A Walk Amongst Shadows (Book 2)
Chapter 35

For the last several weeks I had been ignoring him. Ever since fleeing the royal city he had been calling me, summoning me home to him. But I ignored them. All of them. I had no desire to hear whatever it is he is now wanting from me. I suppose, deep down, I am more afraid of what he might ask of me. In a time not long ago, I would have done anything he asked of me, without a second thought. My devotion to the dark god has never wavered. But things were different now. Rose had ceased being an assignment to me long before we arrived in the city. If father had learned just how much I had come to care for her, there was no limit to what he might require of me next, especially if my loyalty to him had come into question.

I was sitting next to her when my vision suddenly blurred. Blinking rapidly, I rubbed my eyes, hoping to sharpen my vision. But to no avail.

“You alright?” I heard Rose ask.

I tried to look over at her, but the world was fading fast.

“Aris?” I felt her place her hand on my arm. Her voice was the last thing I had heard before everything went black.

When I opened my eyes, I was in father’s throne room. Home sweet home. I could feel father’s presence and did not need to look up to know his wrathful eyes were staring down at me. His anger was palpable.

“I’ve grown weary of playing your games.” His voice resonated painfully around the room and within my mind. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

I remained quiet. I tried to keep my thoughts from lingering on her, but it was too late.

“Has your fondness for the girl blinded you to your duty to me?”

I shook my head. “No,” I answered.

“Look. At. Me,” he ordered, placing a sinister emphasis on each word and pause in between as he spoke.

I shot my eyes up and stared directly into his. Their terrifying radiance burned, but I didn’t flinch.

“Lies,” he hissed.

“My devotion to her has not and will not supersede my devotion to you,” I asserted. “I remain yours,” I added firmly.

His face twisted into a grin. “I’m certainly glad to hear you say that.”

My eyes were starting to water under the intensity of his stare.

“I trust you won’t have any problems delivering her to me then.” His words leached the air right out of my lungs and I knew I had not been able to mask the shock on my face. “How do I know you aren’t going to lead me off this mountain directly to the hands of the dark god?” Rose’s words rang out clearly in my mind as I remembered our conversation in the village. I promised I’d keep you safe.

“You made promises you had no right to make,” he responded. “You did a beautiful job getting her off the wretched mountain. But the girl was never yours.”

“Nor is she yours,” I quipped. We weren’t talking about an object here. We are talking about Rose. I felt a force pulling me downward and fell painfully to my knees. I had misspoken. I was relieved at least to no longer be looking directly at him anymore. I watched him take several steps towards me. He placed a finger under my chin and a white-hot burning shot through me. I felt myself flinching involuntarily. He leaned down and whispered directly into my ear so closely I could feel the warmth of his breath as he spoke.

“She will be.”

My heart sank. I felt my hands clenching into fists.

“But first,” he continued, as he straightened up, “she must be delivered to me.”

“I will not harm her,” I stated through clenched teeth, bracing for the worst. I felt a jolt of searing pain shooting through me. I yelled out and fell onto my side as my body convulsed. I saw father sneer in my periphery. The pain abated.

“You will do as I command.”

“I-can’t,” I muttered through my jagged breathing. Immediately, I was on fire again. I screamed as the pain sharpened. It felt as though he were clawing at me from the inside out. I had never experienced such agony in my life.

“Please!” I begged, spattering blood from my mouth as I did so.

Father took pity on me and put another stop to my torture. I fell flat on my face and wretched up blood and bile. I put a shaky hand on the ground and pushed myself up onto all fours then sat back on my knees, crossing my arms to steady myself as I did so. The room spun horribly, and it looked almost as though there were two of my father standing before me.

“Let me make this abundantly clear,” he spoke coolly. “You will deliver Rose to me. You may even choose the manner in which it is done.”

I was wracked with a fit of coughing. It felt like my lungs were full of water. Father waited patiently for the noise to subside.

“If you defy me, I will not only have you back in this room, but I will send another in your place to do what you cannot. If my memory serves, I’d say Eloise might enjoy handing her over to me.” I saw a glint of malice in his eyes and a smile form on his face.

I felt hot tears on my face. I was angry. I was powerless. I was terrified.

“Get up,” he ordered, and I felt that same force pulling me to my feet.

I staggered as the room spun once more.

“I await your decision,” he growled. Then the world went dark once more.

I was flat on my back, disoriented and unsure where exactly I was.

“Aris!” I heard a yell from above me.

I opened my eyes only to be blinded by intense white light. I shut them tightly and rubbed them before trying again. Straining my eyes, I opened them once more to see Rose’s face shrouded in her dark hair as she leaned over my body. I was laying on the ground just behind where we had been seated together moments before.

“Aris! What happened to you?” I felt her cool hands on my face brushing the hair out of my eyes.

“I-I was in the shadow realm,” I stated as I tried to sit up. I was forced back down as the world spun violently around me.

“Woah, easy,” she soothed, cradling my head as she gently eased me back down onto the ground. “Where are you hurt?” she asked.

“I- I don’t know,” I managed to respond. I felt my stomach turning, as though I would be sick again. I began coughing again and rolled over onto my side to keep from splattering blood on Rose. I heard her gasp.

“Gods, what’s happened to you?” she spoke under her breath. She laid me back down. I breathed in deeply, relieved the coughing was over. I looked into her eyes, wild with fear and uncertainty. She worked her hand under my shirt and placed it gently over my chest. I felt a familiar wave of bliss wash over me as she washed away all the pain and damage father had inflicted upon me. I sighed in relief and sat up. I saw her hands were shaking as she removed them from me.

“Thank you,” I said. But as great as I felt physically, in the moment, my heart ached deeply as I looked into her warm, loving eyes, knowing what it was I had just been ordered to do. She flung her arms around me.

“You scared me! What on earth could have hurt you like that?” she asked.

I pulled away, standing abruptly to my feet. “Father,” I answered under my breath. “My wretched father,” I seethed.

She looked taken aback by my tone. “Aris, what-”

“I have to go,” I stated as I felt rage building within me. I needed distance, a lot of it.

“Aris, wait!” she called out clearly confused.

“I’ll send the others to you. They’ll keep you safe,” I felt my resolve crack as I saw her crestfallen face. I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her on the lips. “I love you, Rose. Please know that,” I said, before shifting and disappearing into the forest.

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