The Lord of Shadows

by E E Ewer

  Miko caught the tone. Maybe she was just tired. “And… you’re not mad at him anymore?” she asked.

  Nire smiled again and sat up. “No. I’m not mad.” She let out a sigh. “I just… don’t know what I want anymore.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “All I’ve wanted to do since I came here was go home, but now... I don’t know. I still want to go home, but I would miss being here, and I would miss…” Her voice trailed off.

  “Me?” Miko said jokingly with a big grin.

  Nire laughed. “Yes, I would miss you.”

  “But you would miss Lord Lucian more, I suspect,” Miko winked. The human girl felt her face turn red, and it only made Miko’s smile widen. “Marge kind of informed me about what’s been going on…” she added. “Oh!” she exclaimed as she quickly hopped off the bed and ran to the bathroom. “Bath’s ready!” she shouted to Nire.

  Nire placed Lucian’s cape on her bed and grabbed a towel out of the closet before entering the bathroom. Miko shot her a funny look as she walked in.

  “So that’s why you had the cape!” she said with a laugh.

  Nire blushed and rolled her eyes. “Attire that is not intended for traveling,” she added sarcastically.

  “What in the Realm did you get yourself into?” Miko inquired with an entirely new sense of concern.

  Nire made a sound of disgust as she was finally able to take off the ridiculous outfit and toss it to the floor. Stepping down into the hot bath she sighed. She allowed her head to sink beneath the lavender scented water for a moment before rising back up and telling Miko what had happened.

  Miko stared at her wide eyed. “Nire, do you have any idea how lucky you are?!” she nearly shouted.

  Nire nodded. “If he hadn’t shown up right when he did…” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t want to think about what might have happened.

  “And, you told him all of this?” Miko asked.

  “No,” Nire said sharply. “And I’m not going to tell him all of it.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I have already caused him enough trouble with the South,” said Nire. “If he knew all the details he would tear a hole in the time space continuum and throw that monster into it… one limb at a time.”

  “And it would be well deserved!” Miko argued, not exactly sure what a time space continuum was.

  “You told me yourself that the only reason Azael is still in power is because Lucian has no one else to put in his place, right?”

  Miko sighed. “Yes, that’s true it would cause problems. But I still think you should have told him.”

  “It’s not a big deal. Azael didn’t actually do anything, he just got horribly close. Besides, I don’t really want to tell Lucian,” she said, looking down. “I don’t want him to know everything that happened.”

  “Why?” Miko asked softly.

  “Because he just takes everything about me so damn personally,” Nire explained. “I know that he already blames himself for me running off, but it wasn’t really his fault. I did it, and it was a stupid thing to do no matter how mad I was. He’s already so worried about me - I don’t want him to be upset about even more things that he couldn’t prevent.”

  “He just wants to protect you,” Miko said, grabbing the towel for Nire as she moved to get out of the bath.

  “And he did. Everything else was my own damn fault,” Nire said with guilt in her voice “Promise you won’t say anything?” she asked, turning to her friend as she wrapped the soft towel around herself.

  Miko sighed. “All right, I promise.”

  As the next few days passed, Nire hardly saw Lucian at all aside from their evening meals, for which he was always late and left early. He apologized for his scarceness, and explained that he simply had a lot to catch up on since he’d been absent for nearly a month. Nire couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for putting him under all this stress.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, poking her food with a fork.

  Lucian raised his eyes to her in surprise. “Whatever for?” he asked gently.

  “Everything,” she said, her voice becoming unstable. “For running off and needing you to come save me. And for causing more problems between you and the South, and…” her voice trailed off and tears began to slide down her cheeks. Lucian stood quickly and walked to her side. “And…” she tried again.

  Lucian pulled out her chair and knelt down beside her, taking her in his arms. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said softly as he stroked her hair.

  “And now you’re so busy because you had to come find me,” she continued.

  “Shhh,” he urged.

  “And I don’t even get to see you anymore,” she finally choked out.

  This caught Lucian’s attention. Placing his hands on her shoulders he eased her away from him and placed his hand under her chin, lifting her face. Wiping her tears from her cheeks he smiled at her, and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. “Come,” he said. Standing and taking her hands, he pulled her up with him.

  He led her out to the Eastern Courtyards and Nire followed slowly, the gentle tug of his hand urging her forward. She wiped her eyes as they entered an area Nire had never seen before.

  She sniffled. “What’s this?” she asked, looking around.

  “I wasn’t planning on bringing you here until tomorrow, but it seems that the occasion calls for it a bit early,” he said with a smile.

  Nire looked around in awe at the garden. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was unlike the other gardens, which were very neat and precise. This one had a wildness about it. The paths twisted and turned through areas filled with grasses and flowers, and even the paths themselves were informal cobblestones splashed with moss and grasses growing between them.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said finally. “Where did it come from?”

  “I have been working on it whenever I get the chance,” Lucian said.

  “So… you just put it here?” the girl inquired as she continued to look around.

  “It’s a gift,” the demon said with a smile.

  Nire blinked and looked up at his golden eyes as they glittered in the soft glow of the moon. “A gift?” she asked.

  “Yes. For you,” he said.

  “For me?”

  He laughed. “You must enjoy hearing me repeat myself,” he joked.

  Nire blushed. “What for? I mean… why?”

  “Well, as I said I hadn’t really planned on bringing you here until tomorrow. But, I had hoped it would be an engagement gift.”

  “An… engagement gift?” Nire said again and shook her head, realizing she was still repeating everything he said.

  “Needless to say I am a bit unprepared, however,” Lucian said. Facing Nire he took her hands and gazed down into her beautiful green eyes. Nire’s heart began fluttering wildly in her chest as he brought her hands to his lips, kissing the tips of her fingers gently. “Nire, I already know what it is like to be without you, and I dislike greatly the thought of that being the norm. It would honor me, beyond words, if you would stay here with me… as my wife.”

  Nire froze. She didn’t know what to say. Had he actually just proposed to her? Wait… she thought. Didn’t he live like, forever? “How?” she asked suddenly, feeling tears rise to her eyes as she realized even if she said yes, how impossible it would be. “I’m going to grow old and die, and you’ll just stay the same.”

  “That, my dear, is only a technicality that is easily overcome. I am more than capable of sustaining your life and age as I am my own,” he reassured her gently.

  “You… are?” The lead ball that had been forming in the pit of her stomach began to ease.

  Lucian gently smiled at the tears in her eyes and bent down, placing his mouth on hers. Pulling away slowly, he let his lips linger near her. As her eyes slowly opened he looked into them longingly.

  “Is that a yes?” he asked, so close that his lips brushed against hers as he s
poke.

  Nire swallowed the lump in her throat, and nodded. She felt as though she had never seen him truly smile until that moment. Bending down he lifted her from the ground and stood. Holding her closely, he pressed his lips firmly to hers. Nire moaned into his mouth and Lucian’s heartbeat sped up. Quickly breaking the kiss he smiled at her and placed her back on her feet. If he was going to attempt to wait until they were married, he would have to avoid moments like that.

  “Come, there is still more for you to see,” he said, his smile wide across his face. Nire smiled back and quickly followed after him with her hand in his.

  As they turned a corner in the garden, Nire gasped as she saw the huge willow tree that was situated near a pond. Hanging from its branches was a swing, and Nire breathlessly made her way towards it. She ran her fingers across the wood of the swing and examined the tree.

  “It’s… it’s the same tree… the tree from my yard,” she marveled.

  “Is that what it is?” Lucian asked curiously as he parted the willow branches and joined her underneath its canopy.

  “How did you…” Nire said.

  “I wasn’t entirely sure what you would prefer, so I focused my energy on you before directing it here,” Lucian replied.

  “So you… what, read my mind?” Nire asked, confused.

  “No, it’s more along the lines of using the energy that I command to read you, and then using the information to create this. The details went straight into this garden, not back to me,” he tried to explain. Nire thought that she sort of understood. “I thought this tree seemed curiously specific,” he added.

  “It’s in the yard of my parent’s house,” she told him as she stared. “When I was little it was one of the only places I felt safe.” Nire sat on the swing and hung her head. She missed her family and friends, but now she had just accepted Lucian’s proposal and knew if she went back home, she would miss this place equally as much.

  Lucian knelt down beside her, placing his hand on her cheek to turn her face towards him. “My Love, what can I do?” he asked her in earnest. “You cannot live in both worlds.”

  “I know,” she said quietly as tears began to fall down her cheeks once again. “Maybe… if I could have only said goodbye.” She spoke softly to Lucian as his golden eyes reflected only tenderness. “They all must be so worried about me. They probably think I’m dead, or worse. If I could just tell them I’m ok.” Her tears streamed down her cheeks and Lucian wrapped his arms around her, pulling her from the swing.

  Holding her to his chest he wanted nothing more than to ease her pain. For a while Lucian sat there with her on the grass below the tree, gently stroking her hair as she cried. “Maybe,” he began, “there is a way.” Nire shifted and looked up at him. “You will have to give me some time, but perhaps it is possible.”

  She smiled up at him, and then threw her arms around his neck, holding herself close to him and placing her chin on his shoulder. It took the demon by surprise at first, but after a brief moment he placed his arms around the girl and let out a sigh of relief. Even if she stayed with him by choice, he couldn’t bear the idea that she would constantly be mourning the loss of her other life, or worse, regret her decision.

  As Nire relaxed in his arms and her breathing became shallow, The Lord of Shadows put his hand on her head and whispered, “Tired?” Nire nodded against his shoulder. “Should we take the shortcut? Or do I need to carry you through the castle?” he asked, musing.

  Nire grumbled. She hated going through shadows, but it would be a long walk back to her room and she certainly didn’t want to be carried. “Shortcut,” she stated flatly, muffled by his jacket.

  Lucian laughed softly. “Ready?” he asked, lifting her from the ground. Nire nodded, and let out her breath. As they stepped into her room, Nire sucked in the air. She was getting better at that, she thought. Lucian stepped towards her bed and laid her down. Kneeling beside her, he guided her head to his, kissing her gently.

  She lay quietly, looking into his eyes for a while as he stroked her hair. As he moved to stand, she reached out and put her hand on his.

  “Hmm?” he inquired, looking back to her, his eyes piercing through the darkness.

  “Do you have to go?” she asked sleepily. She was still upset, and didn’t really want to be alone.

  Lucian smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. “Yes, I should.” Nire frowned. “You are tired, and I fear I might be inclined to keep you up all night,” he added, flashing her a smirk.

  Nire blushed a little at the insinuation. He was obviously trying very hard to be courteous, but she still didn’t want him to go. “Can you just… lay with me until I fall asleep?” she suggested.

  Lucian frowned and raised an eyebrow as he considered whether or not he could manage that. Letting out a sigh he climbed over her and laid down behind her, wrapping his arms around the green eyed girl and pulling her close. Her smell was intoxicating, and it was difficult to keep his mind off what his body wanted to do.

  Nire smiled and relaxed. She was quite tired, so with any luck it wouldn’t take long for her to fall asleep. She had agreed to be his, and tomorrow he would make the announcement to the court. He was not fond of the idea of letting her go, even for a short time, but if it would make her happy, it would be so.

  The court was buzzing with the announcement of the engagement. Margery was actually walking around with a smile on her face for once, and seemed to be enjoying the task of making preparations for the upcoming engagement ball. Miko had made a point of running around with Nire, trying to help her with her own preparations.

  Nire was insanely nervous about being presented to the entire court as the betrothed of the Lord of Shadows. They had a month to make sure everything was perfect, but Nire already had the jitters.

  No one in the court knew that the human girl would be taking a brief hiatus before the ball, and that was the way they intended on keeping it. Margery, Miko, Alastor and Neir were the only people outside of Lucian and Nire themselves who were aware of the plan.

  Neir had graciously offered assistance with preparing a proper charm, and Lucian himself had enchanted it. What he had managed to gather from his readings was that the planes of worlds often moved on a set path, which frequently took them within close proximity to each other, as well as extreme distances. It was supposed that during times of extreme closeness, it was possible to link the planes together, and thus pass between them.

  Lucian still had no idea how Nire could have done that on her own, but suspected it had something to do with the connection she had to him. The only concern was that the time frame for when the planes closed in on each other was entirely unknown. For all they knew they could have already passed, or perhaps they would linger for a while.

  If they were in fact close, Lucian would be able to create the path between them and send Nire through. Without him however, he had no way of bringing her back, and no way of communicating with her either. He would just have to trust that Nire would return to him, but he had no doubt in his heart that she would.

  It was midnight when Lucian went to meet Nire in her room. Miko and Margery were already with her, and she was dressed in her jeans and tank top. Holding her bag over her shoulder she smiled when she saw Lucian step out from a shadow. Miko and Margery said their farewells, and left the two alone in the room.

  When they were gone, Lucian presented to Nire a silver necklace with what appeared to be a moth hanging from the chain.

  Placing it around her neck, he lifted her hair out from behind the chain and laid it gently on her back. His expression was stoic, and Nire watched him closely.

  “When you are ready, this will lead you back to me,” he said plainly, touching the end of the pendant with his finger.

  Suddenly the moth on the end of the chain fluttered to life and rose off her chest. Nire gasped, and stared at the white moth as it glowed in the darkness of the room. She watched in awe as it flew around her head a few times before reclaiming the
chain with its front legs, laying its wings flat against her chest and becoming solid once again.

  “This charm belongs to you, and no one else will be able to wear it. When you are ready, between the hours of twelve and three when the moon is full, bid it to bring you home and it will lead you here,” Lucian instructed her solemnly. Kneeling down so that he was eye level with Nire, he took her face in his hands. “Come back to me.”

  Nire threw her arms around his neck and held tightly to him for a moment. “I will,” she whispered. Wrapping his arms around her they stood quietly for a moment in each other’s embrace. Finally, Lucian took her shoulders and pulled her from him.

  “You must go,” he said as he stood. Leaning down he pressed his lips to hers, savoring her warmth. Nire reached up and put her arms around his neck, one of her hands resting on his horn as he moved his lips against hers. As he broke the kiss and raised his head, he held her tightly to him once more.

  “I won’t be long,” she said, reassuring him.

  “I have to send you through the shadows alone. Hold your breath and follow the charm,” he instructed her sternly. “Be careful with it, it’s the only connection I have to you.” Nire nodded. “Are you ready?” he asked one last time.

  “I’m ready,” she said.

  “Exhale.”

  The darkness surrounded her, and she felt the air being stolen from her lungs. The warmth of Lucian’s arms disappeared, and the cold of the shadows surrounded and stroked her. The charm around her neck began to glow, and the moth rose from her chest. It flew swiftly in front of her, and she desperately ran after it.

  Her lungs began to burn, and her heart raced as she started to wonder if she would make it. Just as she thought she might lose herself, there was a glow in front of her. She reached out towards the light and suddenly the air rushed into her lungs. She was knocked to the ground.

  “Ough!” she shouted, hitting the pavement.

  A car horn blared as it passed, and Nire began to cough as the night air filled her aching lungs. Rising to her hands and knees she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders.