Page 95 of Stolen By Shadow Beasts

We're out of the main cave. Other than the elder, it seems that every shadow beast on earth is around us. Most are in the front, leading our sad group. Apparently, they'd left before us to speak with the king and his minions, to let them know they were successful and that the deal would be completed soon. A group of about a dozen surround our group. Guilt radiates from them, but also exhaustion. I understand that, even if I don't believe they're doing the right thing. They're tired of this war. They're tired of the blood and death. But it doesn't justify making this horrible decision, and I'm pretty sure they know deep down that we're right.

It doesn't stop them from doing this though.

Half of them carry torches, but they're almost unneeded. Around us, shards light up in every direction in the woods. They're like a creepy path to our destruction. And it almost seems sad that they believe these pieces came from the heart of a goddess who saved them but are now being used to destroy a world. It's also creepy to see just how many there are in these woods.

"I thought we'd collected most of the shards," I say.

Dusk shakes his head. “There are almost enough for the king to expand the shadow realm.”

Flame glances back at me, his mouth in a thin line. "We've been keeping a stash of them from the elder. Part of our agreement was to put them back."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Phantom growls. "After all our hard work!"

Flame winces, but then shakes his head. "It doesn't matter anymore. This war has been lost."

"What would your goddess say?" Rayne asks, crossing his arms over his chest. Neither he nor I were bound. I'm thinking it's because they didn't see us as much of a challenge, which is more than a little insulting.

"Goddess help us," rises from a few of the men, but nothing else.

Rayne gets a familiar look on his face, one that says he's putting together pieces of a puzzle, and that he's close to making them work. I just hope whatever he's figuring out will help us when he does. Not that we have a lot of time left.

“The second they get us to the shadow realm we're done for.” Phantom speaks in a low voice just beside Rayne, telling us something I'm pretty sure we all already know. But then he leans in and whispers something to Rayne. I can't see either of their faces, but I see Rayne tense, then give a subtle nod.

A second later, I watch Rayne slip Phantom something. I'm not sure what, but my mind is going a million miles a minute. There's a plan. A way to escape before we reach the shadow realm, I hope, but I don't know how it’d be possible. Not with a dozen shadow beasts around us, and dozens more a short distance in front of us. But I know we have to make a move soon... or never.

I don’t know the plan, don’t know my place in it, but I’m ready to fight. My muscles tense, and I watch my men, ready for the smallest sign.

And then, it's like an explosion. Phantom breaks free of his bindings, then uses his dagger to cut Onyx and Dusk free, the three of them have taken swords from our guards before our enemies know what's happened. I don't know what to do, but I clench my hands into fists, ready to help in any way I can.

But within seconds, a hand digs into my arm so hard it hurts, and then I'm being hauled away. Away from the fight and my men.

I look at the person taking me, feeling frantic. And... my gaze catches with Rayne's.

"Wh-what?"

"Just run!" he says, his words soft, but still a command.

Run? Are they running? Are they escaping too?"We should be with them!"

But he doesn't listen, just keeps yanking me along.

In a fair fight, no way are these shadow beasts guarding us enough to take Phantom, Onyx, and Dusk, but something tells me that they aren’t about to fight fair. They’re fighting for what they think is their freedom, for what they believe will stop all the death, and those are powerful excuses to put a good defense. But Dusk and Phantom and Onyx are fighting for their lives.Allof their lives, even the ones fighting them.

So if my men dove into the darkness of the woods to pick them off one by one, that might not be the fair fight they would prefer, but it's most definitely smarter than taking them on out in the open. It's the only thing that will give them a chance to get away, even if they have to hurt or kill some of their brethren to do it. I just have to hang onto the hope that my guys can win.

Rayne pulls me through the forest, then down behind a boulder. It's confusing. Shouldn't we be ducking and weaving through the woods? Making noise to split the forces so they don't all go after my men? I want to be sure I'm helping in some way, but Rayne has his body wrapped around mine, a barrier between me and our enemies.

"Where are we meeting them?" I whisper.

Rayne doesn't answer.

"Shouldn't we be making more noise? Drawing their focus this way too so the guys can get away?"

He shushes me, and my anger boils.

"Talk, right this second, or I'm running right to the shadow realm!"

Rayne sighs then whispers, "They aren't trying to get away."

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