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

by Bailey Dark

  I shake my head, feeling the disgust in the very center of my soul. "You're a liar, but that's not shocking. You've been a liar your whole life. You even lie to yourself."

  Drogaem's arm snaps forward, clutching me by the throat. He pulls me forward and slams me back against the wall. I take the pain and push it down, fighting against the urge to claw at his fingers. "You're only making things worse for your family. If anything is left of your sisters after I let my men take their turns, I will bring them back to this castle and let you watch as I peel the skin from their bones. I will keep them alive as long as I possibly can so that for the rest of your short little mortal life, you hear their screams echoing in your head."

  I don't take what he's saying to heart. I know that we're going to do something, anything to stop him. I just hope the Soul Keeper makes it to the right person in time. When I don't respond to Drogaem, he drops me, huffing as he turns toward the door. I let out a deep breath, swallowing hard as the skin around my neck burns. I get my footing and step forward, thankful that Drogaem is leaving.

  My eyes glance down, and I rub my fingers up and down my thigh, just inches from the dagger. It feels as if it's almost calling to me. When I first arrived in the underworld, I could've never imagined myself killing someone, but now, the thought of the blade, slowly sinking into Drogaem's chest, brings me joy.

  "Oh, and just so you know, your Soul Keeper will be shot down before it can make it where it's going."

  My head shoots up, and I stare angrily at Drogaem. He laughs wildly. "Oh, how I enjoy watching the light in your eyes die. I cannot wait until it's your turn."

  I have to remember my plan. It's not just to get Willem here, but also to make Drogaem believe he is closer to controlling my magic. I have to appear broken in order for the plan to work. I close my eyes and let out a small whimper, letting the tears fill in, spilling over and down my cheeks. While Drogaem believes I'm crying for the bird, he couldn't be more wrong. I'm truly crying for the lives lost, and all the lives that will be lost in the coming days.

  Drogaem chuckles, pleased by my sadness, before turning and slamming the door to my room behind him. My face quickly straightens, and I wipe my tears away, clenching my teeth. Just a few more days and Drogaem will be no more. He will only exist in history books. Whether I live or I die, I will have my satisfaction when the last thing he sees is not my despair or my sadness, but the real depth of hatred that simmers in my soul for him. He will see the faces of every soul he took, and when that's done, he will see Lux, pleased as he leaves this world, never to return again.

  Drogaem, no matter what Kane thinks, is mine, and I will do everything I can to make sure that my hand holds the dagger when he takes his last pathetic breath.

  Chapter 21

  Briar

  The morning no longer brings me solace. For a long time, waking up was a relief to me. It brought a little bit more light into my life. Even during the times where I grappled with the idea of killing Kane, I was happy for another day. It's not that I'm not happy to be alive now, but when the sky lightens and I wake from my sleep, I know that I have to be on guard. I know that things are coming, dark things that I'm not sure I will live through.

  I stand at the window, staring out at the city. It's quiet, and those that live below huddle in their homes, mourning the loss of loved ones, and try to stay away from Drogaem's wrath. It is but a small preview of what life will be like, if life even continues, in the case that Drogaem wins. I cannot let that happen.

  I lift my leg, and I rest my boot on the windowsill as I strap my dagger securely in place. I slept with it under the pillow last night, just in case. I take a moment to ease my shoulders, letting my powers rush through my veins, calming me. My magic is strong, and though I don't know if it's strong enough to defeat Drogaem, I am sure that my dagger is.

  When I woke up, Kane was gone, and I don't know where he is. I won't let him be away from me for long, though, not during these times. I fix the skirt of my dress, a long black dress with a high turtleneck, and the stitching's of wings on the back. I honor those who cannot fight in this battle because they've already lost their lives. As I stand staring at myself in the mirror, my hair pulled back, my face straight and sullen, I see a different girl than the one who nervously traveled beside Kane to the underworld.

  I am a different girl. I have seen things that will never leave my mind. I have learned things about myself that will never change. I am stronger, braver, and angrier. I'm so very angry.

  The flutter of wings startles me, and I look over to the window to find the Soul Keeper restlessly marching back and forth on the sill. My heart beats a little bit faster in my chest. I approach slowly as to not scare it, and reach out, gently wrapping my hand around its wings. It coos and seems to remember me. I hold the bird up at eye level and smile as I remove the small rolled message from its leg.

  "You've done good little bird, now fly far away from here and find safety." I release the Soul Keeper back out the window and unroll the parchment.

  We will be there. By the time you get this letter, we will be approaching the gates. We will wait for dusk. I'm bringing help. -W

  My head tilts back, and I stare up at the ceiling, feeling a wash of emotions. I hold the parchment to my chest as my breath quickens, and I pull back the tears I want to cry. We won't be alone, which makes this battle all the easier to walk into. It doesn't mean we will win, but it means we haven't been left behind. The people haven't been left behind.

  With a shaking hand, I hold my palm out, placing the piece of parchment on top. I muster a small flame of my energy and watch as the paper floats up, burning until it finally falls to ash. I tap the dagger against my thigh and nod my head, resolute in the future. Right now, I need to find Kane and let him know what's going to happen. We need to be ready.

  Hurrying out of my room, I go to turn right toward the tombs, figuring Kane is in one of the rooms along the way, but the sound of his voice stops me. Quietly I walk toward the throne room, pausing outside of the doors. Drogaem and Kane are arguing, which is something new considering Drogaem just usually tortures him.

  "You fool," Drogaem bellows. "Why would you think that I give any care about the souls in this kingdom? The souls are the same that let me die. They are the ones that called for my death. They will find the same wrath that all the others do."

  Kane laughs. "And then who will you rule upon? Who will your subjects be if you kill them all? Who will you bring to the underworld if all the humans are dead?"

  Drogaem scoffs, throwing his hands up. "You think that I'm stupid enough to kill everyone? They will be my slaves. They will be my servants. They will live how I tell them to live. They will take the torture when I tell them to take the torture. This world will be mine, and everyone in it will fear me. I will take what I want and do what I want because I am the King."

  "You'll never truly be the King," Kane replies. "Someone of your moral stature and inability to do what kings need to do may call themselves that, but will never truly be seen as that."

  I grab the doorframe, ready to jump in as Drogaem charges at Kane. However, before I can, one of his soldiers walks up behind him, putting his hand on Drogaem's shoulder. He bends down and whispers into his ear, and I watch, wondering what he's saying. I need Kane to know that help is coming, and it's coming today. There's no use in picking a fight that will end in someone's death before the troops arrive.

  Thankfully, Drogaem gives Kane a side glance and then walks away, exiting out of the back of the throne room. I step around the corner, and Kane shakes his head at me. "He deserves everything that's coming to him."

  "Did you actually think that you could talk him out of it?"

  Kane scoffs. "Of course not. The more time I can take of his, the less time he's planning. I don't know how long it will take until we hear back from Willem, if we ever do."

  "We just did," I say, watching his eyes grow wide.

  He hurries toward me, taking me by the arm gent
ly and pulling me down the hall until we reach our room. He shuts the door, locks it, grasping my hands in his. "What did he say? How did you get a message?"

  I glance over at the window. "The Soul Keeper brought it. Willem is coming, and he's bringing help. The message says that by the time we get the letter, they will be nearing the gates. They will attack at dusk."

  Kane's head hangs, and I can see a bit of relief wash over him. He puts his arms out and pulls me into a tight hug. I lean my head against his shoulder, feeling his warmth and comfort. We both know we aren't prepared. We're tired, and not just physically but mentally. None of that matters, our love for each other, and our love for this kingdom, and all the others, means that no matter how exhausted we get, we fight on.

  Kane pulls back and holds my face in his hands, pressing his lips to my cheek. He moves up, kissing my eyelids, across my nose, and then pulls me back into a hug. Of course, the heat and passion is always there, but this is the first time that he shows me affection that's felt emotional, beyond our rising passion for each other. My love for him has deepened. Our connection is stronger than it's ever been before. There is no doubt in my mind that it will continue to strengthen, and if I can't push Drogaem from my soul, our connection will eventually push him out. Of course, I don't plan on waiting that long.

  "When the battle begins, and we know they'll be a battle, I want you to be safe. Don't be a hero. I want to know that you're safe."

  I look into Kane's eyes, contemplating my response. I want to tell him that I will be at the front lines, but I know that's stupid of me. I nod my head and smile, giving him a kiss on the cheek. We share this lie, both of us fully knowing that when the battle is raging, I'm going to hunt Drogaem down. He knows that I will use my powers. We both know, even if it's in the back of our minds, that there's a good possibility by the end we'll both be dead. The only thing I can hope is that the love we share transcends even death.

  * * *

  Kane

  I sit in my chair, my fingers tapping against the arms. There is nothing but silence rolling through the halls of this great castle. I have lived 1000 lives, seeing 1000 deaths, and sat more times than I can remember in the stillness before the storm. The stillness, though, it brings an anxiousness, a stuttering fear that creeps along the underworld, blanketing everything that it touches.

  Out of the window, the sky is darker than normal, and I feel as if it's reflecting my mood. Bolts of orange lightning crackle across the sky, and the air is still and shallow. Down below in the city, they sense the impending change. They lock their war-torn doors, hide in cellars beneath their homes, and wait. They wait, but they don't know what for. They wait, knowing that they may just be waiting for death.

  I used to believe that the dissolving of the soul would be better than an eternity under a tyrannical role, but I'm wrong. Nothingness, a void of any emotion, a void of existence seems like a terrible waste. Maybe it's Briar and the love that she shows me. Maybe it's my humility, taking the beatings, losing my wings, being saved by a human. Whatever it is, it has changed me from the man I was when I first picked Briar up from her father's home. I am stronger, but at the same time, having Briar's soul connected to mine gives me a human side.

  "Kane, come look at this," Briar says, standing on the balcony.

  It makes me nervous every time she calls for me, as I'm expecting the worst. I leave my chair and head out onto the balcony. What I see stuns me. It more than stuns me, it fills me with something I haven't really ever felt before. It's something that I told Briar in the past is a human emotion. It's hope.

  Standing in rows and rows outside of the gates are soldiers dressed in the armor of the King and not Drogaem, but me. At the helm, Willem, my mother, and Aiden stand ready for battle. Aiden stomps his foot and spreads his wings, signaling the troops into attention. The soldiers that Aiden has brought begin to repeat my army's Creed.

  "From the deaths of the fires to the caps of the ice mountains, we serve our king from realm to realm with bravery, and we give our lives for the safety of this kingdom." Their arms and their fists clench as they pound them against their chest plates. "For the glory of Kane."

  I was not expecting this, an oath of loyalty from my own brother and his troops. The same brother who wanted me dead along with Willem. Briar reaches over and touches my arm. "Kane, we have to keep Drogaem locked in the Castle. If he leaves here, he can command his army to march on my home and all the humans in the mortal realm. It's time for this to end."

  She's right. I raise my arm high in the air, and the troops quiet. As loud as I can boom my voice, I yell the battle cry. "For the glory of our kingdom!"

  With that, Willem and Aiden give the sign, sending the soldiers slamming into the gates of the castle. I quickly turn to Briar and grab her by the arms. "Get somewhere safe. I'll keep Drogaem in."

  I pause for a moment, almost telling Briar that I love her, but it catches in my throat. I kiss her on the top of the head and run out, heading down the hallway. The battle begins, and I can only hope that by the end, we're all still standing.

  Chapter 22

  Briar

  As soon as Kane leaves, I hurry over and open the bottom drawer of my dresser. I rip my dress off, pulling my dagger out of its sheath and setting it on the table. I pull on the leather pants that I had made months before and lace-up the tie in the front. Lilith helped me. She thought it would be something that Kane would like, but in reality, it serves a much bigger purpose. I lace the front of a black corset and tie it tightly before pulling my hair back in a ponytail and slipping on my boots.

  Staring at myself in the mirror, I feel more like myself than ever before, and I'm ready for this battle. I grip the dagger in my hand and hold it tightly. I look like a warrior from the underworld, and even more so, I feel like one. I take the strap and tie it over my pants around my thigh, slipping the dagger back into the sheath. The sounds of battle cries grow louder, and I can tell that Willem and Aiden's forces have breached the castle walls.

  Hurrying back out onto the balcony, I watch the fighting. Drogaem's forces are strong in numbers, but Aiden's are much fiercer. They whip through the soldiers, tearing them to shreds. To my right, Aiden's forces are funneling into the castle as fast as possible and Desona stands in front of the doors, waiting for every last one of them.

  As Drogaem's forces charge, attempting to enter the castle as well, Desona, standing in a tight black dress, her wild hair blowing all around her, thrusts her arms out. She sends a spiral of energy that knocks the troops back. Before they can get up, she begins to spin her hands, magic rolling from her fists. She sings, but the language she speaks I do not understand. As her spell forms, one small glimmer of energy connects to the next building a perimeter all the way around the castle. When it connects, the magic shoots straight up in the air and over the top. It's a shield, keeping the soldiers of Drogaem's from entering into the castle.

  A corner of my mouth curls into a smile. This kind of magic is definitely not something I thought I would see when I came to the underworld. But then again, my magic is just as strong. I know that Kane has asked me to stay here, but he knows just as well as I do that my place is in the fight. I glance around the room, taking one last second of peace before I hurry out the doors. I race down the hall, pulling my magic into my palms. My focus is solely on Drogaem, but there are soldiers everywhere, and it looks as if I'll have to battle my way to wherever he is.

  I use my magic, tossing orbs of light like spears through the air, destroying whichever one of Drogaem's soldiers I find. As I reach the door of the throne room, battling through, Desona stops me. "Whatever needs to be done, it needs to be done quickly. My powers are not as strong in this realm, and the shield over the castle will surely fall and soon. Find Drogaem, kill him, and then we can free this kingdom."

  I nod, and before I turn, she grabs my arm. "Briar, thank you for taking care of my son."

  I give her a smile, but I know there's a bit of condescension in it
regardless of how appreciative I am that she's here. "That's what humans do for the people they love."

  Her eyes look sad for a moment, and she releases my arm, letting me go. I push through the troops, into the throne room. To my right, one of Drogaem's soldiers charges at me. I drop down as he swings his sword over my head. As I rise, my shoulders back, my eyes narrow, the soldier looks surprised. The light rolls from my fingers and down to the floor. I grip it as it turns into a sword. I swing back and heave forward, shoving the light straight through his body. His face clenches and his eyes bulge as the light disintegrates. I glance down at his wounds, a sizzling burning hole straight through the middle of him. He falls to the ground in a clamor.

  Drogaem's voice finds me and quickly. I whip around to see him standing at the throne, his body tense, his teeth grinding, and his brow furled. He's irate, angrier than I've ever seen him, but I knew his response would be that way. He had missed one of the most important things going on right beneath his nose, and now it's backfiring on him.

  I begin to walk toward him with slow and steady steps. My eyes stay locked on him, and my hand hovers over the handle of my dagger. For every soldier that comes toward me, I blast them with my energy, never letting my eyes leave Drogaem. He is my target. He is the cause of all of this.

  Suddenly, a hand swings out, hitting me in the side of the head. I fall, bouncing across the floor, my vision crossing. As I turn over and look up at who has just attacked, I find Gregore, standing there with his hand on the hilt of his sword, the jowls of his helm open, and a smile on his face. "What's wrong little human? You were hoping to have a conversation with Drogaem? I'm sorry, but he's a bit busy right now. What I can do is show you to chains so that you can await the much-anticipated torture he has in store for you."