Shadow Song

by K. G. Reuss

  “Why? Because you believe in some thousand-year-old prophecy?” I bellowed. “Do you think I’m incapable of keeping myself loyal to the crown? I’m not an animal, Father! I can control my urges—”

  “I won’t take that chance. I’m sorry, Son. Your wedding is arranged. You will marry Amara. You will stay away from the Torres girl. And you will let her die if it comes to it.”

  “No!” I shouted. “You won’t tell me—”

  “Listen to me!” he shouted back, his face flaming red with anger, his eyes flashing dangerously. “Do not go to her. Do not save her! If you two can manage to keep your hands off one another, then she can come here and learn to exist. But don’t count on her survival. Eventually, the girl will die. When that time comes, let it happen. Because if you don’t, I will personally see to it that she’s taken to Xanan and dealt with there. If you care for her as much as I suspect you do, then listen to me. She’s the reason your mother is dead and rotting in a coffin in the royal crypt. Be an honorable man and avenge your mother. Stay away from the girl. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” I growled through clenched teeth. His eyes swept over me quickly before he gave me a curt nod. He yanked open my door and slammed it closed behind him, leaving me scared for Everly and what it all meant.

  Chapter 24

  I spent the following days doing hunts, trying to keep my mind clear of Everly. Desperately attempting to forget that I’d probably end up married in a year to someone I didn’t love. I sent Adam and Chloe off to see if they could find out any information on the rumors my father had mentioned. So far, the only thing they could tell me was what I already knew. They were able to confirm the deaths from the articles. And, surprise, surprise, all the ones that had been killed weren’t just psychics. They were all potential whisperers. And all had been involved in freak accidents like falls, car accidents, and even a drowning.

  Everly’s sadness washed over me every moment, which didn’t help my mood any. I knew my father was serious. If I went to her and he found out, he’d send another chapter out to retrieve her. She’d be taken to Xanan and executed. And there wasn’t shit I’d be able to do about it, even if I was her reever because I’d be held until her body was destroyed.

  I was withdrawn, more so than usual. Circumstances made me ruthless, so I tore apart all the Cipher I encountered. I even sent some straight to Xanan to be dealt with. I was angry, and it was showing through.

  “Damn, man,” Damien whistled as I pulled my blade from the bleeding chest of a dying Cipher caster. I’d questioned him ruthlessly and couldn’t get any information out of him. Even Eric had dug into his head only to come up empty. They had a way of blocking him though, so I wasn’t surprised. I kicked the body away and nodded for Jared to dispose of it. “What’s going on with you?”

  “Nothing,” I snapped, shoving my blade back into my cloak. Damien exchanged a quick look with Eric who was being unusually quiet, even for him. Even Adam, Brandon, and Jared looked at me oddly. “Sloane brought information on a haunt over on Westover.” I stomped down the alley. “We’re going. Now. Jared, be quick with the body, would you?”

  “I’m trying,” Jared muttered as his hands ignited in fire, and he heaved a ball of it at the body. It immediately burst into flames and turned to bits of ash before becoming nothing.

  We walked down the dark alley, a few blocks from Westover, Eric and Damien flanking me.

  “Shadow,” Eric cleared his throat. “Man, what’s going on? You haven’t sent us to Everly—”

  “And I won’t be,” I answered tightly. “That’s over.”

  “What? Why? She needs to be protected,” Damien protested.

  “Let whatever happens, happen.”

  “Dude, what the hell?” Eric demanded. “Just last week you were saying how much you loved her—”

  “It’s not love. It’s the Wards. And I need to let that shit go. It’s not real. I need to be concentrating on our world, not her delusions.” Maybe if I said it enough times, it would be true.

  “You know she’s not delusional!” Eric snarled angrily. “She needs you!”

  “She needs to deal with it on her own. I have other things that need to be taken care of. I can’t be there for her.”

  “Did your father say something to you about it?” Eric demanded angrily. “Is that why he was here that night?”

  “Whatever conversations happen between me and the sigil are just that—between us. If you were meant to know, I’d have told you.”

  “You’re being an asshole,” Damien finally spoke, his eyes flashing. “If he’s using your mother’s death against you—”

  He didn’t get to finish his sentence because I collapsed to my knees, my chest aching. She was hurting. It tore at my very soul—the terror, pain, fear. I couldn’t go to her though. I couldn’t! She had to fight and win this on her own. If I went, it was her certain death. At least on her own, she had a chance. It was small, but it was better than anything I could offer her.

  “Gen, you OK?” Brandon rushed forward, the rest of the guys surrounding me. I couldn’t even manage to get the words out. I just clutched my chest, as the mark on my wrist burned.

  “Shadow! Man!” Eric came down face-to-face with me. “Talk to me. Do you want me to go?”

  My body trembled as my head shook no, and I swallowed hard.

  Everly. Everly. Everly.

  Her name was on repeat in my head. I was desperate to get to her. To hold her. To protect her. To save her.

  I can’t! I’m protecting her by not going. I’m protecting myself and my people by not going. I’m avenging my mother. This is the first step in that! I’d be betraying her memory if Everly lived! Plus, I-I’d be killing any chance at survival that Everly has! What kind of monster am I? What’s wrong with me?

  “Shadow! Answer me!” Eric shouted. I shook my head slightly at him again, my eyes burning. Tears? I never cried. I always held my emotions back.

  “Stay with him,” Eric ordered the guys.

  “What are you doing?” Damien asked Eric, lifting me to my feet.

  “I’m going to her since he won’t.” Eric glared at me before melding, his eyes glowing red. “I’m second in command, and since our fearless leader is unable to act, I’ll be giving orders until he comes to his senses.” He didn’t wait for an answer. He disappeared into the shadows.

  I couldn’t say it, but I was grateful for him.

  I silently cursed all the confusing emotions in my body as my friends tried to get me steady on my feet. It was torture wanting two different worlds.

  Chapter 25

  I lay in bed with a killer headache the next morning. I hadn’t heard back from Eric. It would be fruitless trying to get the headache to go away, so I showered and went downstairs to find Damien and Sloane arguing over who ate the last of the bread.

  “Every time I want a damn sandwich, there’s no bread!” Damien shouted.

  “And what the hell do you want me to do about it?” Sloane shot back, her dark eyes flashing angrily. “The milk’s always gone! But you don’t see me complaining!”

  “Bull! You threw the carton at me last week!”

  “I wasn’t complaining! I was making a point!”

  “And what point was that?” Damien demanded.

  “That you suck!”

  “OK, guys,” I sighed tiredly. “Chill.”

  Sloane folded her arms over her chest and glared at Damien. He shook his head and flopped down on the couch.

  “Where’s Eric?” I asked.

  “Not here,” Damien grunted. “He never came back last night.”

  “Who’s not here?” Amara asked, coming into the room.

  “Eric,” Sloane answered, sitting on the opposite end of the couch from Damien.

  “He was here earlier,” Amara tossed her hair over her shoulder as she went to the kitchen. “Are we seriously out of bread again?” She let out a frustrated sigh and came back into the living room.

  “I know,” D
amien agreed. “Never any bread.”

  “So walk down to the shop and get some!” I yelled, causing everyone to flinch. “Amara, did Eric say anything?”

  “Not really.” She shrugged. “He seemed tired. And upset. He was only here for a few minutes. Making a lot of noise, as he slammed things around in the weapons room.” Her eyes slid over me quickly. “Do you have him out there with your girlfriend or something?”

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” I snapped. “In fact, all that is over. I’m done with it.”

  “Good to know,” Eric said, coming into the commons through the front door. His face was sour—his usual bright blue eyes dark, his mouth turned down into a deep frown.

  “Hey.” I cleared my throat.

  “We need to talk. Now.” He didn’t wait for me to answer. Instead, he marched to my office. I followed him and closed the door behind me.

  “What?” I asked going to my desk and sitting on the edge of it.

  “Do you want to know what happened?”

  “No.” I shook my head, swallowing hard. That was a lie. It was eating me up inside to know.

  “Really?” He looked at me skeptically.

  “Really.” I cleared my throat and stared stonily at him.

  “You’re ridiculous,” Eric snorted disgustedly at me. “I’m not going off mission. I’m going to keep checking on her.” He went to the door when I didn’t say anything. “Oh, and in case you really cared, she was attacked by a wraith last night. It was able to possess her for a moment. She stabbed herself. She was in the hospital. But you don’t care, right?”

  He didn’t wait for me to answer. He slammed the door closed behind him, leaving me there nearly vomiting. My Everly.

  Chapter 26

  Eric wouldn’t talk to me. From that point on, he dedicated himself to watching over Everly. For nearly two weeks, we didn’t speak. I wanted to tell him I was thankful, but the prideful creature within me wouldn’t let me to do it. Instead, I worked harder taking out the Cipher and hunting dark creatures. I threw myself so deeply into it I was hardly at home, always out there. Maybe deep down I thought the more I sent back, the more I killed, the safer Everly would be. I was seeking redemption in everything I did with her on my mind. I wasn’t living up to all the promises I’d made to her. I was the worst Reever. I left my second in command to tend to her, knowing if I got too close I’d lose myself in her. Knowing my father would make good on his word and have her killed. That couldn’t happen. So, this was all I had to offer her. Killing for her. Many of the traitors I encountered were sent directly to Xanan. I wanted them to suffer. They were out to get her and didn’t deserve my pity.

  And to top it all off, I still had to figure out how to get out of my arranged marriage to Amara. I hadn’t even bothered talking to her about it. The thought of being forced to marry someone I didn’t love left me sick to my stomach. Not that Amara wasn’t a good girl. She just wasn’t my girl. And I didn’t want her to be. Not anymore. I’d rather be alone than marry someone I didn’t love. Marriage had never even crossed my mind. In fact, if someone had asked me about it, I’d have said absolutely not ever. Even though I knew realistically, at some point I’d have to, just so I could keep my royal line going. But in the back of my mind I’d hoped by then I’d found someone I could love. Honestly, I’d never thought myself capable of love before Everly. When she came back into my life, she confused everything I thought I knew and what I believed myself capable of.

  All the worry and stress kept me hunting all through the summer months. The end of it came quicker than I wanted. Another school year was upon us. And I still didn’t have any word on whether Everly would be coming to Dementon. I hadn’t been able to dig up anything else on who the mole was in our ranks.

  Eric was still avoiding me. I’d only seen him in glimpses over the past weeks. Whenever I asked Damien about him, he only shrugged and said he hadn’t talked to him much either. I was in the dark about her. It was driving me crazy, but I knew she was safe if Eric was that dedicated to her.

  On the flipside, I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d shown himself to her. If maybe in some offhand way, he’d forged a friendship with her, or any sort of relationship. He was replacing me as her protector. The feeling left me sick. Sick in my guts. Sick in my heart. And sick in my soul. But if she were to want anyone, Eric would be a good choice.

  I was overthinking things. I knew I was. But I couldn’t seem to help myself. I needed to talk to Eric.

  “You seen Eric?” I asked Jared as I came into the room.

  “Sorry, Gen. I haven’t seen him all week. You must have him out on something big.”

  “Yeah,” I grunted. Grabbing my cloak, I went outside, walking in the direction of Headmaster Brighton’s. I knocked on his door, deciding if I couldn’t find Eric, Brighton would be the next best thing.

  “Come in,” he called out. I opened the door and stepped inside. Ceres, Brighton’s hellhound, walked up and gave my hand a sniff before deciding I wasn’t worth the bark. He sauntered back to his fluffy bed and flopped down, keeping his eyes trained on me sleepily.

  Moving deeper into the room, I found Brighton seated at his desk pouring over paperwork. “What can I help you with?”

  “I want to know how Everly Torres is progressing.” I cleared my throat, standing in the center of the room feeling awkward. Or maybe it was guilty.

  “Well…” He pulled his nose out of his papers and looked at me. “She isn’t.”

  “What?” I frowned, stepping closer to his desk. “What do you mean?”

  “She claims the voices are gone. She says she hasn’t seen anything since the night of the possession, which I’m sure you heard about.”

  “Really?” I asked, frowning more deeply. This could be a good thing. A great thing! She could have just had that injury, and it made her sensitive. Maybe over time she’d healed. I’d read articles where people with head injuries started seeing things others couldn’t.

  “Really.” He nodded. “Of course, she’s lying. She ate the butter mint without an issue. She’s definitely a Special.”

  “Oh.” My heart fell. For a moment there, I envisioned her free of our world. Happy. Safe. “So what’s the plan? Are you able to get her here?”

  “Do you want her here?” Headmaster Brighton countered, raising an eyebrow at me. “I was under the impression that you didn’t care any longer when you didn’t show up for the possession. I gathered that information from Mr. Craft as well.”

  “It’s not like that,” I muttered, looking away. I looked down at Ceres as he nibbled at a bone in his bed with gusto, slobber everywhere.

  “I know what it’s like. The sigil came to you. I was outside when he arrived.” Brighton rubbed his eyes. “Listen. This is what I know. She’s a strong girl. Resilient… but terrified. I have her drugged twenty-four-seven in an effort to bring her some comfort. The girl is living in a haze and doesn’t know if she’s coming or going. It dulls the dead for her, it deadens—excuse my words—her senses, so she doesn’t see much of anything until the meds begin to wear off.”

  “But she’s fine?” I ventured, swallowing hard and glancing back to Brighton.

  “No.” He shook his head with a sigh. “She’s teetering on the edge of madness, General. She’s only a step away from tumbling over. But that’s what we want, isn’t it? For her to fall? Then we can get her here under the guise of a specialty institute. Or has the plan changed?”

  “No,” I answered fiercely. “That’s still the plan. I want her here by any means necessary.”

  “Even if it means it hurts her?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

  “I don’t want her hurt,” I replied softly, the ache of wanting to keep her safe very real.

  “Well, I don’t see another way around it. She’s going to have to hurt. Besides, if it’s too much, you’ll just come for her, right?”

  “No.” I shook my head, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “I won’t.”

 
“What?” His eyebrows shot up, his eyes wide.

  “I won’t come for her.” My voice shook as I said the words I hated, “If she dies, she dies.”

  Chapter 27

  I wasn’t sleeping. I wasn’t eating. I was so sick with worry, I couldn’t focus, and I’d nearly been gutted by a goblin on a hunt. Thankfully, it had only resulted in a deep wound to my abdomen. A wound that took both me and Brandon to heal.

  I was so lost in my thoughts as I sat at my desk in my office peering out the window on the darkened school grounds as night descended, that I didn’t notice Eric slip into the room.

  “You look like shit,” his voice dragged me out of my reverie—all my thoughts on Everly.

  “Hey,” I said in monotone, looking at him.

  “Hey.” He sat down in the chair across from me. As he regarded me he remained silent. He looked exhausted. His usually vibrant blue eyes were dull and tired, dark circles rimming them. His blond hair was a mess on his head. I watched him, a surge of sadness flowing through me. It was my fault. All of it. And no one could hate me more than I hated myself for what he was going through. What I knew she had to be going through. Finally, he cleared his throat. “We should probably talk, man.”

  Sighing, I nodded, knowing we had to.

  “Listen, Ever isn’t well. That beautiful girl you showed me? She’s gone. The light is dead in her eyes. She doesn’t eat. She hardly interacts with people. She’s just a shell of the person she once was. I spoke to Brighton. He told me she needs to crack in order to get her here. But, man…” He shook his head sadly, his blond hair falling forward. “At what cost? At this rate, she’s going to die from either a sickness or heartbreak. I’m not sure which will take her first.”

  I ground my teeth at his words, not saying anything.