Page 2 of Shadows Ascend (Remnant Archives #2)

M y darkness was death—so I never feared it. Wielded it, delivered it, sought it, goddess damn begged for it….but never, ever, feared it.

And now…I stepped a foot inside of it— alive.

Bathed in twilight, Sheol was awash with vibrant fluorescent hues where the endless cosmos of the universe met the land.

Swirling galaxies, faraway planets, numerous glowing moons, and millions upon millions of stars graced the very air around us---so close we could breathe it, touch it, taste it.

And mirroring its surroundings above, a pure silver pathway snaked its way through vast and eerily shifting white sands.

Like a haunting song, the sand's constant ebb and flow crested to form white phantoms, beckoning us with the promise of dark, sinful secrets—all we needed to do was dive in .

Where the white phantoms did not appear, lights flickered…like faraway beacons guiding us towards a destination that was not ours but seductively inviting just the same.

Sensing this, our group converged closer upon the reflective silver path, keeping distance between us and the soothing, yet deceptive, cascade of rustling sand.

My lips twitched at our fearsome bunch being cautious over shifting dunes, surprised to see that even Bane stepped inward. A stoic swordmaster and fire elemental with a grumpy attitude and loyal heart, he trailed reluctantly behind us.

Shifting my gaze, I watched Xi and Riley, earth and air elementals and my dearest friends, palm their blades, watching the sand warily. In unison they flanked our sides, just as they had always done—always true, always steadfast.

Whispered words drew my attention back to the front where Penina leaned towards Tyr, making them both laugh at whatever joke she had passed on. A shifter assassin for the The West Isle throne, Penina kept her deepest secrets close to her heart, hiding them behind her bubbly personality.

Opposite of her, Tyr laid out all his secrets bare just like the artwork of tattoos covering his entire body. A tiger shifter and Emon's best friend, as well as the general to the crown, his ego knew no bounds, just like his mouth and the pretty white tiger he hid inside.

And then there was Asher, one glance back at him and I knew his hand twitched to slap the inappropriate smirk right off Tyr’s face. As my soulmate’s father and former king of the shifters, Asher’s silent strength prowled, ever watchful of the death god that guided us down this eerie path.

Turning back, I narrowed my eyes on my newfound father as well.

I did not trust Shea, the god of death, and that distrust made my hand quiver—aching for the shadows and the comfort their protection would bring us while we ventured into the realm of the dead.

No longer able to save us, the shadows were lost to the power of the Sanguine, and their absence was like losing an extension of myself, leaving behind tiny whispers of doubt.

What was I good for now, without them?

“We will get them back.” Emon’s soothing voice called to me, interrupting the immensity of my self doubt, his golden gaze also narrowed on the god in front of us, while our daughter, Riella, marched along, innocently ignorant of the dangers we faced.

Additional worry gnawed at my already grief stricken heart. How was I to protect her without the shadows on my side?

Being the first fae child to be born since the Blood Wars, she was a goddess blessed miracle, a priceless gift that I would protect with my last dying breath, and without my power, I feared this would be my resulting fate. Leaving her behind in a cruel broken world.

A world that she blindly explored without any recognition of the true monsters lying in wait. Her beautiful innocent acceptance and lack of knowledge of the fae was dangerous, even more so now, no longer being hidden in the deep waters of The Under.

Perhaps she would have been safer if I had left her there.

My teeth ground with frustration at this new thought, causing my jaw to ache along with my heart that was already drowning in emotional turmoil—no longer frozen to the world.

“The shadows are not our priority right now,” I called out to Emon, glancing back down at our daughter. “Riella’s safety is.”

“Agreed.” Emon’s voice rumbled in my mind but I did not miss his worried glance and the sharp tug he gave the clothing the death god had dressed him in.

Lifting my chin, I summoned the indifferent mask I had perfected over my years of court life, locking away the anxious worries that plagued me.

Play or be played.

This was the game.

“Fear not, Sheol welcomes you, daughter,” the death god called over his shoulder, misreading my blank expression and our converging group as worry.

The ache in my jaw renewed and I half wondered if I would make it out of Sheol with any teeth at all so fierce was my grinding. “I do not relish that death welcomes me, and I care nothing for this realm besides wanting to know why you insisted we come here.”

“All in good time, my little chickadee.”

Our group stilled and my mask fell as I stared hard at the death god’s back, my lips peeling away from my teeth. “Call me that again and I will make sure it will be your last.”

Shea’s ring-adorned hand flashed in the cosmic light, as if my threat was merely a temper tantrum of no significance. “Someday you will understand exactly why I can, daughter. Now listen carefully, for this is your first lesson in learning your birthright you are so eager to deny.”

I moved quickly, not needing the shadows to bring this asshole down, my anger and training would be enough, god or not.

But a strong hand suddenly yanked me back and I spun, my hair whipping across my face only to meet a very different pair of golden eyes than what I was used to.

Shea’s continued monologue was lost in the background as I silently snarled straight into Asher’s face.

The wolf shifter’s grip tightened on my shoulder when I attempted to wrench away and he shook his head quietly, sandy blonde hair flying around him like wisps in the darkness. Darting his eyes back to the death god, he returned his golden gaze pointedly, tapping his hand to his ear.

Lips thinning, I easily registered what he was attempting to say— listen and learn first.

It still didn’t mean I had to goddess damn like it.

When my arms folded across my chest, he smirked back, finally releasing his hold and patting my arm affectionately.

Turning back around, the twinkling sparkle in Emon’s eyes was bright in my periphery. “Now you know what it was like for me growing up with a truth seeker,” he purred in my mind.

“Just...shut up shifter,” I growled back.

Soft laughter of delight echoed in my head. “I always fucking love that I can make you at a loss for rational words, my little umbra.”

I focused on the towering back of the death god. “There is something wrong with you, shifter.”

“Are you listening, daughter?” Shea glared over his shoulder, shadows darkening over his face.

I could feel Asher’s strong gaze at my back, warning me to not take his bait.

“Sheol is not just the realm of the dead.

It is the afterlife for all of Faerie's creations.

" I repeated his last sentence, my eyes narrowing on him, imagining what it would be like to send him into a true afterlife while ignoring the very obvious fact that in a moment’s notice, he could swallow us up whole and I would have no way of stopping him.

Just then, I resented him more than I ever thought possible.

Glancing down at my own progeny, swinging her hand in Emon’s hold, I wondered if she would one day feel the same about me?

I shook off the feeling, now was not the time for self doubt despite it currently running rampant inside.

"Yes. That is correct and what you see before you is Eithne,” Shea continued, facing forward again with a proud smile that belonged on the face of a real father, not the god in front of me.

I glanced back over my shoulder at Asher with a hard glare, but he merely grinned, tapping his ear.

Sensing the twitching smiles of the others and hearing another chuckle enter my mind from my soulmate, I rolled my eyes before schooling my face again, listening to the prattling of the death god and the hidden words he wasn’t saying.

“This world is where souls come once their physical lives have been extinguished, but not all get to experience this side of it,“ he continued on like a goddess damn tour guide.

“Like all things this world must have balance.” The white sands arched up around him, siren-like in their evocative waves, and our group stepped closer towards Riella.

"What is the Eithne?" my daughter called out from between all the protective legs of her family, suddenly acutely aware of the conversation around her.

I frowned, glancing at the loyal fae who guarded her devotedly. Did I really consider them family now? It had been so long since I had any, that I almost didn't recognize it.

"Yes. We are your family," Emon's voice whispered inside my mind, reading me easily. "You are mine, I am yours. Which means you will be getting all my baggage too. Will you still have me knowing this?" he teased, but I could also detect the vulnerability in his question.

I shot him a glare but could not hold it fully. " Does it mean I have to share you, because I do not like to share."

“So I have experienced before, but that was with pastry…are you telling me that I am finally equivalent to your favored treat?” He purred softly in my mind.

That sound…goddess that sound, sent shivers down my spine and he knew it. His solid, powerful frame standing proudly and straighter within the light of low flying comets.