The Shadow

Chapter 39

Kai took a deep breath, sharing a look with Saif as they stepped forward. He smiled, sadness and acceptance glistening in his eyes. He nodded, and Kai returned his smile. They would fight together, die together.

Kai sucked in a breath the moment his feet crossed the gap between hall and room. So cold. It felt as though he had plunged into an icy river, only...only it wasn't an icy river. This wasn't a normal chill, it was magic. Pure, powerful magic, the likes of which Kai had never felt before. Skade must have cast wards on the tower. Or perhaps his presence alone produced the cold, and the wall of darkness had been placed in the doorway to keep it out of the rest of the castle.

The room was large, and Kai's guess was confirmed. It was round—one of the castle's many towers, then. Unlike the rest of the castle, the room's black stone walls had been decorated. Dozens of portraits had been hung within the space, depicting lush forests and night skies filled with stars, colorful gardens and stretches of green grass.

Strange, Kai thought. He had expected the room to either be barren, or adorned with gruesome, barbaric ornaments. Paintings of war, or perhaps even trophies of battle—preserved elf heads, or butchered humans.

But no, the room was almost...pleasant. And, he realized with a shock, he could actually see the room. It was not cloaked in darkness, as the rest of the castle was. There. A floor-to-ceiling window, beside a four poster bed. Its curtains were raised, but ribbons of light still peeked through the purple satin to illuminate the room.

In the center of the space, velvet chairs surrounded a small coffee table that had been laid with a platter of meat and cheese. Kai cocked his head at that. Did Dark Ones even eat? He supposed so, but something as normal as meat and cheese...strange.

A thin frost covered the red-carpeted marble floor, trailing toward a dark section of the room.

Kai steeled himself, remembering where he was, and why he was here.

Something moved within that dark section of the room, stepping from the shadows. Skade.

He was tall—not nearly as tall as Adekin, but tall nevertheless. He seemed to stand about three heads above Kai, although it was hard to differentiate between creature and shadow, hard to tell where Skade ended and the darkness began. The floor beneath him shone bright in the sunlight—ice. A sheet of ice had formed, gradually spreading throughout the room.

Kai frowned, studying the places where Skade's black cloak—near identical to Adekin's—met the ground. The smooth material dragged against the floor, pooling slightly at Skade's...ankles? No. Upon closer inspection, the Dark One had no feet at all. Instead, he seemed to simply float across the room. It was as if he were nothing—no arms, legs, or face within view. A hooded torso, as black and empty as the void itself.

"Ah, you've arrived at last." Skade's voice was sandpaper on wood; gravelly and deep, thick in some places. As if he had not spoken in a thousand years. Far from Adekin's smooth, careful articulation.

Skade continued, something like a sneer in his voice, though it was hard to discern any emotion from his voice. "Don't mind the room. Adekin insisted that the girl be well cared for, and I did not think it...proper...to intrude on my brother's wishes within his lands. He came up with these extravagant decorations."

Kai's eyes widened as he processed what he had heard. The Deceiver had decorated this room, had prepared this food...for Harper? It was obvious that Skade found the room distasteful. Adekin truly wanted Kai's alliance, he thought. Perhaps they had judged the Dark One harshly. Or perhaps this changed nothing, and Adekin had only helped Harper for his own gain. Kai pushed away the thought. Now was no time for contemplating the past, and the future. He would be lucky to have a future, at this rate.

"Where is she," he said, more in demand than in question.

Saif cast him a warning glance, and Kai winced. He could not risk insulting Skade—not now, when the Dark One held all of the leverage and power.

"Patience," Skade said. "She has been here for weeks. A few moments longer will not change the outcome of your visit."

He spoke with the same ancient wisdom of Adekin, despite their voices being far from similar.

"Forgive me," Kai ground out. It was strange, he thought, acting so formal with the creature who wished to have him dead. Speaking of...

"Aren't you going to kill us?" he asked, and Saif's eyes widened as the elf shot him another warning glance, this one shocked. Kai steadied his trembling hands, cursing himself. This was so unlike him. Being so forward, speaking so recklessly in such a situation...but then, he had not felt so nervous in all his life. It was a miracle that he stayed on his feet.

Skade only laughed. At least, Kai thought he was laughing. He could not see the Dark One's face, but a low, throaty sound flowed from the darkness covered by his hood.

"Kill you? Why should I kill you?"

Kai sucked in a breath. What did Skade mean? Had he not brought Kai here to kill him? Had he not trapped Harper to lure him in—

"No," Skade continued. "You must live, if I am to succeed." He laughed again. "Why, Little Shadow, would I kill my greatest weapon?"

"You—what?" Kai sputtered, closing his mouth and then opening it again. "Why would I be your weapon?"

He did not know if he should feel relieved or scared. First The Deceiver, and now Skade did not want him dead...why?

"Because," the Dark One said simply, "you have been Chosen."

Saif moved a step forward, confusion written across his face. "Chosen for what?"

Skade laughed again, as if their ignorance amused him. "Chosen to save the Dark Ones."