Chapter 6

6

REYA

A cocoon of warmth surrounds me when I wake up. I feel like I've slept for a week. I nuzzle into the warmth, not ready to fully wake yet, wanting to enjoy it a little longer. Soft touches skirt along my arms and across my belly and I sigh in contentment. My breath hitches when my cheek touches stubble and a strong jawline. My heart stills in my chest as I remember where I am. I hesitantly open my eyes and, inches from my face, Raegal sleeps soundly. I look down between us where his shadows flow out from him and cover my body. Curiously, I reach out to touch a strand and it wraps itself around my wrist and along my arm. When I look down at my body, I am swathed in black shadows.

"My shadows seem to like you," he says with a deep frown. An icy chill surrounds me as he withdraws his shadows back into himself and leaps out of the bed like he is afraid he will catch something off me.

"Unlike you," I comment. I watch him pause as he pulls his shirt over his head. "I don't like you either in case you didn't pick up on it. I hate all of the Shadow Borne."

"Is that so?" he says, his deadly gaze fixed upon me with a half-smirk. "And what is it about us that has you hating our entire race?"

"This," I say with a hiss, gesturing to my amethyst-coloured eyes. "It's because of your people that I was born as this cursed thing."

He tilts his head and studies me with an intrigued expression on his face. "How can it be a curse when it means you get to help keep your family and your town safe?"

I snicker, shaking my head. This guy is clueless. "The only reason we have to give ourselves up is because your people came to our realm and brought those creatures with you."

He arches a brow as he pulls on a pair of leather trousers. My eyes linger on his muscled thighs for longer than they should.

"The night mutts, as your people call them, arrived first. In fact, if we hadn't of come through after them, it is likely that your entire population would be extinct by now. Perhaps you should be grateful for our presence and the protection our shadow dust provides for your kind."

My eyes narrow at the inflection of his voice when he says, ‘your people'.

"I hate what I am," I inform him, getting to my feet. A cool breeze brushes against my legs, reminding me that I am dressed in his muslin shirt. "From the minute I was born, my future was decided for me. I'll never be free to choose my destiny, and that is because of you people."

He scoffs, his eyes trail down my bare legs. "You see, the world with blinkers on. We have brought prosperity to your realm. Where your crops were failing, now they prosper. You might not want to believe it, but Shadow Kissed females are of great importance to my realm and my people."

"And why is that?" I ask him, placing a hand on my hip. Maybe I can finally find out what happens to our chosen females when we walk through that gateway to their realm. "Why are we so important to your kind? Once a Shadow Kissed female leaves this realm, no one ever sees her again. Many rumours circulate that your god demands us as sacrifices.

He scoffs. "Trust Asen's to listen to rumours with no substance to them."

I storm towards him, anger fuelling my bravado. "You laugh like it's a joke. Soon, I'll leave behind everything I know. I'll leave behind my brothers, my mother and the home I grew up in and I'll never see them again. So, believe me, we sacrifice a lot for the safety of our people."

I inhale sharply when his hand closes over my finger, that's angrily prodding him in his chest. "Have you finished? Your people don't have a monopoly on sacrifice. You have no idea the hardships and sacrifices my people endured. You're just a naive girl from a little village who has never known the harsh realities of life, of watching your people suffer and perish." He releases my hand roughly, like he can't bear to touch me. "I'll have water brought in for you to wash. We leave soon and you can return to your little village and live in your little bubble."

How dare he! I glare after him, hoping the hate I feel towards him is felt like an arrow in his back. Treating me like a silly child when he probably isn't that much older than me. I realise I have nothing to do but wait for someone to bring me water. So, I sit back down on the blankets and attempt to run my fingers through my tangled mess of long blonde waves. I don't have to wait long. A young Shadow Borne soldier comes in, with two more trailing behind him, bearing a warm pail of water, muslin cloth, and some soap in his hand.

"Here you go, miss." He pops everything down and he stokes up the fire, sending flames of heat into the tent.

I nod my head in thanks and, as they slip out of the tent, I test the heat of the water in the pail with my fingers. It's nice and warm and I am dying to scrub my body of every scent his shadows left on me.

A n hour later, I'm astride Raegal's horse as he climbs up behind me. His scent washes over me and I flinch as his chest brushes against my back. "Let's move out," he barks out loudly, and his convoy falls in behind us as we leave the wooded area and begin our journey to Terleigh.

We have been riding in silence for a good thirty minutes when Jasiel comes up beside us on his mare. He smiles warmly at me. "How did you sleep, miss?"

"Well, thank you, considering I had his shadows covering every inch of my skin."

Jasiel's brow arches and he looks at his commander with a smirk. "Every inch, huh? Looks like our Lord Commander took excellent care of you then, Eretreya. The mutts stayed on the camp's outskirts until dawn appeared. They seemed to want to get to you pretty badly."

I frown. "What could be so interesting about me?" I ask him, perplexed by the entire situation.

"I'm sure there are plenty of interesting things about you, Eretreya. Wouldn't you agree, Commander?"

I feel him stiffen behind me. "I think that the sooner we get to Terleigh, the better."

He couldn't wait to be free from me, and I felt the same about him. At least after they have seen me safely home, I will never have to deal with him again. As we leave the dense forest and come out onto flat open fields, I find my eyes drawn back to the woods. I frown as I look back. Why does it feel like I'm missing something? I shake my head to remove the odd feeling and turn my eyes back in the direction we are travelling. My heart warms when I can spot the walls of my hometown. Raegal is right in some ways. I know very little about the world. I have lived a very sheltered life, but that isn't down to choice. It is because of who and what I am. If I had my choice, I would be out exploring my realm, not trapped behind these protected walls waiting for my fate.

A s we near Terleigh, the watch tower bells ring out, signalling that visitors are approaching. I spot our town chief appear on the watchtower over the iron gates.

"Announce yourself and your purpose here," he orders in a rough bark. Veles is a formidable man. He is over six-and-a-half-foot tall, with broad shoulders and hands that look like they could crush a human skull. In the inn, the regulars often tell the tales of his days as a warrior. He has a large angry scar that runs from the corner of his left eye right down to his chin from a battle fought many years ago.

Our party comes to a stop before the gates and Jasiel trots forward on his mare to address our chieftain. "Chief Veles, we come at the order of King Aralas Nightscar of the Shadow Realm. We're here to enlist the soldiers." Jasiel pulls out a scroll and uses his shadows to send it up to Chief Veles. Our chief reads the scroll, then gestures with his hands for the gates to be opened. The old iron gates open with a resisting groan. As we enter Terleigh, I feel part relieved, part sad that my night of adventure is over. I may have nearly died last night, but it is the first time in a long time that I felt truly alive.

The inhabitants of Terleigh rush out into the streets as news quickly spreads that the Shadow Borne are here. Our Chief does a double take when his eyes spot me astride the Lord Commander's mare.

"Eretreya! I don't understand."

Raegal jumps down from behind me and strides forward to meet our chief. He offers out his hand and Veles shakes it firmly. "I am Lord Commander of the First Division Shadow Army. We found your Shadow Kissed female beyond the walls in the dead of night. Someone from this village took her against her will and left her out there at the mercy of the mutts." He looks over his shoulder at me, his pale grey eyes clashing with mine and holding me prisoner. "She is reluctant to tell me who did this, but I want the culprit caught and brought to me. I will decide their punishment."

Chief Veles swallows nervously. "Of course. I am appalled that anyone from this town would do such a thing. Everyone here cherishes our chosen one dearly."

I can't hold in the snigger that leaves my mouth. Cherished by all. All except Mayla and her cronies. I try to dismount the mare but fail because of its height. Jasiel swoops in to help me and lifts me down with minimal effort. "Home safe and sound, miss."

"Thank you, Jasiel," I say with a genuine smile. "You have been nothing but kind to me. I am grateful to you."

"I'm just glad we arrived when we did, miss, and that our Lord Commander saved you." He leans in and drops a kiss on my cheek, and I blush as I take a step back.

"Eretreya, my dear. We must get you checked over by a healer." Chief Veles beckons me towards him, taking hold of me by the shoulders, he scans me for injury. "I am fine, I promise. No injuries."

Chief Veles nods his head, satisfied that I am unharmed. "We owe you a great debt, Lord Commander. Eretreya, I trust you have thanked the commander for bringing you home to us?"

I squirm as he looks at me expectantly and I turn to face Raegal who, with a cocked brow, waits.

"Thank you, Lord Commander," I say, my voice barely a whisper.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," he says, his eyes boring into mine. He heard me perfectly well, the bastard.

I hold my head up high and meet him dead in the eye. "I said, thank you."

"The pleasure was all mine, miss," he says with a smile and false sincerity that only I pick up on. Chief Veles releases me from under his arm and asks Raegal and his men to follow him. He shouts orders for the mares to be stabled and preparations made for a feast this evening to celebrate the arrival of the Lord Commander. As they head into the chief's offices, Raegal pauses and looks over his shoulder at me. A shiver runs through my body as we hold each other's gaze. Shaking my head, I turn on my heels and head in the opposite direction. We have arrived early enough that hopefully my mother won't have found my bed empty and got in an awful panic. In fact, I probably have time to nip by and warn Arkynn that the shadow army is here to enlist him early.

I swallow nervously as I arrive outside his house. Last time we saw each other, he'd rejected me. Maybe things will never be the same between us again. I pull my shoulders back and tell myself that the sooner I get this first encounter over and done with, the better. I place my foot on the fence at the side of his house and use it to grab onto the ivy and scale the house until I reach his bedroom window. It is an easy feat when you have been doing it almost every day since you were a child. I drop to my feet from his window.

"Arkynn! Wake up," I shout as I wipe a stray leaf from the sleeve of my shirt.

"Gods, Reya!"

On hearing my name, I look up and my entire world shatters. There is someone lying in Arkynn's bed—Mayla is in his bed. She stretches out as she awakens, causing the cover to slip down and display her naked chest. She follows Arkynn's shock struck face, and an annoyed look crosses hers.

"You! How are you here?" she asks, the surprise clear in her voice. Her shock quickly turns into a smug grin as she sees the utter devastation on my face. "Do you mind barging in here uninvited!"

"You and her," I say, my voice barely a whisper on the breeze as I struggle to take a breath. "Of all the girls…her."

Mayla's grin spreads wider as I spiral. "Oh, you missed the big announcement last night. We're engaged to be married. We'll wed before my darling Arkynn leaves for enlistment in spring."

"Married?" I repeat, praying that this is a wind up, but when I look at Arkynn's face, I know it to be true. My heart feels like it is being ripped from my chest.

Mayla holds out her wrist and wiggles it in the air, the shiny, silver and rose quartz bracelet glistening in the morning sunlight. "Isn't my betrothal band beautiful?"

I steady my beating heart and will myself to pull it together. "The army is here to take you. They have come early. So, it looks like if you are to wed, you'd better do it soon." I spin on my heels and jump out of the window, scaling down the house like my behind is on fire. I don't look back despite hearing Arkynn call out for me from his window. I run home with my heart in pieces, knowing that nothing will ever be the same now.

I stumble through the door into my house and my mother exclaims in fright from where she is cooking breakfast. "Reya?" I can see her confusion as she takes in my dust covered clothes and unruly hair. When she realises I am not myself, she places the pot down by the fire and rushes to me, embracing me in her arms. "My darling, what's the matter? Why do you look like you've been trekking in the wilderness?"

"He's marrying Mayla," I say, as I clutch her. "He's marrying the one girl in the town that I hate more than any other."

"Oh Reya," she whispers as she hugs me tighter and pats my back. "He's not the one for you. Perhaps its better this way. You and he could never have been."

"I know that," I admit, as I press my face into her neck. "I just wanted him to want me like that. I wanted him to be the one who took my womanhood and then I would always have that to cherish."

My mother pulls back slightly, and she cups my face with her hands. "You are worthy of so much more than him, Eretreya Briar Lockwood. You deserve the love of a king." She drops a kiss on my forehead. "Now, care to explain to me why it looks like you haven't been home all night?"

"Mayla and her evil group cornered me and took me beyond the wall last night. I was left alone, tied to a tree, for the mutts to find me."

My mother's face pales. A look of sheer terror washes over her. "Reya," she says, grasping at my tunic with both hands, "This is important. Did the mutts find you?"

I nod my head. "They did, but then a rather unpleasant shadow army commander came to my rescue and scared them away with his shadows."

At the mention of the shadow army, my mother inhales a sharp breath. "Do you have it on? The necklace?"

I nod my head, pulling it from under my top to show it to her. Why is she so concerned that I am wearing it? "What's wrong? What aren't you telling me?"

She sighs and cups my face in her hands again. "You are special, Reya. More special than you could ever know, but no one can know who you really are. Stay away from those filthy shadow bloods. You can't trust them. You hear me? Stay away!"

"What on Asen are you talking about, Mother?" I ask, at confused by what she is saying.

"I've done my best. I've suppressed it all these years." She lets go of me and paces back and forth before the fire. "Tell me what happened last night. Every detail." She ushers me to sit at the table, then sits down beside me, taking my hands in hers.

I go over the night's events from start to finish until the point that I left the commander at the square and went in search of Arkynn.

"I must go to the mines. We need more amethyst and obsidian," she says to herself, nodding her head and reaching for her shawl and basket.

"Mother, what is the matter? What is all this about?" I ask her, jumping from the chair and grabbing her arm before she can leave.

"I need you to trust me. Stay away from the Shadow Borne while they are here. You hear me?" I nod my head in bewilderment. "Promise me, Reya, now!"

"I promise, Mother. I have no wish to be anywhere near them. I hate them," I assure her, placing my hand over hers. "I do trust you. More than anyone else in this realm."

Mother nods her head, satisfied. "Get your brothers up and fed and take them to school. Carry on as normal. I'll be back before evening."

"Okay," I agree, as I watch her dash out of the house. I stand in the doorway and watch her hurry through the town towards the mines, barely acknowledging anyone she passes. What in the Mother Goddess of Crystals was all that about? I shake my head, feeling none the wiser about my mother's strange behaviour. Maybe she's starting with a fever?

I get my brothers up and ensure they eat their breakfast before I walk them to school. Their nonstop chatter about school and friends that fills the entire walk with a sense of normalcy after last night's events. Having dropped them at school, I decide to return straight home, keeping my promise to my mother to stay away from Raegal and his army. As I turn the corner to our house, my steps falter when I see Arkynn sitting on the floor outside my front door with his head bent, staring at the ground. I retreat, intending to go back the way I came, but a twig betrays my presence, and he locks eyes with me.

"Reya!" He jumps to his feet and stalks towards me, but I hold my hand out to keep him away.

"Don't," I beg. "Nothing you can say can change what you have done. Do you know how she bullied me at school, ostracised me, and made me an outcast? Of all the girls, why her? I know you don't love me like that. I knew this day would come when you'd choose a girl, but why her?" My voice quivers and I try to clamp down my emotions. I will not allow him to see me break.

He takes a step forward and reaches out his hand. "You don't understand, Reya."

I chortle, taking a step back. "Oh, I understand. While I was out beyond the wall last night fighting for my life, you lay with her and gave her forever."

Arkynn shakes his head, a deep frown marring his forehead. "What do you mean, you were out beyond the wall?"

I scoff and kick at the dirt with my boots. "Mayla and her friends played a little game last night. They cornered me, stuck me in a trunk, and took me deep into the forest and tied me to a tree. They left me there to die."

Arkynn appears as if someone kicked him in the guts. "No. She wouldn't go that far?"

I laugh. Even now, he's defending her. "Mother of Crystals! Is she that good in bed that you can't see sense? She orchestrated the whole thing and left me out there. She's always hated me and had it in for me."

"She's jealous," Arkynn says, grasping at the back of his neck. He looks at me with a pained expression. "She is jealous that the gods chose you."

"Why her?" I ask him again. I need to know why he chose her out of all the girls he could have his pick from. Arkynn is handsome. He could offer any girl in this town a betrothal bracelet and she would accept in a heartbeat.

"My father. He's been pushing me towards her for a while now. She and her family have been coming over for family dinners every week." He swears under his breath. "I was weak. I was so confused yesterday about what happened on the rooftop. You and me," he says, gesturing between us. "It had never crossed my mind because it could never be, but then you stood there before me and asked me to take you and gods, Reya. You looked so beautiful."

My heart stutters in my chest at his words. He just said I looked beautiful. How many nights I have dreamt he'd say such things to me.

"All day, all I could think about was you like that. My best friend. And gods, I wanted you. I got blind drunk on ale and that was when she found me." He strides towards me, determined, and grips my face in his hands. "Don't you see? If I'd have lain with you, I would have never wanted to let you go. I knew if I lay with her, you'd never look at me the same again. I chose her because I knew that would be the ultimate betrayal. I did it so that even if I came to you and begged you, you would refuse me." He strokes his thumb across my cheek. "If I'd have lain with you, I'd have wanted you forever and we can't have forever."

"We could have had that one night," I remind him. "We could have had that one glorious night together."

"No." He shakes his head vehemently. "No, Reya. I know now that one night would have never been enough. I've been blind to what was right in front of me. I wouldn't have been able to let you go."

He leans down and places his lips against mine and kisses me. My best friend, who I have dreamt about doing this with for so long, kisses me. It should be the happiest moment of my life, but it's tinged with nothing but sadness and hurt. Instead of pure joy and pleasure, I feel nothing and pull back away from his lips. "You're right. It's better this way. We can never be, especially now. Whatever your reasons are for going to her, it matters not. You betrayed me." I take a step back and grimace. "I hope she can make you happy." I spin on my feet and run to the house, quickly locking the door behind me before I fall to the floor and mourn for what could have been.

T he town bells ring four times, alerting the residents that we all need to gather in the square. I shout the boys down from their rooms and wrap them up in their warmest coats and boots before we take the short walk to the town square. Mother has yet to return from the mountains. Crystal only knows what she's doing up there! My steps falter when I see Raegal standing in the centre of the square with our town's chief at his side. His soldiers stand behind him, wearing their armour.

"Tonight, we feast," Chief Veles announces to the gathered crowd. "Tomorrow our young men will join the Shadow Borne Army and leave us. Everyone will gather in the great hall for dancing and feasting and we'll give our boys a send-off to remember."

Raegal leans into Veles' ear and says something. The Chief nods his head, his expression turning sombre. "Now, to more troubling matters. Some of our own took our Shadow Kissed beyond the walls last night and left her there at the mercy of the mutts."

Gasps of shock and horror fill the square as everyone stares at me. My cheeks redden and I focus my gaze on my boots.

"Those responsible should make themselves known now. The responsible party will be found and held accountable. This was an attempt on our Shadow Kissed's life. Without her, we would be left unprotected and unable to prosper as we do now."

Good to know my wellbeing is his primary concern. I don't know why I'm surprised that his concern is the damage my death would have done to Terleigh and not the fact that my life was almost cut short. Can't have the chosen one dying before she's fulfilled her purpose!

"Despite this terrible betrayal, your chosen one won't give up the culprits because she is pure of heart and forgiving," Raegal says, as he steps forward and addresses the crowd. "I will find who did this and when I do, you will regret the day you ever drew breath. The culprits have until midnight to hand themselves in. In the meantime, my men will make enquiries of their own. Trust me when I say it is better that you come forward than for me to find you."

"Why would anyone want to hurt you, Rey-Rey? You are nothing but good and kind?" Elian asks me, looking upset and confused. I ruffle his hair and offer him a reassuring smile.

"Some people aren't good, Elian. But look, I'm okay, I survived. It'll take a lot more than a night in the forest to get rid of me."

Elian leans his head against my side, wrapping his arm around my waist. Elian has always been the gentle and caring one. Corym lets go of my hand and holds both his hands in tight fists, looking like he's ready to storm the crowd and take vengeance for me. "I'll kill them myself," he vows.

I grip his shoulder and turn him towards me. "No more talk of killing people. You'll do no such thing. Now, let's head home and get you both ready for the feast." I steer my brothers back the way we came and as we turn the corner. I look back to the square and catch Raegal's light grey eyes upon me. A bolt of excitement runs through my body as our eyes meet and I quickly hurry away, out of sight. That man both exacerbates me and intrigues me all at once.