Page 59 of Shadows Ascend (Remnant Archives #2)

T he Well of Souls.

It was beautiful in its simplicity, the glossy shine of each floating step, swirling with black, greens, and blues that were both welcoming and foreboding.

Power was embedded here—I could feel its humming force and watched enthralled as Remnant’s body shivered.

I had no doubt every inch of this power caressed parts of her goddess soul.

She took a step forward as if entranced by the call, and I could see something take hold of her that was empty from before. Empty when I fucking murdered her shadows, cut them straight from her soul.

My hands clenched at my sides, the need for vengeance rolling inside my body along with the hunger I felt before. A hunger that was becoming difficult to control, that much was obvious when I savagely assaulted my sweet soulmate on the ship.

I did not regret what I said, but I did regret how I said it, causing her pain with my callous handling. That was not me…Remnant was meant to be cherished, worshiped, she was never meant to be cowered or bent.

Eve had warned me…

I choked back a snarl when a large hand settled on Remnant’s shoulder, the mad sea king Lir, halting her. "Once ye step in t’ the Well, I will nae be allowed t’ stay, lass."

Crossing my arms over my chest I gave him a pointed look, "Where will you go?" I growled.

Silver eyes flashed over to me, dropping his large hand from my soulmate’s shoulder who studied us both with pursed lips, "Fresh seas.

The Well will lock me out but Fi will be able to fin' ye 'n' guide ye back to me.

" Turning to Remnant, he winked, "Keep yer wits about ye, Goddess, 'n' good luck.

" Kneeling he extended his large weathered palm to my daughter, a thick corded bracelet holding a silver conch shell lay daintily within.

"Take this lassie, tis a whistle, call for me whenever yer in need.

The winds will hear 'n' bring me to ye."

Riella wrapped her hand around the tiny shell whistle, "Thank you," her voice trembled.

He winked and stood gracefully despite his great height. "Now off wi' ye all. Ye have souls to conquer."

I blurred, gathering my life in my arms, Riella clutching atop my shoulder’s grinning down at the soft gasp of my soulmate held tightly in my arms.

Behind us Lir chuckled and Remnant glared up at me, her hands wrapping around my neck, joining our daughter’s strong hold. "What in the goddess are you doing, shifter?"

Watching the incredulous look spread across her face, I smirked.

"Carrying my mate across the threshold.” I winked and ignored the sharpness deep in my heart that I had not yet been able to give her all the celebrational customs my people had when a couple was newly soulmated.

Saving the world and the future of our daughter had taken forefront but I could at least do this.

Her brow arched as I stepped with fluid ease upon the ledge of the ship, bracing to jump. "Are you afraid the big bad, evil souls will come to get me?" She teased.

I chuckled deeply, and then jumped, the air rushing by us as I sprung from the ship with Riella squealing and gripping me even tighter.

Landing perfectly on the smooth polished stone step without a sound, despite the weight I carried, I grinned down at her. "Of course not, I’m afraid they will come after me, I'll need their goddess close by if they do."

Riella nodded, patting my cheek fondly. "Oh yes, good thinking faedere!"

Remnant snorted and rolled her eyes. "Surely The Well would not attack its own goddess, shifter."

At that we looked around, it wasn’t much of a fucking well. There was nothing here but air but I could feel the power in my soulmate slowly grow stronger. My soul wraith senses drawn to it, hungry again. A loud smack of Remnant’s hand against my chest echoed with the soft water lapping around us.

"Let me go, shifter or I will make you," She commanded.

I growled low, my hands reflexively tightening around her, the hunger growing deep inside me. Fuck. "I think…” I said slowly, shoving the fierce power down and licking my fang, “I've proven that I am never letting you go, Remnant Dark and I never will."

Reaching out to me she ran a single finger along the new swirling ink of my devotion to her, branded by the darkness itself.

I knew she could see my moods shifting like the damned sea winds around us and I could see the worry slowly bleed into her emerald eyes.

My gripped tightened when her vulnerable voice whispered back.

"I know shifter and if I could stay in your arms like this forever I would, but no worlds were ever saved by being held in a lover’s embrace."

Softening, I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, whispering against her skin.

"But they have been saved by love, little umbra.

If I cannot have you in my arms, then I shall hold onto that instead until you find your way back to where you belong.

" And I did too …I held that thought back, because I was not ready to admit that perhaps I was slowly losing myself to the price of being a soul wraith.

Lowering her, I let go and something visceral in me responded, not liking the sudden distance created by the loss of her in my arms. Instinct telling me to pull her back in, to take her and run from this place, and let this world devour itself instead of saving it.

But The Well had other plans because the moment her feet brushed the smooth polished stone, it suddenly sucked inward and the realm was still. My head jerked up, there was no sound, no rustling of air, no rumbling of thunder, no swirling of stormy clouds above, no breath, no heartbeats.

Then like a great geyser, the ocean burst from the deep depths and shot straight up into the sky between the spiraling steps, and beyond the clouds—its final destination.

I growled, holding Riella close on my shoulders.

"Look!" Riella cried, pointing towards Lir's ship rising quickly with the new flood of water, its crest growing higher and higher tilting the entire ship bow over stern.

Roaring, the great sea king jumped forth, his shovel turning to a glittering trident as he braced to command the tidal wave that threatened to destroy the only remaining physical thing he truly loved.

"Lir!" Remnant shouted out to him, as the wave began to descend.

His silver eyes flashed at her and his voice boomed. "Haud yer wheesht lass! I will be seeing ye again. No seas ever got the best o' mi."

I chuckled. The fucker was mad. My kind of water fae.

Roaring with laughter, he drove his trident down upon the metal deck and right before the great wave smashed his ship into nothing but scrap metal he was gone in sparkling silver dust.

The waves crashed downwards, destroying the powder that marked where Lir had once been, leaving only his deep crazed laughter on the winds and a soft mist.

I shook my head, my brows raised, "We do realize that that crazy fucker still has my body and our pack right?" I commented dryly, my hand squeezing our daughter's legs gently in my wryness.

Remnant blinked slowly up at my daughter who had inhaled sharply before laughter escaped them both.

It was a beautiful sound, one that I allowed to wash away the hungry darkness, then mockingly grumbled, "I fail to see how that is funny."

When Zaki appeared, hissing with Riella’s lethal bás fang spear clattering towards me, I cursed jumping back from the soul ending spear, hearing Remnant laugh harder.

Had we all fucking lost out minds? "Fucking goddess," I snarled dodging it deftly within the narrowed space upon the step and stomping on it before it slid into The Well’s ocean.

"Watch where you throw that thing, Zaki! "

"Oh thank you Zaki!" Riella cried out, scrambling down from my shoulder, causing me to grunt when her tiny knee slammed into the side of my neck.

"You are the bestest friend evers," she cooed. Her face nuzzling into the soft black fur of the rabbit’s body, its beady red eyes staring over her shoulder at us smugly.

"Bastard," I growled, stooping to sweep up Riella's spear and then paused, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.

Our daughter felt it too, and she turned with her eyes wide on Remnant. "Maedere?"

My lips thinned at the way her heart raced, my claws extending while I searched the area around us for the threat.

Dropping to her knee, Remnant studied our cub’s sudden pale complexion. "What is it, little chickadee? Is it your father? He doesn't mean it, he likes Zaki."

I snorted, like was a strong word to use.

The spirit guide hissed at me from his regular perch, but Riella shook her head quickly, her tiny body trembling. "No," she whispered. "I hear…I hear them. They scream."

"Who—-" Remnant managed to get out before the rest of her words trailed off when the water rushing upwards stopped.

Instinctively, I shifted in front of my soulmate and cub, snarling right before sheer blinding rays of light exploded between the spiral steps.

“Remnant?” I shot back to her, watching the light through slitted eyes.

“It screams,” she breathed painfully, “Thousands upon thousands of voices—they are crying, screaming, roaring inside that light. I think…Riella must hear them too.”

“Fuck.” I spat. What new goddess damn Sheol of a cunt had we stepped into now?

Riella keened against her and I turned, grinding my teeth to see Remnant covering her ears quickly, enveloping her body within her own.

There was anguish on my soulmate's face, a mixture of pain and death and I could feel it absorb into the power that she already radiated.

“This is…this is The Well of Souls," she breathed.

Snarling, I turned back when I felt the hum of power gather, using my soul wraith form to shield them both from the explosive bright beam that shot from the depths of Hell.

The brightness surprisingly did not bother my shadowed form while the perfect beacon of light suddenly illuminated every daunting step that spiraled upwards where we were evidently meant to climb.

My skin prickled and a low growl released when I felt the power within pulse and writhe, hearing Remnant and Riella whimper in unison.

Then just as intensely as it came, it died down, the cylindrical confinement of light becoming duller, not as bright with its humming gentling to a soothing buzz.

Remnant stood with Riella in her arms, standing next to me, her awe palpable.

“It is alright, my cub, you can look now,” I purred toward Riella who sniffed and rubbed her face into Remnant’s chest. There was nothing malicious coming from The Well now, not yet anyway.

Our cub’s hands fell away from her ears, before she lifted her head, her eyes just as full of awe as Remnant. "It's so pretty."

Remnant looked down at her glowing upturned face, the gold in her eyes highlighted even more by the glow, and then looked back again. "It is." Her voice soft and I shivered at the sound, goddess how she affected me. "Most souls are, in their purest form."

Glancing back at me, I saw her gaze shift inward. I smiled softly at her, knowing what she was searching for. “Worried for me, little umbra?” I wasn’t about to admit I held my breath, something flickering her eyes, a slight frown pulling on her beautiful face.

"Remnant?" I said aloud this time, licking at my shadowed lips.

She blinked, "Hmm?"

I studied her briefly, my brows raised. "What’s next?”

She tilted her head, looking high up into the sky, her emerald eyes catching on the staircase once again, she sighed, "We ascend.”

Nodding, my brow still wrinkled with concern, I reached for our still stunned daughter, taking her into my arms, and placing her lovingly on my shoulders once more.

Her tiny legs immediately wrapped around my neck and I purred inside at the immediate trust she had in me.

"Ready?" Remnant breathed.

I grunted, “I am with you, Remnant. Always.”

And I meant it, despite the war raging inside of me that wanted to take them both away from this place forever.

Riella's little voice sounded above me, "ready, maedere. "

Sighing, she turned and her shadows cloaked around her, looping around her arms, and I watched with baited breath when her booted foot stepped softly to the first step.

A soft exhale escaped us both when her booted feet whispered across the second glossy stone step and nothing happened. Quickly, she took two more with the same response…nothing. I quickly followed her, my body vibrating with the tension, my eyes never leaving her, alert and ready.

Another exhale of relief escaped her as she watched us join, and another whole lot of—nothing.

Then I felt it, felt the hum of power wrap around her again and my claws extended, my heart racing, while her own body tensed like a bow drawn to the end of its range, quivering with tension before an arrow was released.

Her shadows twirled with increased agitation around us and her eyes narrowed and I knew what she was thinking.

We were fae.

This was the realm of Hell deep within Sheol.

We were residing in Wrath territory.

She had full access to every soul in the universe.

This was…

"Too easy," I growled with warning inside her mind.