Kingdom of Shadows

by K M Reynolds

  With a swift lunge the soldier shot forward, slicing Martin’s forearm with a knife and wresting Chloe from his grasp. Chloe shrieked as Martin whirled to face his attacker, blood streaming down his fingertips and spattering the floor. He took a step forward but stopped abruptly as cold steel pressed against his neck. Chloe stood trembling and sobbing in the arms of the soldier, and she shook her head with wide eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, Martin could see the captain, standing with his sword pressed against Martin’s neck.

  “Nice try, but one more move and your lovely bride will be a widow.” The captain pressed the sword against Martin’s flesh for emphasis. “Now, let’s try this again. Where is your daughter?”

  “I told you, I don’t know.” Martin spoke slowly, his eyes never leaving Chloe’s face. “She left without warning, and with no word on where she was headed. We don’t know where she is, or if she’s dead or alive.”

  “Wrong answer.” The captain nodded to the soldier again, who drew his arms tight around Chloe like a vice. She cried out and her eyes flooded with fresh tears as one of her ribs gave way with a crack. She gasped as the white hot pain radiated through her body, her eyes rolling back in her head.

  Martin dropped to his knees, arms outstretched. “Please! Please don’t do this,” he begged, tears pouring from his eyes as he watched his beloved wife writhe in anguish. “We don’t know anything!”

  The captain loomed over Martin, stooping until they were eye level. “Wrong again. You do know something, and we aren’t going to stop until we find out what it is.”

  Martin could feel the captain’s foul breath on his face and he tried not to flinch. He closed his eyes and bit his lip until he tasted blood.

  “Please, let us go. We haven’t done anything.” Chloe’s soft voice trembled across the room. “Please. You have to believe us.”

  The captain whirled and strode across the room to where Chloe stood, still trapped in the lethal embrace of the soldier. He sneered at her and flapped his hands mockingly. “Oh, you have to believe us! We haven’t done anything wrong!” His expression grew dark as his voice returned to its normal, gravelly timbre. “Oh, you’ve done something. You spawned a traitor. And if that traitor can’t be found, then you will die in her stead.” He grinned and tapped Chloe’s nose with the tip of his finger, punctuating his words. “It’s your daughter’s life, or your own.”

  Chloe’s eyes darted up to meet the captain’s gaze, and she spat into his face. The captain straightened up and slowly wiped the sputum from his cheek, then swung his fist into Chloe’s face with all his strength. The white lightning bolt of pain was back, and the last thing Chloe heard before the darkness enveloped her was Martin bellowing her name.

  The kitchen was brimming with the smells of breakfast pastries, herbal tea, and fresh fruit. Cambria hummed absentmindedly as she rinsed berries in the sink. Here in the lake house, magic was abundant, so there was no need for a hand pump to bring water inside. She could simply tap the small symbol beside the sink basin and the cool water flowed readily from the spout. Tapping a second insignia just beside the first would turn the water hot. There were little enchantments like this throughout the house, designed to make life easier. There was one that automatically emptied the latrine bins, one that opened and closed the curtains and windows, and one that would spin the wash basin and scrub the clothes. These conveniences left more time for the important work to be done, like learning new spells and practicing hand-to-hand combat.

  Once the berries were clean, she moved to slicing the larger fruits. She glanced out the large window at the frost-kissed lake and the grey sky that stretched above it. The view was wild and beautiful, and Cambria felt peace wash over her. She had another nightmare last night, in which her parents were surrounded by leaping flames and were crying out her name. She shuddered as the vivid imagery danced across her memory, and she reminded herself that it was just a dream. You just miss them, she chided herself. They are safe and sound in Redloch.

  “You alright, Cam? You’ve been standing there for a minute. What’s on your mind?” Wynne asked, gently touching Cambria’s forearm.

  Cam jumped at the touch, pulled back to the present. “Oh, nothing. Just some weird dreams last night. I didn’t sleep very well.”

  “You mean more visions of the past?”

  “No, nothing like that. Just dreams about my family, what I left behind. It’s got me feeling a little nostalgic this morning. It’s been so long since I’ve seen them, and sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever get to see them again.”

  “Have faith, Cam. When this is all over, if The Five wish it to be so, you’ll be reunited with your family.” Wynne smiled and placed her hand tenderly on Cambria’s cheek. “Until that time, we are your family, ok? Stay strong, we are together in this fight.”

  “Thanks, Wynne. I appreciate it.”

  Wynne finished setting the table and rang the large hand bell that sat on the countertop. Less than a minute later, Adelaide and Charles tumbled through the door, laughing and rosy-cheeked. They quickly shed their cloaks and took their places at the table.

  “It’s a nippy morning,” Adelaide remarked, rubbing her hands to chase away the last of the chill from her fingertips. “I’ll bet the snow will be here soon.”

  “Yes, I’d say within the week we should see snowfall. It won’t last for very long, it usually doesn’t stick here in The Tangle, we are too far south. But we’ll see some flurries, I’m sure,” Wynne replied, placing the hot pastries in the center of the table.

  Cambria brought the bowl of fruit to the table and slid into her seat. “I’m sure you two found a way to warm up though,” she teased, causing Adelaide to flush salmon pink.

  “Cam!” Adelaide shot her a pointed glance, raising her hands to her cheeks to hide her embarrassment.

  “Oh relax, Addie,” Cam laughed. “It’s just us.” There’s no need for shame. We know all too well what you two get up to when you think we aren’t around.”

  She opened her mouth to say more when a shrill ringing sound filled the air. Her stomach churned and she gripped the table for support as the world began to spin. She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply, preparing to scream. Just as quickly as it had come, everything stopped, leaving behind only a lingering nausea. Cam slowly opened her eyes and looked at her companions, who were all staring back at her with puzzled expressions.

  “Cam, are you ok? What’s wrong?” Adelaide asked, reaching across the table for Cambria’s hand. “Are you feeling ill?”

  “You guys didn’t hear that?” Cam asked incredulously. “You didn’t feel that?”

  “Feel what?” Wynne’s voice seemed troubled, and her brow furrowed.

  “That… that high pitched ringing sound, and the world was spinning… and it felt like I had been punched in the gut,” Cam tried to explain, looking at each of her friends in turn. “It’s hard to describe. It came on so fast, and then it was just… gone.”

  “No, we didn’t—at least I didn’t,” Charles replied, casting glances at Adelaide and Wynne, who nodded in affirmation. “It seems like it was just you.”

  “I’ve had feelings like that before, when danger was imminent to those I loved most,” Wynne offered. “I know that’s not good news, but it could be an explanation.”

  Cambria’s mouth went dry and the mild churning in her stomach became a tempest. Images of roaring flames and cries of terror filled her mind. “It’s my parents. Something has happened to my parents.”

  the time glass

  C ambria sat motionless in the center of the room, willing her mind to reach out to her parents. Images from her past flashed across her eyes—her father singing by the fireplace, her mother teaching her to make the perfect pie crust. Her thoughts tumbled one over another like rocks down a ravine, until they all became a dull roaring in her mind. She threw her hands up with an exasperated cry and flopped backwards onto the cushions.

  “It’s no use,” she cried. “I can’t do it.”
/>
  “You aren’t there yet, and that’s ok. It takes a lot of mastery to be able to astral project.” Wynne replied, sinking to the cushions beside her. “You’ll get there.”

  “But I don’t have time to wait! I need to find out what is happening to them now.”

  “I understand that you feel helpless. Maybe I can help take your mind off it for a bit.”

  “Honestly Wynne, I appreciate the effort, but I don’t think you are going to be able to distract me. There’s nothing that could make this better.”

  “Not even my Time Glass?”

  “Your what?” Cambria turned her head to look at Wynne.

  “Time Glass. That big hourglass in the entry room? It has the ability to transport you back in time to observe events.”

  Cambria sat up and stared at Wynne. “You mean to tell me you’ve had a way to travel through time and you’ve never used it to, oh, I don’t know, fix the past? Make Echaria whole again?”

  “It doesn’t work like that, Cam, or I would have. The Time Glass can’t be used to alter history, merely to observe. It’s for teaching and learning from our mistakes.”

  “Unbelievable.” Cam rose to her feet, extending a hand to Wynne. “Well, you’ve done it. You’ve successfully distracted me.”

  “Good. Let’s go take a trip. Addie and Charles are already waiting.”

  The companions sat in a circle in the great room, hands joined. The Time Glass sat in the middle, a seemingly unimpressive inanimate object. Wynne began to give them instructions.

  “I’m going to begin the spell. Whatever you do, don’t let go of each other until we have reached our destination. If you let go, you could be cast into an alternate time and we won’t be able to get you back.” Wynne looked at each of them in turn. “No matter what you hear, see, or feel, do not let go until I give the all clear. Do you understand?”

  They all agreed in unison, glancing at each other with a mixture of wonder and terror.

  “So, where exactly are we going?” Adelaide wanted to know.

  “To when this all began. We are going back to the night Echaria fell.”

  Cam pulled her hands free and leapt from her seat. “No way. I’ve already seen that night, twice. I have no desire to be part of it again.”

  “Cam, sit down,” Wynne commanded. “We won’t be inside the castle. We will be outside observers. If we want to defeat the evil that sits on the throne, we need to understand how the coup took place. We need to see what we are up against from a broader angle. I think I know why you had that dream, but we need to be sure.”

  Cam warily took her seat and rejoined hands with Adelaide and Charles. “Fine. I’ll do it. But I won’t like it.”

  “Have you ever gone back to see this night?” Charles asked.

  “I was there that night, on the inside,” Wynne replied. “It was horrible. I haven’t gone back to it; I haven’t had the strength. It took every bit of my power to escape with my life that night, and I’ve always carried guilt that I couldn’t do more to stop it. I haven’t been brave enough to face it.”

  “Do you need more than one person to make the trip?”

  “No, in the strictest sense, no. You don’t need to travel with others, but it is safer.”

  “Safer?” Adelaide pressed.

  “Yes. If something were to happen, you’d have a companion to make sure you get out. Travelling alone is doable, but if something happens or the spell goes awry, you could get stuck in the past, or separated from your body, and that would be catastrophic.”

  “Oh, sure, that makes sense,” Charles chuckled nervously. “You all promise not to leave me there, right? I want to make it back in one piece.”

  “Very funny, Charles,” Adelaide rolled her eyes and nudged him with her foot across the circle. “We’d never leave you.”

  “Quite,” Wynne agreed. “Now, are we ready?”

  “Yes. Let’s do this.” Cambria settled into her seat and closed her eyes.

  Wynne began to chant, and a soft humming filled the air. The Time Glass began to vibrate, then slowly began to rise from the floor. Adelaide gasped, causing Cambria to open her eyes. They all watched as blue flames appeared, engulfing the Time Glass.

  Wynne kept chanting, never breaking her rhythm. “Mel kah-rei, sol vex nor!”

  The glass began to spin, still surrounded in flame, faster and faster until it was a great dark blur surrounded by dancing blue light. Adelaide realized suddenly that they were being pulled toward the center of the vortex. She grasped Wynne and Cambria’s hands tightly and closed her eyes.

  There was a rush of intense heat, followed by an icy wind that whipped relentlessly around the companions, tossing them through the darkness of the vortex. All around them, voices cried out, creating an unintelligible din. Adelaide felt her hands beginning to slip, so she tightened her grip as they plummeted through the darkness, battered by the cold wind. Without warning, Gran’s voice cut through the chaos, as clear as a bell.

  “Let go, Addie. Come with me, Sunshine Girl. We can be together again.”

  “Gran?” Adelaide cried out, her eyes opening wide and desperately searching the raging vortex for her beloved grandmother. “Where are you, Gran?”

  “I’m here, Addie,” came the whisper from just behind. “Just let go. Let go and come to me.”

  Adelaide felt tears stinging her eyes as she pictured her Gran, calm and sweet, rocking in her little house on the hill. “I’m sorry, Gran,” she cried. “I can’t let go.”

  As soon as the words left her lips, everything stopped. Adelaide blinked, disoriented at the sudden silence and warmth. They were standing on a low mountain ledge overlooking Greystone Castle, and the Time Glass was a dull, inanimate object once again. A large full moon hung in the sky, and the stars glittered in the deep blue heavens. Everything was calm. Adelaide looked around the circle and noticed that each had fresh tears on their cheeks.

  “You may release hands now,” Wynne announced. “We have arrived.”

  The companions quickly separated and each sought to regain their composure. Finally, Adelaide spoke. “Did you all hear something in the wind? I heard Gran… or at least, something that sounded like Gran.” She looked at her friends. “It was awful.”

  “I heard my mother,” Charles admitted. “She was trying to get me to let go. She said we could be together again.”

  “Same,” Wynne chimed in. “I heard my mother as well.”

  “And I,” added Cambria.

  “Well, at least we were all strong enough to resist temptation and follow instructions,” Charles laughed dryly. “What were those voices, anyway?”

  “Time demons,” Wynne answered somberly. “They feed off souls that get trapped in alternate timelines, or lost in the vortex. They are cunning and vicious, but not powerful enough to harm you if you stay within the confines of the spell. Once you break the bounds, though, you are at their mercy.”

  “By The Five,” Cambria breathed. “You couldn’t have told us this before we got sucked into the vortex of icy death?”

  “I’ve never travelled with a group this large before. I thought they only attacked solo travelers. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner.”

  “Hey, all’s well, no one got hurt,” Adelaide jumped in, hoping to defuse the conversation. “We are all fine, and now we know for future trips.” She paused, looking around the mountainous terrain. “So, anyway, what is our game plan? How do we know where to look?”

  “Let’s spread out a bit, each take a direction down the mountain a bit and see if we can spot Lord Bainbridge’s army. Let’s meet back here in about an hour, before the shadows grow deepest,” suggested Charles. “I know this mountain, I used to hike up here as a boy. There are a few lookout points below us that should provide clear views of the valley.”

  “That sounds reasonable,” agreed Wynne. “Ok, let’s get moving.”

  The companions began making their way down the mountainside, spreading out farther as they descended.
Adelaide reached a trail that travelled along a high ledge, and followed it to a small rocky bluff surrounded by low shrubs. From the bluff she had a clear view down into the valley, and of the larger snow-capped mountains that lay to the north. She found a flat rock and sat, the cool mountain air gently rustling her skirt.

  As she gazed down at Greystone Castle, with its impressive ramparts and lit windows, she could feel her throat tightening. “This should be my home,” she whispered to the low-hanging moon. “This is where I was supposed to grow up.”

  Almost as if in response, the soft lilting of a flute came drifting across the rocks on the breeze. Adelaide strained to hear the music, rising from her place on the rocks. A twig snapped in the bushes behind her and she whirled, ready to face off her attacker. It was Charles.

  “By The Five, Charles! A little warning, perhaps?” Adelaide admonished. “You scared me!”

  Charles waved his hand dismissively, looking past Adelaide. “Do you hear that? That music?”

  “Yes, I thought it was a little strange.”

  “I think I’ve heard it before. It’s probably just some local shepherd, but…” He scowled as he scanned the valley. “Come on, let’s find out where it’s coming from.”

  The lovers clasped hands and carefully maneuvered over the rocks to the edge of the bluff. A trail wound down into the forest. The haunting melody wafted upward, calling to them from beyond the tree line.

  “Should we?” Adelaide asked, hesitant to enter the darkness of the forest.

  “I know these trails, and there’s no immediate danger here.”

  “Besides your father and his army,” Adelaide was quick to remind him.

  “Yes, well…” Charles shrugged. “We should be fine if we stick to the shadows. Besides, we still have time before we are due back at the Time Glass. Let’s see if we can solve this puzzle.”

  “Alright then, I trust you. Let’s go.”

  They strode into the forest with Charles leading the way. Adelaide watched as the moon disappeared behind the thick blanket of leaves overhead. They moved silently, following the ever-growing sound of the flute. After several long minutes, they could see the trees beginning to thin up ahead, and a large clearing just beyond. The music was much louder now, as though the piper was just on the other side of the trees. Charles put a finger to his lips and crouched low to the ground as he approached the moonlit glen up ahead, and he motioned for Adelaide to do the same. She complied, dropping into a squat and shuffling along as silently as she could. At last, they could see into the clearing.