Page 36 of Shadows Ascend (Remnant Archives #2)

I f I ever thought traveling through Sheol would be dangerous, then I was a fool. Nothing was more dangerous than the silence and quiet simmering anger of my soulmate for the past two hours.

I licked at my bottom lip with a soft snarl. I hated fucking silence.

Discreetly, tucking another folded piece of parchment I had written on into the pack, I glanced down at my daughter and then glared at the rodent settled in her lap. Even that damn pookah slept peacefully, silently, no longer hissing in my direction.

All I had for the past two hours were the haunting undulations of the white sands and the panting breaths of the cù-sìth keeping me company. Goddess, I even missed Ethereal's arrogant voice. I was sure he would have had a comment or two about what a fairy boy mess I had made of things.

Running my hand through my hair, I sighed. There was no explanation I could give to calm the growing irritation inside my soulmate, but this damn silence was a fucking waste of the time we had left together and I could not change what was to come.

Finally, the cù-sìth slowed to a halt and I unwrapped my arm from my soulmate's waist, thankful, at least, that she still allowed my touch even if she hadn't spoken one word to me.

Dropping to the silver path, without any flourish this time, I held my hands out to her, a peace offering. She quirked a brow at me. I couldn't help but grin back—she wasn't going to take it.

Instead, she called out to our daughter with a sweet voice that I knew meant fucking trouble. "Riella, watch carefully, let this be your first lesson in shadows."

Throwing out discs in succession she stepped down from the death hound beast, her eyes glaring down at me.

But I did not care, this gave me an excellent front row view of her gorgeous form and my eyes stayed glued on her powerful legs, clad in thigh high boots and skimpy black shorts that hugged her ass in a delicious way that made my hands flex hungrily.

The shadows gathered behind her after each step, trailing like a cloak before she placed a graceful booted foot down on the silver path.

"With the shadows, you are reliant on no one and nothing.

" Her eyes were twin emerald blades cutting into my heart.

Turning away, she crouched in front of Riella and tapped her nose.

"They can build you a home, weapons, clothes, and even a companion.

You can fly, surf, and tunnel through lands and air… all by yourself. "

I chuckled, challenging my soulmate with a smug grin and crossing my arms in front of my chest, the pink shirt straining against my bulk.

"Your mother is correct, my cub but also know that you cannot eat shadows, they cannot love you with their last dying breath, they cannot fight for you when you no longer can. "

Remnant looked up and scowled.

I knelt beside them both, brushing back the loose strands of hair that had escaped Riella's braid.

"What your mother is trying to say is that you need never feel indebted to another no matter how strong they are but should you choose to share that strength with someone," my eyes met Remnant’s, "you will have more than anything this life could ever offer you. "

"Like you and mother?" Riella gnawed on her lip while her pookah hopped down from her shoulders to the silver path, uninterested in our conversation.

I turned towards Remnant who had her lips pressed thinly together before she blew out a hard breath, rolling her eyes.

Smiling, happy at least the silence was broken, I gathered Riella into my arms to stand, and then pulled my soulmate along with me. "Exactly like your mother and I."

A short bark had us turn to Sadhbh, her black shaggy head pointed towards where the sands rose upwards into a giant ascending wall. I could already sense the unrest, the pain, and the loss behind the wall of white sand, the decaying stench of death and bitterness of betrayal seeping from the waves.

“The Vagari,” I growled, the realm of Sheol’s banished and wandering souls.

"I believe this is where your journey ends, my dear friend," Remnant whispered and the cù-sìth mother bowed her head. Remnant dropped her forehead upon the death hound, her face etched with another painful goodbye.

I understood. The memory of the bitter grief I felt saying goodbye to Jar was still strong.

Every part of me had screamed to find a way for him to come with us.

One last adventure. It only took a singular look at his peaceful eternal grove and I knew I had no right to ask it of him.

He was where his soul was the happiest and it was my turn to do everything I could to protect that.

Just like he had for me all those years.

Riella whimpered in my arms. "I don't want them to go."

Seeing the tears form in her beautiful swirling eyes was enough for me to forget all about my own grief. "Do not be sad, my little cub. You love your new friends, do you not?"

Riella sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yes."

I gave her a sad smile. "When you love someone, you protect them. The Vagari is not a safe place for Blaithin and her mother. You would not want them to be harmed would you?"

My daughter's lip quivered. "No. I would not." Then she buried her face into my chest. "You aren't going to leave me behind are you faedere?"

Shocked, I hugged her tightly and my voice shook. "What makes you think such a thing? "

She cried quietly, her tears wetting my shirt. "Because you love me and you always protect me."

My hand stroked her hair. "Shhh, my cub. Do not upset yourself any further. Of course we are not leaving you behind," I reassured her.

Then I looked up hopelessly for support from Remnant. "How do I fix this?"

Remnant went to open her mouth, but a sudden bark from Blaithin had us all turning to look down at the pouncing pup.

Riella hiccuped, her voice still quivering when she spoke. "Blaithin says she has something for me."

I nodded and gently lowered her to the path. Clumsily, the cù-sìth pup bumped into her with her own excitement. Snapping my hand out, I steadied Riella before she went sprawling to the ground.

"She says to hold my hands out." Standing upright, Riella looked between the two of us.

Remnant gave her an encouraging smile. "Go ahead then, little one."

With the determined expression crossing our daughter’s face, that was an exact replica of her mothers when she faced impossible odds, Riella nodded.

Feeling a sudden weight on my booted foot, I looked down to see the pookah's rabbit ass perched just so. Its ears twitched, feeling my narrowed gaze, it turned its soft black bunny nose up at me and hissed.

Resisting the need to drop kick the little shit, I prayed for the hundredth time today that whoever would steal my daughter’s heart, it wasn't going to be this fucking vermin.

"Eww," Riella laughed with a sudden look of disgust on her face as Blaithin coughed buckets of drool onto her outstretched hands. But instead of it splattering to the ground it moved and shifted until becoming one solid object the length of my daughter’s arm balancing delicately in her grasp.

Remnant inhaled sharply. "A bás fang." Shadows swirled instantly around Riella's hand to cover it in a coat of darkness, a protection from the lethal weapon—a soul destroyer.

I knelt next to my bewildered daughter. "Riella.

This is a rare gift. But it is also very dangerous.

One scratch from this fang will end not only the life of another but also completely destroy their entire existence…

it will end their soul." Looking up at the cub and he r mother, I nodded.

"You honor us. I thank you for your gift in keeping my cub safe. "

"Yes thank you, Sadhbh," Remnant whispered, beckoning Riella to her, "Bring it here my little chickadee, I think I have the perfect solution for your gift."

Riella moved with careful steps holding the sharp glinting white fang like a sacrifice in her hands—now weary of its presence.

“She’s learning,” I sent to Remnant.

“Perhaps.” She answered back, shadows swirling up from the ground, forming a long slender pole. With inky like tendrils it extended out to the bás fang, plucking it from my cub’s hands and braiding around it so that it anchored at the very top.

"It's like my spear!" Riella clapped her hands together.

Remnant nodded, tying off the shadows. "A perfect tip for your lethal spear."

Glittering gold and green eyes blazed up at my soulmate, "Thank you."

Chuckling darkly, I stood to my full height and danced around our daughter whirling her new weapon like a magic wand, her crown sparkling with each movement. Even the cù-sìth cautiously backed away from her excitable waving.

I tilted my head, a small smirk playing across my lips. "Goddess help me, I have one female in my life that prefers dangerous beasts over flowers, and another that has taken to enjoying dangerous weapons that can destroy souls over toys."

Remnant snorted next to me. "Would you have it any other way?"

I was in front of her in seconds, my hand threaded in her hair, tilting her head back ever so slowly so that she could meet the ferocity in my gaze. "Never," I purred, kissing her lips softly, loving the sexy little inhale she made when my lips touched hers.

Low growling and barking drew our attention back to the giant sand barricade.

Shaking her head, I released my hand from my soulmate's hair just in time for us to watch as the sands parted and the silver path extended into an oblivion of light, what-ever was beyond this barrier was too blinding to be seen from here.

The death hound turned to us, whimpering softly.

"I think she is telling us it is time to go.

" I said grimly, the stench of the Vagari stronger now than ever, the smell of cinder and ash adding to the death decay.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose and I growled darkly towards whatever impending doom we would face next. "We need to be prepared."

Riella stilled her movement, tapping the spear down loudly on the silver path, her face comically serious as she faced the wall. "I am ready, with this spear I shall protect what I love." Turning toward us, her eyes swirled like fireworks bursting in the sky. "All that I love."

Nodding to my soulmate, I roared. Shifting into my panther and snarling into the blazing abyss, I raced towards my daughter who laughed as shadows plucked her from the path and settled her onto my back.

Her tiny body immediately wrapped around me warmly, her spear lowering like a jabbing lance in front.

All those years of her riding a water dragon in The Under assisting her with our charge.

Beside us, Remnant ran, jumping onto her shadows, and racing them against my powerful sprint, straight for the opening to the Vagari.

Behind us the cù-sìth mother and her pup howled. Not a death omen but a warning for all those who dared to fuck with our little family.

We were coming.