Chapter 4

4

RAEGAL

W e have been travelling for four days from the far western village of Fordwic. Our next destination is a place called Terleigh, where we will collect the next batch of Asen soldiers who will pledge their allegiance and fight for our cause. I hate this god forsaken realm. The Asen's are odd folk who are devoid of a shadow of their own and they hold no magic. The realm's abundance of crystals is its only redeeming quality. Onyx, found in abundance at Shadow Valley, replenishes our shadows and gives us strength.

My parents are pushing me to take a wife this year, but my life is here with my men, in the thick of the action. My father decided I needed to spend more time on Asen, outside of Shadow Valley that is, and that I stick around to experience a reaping ceremony for myself. We have three more towns to visit here in the west district to collect more recruits and then we travel to Shadow Valley where they undergo six months of intensive training under my command. The one positive about being a Shadow Borne on Asen is that we can travel at night. The night mutts have no hunger for our shadow souls. In fact, the shadow dust from our realm burns their flesh. It doesn't kill them, but it can leave them badly injured and in a world of pain until they heal. Night mutts are hard to kill. They are creatures that came from the Night Realm and they're immortal beings.

"I'm ready for a warm bed and a warm body to feed my needs," Jasiel says, his voice cutting through the silence of the night.

"Just don't bed any that are wed, my dear friend. I don't want to save you from the wrath of another angry husband," I advise him. Jasiel likes his dalliances with the Asen women and wed or not he doesn't care.

Jasiel laughs, his eyes dancing with mischief. "I can't help it if I can satisfy an Asen woman better than their own men can." He smirks with an easy confidence. Shadow men are popular amongst the Asen women. They enjoyed the danger and intrigue of bedding a male of magic from another realm. There are also no dangers of breeding with them, as we can only breed with a female once mated. "I might surprise you yet and take myself one at the reaping this year."

I arch a brow at my dear friend as he rides beside me. "A wife, you?" I chuckle. "I'll believe that when I see it."

Jasiel grins, looking out in front of us at the dark night. "Stranger things have happened."

I grimace. "I'm not sure I could ever take one as my mate. They are a strange breed."

Jasiel nods his head in agreement. "They are, but aren't all females?" Jasiel's face turns serious. "Strange or not, they may be the only hope of our realm surviving."

Jasiel is right. The number of newborns in our realm has been dwindling for the last hundred and fifty years. Less and less Shadow Borne males and females can breed. Our seers and healers are unable to find the cause of the fertility problems. We are a dying race, and the king has made it clear that if breeding with other realms is needed then we must all do our duty. Even our own king took himself an Asen wife fifty years ago. His Asen wife sits to the left of him on his throne and his Shadow Borne wife to his right. At one time, it had been unheard of for a man to have more than one wife, but now, duty demands it if it means we can procreate and secure future generations.

"Are the reports true? Will there be more Shadow Kissed females at this reaping than before?"

I nod my head. "It's true. An additional fifteen shadow kissed were born in the last cycle. The court seer says it is nature's way of responding to the infertility in our own women. They suspect in this next cycle that there may be fifty additional Asen females."

Jasiel whistles, cocking an eyebrow. "Looks like we'll all be taking Asen mates in the future, then."

I frown, the idea leaving me cold. "Let us pray to Arawn to find a cure before that fate befalls us all."

Jasiel laughs, shaking his head at me. "I don't know what it is you have against them. They certainly have the stamina to satiate our needs."

I side-glance at him. "Don't I know it? I heard their stamina in the early hours of the morning through the inn walls."

Jasiel smirks. "I can't help it if I'm gifted with my tongue and my shadows, old friend."

I laugh along with him. Jasiel and I are like brothers. We've known each other since childhood, and he's always been by my side. I trust him with my life, and I know he will always have my back. I trust Jasiel more than anyone else, even my parents, because he is loyal to me first and foremost; with his loyalty to our realm and king second.

My shadow mare rears on its hind legs when a series of howls rips through the silence of the night. The sound is coming from the direction we are heading in. A further series of howls follows the first. I hold up my hand, halting our procession. Stretching my hearing, I listen into the night.

"How many?" Jasiel asks, as he studies me as I assess the situation.

I tilt my head and listen into the night. "It's odd. They never hunt in packs of over five or six. There are at least three packs on the hunt, and they are communicating with each other. They're working together."

Jasiel's eyes widen in surprise, and he strokes at his dark beard as he listens to the mutts' howls, now sounding closer than they were two minutes ago.

"Whatever scent they have picked up on, it is causing a frenzy," I say as I continue to listen. "Let's set up camp here and I'll take a search party to investigate."

Jasiel nods, drops back, and signals the convoy to stop and set up camp for the night. We had planned to travel until dawn to Terleigh, but something odd is happening out there tonight and we need to find out what it is.

"Orym, Finor, and Kymil, you're with Jasiel and me. Let's find out what these damn mutts are in such a fervour over," I order as I turn my mare in the direction of their howls.