The Shadow

Chapter 12

The inside of Canmore's keep was just as magnificent as the outside, and even more intimidating. Marble floors stretched in every direction, towering stone pillars stationed above them every few meters. Markings adorned the stone pillars. No, pictures. Pictures had been delicately carved into the rock, telling some sort of story that Kai had never before seen or heard.

Bloody battles between men and creatures Kai could not name wound their way up the stone, higher and higher, before hitting the domed keep ceiling. Although he saw no words, the tale the rock told was unmistakable. Humans fighting for years, perhaps even centuries, against massive humanoid creatures. Men triumphed in some carvings, those terrible creatures in others.

"This keep is thousands of years old—no one knows who made these pillars, or what story they tell." Harper watched him, a look of unmistakable fear in her eyes as she turned to study the pillars. "There must be a book somewhere that has some record of what the world was like all those years ago. We may even have one in Aria."

Kai watched as another castle guard appeared and began escorting them to the throne room. He would think about these pillars and whatever they meant later, he told himself. After the army was defeated.

The keep had next to no furnishing, with only the paintings on the walls to give Kai a sense of comfort. Not that those were very comforting, either. Most of the colorful works of art depicted bloody battles between men—none of the strange humanoid creatures in sight.

At last they reached the throne room. The guard who had escorted them opened the ceiling-high doors, revealing a massive chamber. Colossal pillars rose to a domed ceiling on both sides of the velvet-covered walkway on which Kai and Harper now stood, carved with those terrible, strange pictures. At the end of the hallway, shallow marble steps rose to meet a mammoth, velvet throne.

And on the throne... a tall, lean man who looked far from what Kai had found himself imagining. Brown hair cascaded over a handsome, rich olive face. He must have been in his mid twenties, and he ruled one of the largest cities in Ath. What surprised Kai more than his youthful features were Lord Canmore's clothes. Rather than dressing in luxurious silks and his royal mantle, the man wore a simple, elegant tunic and trousers, not even bothering to wear his crown. Had Harper not bowed—and gestured for him to do the same—Kai may not have thought him to be a Lord at all.

"Rise," the man said, his voice a soft cloud. Relief shone in his eyes as he looked at Harper. "It is good to see you...where are your father and brother? I heard that you arrived in Aria recently—without them."

Harper stood and swallowed, face paling. "They did not make it back—something took them on the journey to Aria. That is what I have come here to talk to you about... There are strange things in the woods near Sleetshire, and terrible things approaching our city." She gestured to him. "This is Kai—without him I would have died many times on my journey here." Kai noted the mark of disapproval that crossed Lord Canmore's eyes for a split second before he masked it with a smile.

"Thank you for escorting Lady Ross home unharmed—I will have a room prepared for you in the palace—you must be very tired from your journey."

Harper shook her head. "Thank you, but I promised him a spare room at the Ivory Manor if we made it back alive—and we did."

"I see," he said, eyes seeming to ignite with anger when he glanced at Kai. "Well then...what have you come to tell me that you value as more important than a warm bath after a long journey?"

Indeed, they were both covered in dirt from their long ride. Harper spoke again, shaking off whatever embarrassment Canmore's comment may have provoked. "An army is headed toward Aria—a large one. They were two days away when we last saw them, and will be closer by now. They have already swept through Sleetshire, Eelry and Larnwick. We have come to ask you to prepare Aria for a siege."

The first emotion to cross Lord Canmore's mind was shock—to be expected. Then confusion that was quickly masked by a stern nod. He turned to the guard who stood by his side. "Alert commander Saerus of this information and tell him to ready his men—I will join him shortly to discuss our strategy." The man nodded, bowing before walking through the throne room doors.

"How many did you count?" Lord Canmore asked, a nervous urgency displayed across his face.

"Ten thousand. At least." Kai's face was grim as he remembered the site of the enemy war camp.

"And what of Sleetshire, Eelry and Larnwick? What became of their inhabitants?"

Harper answered, face paling. "We believe that much of Sleetshire was evacuated by boat—they are likely heading for Northshore to take refuge. We saw a wagon train heading toward Aria, and can only hope that they make it here alive. Larnwick was little more than ash and rubble when we found it. We saw no bodies, so we can hope that they escaped in time—"

Lord Canmore interrupted her. "They would have come to Aria if they had escaped—there is nowhere else to go. They must have been taken prisoner. What of Eelry?"

Kai's eyes glistened. "They were slaughtered. All of them, like pigs."

Lord Canmore's eyes widened. "Before whose banners does this army march?"

"They held no banners and showed no signs of where their loyalty lies. We do not know why they have come. We brought a prisoner with us—he may be helpful."

Canmore nodded. "If there is anything more that you can tell me, anything more that could be of use, tell me."

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"That went well," Kai said, and he meant it. "I haven't met many lords or kings, but he seemed to be the most reasonable of the few that I have encountered—although I don't think he likes me very much." He glanced at Harper, eyebrows raised. "He did seem to like you, though..."

She sighed, eyes fixed upon the street on which they rode. They had left the castle moments ago and were on their way to Harper's home.

"He proposed to me before I left, hardly a week ago," Harper said, twisting her hair around a finger. "I told him that I needed time to think, although I expected that time to be spent on the road and in Sleetshire, not running from monsters and spying on armies."

She has a fiancee? I'm not sure why I'm surprised.

He also wasn't sure why his chest hurt at the thought, or why a part of him latched on to the fact that she hadn't actually said yes to him yet. As if she would refuse the Lord of one of the largest cities in Ath.

Why do I care, anyway?

They turned a corner and entered a street filled with merchants' stalls of varying sizes and colors. One merchant sold a wide assortment of fruits that Kai had never seen before. Another sold jewelry, while yet another sold spices. The stalls stretched farther than Kai could see, along with the goods that they housed.

The savory aroma of cooked fish and spices Kai couldn't name drifted through the air, mixing with the already lingering scents of fruits, vegetables, pastries, bread and cheese.

"My father used to sell spices in one of these stalls. Years ago, before he gained true wealth." Harper gestured around them, toward the colorful canopies and countless items contained beneath them. "It's my favorite part of Aria...I can experience people and cultures from all over the world—these vendors were what made me so eager to explore in the first place. I still have hardly seen any of the world, but perhaps someday I will."