Page 15

C rouching behind a tree, I’m swallowed by darkness, shrouded in the sinister embrace of my shadows. They are dark and wonderfully dreadful. I remain there most of the night. My eyes stay locked on the reckless beauty who has fallen asleep on watch. Even in rest, she radiates a dangerous allure that ensnares me. I am drawn to her wild spirit and untamed beauty. There is a pull to her that I can not explain or resist. She’s a tempest—reckless and unpredictable. However, I find a haunting reflection of my own darkness in her chaos.

She is sleeping while on watch—I shake my head. She is so reckless—so infuriating. What was she thinking? I should let her face the consequences of her carelessness, but instead, I extinguish the fire to keep unwanted eyes away.

My shadows are scattered across the forest, ready to alert me to any approaching threats. I know I shouldn’t interfere, but I’ve never followed the rules, and I don’t plan to start now. When my shadows sense intruders, I have them wake her. One shadow gently brushes her cheek before slamming into her side, jolting her awake.

I watch as Jaime is attacking her. Rage boils in my veins when he punches her. If Reign doesn’t end up killing him, I certainly will. I can tell she is going to roll away from him by her stance. Perfect. The first prisoner she killed is laying in the foliage, so I command my shadows to push him closer to her. It’s dark, my shadows blend perfectly, and they don’t even notice. It works just as I hoped. She retrieves her blade from him. I watch, breathless, captivated by what my little Reckless will do next.

She is impressive and enchanting. I feel bewitched, watching her move, like I’m spelled. Despite her strength, she has made many avoidable mistakes tonight—that just won’t do. She needs more practice with magic and hands on combat in real life situations. With her magic, no one should have been able to get that close to her. Even though she will hate me even more and fight me every step of the way, I will train her harder. I will ensure she can use that magic and protect herself.

After taking down all three prisoners, she rushes to Larah’s side, caring for her wounds with a surprising tenderness. Then she takes off, determined. Violent, yet compassionate, she’s a paradox—and I’m drawn even deeper into the storm that is her. She hates me, no doubt. But I remember how her heart raced when I touched her face, how her breath hitched when I whispered in her ear. It bothers me that she has a similar effect on me. It shouldn’t matter. She’s nothing more than a distraction—a maddening one that has consumed me.

Moments later, my shadows inform me she’s near. I watch her come into view, mashing herbs with determined focus. The familiar chittering of the Arachnars reaches my ears, just as my shadows confirm their approach. She hears it too and notices the monstrous spiders, undoubtedly drawn by the scent of blood.

One of the Arachnars heads straight for Larah. Reign screams a warning, and I prepare to act from the shadows, helping without revealing myself. Larah wakes with a scream, desperately trying to roll and rise, though she’s barely clinging to life. Reign reaches her, conjuring flames that dance across her fingertips, sending a wall of fire blazing toward the approaching spider. The Arachnar recoils from her magic, but Reign stands firm, shielding Larah with her own body.

I’m so focused on Reign and the Arachnar in front of her, waiting for the right moment to strike, that I miss the second spider lurking in the shadows. It bursts from behind a tree, striking Larah with a swift, merciless blow. Its barbed leg pierces through her back, punching through her chest with sickening precision. My shadows respond instantly, spearing the creature’s heart, but I’m too late. The thing in my chest wavers—sputters for a second, with sadness for Reign, but also frustration and regret as I realize my actions are too late. I killed it too late.

Reign feels the impact when Larah is impaled. She turns, her scream raw and filled with anguish at the sight of Larah’s bloodied face, her mouth dribbling crimson, eyes unfocused. Larah collapses, and Reign drops with her, cradling her fallen friend, oblivious to the remaining danger.

In a desperate bid to save Reign, I unleash my shadow magic, sending tendrils that shred through the second Arachnar, piercing its heart. Even as it dies, its fangs graze Reign’s shoulder, and a barbed leg slices shallowly into her side. Reign winces at the sting but doesn’t back down. Instead, she turns and unleashes a torrent of fire, setting the already-dead spider ablaze, unaware that it no longer poses a threat.

She turns back to Larah, who braids her shaky, bloody fingers and brings them to her mouth, coughing up more blood as she kisses them. Larah’s breathing is rapid and shallow, each breath accompanied by a low, wet gurgle. Reign braids her own fingers and kisses them in return, matching Larah’s gesture. Then, grimacing with each movement, she pulls Larah into her arms and holds her tightly

“Please, please don’t leave me!” Reign cries out, her face is bloody and tear-stained.

Larah slowly turns her eyes to Reign’s. “Do not be sad. I am not…” Her breathing becomes more rapid, coming in uneven spurts. “I am not afraid. I will get to be with him again.” A tiny smile forms on Larah’s calm face before her chest ceases to move.

Reign lets out a guttural scream, shaking the forest as her heart shatters, the pieces scattering like fallen leaves in the wind. I want to go to her, run to her, but I can’t. I have never comforted someone like this before. I don’t know what I would do or say or how to act. I am also not supposed to be here.

Reign’s breaking heart is doing something to this—this thing in my chest. I almost hate her for it, this feeling I have. It’s a heaviness—like a weight in my stomach. It almost makes it hard for me to take a deep breath in.

I don’t know how to help Reign through this. So I do what I do best: I keep my distance. I watch her hold her dead friend, her body racked with sobs as she rocks Larah in her arms. I watch as she starts to sway, slowly losing her grip on Larah’s lifeless body. Blood loss or venom, or maybe both, is weakening her. She didn’t take a full bite of the venom, so it shouldn’t be fatal—I hope. But the blood loss could be.

Her eyes flutter shut, and she collapses, unconscious, onto the ground. I can’t help myself. “Don’t interfere… She doesn’t matter. She is a prisoner,” I mutter out loud as if speaking the words into existence could anchor me in place and stop my feet from moving. But I don’t care. I don’t want to help… Do I?

My feet are moving on their own. I scoop her frail little body into my arms. I place one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees. I stand with ease. Her pale lavender hair blows in the breeze. Her scent catches my nose. I lean my head down, breathing her in, committing her scent to memory because, after this, I need to forget her.

Reign is a danger to herself, but more importantly, to my peace. I don’t love… I don’t care for people… I learned a long time ago not to. The only people I let in slightly, but keep at a distance, are my sister Lilyana, Kylo, and James. I plan to keep it that way. So, whatever this is, and whatever I am feeling, will stop—now.

I carry her over to the fire pit and lay her down gently. Her skin is even paler than usual and sweat slicks her forehead. Brushing the hair from her face, I feel her fevered skin. She’s burning up. Damn it. I should leave her. Let whatever happens, happen. I can’t even articulate the turmoil boiling under my skin. I should walk away, let the forest claim her. But I can’t. She won’t die. She is too strong willed and contumacious. As am I. I don’t actually care about her; however, she is a nice distraction from my dark and chaotic life. That is what I tell myself anyways.

I want to ensure she opens those lavender eyes and argues with me again. I want to see the burning purple blaze in them when she opens her smart-ass mouth. I smirk, thinking about the things she would say about this situation; however, she won’t because I’ll never let her know I helped her. Well… Maybe I should tell her the reason she is alive is because of me… She will hate that. I can see her narrowing her eyes at me now. I chuckle softly.

I spot the poultice she had prepared for Larah. Grabbing it, I kneel beside Reign and carefully apply it to her wounds: the slice on her arm, the venomous bite, and the puncture on her flank. I work quickly, applying the salve through her shirt, mindful not to expose her skin. Tearing a strip from my black tunic, I bind her wounds. She stirs, blinking a few times as I finish, but she doesn’t speak or seem to register what’s happening before slipping back into unconsciousness.

Ripping another strip from my tunic, I take out her waterskin and wet the cloth. Gently, I wipe her face, removing the blood, grime, and tears. Her thick black lashes flutter as I work. She’ll be unconscious for a while, so I settle there, watching the morning sun filter through the trees. A new day dawns, one that will change Reign forever when she wakes to realize her friend is gone.

Walking over to Larah’s lifeless body, I carefully lift her and place her near the fire. Using the wet cloth, I clean her face, wiping away the blood that seeped from her mouth and nose. It won’t stop the hurt for Reign, but if I can soften the blow even slightly, I will. As I finish, my shadows alert me: James is coming. Shit. Here we go.

I make my way back into the woods to see him staring at me, a stern concerned look on his face.

“What exactly are you doing Luke? I knew… I knew you would be here.”

Walking over to him, I turn and stand beside him to see where his eyes are planted. The perfect picture of Reign and Larah. I wonder how much he saw. “I didn’t plan on coming here, so how could you possibly know?” I say with equivocation. James looks at me, seeing through my lie.

“Because I helped raise you. I know you to your core, Lukene,” he sighs. “Whatever is going on in that stupid princely brain of yours needs to stop, Luke. You are playing a dangerous game, and you know it. You know I love you as a son. Take my advice and leave the girl alone. She will be your undoing—or your end.”

She already is my undoing. I feel her slowly working her way in, without even realizing it, and I hate her for it. “She won’t be my anything. She means nothing to me.”

James scoffs. “Luke, what is going to happen if she wins the trials? What then? You know how it ends.”

“It doesn’t matter if she wins the trials or not. It doesn’t matter to me.” Now I am getting irritated. My shadows start to slowly swirl around my feet as I lean my neck to the left then the right trying to stretch out the tension that is building.

“Luke…” James places a hand on my shoulder, careful to avoid my chest. He knows better. “I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but you need to clear it. I know it’s been a lot lately—taking over Skalhar, managing the uprisings in Wemdrah, the wyvern training. The Necrums are getting worse, and the groves are spreading despite everything we’ve tried. You need a clear head to deal with it all. Take some time and get your shit together.” He offers me a ghost of a smile, haunted by our history and the fatherly love he has for me.

I meet his eyes and nod. He’s right. He’s always right, and it’s infuriating. Clapping him on the shoulder, I take off without glancing back at Reign. I walk for what feels like an eternity until I reach the edge of the trees at the base of Serpent’s Reach. With each step, her haunting face flashes in my mind, her smart remarks echoing in my ears.

I whistle sharply, calling on Wrath, my wyvern. Within minutes she swoops down from the ridges, landing in front of me. I climb on her massive back, and she takes off, up over the ridge and soars over the open ocean.

I need this. The wind lashes at me, fierce yet freeing, a cold reminder of who I am—a heartless creature with darkness inside. The open sea stretches endlessly ahead, the morning sky a soft blue. Reign ignites a flame in my dark soul, a flame I desperately want—no, need—to extinguish. But how do you snuff out a gift as beautiful as a sunrise?

Reign is like an oleander: delicately beautiful, yet deadly and poisonous. She seeps into my world, ruining everything. My mind is a storm, my emotions tangled beyond comprehension. She is a prisoner, and I am a prince. There is nothing there, nothing could ever be between us. She hates me and I hate her. I could never give her what she would want, not that she’d ever want me.

I need to remember who I am. I am the Dark Prince. I have killed many, too many to count. I have taken over kingdoms. When people see me coming, they go the other way. They hide. I am Prince Lukene Frostborne of Umbrahdor, and I will remain the cold, heartless terror I have always been. The perfect dark monster everyone believes me to be.

I drop whatever feelings I thought I may have brewing for her in the ocean and let them sink to the bottom, praying to the gods and goddesses they do not resurface to torment me any further.