A King of Shadow Read online

  The journey had taken all morning, and now I was sitting in the lavish opulence of Queen Trina’s waiting room while Ash had a private meeting with her royal highness. The moment Queen Trina laid eyes on Ash she had smiled with child-like delight. When her gaze had shifted to me, I saw nothing but a satisfied malice in her expression.

  I hadn’t seen another soul since we entered the castle, but by the looks of the lavish grounds and well-kept interior, Queen Trina employed an entire army of staff…but where were they? It was unnerving, even in the bright light of the afternoon. The heavy storm clouds that had rolled over Nevertide had vanished as soon as we arrived at the palace, but looking back to Hellswan, I could see they hung low and moody everywhere else.

  As I waited, I tried to quell some of my misgivings about Queen Trina. If Ash was going to take the job, then I’d better start learning how to keep my mind open. Her support in the trials I could understand—she was clearly making a power play against Tejus, and I didn’t hold that against her; no doubt every other ruler in the six kingdoms of Nevertide wanted to do the same. What unnerved me was the way she latched onto Ash. He had performed well in the trials, but I wondered if her interest was more underhanded than that. She would have realized that Ash knew the Hellswan castle better than anyone else, had knowledge of its inhabitants that would no doubt benefit her. But I knew Ash. He wouldn’t play dirty—he had already paid the price of doing that with the death of the emperor. But if he refused Queen Trina, would he have to pay an even greater price?

  As I contemplated what the queen’s strategy might be, a figure approached. As it came closer, I recognized the tell-tale signs of a nymph. What was a nymph doing in Queen Trina’s castle?

  Before I could ask, the figure hurtled past me, winking, then breaking into peals of giggles. She darted off out of sight, and I leapt to my feet – determined to follow her and get to the bottom of why Queen Trina kept such creatures in her palace. Her faint glow gave her away, leaving a sort of trail that I could follow around the winding pathways of the palace.

  Eventually the tracks of the glow faded altogether, and I was standing in front of a large set of doors, with small stools placed either side of it. Sentries sat about, all peasants from the village, and all silent, as if they were in a doctor’s waiting room.

  The nymph appeared as if from nowhere and opened the door. I called out a, “Hey!” but she slammed the door in my face. The sentries looked at me with interest as I pursed my lips at the nymph’s rudeness, but they didn’t say anything.

  “Are you all here to see the queen?” I asked the general gathering politely.

  Some of them ignored me completely, but a few of them nodded.

  “We probably won’t see her though—more likely her hapless ministers,” a bitter voice spat. It belonged to an old man. He was staring at the wall, not looking at me. Next to him was a woman, crying into her shawl.

  I walked over to her.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She looked up, and hastily wiped away her tears.

  “It’s my feather bleaters,” she sniffed. “They died in the night, throats cut, left in a pile in the corner of the pen. They’re my livelihood! I don’t know who would have done something as cruel as that.”

  I thought immediately of the goat and the small boy. “Were there any…signs, that you saw?”

  “Signs?” she asked, surprised.

  “By the…feather bleaters? Like a rune sort of sign?” I clarified.

  She shook her head.

  “No, I didn’t see anything like that.”

  That was good. Perhaps I’d been right in my initial assumption about the rune—that it was just a form of vandalism by bored sentry teens. Spiteful and cruel, but just kids playing around, not a sign of more violence to come.

  The door creaked open, and the nymph popped her head around the door and called a name out, shutting it quickly before I could rise to my feet.

  “That’s me,” muttered the woman as she stood, gathering her voluminous shawls about her and scurrying off toward the door. It opened slightly to admit her, and then was closed once more.

  I looked around at the rest of the waiting sentries. None of them made eye contact with me, and I got the impression that conversation would not be welcomed. I leaned back against the wall, determined to wait for the woman to return. If she was satisfied with the outcome, then I would stop snooping around and leave the matter. Perhaps it was totally normal for royalty to keep nymphs in their castles—perhaps they were just playthings here – kept for some weird kind of amusement… I would ask Ash as soon as he was finished with Queen Trina.

  I didn’t have long to wait.

  The door opened again, and the woman stepped out into the hallway. Another name was called, but I rose to speak to the woman before she departed.

  “How did it go?” I asked.

  “What?” She smiled sleepily at me. Her gray hair, which had been tied up in a rather severe bun when she entered, was now loose, and it fell in disarray about her shoulders.

  “The…feather bleaters, did the matter get solved?” I asked again.

  “Oh, yes,” she replied. “I must attend to them—they’ll be hungry.”

  “But they’re dead.”

  She laughed gaily at my comment. “Don’t be silly.” She smiled again and tapped my arm. “You’re a pretty young thing, go off and play in the meadows.”

  With that she walked off, weaving from side to side as if she couldn’t manage to walk in a straight line. I knew the after-effects of a nymph when I saw them—that woman had been completely stunned.

  I sat back down on the stool, waiting to see what would happen when the next sentry left the room. Like the last, this sentry’s time with the ‘council’ didn’t last long either—and he came back out with a very self-satisfied look on his face, with half of his shirt torn.

  When the next villager’s name was called, I tried to beat them to the door. When it opened, I slipped in, forcing my way past the giggling nymph. In an instant, two guards seized me and escorted me back outside, roughly shoving me back on the stool.

  “Wait your turn,” one of them growled at me.

  I hadn’t seen much in the room, just that it was large, and all that it had contained was a small table and two chairs either side…hardly evidence of any wrongdoing, and certainly not the pleasure playground I’d half been expecting, but still I felt something was off. Those sentries had definitely been under the influence of nymphs. Was Queen Trina using their magic to meddle with the villagers’ grasp on reality or even their memories? And for what purpose? Was it just to make her kingdom run more smoothly, with minimal effort from her? Surely they’d realize what happened when they returned home and would return the next day. It didn’t exactly make anyone’s life any easier.

  I sighed. So much for keeping an open mind about Queen Trina. I now had more misgivings about her than when we’d arrived.

  As I made my way back to her office, getting lost a couple of times on the way, I prayed once again that Ash would have changed his mind.

  I had only just sat back down on the chaise longue where I’d been told to wait when Ash exited the office, a broad smile across his face.

  Damn.

  “How did it go?” I asked, forcing a smile.

  He waited till the door had been shut behind him and then turned to me, his eyes alight. “Very well. She wants me to join her council, to assist in the imperial trial strategy, and then once that’s over have a top position within her council—and that’s whether we win or not…but I’m one hundred percent sure we will. Trina was going over the other contestants, they’ve all got weaknesses we can exploit.”

  Oh, so it’s ‘Trina’ now, is it?

  “Ash, don’t you think this is moving a bit fast?” I asked hesitantly, knowing that I was about to burst his bubble—but for his sake, and the unease I felt around the queen, I was unable to hold back.

  “Yeah.” He shrugged. “But she
didn’t give me any choice. You know that.”

  “I know, I just…” I trailed off as he winced.

  “Come on, Shortie.” He took hold of my hands, wrapping them around his waist as he drew me toward him. “This is a good opportunity for me. I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the way Nevertide’s been run—and now’s my chance.”

  He looked into my eyes—his beseeching, wanting for me to agree with him, to celebrate. But I couldn’t. I felt horrible, but Abelle’s warning rang in my ears, and no matter how much Ash might resent my behavior, I just couldn’t get on board with this.

  “Look, there’s something I need to tell you.” I spoke in a hushed voice, drawing him out into a large open-air courtyard where we’d be less likely to be overheard. I told him what I’d seen that afternoon—the nymphs and the befuddled villagers, and what I thought was going on.

  “That’s quite an accusation, Shortie,” he replied, scratching his head.

  “I know,” I replied.

  “Hm… Let’s take a look together. Can you remember the way to the room?”

  I nodded, and, looking around to make sure we weren’t being followed, I dragged Ash off toward the waiting room.

  When we arrived, all the stools were empty. I looked around, confused about how they’d gotten through so many visitors in such a short time.

  “They—they were all here,” I stammered.

  Ash looked around. “I guess they’ve all gone home.”

  In frustration I marched up to the doors and yanked one of them toward me. It swung open easily. There were no guards or nymphs anywhere to be seen, just a sentry minister sitting at the desk I’d seen earlier, scribbling away on parchment.

  “Um…” I cleared my throat. “Hi, I thought I saw a girl in here earlier, in fact I know I saw one… very pretty, covered in leaves…Where is she?”

  The sentry lowered his pen and peered at me through half-moon spectacles. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re referring to,” he replied. “There’s been no one fitting that description here today I’m afraid. Perhaps your imagination is playing tricks on you?” He smirked.

  “But I know I saw her!” I protested.

  Ash placed a hand on my shoulder.

  “We’re sorry to have disturbed you,” Ash replied tightly.

  “Ah!” The minister smiled warmly. “Not at all, Ashbik! I hear you are soon to join our little team—you are a most needed and wanted addition, let me assure you.”

  “That’s very kind of you,” Ash replied, edging me out of the door. “We’ll leave you in peace.”

  He shut the door behind him, and turned to me, his face marked with disappointment. It was horrible to see—he’d never looked at me like that before, not even when we lost the trials.

  “Ash—” I began, but he shook his head.

  “I believe you, I do. But we don’t know anything more than the fact that you saw nymphs in the palace. There could be a million reasons why they might be here… I think this is more about me moving here not being what you want,” he told me. “But it’s the way things have to be, for now. Not forever. Let’s just see how things go, all right? I promise I won’t lose sight of who I am…and if Queen Trina does have any wicked vices, I’ll stay clear of them. Deal?” He winked at me, and the tension that had been building all afternoon eased within me. It was Ash—I should have more faith in him. I should trust him to be smart about this, to not be led astray.

  “Let’s get you home,” he sighed, enveloping me in a bear hug.

  He lifted me up, and I pressed my cheek against the bare skin of his neck, inhaling the familiar smell of him.

  He was right. This wasn’t ideal, and I didn’t think that I’d ever be in full support of Ash working for Queen Trina…but perhaps things wouldn’t be as bad as I feared.

  Benedict

  I was lost.

  It shouldn’t have come as any surprise. The decision to hike through the forest looking for Julian had been a desperate one—I’d known that before I left, but at the time, anything had seemed better than staying in that castle.

  As soon as the main path had become nothing but muddy track, I’d been unable to see what direction I was heading in, and there had been nothing to guide me, just constant clouds hanging overhead.

  Then the red rains had started. At first I’d thought I was bleeding, that I’d gashed my head or something in one of my many battles with thorns and brambles, but soon everything was coated in the gross liquid. It mixed with the mud, and I felt it sloshing into my shoes.

  But the weather was the least of my worries. The deeper I ventured into the forest, the more clearly the howls of unknown creatures cut through the silence. Sometimes they seemed to get nearer, and sometimes they would be miles away. The noises they made sounded feverish and excited…like they could smell me, and were just waiting till I approached near enough to make me their dinner.

  I paused every few minutes, making sure that there was no other sound than my own feet—that I wasn’t being stalked by some unknown predator. So far I’d been lucky, but that didn’t make me feel all that much better. Ever since I’d entered the forest, I’d felt like I was being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck would prickle, and I would spin around, only to be faced with darkness and shadows and misshapen tree trunks.

  I would have given anything to come to a landmark—a break in the forest, a hut of some kind that I could run inside and lock the door against whatever creatures lurked out here in the open. I knew Julian wasn’t around here anywhere. There was no way that anyone in their right mind would stay out here… no matter how desperate they were to get away from the castle.

  Another howl tore through the air. In fright, I stumbled, and landed flat on the ground. It hurt like hell, but I lay there a few moments, waiting to hear if the wolf, or whatever it was, would make another noise, so I’d know if it was approaching me or moving away.

  Please, I prayed, please don’t let me die like this.

  The howl sounded again. I breathed a sigh of relief. It had moved away. Hastily I scrambled to my feet, noticing for the first time that it wasn’t mud that I’d landed on, but sand. I paused, trying to listen. What I’d assumed was leaves rustling in the trees for the last few miles was actually the sound of the sea.

  I scrambled forward. The ground was becoming rockier now, and as I moved ahead, I noticed the trees were becoming less dense. I was leaving the forest behind! I was pretty sure that it would be better to spend the night in a cave by the coast than spend another minute surrounded by the trees. As I moved forward as quickly as I could, I recalled my promise to Yelena—that I would return to the castle tonight. I felt a pang of guilt. She would be really worried, and I had made her swear not to tell anyone. Still, it was Yelena, I figured she’d definitely tell.

  Climbing over a large rock, I dropped to the ground.

  No!

  As I looked around me, I saw the eerie green light ahead of the Viking graveyard.

  No…not this place!

  I’d arrived in the last place in the world that I wanted to be. The forest would be better than this. I turned back toward the rock, trying to ignore the green light. It was already beckoning me forward. My fingers dug into the rough surface of the stone; I was determined not to turn around. Determined not to have my will taken from me again.

  Benedict…

  The whispers had started.

  “No!” I hissed into the night. “I’m not doing this anymore! I don’t want to! Just leave me ALONE!”

  This is the way home, Benedict…

  I shook my head, clinging to the rock with every ounce of energy within me.

  Don’t you want to go home? They’re waiting for you…

  The pull became stronger. I started to sob as my hands relaxed of their own accord, lying gently on the rock. My shoulders dropped, and I turned around slowly toward the green light. I had lost.

  I made my way down into the temple, running my fingers along the brightl
y glowing runes—remembering them, feeling like they made up a special language that only I could understand…that they spoke to me. When I entered the main room of the temple, my eyes lighted on the sacrificial table. The stones shone brightly – the power of them awesome and terrifying.

  Without warning, a large block of the wall started to shift sideways. It made a horrible noise, grating along the floor, wobbling and trembling like the glowing stones did. Eventually it came to a halt, and I stood at the opening of a pitch-black corridor.

  Don’t be afraid, Benedict. This is the only way.

  I hesitated before taking the first step. My body was being compelled to go forward, but a small spark of my own fear screamed at me to turn back. The whispering increased. Now it didn’t sound like one voice, but many, all urging me forward. I took the first step, and then the next.

  My hands touched damp stone on either side of me, making a sick revulsion churn in my stomach, but there was no other way to keep my balance. Without them, it felt like I was entering a great, endless abyss of darkness.

  I kept walking, the pathway seeming to go on forever, with no end in sight. I stumbled a few times, my body so tired it could barely keep me upright. Time passed, but I had no way of knowing how much. It could have been hours or minutes, but eventually I saw flickering lights ahead. I sped up as best I could, hoping that my journey would soon be ending.

  The lights grew brighter. They were all the colors of the rainbow, bright pinks and greens and reds and purples. Hypnotized, I followed them, recognizing the lights as the stones that I had found in the castle.

  I was getting close enough that the light was becoming blinding after so long in the dark. The stones spun and danced in their formations, swirling and blinking, calling me closer. I reached them, realizing that my path was blocked.

  You can pass, Benedict… all you have to do is ask.

  The whisper echoed along the tunnel, coaxing me on, but I didn’t know how to ask. I reached out to touch the wall, seeing if it had a lock on it, or a handle—anything that would allow me to move it. There was nothing. Besides the stones, the wall that held them was smooth and featureless.