Page 43 of In The Shadows

The shadows around Asher flicker and thin. The once thick tendrils fade into faint wisps of darkness as they skirt across the floor. When they reach the door, the dark void ebbs and disperses, and without another word, the king makes his exit. I can take it from here.

Stepping toward the wall, Nyx follows me as expected.

“We need to figure out why Leopold and Arthur believe we stole an amulet from them and what kind it is,” I say as quietly as I can, and Nyx nods, clearly thinking the same thing.

“I’ll reach out to our spies in the morning to gather intel. But what about the guards coming to the kingdom? If he’s told us the truth, they will be there in a few days,” Nyx replies.

My crew carries out Asher’s orders as I contemplate the next best steps and how to handle Leopold. What does he have up his sleeve, and why is he targeting us?

“We have to let them in. If we stop them at the gate, they will know someone gave us information and could resort to more sinister tactics. The information made it to the people for a reason, even out of Lux, and we need to find out why,” I reply.

Nyx is quiet for several minutes, and when he looks at me, there is sorrow in his eyes.

“They will all die, Lily.”

The chasm opens further.

“I know, but we can’t save them from their own king’s poor decisions. We have to worry about our own people and keeping them safe. We can also send a messenger to Lux to see if we can discuss things before Leopold sends his own men to their deaths,” I state.

Leopold is a cruel, violent man, just like Oren was—the two of them always secretly joining forces to terrorize all of Omnia. They were always scheming while I remained in the shadows, waiting for the chance to punish them.

Anger consumes every fiber of me, remembering what they did to me, how they broke me and took everything I love away from me. My mother’s broken body hanging limp from the dungeon ceiling flashes in my mind. Blood pouring from the slit Oren sliced in her throat.

The air charges as my power intensifies with my hatred for the two men who destroyed my life.

“Is everything ok, Lily?” Nyx whispers so only I can hear him.

He watches me with worry lining his face.

“Yes, just frustrated with the blame being placed on us when we’ve done nothing wrong,” I answer, thankful to him for drawing me back to the present.

“Let’s send a raven to Lux at first light as well. See if they can catch anything,” I say.

Nyx’s face relaxes, and he nods his head.

Since becoming Queen of Umbra, I’ve commanded Oren’s ravens. When I first noticed these soundless black birds flying above me and Theo on my last days in Lux all those years ago, I didn’t know their true purpose. Although no one knows how the ravens came to be, they are invaluable spies. The viewing crystals attached to their chests capture movement that projects back to their owner, and they have helped me stay one step ahead many times.

I allow my crew to ransack the house completely before calling them off and saying it’s time to go. The man has long passed out, and I have Hiram cut him loose before we leave.

We exit and head back to the cover of trees. As soon as the forest hides us, I drop the hood from my head, loose curls falling with it.

Lifting my left hand, the metal of my adveho ring flashes in the moonlight that cascades down upon us. My crew circles around me, Kira on my left, Nyx on my right, and Hiram directly behind me. They place their hands on my shoulders and the remaining crew does the same, creating a chain of Umbra warriors.

I envision the back entrance of The Keep clearly in my mind: a cave obscured by overgrown vines and thin lines of water, the sound of which trickles through the space, the small creek filled with rocks, and the crisp, fresh air.

A black mass rimmed in red appears in front of us, splintering at the center. I lead my crew through the portal, taking us all home.

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