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Kiara

Originally brushed aside as nightmares, some speculate that shadow beasts had more power than they were given credit for. It m akes sense that they were strongest at night when the moon—their creator—brightened the sky.

Excerpt from Asidian Lore: a Tale of the Gods

I sprinted back to the inn as frail, gray shadows trailed from my gloved hands.

Shoving open the door, I rushed toward a still - snoring Jake and shook him until he cracked open his bleary eyes.

“Ki? What’s wrong?” He groaned as he shifted in bed, lifting onto his elbows. Leaning over, he reached for a pack of matches on the bedside table and lit the oil lamp.

My cheeks were still sticky from shedding so many tears , and my eyes were likely bloodshot. I didn’t think I’d ever cried as much as I had in the last twenty-four hours. Perhaps it was a lifetime of suppressing tears that now caused them to flow.

As if to confirm, Jake peered into my eyes with a deep frown.

“I saw Jude again,” I said, lowering my voice to barely above a whisper. “But this time, something…happened.”

I felt like I’d disconnected from my body. Been forced into that cell to witness the most horrific scene imaginable. My damned eyes prickled, and just when I thought there was nothing left, a single droplet slipped free.

I’d left him there. Abandoned him like everyone else. And he didn’t look like he’d been breathing when I’d been thrust out of the vision.

He’s not dead , I repeated in my head. I couldn’t believe anything else.

“Gods.” Jake swallowed visibly. “Ki…”

“It was bad, Jake. I was feeling dizzy , and I went outside for fresh air. My body felt like it was in two places at once, like I was slowly flickering out of existence, and then…” I paused, sucking in air, realizing I was rambling a mile a minute.

“When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t in Fortuna, but back in that cell, and Jude was being tortured. His back was so bloody…so torn from the whip. They’re killing him there, and I could do nothing .” Jake rested a hand on my shoulder before tugging me in for a tight hug. I nestled into his embrace, resting my cheek on his chest while he ran a comforting hand through my hair. “I wasn’t sure when I’d see him again. I wasn’t sure if he’d make it through another round of torture, and when he confessed something, I did , too.”

“What did you say?” Jake asked, holding me tight, tethering me to this plane.

“I said…”

That I was falling for the commander in a way my cynical heart never thought possible.

Jake must’ve read the truth in my silence because he let out a knowing sigh.

“I think I understand,” he said slowly. “I see the way you two look at each other. The way you’ve always looked at each other.”

Why couldn’t I say it aloud? Maybe because the moment I did, it would be real, and then if I lost him, it would hurt even more.

No, that wasn’t right.

It would kill me even now, even if I was too cowardly to say what my heart clearly felt.

Swords, arrows, blood? Easy. But an emotion as dangerous as love? Hells, that was an opponent I wasn’t sure I could fight.

“After Jude told me how he felt…I saw the light in his cell for just a second, but the world glowed .”

Jake released me, keeping me at arm’s length. “I don’t understand how that would be possible without you carving out your piece of divinity.”

I laughed, but it was brittle. “I don’t understand anything. ”

“Good thing we’re on a mission to find answers,” Jake supplied, trying to smile for me. He eased back on to the bed to study me. “I swear there has to be a way out of this without you dying. I would kind of miss you, Ki.”

“You’ll never have to miss me,” I vowed, even if I was uncertain I could promise such a thing.

Jake sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes sparkled with thought.

“Out with it,” I demanded, scooting even closer to him until I was practically in his face.

“I’m thinking that you might have just shown yourself a way out of this mess.” My brows furrowed. “As sappy as it sounds, Ki, when you and Jude…‘opened up,’ it might’ve allowed the keys access to each other. Reuniting them, if only briefly. And then there’s that whole ‘darkness falling for the light’ prophecy I never put much stock in.” He waved his hands around before dropping them at his sides.

“You’re right. That does sound extraordinarily sappy,” I agreed, my scar throbbing even as I deflected. It didn’t burn as it had before, and I wondered if that meant Jude was asleep or if he’d closed himself off to me. Maybe once I figured out how to use this power, I’d be able to call upon him at will.

Shadow beasts hadn’t earned their name without reason. Made of the night and its shadows, they could alternate between their phantom and corporeal forms with ease, able to move through space without hindrance. Meaning visiting Jude, in whatever form I had taken, was entirely possible.

But what else could I do? Could I travel ? Did I vanish entirely when I accessed these gifts? I held too many questions, and I practically crumbled beneath the weight of them.

“Sometimes the answer is both the simplest…and the hardest. Destiny brought you and Jude together, but it didn’t demand that you fall for the guy.” He gave me a knowing look , and I hid my eyes with my hand. “Obviously, you did,” he continued. “Don’t even try to deny it.” He raised a brow when I opened my mouth. I shut it. “It’s up to you whether or not to heed its wishes.”

“It’s real, right?” I asked, more softly than I’d ever spoken.

Real that he loved me , not the woman I presented to the world. That strong, cocky facade. The me that felt fear and hope in equal measure. The me who wanted a partner, an equal, to stand by my side and fight with me.

Jake sighed in frustration. “We can’t control who we care for. So maybe get out of your own way and let someone in. Truly in. I know that love scares the shit out of you, and I know you’re afraid, but you can’t fight your feelings, Ki.”

He’d never been so serious, and the intensity in his stare shut down any retorts I had. Jake was right.

“You were touched by darkness. And him? Born from light. Two halves of the same whole,” Jake said. “I don’t care if I sound like an absolute sucker for saying this, but if any two people could rewrite the rules, it would be you and Jude. All you have to do is let him in.”