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

by Bailey Dark

  Gregore reaches down and grabs me by the throat, immediately lifting me into the air. My eyes stay centered on his, and I feel the warmth trickling down my arm and out my palm. He chuckles. "I'm really looking forward to watching you bleed."

  I force a smile across my strangled face. "Sorry to disappoint."

  My hand grips my magic, and I ram it straight into his stomach. His hand releases my neck, and I fall to the ground, scrambling to my feet. When I look up, though, I don't just find my magic, I find a second blade as well coming from the other side of him. The blade retracts, and Gregore wheezes as blood gushes from him, splattering onto the floor. His body falls like a tree, taking down two other guards that are standing close. My eyes shift up, and I find Willem on the other side, a grin on his face.

  "I can see you've been practicing," he says.

  I shrug. "Someone told me I had it in me. This asshole that I know."

  Willem chuckles and immediately turns, fighting a guard that has raced toward him. My eyes go back to Drogaem, and I realize he's staring at me too. His attention is entirely on me, and that's fine because I came here to find him anyway. I take a step forward, my hand quivering over my dagger, ready for this fight. I've been ready for this fight. Physically, power-wise, maybe not, but now I am.

  I can feel Drogaem trying to use his powers on me, the pull in my chest strong, but not as strong as I am. I chuckle, thinking that's all he has, but I'm wrong. The look on his face hardens, and he steps down from his throne, thrusting his arms out. He curls his fingers toward me, and my chest flies forward like he has a hook pulling me in. I fight it, but he just pulls harder.

  My feet drag across the floor as I struggle, growling at him. He lifts his arms in the air, and I go up on my toes before he throws me down on to my knees. I try to grab my dagger, but his powers push my arms back behind me.

  "I knew I would get you to kneel before me. Now, little human, let me show you what my powers can really do."

  While keeping me bound, his eyes shift to Willem. Willem pulls his sword from the gut of one of the Huntsmen and turns toward me as if he feels me calling to him. His brow scrunches, and he tilts his head as his eyes slowly maneuver over to Drogaem. He shifts his sword to the other hand and squares his shoulders, preparing to attack. Before he can, Drogaem lets out a deep laugh sending spirals of dark magic flowing from him toward Willem. Before Willem can move, the powers grab him and twist around him.

  I whimper, shifting my shoulders back and forth, trying to release myself from Drogaem's hold. The tendrils of dark magic squeeze against Willem's body, and I can hear the cracking of the bones in his wings. Drogaem drags Willem forward until he's hovering right in front of me. I shake my head, a tear falling from my eye. Willem looks down at the dark magic, his sword bouncing across the stone floor. His eyes meet with mine.

  "Kill him." With those words flowing from Willem's struggling breath, Drogaem squeezes his hands tight.

  I clasp my eyes shut and listen as every bone in Willem's body breaks. I hear a thud and open my eyes, finding Willem's body laid on the floor in front of me, his eyes open staring at me, blood trickling from his nose and mouth, no life left in his body. I want to scream out, but Drogaem has a hold on me that he's never had before. Outside the window, I see the shimmering glow of the shield begin to crumble.

  I breathe heavily in and out of my nose, my chest bouncing, tears pooling in my eyes. Fear is taking over, pushing my powers down. I grip my hands into fists and calm myself as much as possible. I don't have long left, and I need to get out of this hold. I focus my mind on Lux, hearing her voice in my head, seeing visions of her from my dreams as she dances playfully along the floor. The vision shifts, and she stands in Drogaem's tomb, holding the dagger strong in her hand. There's a fight within me, the light versus the dark. All the sounds of the war around me fade, and I sink myself into the battle within.

  In my vision, Lux snaps her head toward me and gives me a nod. "The power's within you." She steps forward and screams. "Use it! Now!"

  A surge of energy burst through me, and I'm filled with light and intense heat. It latches onto the part of my soul that is bound to Kane and expounds on it. It grows faster and faster, covering the entirety of my soul. When it reaches the point where Drogaem has taken over, it breaks through it like a bursting dam.

  I yell out as my arms fling to my sides, and I push away Drogaem's hold over me. I jump to my feet and narrow my eyes at him as he looks at me in shock. For just a moment in time, we stand there, staring at each other, caught in a whirlwind of energy and magic. But before that moment can fade, I grab my dagger at a speed in which I've never moved before and leap into the air, heading straight for him. This is it.

  I will end him here.

  Chapter 23

  Briar

  My dagger moves swiftly through the air slicing down into Drogaem. But as the blade reaches him, it keeps going, and my body crashes into the ground. I look up, in shock, and watch as Drogaem's body vanishes from in front of me. Standing quickly, I hear him laughing behind me. I swing around and find him standing there, clapping his hands at me, taunting me.

  I stumble back, my feet catching on Willem's corpse. I fall over him and bounce across the floor, keeping my eyes latched on Drogaem. He moves toward me, a sword perched in his hand, a sword made of dark magic.

  "I really thought that we were going to work out well together, Briar. But it seems you're more trouble than you’re worth. But there's a bright side to it, at least for me. When I stab this sword into your soul, I will not only kill you, but I'll kill Lux once and for all. You'll have to watch your loved ones die and fade off into oblivion."

  I dig my heels in and scoot back, shaking my head. I refuse to let this be for nothing. I refuse to allow Drogaem to win. I refuse to have fought and worked so hard to beat him only to die at his hand. If I'm going to die, I'm going to take him with me. I know what to do, but I also know what it'll cost.

  I jump to my feet and look over at the battling soldiers, finding Kane swinging a sword, claws out, next to Aiden. He feels my gaze and returns it. The struggle on his face slowly diminishes, and a sadness moves over his eyes. I give him a smile, wanting him to know that everything will be okay. He may lose me, but he'll save so many others. A look of realization washes over him, and he begins to try to move toward me.

  I cannot let this happen.

  I turn back toward Drogaem and clench my fists. I let out a scream, a bellowing battle cry as my powers pulsate inside of me. The ground begins to shake, and Drogaem looks all around him. As I open my hands, the light bursts from me, lashing out and grabbing onto Drogaem. It hits him hard, and his body flies back, slamming into the wall. It spins around him like a web, pinning him to the cold stone.

  I pull my dagger from my side and begin to walk forward toward him. One of his guards rushes me, but I don't even look at him. I fling my arm to the side and send him flying. It's as if everything's moving in slow motion. The guards fight as Kane attempts to push through them, yelling my name. My eyes stay on Drogaem, my footsteps are careful and slow. I grip the handle of my dagger tightly and stand before him.

  "Your reign of terror is over. You will never rule these lands or any other. I wish I could say I was sending you to hell, but where you're going is a void so deep and dark that your existence will cease."

  I put one hand on his shoulder and hold the dagger up. His eyes shift to mine as I slam the blade down into his chest, sending rays of energy bursting everywhere. A wall of light radiates from us, spiraling outward and knocking everyone to the floor. I step back, watching Drogaem's face with pleasure as he gasps for his last breath of air.

  A slight groan comes from him, and he forces his bloody lips into a smile. "I'll see you there."

  With that, he dies.

  I stand there a moment, dizziness swirling through my head. The energy within me begins to deplete, and I wonder what he means by what he said.

  I turn to look at the soldiers
who are picking themselves up from the ground, Drogaem's Huntsmen dropping their swords in surrender. Kane pushes through, stumbling forward but stopping in his tracks. I smile at him, and he smiles at me, but his look quickly fades, and his eyes drop to my stomach.

  I feel the pressure in my chest increase, and I slowly look down, finding Drogaem's sword plunged through my stomach. It's strange. There's a shimmer of my magic flowing around the handle, and I cannot feel the pain that should be radiating through me. I can taste the metallic blood in my mouth, and I watch as a drop falls to the stone floors.

  I grip the handle of the sword and slowly pull it out, feeling the pain rush straight to me. My hand releases it, and it bounces across the floor as my knees weaken. I can see nothing but Kane's face, everything else is blurry. He runs toward me, catching me just as my legs give out. He falls to the floor with me, cradling me in his lap.

  I see despair and sadness in Kane I've never seen before. I reach up, running my bloody fingers across his cheek. A tear rolls from the corner of my eye down my face, and I muster a smile.

  "We did it."

  Chapter 24

  Kane

  "Briar," I whisper as her hand falls to her side. "Stay with me. I'll help you. You can't leave me. We've just begun."

  I'm helpless.

  I press my hand over the wound, and I can feel the warmth of her blood in my lap. I look up at my mother, pleading in my eyes. "Help her. Save her."

  Desona looks uncomfortable, the remnants of the fight across her cheeks. She shakes her head. "Kane, let mortals die as they are supposed to. It's a natural thing. They are not meant to live forever. Briar has done a valiant and brave thing, and it is in her fate to die."

  "No!" I growl, my voice echoing through the silent room. "She is not just a human. She is the descendent of Lux. She is my wife. Please. You've never looked out for me the way you should have. This is your chance. The humans see you as a true Goddess of love and light. Don't let them be mistaken."

  Her eyes narrow, and she stares at me, watching the agony writhe on my face. Briar coughs, and I look down at her. She smiles at me, blood smeared across her chin. "It's okay. I…it's all okay. I have released you…the bond that you had with me. You…will go on. I love you…"

  Her voice lowers to a whisper, and her eyes shift up to the ceiling, slowly closing. Desona drops to her knees and immediately puts out her hands, searching for Briar's life force. "I'm sorry, Kane, I didn't realize…" She looks up at me. "I didn't understand your despair until this moment."

  I watch her, my hand still pressed against Briar's wound as she runs her hands up and down, trying to help her. After several moments though, her face curls and her hands stop. I know what this means. I shake my head, pushing my mother away. "No. This is not her end."

  I lean down toward Briar's face, brushing my nose over hers. Her skin grows cold, and no breath pumps from her chest. I grip onto her and pull her body up to mine, hugging it tightly against me. I shake my head in agony, feeling as if something has burrowed a hole in my soul. "No! No! Briar, please!"

  The entirety of the room stands still, and my mother stands up, wrapping her arms around her waist. They watch me in agony, shaking my bride, trying to get her to wake.

  I will not accept this.

  This is not her end.

  "Kane," Aiden says quietly. "She's gone. But you are still here, and your kingdom is still here."

  I sniff, standing and looking out at the soldiers staring back at me. "My kingdom is still here because of her. This human that everyone looks down on, she gave her life for all of you." I gaze down at her body and shake my head. "No. I will take her to the Blood Well. It has revived powerful beings in the past."

  Reaching down, I scoop her into my arms and walk swiftly through the crowd of soldiers who part as I approach. Aiden hurries after me. "Kane, the Blood Well hasn't brought anyone back for hundreds of years, and there are repercussions."

  "I don't care! I will risk anything for her."

  I continue to walk, leaving behind the masses, Willem's body, and even Aiden who watches me leave. I head out of the castle and down the steps. The Blood Well hasn't been opened in a very long time, but I know it's magic, and I've used it before. In fact, I've used it on Briar.

  Hurrying through the gardens, I make my way down the steps and toward the tomb we built over the Blood Well to keep it secure. The soldier that stands watch doesn't hesitate as I approach. He has been standing there since Drogaem returned, and did not abandon his post. He grips the edge of the door and pulls the large slab over, moving back to attention as I hurry through and down the stone steps into the darkness.

  The hollow cavern beneath the ground echoes my footsteps as I rush toward the well. At the end of the stone hall, a room opens up. It is dark, with slick cave walls and a pool in the center. The blood inside sits as still as ice, and I slow my steps as I approach. There is a power here, one that is greater than any other magical place in the underworld. It's stark and stiff, and it weighs heavily on my chest. I walk to the well edge, and bend down, gently lying Briar's body in the well.

  Keeping my hands beneath her, I look around. I expect the usual process to occur. I expect her soul to come to me and request passage to the next world, but nothing happens. The cave stays still and silent. I search my intuition, my powers, feeling out for Briar's soul. I think perhaps she may be scared, hiding in the shadows, but my reach extends to every crevice and corner of the cave, and still, there is nothing.

  I look down at Briar's body and shake my head. "You're still clinging to your body. You have to let go."

  I wait a moment, but still nothing. My frustration climbs. Not only will this be the end to Briar, but if I do not revive her, Lux's bloodline will end here, and she will never be reborn again. She did not survive through centuries in the human world to die now. Beyond Lux, my heart is beating for Briar. It's my only chance to have her back. I know deep down that this is not meant to be the end. I can feel it.

  I think about the last time that I saved her life, the tethering. Maybe that's the answer. I kneel down and lift her up to me, pressing my lips against hers. They're cold and lifeless, but I don't pull away. Gently I breathe my power into her and watch her chest swell with my breath. I use my magic to search for her soul, moving in and out of every empty space within her. My magic searches, diving into her depths, but unlike last time, I find nothing. That hum of energy, that spark of life that once hid in the dark corners of her soul, is not there. There's nothing for my magic to latch onto. There's nothing to grow.

  With quivering lips, I lower her back down and hold her in my lap. I search my memories for stories of the Blood Well, trying to figure out what I need to do. The only one I've ever been told says that the old beings that were resurrected in the Blood Well tell that sacrifices are asked. That the Blood Well requires absolute trust. That means I have to let her go in order to get her back.

  My breath shutters as I think about the possible repercussions of releasing her. But I have no other choice. If I don't, she stays gone, but if I do there's a chance. I leaned down one last time and kissed her lips before laying her back in the well and stepping back. I watch as she floats effortlessly to the center of the well before slowly sinking, until she's out of sight. I stand perfectly still, closing my eyes, and handing my trust over to the Blood Well. I have to believe that it will bring her back, whole and alive.

  "Tam in mitto illam speravi integrum. Vivifica huius bring eam immortalem animam meam, et armis. Propter hoc sacrificium gratias mea." I say the oath of the well over and over again.

  The words flow for me without thought or care. I give the Blood Well my complete and total trust, and pray to it that it gives me back what I ask. As the words come out of me, repeating, I can feel my own magic pulling through my body. I am Death, and I stand here before the Blood Well asking for life. I am defying my own nature, and I can feel it in my bones. But it doesn't matter what it does to me, I just need Briar back.
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  "Tam in mitto illam speravi integrum. Vivifica huius bring eam immortalem animam meam, et armis. Propter hoc sacrificium gratias mea. Into the well I send her, my trust intact. Revive this immortal soul and bring her to my arms. For this, I give my sacrifice."

  Chapter 25

  Briar

  There is a stillness to the afterlife. I have always wondered what it was like, traveling from my human body into the next existence. It's not as quick as I would've thought. Or perhaps it is, and I just cannot move forward. It's a void, a silence that goes on forever. I no longer can feel my body, just the existence of who I am. It's a curious feeling.

  "You are not meant for here."

  I turn, staring into the face of Lux. She's just as beautiful as she is in my visions. "Lux. If I don't belong here, then neither do you."

  She smiles, her hair golden and flowing around her. "Where I belong is yet to be seen. You defeated Drogaem, but that is not the end of your story."

  I put my hands out to the sides, suddenly realizing that I have a body again. "It seems I don't much have a choice in any of this. Here I am, in this strange place."

  Lux walks forward and stands just inches from me. "I'm being told someone is making a change to that."

  Suddenly the light around Lux grows brighter and brighter pulling me in. I clench my eyes shut at the brightness of it all, feeling our souls intertwining once again. My body feels weightless and warm as if I'm floating on an ocean. My eyes flash open, and I sit up, gasping for air. Kane is by my side within seconds, lifting me up out of whatever I am lying in. "Briar, it worked."

  I cough, looking around with wide eyes, seeing the sides of some sort of cave. "Where am I?"

  Kane shakes his head, leaning down, pressing his lips to mine. The connection between us is still here, and the warmth heats me from the inside out. "The Blood Well, I brought you here. It brought you back. You're back."