Dark World (Book I in the Dark World Trilogy) (24 page)

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.”

A knot grew in Kane’s throat at
the mere mention of his father and he nodded. His people not only
deserved a king, they deserved a
great
king. But there was only one way to become
king—and that was to kill his own mother. How could he do that in
good conscience? Yes, she was evil and had done unspeakable things
to her own kind, but could he bring himself to slay her when the
moment arose?

He wasn’t a coward, though the road he
must take was sure to be wrought with peril. Kane knew the risks of
traveling through the darkest and most evil regions of Dark World.
He knew he might not return. But his people depended on him and he
needed to prove to them that he was worthy of their
respect.

Kane raised his eyes to the cracked
walls and ceiling as though the weight of his worries were mirrored
within the foundation of the palace.

He knew what he had to do.

“
Will you,” Kane began, his
throat tightening like a noose had been cinched round his neck,
“take care of Ever for me if anything should…go wrong?”

“
Of course.” Elder Ozen’s
eyes lit like sparkling jade. “I swear on my life that I will do
everything to protect her.”

With every stroke of the brush, Ever’s
long brilliant hair gleamed like fresh snow on a pale winter’s day.
She gazed sightlessly into the mirror, her thoughts cast on the
whereabouts of her new friend. Mindlessly, she set down the brush
and taking three thick sections of hair, braided them together to
form a lengthy rope.

She sighed heavily, her reflection
staring back with discontented eyes.

Until recently she didn’t realize what
she’d been missing. The reality of her eternal imprisonment hadn’t
truly sunk in until she met Fate. Something inside Ever ignited. A
desire to see the outside world. If this shade could wander free
over the darkened lands, why couldn’t she? Fate was the same as
her. Young, naïve, and, unfortunately, wanted by her cruel
grandmother.

For once, Ever felt a kinship with
someone who could understand her. Fate knew nothing of Dark World,
a mere baby in the underworld, yet she braved the ruthless realm by
leaving the safety of the demon kingdom.

Why can’t I?

A light knock at her door stirred her
from her longing.

“
Yes,” she called out,
forcing her voice steady.

Her father’s large figure entered. His
tortured aura sucking all of the air out of the room. Of course he
still wasn’t willing to admit his feelings for Fate, but just
standing in his presence, Ever was able to feel his
pain.

Gifted from birth, Ever’s ability to
sense others emotions had often left the adult demons speechless.
Shaman Goretus dubbed her an empath, a rarity among their
kind.

The only person she’d ever
encountered that she couldn’t read was Fate. She surmised it was
because she had no soul, or very little of it left. There
was
something
there, but it wasn’t strong enough for Ever to
sense.

Her father’s feelings were as evident
as fire on a phoenix. He loved Fate. His aura exuded an unnatural
heat whenever she was around, even when her name was just simply
mentioned.

“
I need to speak with you,”
her father began, his tone tainted with sadness.

She moved to the bed and sat down,
folding her hands in her lap. The edge of the bed sank as he seated
himself next to her.

“
Ever,” he started, his eyes
trained on the floor. “I know you are cross with me for allowing
Fate to leave.”

Ever stiffened. Yes, she was still
upset with him. Not angry, but disappointed. She forced herself to
look at him. To see the heartbreak in his eyes.

He continued. “I intend to find her…and
to apologize.”

Ever couldn’t suppress the smile
wandering across her face. “That’s wonderful! I can’t wait to see
her! I have so much to tell…”

“
Ever,” her father
interrupted, a pain lingering behind his eyes. “I don’t mean to
bring her back here.”

Ever frowned. “Then where?”

He exhaled deeply, thick lines of
concern scarring his forehead. “She…I hope…she will help me find
the scrolls.”

“
All of them?” Ever
swallowed, certain she already knew the answer.

He nodded, not meeting her
gaze.

“
But…Malus has one, doesn’t
she?”

He clenched his fists at the mention of
his evil mother. Ever was aghast. How could her father risk Fate
like that? He may as well deliver her into the Queen’s waiting
hands.

“
You can’t! You risk her.
You risk yourself? No one has ever entered the Blood Palace and
escaped again!”

“
No one we know,” he
countered quietly.

Ever stood, wrapping her arms around
her waist and paced the room. “What do you mean?” she hissed
angrily.

He met her heated stare. “Whoever stole
our scroll had to have a talent like no other. I will seek them out
and…”

She stopped in mid-stride, a
realization striking her. “You…don’t intend to return, do
you?”

He rose, opening his arms to her. “I
have to do this, Ever. I have to find Fate and beg her to help me
find the pages or…” He hesitated.

She turned from his embrace. He didn’t
need to finish. Ever knew the consequences of Malus obtaining all
of the scrolls. She would control all of Dark World and the
Surface, and the demons would be destroyed.

Confused, she asked. “Why would you
want to seek out the thief?”

“
As far as I know, Malus only has
one. The banshees’. The Oracle spoke of another that is acquiring
the scrolls and I have a feeling…”

“
Oh, you’re basing all of this on
a
feeling
? I feel so much better!” she fumed.

“
I have a feeling,” he
continued through gritted teeth, “that the thief will lead us to
that person.”

“
Why? Why do you think the
thief works for this other person and not Malus? Maybe the shade is
collecting them for himself.” She crossed her arms and held her
ground before him.

His indigo eyes locked onto hers. “The
guard saw a black mist enter the scroll room…normal shades can’t do
that. He could be collecting them for himself. I can’t know the
truth unless I find him.”

“
Black mist?” Her anger
receded. “I’ve never heard of a shade being able to do
that.”

The corners of his mouth lifted
microscopically. “Exactly, he’s different. He must be a
single-born, like Fate, and Malus doesn’t allow single males to
live, and unless there’s another single-born female out there that
we don’t know about…” He shrugged.

Ever let everything sink in. She
suddenly felt silly for doubting her father. He was smarter than
she was giving him credit for.

“
Now do you understand why I
have to go?” he asked quietly.

She did, but it didn’t make her any
happier. “What if…something happens to you?” Tears found their way
to her eyes.

“
Baby girl,” he started,
pulling her into his large chest and stroking her hair, “I promise
I will do everything in my power to come back to you.
Everything.”

Ever swallowed back a sob. What if
everything wasn’t enough?

Longings

“
I don’t understand,” Vale
raked his rebellious silver hair, frustration building as he eyed
the weeping shade. “They’re just unicorns. Just food.”

What was her problem? Did she not
realize she needed to eat? They were just animals. Not even aware
of their demise, let alone their existence. He was pretty sure they
didn’t stand around pondering the wonders of the underworld or
their purpose in life. These kinds of creatures were disposable.
Simply awaiting consumption as far as Vale was concerned. Yet here
was this girl. This shade with a conscience, mourning the loss of a
beast with the worth of Surface cow.

“
I’m sorry,” she sobbed,
kneeling close to the corpse of the horned horse. “I just feel so
awful.”

He sighed. It had been a century that
he’d dwelt here, forgetting how it felt when he’d first arrived. He
recalled his first attempt at feeding. It was messy and indignant,
for both him and the creature he’d stolen from.

Vale’s master had forced him to
surrender to his needs, not that he’d much choice. The hunger
always wins…eventually.

“
Fate,” Vale began softly,
settling onto one knee beside her. “You mustn’t burden yourself
with such things. Feeding is necessary for our kind.
Inevitable.”

“
I know,” she glanced up,
her luminous eyes glistening. “I just can’t help feeling sad. It’s
just…it’s a unicorn.” She swept her hand over the mangled
carcass.

He had to admit, it was a magnificent
beast. That and the human lore tied to it, he could almost see how
she could be upset. But not devastated.

“
Come on.” He helped her to
standing. “We need to start moving.”

Sniffling, she asked,”Why?”

He scanned the width of the forest,
gazing between the glass trees. “Nighttime is upon us, the darkest
creatures will be awakening soon.”

“
Nighttime,” she scoffed
waving an impatient arm in the air. “It’s always nighttime
here.”

Vale paused, stifling a laugh as she
stomped away with a scowl masking her pretty face. She amused him.
She had a way about her that was so…human. All the other shades
he’d ever come across were so cold and lacked character. Like their
personality had been kidnapped alongside their souls when they
arrived in the underworld. This girl, she was comical. It was a
relief, to say the least.

Mind you, he hadn’t met another shade
that had been born alone. They’d all been the victims of a multiple
ritual. Damned in twos and threes.

He followed Fate to the edge of the
forest, her head down and shoulders low.

Time. She just needs time.
Then she’ll toughen up. Once she sees and experiences enough of the
horrors this world has to offer…she’ll change.

An uninvited ache moved through his
chest and he exhaled.

He really didn’t want her
to.

Kane packed his bag slowly, wondering
if he should really be doing this. Was he going to find Fate for
his people? To recover the scrolls?

Or was it for himself?

Ever since that moment, that instant,
that she laid her hands upon him and healed him, something had
changed in him. It was like she’d shared what remained of her soul
with him, and he with her.

He shook his head, wishing he knew more
of the shades and their capabilities. Their magical potential. What
if all she had done was unwittingly unleashed some kind of curse
upon him? Like a love potion.

He raised his eyes to the ceiling,
frustration owning his thoughts. With Seren, love was easy. Simple.
But with Fate, it was laced with confusion and dread.