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Chapter Eighteen

ARABELLA

O ver the next few weeks, Arabella trained nonstop with Arden and his warriors in the large cavern at the mountain’s base.

At first, the shadow fae prince focused on her wielding shadows and controlling them in ways she could use in combat. She took to it quickly and summoned the shadows with more swiftness than ever before—blasting them at the prince, which he blocked with his own torrent of black.

Then he moved to teaching her how to hide herself in the shadows.

She quickly learned that was an ability she had zero natural ability in.

“Don’t just cloak yourself in shadows,” the prince said as she tried and failed for the dozenth time. “Become one with the shadows.”

“I’m trying,” she hissed as sweat dripped off the chains in her hair.

She stood in the center of the cavern floor.

The sides of the room were a layered stone that sloped up toward the sole exit tunnel several hundred feet back.

In a way, the space felt like a bowl in how it sloped down from the sides of the room to the flat area at the base where they did most of their training.

Willing the shadows to lengthen to her height, she tried to move into them. But it felt like she’d merely stepped into a dark mist.

“I can still see you,” Colton said from where he lounged against a nearby wall, a bored expression visible above the black mask that covered most of his face.

For weeks, it had been Arden, Colton, her, and Jessamine in this cavern. To accommodate Jessamine’s sight, lanterns were lit across the entire space and mounted onto walls.

Arabella opened her mouth to snap a reply, but Jessamine spoke first. “Then you do it.”

One moment, Colton sat near the pool, hundreds of feet away from Jessamine. She sat near the exit tunnel, running a whetstone over one of her blades, which the shadow fae had returned to them. Then he winked out of existence and stood before her.

Blinking, Arabella gaped. “You can step between shadows. Like the erox.”

Colton scoffed, turning from Jessamine, who’d risen to her feet and looked like she was a breath away from starting a fight.

“Where do you think they got it from?” Colton said.

Arabella frowned. Demons could take fae magic? Then realization dawned.

“The syphen,” she said. “When the shadow fae created the blades, they must have imbued them with their magic—and it somehow allowed the erox to possess that ability.”

“Indeed,” Arden said, sounding pleased.

She’d told the prince about Magnus’ involvement in the creation of erox when he asked more information about this type of demon. Though she hadn’t yet revealed the sorcerer was the one who held Elias captive.

With a wave of his hand, Arden said, “After you master cloaking yourself, we’ll practice moving between shadows. You cannot travel between shadows until you can meld your body with them.”

She nodded. “What other abilities do shadow fae have?”

Holding a hand up, Arden ticked one finger at a time as he spoke. “Wielding shadows. Shadow binding, where you can pin an opponent in place using their shadows. Cloaking yourself, though this is less useful in broad daylight. Shadow jumping. Seeing in the darkness. Shadow illusions.”

“Broad daylight,” she said, her mind latching on to those words. “Is that a shadow fae’s weakness—sunlight?”

“Obviously.” Colton rolled his eyes, which Arabella could see even from where he stood across the cavern beside Jessamine. Then he stepped between the shadows to return to his seat beside the pool.

Arden leveled a flat look on the warrior, and Colton fell into silence.

“What’s the difference between shadow jumping and portalling?” she asked.

“Distance, mostly,” Arden said. “For both, you can move yourself and anything you touch from one location to another. But shadow jumping is only possible when there are shadows that are deep enough and when the distance is no more than several hundred feet apart. But portalling can take place over leagues or hundreds of miles. It’s why the goblins were such valuable allies. ”

It was an effort to keep her face neutral, but Arabella nodded.

For a moment, there was only the sound of Jessamine’s whetstone running over her blade.

“How can fae be killed?” Arabella asked.

Arden raised a brow. “Most can be killed just like a mortal—by injury or old age.”

“And the shadow fae?”

It was a question that had been hovering in the back of her thoughts since her conversation with Colton about the origin of the fae wars and the prejudice against the shadow fae.

“If a wound is severe enough, the shadow fae can die by blade like any other,” the prince said with obvious caution in his tone.

“But fire is the most effective way—by burning the body. Without trapping a shadow fae with fire or light magic, they can continue to step between shadows and evade capture.”

She had so many more questions about how this had played out in the fae wars. But by the way Arden’s eyes narrowed, she didn’t think now was the best time to inquire.

Arden cleared his throat. “If that’s all, let’s proceed with your training.”

Without another word, she threw herself back into learning everything she could.

Hours later, she’d attempted to hide herself in the shadows more times than she could count, and she’d only managed to do it properly once.

Sweat poured off her, and she’d long since removed her leather jacket.

“That’s enough for today,” Arden said as she took a swig from one of the waterskins. “Rest. I’ll see you this evening. There’s something I’d like to show you.”

She merely nodded, utterly exhausted.

Arden and Colton exited the cavern, disappearing into the tunnels.

She walked up to where Jessamine sat and slumped down beside her. Lying back on the cool stones, Arabella looked at the ceiling several stories up.

Jessamine nodded to the side of her head. “Your ears are different now.”

Hands flying up, Arabella’s fingers closed around…

Pointed ears.

“That didn’t take long.” She shook her head as though to dispel the surprise. “It doesn’t matter if Elias is safe by the end of this.”

“You’re my bitch no matter what your ears look like,” Jessamine said with a wink.

Arabella scrunched her nose. “Winking isn’t a good look on anyone. And you can’t convince me otherwise.”

Jessamine snorted. “Perhaps you’re right.”

“You doing all right?” Arabella asked, realizing it had been some time since she’d checked in on her friend.

With a nod, Jessamine said, “I’ve never gone so long without actually doing anything. But I’m fine. Just trying to not let worry get the best of me.”

This would have been the longest stretch Jessamine had gone without being home and being needed for some crisis.

It had been strange for Arabella to be removed from combat when she’d become Elias’ offering.

She could imagine what it must feel like for Jessamine to spend so much time away from home—and the constant fear for everyone’s safety.

“Why did you come with me and not go back to Shadowbank?” Arabella asked. “And I’m not asking for reassurance. I guess I’m just curious why.”

“You mean, outside of the fact that we’re best friends and supporting each other is what friends do?” Jessamine asked, one brow raised.

A smile played along Arabella’s lips. “Outside of that.”

Jessamine placed the whetstone down and sheathed her blade.

“When a person’s heart is whole, they are the best versions of themselves—the best friend, warrior, and people they can be.

And I think when you have your mate at your side, Shadowbank will also have its best chance of surviving whatever comes next.

” She paused, shrugging. “Besides, not all of us are the main characters in the story. Perhaps I’m right where I need to be—keeping you alive so you can save the day. ”

Arabella rolled her eyes. “You can shove that main character nonsense.”

Jessamine smiled, but a serious look returned to her eyes. “Shadowbank’s ward doesn’t have long. We knew that, at some point, we’d have to risk everything for the chance to live. And I’m choosing to bet on my friend.”

Reaching over, Arabella grabbed Jessamine’s hand and squeezed.

“I don’t deserve you. But I appreciate you all the same,” Arabella said. “What do you think you’ll do when all this is over?”

“After we return from the Abyss with an army, save Elias, shove a metaphorical middle finger up Hadeon’s ass, and save Shadowbank?” Jessamine shrugged. “Who the fuck knows. No enchantress has been allowed to dream outside our duties. I suppose I’d like to live long enough to figure it out.”

Arabella squeezed Jessamine’s hand again before releasing it and sitting upright. “I promise to do everything in my power to give you and everyone in Shadowbank a time of peace.” A sudden thought occurred to her, and she asked, “How many days do you think passed in our realm?”

Jessamine sighed. “If five hundred years passed for us and one thousand in the Abyss… And we’ve been in here for about three weeks… Maybe forty days? Though it’s hard to be certain how many days passed without the sun to tell the time.”

Fuck.

Arabella had suspected as much.

“We don’t have any more time to waste,” Arabella said, knowing she’d spared all the time she dared to help her learn about her magic. “We need to ask them for help. Now.”

“I think you’re right,” Jessamine said with a sigh. “And who knows how long it’ll take to find a way out of the Abyss.”

Resolve settled in Arabella’s chest. “I’ll speak to Arden tonight.”

“Have you told Prince Arden about your… ties to him?” Jessamine asked carefully.

“Not yet.”

Some part of Arabella still wondered whether she shared lineage with Arden.

Outside of some shared features like their long limbs or the shape of their eyes, there wasn’t a way to truly know if she was related to the shadow fae prince.

Their physical traits could just be commonplace among the shadow fae. It might be nothing at all.