Gloom's Whisper

by Sela Croft

  I wasn’t yet clear on the point she was trying to make.

  “I’ve spent years trying to refute the vampires’ lies. They’ve slandered my name and the name of my people, for far too long. They stake their claims on nothing more than their own power-hungry vision of our world, and rewrite our history so that anyone who dared defied them is made to look sinister.”

  Amalia sighed and wiped her hands on her gown, then took a step in my direction. She appeared distressed. “I had hoped that having you in this world would change things, that maybe you’d listen to me. You’re not from Shadowland, so you can look at these things from a more objective perspective. They’re not who you think they are, Callie. You’ve seen that, but you just won’t accept it. Think of the way they treat humans, herding them up like cattle, then feeding on them. Or keeping them as their personal slaves. Surely, you’re aware of that.

  When I didn’t disagree, Amalia continued her arguments. “You spoke of attacks and invasions from the Fae. Have you never considered that those were not invasions, but merely campaigns to take back what is rightfully ours? Vampires have invaded our lands for ages, greedily attempting to expand their fiefdom. They always want more humans to feed on, more land, more power.”

  I wasn’t convinced. “You expect me to believe what you’re saying?”

  Yet there was truth to what the princess said. I’d seen the way the humans were treated in the kingdom. I’d witnessed land disputes, and vampires invading Fae lands wasn’t that easily brushed aside. My first day in Shadowland I’d been concerned for the humans, caught between the Fae realm and the vampires.

  “I expect you to search your heart for the truth.”

  “And my sister?” I said. “What’s the truth about her?”

  “I’m sure the vampires have led you to believe that we have her, but I’m afraid that, yet again, they lied. They want you to believe that I’m a monster, but I’m not. I don’t know where your sister is.

  “I do believe I that if we work together we can find her, though,” Amalia said. “I want to help you, and believe I can help bring you together again.”

  I’d heard that before, too many times. I wasn’t going be swayed by another empty promise to be reunited with my sister.

  “That’s what Dequan said, too.”

  “And if he hadn’t gotten lost along the way, he very well may have been able to help you. He brought you to me, did he not? So, one could say that he did fulfill his promise.”

  “I don’t see Rosamon, so I have my doubts,” I said, glancing around.

  “Oh, she’s going to start spinning again,” one of the Redcaps said, causing the others to join in a chorus of laughter.

  “You’ll have to forgive them,” Amalia said, glancing over her shoulder. “They can be insufferable at times. Perhaps we should go to a place where we can be alone.”

  “I don’t know if I want to be alone with you,” I said.

  “You won’t be completely alone. My intention is to give you a tour of my city. You can see that we’re not the horrible creatures of the night the Vampires paint us to be. And, along the way, we may figure out a way to find your sister.”

  She stretched her hand out to me, her smile looking less forced. I hesitated for a second to contemplate. She had a point about the vampires. Before I had developed a relationship with Logan, I’d feared them. And I was probably justified in doing so. I had witnessed their darker side—the side Logan tried so hard to hide from me. But the reality of what he was couldn’t be denied.

  I wondered about the true nature of the Fae. I’d given the vampires a chance to prove that they weren’t monsters. It was only fair that I gave the same opportunity to Amalia.

  Reluctantly, I slipped my hand into hers. Her palms were cold, so I pulled my hand back. She nodded in the direction that I should go.

  Amalia flashed a brighter smile. When she turned away, the darkness around us receded. We stood in a great room, a regal hall with tapestries lining the walls, and a stone floor with red carpet leading toward wooden doors.

  To my relief, the Redcaps didn’t follow through the doors, which lead into the heart of what appeared to be the Fae capital. The city wasn’t as bustling as Crystal City, but there was some activity.

  The sky was almost completely black, but streaks of colorful light flew by in various patterns. They reminded me of the Northern Lights. In Oregon, my sister and I had sneaked onto the roof to watch the sky, illuminated with the mesmerizing colors.

  The sky wasn’t the only thing that shimmered in Caros, though. The glow that lit the city streets wasn’t like the warm glow in the heart of Logan’s city. It was inky black and eerie, yet still beautiful.

  “As you can see,” Amalia said, “we aren’t uncivilized creatures that feed on children and torture the weak. We are cultured.”

  The roads were narrow but clean. There was no smell of rot in the air, no blood-stained streets, or women and children huddling in fear. The few Fae that we passed appeared to be average citizens of an average city—except for their appearance. That was something that would surely turn a few heads, even in cities such as New York or L.A. where the unexpected was expected.

  I tried to keep track of the different species of Fae, but lost count at seven. They were a varied people—some with elongated limbs, others with wings, a few with fangs, and even some with a level of beauty that was as terrifying as it was striking—like their leader.

  I noted the way they reacted to their leader’s presence. It was difficult to tell if the reaction was fear or reverence. I’d seen something similar when exploring Crystal City with Logan. There was something disturbing about the way they looked at Amalia, though.

  I‘d known what the glances meant when directed at Logan. Resentment had shown in their expressions. I’d seen it in the way the farmers and foresters had reacted to his arrival the night we’d taken Kaida out to explore his realm.

  But it was different with Amalia. I sensed that they didn’t dare defy her—that harboring resentment toward her wasn’t allowed. Thus, I was more unsettled than reassured.

  Chapter 9

  Callie

  The longer we spent among her people, the clearer I read their emotion. Amalia was feared, and no one looked at her with more than a glance.

  I pitied the populace, like I’d felt sorry for the humans when they’d been intimidated by the vampires. The Fae attempted to disguise their feelings, and perhaps Amalia believed it. But I saw through the pretense.

  It was the same way the students had viewed bullies in my school. The brutes had demanded attention. But any person paying too much heed, only became a target.

  I connected to the monsters around me, having experienced a similar reaction to oppression. The terrifying creatures that would have instilled terror, if the princess hadn’t walked by my side.

  It wasn’t clear if the Fae were truly monsters, or that was merely how I perceived them. I’d just believed what I’d been told by the vampires.

  There was no reason to trust the princess, but she had brought up some good points. I’d only heard the vampires’ side of the story. Yet there was another point of view.

  I tried to get inside the heads of the Fae. They’d endured hardships, that made me curious about their ongoing battle to defend their territory. Their purpose aligned with the will of the princess, giving her more credibility.

  Good and bad; light and dark. The lines blurred so in a world ruled by vampires and buzzing with magic.

  “You offered to help find my sister,” I said, no longer able to bare looking at the faces around me. “Perhaps we should discuss that now?”

  “What is it you wish to discuss?” Amalia said and waved at a group of Fae that hurried past.

  “Is it possible that she’s here? It’s a big city, so it’s a possibility.”

  Amalia stiffened. “I’m afraid I don’t know where you sister is. But I will do everything in my power to help you find her.”

  Logan had
made me that very same promise. I wished I’d listened to him, and had more faith and patience, since the intent of the princess was suspect. I longed to have Logan by my side.

  I glanced at the princess. “How can you help me?”

  “You and your sister share a bond, am I correct? Oh, I most definitely believe that I am. I can sense it, you know. I can feel you reaching out for her. I know how much distress it causes you not being able to feel that connection.”

  “And what does that have to do with finding her?”

  “The sacred bond you share with your sister cannot simply disappear, Callie. I believe that it’s there, even if you don’t feel it, in this very instant. The only problem is that the bond is strained from so much time apart. But I believe that we can strengthen it.”

  We turned down a street leading back toward the castle. The structure loomed large in the distance, with pointed spires that reached up to the clouds. The image brought the memory of my first encounter with the princess, through the mirror.

  Fear rippled through me, and I strained to keep my thoughts on the conversation, instead of on the fingerlike towers, growing larger as we grew closer.

  “I believe,” Amalia said, “that the bond you share with Rosamon can be manifested. We can summon it, allow it to take form, and therefore, find out where your sister is.”

  It sounded too strange to believe. But I didn’t have any other choice. I couldn’t flee the city. I had no idea where I was or how to get back to Logan. I couldn’t fight Amalia. I couldn’t do much, except hope and pray that her theory would work.

  Even though my instincts told me that it wouldn’t.

  Chapter 10

  Logan

  The situation disturbed me. It wasn’t just my surroundings, which were disorienting. It was my company that left me feeling less than at ease.

  It was true that Noah hadn’t intended to betray the realm. Even after his ill-thought plan to take Callie from my home, he’d done everything in his power to help in our fight against the Fae, and to aide in the search for his missing friend.

  But he had been working with Dequan—closely—for years. He was the one who’d gone to the outside world to look after the twins. He was the one who’d brought Callie and her sister into Shadowland. I trusted him, but that didn’t mean I trusted his judgement.

  And then there was Raulia. I was still leery of her. Even if she had explained her presence at the abandoned home, I couldn’t ignore the way she’d spoken to me.

  What she’d said nagged at me. She didn’t have faith in my ability to rule the kingdom.

  I’d harbored the same doubt, for a while. Even before Callie came into my life, I’d questioned my capability to lead my side to victory against our increasingly cunning enemy. So, Callie’s arrival had afforded me the distraction I needed—the excuse, rather.

  That wasn’t to say that my feelings for her weren’t real. They were the most real to me. My rule had become a joke, even to my most loyal followers. My kingdom was falling apart.

  And I was left to skulk around the shadow-filled streets of the Fae capital. I was angry, with Noah, with Raulia, and with myself.

  And I worried about the current conditions, in my land. When I’d left, the city’s protection had improved. Yet that wouldn’t last. The Fae must have regrouped, and might have staged another attack.

  Even with that uncertainty, I wasn’t compelled to immediately return. The conflicting thoughts made my head spin. Who I was and who I was supposed to be were two different people. I could feel the split happening, as if my heart was being ripped in two. But the only thing I cared about, in that moment, was finding Callie.

  Even trying to feign concern for the realm wouldn’t do. I had made the decision to leave that behind when I went after Dequan to find Callie. I’d made the decision to give her top priority.

  Realizing that gave me a sense of purpose. If I didn’t find Callie, all would be in vain. I had to be reunited with her, above all else. And would go to any lengths to get her back.

  We inched our way closer to the castle. Noah motioned for us to stop, a few blocks from the entrance. “We need a plan before we go in.”

  “Oh, you mean we’re not just going to barge in, with no clear idea of what we’re doing?” Raulia said. “I thought that’s what you guys did.”

  Noah glared at her. “Are you referring to the abandoned house? We didn’t have time to formulate a plan.”

  “Maybe if you had we wouldn’t be in this situation,” Raulia said.

  I was fed up with the discord. “This isn’t time for fighting. We need to think clearly.”

  Rosamon stood before us. “We do need to think clearly, so are you thinking clearly now?”

  “What do you know about the layout of the palace?” Raulia asked Noah, ignoring Rosamon’s comment.

  “Not much. Only that it’s not what it appears. Nothing is what it appears in the land of the Fae,” Noah said.

  “It’s hard to think clearly when someone you care about is in danger, isn’t it?” Rosamon said, drawing my attention. “And you care about Callie a great deal, don’t you?”

  “Are you questioning my ability to find her?” I said, annoyed that again my capabilities were being called into question.

  “Not at all. I appreciate your feelings for her, and believe that they are sincere.”

  I looked back at Raulia and Noah. They were locked in a conversation of their own, completely unaware of what was being said between Rosamon and myself, even though they were only a few feet away.

  “Sometimes, it’s okay to follow your heart,” Rosamon said. “If finding Callie is what you need to do, then do it. Don’t worry about everything else going on.”

  “How do you know…?”

  “I told you, I can sense it.”

  The way she spoke to me, the way she seemed to be able to read my thoughts disturbed me even more than being lost in the Fae capital with two individuals, whom I had very little trust in.

  It had to be Fae magic. I didn’t know the girl claiming to be Callie’s sister. I had no way to tell if she was or not.

  “I know it pains you to be away from her.” Rosamon looked in my eyes. “But, you feel guilty about abandoning your city. You did what you had to. You did what you believed in. Keep doing that. Once we get in there, you must be prepared to do anything to get her back. But I’m certain that you already are…because you love her.”

  No one spoke to me that way except Natasha. My sister was the only one capable of interpreting my feelings and revealing them to me. I shrunk away from Rosamon—or the image that looked like Rosamon—and turned my attention back to the Noah and Raulia, prepared to state my concerns about the authenticity of our unexpected companion.

  A voice came from behind us. “Halt!”

  I turned, prepared for anything. Anything except what was racing toward us. It was a group of Fae. Leading the pack was a pair of Redcaps, their short stature causing the trio behind them to appear more menacing than they already were.

  The Fae had each evolved differently. Although they all fell under the same general umbrella, one would be hard-pressed to immediately identify the ancestral connection between the stout Redcaps and their monstrous companions. The first who caught my eye did so for one obvious reason—the lack of a head. The body was sturdy, rippling with muscle, and moving forward by an unseen power.

  Next to the headless Fae was one that looked like a troll. Not as short as the Redcaps, the hairy, plump Fae creature still managed to appear short next to its headless comrade. The last of their mismatched trio was a man who embodied his species roots. Tall and elegant in his movements, his hair was fair, eyes large, and his ears came to a point.

  “Move!” I said, summoning Noah and Raulia to action.

  Before the Fae could reach us, Raulia had changed shape. Noah had turned to mist, then returned to his human form behind them, preparing an attack from the rear. I focused my energy on the headless body, throwing him agai
nst the elvish Fae.

  The two tumbled backwards, but were quick to leap to their feet, once again. Raulia moved in, knocking the headless giant to the ground. Then Noah grabbed two of the Redcaps from behind and clunked their heads together. The cracking sound rippled through the air.

  The last of the Redcaps focused his attention on me. He barreled forward, darting from one side to the other, making it impossible for me to lock in on his position, in my mind. Instead, I was left to face him hand-to-hand. Although I stood at least a foot taller than him, his shoulders nearly doubled mine in width.

  When my fist crashed into his gut, it felt like striking a brick wall. He retaliated, lifting his small, muscle-packed leg and landing a blow in my side. I buckled forward, grabbing hold of him as I did, and throwing him to the ground with as much force as I could muster.

  “You’re too late,” the Redcap said, smiling menacingly.

  I placed my foot on his chest before looking around. I saw that he was right. Raulia was locked in a battle of brute strength with the headless creature, and Noah was still occupied with the two Redcaps, although it was clear the enemy was sustained most of the injuries.

  “One’s missing,” I said.

  The Redcap on the ground began to laugh hysterically. Panic washed over me, with the sound of his cackling ringing in my ears.

  Then a siren blared, as a warning. I shouted, “They know we’re here!”

  Chapter 11

  Logan

  “We have to go!” Noah cried out, still holding tightly to two of the Redcap guards.

  “He’s right,” Rosamon said. “They know you’re here now. There’s no time to waste. We have to find Callie before they find us.”

  I looked down at the Redcap under my foot. His eyes danced with amusement. I balled up my fist, ready to deliver another blow.

  “There’s no time,” Noah said, stopping me short.

  “Surely, there is,” I said, eyeing my prey.

  “We have to get to Callie, right away,” Rosamon said.