Clad in black from top to bottom, he wore some kind of suede armor. Silver buckles sealed him into the suit, straps running across his broad chest like belts with notches. The same metallic buckles ran along the outside of his boots, ending just below his knee. Everything fit him like a glove.
While he was nowhere as tall and broad as Kane, he bore the traits of a seasoned warrior. Though lean, his muscularity was obvious beneath the arms of his jacket.
“And you are?” he inquired, quite at ease with her even though she still clutched the crystal dagger in her palm.
“Who wants to know?” Fate glared.
Exhaling, he surrendered first. “Vale.”
“Fate,” she responded, lowering her makeshift weapon.
“Nice to meet you,” he said quickly. “Now, how is it that you are a rogue?”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand what you mean by rogue.”
“Well,” he began, settling himself onto a geode. “All shades are the property of Malus from the moment they’re born. How is it that you escaped her?”
Fate considered her words carefully. What if he couldn’t be trusted and was some kind of spy or tracker for the Queen? Not to mention, as angry as she was at Kane, she hesitated to put him or Ever in any danger. She decided to stay quiet about the demons.
“I was born six days ago…I just woke up alone and walked away,” she lied and the look on his face suggested he knew it.
He crossed his arms across his chest, inspecting her thoroughly. “And…your clothes? Your ability to speak Attra?”
Fate cursed herself silently. How could she have forgotten she’d been born naked. And knowing their language, not even she understood that. Summoning another lie, she stammered, “I…devoured a young demon, and stole her clothes.”
“And the language?”
“I, uh…what is it of your business anyways?”
“Whoa, chill out, just asking.” He raised his hands as though in defense, but maintained that self-satisfied smirk. “Which way you headed?”
She drew a long breath. Should she tell him? He’d think she was nuts if she said she was trying to find Malus.
“I…don’t know,” she finally offered honestly, slightly defeated. The whole idea of finding the Queen and purposely yielding her freedom seemed remarkably stupid all of a sudden.
Hungry and confused, a small part of her was glad to have found what appeared to be a knowledgeable native of Dark World. Even though she didn’t trust him at all, she realized she might just need his help.
“Hey, by the way, where the hell is my gargoyle? Did you…eat him?” She swallowed hard, uncertain if she wanted to hear the answer.
“No,” he replied softly. “He got away. As to where he is, I’m sorry, I don’t know.”
Fate took full inventory of this new shade. With his shoulders slightly lowered and his lips downturned, she realized he was legit—but there was still something he wasn’t telling her.
Ever sat at the edge of the pond and listened to the trickling waterfall as it dribbled into the demon-made hot spring. Miasmic tendrils wafted above the balmy water, swaying to a gentle breeze. The flock of phoenix within their gilded cage lent a haunting tune to the humid air while the pixies raced one another to the ceiling and back, their squeaks of joy resonating over the trees.
The garden, which usually filled her with unending bliss, was now a sad reminder of her lost friend.
The anger she had for her father was still smoldering. Why had he been so cruel? From the first day Fate arrived, it was obvious to Ever how her father felt about her. How could he just let her go?
Ever found the shade completely fascinating. Her aura was so strong, so powerful. It was hard not to be in awe of her. She longed to ask Fate what she remembered of the Surface.
She’d heard the sky was blue, but what shade of blue? What did the ocean look like? How did it feel to swim in it? What was grass and how did it feel? What did rain feel like as it fell on you?
Sadness shadowed her soul. Not only was she oblivious to the Surface, she was a stranger to the surface of her own world. A prisoner.
The fury she felt for her father shifted to someone more worthy of Ever’s hatred. Malus. Her own grandmother wished to possess her. To push aside her soul, replacing it with one filled with greed and evil. How had her grandmother become so awful?
Sometimes Ever wished she could simply surrender and tempt destiny. She was a strong soul, one that could repel Malus’s will. Couldn’t she simply deny her grandmother?
It was her body. Filled with her soul.
Ever hugged herself, the warm air around her refusing to penetrate the growing chill she felt inside. How she longed to have a life outside the underground city. To see the volcanoes erupt with force and splendor. To witness the marvels that must exist outside this prison. To be free.
“Are you alright?” her father’s deep voice asked gently as he broke through a drape of fronds.
She looked away, nodding untruthfully.
He sighed loudly, taking a seat beside her. His head lowered, he said, “I know you’re upset with me and I’m sorry.”
“It’s not me you owe an apology to.”
His eyes hardened momentarily, then softened as he met his daughter’s stare. “I know.”
“Then why don’t you go after her? Find her? Tell her you’re sorry and…how you really feel about her?”
He recoiled, obviously unaware his daughter had found his feelings so transparent.
“Yes, father, I know,” Ever stated. “I think you may even love her.”
He closed his eyes tight, shaking his head as though warring with an internal demon.
“Why won’t you see, father? Why don’t you believe?” She turned and grabbed his dark face with her pale hands and forced him to look at her. “Don’t you see? You were meant to be with her.”
Ritual
An eerie hush had fallen over the Crystalline Forest. Dark World’s twilight hour. Smaller, weaker prey retreated to safety whilst predators awoke with voracious bellies.
A field of geysers sprayed steaming waters high into the air. Large, bioluminescent bugs flitted amid the ash-filled air, their wings wagging with frenetic purpose.
Each of the crystal trees emitted a low, soft light of variegated colors, muted yellows, greens, and pinks. A forest of painted ice.
Vale sat across from her, leaning back onto a rounded geode. It was comfortable. Serene.
Until now, Fate hadn’t felt at ease in this darkened wonderland. This shade before her, this human turned monster, somehow made her feel more at home here. Accepted. Normal, even.
I am Scarlet.
The memories of her former existence simmered to the surface of her thoughts. How she wished she could just reach into herself and yank out all that her mind was suppressing. What was she like before this? Was she strong? Weak? Cruel or kind?
Fragments of her human life taunted her, recollections edging so close, but never coming within reach.
“When were you born?” Vale inquired suddenly, nudging Fate from her internal battle.
“Six days ago…I think.” She’d honestly begun to lose track. Dark days blurred into dark nights down here. It was practically impossible to tell time.
“Oh,” he replied, his lips downturned. He obviously wanted a different answer. But why?
“And you? When were you born?” Fate pressed.
He laughed. “A very, very long time ago, about a hundred years.”
“Wow,” Fate replied, her eyes widening. He was practically dust.
Silence fell over the makeshift camp, but still the air of ease lingered in the air between them. He felt like family somehow. An old friend.
“So, how did you escape Malus?” Fate asked suddenly, reverting back to their previous conversation.
“Well, after I was born, I wandered the Crimson Desert for a day or so, then was picked up by the guards. They hauled me back to the castle and prepared me
for the shade ceremony,” Vale explained, his expression bleak.
“What kind of ceremony is that?”
“It’s a presentation of sorts. The guards bring you before Malus and she decides…” he paused, as though deciding whether or not to elaborate.
“Decides what?” Fate felt the release of a hundred butterflies into her stomach. She didn’t like talking about Malus.
“What job you’re suited for…or if your soul is resistant to obedience.” His eyes met hers, a flicker of dread dancing behind them.
“Resistant?” She pondered the notion, knowing deep inside she was beyond submission.
“Yes, most shades are born subservient, incapable of individual thought and action. Their soul is owned and controlled by Malus. Others, like us, are born…different.”
“Different?”
“You were born alone, weren’t you?” he asked quietly.
She nodded.
Vale closed his eyes and sighed, seemingly relieved to have found another like himself.
Finding her voice, Fate inquired, “What did Malus do to you at the ceremony?”
“Nothing,” he said with a smile. “She didn’t get a chance to see me.”
Fate frowned. “Why?”
“My master saved me before she could kill me. He’s the one that helped me escape…barely.” He winced.
“Kill you? But, aren’t we undead? Can we die…again?”
“There really isn’t death, only transition,” he explained.
A cold front drifted over and she shuddered. Where had she heard that before? A series of cloudy images raced through her mind. A jagged blade glowing silver in the moonlight. A pentagram carved into the ground.
Pain.
Torture.
A callous whisper, “There is no death, only transition.”
She forced her thoughts to the present, asking, “Why did she want to kill you?”
He looked down at the marble floor, kicking a wayward crystal with the tip of his boot. He shrugged with his reply, “I was born alone…and I’m male.”
Fate scrunched up her nose. “Why would she kill you because you’re male?”
He sighed and looked pensive. “I pose a threat to her. Being born alone makes me a free-thinker. Not to mention female shades are stronger, more magically powerful, and Malus wants a new body, hence, she wants a female.”
“Why does she want a new body?”
“Rumor has it she touched a sacred scroll and the enchantment stole one thousand years of her life. Now she needs the prophesized heir,” he explained, a skeptical tinge coloring his voice.
“Heir?”
His eyes met hers and quoted, “She who is born alone must harbor the soul of the Devil, heir to the throne of souls,”
Fate shivered, knowing who he meant. “Why is it so important that I was born alone?”
“The ritual on the Surface calls for three victims to be damned at one time, it even seems to work fine with only two, but one, well, something else happens,” he paused, gesturing between himself and Fate, then added, “And, you and I, we’re as rare as blue diamonds.”
“Something else?” Fate couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he spoke. It was all like some fairy tale gone horribly wrong.
He continued. “Those born in twos or threes lose their soul completely, but us, we got to keep a small portion of ours somehow.”
“So, I’m the only female shade in all of Dark World that Malus needs to survive?” Fate asked, suddenly feeling tired and helpless.
Vale’s gaze fell from hers, colored with dark anguish, “No, there is another. If she’s still alive.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” Fate whispered, following closely behind Vale as he stealthily made his way through the crystalline jungle.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you?” he hissed in return.
That was an understatement, to say the least. She was certain her insides were going to revolt and cannibalize her soon. She pulled the mask from her face, exposing her black lips for the first time in days.
Her stomach rolled again with hunger and she was suddenly glad she’d left Spark safely behind, tied to a tree with his ankle leash, though she missed the weight of him on her shoulder.
Then there was Ick. Still missing, she felt an emptiness that her furry little buddy used to fill. Where was he? Was he too afraid to return because of Vale? Was he—alive? She shook her head, the thought too painful to conceive.
Suddenly Vale raised his hand into a fist, signaling her like a Surface soldier to stop and be silent.
Still as statues, Fate followed his gaze, her sight landing upon two creatures sauntering slowly ahead. She narrowed her eyes, infrared sight penetrating the spectral shadows, trying to decipher what these things were. She’d seen so many odd beings over the last few days, she wasn’t sure what she was going to see next.
She squinted, certain she’d seen something like them before.
Horses?
They were walking with their backs to them, their rounded behinds shifting with every step forward. Pure white bodies and manes of gold, the beasts trudged slowly through the forest, unaware of their imminent demise.
Vale started moving forward again, his body agile and movements sleek as a panther on the limb of a tree. The perfect predator.
Fate attempted to travel as smoothly, stepping where he had stepped. Careful and calculated. She felt like she was part of a pride of lions, stalking their kill.
As they neared, her predatory instincts took over. Her mouth watered and claws lengthened from her fingertips. Readying themselves. Anticipating.
She heard several heartbeats thrumming alongside her own. One was Vale’s. Strong and excited. The others were the horses, calm and steady. Until they sensed them. But, by then it was too late.
Vale attacked first. One moment he was right in front of Fate, the next moment, he’d vanished, leaving only a haze of black mist to linger in his wake. He reappeared beside one of the horses.
Before Fate could allow herself to wonder how he’d done that, the fiend within possessed her and she found herself racing towards the other horse at an unfathomable speed. Wind tore through her hair as she launched her entire body at the other horse, who was now attempting to flee.
She landed beside the beast and in one fluid movement, grabbed his mane and pulled him off balance, sending him crashing to his side. Without hesitation, she leaned over and sliced the creature’s neck from left to right, warmth spilling over her hand.
Greedily, she maneuvered herself in front of the horse and thrust her hand to its chest. A slow, deep thudding overcame her. She closed her eyes as she became one with the creature. She could feel his essence being pulled like a magnet towards her. The madness of hunger coalesced with the lust of the shade. Her mind was not her own. The darkness convinced her that this was right. Natural. That the soul wanted to be with her. Wanted to be one with her.
His chest cavity throbbed. His soul fought to break free. The horse’s heartbeat faded, slowed as his essence escaped him.
The orb. It glistened and sang, gently floating towards her. Hands outspread, Fate welcomed the sphere. Soft blue tendrils darted from it like fingers of electricity, reaching for her, calling to her.
It landed gently in her palms, a vortex of power whirling in the center. She brought it to her lips, eager to satiate the dark hunger. To silence the monster within.
She inhaled. Vapors of energy amassing in her undead lungs. Quenching the thirst. Feeding the evil desire.
It took a moment for her to come back to herself. The shade inside pulled back, licking its lips and nestling deep into her psyche. Until next time.
Fate looked at Vale. He apparently liked to toy with his food before he ate, cornering the beast, allowing it to maneuver a few feet, then herding it back again.
Then it was time.
Shrill whinnies cut the air. Vale’s expression was wild, inhuman as he punctured the horse’s throat with h
is knife-like nails. Blood sprayed, sprinkling the ground like red rain.
The horse sank lifelessly to the ground, its heartbeat slowing. Its life-force fading.
Vale knelt before the beast, placed his hand upon its chest and summoned the creature’s soul.
Fate watched with a sickening sensation welling inside. It wasn’t until that moment she realized what she’d really done. And what she’d really killed.
They weren’t just horses.
They were unicorns.
Promises
“What will you do now?” Elder Ozen sipped his fungus tea, savoring every heated drop.
Head hung in his hands, Kane exhaled. “I…don’t know.”
He knew he’d made a critical error in offending Fate and letting her leave. What was he thinking? Her ability to touch the scrolls was crucial to the demons. Their existence depended on it. He’d driven away their only chance of survival.
“You know what you need to do,” the elder remarked, giving the younger demon a wise stare.
Kane nodded. He needed to find her. To apologize and beg her to help him. It was imperative they begin searching for the lost pages immediately. The sooner they found them, the less opportunity Malus had to acquire the scrolls and succeed with her evil plan to open the fissure and populate the world with shades.
But even if he managed to find Fate, would she forgive him? Would she even want to help him? What was worse, if they were to join forces, could he set aside his feelings for her? That was the one uncertainty he was most afraid of. He had a job to do. A duty. Her presence was distracting. Seductive.
He frowned, his heart heavy in his chest. His problems didn’t end there. Who else was collecting the scrolls? And why? Did they also want to reach the Surface?
“Kane,” Elder Ozen’s calm voice broke through his woeful thoughts. “No matter your fears. No matter your feelings. This kingdom needs a king. They need you. Be the king your father intended you to be.”
Dark World (Book I in the Dark World Trilogy) Page 16