Page 35 of Shadow Kissed

I nod my head and leave him at the bottom of the stairs. I feel his eyes on me as I climb each step, and it causes a tingling down my spine.

14

REYA

When I enter the commander’s suite, Nyra informs me that she has packed everything away in my bag. I thank her for looking after me and she assures me it was an honour to serve a Shadow Kissed and something she will always remember. She leaves me alone and I walk to the window and, opening it, lean on the frame and peer out into the night. I had hoped I’d get to see a little more of Brinwood and maybe even meet a fellow Shadow Kissed, but it wasn’t to be. I feel a mixture of excitement and fear at travelling to Shadow Valley. I have heard so much about it from the men in the inn; I’ve built an image in my head of a dark and foreboding place, surrounded by the onyx crystal mountains. It will also be the last place I see before the reaping. Possibly the last place on Asen that I’ll visit. What will the other girls be like? Will they have had similar experiences to those I had growing up or not? Maybe for the first time in my life, I won’t feel different. I’ll be surrounded by other girls with the same fate as mine.

Raegal returns to the suite, and I inform him everything is packed. He has me place my bag beside his on the floor and then he holds out his hand to me. I gaze at his hand, then up at him.

“I’m afraid you’ll need to hold on to me for this next part.”

Clearing my throat, I step into his personal space. He takes my hands in his and I don’t miss the tingle of electricity that travels across my skin where we touch. He places my arms around his neck and wraps his around my waist.

“Ready?”

“No,” I admit, shaking my head and worrying at my bottom lip. He makes me flinch when he gently grips the bottom of my chin.

“I promise you are safe with me.” His pale grey eyes hold me prisoner. Grey eyes are a distinctive feature of the Shadow Borne. There is something about the colour that draws me in. In certain lighting, they look silver.

I jump slightly when his shadows leak from his body and grow, wrapping us in a cocoon. They move faster and faster until I can’t see any of the surrounding room. His shadows fully encase us, and then there’s a sharp blast of cold air and the deafening sound of his shadows whirring around us. I gaze up at him and his eyes are pure black as he uses his magic. He looks like a beautiful monster. Capable of tearing down the world and obliterating everything. His dark eyes stare down at me, and I can’t tear my gaze away from him. He is both terrifying and magnificent all at once. A strand of his shadows reaches out and cups my face and I can’t help but want to lean into it. His magic should repel me, but instead, I am inexplicably drawn to it.

As fast as his shadows appear, they withdraw back into him. The last strand being the one touching my face. It lingers, almost as though the shadow doesn’t want to leave.

I blink in surprise when I cast my gaze around us and realise that we are indeed in an entirely different location. Surroundingus on all sides are high black onyx mountains. To the north are stone steps that lead to a large circular stone structure that holds black whirring shadows inside. My head whizzes in all directions, eager to take everything in. This is Shadow Valley. I’m now deep within the confines of my enemy’s lair. Grand buildings line either side of a wide pathway. As I glance down at the paving stones beneath my feet, I notice that they are made from moonstone crystals. White and bright and contrasting starkly against the dark bricked buildings. My gaze is irresistibly pulled down the long promenade to the very end, where I catch my first glimpse of the gateway to the shadow realm. Even from this distance, you can feel the energy emanating from the strange structure. Wide onyx steps lead up to it. It hovers as if suspended in the air, circular in shape and surrounded by what appears to be thick black vines and thorns. I shudder at the realisation that one day I will walk through that gateway and never return.

“Welcome to Shadow Valley,” Raegal says, watching my reaction to our new surroundings. I realise I still have my arms tightly wrapped around his neck and I flush, clearing my throat as I casually withdraw from him, taking a step back.

“Woah!” I groan as I almost lose my balance. Is the floor moving? Raegal reaches out and grabs my waist.

“Easy now. I think you’re a little lightheaded after travelling here.”

I close my eyes and shake my head, trying to clear the dizziness. “Yeah, hopefully I won’t be doing that again anytime soon.”

He gives me a few minutes to settle, and then gestures with his hand for us to walk across the promenade. I am drawn to a large dome-shaped building that resembles a temple. “What is that building?” Once again made from onyx infused bricks, that almost look like glass with the moonlight bouncing off them.Standing in the centre of the enormous building is a statue almost as tall as the pillars that sit on either side of it. A godly male, with deep-set eyes and a strong angular jaw, he looks out across the valley with a dominant glare.

Raegal follows my line of sight. “That is the temple of our god, Arawn. It’s where we worship and make offerings.”

My eyebrows shoot heavenward. “What offerings?”

He grins at me. “No Asen’s, you’ll be pleased to know. We make offerings made from shadow dust or onyx crystal carved into his likeness.”

I nod my head, listening, all the while my eyes are concentrated on the large glistening crystal statue of their god. “We’re not barbaric like the Ignis, who sacrifice their people to their god, Aelius.”

I don’t miss the bite in his tone when he refers to the Flame Borne. The two realms have been in a bitter war for centuries, with no end in sight. I’ve never seen a Flame Borne, no one on Asen has. Rumour has it that when you gaze into their eyes, you can see an actual ring of fire around their pupils, and they ride dragons. Actual dragons. I think it all sounds far-fetched. I tag along behind Raegal as he guides us through the valley towards the large imposing mansion. Its four turrets at each corner dominate the night sky. The mansion, built from bricks containing onyx, sparkles against the moonlight, giving it an eerie appearance. I find my eyes being drawn back towards the portal. I’m drawn in by its magnetic pull as the black shadows whirl inside the circular stone arch.

“Frown at the portal any harder and you’ll likely decimate it,” Raegal says in front of me, not bothering to turn around when he addresses me.

“Can someone decimate it?”

He looks over his shoulder to address me now. “If they could, I wouldn’t tell you, would I? You have made your feelings about my kind abundantly clear,” he says dryly.

“As have you about mine,” I remind him, continuing to trail behind him. “What do you expect me to be? Grateful?” I ask him, sarcasm lacing my words. “Am I supposed to be grateful that you’ve taken me from the only home I’ve ever known, to a fate I hear terrifying rumours about, and never to see my family again?”

I jerk in surprise when he’s suddenly standing right in front of me. How the hell did he move so fast?

He glowers down at me. “You really are a pain in my ass, ascian. I expect you to know that the gods chose you for a reason and that by giving yourself up to your fate, you are ensuring your town prospers and has access to crops for the next fifty years.”

I snicker, trying not to appear intimidated by his nearness and the anger I feel rolling off him. “Please! We were fine until your kind came along bringing those mutts with you.”

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