bone, causing me to fall to my side. The demon wolf was preparing to pounce when I brought my ax up and swung as hard as I could right into its head.

  Blood splattered in all directions. The foulness of its blood burned in my mouth causing me to vomit on the floor. The demon wolf dissolved into black smoke, leaving a burn mark on the boards.

  Mother screamed again. I grabbed my ax, forcing myself up and limped as quickly as I could to the bedroom to find that the door was smashed open.

  The back door. One of them must’ve come through it!

  Mother was curled up on the bed screaming, with tears running down her cheeks. Time froze when I saw what she was looking at.

  Albert lay on the floor, covered in his own blood. His eyes were wide open, staring at the door. At me. One of those demon wolves was chewing on his neck. Almost twice the size of the others, this one was solid black, shaped into a cloudy darkness even when standing still. His glowing red eyes had a single golden ring.

  The leader?

  Tears streamed down my face. Endless rage flowed through me. I screamed with all the rage and pain that flowed through me, boiling my blood.

  It killed my brother!

  I attacked the wolf, swinging my ax, aiming for its head. It didn’t counterattack until I lifted my ax above my head, snapping at me with its teeth. Somehow, I managed to dodge it. My eyes burned my tears with each swing.

  The alpha cowered when a strike of light came from behind us, but I didn’t give it time to recover before I struck my ax right between its eyes. The light from them withered as its body went limp and fell to the floor.

  I pulled my ax out and continued to strike the body again and again until the body was nothing more than another burn mark on the boards. My ax penetrated the floor and I finally stopped.

  It was dead. It was done.

  I fell to my knees and crawled to my brother’s cold, pale body and pulled his head onto my lap. My brother, my sweet, innocent little brother was dead. I’d failed to protect him.

  I sobbed harder than I ever had in my life.

  Nothing would be the same. I’d lost him. I’d lost my baby brother. I would never see his smile again. I would never hear him complain about how tired he was of rabbit. I would never be able to read him stories or sing him a lullaby to help him sleep. He was gone. Albert was gone.

  And it was my fault.

  I turned his head to meet his eyes. His once bright blue eyes were lifeless, but they seemed to stare right into my soul, condemning me. Closing his eyes, I said a small prayer for him.

  Let the Goddess give you a place by her side.

  The back door. It must’ve used the front as a distraction. Why hadn’t I barricade it better?

  Mother sat beside me. “He . . . he tried to . . . keep it away from me. He grabbed the poker . . . from my hand and . . .,” she said, between sobs. She placed her hands on my shoulders, pulling me to her.

  I couldn’t look at her. How could I tell her that all of this was my fault? I’d failed them. Failed my family. I’d failed Albert. I lost him.

  There was a voice at the doorway. I looked up to find the man I’d saved. “I-I’m so sorry, but we can’t stay here. More of them will come and I don’t have the strength to fight all of them. I managed to drive off the rest, but they’ll return and with numbers.”

  The man was barely standing on his own two feet. How had he gotten up on his own? His wounds were horrible. How had he driven them off? Then it hit me.

  “You—” I began, “That light, was that you?” He nodded.

  “Listen, I need to take you to my home. I promise it will be safe there.” he said, out of breath.

  I shook my head. “No. No, I’m not leaving Albert.”

  He raised a hand whether to silence me or in defense, I didn’t know. “I am thinking about your safety and your mother’s. Bring his body if you must, but come quickly.”

  I didn’t know why, but I felt as though I had little choice but to listen to him. I wasn’t good at taking orders from some stranger who could be leading us some place worse, but something in his voice told me that he was sincere. I pulled Albert into my arms and stood, despite the stinging pain in my injured leg.

  Whispering in my brother’s ear, I said: “I won’t leave you, Albert.” It brought me little comfort. He was dead, but I couldn’t let go of him. I turned to the strange man, my eyes accusing.

  “How do you suppose we get there? With your injuries and mine—”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get us there.” He walked out of the room and we followed.

  He led us out of the cottage that had been my home for as long as I could remember. Mother grudgingly followed behind me, sobbing over the loss of her only son. With tears streaming down my face, I held my head high for her sake.

  “One moment.” We stood still. He walked several feet further from us. He raised his hand and pressed it against something in the air where a circular purple glow appeared around his hand as if he was touching some type of wall.

  It expanded, revealing an opening to someplace I had never seen before. It was nighttime with a warm breeze welcoming us. Was this some kind of trick? How could this be?

  I watched the man intently. Questions ran through my mind as to how he can perform such a feat. It was as if he were some kind of wizard in a children’s’ story. This can’t be possible.

  The weight of my brother seemed to increase causing me to groan in pain and tighten my grip on him. No, I wouldn’t leave him.

  The man turned to us. “I can’t hold the barrier open for long. We must move quickly.” He stepped partially into the lighted image. Mother and I held our ground.

  When he realized we weren’t following, he stopped He stared at me, waiting. What did he expect? That I would trust him implicitly and not question him? Who was to say he was not from the same realm of those wolves and if that was so, if I never saved him, if I had just left him in those woods, Albert would . . .

  I couldn’t face the words that I wanted to say. There was nothing I could do now. If the man was with those demon wolves, he wouldn’t have scared the remaining off. He wouldn’t be trying to help us now.

  The man held out a hand towards me.

  “Please, this is the only way I can protect you.”

  I hesitated, feeling as though I was going to make a big mistake, but what choice did I have? Those demon wolves would return to finish the job and kill Mother and myself. This man offered us sanctuary—a way to escape. My brother was dead and all I had now was my mother. I had to protect her and I was in no shape to fight them again.

  All I could do was nod and approached the light beside him.

  He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a weak smile. “Thank you, Ellyn.”

  Before I could question how he knew my name, white light clouded my vision and then, I felt as though I was falling into blackness.

  ~ * ~

  When I opened my eyes, I was in a bedroom that wasn’t my own. The bed was large with white sheets and a red blanket with gold embellishments. It matched the rest of the room.

  Every part of my body ached. Rubbing my shoulder, I realized that my injury was completely healed. It left a scar but there was no sign of blood or stitches. I threw back the blankets to find my leg was the same: a scar and nothing else. It was as if I’d gotten these years ago.

  My clothes had been changed into a pink satin nightgown, my skin clean from any dirt. I looked around to find no trace of my previous clothes. Feeling exposed, I got off the bed and wrapped the robe that was next to the bed around me. The sudden movement cause me to feel dizzy and I braced myself against the chair.

  I walked to the set of glass doors that appeared to be a balcony. Hesitantly, I opened the double doors and looked out to see f
lourished green hills as far as I could see. Flowers of all colors scattered along the hills with small animals running through the grass. Beneath me, there was a glorious garden.

  I saw women in beautiful yet simple gowns strolled along the walkways carrying baskets and laughing to each other. The sun was bright and the wind blew with a gentle serenity that caressed my skin.

  It was so warm here. Where was I? Was I simply dreaming?

  I left the room to discover where I was. I closed my robe and peeked through the door. The hallway was empty except for the decorations of vases, paintings and other pieces of art. There was no one in sight.

  Where was Mother? Where was Albert? Where was that man I found in the woods?

  I turned to my right, closing the door behind me. The halls remained empty through each turn I made, a left and a right, but there were voices in the distance. I followed them with quiet footsteps. As I drew closer, one of the voices sounded familiar to me. Was it the strange man? Did he bring me here?

  I slowed and peeked around a corner, two men were sitting at an enormous dining table, eating and chatting. The man I knew was wore an open white tunic and gray tight fitted pants with black boots. The other man, who was in the closest seat to his right, was dressed in a metal uniform with a crest of an animal at its center. He looked to be a soldier of some kind.

  I stepped into the room. The men didn’t to notice me right away, but when I’d made it about ten steps in, the soldier gestured to the one man towards me

  The man smiled and it seemed to brighten the room even more. “Ellyn,” he said.

  He rose from his seat and walked to me, standing much taller than I imagined he was. He stood a whole head above my own, making me feel small compared to him.

  He placed his warm hands on my shoulders. “Ellyn,” he repeated, “I’m glad to see you are walking again.

  Welcome to my home.”

  CHAPTER 7

  I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that this place was his home. A hundred questions ran through my mind trying to figure out who this man was. All of this, just didn’t seem real.