by Bex Taylor
The last month hadn’t been easy, and there were still some finishing touches needed to add to the shadow court. But the main palace was built. The building was a humble one compared to the grand spectacle of the Palace of Light. A black stone beauty weaved with the dark magic of her unseelie blood. A dark magic that would allow her shadows to feel settled and accepted within the walls. It was how Senka had wanted it. She wasn’t as vain as her brother. Her father had always taught her that to be a great queen wasn’t about wealth, but about gaining respect of those that would follow her.
Senka didn’t have many followers, they were still building her army. It wasn’t easy. She was a disgraced royal, not even the unseelie accepted her into their court. But there were the rouge ones, the fae that didn’t belong. The outcasts that had been forced into hiding because they were different, their powers not typical of the elements. Those were the fae that came to her call. Seeking a place of acceptance. Senka and her shadows welcomed them. Gave them a home and taught them to understand and embrace their unique powers. The fae that had come to her had built their own homes over the last month. Small huts that sat in the walls of the shadow court. They hunted for others like them. Senka refused to force anyone to come. If they came to the gates of the shadow court, she would welcome them. But her small group of followers went out in search of rouges. Spreading the rumour of the Shadow Queen to anyone that would listen.
“Are you ready, your majesty?” Ash asked.
“Just open the door, will you? You and Lina have kept me in the dark for too long,” Senka replied.
Ash sent her a sheepish smile before opening the door. Senka stepped inside the small throne room, her gaze falling on the sculptured beauty sitting on the dais.
“You majesty, come and look at throne,” Lina greeted her, taking Senka’s hand and guiding her to it.
Senka followed in silence, her eyes never leaving the throne. To her it was magnificent. More than she could ever have imagined. She had been right to trust Lina and Ash. They hadn’t let her down.
“Do you like it?” Ash asked nervously.
“It’s perfect,” Senka whispered, letting go of Lina’s hand and walking up the steps towards it.
She felt the air shift as silence filled the room. The anticipation of her every move as Senka reached out and let her fingers trail along the cold onyx stone that the throne had been crafted out of. The sculpture had created the top half of a large raven out of the onyx. Its neck was the back of the chair, with its head the top of the throne, its beak slightly open, its eyes white pearl. The body of the chair was carved to look like its wings. Detailed feathers formed the arm rest. The seat was made of white silk that brought a splash of colour to the black stone. The legs of the throne were made of pearl and onyx weaved together with a dark magic that made Senka’s soul hum with approval. Senka knew that to have created such perfection a dark power would have been used. Once she approved of. She would have the sculpture design more furniture throughout the castle.
“You should sit on it,” Ash said.
Senka nodded, turning to face where Lina and Ash were standing at the base of the dais. Their eager eyes watching her, waiting for her to take her place on her throne. Senka flashed them a dark smile, lowering herself down onto the soft seat. As she did, both Lina and Ash knelt, their heads bent in acceptance to their queen.
“Rise. You created this treasure. You don’t kneel at its base. I can’t thank you both enough for what you have done. I trusted you to create something that I deserved. This is beyond anything I could ever dream of. I don’t know how you did it, but I owe so much more than just my words of gratitude,” Senka told them.
Lina went to open her mouth to say something, but a screech stopped her. The three of them looked towards the open window just as a raven flew threw it.
“Corax, what news do you bring me?” Senka asked, lifting her arm so that the bird could land on it.
Corax ruffled his feathers, looking at her in disgust that she didn’t have a reward for him. Senka ran a hand over his back.
“I’m sure Noir will reward you when you return to the Avery. She has missed you,” Senka assured the bird.
Corax nipped her gently on the hand before settling on the arm of the throne, tilting his head slightly so that Senka could place her hand gently on it. Closing her eyes, she dipped into the raven’s mind, seeking the information he had gathered from his visit to her brother.
Corax had found Senka as soon as she had left the summer realm. She had felt a connection with the animal instantly. It was as if the raven had been waiting for her, ready to be her eyes in the sky. She had felt the bond click into place the moment she had passed her hand over his head, and their minds connected. She could send him to spy and then tap into his memories.
“You did well, Corax. Get some food and rest,” Senka told him.
The raven nipped her on the ear in a loving gesture, before taking flight and heading to where the unseelie earth faerie, Noir, was waiting for him, to fuss, and care for him after his long flight.
“What did Corax find?” Ash asked.
“It would seem my brother has found himself a wife. He claims he isn’t shaken by my message, and that he will not back down to my demands. Nor will he fear me. That’s his choice, and it's a careless one to make. I have my plans. I know what I what I will take. I know how I will make him suffer as he did me. He deserves no happiness,” Senka replied.
“You will take his wife?” Lina questioned.
Senka shook her head, a dark smile spreading across her flawless features. She knew the faerie Oran had chosen to wed. Enya had visited the court often. Her brother Cyrus was Oran’s right-hand man. A smart, twisted faerie with a mind more dangerous than Senka’s powers. She almost pitied the summer realm and what their future held with her brother on the throne and Cyrus at his side. Enya was a sweet girl, easily led. Her mind would be easy to manipulate. Oran wouldn’t have to work too hard to have her bend to his will. Senka would not take Enya as a hostage that would be to obvious. Her brother would protect the summer faerie. She wouldn’t be easy to get near, even for her shadows. Oran wasn’t smart enough to think past his wife, and Senka was certain that Cyrus would think that she would attack his sister. No, she would strike when they least expected it, and take the one thing that would destroy not just her brother, but all the summer court.
“No, Lina. Taking Enya will be too easy.”
“Then what will you do?” Ash asked.
“I will take the one thing that will leave the Court of Light vulnerable.”
“And that is?” Lina said.
Senka’s smile grew, and she felt her shadows come to life, eager to please. Desperate for a fight. Her eyes turned black, dancing with a hunger and longing. Soon revenge would come. Soon she would have the perfect weapon to mould. The perfect subject. She would turn it into a monster set on destroying its father and all he held close. Her voice was laced with darkness as she spoke her reply. A promise of the destruction that was about to come.
“I will take his first-born son. And I will make him into a weapon that Oran cannot destroy.”
The End
Keep reading for an exclusive look at the first two chapter of Rise of Shadows.
1
Three days.
That’s how long Kai had been awake for, and he was regretting not stopping in the last village he had passed through. When the looming steel gates of the Guild came into view, he felt his last bit of energy leave him. He dropped the reins of his horse, letting his chestnut stallion lead the way to home. He would be sure that Tido got a good feed that night, with some of his favourite treats. He had earned it. The large stallion had never let Kai down, had been a sound companion on his recent quest. Not that it had been much use. He didn’t have any new information to pass onto the Grand Master, and that alone made him feel like a failure.
Kai ignored the cries from the youngsters that lived in the small town surrounding the Guild. No
rmally he would stop to humour them. Let them have a ride on Tido. But he didn’t have the energy, and he knew the stallion would likely protest at being kept any longer from his food and stable.
“You and me both, boy,” Kai muttered, running his hand through his chestnut coat. He would need to give him a hose down too, before he could even think about sinking into his own bath.
Tido stopped at the front of the gates, as Kai slid off his back, taking a moment to steady himself on his feet. Stepping up to the entrance, lifting his left hand, he placed his palm against the sigil of the Guild. It glowed the colour of fire, as a small part of Kai’s power reached out to let it know who he was, that they could open and let him in. He smiled slightly as the lock clicked and the gates creaked open, revealing the courtyard of the Guild. There waiting in the middle of it was the only faerie Kai would have given time too in his exhaustion.
“You were due back a day ago.”
“I didn’t know you cared so much, Pin.”
“I don’t, but you know what the other two are like.”
Kai let out a tired laugh as he embraced the winter faerie tightly. He had heard the concern in his best friend’s voice. He would have felt the same had Pin been late back from a trip out.
“The Grand Master should not have let you go alone. It’s a rule of The Elite, we never travel alone,” Pin stated as they pulled away.
Kai shrugged, handing Tido over to one of the stable faeries.
“Make sure he gets a good hose down with warm water, and his favourite food. I want him to have the biggest bed you can give him. And get the animal healer in, I want him checked over and his muscles soothed,” Kai ordered.
The young faerie nodded his head in understanding before leading Tido away. Kai turned and made his way across the courtyard. Pin fell into step next to him, silently waiting for him to reveal any information he had gathered on his journey.
“It was a wasted journey,” Kai said.
“Then why were you a day late returning?” Pin asked.
“Because I ran into some trouble just outside of the winter court, I may have bedded a High Fae’s daughter. In my defence, I didn’t know who she was. She had been in a tavern, and when I saw her brother, I understood why she preferred the company of the lesser fae.”
Pin snorted in response, and Kai just sent him a sly smile. He could laugh about it now. But getting away from the angry brother had put an extra day's travel on him. All because he had drunk too much wine and got tangled up with the beauty. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
“What were you doing up near my home?”
“It was where the Grand Master had sent me. It seemed the rumour mill of the shadows had sent word to him of something strange up there,” Kai paused, frowning at Pin. “You hadn’t been told where I had gone?”
Pin shook his head, letting out a breath of frustration. Kai could only guess the amount of grief his friend would have given the Grand Master.
“I begged him to tell us. I made of point of saying that he had taken a stupid risk sending the leader of The Elite out alone, but he seemed to think nothing of it.”
Kai said nothing as they stepped into the grand hall, making their way through the busy corridor, ignoring the stares of the younglings. The two of them were used to the admiration. They along with two female faeries made up The Elite, the four best assassins in Dresha. They were like the High Fae of the courts. But the title didn’t come without responsibility. Kai had been picked as the leader. He had no idea why; it had been the request of the Grand Master, and who were they to ignore him. Pin had joked it was because he was a fire faerie, and that the Grand Master was scared he would burn the place down should he not get given the role. Kai didn’t want it, but he was grateful for the other three that made up his little family. He could trust them, and he knew they had each other’s back.
“Where are Talia and Sana?” Kai asked.
Pin shrugged in response stopping at the bottom of the staircase the wound up towards the rooms.
“No idea. But they would have felt you return I am sure they will track you down later. But I assume you would like some alone time. You stink, anyway, you need a bath.”
“If you see them, tell them, I will speak to them tomorrow. I just want to sleep tonight. I haven’t stopped for three days. I need my bed… why are you looking at me like that?” Kai asked his friend.
“Because you will not be sleeping for a while yet, Kai. The Grand Master wants to see us tonight, and you know he won’t wait.”
“All four of us?”
Pin nodded, turning on his heel and making his way back the way they had just come from.
“All four of us, at sunset. You best not be late.”
And with that he was gone, no doubt off to torment some poor yearlings in the sparring ring. Kai let out a low growl. He knew he would be expected to go into detail about his recent journey. He would also have to be honest about why he was late back. That would cause him trouble, especially as it had involved royalty of the winter court.
Glancing at the sky, the sun already making its slow decent, Kia calculated he had a few hours to himself. Long enough to soak his aching muscles and grab a bit of sleep. Letting out a long breath, he climbed the steps, his body protesting with each step. Reaching his room, pushing the door open, he smiled slightly at the sight of the perfectly made bed. The temptation to skip the bath and just collapse into it almost won out. Instead, he turned to the modest bathroom attached to his room. The other three of the Elite had the same luxury. The other occupants of the Guild had to settle with shared facilities and bunking with other younglings in smaller rooms.
Kai reached for the silver knobs of the taps, turning both the cold and hot on, watching as the water poured into the large square bathtub. He peeled off the day's old clothing. A slight flick of his wrist had them in a pile of ash in no time. He wouldn’t wear them again. Maybe they could have been saved and passed onto the younger faerie, but he couldn’t be bothered to arrange that.
He was just sinking into the steaming water when a voice echoed through his room, bouncing off the stone walls of the bathroom. He should have known he wouldn’t have been left alone, but he had wished that it had been Talia or Sana.
“Can’t I have just a few minutes of peace, Crispin,” Kai snapped.
The answer came in the dark laugh of his best friend, the sound only angering Kia more.
“I know I’ve got under your skin when you call me by my full name. In answer to your question, no, I can’t. Grand Master sent me to make sure that you didn’t fall asleep after you had washed up. I also brought you some food, because I knew you wouldn’t ask for anything.”
There was that same concern hidden amongst the light comments, and Kai found his temper fading quickly. Kai submerged himself in the water, reaching for a lotion to run through his shoulder length hair, the normal golden sand colour dull with lack of care. It seemed he would not get the luxury of soaking, so he grabbed the bar of soap and made quick work of cleaning his body, being sure to dig under his nails to remove any dirt from his travels.
It wasn’t long before he was stepping out of the bath, a quick wave of his hand to dry himself. With a click of fingers, he covered his naked body in a deep red tunic and white breeches, knee high black riding boots finished his formal outfit. Walking into his bedroom, reaching for his weapons belt and wrapping it round his waist before taking a seat at the small table by the window. Pin slumped lazily in the other chair, dressed in matching white breeches and black boots, but his tunic was an ice-blue to state his power over the element air specifically ice.
“Where is your weapons belt, Pin?”
Pin shrugged, pushing the plate of food towards him. Kai took the offering, tucking into some bread and cheese, grateful that Pin had thought to bring him something. The winter faerie had been right, he wouldn’t have eaten himself.
“You should always have a weapon on you, Pin. If not a belt, then at least have
a dagger in your boot,” Kai said around a piece of bread.
“Why? When my gallant leader carries enough around for all of us. You know we are safe in the walls of the Guild, Kai. When are you going to learn to relax?”
“Never,” Kai muttered.
“Why?”
Kai glared at Pin from where he was sitting. He wouldn’t admit that he was jealous of his friend’s laid back attitude to life, the same attitude that had nearly got Pin killed on the last mission the four of them had been on together. That had been over three decades ago, when unrest had settled over Dresha and the four of them had been sent to find out what had caused it. It had been an uprising of the unseelie, but thanks to help of the armies of the spring and autumn court they had put a stop to it before it had gotten out of hand. The reasoning for the uprising was still unclear. And the four of them had spent the years after that going out on random missions searching for information, and always coming up empty-handed.
“Why don’t you take things more seriously, Crispin?”
Pin sent Kai a crooked grin as he stood, stretching out his long limbs as if he was the one that had just returned from a journey.
“Because life is too short my dear friend.”
“We’re immortal,” Kai pointed out.
“Every creature can be killed, Kai. If you know how,” Pin replied seriously.
Kai had no comeback to that. The sudden change in his friend’s tone halted any smart remark that he could have thrown his way. Fae could live forever, but they could be killed, and the only ways to kill the Fae were in torturous, painful methods that Kai knew about well enough. He had seen them being used on traitors in the past. He shivered slightly as the dark memories crept back into his thoughts. He himself had used such methods on the unseelie when they had stopped the uprising. He could still hear the screams as he ripped through their bodies with the magic of flame, only he possessed. The darkness to his power that he kept hidden much of the time. The same darkness he knew lay dormant in Pin, Sana and Talia. It was the reason they were the four best assassins in the Dresha Guild. The reason they were so highly sought after by the courts to kill a traitor or track down a threat. The four of them were deadly creatures. But Pin was right, they could be killed if their weakness was figured out by the enemies they hunted.
