Wake of Darkness [1]

Chapter One

♕ A Divided Kingdom ♕

There were thousands of orange leaves threatening to fall over her. It was the first time in months Aubrette had dared leave the gates of the castle and even when she'd known the trees of Wood Sorrow would no longer wear their usual shade of green, seeing first hand the new tones of brown and orange that covered them saddened her more than she could admit.

The crooked tree seemed to smile at her as Aubrette climbed onto it, resting her head on the hard wood of its trunk. "Hey," She whispered, closing her eyes briefly, letting the soft wind of fall caress her face.

Aubrette smiled to herself as she felt the tree softly moving, trying to get her to fall asleep in its arms. Its long branches moved above her, allowing the sky to peak in between its leaves. She'd never gone more than two weeks without returning, and the weight of the last months ignoring the chants of the wind, as it begged her to come back, had been heavier than she'd expected.

Her eyes dropped to the wood beneath her, two small letters carved across it. She'd been seven the first time she had accidentally portaled herself to this exact spot. Back then, she had spent hours trying desperately to make her way back to the castle, afraid that her mother might notice her missing, and then had spent the couple following years trying to find her way back.

"Stop," Aubrette whispered, but she'd long learned that the trees never listened.

The leaves brushed her skin and Aubrette giggled, for a moment forgetting the reason she had needed to come back at all. "Mason's home," she said, her fingers brushing over the M she'd carved in the tree years before. The leaves parted away from her skin, as if they too had realized why Aubrette had returned to the place she'd been trying to ignore for months. "Today's Thursday," she continued, focusing her eyes on the orange shade of the leave in front of her. "We always used to meet up at the square," Aubrette forced a smile. The memory of the last days they'd spent together before he had left Blackstone still sharp in her mind.

Aubrette took a deep breath, feeling as one of the branches slowly smacked her head. "He'll be there," She said hesitantly, intending to convince them both. The tree moved its branches back into place, vanishing the soft light from the sky as they did, returning the woods into its usual darkness. "And If he doesn't, then we'll know."

Even the wind seemed to halt as Aubrette sighed, jumping off the tree.

All the trees seemed to follow her as she walked deeper into the woods, staring up at the faint outline of a crescent moon in the midst of daylight. Failing to stop replaying the last conversation they had before he'd left. It had been spring then, and the trees had been filled with flowers that she had not come back to see bloom.

"I've missed you" She whispered, a blow of wind wrapping around her as if it were saying me too. "I'll come back in a few days" She said, hoping that the woods would listen, but she barely got a response. Aubrette placed her hand on the trunk of the crooked tree and smiled. "I promise," She added. The tree swayed in response.

Aubrette made her way out of the woods quicker than she'd expected. The five-meter-tall gate surrounding Blackstone castle coming into view a few steps before her. A small frown creeped up on her face as her eyes trailed up Mount Exilium. The black walls of the castle appearing at its top like an extension of the mountain itself.

From another's perspective, Aubrette assumed that the gates served as a reminder to stay away. But she knew they were meant as a way to keep her inside, or at least lessen the temptation of outsiders to try and sneak a look at the daughter of shadows.

For a long time, Aubrette had not questioned why the name haunted her everywhere she went. Not until she'd learned about her history and what her birth had meant for everyone. Aubrette Black, heir of Blackstone, second moon blessed of Regno. The thought of what her tittles implied had always managed to create a pit in her stomach. The daughter of shadows cursed in the night. All of it felt like a bunch of bullshit.