Shadows of Lela

by Tessonja Odette

  “Well, this is a pathetic reunion, is it not?” Morkai waved the red light away from his hand. After a moment of darkness, the lamps along the walls in the dungeon hall began to glow, illuminating the dark cell. “I know the three of you are acquainted, although the boys refuse to confirm my suspicions.”

  “They had nothing to do with killing your hunters. Let them go.” Cora’s trembling voice betrayed her forced confidence.

  Morkai barked a laugh. “This won’t do. I answered your questions. Now I expect the same respect in answering mine. Who are these men?”

  Cora looked from me to Morkai, eyes wide and brows furrowed. “Please, let them go.”

  Before I knew it, Cora was in Morkai’s grasp with the blade of a dagger at her throat. “Now, will you speak?”

  I watched as a tiny trickle of blood ran down Cora’s neck below the dagger. My body flooded with a fury I’d never felt before. “Let her go. I’ll tell you everything,” I shouted.

  “No,” mouthed Cora, but no sound came out.

  “Get on with it.” Morkai tightened his grip around Cora’s waist, eyes locked with mine as he brought his face next to Cora’s. “I’m waiting,” he whispered, his mouth brushing Cora’s cheek as his lips turned up at the corners in a sly smile.

  I had the sudden urge to take the dagger from him and plunge it into his heart. My shoulders tensed, and my muscles shook from head to toe. I swallowed hard and forced my voice to remain steady. “My name is Teryn. I am Crown Prince of Mena. Anything you do to her, Lex, or me, will bring forth the wrath of King Arlous and all our allies.”

  “The wrath of King Arlous? What a pleasure. What are you doing in Kero? And what are you doing with her?”

  I replied with a hurried summary of my travels, sharing only the barest details of my journey with Lex and Helios, explaining Helios’s death, and then lightly touching on my meeting with Cora. Finally, I confessed to my involvement with his hunters. I was sure my words were sealing my fate, but I was willing to do anything to make him take his hands off Cora.

  “Now, was that so hard?” Morkai released Cora from his hold and pushed her forward.

  Cora put her hand to her neck as she stumbled into me. I put a protective arm around her, and we faced Morkai, glaring as we awaited his next move.

  The sorcerer steepled his fingertips, considering us silently. The quiet was shattered by his hissing laughter. “The things a man will do for a woman. First, he begins a ridiculous quest to impress one woman. Then he joins the pathetic quest of another, nearly getting himself killed in the process.” Morkai smirked at Cora. “Men are quite fickle, my dear. You’d do well not to let your heart fall on this one.”

  I bit back my retort and Cora remained silent as well.

  Morkai turned his gaze on me. “You don’t agree with me, Prince Teryn? You aren’t chasing skirts, blowing from one fancy to the other like the wind? Oh, I see. You consider yourself to be a hero.” Morkai shook a finger at me. “Silly boy. But if that’s the case, I have a way for you to be a real hero. How would you like to save your kingdom?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Come. All of you.” He grabbed Cora by the wrist, tearing her away from me, and led her out of the cell. Two guard-like figures entered and wordlessly forced me and Lex to follow.

  My heart raced as we were led through the castle. Cora stole anxious glances at me as Morkai dragged her on ahead. There was nothing more to see but shadowed halls as we were forced onward. Finally, we came to a door and stepped through to the outside. The men released me and Lex, but I could feel their presence close behind. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the glowing starlight within a black sky as Morkai brought us to the edge of a dark field. I heard a strangled cry escape from Cora’s lips and looked over at her as she stared at the field.

  “The gardens,” she gasped, a shaking hand held to her lips.

  Once more I looked out at the field, and could see nothing resembling a garden. All I could see was a dark expanse of charred field with no sign of life, save for a few gnarled, black stumps that were probably once trees.

  “What have you done?” Cora whispered.

  “This isn’t exactly what I brought you here to see, but I’m glad you are impressed.”

  “Then why are we here?” Cora asked, her eyes filled with tears.

  “Don’t be so impatient, my dear.” Morkai ran his hand down the back of Cora’s hair with his bony, white hand. I clenched my hands into fists to keep myself from attacking him.

  Cora stepped away from his caress and glared up at him. “Just show us what we came here for and get it over with.”

  Morkai smiled down at her as he again reached his hand toward her hair.

  “Don’t touch her!”

  Morkai shot me an icy glare, grumbling as he turned back toward the field. He took up his charred, black staff from its place at his hip and raised it in the air. The rubies along the staff began to glow blood-red under the starlight, getting brighter and brighter until I had to look away. I could feel Lex trembling next to me.

  Once the glow had died down, I looked back toward the field. I froze as I saw leagues of men dressed in solid black tunics standing in rows before us, filling nearly the entire field. Each set of dark, empty eyes was on the sorcerer, each set of rigid arms was held straight at their sides, and each waist was armed with a sword.

  “What is this?” Cora asked.

  “My Royal Force.” Morkai spread his arms wide with a grin.

  I shuddered.

  “What are they for?” Cora took a step away from the field.

  “War, of course.”

  I felt the blood leave my face. “What war?”

  “The inevitable war that will result from anyone who fails to surrender to my rule. I am claiming rule over all of Lela.”

  “No.” Cora stomped her foot.

  “You can’t!” I shouted.

  Morkai walked over to me and brought his face close to mine. “Yes, Prince Teryn, I can.”

  “You’ll never win,” Cora said, and Morkai rounded on her.

  “Of course, I will!”

  Cora stood straight, chin lifted. “What, with this pathetic, ensorcelled Force you’ve accumulated? Mena and Sele will fight you. Your men won’t stand a chance against the real passion of Mena and Sele’s Royal Force, not to mention anyone from Kero brave enough to stand up against you.”

  Morkai doubled over with laughter. “You think this is all? I still have time to recruit more men. In fact, Teryn has given me some valuable information that I can use to form more allies. But I’ve got more than men, silly girl.”

  Cora’s shoulders sank. “What now?”

  Morkai clapped his hands, and the men marched to the far end of the field, hidden within the shadows of the trees. Once again, Morkai raised his staff in the air, and again it shone the red light, this time sending a red fog rolling over the field. “Come,” he whispered, his voice a chilling hiss.

  At first, there was nothing to see but the red fog as I held my breath in anticipation. Then, distant shadows began moving toward the field. I thought perhaps Morkai’s Force was returning, but as the shadows came nearer, I knew something was amiss. I could make out the forms of bodies moving slowly and erratically forward, but I could see no faces. I watched as they neared, waiting for the figures to become clear, but the nearer they came, the less sure I was that they were human.

  They seemed both dead and alive at once. They were as transparent as the fog, barely discernible as they wandered through the field. Each figure carried an equally transparent weapon, and each looked equally lost and mindless. Soon the field was filled with these figures; there were hundreds of them.

  “Wraiths?” Cora said with a gasp.

  Morkai nodded. “Lost souls of the dead, trapped in the world of the living. These, as you may have guessed, are the souls of great fighters. These men have lost their lives in an ancient war you’ve never heard of. They are here to continue their legacy as wa
rriors.”

  “Wraiths cannot fight,” Cora said. “They are lost. They cannot grasp the physical world again. They only live as memories, memories that are not meant to be woken.”

  “You underestimate me too much. Of course, I know what a wraith is capable of. I also know what I’m capable of.”

  Cora narrowed her eyes at Morkai, her face red and nostrils flaring.

  “Now you’re impressed. I knew it. Watch and I will demonstrate.” Morkai faced the field of wraiths. “Fight!”

  At that moment, the shadowed spirits seemed to gain consciousness as each immediately sprang into action and began to fight. Arrows soared, swords were swung, and deathly voices cried out in agony as the mass of wraiths slaughtered each other. From the intensity of the fight, I thought the battle would last no more than a few moments, but it continued without end. Bodies fell to the ground only to get back up again, over and over. Many of the deaths repeated in sequence; one wraith was decapitated in the same manner over a dozen times, while another repeatedly raced forward with a fierce battle cry just before getting stabbed in the back.

  It was a terrifying sight, but something about it was flawed.

  Morkai clapped his hands, and the wraiths halted and then slowly dispersed. “You see, my wraiths can fight. They will fight mortal men just the same. And they never die, for they are already dead.”

  “You are horrible!” Cora shouted.

  “Indeed.” Morkai smirked. “But this can all be avoided. War does not have to be the answer. In fact, I have no desire to resort to war in the first place. I only wanted to show you my protection, show you what I am capable of. There is another way. A way free of bloodshed. A way of peace.” Morkai turned toward me now.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “This is where your heroics come in. How you can save your kingdom.”

  “How do you expect me to do that?”

  Morkai’s face stretched into a wide grin, the points of his crooked teeth showing between his thin, pale lips. “You will make Mena and Sele surrender to me.”

  “They never will.”

  “Even if it means your life?”

  Before I could form an intelligent retort, I found my arms being bound behind my back by the guards.

  “No!” Cora shouted as she ran forward, but Morkai grabbed her by the arm and forced her to his side. “What are you going to do to him?”

  Morkai put his face disgustingly close to hers. “Nothing, if Prince Teryn’s life is valuable to the leaders of Mena and Sele.”

  “What do you want from me?” I asked, forcing Morkai’s attention away from Cora and back to myself.

  “Look to the black, starlit sky. The moon is new. The power of my plans is being set forth in perfect timing.” Morkai’s face was full of elation as he stared at the sky. Seeing him full of such bliss sent a chill down my spine.

  Once he lowered his head and returned his gaze to me, his face was once again cold and scowling. “I will send a message to Mena and Sele, explaining that I am holding you hostage. As the sun rises from the darkness of the next new moon, I will take you and my Force to Centerpointe Rock where the leaders of Sele and Mena will meet me. If they surrender to my rule, I will let you return to your family alive. If not, I will kill you.”

  “If you kill me…” I fell silent, as the full weight of his plan dawned on me.

  Morkai smiled, nodding. “Yes. If I kill you, they will wage war on me. I never said this was going to be my war. I only said there would be a war if my rule was refused. And if there is a war, I will win. War or no war, Lela will be mine in one month’s time. The only thing left to do is send a messenger. Come, Lex, you will make yourself useful.”

  “Leave him out of this!” I shouted, struggling against the firm hold of the guards.

  Lex looked from me to Morkai, eyes wide as he trembled from head to toe.

  “Lex, do you understand what I am saying?” Morkai spoke as if Lex were a child. Lex quickly nodded. “Good. You will ride to Mena, go to Dermaine Castle, and send King Arlous my message. In one moon cycle, he will either surrender to me, or lose the life of his heir. Understand?”

  Tears streamed down Lex’s red face as he gave a single nod. Morkai mumbled some unfamiliar words, and moments later, a horse appeared. “Now go,” Morkai demanded.

  Lex stumbled toward the horse, shaking as he climbed into the saddle. He turned his face toward mine. “Teryn,” he whispered.

  “Be brave,” I said. “Remember everything you saw tonight. Everything you heard. Remember every detail. And tell my parents…” I couldn’t finish my sentence, realizing I didn’t know what I wanted him to tell them. Save me and surrender to Morkai? Sacrifice me and then go to war with Morkai’s Force of possessed men and fierce wraiths? “Tell my parents I love them.”

  Lex nodded.

  Morkai placed a hand on the horse, mumbling a quiet incantation. The horse took off with unnatural speed, carrying Lex out of view into the forests beyond the field. “Now, take the prince back to the dungeons.”

  “Teryn!” Cora lunged forward, reaching for me. Morkai grabbed her by the wrist as the guards forced me back into the castle. My head spun, and my legs gave way beneath me. The guards dragged me on without a care. Once back in my cold cell, I was left with darkness and the pounding of my heart. My mind reeled with what I had learned. War. Death. My parents. Lela. Lex. Cora. Larylis. Mareleau. Slipping out of consciousness came as my only relief.

  21

  Stranger

  Cora

  I bit my lip to keep the tears at bay and swallowed the painful lump in my throat as I watched Teryn being carried away. I forced myself to look away from the empty doorway through which he had been taken, and glowered down at my feet as I steadied my labored breathing. I could sense Morkai’s beady eyes watching me. I felt his cold finger touch my chin, and I flinched out of his reach. He reacted by grabbing my jaw and forcing me to look up at him. His face swam behind a pool of tears.

  “Don’t look so upset, child.” Morkai’s voice sounded deceitfully gentle.

  “What are you going to do to me?”

  “Your fate is the same as Teryn’s. I will do nothing to you if you comply with my wishes. It’s up to you.”

  My stomach knotted. What could he possibly want from me?

  “You don’t have to be my enemy,” Morkai continued. “You don’t have to suffer. You could be on the winning side of this war. I know your powers are strong. I could use an ally.”

  “You are crazy if you think I will join you!” I shouted.

  “No, Coralaine, you are crazy if you don’t join me. Who are you fighting for? No one cares about you. Hardly a soul knows you exist. Not even your own people know or care who you are. You are dead to them, but I could bring you back. You could return to your place as royalty of Kero. You could join me and be queen of all Lela.”

  “Queen? Your queen? You really are crazy.” I slammed my hands into Morkai’s chest, forcing him to release me. “I would rather die than be your queen!”

  His eyes narrowed, his jaw moved back and forth, and his hands clenched into fists. “Willing or not, you will comply. I have plans for you that you can’t even begin to imagine. You will serve me. This is your last chance to do so willingly, Coralaine. Agree to be my queen or I will send you to rot in the dungeons.”

  “If those are my choices, I’ll walk there myself.” I turned on my heel toward the castle.

  “I see. It’s that boy. You think he actually cares about you.”

  I spun back around, my mouth opening and then snapping shut.

  Morkai grinned. “You want to be his queen, don’t you?”

  “It’s not like that.” I turned my chin up as I glared into his mocking eyes.

  “Of course, it is. But I should tell you right now, he does not love you. It’s the other woman he truly loves. The Princess of Sele.”

  “He can love whomever he wants. It doesn’t matter to me. We are friends, and friends c
are about each other.”

  Morkai came toward me with slow, creeping steps. “You don’t know anything about being a woman. You can’t even tell when you’re in love.”

  “I’m not in love!”

  Morkai cackled, a rasping, grating sound from his throat. “I sure hope not, because you could never please him in any way. You are a wild thing, a creature. I can tell by looking at you that you have never known a man’s touch. You are like a child in a woman’s body.”

  His words sent ripples of nausea through me. It only made matters worse that he was right.

  “You wouldn’t know what to do with a man like Prince Teryn. He wouldn’t have the patience for your childlike emotions to mature. I, on the other hand, would be gentle.”

  “Enough!” Fire flooded my veins. “You know nothing about me. I know what you are doing. You are trying to weave a web of insecurity around me, trying to break me. Trying to trick me into joining you.”

  “Oh, Coralaine, I do know much about you. More than even you may know. I only say these things because I want what’s best for you. You don’t need to fill your head with fantasies that can never be. You could never be Teryn’s queen. The only thing more shameful than you cowering like a frightened dog at his intimate touch would be your unraveling when he sets you aside.”

  I raised my eyebrow and put my hands on my hips. “You really think you’re going to scare me with senseless threats like that?”

  “It’s not a threat, my dear. It is inevitable. You must be able to provide an heir to be his queen. Once he found out you were barren, he would have to set you aside, out of duty as king to his kingdom.”

  “What are you talking about?” My words came out with more of a tremor than I’d intended.

  Morkai’s face fell under a mask of sympathy. “Don’t you know? Oh, you poor thing. My dear, you cannot bear children. You are infertile. I made you so since you were a child. You were so focused on what I was doing to your family, you never stopped to consider what I was doing to you.”