shadows don't lie

Chapter One

          Years and years passed with no relief, until one day when the guards rushed around with weapons out. Curious as to what was happening but too weak to pull herself up, she lay curled up in a ball on the ground straining to get even a whisper of what was happening. Tired from even that exertion she laid her head against the cool stone, seeking relief from the fever that was ripping through her body.

Seconds later the halls stilled and went quiet, and the whole cell rocked back and forth in what seemed like aftershocks of an explosion. A loud growl could be heard through the stone and the world once again stilled.

“Maybe this is where it ends.” the female thought to herself, pulling her legs closer to her body.

But still, the years kept coming.

          She didn’t know how she survived for this long. Cauldron willing she hoped it wouldn’t be for much longer. It had been years since she had even a crumb of food, and she was only a pile of bones with no strength to do anything.

Sensing that death began to approach, she rolled her sunken eyes open. In a rough and near non-existent voice she rasped out to the silence

“Caul- Cauldron s-save me.” Swallowing thickly she continued, “Mother hold me. Pass through the-”

A series of coughs wracked her body sending shooting pain through her head.

“Pass through the gates and smell the-  immortal land of milk and honey.”

Barely a whisper left in her she kept going. “Fear no evil. Feel no pain.” Relief entered her as she sagged.

Feeling consciousness beginning to fade she said one last time, “Feel no pain.” And as she closed her eyes for the last time she saw the shadows warp towards her as if to hold her as she passed into the next life. The cool tendrils wrapped around and her eyes closed.

----

Azriel awoke with a start, sitting straight up in his bed flaring his wings at the some invisible danger he had sensed. Looking around and pulling his shadows close to him, he climbed out of bed and threw on a pair of simple black pants and a plain shirt. A shadow floated around his shoulder with urgency.

“What.” He bit out, his hair still on end from the stange feeling.

“We sense one who has awoken, you must hurry before it is too late”

Tilting his head in confusion, but willing to follow, he threw on a pair of boots and his Illryian leathers, stepping out onto his balcony.

The city of Valaris glowed in the moonlight, the Sidra silver against its riverbanks. 

All seemed fine until his shadows seemed to jolt with sudden urgency.

“You are running out of time, you must leave.”

Not waiting to tell anyone, he spread his wings and leapt off flying over the quiet city.

“Take me where I need to be” He asked, letting his shadows surround him. They pulled him across the world, farther than he had gone in a while.

As he emerged from the shadows he found himself high above the ruins of Hybern’s castle.

After the war, some of the High Lords and Fae people decided to get even after all that had happened by wrecking Hybern’s castle and the surrounding village. Rhysand had made sure to take no part in it other than to ensure that the people of Hybern wouldn’t be touched.

Now all that was left was some charred remains of houses and a large scorched pile of stone where the castle lay. 

Azriel stayed there hovering in the sky looking for any sign of what had the shadows in a frenzy.  Only dead silence met him though, and so Azriel decided to just land.

The moment his feet touched the ground, a strange feeling began to overtake him. An inexplicable urge pushed him closer to the ruined castle.

Far away Azriel could sense Rhys reach out trying to find him. The talons reached him a second later, barely a whisper against his shields. He opened them a crack and Rhysand asked,

“Is there any reason you are in the middle of Hybern at midnight, or are you just taking a nightly stroll?”
        
Azriel held a reply and simply showed him the memory of his shadows and then closed his shield, effectively ignoring Rhysand.

He walked off to the right of the ruins where an unbroken passageway led down below the ground.

Following without hesitation, his shadows led him through hall after hall, cell after cell.

Finally they brought him to a corridor with an end and so he walked forwards.

“It’s in the last one” his shadows told him.

He felt the whisper of his brother at his mind again but he just blocked it out, cautiously moving towards the one that had been pointed out to him.

As he approached he didn’t sense anything.

He peered inside the tiny cell that reeked of blood and other bodily fluids, only to see a thin skeleton of a person bunched up in a ball on the ground.

As if sensing his presence, the person weakly turned their head, just barely making eye contact before passing out

Despite the darkness, he could see shadows billowing out around the shriveled fae. As if  in response, his own began to dance and whisper in delight around him.

"You're-" He started, staring with wide eyes at the person below him.

"You're just like me."

A/N

Heyo so this is chapter one! Feedback is appreciated and if you have any suggestions send them my way!

Im excited to be finally writing this because I've had this story floating around in my brain for a while. I feels amazing to put it out onto paper and actually have it turn out okay :)

Anyways see you next time!

Word count: 986