Page 2 of Shadows Ascend
“Daemon.” She held her arms out to me and I took them. I had grown much since the aftermath of the Blood Wars, now a fae in my centum years, I towered over my mother, forcing her to tilt her head high in order to meet my eyes.
“When did my cub become so handsome and so tall I wonder?” She reached up on her tiptoes and swept my hair back from my face.
Grinning cheekily, I took the queen’s hand and kissed it softly in greeting. “I have you to thank for that, mother.” I gave her a shrewd look. “But all mothers would say that to their sons I believe. Flattery won’t change what I just saw no matter how much you attempt to mask it. What ails you? The blood wars are over, our people are happy again, hopeful with the building of Finlandia, and yet I find you standing here as if death is upon our doors.”
She sniffed, her brows drawn. “I should rephrase. When did my cub become more like his father?”
I wrinkled my crooked nose. “Now that’s just insulting, mother.”
“You should be so lucky, fairy boy.”My cat retorted.
I growled.
“Whatever that nuisance of a panther is saying to you, ignore it my son,” she said, reading my irritation. Sighing, she dropped my hand and turned back to the east. “You must learn to school your thoughts better and shield your anger at your beast Daemon. You both are stuck with each other. The more you learn to tolerate one another the better off you will be, especially as you enter the courts of the fae.”
I stepped next to her tilting my head in thought. “You don’t like the panther either, why?”
Baring her teeth, she hissed, “Of course I don’t. He took my son from me for weeks before you shifted back. A being of his power should have better control.”
The beast inside of me growled but he did not speak, staying blessedly quiet.
We were both silent for a moment as the night finally shrouded over us and the three moons lit the valley in a soft glow.
“Why am I so different?” I whispered, watching the shadows ripple as the grasses blew in the soft night wind. Something about them intrigued me…almost called to me.
My mother shook her head, leaning against my shoulder. “I wish I could answer that for you my cub but I cannot. Perhaps it is time we look at this as a blessing. The goddess knew you would need each other one day.”
“If only she would come back so that I could ask her. Why would she help us and then abandon us?”
“We are but mere pawns in the hands of the goddess, Daemon, but Faerie would not abandon us in our need. I fear…I fear it is more than that. Something we are missing, something we have forgotten.”
I exhaled harshly and looked down to see the worried wrinkles return on her beautiful face. “You don’t think it is over with, do you?”
She pursed her lips. “The other courts have relinquished their rule. Faerie crowns a new queen to rule over all…only we stand apart, only we have not bowed to Deirdre Seelie and she is not a fae to be refused nor ignored, Daemon Ash Strider.”
I scoffed. “Father would never put our people in unnecessary harm and there is an entire sea that separates us from her reaches. Not to mention Shen’s wall.”
My mother took a deep breath and stretched her hand out to the approaching glow of a violet wisp. It snuggled into her palm, humming and pulsing with pleasure at her gentle touch. “Never underestimate a fae that has not taken a moment to grieve, my cub. A heart that does not grieve never loved, and if a heart does not love it only has one purpose. Hate." She shook her head. "Deirdre suffered the most out of us all during the blood wars, events that would have brought even your father to his knees and yet…not a single tear has she shed. Instead, she celebrates by attaining power and a crown. A dangerous and dark path to take.”
Reaching out, I scooped the wisp from my mothers hand, and released it back into the night. “Love, hate, it matters not, I won’t allow any harm to befall us, mother. We will not bow down to her darkness should she walk that path.”
She grew quiet then while we watched the wisp disappear into the hills of the valley. When its glow finally twinkled out of sight, she turned towards me, standing on her tiptoes again to kiss my cheek. “I hope you are right Daemon.” She whispered softly, then walked away, back into our new home. Pausing, she peered back over me, her caramel eyes softening. “But know this my cub, sometimes—sometimes you can’t always stop the darkness from spreading. Like the night…sometimes you just have to submit and unleash it in order to fight against it."
Chapter 1
Mydarknesswasdeath—soI never feared it. Wielded it, delivered it, sought it, goddess damn begged for it….but never, ever, feared it.
And now…I stepped a foot inside of it—alive.
Bathed in twilight, Sheol was awash with vibrant fluorescent hues where the endless cosmos of the universe met the land. Swirling galaxies, faraway planets, numerous glowing moons, and millions upon millions of stars graced the very air around us---so close we could breathe it, touch it, taste it. And mirroring its surroundings above, a pure silver pathway snaked its way through vast and eerily shifting white sands. Like a haunting song, the sand's constant ebb and flow crested to form white phantoms, beckoning us with the promise of dark, sinful secrets—all we needed to do was dive in.
Where the white phantoms did not appear, lights flickered…like faraway beacons guiding us towards a destination that was not ours but seductively inviting just the same.
Sensing this, our group converged closer upon the reflective silver path, keeping distance between us and the soothing, yet deceptive, cascade of rustling sand.
My lips twitched at our fearsome bunch being cautious over shifting dunes, surprised to see that even Bane stepped inward. A stoic swordmaster and fire elemental with a grumpy attitude and loyal heart, he trailed reluctantly behind us.
Shifting my gaze, I watched Xi and Riley, earth and air elementals and my dearest friends, palm their blades, watching the sand warily. In unison they flanked our sides, just as they had always done—always true, always steadfast.
