Page 36 of Shadows Lost (Remnant Archives #1)

I sprinted, hot on the flanks of the shifter leader with a miracle slung over my shoulders like a sack of potatoes. The leopard shifters excelled at strength and agility meant for these hilly grassy plains…a powerful, evolutionary physique I would never have.

Never mind I had yet to fully recover from The Under.

But I loved to defy the odds so I ran harder. Bounding past their leader, I laughed maniacally into the rushing wind of the plains. I knew my white dress clung to me like second skin, my feet were a bloody numb mess, my legs burned in a fiery rage but all I felt was pure euphoria.

Free and untamed in a new land I now craved to explore.

The valleys we traveled through were rich with life.

The green grasses were vibrant with clusters of white flowers dancing in the wind, their white petals swirling around us like snow.

Occasionally, I spotted sparkling streams snaking through the land where nymphs splashed playfully in the crystal waters.

And finishing this wondrous masterpiece were striking lavender blue skies and the menacing red mountaintops—their looming peaks hidden by marshmallow-like clouds.

Faerie’s creatures frolicked about, unhindered by our presence, and between my rhythmic breaths, I described them in every last detail to the faeling I carried, including the majestic beauty of the unicorns.

The vain creatures somehow hearing my whispered words, displayed themselves openly with their ostentatious pride that forced a wide grin on my face.

Gnomes and pixies stood on alert to watch our traveling brigade, dazzling butterflies and great horned jackalopes raced along our path, and even a fiery phoenix screeched from above, striking the air with fire, whether in encouragement or in defiance to our peculiar group I could not tell.

It was the most ridiculous sight…the last shadow fae, an unconscious water fae child, and two leopard shifters running in tandem together. If I closed my eyes, I could almost hear the laughter of my closest friend, ruminating about this new tale in their Remnant Archives .

I wiped the tears that escaped at the memory of them. I hadn’t allowed myself to think about the captains of my legion, my closest friends, since they perished in Morta.

A small flash of light, forced me to skid to a halt, my only warning before Eshe shifted with a leap in front of me. Her long blonde hair flowed out from behind her as the winds of the plains kicked up over the hill we stood upon. Hardened yellow-green eyes bored into me with reluctant acceptance.

“I must say. I am impressed, shadow fae. You did, for the most part, keep up.” Her lip curled up distastefully.

I took a deep powerful breath, adjusting Riella on my shoulder subtly, and ignored the quaking protest in my body. “Why have we stopped, shifter?”

Eshe tilted her head to the side. “Because we are here.”

I looked outwards into the deep valley where a large sparkling river circled its perimeter.

The river itself teemed with wildlife. Flying fish and small water nymphs played within it's flowing stream, another herd of unicorns were leisurely basking in the sun.

Their gleaming white bodies and various rainbow manes striking against the backdrop.

Riella would have absolutely loved the sight of it .

I frowned, searching the horizon. “I see no city.”

Eshe smirked. “That’s because you need this.”

I had no defense against the sudden bright blue dust Eshe blew directly into my face.

But I was able to reach for the shadows that were plentiful from the hills of the valley.

Deeper and stronger here beneath the cloudy skies, they responded instantly to my calling.

First to further protect Riella in my sightless vision, second to remind this spiteful shifter exactly who I was.

“Stop! Please!” Quinn called out with alarm, having shifted back at some point beside me. “Eshe!”

Hissing, I frantically wiped the blue dust from my eyes, blinking hard against the intrusive glitter enhanced by the glowing sun. I raised my brows in surprise to see the gentle healer turn to predator as he snarled in my face.

“Call off your shadows! She meant you no harm!” He roared at me.

I roared back, shoving him to the side with my shadows that snaked around my arms. “Be still healer, or she will suffer more!”

Turning, I calmly gazed down at his leader who was pinned to the ground by black shadows, fighting against the way she sunk forcibly into the hardened earth, her eyes trained on me with terror.

I narrowed my eyes on her, ignoring the furious snarls.

“You keep making mistakes, shifter. I have no doubt this was your backhanded way of trying to prove you have the upper hand.” I stepped over her.

Fearful yellow-green eyes met mine. “Mark my words. When it comes to you and I, you will never have it…even if I stood before you in iron chains the result would be the same. I’m the true predator here, the monster, and that will always make you… ” I waved my hand at her, “prey.”

“Please! Release her!” The healer pleaded, standing between us once more, as she sunk lower into a shallow grave.

“You don’t understand. The dust was necessary for you to see and enter our city!

” His hand shot outward frantically as dirt started to cover his friend.

“Look for yourself if you don’t believe me! ”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I allowed myself to look back towards the waterways that carved out the valley. My brows rose at the sight of a sprawling white city, alive with the bustling of fae inside.

“Concealing wards.” I hummed. “What a clever king you have. No wonder the queen could never find Finlandia.” With a flippant wave, I dismissed the shadows from the shifter, not taking my eyes off the grand city before me.

Quinn scrambled to dig her out of the hollow ground, brushing dirt off her while she growled up at me. “I could have you…imprisoned…for that.”

A small smile broke across my face while I gazed in wonder at the city before us. “That was always your intention anyway. But know this, there is nothing you could ever do to me that hasn’t already been done before, shifter. Even your worst nightmares can’t even come close to what I have survived.”

I felt their shocked scrutiny like irons burning into my back.

Carefully releasing Riella from my shoulders and cradling her in my arms, I rolled my neck to ease the tension. Looking down at her, I pressed my lips into a thin line, her bronze complexion ashen in the sunlight.

She was worsening.

My head snapped up at the soft chirps of a flock of chickadees flying above me, twirling in the lavender sky towards the city.

I took one step towards them…one step and suddenly the fate of the faeling’s future was placed directly into my enemy's embrace.

Walking forwards, I glanced back over my shoulder to the two cagey shifters, “shall we?”