Shadows of the Night | BOOK 2 DRAFT

3

Since the day Elias went missing, his office has remained uninhabited. Neither Cassia nor Eric wanted to use it, claiming the inability to shut the window made it too cold. But they stay away for the same reason that I avoid it like the plague—Elias is all over the room.

Which is why, when I burst into his office and see the mysterious outsider leaning against the window, I have to do a double-take. That's where Elias stood, how he stood. Seeing someone else in his place somehow feels wrong.

Eric and Cassia stand on the opposite side of the desk to him, both turning to look at me. "You waited," I say, relieved.

"I said we would," Eric responds.

After Bastian passed out, there wasn't enough time for introductions. Aliyah and I hauled Bastian back to the castle infirmary while Eric took the kids and the man with him. I turn to look at the newcomer, warily stepping closer to Cassia.

"Milena, this is Malik," Eric says.

The man—Malik—pushes off the windowsill and shifts to face me. He stands tall—several inches above both Cassia and Eric, broad shoulders blocking the light from the moon streaming in. His black hair contrasts against the pale skin and glacial eyes.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Milena," he says.

"You know who I am?" I ask.

"The girl who grew up in a hollowers village—how could I not know of you?"

I shift forward. There's something about his gaze that unsettles me, like he knows every single thought and emotion that has ever crossed my mind. "You're the reason the hollowers retreated?" I ask. He nods. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me," he says, looking to Eric with a smile that goes unrequited. "Us mountain dwellers gotta have each other's back."

"Mountain dwellers?" I ask.

Eric grumbles something unintelligible, but Malik cuts him off. "That's what the kids from the village used to call those of us who grew up in the mountains. We were always outcasts when we visited." His eyes linger on Elias' desk, smile slipping away. "Some more than others."

"You were friends with Eric and Elias in the mountains?" Cassia asks.

He looks at Eric, as if waiting for him to respond. When he doesn't, Malik shrugs. "Something like that."

Eric notices me staring and straightens his posture. "Malik moved away when we were six—when the elders split up."

"But I'd never forget those two," Malik says. "They were joint at the hip."

Cassia peers at him curiously, head tilting sideways. I can't help but do the same. There's something fascinating about him—someone from Eric and Elias' past. And what is he doing here?

"Where have you been all this time, Malik?" Eric breaks the silence.

"We moved to the east village and then went to the coast to join the elders."

"How did you scare those hollowers away?" I ask. "They were so close to killing us."

He lifts his hand, the one holding the shell. Up close, I can see it better, the exterior a rough brown and the inside porcelain pink. "Picked this up from one of the hollower village on the coast in a raid once. They use it when they're hunting to call an immediate retreat." He throws it carelessly in the air and catches it with his other hand. "It's proved to be quite useful."

"Can I?" Cassia asks.

He hands it to her. "Sure."

Cassia sits on the desk and inspects the shell. "What brings you here?" she asks absentmindedly. "The coast is a long walk away."