The Lord of Shadows

by E E Ewer

  “Never,” she answered.

  Time crept by slowly as they lay in each other’s arms.

  “Lucian… what is this place? I mean… really?” she asked finally.

  “This is where I came to be,” he answered.

  Nire was about to ask another question, but she sat up instead. “You need to go back out there,” she said suddenly.

  “Hmm?” Lucian inquired at her sudden change of tone.

  “It’s nothing but a big mess without you,” she continued. “It was practically impossible for me to even get in here. I wouldn’t’ have been able to at all if it weren’t for the necklace.”

  Lucian sat beside her.

  “Miko said that everyone is worried that Azael will march on the east, and that everything outside the walls is complete chaos.” Somehow, Nire felt Lucian frown in the darkness.

  Wrapping his arms around her he held her close. “Ready?” he asked.

  Realizing what he was about to do, Nire put her arms around his neck and held on. “Ready,” she said.

  “You know what to do.”

  The cold rushed in around her as she pushed out as much air from her lungs as she could manage, before the darkness took the rest. Lucian’s arms were warm on her skin and she pressed against him.

  Emerging into a dark room, Lucian walked swiftly and placed her on the bed. Nire looked around at the moonlit room, and although she had never been there before it only took her a few moments to realize where she was.

  Lucian lifted the covers on the bed and placed them gently over Nire as he kissed her. Moving away he walked to his wardrobe. Nire’s eyes widened and she blushed as she watched his form cross the room. Dressing quickly, he returned to her side and laid a night gown beside her on the bed.

  Nire raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question why he kept a ladies nightgown in his room. Placing his hand on her face he kissed her once more.

  “Stay here. I will tell Margery where you are. Do not leave this room alone,” he said sternly.

  Nire nodded. “Where are you going?” she asked as he headed towards the door.

  “To clean up this mess,” he said flatly, closing the door behind him as he left.

  Chapter 15

  Table of Contents

  Slipping the nightgown over her head, Nire took a moment to look around the darkened room. Unlike the records room it was still clean and well maintained. The bed she inhabited sat on a small platform, and dark canopy curtains hung from the sturdy bedposts.

  To her left was a balcony door, through which she could see the moon hanging in the night sky. The fire place across from the bed remained unlit, but the moonlight flooded the room well enough for her to see. Sighing, she laid down on the soft sheets, hoping that Lucian could straighten things out quickly. She was certain he could handle it, but none the less there was a nervous feeling deep in her stomach that told her it might not be so easy.

  The warm sheets surrounded her and the bed was soft and comfortable. She smiled to herself at the thought of Lucian lying next to her. Until tonight she had pretty much accepted the fact that she would be living her life alone, with Gibson as her only bed mate. Suddenly feeling exhausted, she closed her eyes and quickly drifted to sleep.

  The feeling of Gibson pawing at her woke Nire from her slumber. “Gibby, not now,” she whined at the cat, still half asleep. Suddenly remembering where she was she pulled herself up. It was still dark outside. “That’s odd,” Nire said to herself as Gibson purred and rubbed against her. It felt like she’d been sleeping for a while, and it had been well after midnight when she’d found Lucian.

  As she stared out the balcony door wondering why it was still dark, the sound of cloth hitting the bed turned her attention. Margery was standing at the foot of the bed and had tossed her old green dress on the covers at her feet.

  “Sleep well?” she asked.

  “Yeah… why is it still dark out?” the brown haired girl asked as she petted the furry gray beast on her lap.

  “He forbade the sun to rise when you left,” Margery said flatly, with her hands on her hips.

  Nire stared. “But I’m back now,” she said, dismissing the disturbing fact that Lucian could forbid the sun.

  “Yes. But perhaps he is unready to announce that fact just yet,” Margery said suggestively, raising an eyebrow.

  “What’s he planning to do Marge?” Nire asked with sudden concern in her voice.

  “I’m not sure, but I think it’s safe to assume it involves Lord Azael. Let’s get you dressed and down to the kitchen for some breakfast,” Margery instructed.

  Gibson trailed shortly after the two women as they left Lucian’s chambers through a service hall.

  “They are unsealed?” Nire asked.

  “Yes, but only privileged ears know, so take care. The castle is aware of our Lords return, however the information is not leaving the grounds and most of the residents are still in the dark, so to speak, of what is going on,” Margery explained.

  “What is going on, Marge?”

  “More than even I know at the moment. His Lordship is preparing for something. The guards have been called from their posts by Alastor to the Southern Courtyards, and have been made very aware of your presence here,” she said.

  The old women slipped out of the service hallway near the entrance of the East Wing and passed by the two guards still posted there without trouble. Nire glanced at them as they walked by and noticed their eyes falling on the pendant that hung around her neck.

  Upon entering the kitchens Miko rushed towards the two women. “Nire!” she said, hugging the girl. “I’m so glad you made it.” Nina hovered closely behind her master, and Gibson quickly found the young girl and rubbed against her legs.

  As Nire ate with the kitchen staff, Nina made a small dish of something for Gibson and placed it at her feet. There was an awkward silence amongst the numerous cooks and maids as they ate. The tension that the Lord of Shadows had brought back with him was apparent. Everyone seemed to be expecting something, but had no idea what.

  The dark day droned on and the Castle felt overly quiet, except for the Southern Courtyards where there seemed to be quite a bit of commotion. Nire and Miko made a trip through the North Wing up to her old room. As she walked through the door, she stared in sheer disbelief.

  Gibson quickly found his way to the torn bed sheets and curled up. Everything was completely destroyed. Nire looked around the room in shock. The armoire had been thrown to the other side of the room and clothes were shredded. The green door had been cracked and barely clung to its hinges when they entered. The two posts at the foot of the bed had been snapped and lay in pieces strewn across the room. It was as if a tornado had come through the door and decimated everything.

  Nire stepped over the mess as she walked further into the room, completely silent. Miko hovered in the doorway. She hadn’t really wanted to bring Nire here, but she had insisted on going, and they were instructed to not leave her alone in the castle. After a long moment of taking it all in, Nire turned to face her friend.

  “Miko…” she said as tears formed in her eyes. The fox girl sighed. It had been a frightening day that Lucian had lost hope of Nire ever returning. Numerous places in Eastcastle suffered similar damage, but none quite so much as her bedroom and the gardens. Her eyes flashed around the room to where Gibson lay curled up on the bed, when something caught her eye.

  Lying gently on what remained of the foot of the bed, quite undisturbed, was the sketchbook. Nire walked over to it and picked it up. Not a single page was torn or wrinkled. She opened the front cover and glanced at the inscription and the heart she had drawn around it. Running her fingertips over the page, the paper felt rippled under her touch. Trying to get a better look in the dim light, it seemed as though the page had been splashed with water.

  Her heart sank when she realized what it was she was looking at. She closed the book and sat down on the foot of the bed. The chest that normally sat there was in pieces ne
ar the window. The tears that had been forming in her eyes began to fall down her cheeks. Miko carefully made her way into the room and sat next to her.

  “I never should have left,” Nire said. “I should have just been happy with things the way they were. I was right where I wanted to be and I was too stupid to know it,” she scolded herself.

  Miko put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Nire,” she tried to reassure her. “None of us knew what would happen. He just wanted you to be happy.

  “But look at what he did, Miko,” she said with a shaky voice, gesturing to the room.

  “He wasn’t mad at you, you know.”

  “I know. I just feel like none of this should have happened. He was right; by some stroke of fate I was dropped back here, and then I was too stupid to realize it was where I was supposed to be. I could have saved myself the last seven years of shit, and him the last … hundred and something.” She shook her head. She couldn’t remember how many years Miko said it had been.

  “Well, there’s no use in regretting it now,” Miko urged. “You’re back now and he will fix everything, then we can just pick up where we left off, right?” She smiled towards the sad green eyes that were fixed on the sketchbook.

  Nire was still troubled. Lucian was what appeared to be an unbreakable force, and the book that she held tightly in her hands was a distressing window into what she had done when she had disappeared. Looking up at her friend, her green eyes were glossy with tears as she stared at girl next to her.

  “I hurt him, Miko,” she said.

  The fox girl understood Nire’s distress. It was the same fear and unease the entire castle felt that day. The Lord of Shadows was a symbol of strength, and it was difficult to accept that he too had his limits. But unlike the rest of the realm, Nire felt more than the weight of what had happened. She felt responsible for it.

  “It’s not your fault,” Miko said.

  She looked away.

  “Nire, it’s not your fault,” she repeated. “He knows that. I know it, Marge knows it… Nire you can’t blame yourself for this. Everything will be right now, you’ll see.”

  Nire looked back at her friend and took a deep breath. She still felt horrible, but she knew she was right. And anyway, what’s done is done. She can’t go back and change it now. Nodding at Miko she stood, the sketchbook still firmly in her grasp.

  “Let’s get out of here, okay?” Miko suggested, standing after her. Realizing it was time to leave, the gray cat stretched and yawned before jumping off the bed and trailing after the girls.

  Alastor and the Lord of Shadows stood before the Southern Courtyard, which was in complete chaos. Men ran from one area to another with supplies, others prepared horses and armor, and if they weren’t doing anything else, they were sparring.

  “You’re sure?” Alastor asked his Lord.

  “Yes, and not far off either,” he responded.

  “And you,” Alastor paused, “Lucian?”

  The informal address caught his attention, and he turned to face the lion headed man at his left. Alastor’s ginger colored eyes stared at him intently. Lucian placed a hand on his old friends shoulder.

  “I am fine,” he assured him. Alastor, in all his years, had never experienced the kind of response Lucian had had to Nire’s disappearance.

  “She’s a human, Lucian,” Alastor said with insinuation. “It will not be the last time she leaves you, no matter what you do.” He treaded carefully on the subject.

  “Yes, I am aware of that,” Lucian nodded. “I thank you for your concern, my friend, but all will be well.”

  Alastor nodded back. The troops needed to prepare quickly. If Lucian was correct, and Alastor had little doubt that he was, Lord Azael would be arriving shortly with his legions marching behind him.

  In the darkness Lucian had eyes everywhere; nothing in the realm could escape his gaze. As long as the sun remained dormant Lord Azael’s every move could be watched, and Lucian was very curious to see what Azael would do while still under the impression that he was in the Depths.

  As the sunless day drew to a close, the rush in the Southern Courtyard had not died down much. There was still quite a bit to accomplish before Azael arrived with his legions, but Lucians thoughts wandered to the brown haired girl he’d left in his chambers the night before.

  Nire had been locked in the large room by Margery. The service halls were open if she needed to leave for some reason, but Lucian had instructed that she be watched at all times unless in his quarters. The locked door was to insure no one came in, more so than making sure Nire stayed in.

  Lucian had little concern that anyone in the castle would harm her, but he wasn’t taking any chances. With Azael on the move Nire would certainly be a target if she were found out, and he needed to be sure she was safe when he wasn’t with her. It wouldn’t be long now. Azael was moving quickly, probably with the intent of making sure the North and the West had little time in which to react.

  Stepping backwards into the darkness, he left Alastor’s side for a moment to check on the human girl who had no doubt been returned to his chambers by now. As he entered the dark room from a corner, he could see Nire sitting on the bed looking out the balcony doors. He approached her silently, and as he neared he saw that she held something in her lap.

  Gibson stood from the end of the bed and jumped off, walking towards Lucian. The demon raised an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of the gray cat that was now rubbing against his leg. Nire looked to Gibson and saw Lucian standing in the darkness by the bed.

  “Oh,” she said, a little startled, and jumped at his unexpected appearance.

  Lucian bent down and lifted the cat with a single hand under his ribs, who hung limply as he ascended to face the demon. “And what is this?” Lucian seemed to ask the cat.

  “That’s Gibson,” Nire said with a small chuckle. “He followed me here”

  “Is that so?” He seemed to speak to the cat again, who had begun to purr loudly. Nire laughed. Gibson wasn’t afraid of anyone.

  Lucian sat Gibson back down on the end of the bed and frowned at the fur that clung to his clothes. Something would need to be done about that. He circled the bed to the far side and sat on the edge next to Nire. He looked at the book in her lap that her hands rested on.

  When he returned his eyes to hers he could see the tears that waited on the surface. He took the book from her lap and set it on the night stand. Placing his hand gently on her cheek, he bent his head down and kissed her.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I will fix it when this all settles down.”

  Nire knew he was talking about the room, but that’s not what she was upset about. Tears came down her face and were gently wiped away.

  “What’s wrong, Nire?” Lucian was concerned. She was back with him now but something seemed to be troubling her a great deal.

  “I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what else to say. With no idea how to bring up exactly what it was she was sorry for, she felt at a complete loss.

  “Nire, please don’t do this to yourself,” he said gently, cupping her face in his hands. “You are home now. There is no point dwelling on what has been.” Turning his head he looked out the balcony doors. “Azael is marching, and he will be here shortly.”

  “What?” Nire said abruptly, alarm in her voice.

  “Not to worry, it will be taken care of,” he said turning back to face her. “This has been a long time coming. He will likely be here by morning. I want you to stay in this room until I come and get you, understand?” he said seriously.

  Nire nodded. There was a ball of lead in her stomach, and she swallowed hard. Her eyes were still misty, and Lucian didn’t want to leave her with tears still threatening at the surface. Glancing at the sketchbook on the nightstand, he began to speak again.

  “There would probably be even less of the room left if I hadn’t picked it up,” he said as he looked at it. Nire watched him closely. He let out a heavy breath and t
urned to face her again. His eyes were deep with knowing, and Nire didn’t feel the need to talk about it anymore. He seemed to understand.

  She tried to stifle her tears, but felt relieved. Lucian bent down and placed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply and pressing her to the bed. “When this is over, you will be with me here every night,” he said with a smile as he hovered over her. Nire blushed. “Formalities be damned, we’ll be wed eventually.” His smile widened and Nire let out a small laugh through the tears in her eyes.

  Closing the distance between them he kissed her again, trying to resist the temptation to remove her nightgown. Nire reached up and put her arms around his neck, causing Lucian to moan into the kiss and press himself against her. His hands slid up her shoulders to her hair, and he held her face gently as he slowly broke the kiss.

  “As much as I would like to stay, there is still a great deal I must attend to,” he spoke softly against her lips. Nire looked into his eyes and nodded. “Get some rest, my love,” he said as he straightened himself and stood. “Margery will make sure you are kept informed tomorrow.” He paused. “Please, Nire,” he spoke seriously, looking directly into her eyes, “do not leave this room until I come for you.”

  “I won’t,” she said in earnest as she lay gazing up at him. He smiled at her and leaned down to stroke her cheek.

  “With any luck, this won’t take long,” he assured her before he straightened and turned. As he walked towards the darkest area of the room he turned again, and Nire watched as his form seemed to melt into the shadow. His golden eyes pierced through the night, and as he spoke it was as if his voice surrounded her in the darkness. “The pendant will protect you should you find yourself in danger. Trust it,” he said as the rest of his presence faded into the dark.

  Nire lifted her hand and placed it on the silver pendant that hung around her neck. She knew that Lucian would take care of everything, but she couldn’t help but feel a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. Closing her eyes she tried to relax and let the nervousness fade by remembering the feeling of Lucian’s kiss. Holding the covers close to her chest she tried to rid her mind of worries. She was home now, and everything was going to be all right.