Page 45 of Shadows Lost
Kira laughed and she flexed her power, the crystal pulsed in her hand. “You would think that wouldn’t you? You think so lowly of me and my abilities that you cannot fathom that this plan is all my own.”
I crossed my arms, gathering the shadows below me. “You told the queen the crystals were destroyed with Atlantis.”
Kira giggled. “Yes, some of them were but not all. And I did not sayall,Remi darling. You are not the only clever fae around.”
“You should have left it where you found it. They were stolen from Sanguine lands, Kira. Only the blood fae knew how to use them properly without causing death. The last time a water fae attempted to unlock its power, Atlantis was lost and fae were killed, including your family!”
She smirked maliciously at me. “You would know how that feels now, wouldn’t you?”
I reared back and pulled the shadows up from the ocean floor, they crawled upwards like ink spreading in the water. “Careful Kira....”
Kira snorted at my display and circled me. “Tell me, was your vengeance for your family sweet? Was it exhilarating? Destroying our capital, killing our queen, murdering thousands of fae all to avengeyourfamily.” She smiled at me dreamily. “I myself have dreamed about such deeds, yet never to the capacity that you achieved. No, I only blamed one person for my family’s deaths, not thousands.”
Clenching my teeth, I growled. “My mother had nothing to do with your family's deaths, Kira. They were greedy, they wanted to use the blood crystals for their own gain as well as the war…it destroyed them.”
Deep crimson anger burned into Kira’s eyes. “It was on your mothers orders that they stole them in the first place! You know…I rejoiced at hearing of her demise at first, then quickly realized that she still won. Stealing my revenge by dying!” She screamed shrilly. The burgundy power pulsed faster around her, excited by her anger. “So I thought to myself, what would be the next best thing? Imagine my surprise when thegolden oneshifter practically delivered you at my doorstep! It was then that I knew. You! Your death would be the revenge I need, the revenge thousands of us need now!”
Thrusting her arms up and out, a barrage of water and burgundy power rose to strike. My shadows took the assault, shielding me from the worst of her attack despite the water sending me spiraling through its depths.
Gasping, I dropped low, thrusting shadows outward, cutting through the water and slamming harshly into the burgundy power she shielded with. The blast sizzled against the deep red power and started to grow in size around her.
“The best thing about all of this is that with your death, the fae will rejoice in my accomplishment in killing you. I will be their hero!” She screamed out, hurling an enormous amount of power at me. “And awarded the throne in return!”
I laughed incredulously. Dodging the blast that crashed in a thundering boom to the ocean floor, I slung myself from splintered rock to splintered rock, gathering shadows in my wake and hurtling them back towards her. “To rule over what exactly? A pile of rubble and a dying species?”
Her dark burgundy power cleared and revealed a cruel smile. “Oh no, Remi darling. That is where you are wrong. The fae will be reborn again and I will be their heroine queen that saved us all!”
I gathered more shadows to me, my gills opening wide and breathing in deep. “And where does Deirdre fit in all this, oh mighty Queen Kira? I know she is behind all of it, it practically stinks of her rot.” I laughed again. “Do you honestly think the former Queen of Faerie will idly sit by and watch you take her throne!”
Kira giggled. “It’s amazing how much you don’t know. But then again that is what happens to cowards who hide in exile from their failures! You are so pathetic. Deirdre doesn't care about the throne of Faerie any more. She is the blood witch now and no longer bound by a meager desire to rule over the fae when she can rule over worlds…universes even!”
My heart thundered at Kira’s words…worlds…universes.“Do not come back here!”I silently screamed to my shadows.“Find the shifter and take him to the child. She is the key to all of this and must be protected at all costs!”
I just hoped I wasn’t too late…a lock of blue hair floated in the distance…like I was too late for Bay.
I fed the shadows with the looming darkness of the wall, I was on my own now, equipped with only the shadow power every one of my kind possessed…what I was born with. Shadow was darkness and darkness was infinite. The first and the last, the beginning and the end—of all life and I knew how to use it well.
Kira watched the shadows gathering with a twinkle of mirth in her pink eyes. “Only your innate shadows have come to the rescue have they?” She twirled a pink braid, confidence oozing from her vicious smile. “I’ve been waiting, watching, listening. But the rumors are true, aren’t they? You lost your powers the day of Morta. Your sentient shadows have truly abandoned you.”
I raised my brows and snaked the dormant shadows up my arms, a shield and sword molding in front of me. “I don’t need them to take you on Kira, I never did.” I gave her a pointed look. “Are you sure you want to do this? You can just give me the shifter now and we will leave this place.” And…taking Riella with me.
“It’s too late,Remi darling. You and the shifter are now part of the deal, your lives forfeit.” She shrugged, “not that I needed a deal to want to kill you.” She held up the blood crystal. “And with this, there is nothing you can do to stop me.”
I gave her a taunting smile. “If that truly is the case, then I have a confession.” I licked at my needled teeth and watched her eyes spark with desire despite her resolve to kill me. Water fae were such sensual beings. “My little pet shifter kisses better than you ever did, in fact every fae I kissed after you was infinitely better than your slimy fish lips.”
Taking advantage of her shock, I whipped forth a lasso of shadow from my formed sword and snapped the blood crystal straight out of her clenched hand. From behind, another round of shadows pummeled into her back, shooting her towards me with no time to react. Dodging to the side as she whizzed past me, my shadow sword slashed outwards and scraped harshly across her gut drawing first blood.
“Bitch!” She screamed, surprising me by sealing her wound instantly with her newfound power.
The water bubbled angrily around me and I narrowed my eyes at the thousands of ice shards suspended and poised to impale.
They shot through the water, a whistling hum the only indicator of their storm. Spinning, I weaved numerous shadow shields, deflecting every shard and sending them straight back to their owner.
She responded by melting them one by one back into the ocean and smiled widely at me, untouched. “Too easy,Remi darling.”
Wielding a thin fog of shadows, I created an impenetrable bubble barrier around my head just moments before I felt the water stir my hair.
She screamed with rage, her attempt to cut off my water supply denied.
