Shades of Redemption (Mists of the Fae Book 3)

by Jaime Marks

  “I suggest you hold lest you wish to witness the depths of my power as it tears his flesh from his bones.” Alayne growled.

  Black essence swirled about them leeching to his skin. It felt like thousands of knives stabbing into his body at different angles. He bit down on his reaction to it, fed his rage. He would never give this disgusting creature the satisfaction of breaking him. He didn’t have the power.

  “Impressive boy…so very much like your Grandsire. I shall enjoy using you to determine the limitations of the Gray.” He pulled back harder on the staff cutting off his oxygen.

  “Drop the boy, Alayne.” Marcus spat. “And perhaps you shall live this day.”

  The essence began to pierce into his skin ripping him open as it seeped into his body. He gritted through it, using the pain to keep himself conscious.

  “You do not have the strength to best me Protector of Light.” He spat. “But worry not, your time is short, we will see each other again soon.”

  He could feel the Dark essence flooding his being. His form shifting, fading from this realm.

  “Hang on Byryn. Do not give into him, we will find you, son. I swear it.” Grifyn all but collapsed as he faded from sight.

  Mythos formed right in front of Cymeryn all but knocking him back. The Guardians Meryn and Facious flanking him. “Unhand my niece, Shade!”

  Cymeryn hesitated and leaned down to Staryana’s ear as he spoke loud enough so he could be heard. “Staryana, you need to go to your uncle.”

  Mythos heard her sobs as he saw her body begin to tremble.

  “No, no, you said you wouldn’t make me go back!” Her voice was raspy and broken.

  “I know Princess, but you cannot stay here and your Father is coming. You cannot go with him, Staryana. You cannot give yourself to Alayne.”

  Mythos gaped at his words as he studied them watching Cymeryn plead with her. Something was off. The wind whipped his hair about and Mythos noticed it was more brown than black, there were no longer wisps of Dark essence flowing freely from his skin, and his skin itself was not quite so pale. “Cymeryn?” He asked in shock as he tried to fathom even the possibility.

  He looked over the top of his glasses and Mythos saw his eyes. His Gray eyes. He stepped back, “When? How?”

  “There is no time. If you want her to live, you must trust me, Mythos.” He pleaded. “I will not harm her. Alayne wants her and she will not return to Realm of Gray. Tell Marcus to find me and to hurry. I do not know how long I can keep up this façade but it won’t be long until Syneous realizes I am evading him and not merely holding her for them.”

  He took off at the speed of wind, with Staryana still in his arms. Mythos stared after him completely unsure of what just happened.

  “Do we follow him your majesty?” Meryn requested.

  “Meryn, follow but do not interfere. Communicate with me any developments. If he moves to harm her…”

  “Understood my lord.” He was gone in an instant.

  Mythos reached out sensing Marcus and misted to him as Alayne disappeared with Byryn. The Shade, Tatyna was badly wounded and Narcyion lay dead. “What the hell is going on Marcus?”

  Chapter 22

  Marcus paced enraged. Alayne had Byryn. There was no telling what the High Priest of the Shade would do to the boy. Only Byryn could reach Star, she was too far gone. Without Star they might not be able to reach Byryn and without Byryn they might not be able to reach Star. This was a disaster.

  “Guardian Facious secure the Shade, I will see to the King’s safety myself.” He bit out.

  “Do you want her held, Praetor?” He requested.

  “Yes, see her to the cells in the Realm of Gray.” He met Mythos’ eyes as he waited for the Guardian to leave with Cymeryn’s progeny.

  When they were gone Grifyn jumped in his face. “I blame you for this, Marcus! You got him involved in this mess and now he is in the hands of that monster!”

  He grabbed the Fae by the shoulders with a quick shake. “Grifyn as much as I understand your frustrations you need to pull it together if we are going to get your son back. We must get to Cymeryn before he is discovered. As long as Alayne does not reach Star, Byryn will fight.”

  “When this is over, Marcus, you and I will deal with this.”

  “As you wish, my friend, but this couldn’t have been foreseen or prevented. If not for Cymeryn they would both be lost.” Marcus snapped releasing Grifyn. He did not have the patience for this right now though he understood where Grifyn’s rage was coming from.

  “What of Cymeryn, Marcus? I just had the strangest interaction with the Supryn of the Umbra and my niece. Tell me I did not make a mistake letting them go.” Mythos demanded.

  “I planned on telling you when you came to the Palace, Mythos. Cymeryn is Gray. We only found out for certain yesterday.” Marcus turned to the King. “There is more but right now my first priority is to your niece and her betrothed. Alayne has been three steps ahead of us this entire time and I have no idea what his next move is.” He refrained from calling her his bonded daughter though it killed him. That was a situation he did not dare breech now, not when things with Reyana were about to be revealed that would lead to even more discord.

  They had to focus on getting Byryn back before they dealt with the dynamics of their relationship. He had no idea how they would react to both he and Cymeryn fathering Reyana’s young. As it was Grifyn and Kato were still looking for some way to blame this entire mess on he and Cymeryn, but the truth was that there was nothing either of them could have done differently that would have prevented this.

  “Is Reyana safe?” Mythos demanded.

  “I asked her to stay in the Sacred Grove until I came for her. The faeries will be able to keep her hidden as long as she remains there. No one can breach the entry save Reyana and her Protectors.” Marcus responded as he reached out. “Cymeryn is masking himself, I need to focus, my lord or I won’t be able to reach him.”

  Mythos nodded and turned to Grifyn. “We will get him back. I swear it, my friend. He is part of this family and we will not forsake him.”

  Marcus felt himself center as he reached across the link they shared. In so many ways it felt like home, like when they merged. It was as if he and Cymeryn were one soul split into two halves and only together could they make a whole.

  “Where are you, brother?”

  “We are still moving, Marcus. Syneous is trying to track me, but he is wounded. I have been able to evade him this long, but sooner or later they will try to reach out to me. Once it is discovered that I am no longer Shade he will be able to call in assistance. Control of the Umbra will pass to him until he is challenged.”

  “Head for the entryway, Cymeryn, I will meet you there.”

  “She will not go brother, she is terrified. I tried to give her to Mythos so I could ascertain what was happening but she began to fall apart. I do not know what to say to her, what to do.”

  “She has to go into the Realm of Gray, Cymeryn. Even if she won’t go to the Palace there is no other safe place, brother. You above all know this.”

  There was a pause and Marcus began pacing again. How could they reach her? What had the girl terrified to go home? It should be the one place she felt safe in all this. Marcus stopped. “Grifyn, where was the lamp located that was used to attack Ryo, where did it come from?”

  “It was in Star’s room. Why?”

  “And when we got here, did you feel any of the unawakened anywhere nearby?” Marcus demanded.

  “No, only Star and Syneous, even Byryn confirmed it. The other Shade came later but there was no other.” Now it was Grifyn who paced. “And no one save for the Gray can see the entryway and even then aside from you, Star, Byryn and Reyana no one can find them unless they have been taught and only the Royal Guards have been shown. They were all accounted for.” He stopped and met his eyes.

  “Cymeryn didn’t take her. He was on his way back with Steph when we ran into him pursuing her.” Marcus mused.
“The only other explanation is that she attacked Ryo herself.”

  “Why would she do that? She likes the Fae more than most and she would have no reason to run.”

  “Yes, but think to what Byryn was trying to tell us. He had said that he thought that Alayne’s primary target was Star, that he was manipulating her mind, grooming her in some fashion.” Marcus explained. “If he somehow overwhelmed her, if he somehow pushed her too far and she needed out but Ryo tried to stop her…”

  Grifyn pondered it a moment. “You’re right. That would make far more sense. There was a lot of blood Marcus, the Fae was fairly injured. She probably thinks him dead.”

  Mythos scoffed, “No wonder she was so terrified. She probably thinks we will condemn her. That she murdered him in cold blood.”

  Marcus reached out to again. “Cymeryn, tell her Ryo is alive. He’s fine, she didn’t kill him. No one is blaming her for what has happened. Her mind has been severely manipulated. Tell her we need to help her. They have Byryn.”

  “I will meet you at the entryway.”

  “Come.” Marcus spoke before he misted to the portal. He knew the others would follow.

  He took form just as Cymeryn came to a stop. He was cradling her in his arms with care, as he reassured her. He looked every bit like the Father he was to become.

  “Staryana, Marcus is here, will you speak to him? I will not force you, child, but you need to hear him.” He spoke softly in her ear as her brought her forward.

  She nodded and turned to him, tears rolling down her cheeks and glistening in her eyes. Blood was spattered over the front of her night gown. Cymeryn sat her down and removed his robes wrapping them around her to shield her.

  Marcus slowly moved forward as she met his eyes and her lip trembled. He was before her in the work of a moment and she all but collapsed into his arms. Cymeryn reached out hesitantly rubbing her back in some attempt to comfort her as he held her. He felt Grifyn and Mythos form a few feet away giving them the space she needed.

  “I-, I didn’t…I wouldn’t…” She sobbed against his chest.

  “Shhh…Star, we know. We know what’s happening. This isn’t your fault and Ryo is fine. Just a little bump on the head. He was more concerned for you than anything.” Marcus reassured her.

  “B-,but...”

  “No buts Starshine, this was not your fault.” He kissed her head as he scooped her up, heading for the portal but stopped glancing back over his shoulder when he realized Cymeryn did not follow. “Are you coming, Cymeryn?”

  He looked to the ground before meeting his eyes and slowly shaking his head. “No, Marcus. I am not. None of you can go where Alayne has gone. None of you will be able to find him.”

  “Alayne will kill you, Cymeryn. Not only is it becoming plain to see by looking at you, but you no longer have Star. And are you even sure you can breach the Darker Realms? In your current state?” Marcus argued trying to reason with him. “We will find another way, together brother. You cannot risk this alone.”

  “I am sure. The Darkness still lives in me Marcus, as the Light is still within you. It allows me to go places freely that you cannot. To sense them freely where you cannot. He has taken him to his fortress in the Darker Realms. Alayne may well kill me, but he has tried before and failed. As long as I can evade Lazurys’ detection I have a chance. I have to at least try. For her.” He inclined his head towards Star. “Think about the repercussions of his loss. Sense the state of her mind, mine blooded twin. I must do this.”

  “Cymeryn...”

  “No, Marcus. She needs you, they need you. Protect her, follow through with what I asked of you and protect them all.” He turned away. “Tell her….tell her, I love her.”

  Before he could respond, Cymeryn was gone.

  A warm hand clasped his shoulder a few moments later and he realized he was still staring at the spot that Cymeryn had misted from. “Marcus, we need to get her to safety.” Mythos spoke softly.

  He nodded and carried Star through the portal followed by Grifyn and Mythos. He had to find a way to reach Cymeryn before he got himself killed, but how? There was no way for the Fae to breach the Darker Realms. Even those infected with Shade Sickness could not do so before they had fully turned. There had to be a way, he would not lose his twin again.

  Reyana paced along the Sacred Creak. One of the unicorns stomped besides her nudging her on occasion. It was trying to comfort her, to calm her. She reached over, petting its muzzle to placate the steed. She couldn’t stop her fear. Would it always be like this? Every time she thought things were finally starting to feel right, every time things were working out the next thing she knew the floor fell right out from under her. The entirety of her human life had been manipulated and infected by Lazurys and the Shade. Her daughter’s entire life manipulated and infected.

  If Alayne had gone through such great lengths to see Star born and had been infecting her mind all this time, the situation was worse than anyone thought. She could lose herself to this. Star could become nothing more than Alayne’s plaything and the very idea of that haunted Reyana. If that bastard so much as laid a finger on her, it would be the last thing that the Shade ever did. Reyana would not sit by and watch as he destroyed her daughter, her whole family. What could she even do though? If she wasn’t pregnant maybe she could fight, but could she even match his strength in this form? There had to be some power she had, some ability to fight back. She was a goddess for chrissakes. Well, she had been anyway.

  She wasn’t really sure yet how all her incarnations played into this life. When she was Lunya she had been stronger than Lazurys. He hadn’t been able to overpower her without poisoning her. That power had to still be part of her, didn’t it? She just had to figure out how she reached it so that she could use it. At the very least she should have the ability to face off with the Shade Priest.

  Sometimes it was infuriating how weak she felt. She could sense, feel all this power just below the surface but she had no idea how to access any of it. It had been like this last time she had been Fae as well, but she didn’t understand what it was because she hadn’t known who she was. Now she did and it was still a mystery to her how she was supposed to tap into it. The only thing she knew for certain was that she was running out of time to figure it out.

  Lazurys had tortured and tormented everyone she had ever cared about in some way, whether it be directly or indirectly. Her Mother and Father, Mythos, Cymeryn, Marcus, Grifyn and Kato and the whole of their lines, and now her daughter had all been subject to the tortures of the Darkness in some way. Now she was bringing two more children into this mess. What kind of legacy would she leave them? What horrors awaited them at the hands of her enemies?

  Her hand instinctually went to her stomach. It was funny how often she found herself doing so. She had only known of the pregnancy for a few hours really and already she felt a strong bond to the young that grew inside her. The gestation of the Fae was different than that of humanity. The first month was very similar as the embryo formed and the cells grew and multiplied. The soul and essence began to form as soon as the egg was fertilized, which most likely helped to foster the immediate bond that the parents felt with their unborn young. It was why the parents could normally feel the pregnancy so quickly. The gestation of the pregnancy slowed some after about the sixth week as the essence and energy began to strengthen and grow, it would interweave with her own as they formed. Once it did she wouldn’t able to hide the pregnancy any longer.

  They would take full advantage of her weaknesses. Would these children even live to be born? Or would they all fall at the hand of Lazurys? No, if Lazurys had his way he would obtain her and hold her until they were born so he could mold them into monsters to wield as he saw fit. She shook herself. She needed to break out of this negativity. She needed to know what was going on. She reached out to them both. Cymeryn responded first but something was off. She felt his love wash over her but there was a tinge of sadness that stung her.

  “W
hat’s going on, Cymeryn? Is Steph alright, did Marcus find you?”

  “Yes Rey, the girl is safe at the Palace with Kato by now and Marcus is on his way back with Staryana. They are safe, but there was a complication. Alayne has taken Byryn…”

  “Oh god, that poor boy. Are you coming back with them? We’ll figure this out together.”

  There was a long pause and realization slowly crept into her heart. She shook her head as a tear ran down her cheek.

  “No, Cymeryn, please no. Please don’t do this alone. Come back and you can all reason out the best course of action. You can’t go alone, Alayne will kill you.”

  “I am…sorry, Reyana. I am sorry for every pain I have ever caused you. I am sorry for the fear I caused in your heart. Most of all, I am sorry for all the promises I have broken and all the time that we have lost. I will always be with you my beautiful Rey, always with you and our young. I love you…”

  His essence flooded her, wrapping around her like a gentle embrace, a soft caress and she felt him pull away from her.

  “Cymeryn? Cymeryn please listen to me.”

  She pleaded with him to talk to her, to answer her, but he was gone. He’d shut her out, knowing she would try to talk him out of what he was about to do. In his mind, this was his goodbye. He had gone to the Darker Realms to face Alayne and he didn’t expect to live through the confrontation. Her hand went to her heart as the tears streamed down her face and sobs wracked through her. The idea of losing him again hurt so badly she thought her heart might have literally shattered.

  She ran. Leaving the grove, she flew up the stairs. She knew Marcus was back in the realm and she needed him now. She needed to go to Star to be there for her. She needed to do something because staying here in this grove where she had last been in his arms was more than she could bear. She heard Shala call after her and knew she was following but she didn’t stop…she couldn’t.