Page 33 of Claimed By Night

“Where are we going, liege?”

I clear my throat as I consider the options before us. Of course, the only place Thoradin and I can return to now is the Shadow Realm, otherwise we will very shortly become gargoyles. But if we return to the Gorge, I have no doubt Variant or his men will be awaiting us. Thus, it’s out of the question.

But the Gorge isn’t the only place within the Shadow Realm where one can hide. Shadowland is vast and one could very easily lose oneself there, which will provide the exact cover we require. My mind returns to our previous conversation with Cambion. Just as Thoradin and I will soon be turning to stone where we stand, Cambion won’t be able to enter the Shadow Realm without consequence. Even if Variant didn’t plan a punishment for Cambion like he did for me and my kind, everyone knows beings of light suffer in the shadow plane. Their power and life forces are leeched from them—slowly at first, but, over time, remaining in darkness can be fatal. The same goes for the angel and sprite.

“Grimreap,” I respond with more confidence than I feel.

Thoradin’s harsh eyebrows arch in surprise, but he says nothing; instead, he recites the necessary enchantment to create a portal back to our world. Leaving our realm requires creative solutions, but returning necessitates only a simple incantation. Thoradin vanishes from sight with a quick spin. Leaves kick up around him, the only trace marking where he once stood.

I feel my expression begin to harden involuntarily, my muscles seizing as my now gray arm stiffens against Cambion. On my last breath, I step into the portal, eager to have my body returned to me but worried about what enemies will meet us at our new destination.

***

DRAGAN

The Raven Forest,

Shadow Realm

We arrive in a dimly lit grove, blessedly free from interlopers. For now.

I find it interesting and equally annoying that it appears Variant didn’t bother to place any limitations on Cambion with respect to leaving his realm. Whereas I turn to stone when leaving mine, Cambion doesn’t appear to have suffered any ill effects for leaving his. And it’s been over an hour since we passed through the portal.

I always assumed Variant liked me least of the three of us but now I’m convinced.

We’re on the outskirts of Grimreap, in the Raven Forest. The stench of the city wafts over us, riding the coattails of a sluggish breeze. I watch as the stony gray bleeds away from my skin and feeling returns to my arms and legs. That was close. Closer than I’d like.

I assess our weak crew. Thoradin has placed Eilish, still slumped, against a tree. He clenches and unclenches his fists, likely feeling the same uncomfortable sensation I do as the blood returns to his previously lifeless limbs.

Eilish, Cambion, and the blasted sprite all look worse for wear. The natural luminosity of their skin has already waned in the dim that surrounds us in the shadow plane. Eilish, still arrestingly beautiful, emits a light of her own, but her skin has taken on a gray hue, here—devoid of color in the dismal gloom. Her face is still clammy from her recent ordeal, and her long eyelashes flutter against her cheeks as if she’s dreaming. Her white hair stands in stark contrast against the dull black of the skeletal tree behind her. If it weren’t for the slight movementof her eyelids and the gentle rise and fall of her chest, I’d think she was dead. I force my eyes away from the sheet still draped loosely around her delicate body.

Flumph has, for once, stopped his incessant chatter and seems to be in a daze of sorts. He sits, swaying slightly, beside the angel, his waxy skin looking greenish. I turn as I hear a small burp precede his retching.

I set Cambion against another nearby tree before turning my attention back to Eilish. I have more than one issue with her current outfit. Not only does it arouse something dark and slumbering within me, but my attention isn’t the only one she’ll attract. Men will want her as soon as they lay eyes on her. And if she’s clothed in nothing but a sheet, that want could make them act against their own better judgement. An angel in the shadow plane will be hard to miss, regardless. But a half-naked angel? Variant would be on us before we even knew we’d been spotted.

Furthermore, I don’t trust Cambion. I’ve seen the way he looks at her—like he’s hungry. And I don’t know what to make of the vision she had of the two of them… having sex. Apparently, Cambion witnessed it, too. I can’t explain why, but the visual disturbs me. Deeply. I don’t want him to possess her. I don’t even want him to touch her.

Cambion doesn’t deserve her. None of us do. She’s the epitome of light and beauty and each one of us is flawed. Me, especially.

“Shall I create theGlyph of Warding, liege?” Thoradin asks, pulling me from my deep thoughts. I’m grateful for the distraction.

“Yes.”

TheGlyph of Wardingis a way of protecting everyone within a designated area from anything or anyone outside that boundary. I watch as Thoradin inscribes the glyph on six of the closest trees surrounding us, creating a squarish pattern.He uses his fingers to draw his mark on each of them and his shadows sink into the glyph, making it glow red.

Even though the wards that now protect the perimeter of our camp are invisible, they radiate dark energy that warns beasts, sentient and otherwise, as well as the dead, to stay away. If something is brave enough to touch the wards, a blast of Shadow Magic will cause them to regret their decision. But theGlyph of Wardingwill allow the five of us to freely travel back and forth without consequence.

My senses are sharp and I don’t detect anyone near the small clearing, but it’s only a matter of time before something emerges from behind the swirling, dark fog around the city. What’s more, the cold mist that hangs around us has saturated the ground and surrounding trees.

“That should protect us for the time being,” I say.

Thoradin nods soberly. “Even so, we must keep sentry over the camp at all times.”

“And we must build a fire,” I add.

The fire is important not only for heat—the light will also encourage the less-than-friendly inhabitants of the Raven Forest to keep away. Light is the antidote to darkness, and the creatures that occupy this forest are of the shadows.

I glance at the three beings of the light and sigh. It’s only a matter of time before they become as icy and damp as their surroundings. As if to confirm this thought, I see Flumph shiver.

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