Page 43 of Return of the Darkness
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Caellum
“Where is she?” Caellum shouted; his voice filled with trepidation as he stormed down the grand staircase into the entrance hall of the castle. Sir Cain approached and raised his hands, his face devoid of warmth. He intended to stop Caellum, which meant he knew where she was. Something was wrong. “She is not in our rooms. It is three o’clock in the morning, and myqueenis not in our rooms.” Caellum brushed Sir Cain aside and stalked towards the doors. The guards moved into position to block him, moving their hands to the pommel of their swords. He could take six men, especially if it meant finding Sadira.
“Caellum, she is fine.” Sir Cain tried to reassure him.I shouldn’t have stayed up so late.He had read late into the early morning, having moved on from his father’s diary to his grandfather’s. He assumed Sadira had returned to their rooms after her trip into the city, yet when he had finally stumbled into their chambers, bleary-eyed, he saw the empty fourposter bed in the light of the fireplace embers and low burning candles, and instantly knew something was wrong.
“Sadira’s guards accompanied her.” Sir Cain grabbed Caellum’s arm, forcing him to face the commander. “She is fine.”
Caellum scanned Sir Cain’s eyes before shoving him off with a growl. “Then why can I not leave the castle?” Sir Cain pursed his lips in answer. Caellum hurried to the towering windows overlooking the dusty path from the city into the treeline toward the castle. It was dark—unusually dark. Clouds masked the moon and stars, while the sconces along the garden walls that usually burnedthrough the night were vacant. A chill rushed through the castle.
“Tell me what is happening. Now!” Caellum planted his feet shoulder-width apart and crossed his arms. Sadira was hidden somewhere in the darkness outside. Sir Cain’s voice was hushed as he told Caellum everything he knew.
“Her guards escorted her to the apothecary when the sun was setting. They estimated to be gone from the castle for around two hours.” Sir Cain stood shoulder to shoulder with his king, gazing out at the city residing in darkness. “Only an hour passed when the guards at the entrance to the estate rushed to find me, reporting of soldiers whom moved like shadows shifting through the trees and approaching the city.” Caellum finally tore his gaze from the darkness to meet Sir Cain’s eyes. His mind instantly returned to the battle, and the horror and pain inflicted by Caligh’s shadows.
“Caligh’s? Or Elisara’s?” Caellum asked. He doubted they had to worry about Elisara’s army, but while Caligh controlled no men in shadowed form, it was not unreasonable to assume he could.
“Until someone from the city can give us a full report, we won’t know for certain. Based on their description, I would suspect they are the shadows of Vala’s queen.”
“Why have we not sent anyone? A rank from the military?” Caellum’s voice rose again.
“They cannot see anything. I sent an extra twenty soldiers to guard the estate entrance, but every time they lit the sconces, the flames blinked out of existence. The entirety of Antor is bathed in darkness, not just the night sky but as though the shadows have come alive.” Caellum squinted through the glass but saw no moving figures or twisting shadows. Sir Cain was right. This was no typical cloudy night.
“So there is nothing I can do?” Caellum twisted the ring around his finger.
“You are the king. The realm cannot risk losing both of you, not without a successor.” Caellum considered his commander’s words. He was right. They had no succession plan, meaning thethrone would likely fall to a lord. But it was the lords’ idea he marry Sadira, so the citizens could trust their marriage more than the Balfour’s usurped claim to the throne. Not only would losing Sadira break Caellum completely, but it could also shatter the calmness that had settled across the realm ever since she became his betrothed. While cheers had greeted them upon his return from battle, Caellum was no fool. Their cheers were not for him. They were for his queen.
“Sheisthe rightful heir to the Garridon throne, and I will not place my life above hers.” Caellum whirled on his heel for the castle doors. “Sir Cain, bring your most trusted soldiers to the stables.” He shot the guards by the door with a look that promised severe repercussions if they disobeyed their king. Their armour clinked as they stepped aside, and with a shove fuelled by the strength of his blood, the king slammed the castle doors open, intent on finding his queen.
***
The darkness did not feel like Elisara’s. Caellum had watched the shadows respond to her on the desert. Even in her most erratic state, the darkness had not felt evil. But as he slowed to a gallop across the fields bordering Antor, danger danced across his skin. It was like the shadowed soldiers had thickened the air, making it difficult to breathe. Shivers trickled up his spine as Sir Cain and four soldiers dismounted alongside him. A further sixty soldiers approached the city from the north, south, and western edges. The city was devoid of light. Even the odd glow within homes, offered by the twitching drapes, did little to guide Caellum and his companions through the city.
Caellum tapped his sword two times on the path. Two to move forward. One to halt. He had not wanted to use sound as a means of communication, but it was too dark to point. He hoped thatwould change the closer it came to dawn, but he had an hour to wait until the sky was tinged in a dark shade of blue before the sun painted its canvas. Sir Cain scratched a piece of stone against a wall to ignite a spark for the lantern. It dwindled the second the flame erupted, confirming what the guards at the castle had said about their lanterns.
Slowly, Caellum moved along the first street on the city’s outskirt, his feet steady and his sword firm. The group paced forward until he paused outside the first door. His priority was finding Sadira, but he would fail his people if he did not ensure their safety too. Caellum had instructed the soldiers at the other ends of the city to do the same. As they moved inward, they knocked and checked each building. Athena’s apothecary was located on the next street over; it would not take long to reach. But with every door knock, Caellum’s heart rate spiked with worry and anticipation.
The echo of fists on wood was gentle as Caellum raised his hand again. Sir Cain was at the next door on his left; two other soldiers took the right-hand side of the street, while one stood behind Caellum. He counted to ten, waiting for anyone within to approach the window. A curtain twitched, and the inhabitant must have realised who was at their door because a moment later, a lock clicked as the door opened. A wrinkled face peered out.
“Is everyone within safe?” Caellum asked as quietly as possible. The old lady nodded, wide-eyed. “Have you or anyone else inside seen anything?” The lady glanced behind her and nodded. Footsteps sounded across the wooden floor until a man, similar in age, approached, resting a hand on her shoulder and holding a lantern in the other.
“There were murmurings at the tavern. Lord Ryon’s men were there,” the old man whispered. Caellum frowned. “There were mumblings that Ryon would make you regret keeping the throne from the true heirs, your Majesty.”
“Did they say how?”
The old man shook his head. “I took no notice, but when night fell, these—these dark shadowed men appeared and began taunting people outside the tavern.” The two seemed unconnected, but if Ryon was in the city, and the man’s words were true, then Ryon had likely been spreading doubt about his claim in other ways.
“Was anyone hurt?”
“Not that I know of. I got home as quickly as I could.” He raised the lamp higher, offering a clearer view of the fear in his eyes as he clutched the woman Caellum assumed was his wife. He opened his mouth to thank and reassure them but was stopped as the flame in the man's lantern blinked out. The glow from within the home, lit by the fireplace, continued, surrounded by mountains of candles. Perhaps whatever controlled the darkness could not dampen all light. Caellum peered down the street to where Sir Cain and two soldiers moved into formation, striding further along the cobbled road. Caellum swallowed, detecting a flurry of shadowed movement outside Athena’s apothecary.
“Lock your doors and stay inside until sunrise,” Caellum murmured. He nodded to the elderly couple before taking off down the street. He did not worry about the noise of his footsteps; he thought only of Sadira as Sir Cain raised his sword. A moment later, the drapes inside the apothecary flew open, bathing the street in light—enough for Caellum to see Sir Cain sword to sword with a shadowed soldier as two others stalked towards his men. Something was wrong about the shadows, but he trusted Elisara would not have caused this. She would never harm Novisia’s people.
Although the swords clashed silently against the shadowed weapons, they held as any other weapon would. Sir Cain and his soldiers pushed the shadows back, further from the apothecary. Caellum recalled when Caligh had pierced a sword through Elisara’s shadowed protector. It had been enough to send it back to the Sword of Souls until Elisara willed the shadows through again. Caellum angled his sword, hoping for the same outcome.
“Cain, low!” Caellum threw his sword with unnatural force,watching it soar through the air. Sir Cain ducked low, just as it met its mark in the soldier’s chest. The shadows dissipated and did not reform. Caellum charged forward at the remaining shadows drifting down the street with speed, likely noting they were outnumbered. The air felt lighter as Caellum rushed forward and pressed his hand against the glass panes of the apothecary. At least half of the candles burned brightly inside, illuminating his queen’s golden hair. Sadira stumbled forward, resting her palm against his on the glass. Caellum was about to command a solider to open the door before shouts rang out in the distance, sounding near the city square. His eyes widened as he turned back to Sadira, but he knew what to do before she opened her mouth.
“Go!” Though her shout was muffled, her words were clear. Caellum pulled his hand away and kissed his fingertips before touching the glass again.
