Page 122 of Shadow Kissed

He mockingly bows. “The very same. And you are the heiress to the night throne and the key to me ending the Shadow Realm once and for all.” He pulls out a small dagger and flips it in his hand.

I take a step back, but his henchman pushes me forward. “What are you going to do? Where are my brothers?”

He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. “I do not know where your brothers are. You’d have to ask your dear Lord Commander about that.” He waggles his finger in the air. “As for what we’re going to do. You’re going to grant me access to your realm and then I’m going to mine all the sunstone, exterminate the Shadow Borne, then burn the Night Realm to the ground like my father should have done all those years ago.”

“There’s one problem with your plan,” I tell him, sending him a withering glare. “I have no idea how to access the Night Realm.”

He laughs. “My dear girl. All I need to do is cut your palm and place your hand against the opening and hey presto!” He looks me up and down. “I might keep you though and add you to my harem.”

“I’d rather die!” I hiss just as his lackey grabs me from behind by my throat and holds me in place as a Calix stalks towards me with the dagger in his hand.

Shadows appear from behind him, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I instantly recognise them as Raegal’s. He appears behind us, his eyes as black as night and a menacing and dark expression on his face. Calix yanks me from his henchman andspins me, so he has me held against his chest with the dagger to my throat.

“Let her go, Calix. This is between you and me,” Raegal commands, his shadows held in his palms, ready to attack.

“Ah, here is the royal prince, or should I say the Lord Commander,” Calix chuckles in my ear, making me shiver with distaste at his nearness. He smells like charred wood. “Had you fooled didn’t he, princess, as you did him? Both keeping secrets from each other. Tut-tut!”

This man was certifiably crazy.

“She is a beauty though, isn’t she?” Calix says, as he licks up my cheek with his tongue, making me want to vomit. “I might keep her for myself. Fill her belly with my fire seed.”

Raegal releases a low and deadly rumble. “Touch her again and I’ll rip your tongue from your throat and feed it to you. Let her go.”

“Interesting.” Calix grins. “How does it feel, princess, to have him deceive you all this time? It must hurt, especially when you gave him your trust.”

I bristle at his words. In truth, I am pissed. Raegal lied to me about who he truly is.

“Fuck you!” I spit out, and angle my elbow, jabbing him as hard as I can in his ribs. He clearly isn’t expecting it, because for a brief second, his grip on my throat slackens and I duck down and out from under his grip. Raegal’s shadows waste no time. They grab me, hurling me away from Calix, sending me careering towards the void, as Calix aims a ball of flames Raegal’s way, and he pushes it back with his shadow magic. I stumble onto my knees and place my hand out to steady myself. There’s a blast of light and when I glance up, I realise I have placed my hand directly over the crack in the void.

“Reya!” I hear Raegal shout from behind me, but I don’t have time to react as the void pulls me in with incredible force andspits me out on the other side. I put out my arms to break my fall and as my hands touch the soil beneath me, a low steady rumble sounds in the distance. I gasp as something visceral and powerful rips through my body, causing my back to arch and my eyes to roll.

Power fills my veins and overloads my senses.

A thousand images flash through my mind, glimpses of the past. My mother creating the gateway to Asen and stepping through. A dying king handing a glowing orb to his guards and taking his final breath. A shadow soldier staking the king through the heart and fleeing. I take a deep breath as I feel the hum of this foreign magic inside of me. So much power. The low rumble grows louder, and I watch with bated breath as a ripple erupts from the ground beneath me, and the overgrown grass and weeds and trees slowly recede to reveal a pathway.

‘End the eternal night,’ whispers a voice in my ear, and I spin around, thinking someone is there, but there is no one. Scrambling to my feet, I fix my eyes on the sealed gateway. I have to go back! My brothers need me. I stare down at my bloodied palm. Calix said my blood could open the gateway, so if it let me in, it should let me back out. With my heart hammering in my chest, I press my palm to the closed gate to Asen.

Nothing.

Nothing happens.

I hammer my fists against the gateway and demand the gods let me return home.

Silence.

Turning around, I sink to the floor and look out at the desolate Night Realm, streaming with daylight.

The reality of my situation hits me.

I am trapped here, in a realm devoid of life. Completely alone, with no way of getting back home.

The End.

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