Eternity With The Shadow King (Captive 0f Shadows Book 5)

by Bailey Dark

  I am trying. Willem has no idea. He is stuck in the Castle like we are. He is amending Kane's wounds daily. He isn't being controlled…

  I turn, no longer hearing him. He's gone. In front of me is nothing but darkness, and I shake my head, finding it frustrating how little he helps me. I start to head back to the castle, finding my mind fluttering all over the place. There was a relief seeing Willem's face, but he left me even more confused than I was before I came out here.

  I stop for a moment and glance toward the city, feeling a profound sadness in my heart. I can remember the first time I heard the celebrations from the streets. None of the beings below are alive, at least not like humans, but they still live their lives, have joy, continue on. And if I don't do something, that will all end.

  The sound of footsteps turn my attention back toward the castle. I grip my cloak closed and look around, fearful that it's Drogaem. If he finds me, he will punish me. He knows, even if he acts like he doesn't, that the rebels are close by. But even with the deep penetrating dread in my chest and the unnerving sense of another, I see no one. An eerie chill runs down my spine, and I hurry to the steps, making my way back inside. My meeting with Willem has done nothing, but I have to have hope that he has something planned, otherwise, I don't know how much longer I can keep it up.

  Chapter 7

  Kane

  I stand in the center of the throne room, waiting for them to chain me to the wall again. It seems as if this torture will never end, but my rest last night has given me extra strength. Little by little, I will renew myself. Sitting on the throne chairs, Drogaem is lost in thought, and Briar sits next to him, the massive crown on her head, tired bags beneath her eyes. She was in bed with me when I woke, but I knew she hadn't been there all night. I worry about what happens to her at night. I fear that Drogaem hurts her, and she doesn't tell me. But no matter how strong Briar is, if he were to bed her, she wouldn't be able to hold that back from me.

  Her soul is immortal, but her body is still human. With that comes human emotions, human frailty, and that innocence that I find almost arousing when I think of Briar.

  Drogaem's eyes tilt up toward me, and I do my best to hold my shoulders back despite the pain from my broken and tattered wings. He looks me up and down and stands, using his magic to force Briar from her seat. She's getting better at keeping her balance when her body moves before her mind is ready. He haughtily walks down the steps toward me, but his face is different. He doesn't stare at me with the usual giddiness of a child, his eagerness billing over to torture me.

  "I'm going out today. I'll be riding through my kingdom. I'm sure it's changed quite a bit since I was unceremoniously ousted from my rightful place as ruler."

  Briar's lip curled. "What do you care about them? You want them all gone."

  I watch Briar flinch as Drogaem snaps his head toward her, his eyes narrow and his mouth tight. But slowly, he turns his frown into a smirk and reaches up, patting Briar on the top of the head. "You are keen, little human. I need to set up my portals. If I'm going to invade the mortal realm, I need to have a multitude of them. We need to enter the mortal realm at all different directions. They will never know what's coming, and they will never know what hit them by the time they're gone."

  My first reaction is relief. I can see the same look on Briar's face. We will be free of him at least for a little while. But slowly, the realization dawns on me. It is more dangerous for Drogaem to be out in town, unleashing his wrath on the kingdom, than to have him here at the castle. With his temperament, I have no idea what he will do when he finally sees the souls within the kingdom. My eyes shift over to Briar's, and from the look on her face, the concern, I can tell she's thinking the same thing. I wish our bond was stronger again, I need to speak to her without Drogaem knowing. All I can hope is that she catches on and quickly. We need to come up with a reason to make Drogaem stay.

  I wait for a moment, seeing if she makes a move, but she doesn't. Her eyes shift out the doors toward the window and back to me, panic building on her face. I have to do something. Otherwise, I'm damning my own people.

  "Sure, sure," I say with a chuckle in my voice. "After yesterday, I don't blame you at all for not wanting to be shown up. Surely, you're getting tired of not being able to break me. We'll all play along and act like it's for some other reason."

  Briar's mouth drops open, and Drogaem stands there speechless for the first time since I've seen him alive and in his body. I continue before he can react. "Besides, this gives me ample time to figure out exactly how I'm going to vanquish you from the face of the underworld, and any other realm, for an eternity. In fact, it gives me a little time to see what I can do to torture you back in ways that you could never think of."

  "Kane!" Briar calls out, reaching for me, but Drogaem slaps her hand down.

  Drogaem balls his fists and turns away from me for a moment, giving me a second to shake my head at Briar. I need her to know that I have a plan. My plan will absolutely lead to more pain for me, and probably the worst so far, but sacrifices need to be made. Briar cannot be the only one that's making them. The idea of pain doesn't please me, and I know Briar can see that in my eyes, but it will be worth it.

  Drogaem swings back around and eyes both Briar and me. It's a different look than he's given us before. I can tell he no longer thinks of us as playthings, torture victims for his own amusement. For the first time since he's been back, he looks at Briar and I as a threat. I didn't want him to make that realization just yet, but sometimes things happen. I have to make a move, or all of this has been for nothing.

  Drogaem marches forward and stands only inches from me. His lip twitches, and I can tell he's holding himself back. "Do you really think that in your condition, mangled and pathetic, you can be as strong as a God?"

  I lift my head and stare him straight in the eyes. "Stronger."

  Drogaem blinks at me and begins to laugh. "Let me remind you that immortal does not mean eternal life for you, Kane. Not the way it does for me."

  He steps away, and I look over at Briar, who has her hand to her mouth, her eyes teary even though she's trying hard to pull it back. Yes, the words are threatening, and yes, Drogaem means them with everything in his existence. But that's precisely what I'm going for.

  "Slave!" Drogaem turns walking toward the other side of the throne room, where one of the very few servants left nervously comes from the shadows.

  It gives Briar a brief moment to slip up next to me and shake her head. "What are you doing? I know we have to keep him away, but he's not playing anymore. I can't lose you."

  With my hands tied, I can't touch her, but I lean my forehead to hers for just a moment. "You won't."

  Before she can reply, Drogaem is on his way back, and she swiftly moves away before he can notice. Behind him, one of his guards hurries along, stopping at attention. Drogaem clears his throat. "I will not be traveling with the hunt today, but you will continue out without me. You know exactly what you'll be doing, and you know the orders to secure."

  The guard snaps his heels together and nods, swiveling around before marching off. Drogaem slowly rubs his hands together, looking me up and down. "And as for you, I hope you're prepared to entertain me while I abandon my trip."

  Prepared or not, it's my only choice.

  * * *

  Briar

  "Kane," I call out, my voice different than usual.

  The light emanates from me, and I feel joy as I hurry through the castle halls, looking in each room, trying to find Kane. Everything seems different like it was before Drogaem came. There is a lightness to the hallways. It's not like the sun, but light like it was before Drogaem, lit with a crimson hue all day and all night. The way it glowed before the darkness began to seep in.

  As my body moves along the hallways, I pass by a mirror and stop. I watch as Lux's face smiles into the reflection, pushing her hair behind her ear. I quickly realize I am not myself, and though I search for Kane and cannot find him, she
does not. It's a strange feeling, being within another body yet feeling at home here. The heat of my powers are more robust than I have ever felt before.

  We continue down the hallway, the skirt of the dress we're wearing fluttering freely behind us. Each room we enter, I look for Kane, but he is nowhere. In fact, not a single being that we see is the same. There are no familiar faces, and even the castle seems different.

  Hurrying down the hallway, we turn into the throne room and stop suddenly as we come face-to-face with Drogaem. He's younger, but I can sense the evil inside of him. He grins and puts his arms out, wrapping them tightly around us. I want to kick and fight, I want to scream at the top of my lungs, find my dagger, and plunge it into his chest, but I cannot. I can only see and feel, but I cannot control this body I'm in.

  Drogaem lifts his hand and puts it on our cheek. He stares into our eyes, and as he leans forward, I cringe. His darkness is enveloping me, and his lips are so close to mine. I feel strangled.

  My eyes open, and I gasp for air, gripping the front of my gown. The heat was so hot, but it's now dissipating. I look around in a panic, ready to strike out at Drogaem, but I find myself in my bed, locked in my room. My hands drop, and I calm my breathing, having been through this multiple times before. It is just a dream, but it feels so much more real than any dream I ever had before. It feels like a vision. I hate these strange dreams. I know that Lux and I are connected in some way, but I don't know why I have her visions, reliving her life.

  I'm just immortal, with powers that I cannot control. But if I'm having these dreams, I can't help but wonder if there's something more to me than just a simple human. Maybe Lux is trying to tell me something. Maybe there is something more that I don't know.

  I had fallen asleep in my bed, but it's the middle of the day. It's been days since the soldiers left to go scouting, and it's been days since I've seen Kane. Drogaem has forced me to stay in my room, which keeps me from harm but also keeps me from helping Kane. I can feel my magic starting to simmer back, stronger again within me. Willem was right, Drogaem only kept my powers down for a little over a day, but when he released the magical spell, I found that they were diminished. I am building them as fast as I can.

  I walk over to the double doors that lead out onto my balcony. Stepping out, I feel the warmth of the air. I take in the city lights, thinking about how many souls are down there. They are a large part of why I'm doing what I'm doing. I'm trying to protect them and the humans from Drogaem. I am well aware that not every being in that city is good, but no one deserves the hell that Drogaem wants to create.

  Imprisoned here in my room, though, I cannot do anything. Maybe this is why Drogaem has me here. Perhaps he worries that I will do something, use my magic in some way to destroy him. After Kane stopped him from going with his soldiers, I knew he would begin looking at me as the threat that I know I am to him.

  As I turn to shut myself back in the room, the sound of screams echo across the void of the underworld. I turn back, watching in the distance, my heart aching. I can hear them. I can hear the people who are relying on Kane to protect them. The hunters, his army, are terrorizing the people below. I bring my hands up to the stone railing around the balcony, and I grip it tightly. There's nothing I can do. There's nothing I can say. The people are on their own for right now. I feel more trapped in this hellhole, listening to their screams and begs for mercy than I ever have before.

  An anger is building inside of me, and it is no longer on the surface. With every shout, every screech, that anger grows. That rage will either be the end of me, or I will use it and destroy everything about Drogaem that he has ever coveted. I will get revenge, or I will die trying.

  Chapter 8

  Kane

  I pace the floor, searching for answers, trying to figure out a way to get through this and get my kingdom back. I'm resolute in the idea that I need to keep my emotional distance from Briar. Between our connection, which I still feel is there despite Drogaem's curse, and the emotions I feel for her, giving in to them will only distract us.

  Even as I tell myself that, I can feel bits of Briar's emotions surging through to me. It's not nearly as strong as it used to be, but I can feel it. It's distracting and concerning at the same time. I can feel her fear and frustration, and it only seems to grow by the minutes. I stand still for a moment, focusing my mind, trying to figure out whether I need to go to her or not. Everything in me wants to, she needs that reassurance, but I have to be firm in my resolve.

  Another wave of fear hits me, and without thought, I leave the room, heading down toward hers. Drogaem has forced her to stay in her room, the one that I set aside for her long ago. We spend as much time together as we can, but the days seem to grow longer and longer. In my mind, I know that this is purposeful, that I put this in motion by taunting Drogaem to keep him in the castle, but it doesn't make it any easier.

  I stand outside of Briar's door, feeling her emotions even stronger. I knock, sensing her pause. Several moments pass, and I assume she's collecting herself. She opens the door and peeks out, a look of relief washing over her face when she sees me. She opens the door quickly, and I slide inside, closing it behind us. She locks it but doesn't turn around right away.

  "I can feel your fear, your frustration. What's going on? It's stronger than normal."

  She turns toward me and takes a deep breath. "Well, it's good that you're feeling those things, that makes me believe that our connection is growing stronger. But I've been trying to use my powers. I'm trying to grow them. The problem is, my fear is taking me over. My fear of the future, my fear that we are alone in this, and my fear that things will never go back to the way they were."

  I watch her as she stands there, her eyes shifting to the floor. She still feels ashamed when fear strikes her. Little does she know, I don't look down on her for that fear. I understand she's human, and for everything that she has done, I think she's incredible. I force those thoughts back, though, my eyes shifting over her tousled hair and rosy cheeks. They fall on her heaving breast, and the heat bursts up the back of my neck. I lick my lips wantonly, but I know it's not the right time.

  The truth is, even if I chose to do it right now, to take her like I've wanted to for so long, I'm too exhausted to barely move. But I hide it from her, remaining tall and straight, keeping my head up and my spirits high. I want her to think that I've never felt better. That Drogaem will never wear me down.

  "Things may never go back to the way they were, but we are moving closer toward the time where we will have to decide what move we make."

  Her eyes shift up to mine, and then she lets them fall over my body. It's not a seductive look, but instead a look of sadness. I'm sure that I look worse for wear at this point. She steps toward me and puts out her hand. There's no way I can recoil from her. I need her touch just as much as she needs to feel that closeness. She lays her hand on my arm and rubs her thumb across one of my scars. "You should be resting. You're always hurt, and it never fully heals."

  I shake my head and force a smile for just a moment. "I never felt better. Drogaem can't hurt me anymore. Pain is temporary. What he plans to do is permanent. What we chose is the best course of action right now."

  She steps closer to me, and I can smell the lavender from her hair. I close my eyes for a moment attempting to keep myself from latching on to her thin waist and curved hips. I can feel her small soft hands grasp both sides of my face, and she leans up, gently pressing her lips to my cheek. I feel a wave of electricity wash over me. My hand moves toward her, but I pull it back. When she releases my face, I open my eyes.

  "Let me bear some of Drogaem's horror for once," Briar whispers softly. "I can take it. He will not kill me, not yet. He still thinks he needs me."

  I scoff, waving my hand as I walk away from her. I stand at the window, staring out at the city below. "Absolutely not. Your powers are critical. We need you to focus on growing stronger and stronger. You cannot heal like I can."

 
I quickly glance over my shoulder at her, and from the way she holds her hands together, staring at the floor, I can tell she was hoping that my answer would have been more personal. Of course, I don't want her to take the pain because I care for her, but telling her that will do no good. What I told her is the truth as well. Her powers may be the key to ending Drogaem for good. Drogaem does not have enough control to stop before possibly killing her.

  Silence wears on for several moments, and I clear my throat, changing the subject. I make sure my tone is softer. "Drogaem is busy elsewhere, planning and toying with whatever poor servant he has caught. I have time to spend with you."

  I motion for her to come over to the window with me. I can see a brightness flash across her eyes as she lifts the front of her skirt and hurries over to me. I give in to her closeness for a moment, wrapping my arm around her as she snuggles against me. Even the bravest of warriors, the hardest of villains, and the most treacherous of criminals need comforting from time to time. She gives me that every day. Even now, giving into it for her sake is healing me in ways beyond the flesh.

  I gaze at the city, thinking about Briar, where she comes from, the powers within her, and her history. "Long ago, before you had ever entered the mortal realm, there was a woman. She was strong and powerful. She always had her chin up, and she stood behind every choice she made. She was beautiful, catching the eye of every being within the underworld and beyond. She was known across realms. When she came of age, Drogaem's wrath was just beginning. Everyone knew the evil that surged inside of him, but no one knew how far it would lead."

  I can feel Briar breathing comfortably against me, and I tighten my hand around her arm, continuing. "Of all the suitors and all the loves she could've had in her life, she chose Drogaem. She thought together, she and Drogaem could do grand things. She thought together, they could create the world she had always imagined."