Page 13

The Kingdom of Shadows

Grace

My dream is black. It is starless. It is a dire, moonless sky.

The darkness is murky, like I’m being bathed in shadows. They creep and crawl, trying to find entrance to my injured soul, but something in this pool of ink calls to me, a lick of fire starts my heart. The warmth is a friendly shepherd as it guides me forward with a seductive smile. It beckons me to continue into the infinite dark.

“Dad?” I nervously call out, but the sound is absorbed into the blubber of growing expanse before me. My footsteps have no splash, no echo, as I buoyantly walk forward. Or am I running? No, I think I’m floating. I can no longer feel the ground under me as I’m suspended in shrouds of shadow. I swear I was just walking. I look around, but there’s nothing here. Just a pitch-black endless vastness. I feel no wind; I no longer feel warmth. There are no sounds. I feel … nothing.

It is a black abyss, and I am falling to its bottomless depth.

“Grace,” a deep voice calls me forward, snapping my attention as I collect myself. I float to it. “Come,” its whispers breathe into my ears.

“I’m trying, wait for me!” I cry out to the sultry voice.

The black Void becomes thicker and harder to move. The more progress I make, the thicker it gets. It squeezes me from every direction, making it impossible to continue. I sludge through the dense and heavy mud, the shadows clinging to my legs. I start waving my arms, trying to gain progress, swimming through the expanse.

“Come, Grace,” the ethereal voice calls me urgently.

“Wait!” I shout desperately; it’s too hard to move now. I’ve become stuck in the dense shadows. I panic and start thrashing in the thick black tar while it seeps into my throat. I start choking as I sink into an ocean of black. My lungs start burning as I thrash my arms around. I try to scream for help, but I’m full of tar.

“You’re here,” it whispers softly, its words caressing my cold cheeks.

I startle awake, coughing up an icy burning liquid into the shore beneath me. I’m dazed, laying in soft black sand while glacial luminescent waves lap at my feet. I push myself up with shaking arms and look around. I furrow my brows, confused; I’m on a beach. Dozens of broken icebergs lay in the sand around me like glass shards, while more are floating in the black waters. I turn to sit on my rear and breathe, staring into the ocean. I assess my situation. I’m drenched in water, and I’m freezing. Every part of me is soaking wet, and my skin is pebbling from the biting air. I have no dry clothes to change into, and I have no idea where I am. There’s a vast sea that lies before me. The water is dark, reminding me of the tiny black berries that grow in the forest. One bite and you’re dead, frothing at the mouth.

The water has a bright blue luminescence glowing along its shoreline. I watch the curling waves crash, spraying blue, glowing water into the air. A thick misty fog settles on the water, but way off in the distance is a sliver of a silver wall. The gloomy clouds above look as if it might storm at any moment. I look to either side of me and see endless black sands with tall, sharp cliffs. I pull my legs to my chest as I worry. Where am I?

That dream I had, I must have fallen into the ocean after walking through the Veil. I washed up on this beach, but what is this place? The waterline is glowing and everything has such a vivid hue to it. The sea is much darker, turning it into an almost pitch-black void. The greys of the clouds look flush with purples and blue tones, defining the clouds into perfect voluminous textures. I pick up a handful of black sand, inspecting it. I crumble the velvet fluff in my hand, letting it fall through my pale fingers.

Where did the Veil spit me out?

I stare out to sea, mesmerized by the dark waves crashing. The blue luminescence ripples along the shore and lick my feet with its icy glowing water. A shiver runs across my back. I went through the Veil, and I’m alive. I look out in the distance, trying to catch another glimpse of the shimmering Veil through the fog. My life was on the other side of this sea. The life I destroyed.

The dam I’ve built up over my final days bursts, and a river of tears rushes through. I weep uncontrollably. I wail and cry for all the lives lost. I weep for my brother and my best friend. I weep for the mother I have lost. I weep for my life, stolen from me. I mourn it all. My own mother, the one I loved so deeply, thought of me as such a monster that she destroyed our family.

And then I stop, my weeping twisting into fury. Her . All this trauma was not my doing, she set this heartbreak into motion. And the King’s Priest . He slaughtered Fallon and Evie. He slaughtered that little girl. He slaughtered Mr. Weaver. How could they do this?

I scream in outrage. I scream at the top of my lungs into the crashing of the sea. I kick the water savagely and throw sand in fury. I throw stones and punch the sand violently. I twist and turn, fighting anything I can get my desperate hands on, screaming until my lungs cannot breathe anymore. I scream until the sounds of the swords piercing the ones I loved are drowned out. I scream until I cannot hear their cries of agony. And then I scream some more.

“Those bastards!” I yell ferociously into the empty air.

“Yeah, humans can be a pain, huh,” calls a deep, rich voice.

I gasp and startle, whipping my body around, trying to find the source of the voice.

I hear a singing whistle from above me. I look up and see a man on the point of the cliff staring down at me.

“Hiya.” His voice rolls down the crumbling rocks seductively, his luxurious voice purring into the wind. I’m too startled and breathless from my breakdown to say anything. I just stare, my brows furrowed.

“I promise I did not just see your entire meltdown.”

I get angry. “Are you making fun of me?” My attitude comes out at full force as I yell at him, setting a hand on my wet hip.

“Yeah, a little.” He chuckles. “You want help up or what?”

Do I want help up? What in the blazes is the man thinking? I don’t know him, I don’t even know where I am. The stranger has an accent to his voice, but I can’t place it. I have never heard the strange melodic pitches he uses. I decide against it, I’ll find my own way.

“No, I’m ok down here, but thanks.”

He pauses for a short moment before I watch him start to scale down the cliff.

“What are you doing?” I shriek.

“What does it look like? I’m climbing down,” he calls calmly over his shoulder.

“I told you I didn’t want help,” I yell. This is unbelievable. Who is this man?

He chuckles. “You said you didn’t want help climbing up . I’m climbing down. There’s a difference.”

“Well, I don’t want help, go back up,” I yell at him, throwing my hands out, exasperated.

“No. Too late,” the strange man shouts over his shoulder.

I laugh in disbelief and cross my arms. I watch as he breezes down the crumbling cliff, hopping down the remaining rocks at the bottom with ease. He saunters over to me carelessly, as if he did not just scale an entire cliff. He’s tall, way taller than I thought when he was on top of the cliff. He’s muscular, too; his arms are bigger than my head, and his thighs—oh bless me. He is wearing beautiful brown leather armor that’s fitted to his body with tight brown leather pants. His skin is a beautiful tan, with wavy dark brown hair that comes to his shoulders in a wild mane. As he gets closer, I can see his eyes; they shine bright with mirth. The crimson color reminding me of fresh, bold blood. It would be creepy if it wasn’t for how handsome he was. His smile is charming as he grins at me, his rough beard stretching along his strong jaw. He grins so big, he shows off his sharp, pronounced canines, one of which is capped silver.

The beautiful man prances close to me. “Grace, I’ve been calling for you,” he purrs, bearing a smile that weakens my knees.

Suddenly, I have become all too aware of the drenched, ruined gown I am wearing. The extremely thin, very white, and now completely see-through gown. “Who are you?” I ask breathless; this man is gorgeous. His charming smile alone makes me weak.

“My name is Kai. I’m the God of Chaos. I control the Void, which was what you were just in,” he explains calmly. He leans his face in, and I get a whiff of cinnamon. “I’m so excited you’re here.”

“You were the one calling me?” I furrow my brows, shocked. All that time, I believed my dad was calling me over. I don’t know why, I thought perhaps I would see him again. I thought his ship went through the Veil, and maybe, my father was pulled into the Void during the hurricane all those years ago. I was wrong. It was really a God.

Kai smiles warmly and offers his large hand to me, urging me to take it. I do nothing but stare. A God. A real-life actual God is in front of me, and he is hot . He helped me through the Veil. It was his voice calling me forward into this place. How is this possible? Obviously, I knew Gods were real because Mene, the Moon Goddess, gave me life. I guess there was still a small part of me that doubted it. It’s just so different being here in front of one. He’s here, in the flesh.

The God of Chaos wiggles his tan fingers.

Am I really going to leave with him? I glance behind me to the sea. The sliver of the Veil has been covered with a dense fog. The billows crawl against the waves, moving onto shore fast. I return my gaze to Kai, patiently waiting for me. Cautiously, I grab his large hand, and he smiles, gently guiding me down the beach. I shiver in his touch, his warmth making me feel as if I’m holding my hand to a fire.

I manage a question while we walk, looking up at him. “Where am I?”

“You’re in Elyssus, the Land of the Gods,” he replies cheerfully, watching me with those mischievous red eyes.

The Land of the Gods. I cannot believe this. I have heard legends of the Land of the Gods. They were strictly forbidden, but Evie would mention stories late at night when I slept over. She used to say these lands were holy with creatures of unimaginable beauty. Food and wine taste better here, and you never grew old in the Land of the Gods. But, to stay in the holy lands, you had to make sacrifices to the old Gods. She never said who the old Gods were. Evie knew so many stories about this place, I wonder who told her? My brother would go insane if he could be here. I think he was starting to believe in the Gods before he—a sudden pang of sadness hits my chest.

He is not here, and he never will be again.

Kai studies me intently. “It’s ok to mourn your past life, little human. You must have loved it deeply,” he says softly.

I’m quiet for a moment as sadness washes over me. I watch my toes dig grooves into the sand as I walk. My eyes water as I listen to the waves crash beside me. The glowing water gently runs to my feet but doesn’t quite make it. I think of him, my brother. His goofy smile and his pea-brained ideas. I laugh a little, a tear streaming down my face. Your death will not be in vain, brother. I promise you, I will make them pay. I am here with the Gods now. I look at the one currently holding my hand. His large frame towers into the sky as he dwarfs my body. Where is Kai guiding me?

“Where are we going?” I mutter nervously, scanning our surroundings.

“There’s a set of stairs over here. I tried to guide you closer in the Void, but you started flailing like a fish out of water. It was hilarious, actually. I was laughing pretty hard.” He chuckles at the memory.

I glare up at him. “Thanks, I guess.”

“Look, it’s right over there, by the waterfall.” Kai points to a waterfall at the top of the cliff. The water glows a bright blue and green. It flows like a flame in the water, illuminating the rocks around it. The river flies down the face of the cliff, the glowing drops spraying freely into the air. I’ve never seen anything like it. It falls and feeds into a stream at the bottom of the cliff, flowing into the dark ocean. The current of the stream colors the ocean a vibrant sea of blue and green, streaking into the black sea. I stop and stare, completely mesmerized.

“Does all your water glow like this?” I ask in awe.

“No, it’s just Tyrn River. It flows from the Infernal Mountains into the Dead Sea,” he says nonchalantly.

“ The Infernal Mountains? Like, as in the Infernal Blazes?” I gulp.

Kai chuckles. “Yeah, that’s where we’re headed. Come on.” He grabs my hand and pulls me to the stone steps.

No, no, no, he cannot be taking me to the Infernal Realm, can he? I try to pull my hand away, but he’s locked around mine. I stop in my tracks, but he drags me through the sand. My feet trail through the soft sand with ease as he continues walking us. I grunt, trying desperately to slip my hand out of his fingers, but it’s of no use. I whine a little as we come close to the stairs.

The stairway is carved into the cliff and slick from mist coming off the waterfall. I tread cautiously, my feet wanting to slip with every step I take. He drags me up the stairs through the cold air, making me slide constantly. Luckily, his grip on my hand is tight and pulls me up every time I fall.

My gaze keeps glancing at the wildlife as he forces me up the stone steps. The cliffs are covered with plants, but one catches my eye. It is bright green; its stems and leaves looking thick like a rubber eraser. They have overgrown most of the cliff, but occasionally, they carry a flower. The flower itself is a deep purple with sharp needle-like spikes. Inside the spike ball is a vivid yellow center, it looks soft like a pillow. I’ve never seen anything like it. A small sliver of excitement bubbles inside me. I get to see life in the Land of the Gods.

We get to the top, and I’m out of breath, clutching onto my chest, trying to get air. I glance around at my surroundings and freeze. I cannot believe my eyes in what lies before me. A blanket of fog covers most of the vibrant grassy lands, while a large-mouthed river of electrifying blues and greens flows across the mysterious lands. Beautiful and colorful spike flowers grow across the cliffs, trailing down like a fine dress. I bite my lip as my heart beats, the noise reminding me that I’m still alive. I reach for the ground, coming to sit on my knees. I stare in disbelief; it’s magnificent.

I breathe it all in. The black glowing sea, the strange flowers, the flames dancing in the river. My head falls, bringing my ear to my shoulder, as I feel the delicate kisses of mist dot my face. Farther up ahead, the fog parts for a moment to show its path heading into a deep crevasse, large mountainous cliffs on either side. The color is such a deep black that it reminds me of the darkness of my death. A shiver races up my body. They seem to guard the river from both sides, like two walls of protection. Everything is directed into the distance, leading into a wall of impenetrable fog.

I gulp silently. “We’re going through there?” I mumble nervously.

“Aw, you’re such a human, it’s cute.” Kai laughs. “I got a boat down here for you, come. The river will bring us to the entrance.” He grabs me again, dragging me down to a black boat floating along the Godly river. It looks to be delicately hand-carved with—

“Are those skulls?” My eyes are wide as I look at the boat with crying skulls and pained skeletons carved into it.

“Don’t be a baby.” He latches onto my wrist without warning, tugging me close. Kai lifts me by the hips gently, setting me into the large boat. I sit on the stone-planked seat cautiously, and he follows suit, settling across from me. The skeleton boat lurches forward, moving quickly in the water. I look at Kai, but he’s not rowing the boat.

“How are we moving? There are no oars.” I lean over curiously and watch the boat move through the gleaming water. The blues and green shimmer and dance, splashing droplets onto the boat as it advances. “How does it do that?”

“It moves through the Tyrn when I or my brothers sit in it. Don’t fall in, little mouse. I would rather not have to fish you out of the river of souls.” He winks at me.

I scramble away from the water quickly, and he laughs heartedly.

My heart jumps at the thought of going for a swim with the souls in the Tyrn. “Are we really going to the Infernal Mountains?” I ask quietly.

“Yeah. My brother isn’t going to be happy I brought a human home, though, so we’ll have to hide you,” he states nonchalantly as he leans back into the prow, looking to the vast lands.

“How many brothers do you have? Are they Gods like you?” I interrogate cautiously.

He chuckles. “Yes, what else would you think they are? I have two. War is cool, a bit too strait-laced if you ask me, but otherwise a real fun guy.” He pauses, looking away from me, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “My older brother … well, we’ll have to hide you from him. He doesn’t exactly like humans.”

My stomach drops. “Who is your older brother?” I question.

“Death,” Kai mutters under his breath.

I take a deep breath and hold it. War and Death are his brothers. And he’s bringing me to them.

He sees the look on my face. “It won’t be that bad, just stay out of his path, and he won’t kill you.” The God chuckles.

“Maybe I should go somewhere else.” I scan around nervously, trying to find a way out.

Kai watches me and cocks his head like a curious animal. “You look nervous, buttercup.” His voice sounds strange, deeper than before. There’s something off about the way he’s looking at me now, but I can’t quite place it. “You can stay with me, you’ll be like a little pet.” He chuckles darkly, and I shift nervously.

I need to just play it cool until I can make it out of here. Do as the strange God says, and maybe I can make it out of here alive. Surely there is another place I can go on this land. I watch as we pass through sharp obsidian cliffs. Colossal trees run thick at the tops, reaching high into the moody sky. Fog races down the cliffs like a river, moving through large ferns, snaking down the mountain. Lively moss trails along slick rocks while the fog flows its wispy air into the river, settling on top .

Something catches my eye, slithering through the ferns. I squint, peering closer, as I watch a dark shadow quietly move along the mountainside. Yet, I see no animal to accompany it. Who does the shadow belong to?

“What was that?” I ask aloud, pointing to where the shadow last was.

Kai turns his head, searching. “I don’t see anything.”

“It was like a shadow, a mist, but acted like a creature. It was slithering around in the ferns.”

“Oh.” He chuckles. “You mean the Dredges. They are like defense for the mountain. Death made them. They’re cute, huh?”

“He made them?”

“Don’t worry, my nervous little butterfly, it won’t hurt you.” Kai pauses before popping his lips. “Well, actually, it might. I don’t really know. It might see you as an intruder.”

I bite my lip, furrowing my brows. “What will it do if it finds me?”

He tips his head back in a laugh. “What won’t they do. They’re vicious fucking things. I once saw it force its way down a mortal’s throat and explode him from within. There were body parts everywhere.” He laughs, slapping his knee. “Dredges are ingenious really. They feel you out before attacking, finding all your fears and feeding on you before they kill you brutally. It was probably checking you out, reading you.”

My mouth drops as Kai smiles at me.

I slowly look back to where the Dredge once was, but I see it no longer. I clasp my hands together tightly, searching the ferns. We pass under a massive overpass, its length stretching from mountain to mountain. It’s abundant with overgrown leaves, their roots expanding to the side of the stone bridge. Vibrant bushy moss grows along the slated stone, continuing underneath the crossing. We flow under, my gaze follows it, watching upward as we’re shuttled under. The glow of the river reflects its ripples onto a ceiling of midnight stone, shimmering and playing.

“Shut up,” Kai whispers.

My head cuts to Kai. “I didn’t say anything,” I reply, confused.

“What?” Kai asks.

“You told me to shut up,” I say warily.

“No, I didn’t. You’re hearing things, little human.” He smiles at me cheerfully.

I furrow my brows and look away .

I direct my stare back into the cliffs and reflect on my life. I miss my brother. I miss Evie. I miss my fucked-up mother, even though I know I shouldn’t. I miss how life was before I was murdered. Mom was sick, sure, but we were still a family. She didn’t see me as a curse or traitor. She didn’t have Fallon killed. We were together. How messed up is it that the one with the actual curse is the one that is still alive? Fallon didn’t need to die. And now I am alone. I should have been the one to be speared by a sword. I should have gotten up from the grass and led them away from Fallon. I am spineless. I am a coward. I want to die.

“We’re here,” Kai says. I face forward and watch as the blanket of fog dissipates, showing massive black mountains. The shadowy peaks reach into the gloomy skies, past the somber clouds and beyond as the creaky boat directs us into a giant luminescent lake.

On the opposite side of the lake lies a cavernous opening with sharp stalactites reaching down like snake fangs. Guarding the predatory cave are a set of colossal statues. A pair of skeletons are carved into the mountain, towering above us. One looks to be standing tall, reaching beyond into the sky. The other looks to be suffering in agony, its body squished under the heavy weight of boulders on the mountain. Radiant water pours from each of their gaping mouths, their roaring waterfalls churning into the lake.

“Souls enter the Tyrn through the mouths of Bonum and Malus. Bonum delivers souls that it has deemed worthy of the Isles. Malus delivers those headed for the Infernals. But ultimately, my brother has final say. Bonum and Malus are more like his assistants. They spit them into the Tyrn, the In-between, and once judged by Death, they flow all the way down the river and drop into the Dead Sea. There they are released and go into their realms for the rest of eternity.” He chuckles. “Neat, huh?”

I stare in awe at the ancient skeletons towering above us, pouring souls into the Tyrn. My mind drifts back to when I was dead in the dark ocean; I’m reminded of the feeling of absolute coldness. A shiver racks through my whole body, shaking me like a wet dog. I cannot help but wonder if my soul was in the Tyrn, awaiting judgement. Did I come from Bonum or Malus?

The boat slowly directs us into the cave, entering through the carnivorous mouth of the mountain. At first glance, I see we’re flowing into a smaller pool of water, surrounded by stone walls, chipped and cut into a wavy pattern. The reflected ripples of the glowing water dance on the cut walls. I watch drops of water drip off protrusions shaped like icicles, echoing into the empty room. We arrive at the edge of the water, lurching to a stop in front of a set of jet-black stone stairs on the surface. Kai gets out first and then helps me out, lifting me and setting me down before the stairsteps.

Kai suddenly lets out a small screech before muttering, “Shit.” The large God starts shuffling around nervously, looking around the cave as if for an exit. “Fuck, ok, we’re doing this now.” He picks me up like I’m a doll and sets me down to his side, adjusting a strand of my mussed hair before settling next to me. “Here comes my brother, be cool,” he whispers.

I squeak a noise. Brother? Which one?

My heart thuds as a large door at the top of the steps slams open, letting warm light into the cave. A large figure of shadows starts descending the steps, each foot creating a solid wet echo into the cave. He strides down the steps with a straight posture and disciplined stature. My breathing comes in fast pants as he gets closer. The shadows dissipate, and I can see he wears the same dark brown armor as Kai. The God comes before us, and I’m instantly confused.

He looks exactly like Kai. He wears the same strong face, but instead of happy and carefree, his is angry and furrowed. This God’s brunette hair is styled close to his head, and he is clean shaven. Kai’s is long and tousled sporting a wild beard. The angry God stares down at me, and I see his cold amber eyes. They are twins but could not be more different from each other.

“What the fuck is this?” demands the fierce God, his voice full of malice. I notice he bears the same melodic accent as Kai.

“Tai, meet Grace.” Kai chuckles. “Grace, this is Tai, the God of War I was telling you about,” he whispers to me.

“Kai, I fucking swear, put her back,” Tai growls in a warning.

He chuckles loudly, his head falling back, before playfully swiping at the War God’s chest. “You silly brother, you know I can’t. It’s fine, she’ll stay with me.” He beams him a magnificent smile like he’s solved all crises.

Tai’s eyes darken before he wipes a frustrated hand down his face. “That’s not happening. What happens when Ro finds her? Have you even thought about that?” he replies angrily.

“He won’t find her. I’ll keep her in my room,” Kai says defiantly.

“That. Isn’t. Happening.” Tai gets in Kai’s face. Fury radiates off of him as he scowls at his brother.

“I won’t hurt her,” Kai speaks in a small voice. “Give me a chance. ”

They stare at each other silently for a moment, communicating. After a long, tense moment, Tai breaks the stare and steps back, taking in a deep breath. His gaze assesses us, looking from Kai to me. Tai sets his fiery eyes to me, stepping close to my body.

“You don’t know what you’re getting into here, girl. I’ll give you two choices, and I would really encourage you to take the latter. Do you want to stay with Kai or with me?” he asks sternly.

“Kai,” I say quickly. I don’t even give myself time to think. Why would I stay with a God that looks like he wants to pummel me?

Kai beams a smile at me while Tai growls, narrowing his eyes. His face cuts to Kai with a warning stare before turning suddenly, storming up the steps without another word.

“I thought you said he was cool,” I whisper an accusation.

Kai shrugs. “His bark is bigger than his bite. Except when he does bite, that shit hurts.” He chuckles to himself. “Let’s go, I’ll have to sneak you in.”