Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
“So it’s a… palace? In some form? We could go explore?” Luke points to the door. “Or are there monsters here too?”
“I could take you around. I crafted it all out of nothing. When I was a child, this place was a cave surrounded by darkness insisting on pushing closer every time I looked away. My mother spent a lot of time teaching me how to keep the shadows at bay. But creating this room alone took many years and skill.”
Luke reaches out to touch the bedpost. “It’s… velvety.”
“Yes, it’s not real wood. I made it out of shadow.”
“Like a sculptor?”
“It’s a mix of shadowcraft and my imagination.”
Luke is amazed as he strokes the pillow by my face. “But it’s so dark here. I can hardly see.”
I’m reminded that Luke doesn’t have my elven sight and isn’t used to darkness the way we are in the Nightmare Realm. So I snap my fingers to evoke a swamplight that bathes the room in a green glow.
“After my mother died, I didn’t have anyone to accompany me here. Sometimes, my brother would throw me a book. At that point, I’d read the boring documents just to have something to do. I’d spent countless hours practicing my shadowcraft skills or fighting techniques. Our father always took Kyranis’s side, so I tried to make the best of what I had here. Which was nothing, until I actually built it myself.”
The jade glow reflects in Luke’s eyes as he takes in everything around us. I have shelves filled with books, a large table, and several armchairs in different shapes and sizes as if I envisioned entertaining guests here a long time ago.
“I’m so sorry about your mother. What happened to her?”
I sigh and stroke Luke’s head, elated about sharing my secret chambers with someone after all this time. It’s been long years since anyone visited this place. Since her passing. “She tried to befriend Heartbreak’s spawn, and they gored her. The medics couldn’t do anything for her. She was gone forever. My father and brother didn’t want to engage with me unless it was necessary, so I’ve been very lonely since. What I do know about social interaction, I know from watching others, but it can be a tricky thing to follow so many rules, when my own life and feelings are suddenly at stake.
“But being on my own pushed me to pursue excellence in my craft. Every single thing you see in this realm is my own creation, and I am yet to meet a fellow shadow wielder capable of besting me in a fight. I might not have the social polish my brother learned to put on like a mask when it was convenient, but I will be twice the ruler he could ever be,” I add in a firm voice.
I want Luke to know I am the best of the best. I want him to value my skill and trust it.
He gasps and pushes into my arms when several shadows press on the canopy above.
“They just want to get to know you,” I say, “but maybe it’s time to go back and save that for when you’re more comfortable here.”
I let the shadows around us fall and moments later we’re back in the bedroom.
Luke’s heart pounds so hard I know it was a good decision to come back. “That is better,” he admits with a nervous smile. “Thank you for taking me there though. I’m a little overwhelmed, but I’d like to see it again one day.”
“Of course,” I tell him and press a kiss to his forehead. I don’t know if it’s his presence that fuels my strength, or if enough time has passed since the bite, but my flesh is warmer and feels revived. “You will be my Dark Companion, and I want to make sure you feel safe in my shadowild,” I tell him before gently kissing his lips.
There’s hesitation in him that makes me wither, but after a prolonged silence, he speaks. “Um… I have to ask. What happened to your brother?”
I still, worried he’s found out the truth somehow and resents me for it, but Luke’s eyes remain kind and receptive. I exhale and rest my head on the pillow as I watch him. “Hunting accident. I chose to… hide his body and take his place instead of letting my relatives fight for the throne. You might think it makes me dishonest, but after being stuck in the shadowild for so long and only used as a tool since birth, don’t I deserve a life and recognition of my own?”
Luke’s gentle fingers trail over my neck as he nods. “You do. Why would you give up on that? Because of superstition? You can carve out your own destiny. That’s what I believe.”
Relief washes through me, purging all the dark thoughts as I kiss my promised. I had no idea how much I longed to hear that from his lips. “It’s such a comfort to be here and not have my existence questioned. To finally touch people, not just watch them.”