The Shadow

Chapter 36

 Kai had forgotten how large The Deceiver's territory was. Before, he and Harper had only skirted past a corner of it, trying to leave the lands as soon as possible.

This time was different. This time, Kai and Saif headed straight for the center of the massive area, in search of exactly what he had once looked to escape from.

Where the rest of Ath seemed to be filled with trees of all sorts, this place had hardly any. There were also no fields of green, as Kai had encountered throughout his journey of the continent. No, only hills. Round, perfect hills, enrobed in bright green grass.

The sun hung high in the sky, a sea of blue spread around its fiery mass. So beautiful, and yet Kai shied away from it. Shied away from the fleeting warmth of the sun's rays, engulfed too soon by that unnatural chill. Shied away from that perfect sky, ducking near Lunar's mane as if to escape from the sky itself. It felt so wrong—all of it. Witnessing it whilst knowing that Harper could not. Knowing that she was likely tucked away within some dark dungeon as he spoke, helpless and afraid.

He began to push Lunar forward with renewed effort, but Saif raised a hand beside him, calling for a stop. Kai cocked his head in confusion, but complied.

"I feel...something," Saif said. "Something powerful."

Kai tensed, sliding off of Lunar to take up a stance beside the elf.

"What is it?"

Saif shook his head. He did not know.

Then Kai felt it. A darkness, growing closer and closer. It had no shape, no form, it simply was. He backed up a step. There was nothing before them; just a grassy hillside speckled with boulders. So where was it coming from? This feeling that had begun to roil throughout Kai, eating away at his gut—was it all in his mind?

Something popped. The sound was quiet, as if someone were heating oil over a fire, but Kai instantly swiveled toward the noise.

And then he was there.

Saif cursed, jumping a step back as the being appeared on the hillside in front of them.

He had come from nowhere. The thing stood motionless before them in that preternatural stance that Kai had often seen Saif take. Far from human, then. It was also nearly four meters tall.

Yep. Definitely not human..

A dark cloak covered all of the creature's body, save for a pale head, decorated with...with raven hair.

Kai jolted, eyes widening. He had seen it before. His dream the other night—

He tried to recall his memories, tried to think of anything that could be of use—

Then came the fear. It kicked in a moment after the dark being's arrival, and Kai fell to his knees. He tried to stand but could not. It was as if he were being held there, hands on the ground, teeth gritted in pain, eyes wide. Fear wrapped around him, closing in on his body, nudging, testing, then pushing harder, collapsing over him. There was nothing he could do—nothing. He could not save himself, could not even fight back.

It was cold. The fear enrobing him was cold, like the atmosphere within The Deceiver's territory, amplified a thousandfold.

Through the corner of his eye, Kai was distantly aware of Saif beside him, collapsed atop the hillside. He was distantly aware of his own mouth, which seemed to be wide open. Perhaps he was screaming. He could not say—hardly a sound reached his ears.

He was paralyzed, hands tied to the grass, legs as heavy as a mountain. He could not bring himself to move, to resist, to do anything. Was this how he would die? So close to Harper, and yet so, so far. He had not even been granted a chance to attempt to help her. No, he had failed before even setting his eyes on her face, one last time—

It stopped. The fear, the weight pressing his legs and arms to the ground, the terror clogging his ears—it all stopped.

As his hearing returned, a new sound filled the air, sharp and urgent. Someone was screaming. It sounded frantic, as if they were in peril, moments from death—

Kai paused, remembering. He closed his mouth, willed himself to stop screaming, to regain control of his own body.

The sound fell away, leaving only silence in the grassy clearing.

"Even weaker than I thought." A smooth, handsome voice chastised from above.

Kai shook away his shock, lifting his head. He knew that voice. Had heard it before, in a place not far from where he stood. The Deceiver's minions had used that voice. Young and yet ancient, smooth and deep—

Yes. There was no mistaking it.

Kai's eyes met black boots and trousers, the edge of a cloak twisting in the wind.

He struggled to his feet, gasping for breath.

Delicate black linens, edges gilded in gold, sat atop the creature's thin frame.

Kai backed away a step, using what little energy he had left to pull a knife from his belt, though he knew it would do little harm to the thing standing before him.

The creature was large and yet slender; a shadow enrobed in darkness as it slunk toward Kai. Rather, he slunk toward Kai. The thing was undoubtedly a male, inhuman as he seemed.

His face was as white as snow, as if the creature had never seen the sun. It smiled, razor teeth a slash of white. His raven-black hair shifted slightly in the breeze as the creature stared down at Kai. And below that slicked back raven hair...gray eyes stared into Kai's soul.

Kai's eyes widened as it all rushed back to him. Memories flooded through his mind, recognition and terror following.

He had seen this creature before, not a week ago. He had seen him in a dream.