Shadow of The Marked: Divine Series

by J. G. Maltos

  “I think it’s secure enough. I’ll go first in case the rope or the spear gives up first. I will get the impact,” he says.

  “My hero,” I joke.

  “Hardy, har har,” he mocks and grips the rope. His face looks strained as he starts climbing. The wind picks up slightly causing the rope to move but Koura holds his pace. I am jumping at the heels of my feet waiting for Koura to reach the top. Once I see him climb over I near the rope and fill it between my hands. I look up at Koura's head that peeks out from the window.

  “You got this,” he says.

  I nod and pull myself up. My muscles ache but I keep pulling myself forward. The wind picks up and the rope swings slightly. I freeze and wait for the wind to stop. My heart pounds against my chest as I try not to look down. Once I feel secure I start moving again. I regret not trying my hair out of my face as it begins blowing uncontrolled around me. I lose focus for a moment, wiping the loose strands away from my face. My feet take the next step, but I must have stepped on a cracked piece of stone because I just feel my foot sliding and my leg scraping against the wall.

  I lose my grip on the rope and I start falling. I try to yell but my voice is stuck in my throat. I see Koura's frightened eyes above me as I fall. The wind is rushing around me as I continue to fall. The hazel eyes I see are now replaced by golden hues. I gasp out as I see Aries falling with me. He pulls me into his embrace and turns us over. I slam my eyes closed as I feel the impact of the floor. Aries releases a gust of air when the floor connects to his back.

  A strong ringing sounds in my ear. Aries still has his arms warped around me when I open my eyes. I roll away from him and lay next to him. I remain still as I try to catch my breath. I look up at the dark sky and see Koura's surprised face. He looks between Aries and me in confusion. Guilt rises and I know I am going to have to explain Aries to him.

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  “Yup. Just a broken back,” he groans. He closes his eyes and shadows manifest around him like a cocoon.

  I turn to him with worry, “Really?”

  He nods. “Yes but it’s almost healed.” The shadows lay around him on the ground. Aries's eyes remain closed while he lays still on the floor. His chest rises and falls in a smooth rhythm. I had never seen him heal himself but I feel like I need him to give him privacy.

  I rise from the ground and look up at Koura. “I’m okay,” I say loud enough for him to hear me. Koura doesn’t reply but only looks down at me with hurt in his eyes. Aries groans and I rush to his side to help him stand. He straightens his back and lifts his arms. I take a step back as he twists to the sides.

  “Good as new.”

  I shake my head and turn away from him and look up. Koura's eyes narrow as he looks at Aries.

  “He is not happy about me.” Aries awkwardly rubs the back of his head.

  I near the rope again and wrap it around my wrist.“Well, you did just save my life. I’m sure that’ll earn you some positive points.”

  Aries' golden eyes roam me, “Are you alright?”

  I shake my other wrist out.“I’m fine, just a scraped knee.” I look at the rope, “I lost my footing.”

  “The wall is centuries old, there’s bound to be loose pieces.” Aries drops down to his knees in front of me.

  I take a hesitant step back, “What are you doing?”

  Aries turns his head slightly, “Get on my back. I’ll carry you up.”

  I shake my head, “But the rope can’t hold both of us.”

  “The rope held up your boyfriend. I weigh almost the same or slightly more than him. You weigh almost nothing therefore the rope will hold. I would suggest you hurry.”

  I roll my eyes and climb onto his back. Aries rises with ease from his crouch and walks towards the rope. His heart slams against the palm of my hand.

  “Do not let go, no matter what.” He instructs and tightens my grip.

  Aries pulls himself up and starts climbing the rope. My chin rests on his shoulder and I can feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest. His muscles tighten beneath me as he continues to climb the rope with ease. Eventually, we reach the edge of the window where Aries stops and lets me climb first. I see Koura standing in the middle of the room. I hear Aries climbing in behind me and I turn to help him in the room.

  Aries flexes his hands in front of him. They are marked red from the rope. It is obvious I weigh more than he leads me to believe. “See? That was easy.” He tries to joke.

  I roll my eyes before taking a large breath and turn to face an angry Koura. I stand in silence for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. Aries stands next to me and looks at Koura.

  “Koura, this is Aries. Aries, this is Koura.” I say pointing at each of them.

  Aries takes a step forward and raises a stiff hand.“It is nice to finally meet you.”

  I curse at Aries words but Koura doesn’t miss a beat. “Finally? I had no idea you knew about me because I surely did not know about you.” Koura says while looking at me.

  Aries pulls his hand in slowly, “It’s a long story.”

  “Great, I love long stories.” Koura crosses his arms and eyes both of us.

  I take a step forward, “We do not have time for long stories. We need to find the crystal.”

  Koura ignores me and steps towards Aries. “Thank you for saving Althea, but that does not mean I trust you.”

  Aries raises an eyebrow, “Duly noted.” His shadows start materializing around him. Koura takes a step back and crosses his arms. Aries eyes turn charcoal black and disintegrate into the shadows. I move towards the door just before I catch Koura's hard gaze. I try to give him a small smile but he quickly turns away from me.

  We rush down the hallway, careful to keep our footsteps soft against the marble floor. My heart picks up with the familiarity of the caste. The walls that once brought me comfort and peace now hold the very thing that brought me fear.

  I can imagine the little girl I used to be hiding and playing within these walls. What would she think of who I am today? Her innocent hands that played tag with the maids' daughters now are all scarred with what they were made to do.

  I shake the thoughts from my head while Koura follows me through the hallways and service rooms. Blood rushes through my ears as we pass by familiar halls and passageways. Things are left just like the day the kingdom fell, and I don't know if I would have preferred it to be unrecognizable. I imagined the first time I would be stepping through this castle would be with open arms instead of breaking in. We pass through servant rooms, bedrooms, but no lightning guard in sight.

  My nerves pick up again and I turn to Koura. Beads of sweat collect at the base of my neck, trickling down my neck. He looks back at me with suspicious eyes. This has been a little too easy thus far, especially if they are hiding something as precious as an element crystal.

  I turn the corner of a hallway. We pass large doors that lead to the throne room. I stop midway and take a step back. I can feel the crystal. It's not in the hidden passageway. It's behind these very doors. Its power beats into me like a drum, pulling me closer and closer.

  "It's here," I say in awe. "It's so close." I stare at the doors in bewilderment. The power of the crystal is calling to me like a beacon. Koura leans an ear against the wood of the door and I can't stop myself from reaching for the handle. A warm hand lands on top of mine.

  Stop.

  Aries' velvet voice rings next to my ear. I freeze and turn toward Aries, who has materialized only in his shadow form yet again. Koura takes a hesitant step back away from the both of us, eyeing the black silhouette that is covered close to my hand.

  "It's here," I say, confused. "I can feel it."

  Aries doesn't move an inch, but even in this form, I can feel a tenseness in him. "Something doesn't feel right, Princess."

  This confuses me even more and I can't help but shift my gaze at Koura, hoping he'd have some sort of answer. "You know the castle better than anyone else right now," the frost soldier
says, but an uneasiness hangs at the tip of his tongue. "I have to agree with him though. Although I love an easy mission, those simply don't exist. We should have run into some type of problem by now."

  The energy of the crystal strengths, as if it senses that I'm near. It's almost like a magnet, forcing me to come nearer. It begs me to follow. The impatience feels overwhelming the longer we stand out here so close to the crystal.

  Come.

  The voice is so silent, neither of the men gave any indication to have heard it. To me, though, it is loud and crystal clear. I freeze in place, scanning the hall for the source of the voice but I am met with nothing.

  I look back at the giant pair of doors. Aries' hand came back to their side, and the guys were just about to say something when that familiar voice came again.

  Closer.

  Again, it is so clear that I knew it had to be coming from somewhere. My hand jumps to my chest in fright.

  "What is it?" Koura studies me. "What's wrong?”

  Although Aries remains nothing but a shadow, he takes a step close to me as well, making Koura take a protective step forward. "Whoa, there. That's close enough."

  There must have been something in Koura’s tone that stirs something in Aries, because the next thing I know, the smoke disappears, leaving in its wake the solid limbs of a human. Koura pushes me behind him. He raises a translucent blade made of frost between him and Aries. Aries raises a perfect eyebrow at Koura before shifting his gaze to me, but I am too focused on what's calling me to notice the battling energies between the two.

  I push past Koura, reaching for the smooth handle and swinging the doors open. The air whips past me, sending the stray strands of hair away from my face and creating a perfect view of what reveals itself before me. My breath catches in my throat.

  The two men rush to my side and scan the room with urgent eyes. Out of everything the rebellion decided to ruin, the throne room shouldn't have been much of a surprise. But even then, seeing the strategic cracks that dotted the marble floor, splitting through the engraved images of my mother's white roses into a nearly unrecognizable mesh of meaningless lines, it took everything within me not to fall to my knees. The walls that once held our famous family portraits now were bare from any of our history. In its wake were nothing but charred remains, the broken frames of memories that couldn't survive the flames.

  "I said this doesn't feel right," Aries' voice comes from behind me. "The shadows are extremely quiet."

  "Quiet?" I ask.

  His golden eyes continue to scan the room. "The few that have not fully succumbed. There are a few here."

  "How?"

  "As long as there is darkness, they can move freely. Normally, I could hear them, but now they are silent," he clarifies, sending goosebumps up my arm.

  "You mean they are either staying away or something is keeping them away?" I pinch the bridge of my nose as if that would somehow clear my mind. "Let's continue cautiously since we are already here." Aries nods and takes a step forward. My eyes scan our surroundings. Koura stands next to me and places a guiding hand on my back.

  I look around slowly, taking in the wreckage in front of me and raising my palm to my mouth to muffle the cry that threatens to escape from my trembling lips. I wait for Koura to move forward, but he, too, stands still as he takes in his surroundings. Even if you had never seen the Earth kingdom's throne room before, the intent of the rebellion was clear. My father took great pride in the design of our castle, a part of me was grateful he wasn't able to see the state it was in now.

  "You see, Althea," I remember him saying."This throne room has not changed since our family before we constructed the castle. When we are gone, this is what will remain— it is our legacy. We must always take care of it, my love."

  "Oh, Father." I giggle at his serious face.

  "One day, you will understand the importance of this room. Countless laws, punishments, and important decisions have been made within these very walls. Soon, you, too, will become part of its history."

  "Yes, Father!" I stifle the yawn that hangs at the tip of my tongue and instead looks up at him with big, begging eyes.

  He looks down at me with love in his eyes. “What do I always say?”

  “Lead with Love,” we say together.

  I giggle at him again, "Can I go outside and play now, please?"

  My father looks down at me before heaving out a sigh and patting my head the way fathers do when they find themselves defeated. His eyes glisten with love and my heart swells. I let out a huge smile, knowing he caved into my tactics.

  "Very well, but our lessons are far from over, missy." He bends down and kisses my forehead.

  “Ew!" I wriggle away from the sharp stabs of his mustache. "Gross!"

  "And one day you will miss my kisses as well," he chuckles loudly.

  "I can't miss something that will never be gone," the younger me retorts. "I'll have you here forever and ever!" I remember the jump in my step as I ran past our family portraits and the two large pillars towards the exit of the door—still intact.

  I can not have been more wrong. The throne room is destroyed to pieces, and my eye catches on where the thrones would be, I find myself weak and crumble on the floor. The rebellion didn't miss a thing to destroy.

  I crash to the floor and bring my knees to my chest. I gasp as I clutch the pain that grew in my chest, feeling a burning hate blazing in my heart. Then I bury my head in my knees and let the sobs out in waves. Even in the cells, I have never felt so broken.

  My heart tightens with every breath I take. The sorrow of seeing the burned and ripped images of my parents and passed rulers disbands. It's replaced by a strong loathing of every single person who let this happen.

  They will suffer, and it will be under my hands. Just like they used their own hands to obliterate my family and kingdom.

  A hiccup escapes my throat. I raise my burning eyes toward the throne room. Koura's eyes brim over as he too takes in the destruction of the room. We even played hide and seek here because it was the largest room in the castle. Our eyes meet and I crumble.

  He pulls me into a bone-crushing embrace. My throat starts to burn as I try to take in more air. Koura whispers soothing words into my ear but they have no effect on me. My crying slowly stops as if my body ran out of tears to shed. I pry open my burning red eyes and the feeling creeps up my bones.

  Aries notices my confusion and walks to me, "What do you feel?" he whispers.

  Koura inclines his head, listening intently as he keeps a watchful eye around the room. "The crystal," My voice cracks, as a rush of unknowing emotions overwhelms me.

  "Can you feel where it is, Princess?"

  I look past Aries. "There," I lift myself from the ground and walk toward where my parent's throne should have been.

  Why is its pull so strong? Is this normal?

  Koura and Aries' boots click against the marble behind me, following me up the marble altar. I touch the melted metal that should have been the thrones and yank my hand away as an electric current shoots up my arm. My body repels its power.

  "What was that?" Koura steps up cautiously next to me.

  "I don't know," I say in awe. "It just shocked me when I touched it. How could the stone be here?"

  Aries walks up behind the throne, analyzing it. "Princess, you may wish to see this."

  I rush to stand next to him and focus on what caught his sudden attention. The roses that once decorated the throne are no longer comprehensible, but there is something else in the metal.

  "I think they did something else to it." My fingers graze over a cut in the throne, and again another bolt is sent up my arm. I look at the men with wide eyes. "It's here. I know it is. Koura, can you make something to knock this sucker open?"

  "Of course," he says, raises a sharp brow at Aries, who crosses his arms across his chest and offers his retort.

  "We don't have all day, snow boy."

  His remark causes Koura to grunt but he
doesn’t bother saying anything else. He nears the throne and his hands glow that brilliant blue. Slowly, a handle forms and at the tip is a hammerhead with large teeth. His large hands grip the head of the hammer, the veins on his arm bulging from the weight of the weapon. Aries and I take a cautious step back, giving Koura some legroom to work.

  He gives a large swing and the impact echoes throughout the throne room. The metal doesn't budge and he gives it a couple more swings, realizing too late that we may be making much more noise than we should be.

  I turn to Koura. "If the guards didn't know we were here, they sure do now. Give this last swing all you got. We have to get out of here fast." I pause, seeing suppressed frustration as a bead of sweat falls from his face. "No pressure though, of course." I raise my hands and back away.

  He swings and the last part of the cement barrier collapses. I take another step back from the gust of dust that surrounded us. Then I wave my hand across my face, trying to clear my vision. I felt the crystal pure energy seeping through me before I even laid eyes on it. It’s laid delicately inside my father's throne, hidden in plain sight.

  Clever. And Cruel.

  We would have missed it had it not been for its pull. I feel overwhelmed as I have found the one thing that can solve most of my problems. I look at Aries with pure joy. Maybe now I can control my powers and get my kingdom back! But something in his expression mutes my excitement. His face is serious and calculated. His stare focuses on the crystal and something about it nicked at the back of my mind.

  Koura must have noticed it as well seeing as how he gives me a short glance and shakes his head so lightly anyone would have missed it.

  I turn back to the crystal. It's a clean-cut crystal with different hues of green and whites shining against the light. On top of the crystal are wooden carvings of roots that ran up and encased them beautifully.

  Unable to resist its pull any longer, I reach toward the crystal and pull it from its spot. The next thing I know, I feel pain and a cold marble floor.