Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

I t takes the guards longer to pull themselves in and out of the void. When we come through on the other side, they're out of breath and their foreheads are beaded with sweat. Amaro spares them not so much as a glance nor thanks before stepping forward toward two monstrous dark gates. The size alone could fit two great beings the size of giants.

Tendrils of shadows swirl and coil around it like separate entities ready to strike and attack us.

I have never seen the gates this close, only heard of them in passing. They stand at the bottom of the mountains, guarding the entrance to the palace and adding an extra measure of security that would be useful for the Sidus when the dark creatures bypass the shield.

But as the royals have no care for the Sidus, only the Caligo will benefit from its neighboring shelter.

Although it is still not bright out, the light, even amongst the murky gates, is a contrast I didn't realize would be so vivid when this close up. I look around, seeing shades and colors unlike anything I imagined. So bold and beautiful and rich.

The guards wait as more light filters through the large gates, groaning and grinding as they slowly creep open.

I had heard rumors that the Caligo could no longer shadow in or out of the void once they neared the palace grounds. An effort made to deter any intruders that would want to harm the royals.

A smart move, considering the reputation the royals have gained over the last decade with the Sidus.

The gates, now open wide, reveal a whole other world. Light that is so brilliant and clear impales the ascending steps like spears that sparkle and shimmer around me. The shrubbery housed at the sides of the steps have been transformed to emeralds and jewels, their alure bewitching me and catching me off guard.

"Move it," a guard barks out, breaking me from my stunned awe.

Walking up the steep steps, I notice an emerging gold trim beginning to form at each side, guiding our path. After a few minutes, we reach its top. I pause, seeing the long bridge that sits in front of a magnificent structure. Its shimmering golds and whites, which I have only ever seen from a distance, don't compare to its true beauty up close.

The pale bridge is worn with slight cracks and ridges but easily holds its large structure and base. It spans wide enough to fit an army should it need to. Giant statues of old guards stand tall, as though in slumber, ready to come alive and protect. They spread out on each side, watching the people who dare try to pass its bridge without invitation.

Multiple Caligo guards are stationed beside and in front of the statues, acting as their watch and backup, and I feel their distrustful eyes as I pass them.

Ignoring them, I look out past the statues to see the hidden world below. A town covered by a night so dark it disappears among the shadows.

My home and a forgotten world for those who look down on it.

I wonder if this is all the Caligo ever see when they look down at us. A lost part of its kingdom that is too lost in the shadows to think about, as they live among the light.

Do they think about us at all and the hardships we face, or do they go about their lives living in sweet oblivion?

I turn away from the side and toward our impending arrival. At the end of the bridge stands wide arches that reach toward each other, forming a grand entrance. Stained glass with intricate designs spans out among the tall towers and bold walls around it. Passing through the entrance, I look upon a ceiling made from gold. Delicate carvings of ancient gods facing battles cover every inch of it.

Archways open up to a long corridor, and the sound of gushing water hits my ears as we pass through large open hallways that look out among the world of light.

The palace is in another world of its own. My own imagination holds only a fraction of its magnificence.

From the small view around me, I spot lush gardens with small fountains of gold and white. A courtyard sits in the middle of the palace grounds, housing every flower imaginable, with colors so bright and vivid they seem almost alive.

The structures around the palace are pieces of art. Vines of gold metal swirl and curve into designs so intricate only someone who has been blessed by the gods could create such a thing.

We pass structure after structure, each one just as beautiful as the first. Pale doors, rooms, and long hallways all pass by in a blur as we hurry along.

Abruptly, we come to a halt. A guard with wavy dark hair and piercing blue eyes walks up to greet us. His guard clothing is similar to Amaro's, with the same insignia revealing a high rank. Finding my gaze, his distant look turns to disgust.

"Were you able to procure the item?" Amaro asks the new guard.

The new guard nods his reply before walking toward me.

I smirk at the sneer on his face, and he continues to stare, waiting for a threat that would not reveal itself until ready.

"They smell like the excrement they live in. Vile creatures," he says.

I bite my tongue, holding back the foul reply on the tip of it while keeping my smirk in place.

Amaro chuckles softly. "I would have to agree with you, Levon. Vile creatures, they are indeed. Why we cannot just wipe them out and be done with it, I will never know."

Levon grunts an agreement before yanking my hands forward and placing thin gold bands that look like expensive bracelets on each one.

"What are these?" I try pulling at them, but they don't budge. It is as though they have molded to my skin. From the smug expression on Amaro's face, I know they are not normal bracelets.

"Just wait," Amaro says as his and Levon's faces reveal nothing but cruel contempt.

Their cruel natures are no longer concealed behind the mask they normally wear, and it sends an icy shiver down my back. I should have known they would have something underhanded arranged for my arrival. My heartbeat kicks up a notch, waiting for the inevitable.

I frown, feeling a pull deep inside me. Glancing down at the bands, I see a glint of strange symbols slither around it, disappearing and reappearing at random.

The pull grows, drawing upon any energy I have with force. I drop to my knees, the hard marble ground aiding my fall, just as the warmth abandons my very veins and leaves behind it a cool, empty vessel.

Trying to catch my breath, I glance down at the gold bands and the retreating glow of symbols.

What just happened? What are these things, and how are they able to make me feel this cold?

There is now a dark hole inside me. Something vacant in the place where the warmth once was.

A cruel chuckle pulls me from my thoughts.

"A nice little side effect these ingenious objects have." Amaro looks down at me with a smug expression.

"What… are… they?" My words puff out in labored breaths as I try to figure out why I feel so empty and drained.

Amaro's smug expression only grows. "An invaluable accessory. They mute those worthless Sidus abilities. They will, of course, stay on until I decide to remove them."

I grit my teeth, keeping my jaw shut to stop anything foul from leaving my lips. I will not let them get the better of me.

Two guards seize my arms, roughly yanking me up to my feet as Amaro steps in front of me.

"We need to take special care of the captain's daughter." Amaro gives me a cruel smile that is mirrored among the guards. "Tell us how you were able to enter the competition," he says, a glint of intrigue in his eyes.

Ignoring the sliver of fear that coils around me, I look at him with indifference. "I thought it was open for anyone to join?"

Amaro narrows his eyes on me. "Yes, but no Sidus should be able to."

My back straightens at what he is implying. And even though I knew it to be true, listening to him admit it is something else entirely.

"Are you admitting that it is fixed?"

His eyes flash with anger as he realizes his little slip. "Tell me who helped you," he grits through clenched teeth.

Quiet rage unfurls inside me. "No one helped me."

Amaro's eyes turn cold and calculating as he nods before composing himself and taking a step back. "A lie. Well then, I guess we will have to get a little creative to find out, won't we?" He shares a sinister smile with Levon and the guards before giving them a nod.

"Take our guest to her new accommodations. We cannot have her wandering about the palace." He casts me one last cold smirk before leaving with the new guard, Levon.

The guards around me shove me forward, but I catch myself before hitting the ground. Some of them chuckle, finding my forced clumsiness amusing. I whirl around, looking each in the eye, and memorize each sneering face.

Amber eyes with an arrogant smile; jaw-length muddy brown hair. Another with a shaved head and a square face. Brawny frame with a crooked nose as if it has been broken one too many times and not set right, and sandy-blond curls for the pretty boy in the back. He would be attractive if not for the malice seeping out of his glacial blue eyes.

A hand grabs me from the side, and thick fingers dig into my shoulder, pushing me back around before shoving my head down to the floor.

"Eyes downward, Sidus scum."

I glare at the white stone marble floor as we make our way down the curving hall. I commit to memory every bend and slight turn, not only to calm the rage bubbling inside me but to remember and retrieve when the time comes.

Descending a long stairway, I watch as the lights flicker and dim and shadows pave the way. Something inside me eases at the familiar shades of darkness.

Coming through a dark passageway, we walk along the cold corridor until I am abruptly halted by a heavy hand.

"This way." A guard pushes me down past empty cells that are enclosed with thick bars, to the very last one in the back of the room.

Another guard comes up beside me and opens the cell, while a third walks up behind me. I feel his torso as it presses up against my back. I hold my breath as stale hot air slithers across my neck, and the rage inside me reaches a peak.

"If there is anything left of you when the Breaker is finished, we will tear you apart, piece by piece, until the birds have only your bones to pick at."

I wait until he has finished his little speech before slamming my head back into his face, hearing the crack I intended. I glance to my right and watch as the amber-eyed guard stumbles sideways and out of my way.

The other two guards grab me from each side, ripping my bag from my back and shoving me into the cold, dark cell before slamming its door swiftly behind me. I turn around, giving each of them a distant look, but on the inside, I feel anything but.

The amber-eyed guard I headbutted gives me a feral smile as he wipes the blood from his broken nose. There is a deranged look in his eyes. One that makes me wish I could break a few other bones to go along with it.

"Good to know you like it rough." He dips his head at me and shares a look with the guards before they leave.

Finally alone, I take in my new surroundings. The floor is full of dirt, the smell worse than the stables covered in manure, and the air is frigid with an icy chill. It is disgusting, but nothing I can't make do with.

I look down at my hand and the tendrils of darkness that swirl around it, a smirk tilting my lips.

Amaro might have muted my Sidus powers, but I still have my shadows.

Finding a suitable spot to sleep near the barred windows, I glance out at my new home for the next while, my smile growing as the shadows dance along my skin.

If they thought I would be a meek, frightened captive, willing to obey their threats and torture, they will quickly learn just how hard it is to bend and break me.

Because I bow to no one.