This is not treachery.
This is freedom.
In the middle of Heaven and Hell, the days of rain and mist are long gone. Now, the Gap World is a kingdom of light and darkness, goodness and evilness, sunshine and clouds. When clandestine forces weave toget...
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THE SHADOWS BELONGED to Denfer and Amanda.
It demanded a concerted effort to not let the sudden rush of adrenaline get the upper hand and lead me to careless decisions. The elusive hunch that was slowly burning inside me screamed at me that everything was about to be revealed tonight. I trusted it enough to continue studying the king and the murderer carefully. I watched them as they stormed out of the castle's garden in a stampede, heading to the ocean. I watched them as they whispered something to each other, and then Denfer's magic danced at his fingertips. In a pugnacious way.
Walking past the iron hedge, I put on my hood to cover my face and stayed a few feet away from them, keeping a distance, keeping myself as safe as I possibly could.
Cobblestone turned to sand and I stopped walking.
Dropping to my knees, I hid behind some bushes. I was close enough to be able to listen to what they were saying.
The part of the ocean that was illuminated by the moonlight held their wavering shadows. There was a preternatural sensation all across the coastline, which had me getting ready for the impending wrack. The golden sand was cool beneath my hands and I just hoped I had Jersen's pouch with me---the one that contained a handful of sacred magic that could make you kind of invisible to the world. Kind of.
While Amanda was totally still, in her scarlet gown with diamonds that could easily capture the starlight in their exquisite nature, Denfer looked threatening, pinning her to the wall of the castle, murmuring something in her ear.
I would assume that they were lovers, having fun in the middle of such a treacherous night. I would assume that Denfer wanted to relax and enjoy himself, find some woman who would be enchanted by his fine looks and lovable spirit. I would have even felt a hint of disappointment if Amanda hadn't wrapped his wrists in shadows that seemed like magical chains, and thrown him away.
"You thought I wouldn't come for your friend after you ordered me to free your little harlot?" she said, her voice loud enough for me to clearly hear every single word, which meant that she was screaming at him.
The shadows swirled around his hands and at that moment the whole universe stopped moving, the wind died out. What was only left was Amanda's laughter, as she tightened her shadows around Denfer's hands.
He grunted in agony, his brows knitted together. My blood pounded in my ears.
All at once golden light emitted from Denfer's fingertips and my heart slipped a beat at the thought that he would fight back, end her, win the battle against that creature who wanted to be called a decent woman. Yet the light started dimming and dimming, looking like it was being swallowed by her shadows. And Amanda was laughing. In the wasteland her heart was, it didn't amaze me that she'd found pleasure in stealing the king's magic.
It twisted up my guts. The suspicion that she wasn't destined to end up in the Gap World; that she was a product of Hell. Only the creatures of Hell could steal, destroy or limit magic. And yet they hadn't been able to fully control Denfer's one. Could someone be more evil than the Devil? More powerful?
