Page 27 of Shaped By Darkness

My steps are slow as I make it to Ryker’s side, where he stands in the center of the clearing. I feel the weight of his gaze, but I can’t bring myself to pull my eyes from the trees.

“Wisteria?” I ask, though I know it’s not. While they are similar, they’re not exactly the same; for one, these are much taller, not to mention glowing.

“Is that a tree from your realm?” Ryker sounds almost giddy, and I turn to find him much closer. His eyes alight in the sameway they were when I’d told him about the other realm before. Then we talked about Ferris wheels and cars, things he could only ever imagine. I understood his excitement then, but now it’s only a tree. A tree that’s much less cool than the ones in front of us, I might add.

“Yeah,” I turn back to the trees, looking for differences to best explain. “The wisteria in the other realm are shorter, smaller in general, really. They also have regular leaves, not flowers, and they don’t glow.” I tell him and watch as he nods, as if learning about the wisteria is fascinating. It’s not. They’re still very pretty and smell really good, but these trees are almost too beautiful. They take my breath away.

“That’s because these are the god trees.”

Now it’s my turn to be in awe, and when I whip back around to see if he’s joking with me, I find him with his gaze on the trees, a soft smile on his lips.

“It’s said that not too long ago, the gods blessed the realm with much more than gifts of magic. But Draven saw an end to that, and ever since, the realm has suffered—the people, plants, animals, everything.”

His voice is low, but it’s so quiet that I could easily hear a twig snap a mile away with my hearing.

I want to go to him. He’s only a few steps away, but I’m not sure how he would react, if he would even want me to comfort him. He’s already done so much for me, and now he’s doing more; I don’t want to push my luck.

“The Forgotten Forest wasn’t always what it is today. When I was a boy, the forest was beautiful and full of life. Whatever my father did destroyed the balance; he threw the forest into chaos, the whole realm, and darkness crept in. It’s not just the dark now; the trees aren’t just dying—the whole forest is slowly twisting, becoming something… other. Shifters disappear, and animals become bloodthirsty. The moans and groans and thingsthat go bump in the night are out to kill and destroy, a lot like the chimeras but without the push from my father.” His voice is hoarse with emotions I can’t see with his back to me.

I can’t take it anymore. Closing the distance between us, I reach out, gently placing my hand on his arm. I half expect him to pull away, but he doesn’t, and I swear I see the tiniest bit of tension bleed out of him.

Still, he doesn’t turn around, but that’s okay.

“He twisted the magic. I don’t know for sure, and I can’t prove it, but I know it’s his fault. He’s destroying this realm one tree at a time, and by the time he gets the power he wants, there won’t be anything left to rule over but the mindless monsters who would just as likely kill him as fall to his command,” he scoffs, running a hand down his face with a groan, and I can understand his frustration.

Draven is a disease.

“Help me.”

My voice comes out stronger than I feel, and I thank the gods. The last thing I need right now is to sound weak, especially when I’m about to ask him to help me do what everyone else believes to be impossible.

Ryker turns slowly, and I let my hand fall to my side. I miss the feeling of him instantly, and I ball my hands into fists to stop myself from reaching for him again.

“I said I’d help you already. No need to ask again. Though I make no promises, your bear will still be the same man if you can bring him back.”

His words make me pause as they sink in, and panic grips me, stealing the air from my lungs.

No!

That’s not an option. Lyle will be fine. He’s strong and the most stubborn person I know. I’ll save him, and he’ll be okay.

He has to be.

I shake the thought away, unable to continue to entertain it if I want to keep moving forward or even remain standing.

The thought of Lyle being gone even after we save him is far too much for me to comprehend.

“No, help me kill Draven. Help me save the realm from him.”

Ryker’s eyes go wide, and he takes a step back as if I’d just slapped him.

Oh shit, maybe asking him to help me kill his father wasn’t the best idea.

Ryker looks at me as if he’s seeing me for the first time, and it takes everything in me not to shift under the weight of his gaze. Those purple eyes are not only beautiful, but so intelligent. How his father could ever choose to harm him, I’ll never understand.

“Whatever you need, Darling.” His voice is quiet, but I can hear the sincerity in his tone. Without another word he reaches out, grabbing my hand only to turn away, pulling me back to the edge of the clearing to stand beneath the god trees.

“Once, the kingdoms were home to much more than just shifters. Many gods and deities roamed the land: dryads, nymphs, gnomes, undines, sylphs, salamanders, you name it, and the kingdoms had them. It’s said that they taught the shifters how to use their elemental powers, which were a gift from the gods.”

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