Into the Darkness

Chapter 4

I was dazed when my eyes finally opened. I was not in my cottage in the woods. The bed was far too comfortable to be my hay stuffed mattress, the sheet much too soft to be the wool blankets that served as both blankets and sheets. Although unfocussed, the colors were wrong. Dark reds and blacks splashed across my vision rather than the light yellow of the wood walls in my room.

My eyes became focused to the dim light and I saw my surroundings. It appeared that I was in a bedroom. The large canopy bed took up only a quarter of the large space. A loveseat and chair sat beside the magnificent hearth a top a plush rug with a table situated between the two. A well-used desk sat on the other side of the room as papers and books sat on almost every surface. They were all made from a dark wood that I did not know of, and the cushions were a deep red. The walls of the large room were almost obsidian black. Had it not been for the grainy texture, I would've thought it to be obsidian itself. There were two wooden doors in the room. I assumed one was a wash room and the other lead outside.

The room in and of itself was magnificent. A king couldn't ask for better accommodations. However, it was not my home. I craved the simplicity and the dingy, meager belongings.

One of the doors creaked open. A Shadow slithered into the room, stopping at the foot of my bed. I could not tell if it was the same as the one last night due to it still being coved head to foot in black robes.

"You've awoken." It said. I could not forget that voice, it was the same Shadow as last night.

"Where is Emily?" I got straight to the point, not bothering with politeness. I was alone in the room and was concerned for the frail girl.

"She is in a different room, getting treatment for her wounds." I could almost imagine a smirk on his face, just from the amusement in his voice. 'She will be taken care of under my care, as you will be." I wanted to make a rather snarky remark, but if I were to try to negotiate for our lives, only a small amount of impoliteness and rude remarks will be tolerated before we are put in Jeopardy.

"Thank you. Were grateful to your help in our time of need. Now, shall we proceed to our bargain?" I urged. I wanted this done and over with as quickly as possible.

"Yes. Now, what is it that you desire?"

"In exchange for Emily's life, I offer my life as a servant." I proposed. Unexpectedly, he laughed.

"I have no need of more servants." He states. "I have many of those as it is to take care of me and my home. Have you anything else?"

"I have worked on my family's small farm for all of my life. I can garden and tend to livestock. Before my brother disappeared, he educated me on reading and writing. It is sparse, but I have the knowledge."

"I have no need of any of that."

"Then I offer you my body." I had nothing left to give him. I could not give him my skills, but I would spare nothing if it meant keeping Emily safe and the both of us alive. Again, he barked out a laugh. I did not see the situation as funny.

"I have no shortages of women at my feet, I assure you." He chortled, leaning against one of the bedposts.

"Then what do you have need of?" I snapped. Fear had grown in my heart. If I had absolutely nothing that he wanted, then it was very possible that Emily and I could die at his hands. I wasn't sure she was even safe at the moment, but I had to take a chance. I was scared, and it leaked through my words.

He was silent for a moment. Slowly he crept around the side of the bed, closer to me. It reminded me of a large and untamed animal. It was predatory. Fear crept up my throat as he came closer to me until he was a mere foot away. His hand slowly moved to cup my cheek. It was odd. He had no gloves, and I could see that his hands were almost white, but they were unbelievably warm and comforting. It was as if he had stuck his hands close to the fire moments before. I unknowingly leaned into him.

"I'm in need of a wife." His words didn't register at first. I could only dumbly stare at him.

"Huh?" Was my ever intelligent response. He chuckled at my confusion and removed his hand from my face. I caught myself before I could lean towards him, seeking that unusual warmth.

"I am one of the three princes of this realm." He revealed. If I was not still stunned from his earlier statement, Im sure that I would be terrified. However, my head was still spinning with what he wanted and this new revelation. I was thrown off balance.

"Because of this, I have no need of anything you could give me." He continued at my silence. "However, I need an heir, therefore I need a wife. There have been no Shadow women born for a century. We've resorted to finding women from villages to bear our children."

The pieces clicked into place. Everything suddenly made sense. The story about the first shadow trying to take the headman's daughter had been true. Yet he was not taking her to kill, rather to keep his race alive. The young women sacrificed after had been for the same reason. The food offerings had been for the pack of wolves. But there was one thing that was still unclear.

"What about the other villagers, the ones that you hurt or killed? What about the battalion of soldiers that tried to fight against you?"

He was quiet at my question. Although I could not see his face, I sensed his hesitance to tell me. It only made me apprehensive at his answer. "The accidents in your village were just that. Mere accidents, caused by another's incompetence and reluctance to take the blame or an unavoidable occurrence."

"What of the cattle rampage so many years ago?" I shouted. The memory of Joana being carried by my brother to the only doctor in town, bloody and mangled, still burned fresh in my mind.

"One of the local miscreants thought to create a stir by dressing as one of us to scare the cattle. His plan worked too well and others ended up hurt or killed." He informed solemnly.

"Who? How do you know this?"

"We keep watch on your little village. Since the truce, your home has been a source of wives for many of my people. We could not allow anything to jeopardize that, therefore we've been protecting and watching over your village. We know not who caused the stampede, but I believe that it was the one you call Aiden."

Aiden. I knew him. He was a troublemaker and often found himself in some sticky situations because the nitwit couldn't think far enough ahead to get himself out. He had tried to court me for a time before I punched him in the nose. After he left me well alone, spreading rumors about me, keeping others away from my cottage. It suited me just fine.

My mind was buzzing with all the new information. I did not know if this was true or not, whether he was feeding me lies to lull me into a false sense of security, but at the moment I did not care. I would believe what he told me if nothing else but to keep Emily alive.

I did not notice him moving until he touched my face again. That unusual warmth in the cold, stone room breaking me from my thoughts and calming me against my will. Surely it was some type of spell.

"Now about our bargain..." I looked into what I assumed was his face at his words. I could see nothing, not that I expected to. I wished to see what he looked like under the robes, but I knew he would not take kindly to that. "You cannot leave here knowing about us. We are a weak race despite some of our frightening abilities. Your only options are to become my wife or be locked away. Should you try to escape I will be forced to kill you, although it would be a waste. Women are precious to us. What do you decide?"

I would not do well caged. Every time Joana tried to make me stay in the cottage, we argued and fought. I felt stifled, as if I couldn't breathe and I become restless for the freedom that the forest offered me. I could choose to die, but there were too many questions to be answered. And then there was little Emily. I could not leave her here to fend for herself. I needed to stay to protect her in this world that wed been thrown into.

"I have one question before I answer." I said. He turned towards me. "I ask for protection for Emily and the chance to search for my brother."

"Done." He answered immediately. There was no hesitation in his voice.

"Then I agree to become your wife." I spoke the sealing words. I knew that this was a bad idea, one of the worst that I'd had in a long time. Then again, I'd always been the adventurous sort.