Chapter 18

18

REYA

I pull at the floaty sleeve of the dress I have no choice but to wear. The soft fabric swishes against my ankles as I descend the stairs of the mansion. I'm still annoyed that someone took my trousers and bodices from my room. And don't get me started on these blasted slipper shoes on my feet. I almost make it to the last step before I lose my footing and trip over the damn hem for about the fifth time today. I'm going to face plant the floor with a crack. Two arms catch me and stop my fall and I gaze up into the pale grey eyes of the man who stripped me of my clothes this morning.

"These damned dresses!" I moan, moving out of his arms the minute my feet hit solid ground again. "I can't stand them."

I look up to find him leaning an elbow on the stair's balustrade with an amused smirk on his perfect face. I scowl at him. "I'm glad you find this amusing!"

"Oh, I do. Most women would be thrilled to possess a wardrobe filled with the finest dresses money can buy."

I narrow my gaze at him. "Well, I'm not like most women, am I?"

He frowns, studying me. "No, you're not."

I bend down and reach for the hem of the dress and grip it between my two hands.

"What are you doing?" he asks me, looking intrigued.

"Ripping the damn thing. Maybe if I rip all her fine dresses, she'll give me some leather trousers to wear."

"You rip that dress, Miss Lockwood, and I'll ensure you have nothing but a wardrobe of plain, itchy woollen dresses!"

My gaze snaps up to find Moryen standing in the doorway to the dining room. "We have guests dining with us tonight. Please behave like a civilised lady and put the dress down."

Begrudgingly, I release the hem of the dress letting it fall back around my ankles, as I glower at her. Just as I'm about to retort that I have no desire to be a civilised lady, Raegal surprises me by taking a hold of my hand and placing it on his arm. Leaning into my ear, he says, "Does it help any if I tell you the colour of the dress suits you, Eretreya?"

I'm struck speechless at first, and I furrow my brow. "No, not at all," I respond flatly, causing him to burst into laughter, captivating my attention. "You were gone all day."

He winks at me. "Did you miss me?"

"Not at all," I repeat, and he smiles again at my answer.

"How was your first day at the mansion?" he asks, as he guides us towards the open double doors into the dining room.

I frown. "I had a tour of the mansion and found out that I'm not allowed anywhere near the training grounds. How am I supposed to train?"

"And what is it you are training for, exactly?" he asks quietly into my ear as we enter the dining room, and I notice three males have joined us for our meal this evening.

"Why, to stab my future shadow husband in his cold black heart, of course," I say with a sickly-sweet smile.

He smirks in amusement as he pulls out my seat and waits for me to sit. "So violent," he replies into my ear as he pushes my chair under the table.

"Lord Commander, it is good to see you back on Asen at last," barks the large man opposite. He looks to be around middle-aged and has a groomed dark moustache and a head full of tightly curled dark hair.

What does he mean, at last? Raegal side-eyes me, feeling my attention on him.

"King's orders," he replies dryly, as he takes his seat beside me and waits for the serving girl to pour him his drink.

"I hear you have a new batch of Asen recruits heading here? This is good news. We need them trained up and out on the battlefield as soon as possible," the man says as he swishes his amber coloured drink around in the glass in his hand.

"Gentleman, are we going to talk war at the dining table?" Moryen asks them, a polite smile on her face.

The moustached man clears his throat and smiles apologetically her way. "My humble apologies. We are, of course, honoured to be in the company of you and two of our cherished chosen ones." His eyes fall on Saveya and then on me.

"Let me introduce you to Saveya and Eretreya. This is Captain Loring, Captain Farran and Colonel Graybane."

I nod my head in greeting at the three men. The two captains are Asen, and the colonel is Shadow Borne, his grey eyes giving him away.

"Are you ladies excited to be here?" Captain Loring asks us.

"Oh yes," Saveya gushes, smiling. "The mansion is so beautiful, and the onyx mountains here are beyond comprehension."

Captain Loring nods his head, smiling in agreement. "I couldn't agree more. If you think this is beautiful, just wait until you see the Shadow Realm."

"I assumed it would be a dark and foreboding place," I say, airing my own thoughts aloud. I swallow when I find Moryen's critical gaze upon me. "It is, after all, the Shadow Realm."

Colonel Graybane laughs at my comment. "It is understandable you would think that, but our realm is quite beautiful. If ever there was a realm that was dark and foreboding, that would be the void."

My attention spikes at his mention of the void. "You've been there?"

He nods his head as he leans back and waits for the server to serve his food. "I have indeed, before their king abandoned us and closed off his realm and the vital resources it held that were helping us to beat the Flame King."

"What was it like?" I ask him, leaning forward in my seat, eager to hear more about this mysterious realm that people only whisper about.

He grumbles as he considers my question. "Dark, there's no sunlight there, just eternal night."

"It sounds perfect," I say wistfully, picturing a realm blanketed in a constant starry night sky.

"It certainly had its beauty, but after a while, you miss the warmth of the sun on your face. Now it is no more though, just an empty void of nothingness, unreachable to all," the colonel advises.

This conversation reminds me to check for books on the Night Realm at the library tomorrow. I am eager to learn more about this mysterious realm and its people.

"Those damn mutts have all the soldiers worked up," Captain Farran informs Raegal as he gestures for the serving girl to refill his glass.

My attention is once again peaked.

"Last night, there were an unusually large number of them near the valley. Very odd. So very odd," he says, shaking his head as if he can't comprehend a reason for their presence.

Raegal nods his head in response. "It isn't anything we've seen before."

"The soldiers are talking in the barracks. Some say that the Night Realm is awakening."

Raegal snorts in response and reaches for his drink. "The Night Realm is a dead and barren place. Everyone knows it."

Captain Loring shrugs his shoulders. "How can we know that for sure? Has anyone been able to cross the barrier and see for themselves?" He looks across at me and Saveya and smiles. "Apologies, ladies, we are talking about men's things again. Tell me, Eretreya, what do you think of the valley?"

I contemplate his question, and I sense Raegal's eyes upon me as he waits for my answer. "Honestly, it's breathtaking. As I said, I expected it to be a cold and dark place, but the way the sun hits the onyx and bounces light across the valley, creating prisms of colours and rainbows is just breathtaking. It is almost ethereal." I blink when I realise my words have captured everyone's attention.

Captain Loring smiles at me again. "I couldn't agree more with your beautiful words."

I clear my throat and glance down at my plate, fixating my gaze on the food in front of me. Moryen asks after the colonel's wife, and I drift into my head. Dinner drags on with empty chatter about upcoming balls and the approaching reaping. Captain Farran asks Moryen what our studies will entail, and I groan internally when she informs him we will have culture and history lessons, sewing, music and cookery. It's on the tip of my tongue to ask if we will have lessons in menial dinner table conversation, but I bite my tongue, knowing full well it will only ensure Moryen makes my life as unpleasant as possible. It is becoming clear that I am going to die of boredom over these next few months.

She dismisses Saveya and me after dessert, and we're sent to our rooms while Moryen and her guests retire to her office to smoke. Brimming with excitement, Saveya chatters about the ball all the way to our dorms. She is already planning what her dress will look like.

W hen I shut myself away within the sanctuary of my room, I breathe a sigh of relief. I feel claustrophobic, like the walls of this mansion are moving closer together and cutting off my freedom. It annoys me that they expect us to learn nothing other than how to be a lady in public and a doting wife in private. Surely a man wants a wife who can survive and protect herself. I discard the insufferable dress, hurling it across the room to land in a heap on the bedroom floor. Damn impractical things! It's warm tonight, so I don't throw on a nightshirt. I decide to sleep in my bralette and briefs. My mind flits to my brothers and how they are faring. I miss them so much, and Mother as well. My heart aches with grief. I miss her so much. Her soothing voice, her mothering, and her practical nature. It's impossible to imagine that I will never see her again. A tear runs down my face and I wipe it away, chastising myself for letting my emotions show. Over the years, I have built up a wall of iron around my emotions. I've had to, in order to ensure no one will ever guess that the years of being ostracised and treated like an outcast have bothered me at all. It was the only way I'd been able to survive. I learned to develop a thick skin and give off the keep clear vibe. I angrily reshape my pillows before lying on my side so I can see the moonlight shining through the gaps in the curtains. The darkness of the room envelopes me in a warm embrace and I welcome it.

In my dreams, I stand on an isolated road lined with trees and shrubbery. It's nighttime. The moon offers the only light. I flinch when I sense movement to my right and I hold in a breath when not one, but three mutts emerge from the forest. My mind screams at me to the run but dream me smiles when she sees them. Dream me isn't afraid. I lower my hand and wiggle my fingers and one mutt comes up beside me and rubs his nose into my palm. I chuckle and stroke his head, and he leans into my touch and closes his eyes as if my touch soothes him. The rest of the mutts stand beside me, all facing the road ahead. I close my eyes, and my vision reaches out and rushes down the lonely road until it spots a convoy of carriages. Shadow soldiers in their navy and gold uniforms travel about half a mile up the road from us. My vision snakes along their convoy, stopping when it reaches the back of the wagons. Onyx carved into rejuvenation chambers for the Shadow Borne. Dream me smiles and all at once my eyes are open and I'm back with the mutts. It's not just three mutts anymore. There are around fifty of them all standing beside me. They make no attempt to attack me. They just stand silently, as if waiting. I gesture my head up the road. "Go." The mutt who still nuzzles into my hand stands to attention and, looking behind him, growls low and gestures with his head out in front, as if issuing orders. They speed down the road, leaving me alone once more. I close my eyes and am able to track their journey. Dream-me smiles wickedly when they reach the convoy, and they attack. Dream me doesn't blink when they go for the legs of the shadow mares and attempt to take them down. The mares rear up onto their hind legs and the carriage driver angrily barks orders to keep them on the path. I snarl when one of the shadow men uses his magic to burn the hind legs of one of the mutts. In the blink of an eye, I'm standing at the scene of the mutts' attack. I close my eyes and inhale, complete peace enveloping me. The carriage driver of the front carriage screams out as he bats his arms out in the air. "Get them off me!" He screams, jumping from the carriage and swatting at some invisible monster that is instilling deep terror in him. One of the foot soldiers screams and claws at his own face, begging it to stop. Dream me tilts her head and watches with interest. The mare of the front carriage rears backwards and its cargo tilts and groans behind him, almost overturning. Two mutts target its legs, causing it to panic and rear up once more. This time, the carriage overturns with groaning resistance. As it lands on its side, its cargo smashes to the floor, the onyx chambers shattering to a thousand pieces across the road. The entire scene is chaos but when more mutts become injured, dream me withers in pain and, closing her eyes, she whistles a command to them. The mutts pause their attack, and swiftly retreat, vanishing into the forest depths. Dream Reya grins with delight as she takes in the destruction. Several of the onyx chambers lie in pieces across the road as soldiers fight to keep the mares under control and to stop more of the cargo from meeting the same fate.

I jolt awake and attempt to sit up, but something is holding me back. I stare down at my arms only to see them encased in dark moving shadows. That's when I sense him at my back.

"Why in the gods are you in my bed?"

"It's the only way to dampen your scent from the mutts," his grisly voice responds from behind me.

I wrestle with his shadows as I fight to leave my bed, but they just tighten against me and pull my back flush to his chest. "Do you often enter a woman's bed uninvited, Lord Commander?" I ask as I continue to fight him.

"Only when they don't realise they need my protection. Quit wriggling woman!"

I turn in bed so that I can face him and his shadows snake up and behind my neck and grip at my hair. "Get out of my bed!" I demand and growl in frustration when his shadows cover my mouth to silence me.

"For all that is right, will you just be silent! I am here because if I don't mask your scent, it leads to a frenzy of mutts clawing at the walls of this valley."

"What? They're still here?" I ask him, surprised, and in my shock, I stop fighting him and his shadows relax and dance up and down my arms like a whispered kiss. I should hate it, but I don't.

"There are hundreds of them outside the valley boundaries, Reya. They followed us here. They only retreat when I mask your scent. I'm not here to force myself on you, foolish woman."

I arch a brow. How dare he call me foolish. "Well, pardon me for being shocked to wake up and find your shadows feeling me up!"

His shadows tilt my head back further until I'm in a vice-like grip as he leans into my face. "They are masking your scent, not groping you! Now, will you quit being a terror and stop fighting me?"

"Send Jasiel or anyone else to mask my scent! Why does it have to be you?"

He snarls at my words as he leans in closer. So close that I can feel his breath on my lips. "I am the strongest shadow wielder here. They wouldn't be able to mask you like I can. Think of everyone else sleeping under the stars of this valley tonight. Do you want them to suffer the same fate as Mayla and everyone from your town?"

I take a sharp breath at his harsh words. "Of course I don't! What kind of monster do you take me for?" My mind flicks back to my earlier dream and the monstrous version of me that attacked the shadow convoy. We both pause at a sound outside my room. Raegal places a finger to his lips, and I open my mouth to protest. He leans into my ear and whispers, "You'll do well to be quiet unless you want Moryen to walk in here and find us in this uncompromising position."

I close my mouth at his words and we both listen in silence as the soft footsteps move along the tiled floor towards my door. Raegal's eyes are as black as night as his shadows leak from him and across my bedroom floor, wrapping themselves around my door, sealing it tight. My eyes flare in horror as the door handle slowly turns, but to my absolute relief, the door doesn't open. Raegal's shadows stopping it from doing so. Whoever is out there stays outside my door for a minute and when they hear nothing further, they slowly make their way back along the hallway, going back the way they came. Silence follows as we lie there, body to body, and when my eyes meet his, a zap of electricity rushes down my spine. My eyes drop to his lips and his eyes flare in intrigue. No! I do not want him! He is the enemy, remember! I scream in my head at my traitorous body. I clear my throat and pull my attention from those jet-black eyes.

"If you insist on crowding my bed and covering me with your shadows, then can you please do it without our physical bodies touching?" I try to ensure my voice drips with disgust but fail and the words come out all croaky and nervous.

He blinks and his eyes return to their mesmerising silver colour. "Of course. It's not like I take any enjoyment from the feel of your body against mine, Terror. I have never desired Asen women and I never will." He sneers. "I can assure you; your precious virtue is safe with me!" He releases his hand from behind my neck and turns over, giving me his back, whilst ensuring his shadows still cover almost every inch of my body.

I lie there glaring at him. I hate him! With every pore of my being! One of his shadows gently caresses my wrist and I angrily flick it with my finger. It retreats sulkily, as if hurt by my response. I huff and turn over. He is insufferable!

Morning cannot come soon enough.