Dark World (Book I in the Dark World Trilogy) (22 page)

“
Ick,” Fate called out,
concern welling in her chest. He’d been gone over an hour, romping
in the trees and splashing in the mineral pond.

It was the exact location where she and
Kane had fought off the sphinxes.

“
And here I am…again,” she
muttered, wondering what she was going to do. Was she brave enough
to seek out Malus? From what she’d learned of Malus, she was a cold
and cruel Queen who would stop at nothing to dominate Dark World.
Ever had spent her entire life underground in efforts to avoid the
new Devil. She’d warned Fate of the danger, yet here she was,
searching for the elusive Queen’s lair.

Her thoughts shifted reluctantly to
Kane. Had she just imagined his affection towards her? Why did she
feel so drawn to him anyways? He was a demon. As far as she could
recall, demons were amongst the most loathsome creatures in
mythology. What with their possessing people, conjuring evil, and
embracing all things unholy.

She shook her head, confusion blurring
the borders of logic. But the demons weren’t that way at all. Ever,
Kane, the old shaman, none of them resembled the dark stereotype
given to them on the Surface. Even Deme, despite her sour
expression, appeared to be inherently kind—deep down,
anyways.

It was the shades who were the real
enemies here. She felt it in the way they looked at her. How ironic
that the demons were the good guys. Not surprising when she
considered human nature though.

A sigh escaped her. She had so many
unanswered questions. Who—and what—was she? An undead being named
Fate or a dead human named Scarlet?

She settled onto a nearby boulder, her
shoulders weighing more than they ever had. How could she expect
Kane to know his feelings for her if she didn’t even know
herself?

Spark chirped loudly, startling her.
Fate brought her face to the tiny bird nesting on her shoulder, his
flaming body rolled with shades of copper and gold.

“
What do you think? Am I
just crazy?” she asked of him.

Just as he tilted his head
inquisitively at her, a shrill, animal-like scream resonated
through the forest, bouncing off each individual quartz
tree.

Fate sucked in a panicked breath and
jumped to her feet.

“
Ick! Oh god, where is
he?”

The echo of his terrified voice
reverberated from every direction, her ears burning with maternal
fire. Just when she thought she’d located the origin and started
towards it, his voice seemed to come from behind her.

“
Ick! Please! Where are
you!” Her heart thudded relentless, fueled by worry and
fright.

Then Fate stopped, straining her
supernatural hearing. She couldn’t hear him anymore. A piercing
silence owned the forest. Not a whisper. Not a breeze. Her throat
felt tight. What if she lost Ick? He was like a baby to her. She’d
watched him emerge from his spherical cocoon. Nurtured him. Loved
him.

“
Ick?” Fate relinquished,
her voice strangled. Tears worked their way into the corners of her
eyes.

Not Ick. Please don’t take
him from me. I…need him.

A barely audible snap reached her ears.
Behind her. She paused, holding her breath. Fate slowly turned
towards the sound. Her infrared eyes scanned the darkened forest.
Only the hundreds of ice-like torsos rooted in the marble floor
returned her gaze.

Poised, ready for a fight, Fate sensed
another pair of eyes out there. Watching her. Waiting for her. Her
primitive alter-ego stirred within. A power fired in her core. The
evil coalesced with the gnawing hunger. She was ready for whoever
was out there. She was ready to kill.

Vale heard the beast’s heart fluttering
madly as it tried to escape him, its pulse pounding in his ears.
Nothing mattered but the kill. It was worse than a craving. It was
a burning thirst. A raging hunger. Like he hadn’t eaten in years.
He’d never felt anything like it when he was on the Surface. Not
the need for cigarettes. Food. Nothing. It was a painful need to
devour. And the only thing that could satiate the
need—souls.

The gargoyle fled at an impressive
pace. Too young to fly, he darted amongst the sparse crystalline
branches. Vale considered toying with the creature, but was far too
hungry and moved straight in for the kill.

“
Ick!” Vale heard a feminine
voice call out, halting his attack. The gargoyle would satiate him,
but not like a conscious soul would.

His slivered human soul retreated into
an abyss inside him, mouth flooding with fresh saliva. He ran his
tongue over his lengthy fangs. The shade—the monster—stepped
forward.

Vale shifted his focus sharply to his
left. He took a deep breath in, testing the air. Searching for her
scent. Was she a lone demon? A banshee who’d wandered far from her
village? A dark thrill crawled over him. He had to see her. Had to
have her.

Stealthily, he peered around the
crystal trunks, hoping that each would be the one to reveal his
prey. Without a sound, he stalked by wisping from tree to tree.
Each wisp bringing him closer to his meal.

The sound of water dribbling into a
pond caught his attention, then a glint of light ahead. His undead
heart beat against his chest like a wild animal, caged far too long
and crazed with the need for release.

A clearing in the crystal trees greeted
him. He paused, sniffing the air. Desperate for her
aroma.

Sudden movement behind a geode both
startled and excited him. She was hiding. He strode quickly and
confidently across the opening, his eyes locked on the large stone.
He leaped, crouching as he landed atop the rock, hoping she’d run.
It was more fun when there was a chase.

He leaned over; the far side of the
geode was hollow, exposing its collection of glittering quartz.
Maybe she was cowering in there, huddled into a ball, hoping he
wouldn’t find her. The shade in him was giddy. With his wisp energy
exhausted, he’d have to do this the old-fashioned way.

Impatience germinated inside. He
readied himself to spring. No more waiting, he’d go and get
her.

Just as he moved to attack, a flash of
copper and gold flew from behind the boulder. Set afire, the ball
of light tore past him, narrowly missing his face and yet he felt
the imprint of heat left upon his cheek.

For only a moment, he lost
concentration. Startled from his strategic attack. Then she was on
him. Pinned, he struggled to no avail. She was as strong as he
was.

Never before had he been overtaken in
Dark World, his strength and wit unmatched.

Until now.

Clarity

Fate held the point of the quartz
icicle tight against the shade’s throat with one hand and a fistful
of his silver hair in the other. His head yanked back, the soft dip
in the center of his neck exposed; she waited for any reason to
plunge her makeshift dagger into him.

He stiffened, raising his hands into
the air like a captured villain, then stated casually, “Hello
there.”

Her grip tightened, the urge to skewer
him growing wilder by the moment. A murderous rage generated inside
of her.

The human she used to be wilted when
the shade took over. As though she had some sort of multiple
personality disorder, an evil entity surfaced at its own volition
and possessed her. Ironically demonic.

He cleared his throat, his Adam’s apple
sliding past the tip of the quartz blade. “Um, you got me, so if
you’re going to kill me, let’s get on with it.”

Not appreciating his tone, she hissed,
“I should! It was you chasing my gargoyle, wasn’t it?”

“
Your
gargoyle?” he repeated, his voice
condescending.

Fate gave his hair a fierce
pull. “Yes,
my
gargoyle.”

“
Oh,” he exclaimed suddenly,
as though having had an epiphany. “I didn’t realize he was your
meal. My apologies.”

“
Meal? No, he’s my friend,”
she explained, scanning the clearing for any sign of
Ick.

“
Friend?” the shade
chuckled. “But…you’re a shade. Shade’s don’t make friends
with…food.”

“
He’s not food to me,” Fate
replied, loosening her grip a little.

The shade placed a pale hand onto her
forearm, caressing it. “So, are you going to let me go…or do you
just want to hold me in your arms all day?”

She pushed him hard from her, grunting
with disgust. He took his time turning around, almost debonair,
then eyed her up and down. Seemingly pleased, he nodded with a
smooth smile traversing his lips.

“
Interesting,” he commented,
walking towards her. “Very interesting.”

“
What’s so interesting,”
Fate retorted through gritted teeth.

“
You’re a rogue shade…like
me.” His luminescent white eyes shone with quiet
curiosity.

The malevolence inside her withdrew to
whatever sinister place it dwelled, allowing her to fully inspect
this stranger. His hair carried the same sterling hue as hers, only
his was much shorter, and wilder. His eyes burned the same as her
own. Magnesium strips set afire.

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?