Chapter 13 Raith
RAITH
Iteleported into the center of Haversham and gazed at the stone buildings in dismay as thick darkness crept over them.
I’d received a report this morning that the small town was being attacked by shadows again, but it was much worse than I’d expected—or perhaps it had escalated faster than usual this time.
Thick, inky darkness swallowed one side of the town completely with long shadowy tendrils stretching out from it, roping around columns, climbing up walls, and creeping into windows.
Within hours the entire town would be lost unless I did something to stop it.
Unless I fought it back, as I’d done every night in various parts of my kingdom for the last two years.
I called forth runes to summon lightning and struck at the black, oozing darkness covering the buildings.
The shadows shuddered and made a sound like a whine, but a few of the tendrils burned up and turned to smoke.
Others retreated, reluctantly drawing back to the main body of darkness, which they were absorbed into.
I struck again and again, lighting up the night until it was as bright as day.
Only then did the heavy shadows begin to burn away.
And then the nightmare beasts came.
Inky black monsters from the Shadow Lands slithered, flew, crawled, and galloped through the cobblestone streets, taking on all different forms. I cast my own runes of darkness and took hold of the beasts, sending them back to their world.
I called forth fire and burned them to ashes.
I threw lightning until they dissolved into smoke.
But they kept coming, filling the night with piercing howls as shadows curled away from their bodies, leaving a trail of darkness in their wake.
One scratched ice-cold fangs against my arm while another tore at my cloak with claws coated in black tar.
Each time I sent one back to the abyss, another one took its place, over and over. Until finally none stood before me.
When the town was silent and empty again, I reached out to the darkness covering the buildings, bending it to my will, forcing it to retreat.
Sweat dripped down my forehead, my stomach ached with hunger, and exhaustion made my limbs weary, but I couldn’t leave until this town was safe, even if the darkness would likely return in a few days.
No matter how much I fought it, or how hard I pushed it back, it always returned—and even stronger than before.
With a shudder, the darkness finally relented and sank in on itself, until it was simply gone.
When the town was only as dark as night, I leaned against the nearest stone wall and tried to catch my breath and steady my shaking hands.
Weariness crept over me, along with a sense of hopelessness and the burden of failure, despite my small victory tonight.
The town had already been evacuated, likely abandoned forever, and I couldn’t blame them.
So many of my people had lost their homes and even their lives to the Shadow Lord’s assault.
Villages were vanishing every day and there was little I could do to stop it.
Rose might be able to assist me with her own magic once she was trained, but my heart clenched at the very thought. Even the notion of putting her in danger was intolerable. No, I had to keep her as far away from this threat as possible. The less she knew about it, the better.
“Come out and face me,” I growled to the Shadow Lord, though I knew he wouldn’t listen.
He must have some qualm with me to attack my kingdom over the last few years, not just with his beasts and his darkness, but in person.
I wasn’t sure why he stalked my lands, and I’d never seen him myself, but reports all described him the same: a massive, shadowy figure with pointed wings who cast black ink from his claws that quickly crept over everything in its path.
He was responsible for this plague of darkness, but I didn’t know why he’d targeted us. Or how to stop him.
Once I regained a touch of my strength I walked through the town, searching for any clues as to why it had been attacked or how to stop the Shadow Lord and his minions.
As usual, I found nothing. My kingdom was running out of time, and I was no closer to discovering a solution than I’d been two years ago.
Bitter frustration tore through me as I teleported back to my study with my last ounce of strength.
I stumbled toward my chaise lounge, but paused when I saw Rose sleeping upon it, still in her far-too-alluring gown and wearing my mother’s jewels.
Temptation urged me to run a finger along her bare shoulder, to wake her up with a soft kiss on the graceful slope of her neck, but of course I resisted.
What was she doing in my study? Was she waiting for my return?
Perhaps she’d been upset at my sudden departure during supper.
I’d shared a meal with her for as long as I could, despite her probing questions about my past, but when true night fell, I had work to do and couldn’t delay any longer. Work she could never know about.
I ran a ragged hand through my hair as I gazed at her.
I usually passed out as soon as I returned from my nightly battles, but tonight she was in the way.
An image crossed my mind of me curling up beside her, wrapping my arms around her, and pulling her body against mine, but I banished it immediately.
Instead I gathered her up in my arms and lifted her carefully, my willpower momentarily overcoming my exhaustion.
She stirred slightly as she melted against me, turning into my embrace as if she belonged there, and rested her fingers on my chest. I inhaled sharply when she nuzzled her face into my neck, and I breathed in her sweet scent.
Her beautiful, trusting face tilted up at me, her eyes still heavy with sleep, and a large, gaping hole opened in my chest. She made me feel all sorts of complicated, horrible things I usually kept locked deep inside.
Loneliness. Longing. Desire. And something else, something I refused to even name. Something I could never feel again.
With a grunt, I tightened my grip on her soft curves and carried her out of the study through the brightly-lit halls, past the few guards who stood watch.
So far, the castle had been spared most of the Shadow Lord’s wrath, though he had been spotted nearby a few times.
I suspected he was waiting until I’d truly hit the end of my limits protecting my kingdom, and then he would swoop in and destroy me completely, taking everything I still held dear. Including Rose.
I wouldn’t let that happen.
With a reserve of strength I didn’t even know I had, I managed to carry my wife up the stairs and kicked open the door to her rooms. I hadn’t been in the royal consort’s chambers in years and was surprised to find they hadn’t changed much, though Rose had put a few of her things about the room.
Her mother’s old spell book. A few trinkets she’d brought from home.
A brush and a bottle of perfume. Nothing that marked this as her permanent home, not yet.
As if she were still a guest here and not the lady of this castle.
Not that I blamed her. It had only been a few days, after all.
But I found myself hoping she would settle in and come to accept this as her new home soon.
I set her down gently on the large bed, but her fingers tightened on my shirt as if she was unwilling to let me go or wanted to pull me into bed with her. All those thoughts I’d tried to banish earlier came rushing back as I imagined how easy it would be to give in to her.
“Raith,” she said, her eyes fluttering open. The sound of my name on her lips did terrible things to me. Terrible, wonderful things.
“Shh.” I pushed a piece of silky hair back from her face before I realized what I was doing. I quickly yanked my hand away. “Go back to sleep.”
Her hands released my shirt, but then went to her neck, where my mother’s jewels were still draped across her collar. “Help me take these off.”
I removed her tiara first, before lifting her up just enough so I could unclasp the necklace. My hands brushed against her soft skin, and she let out a light sigh at my touch.
“I won’t wear them again,” she said as she climbed under the blankets, even though she was still fully dressed. Her eyes were hooded, her words heavy with sleep, which threatened to quickly claim her again.
“Why wouldn’t you?” I reached under the blankets to grab hold of her slippers and remove them.
I tried to make the gesture as innocent as possible, but still felt a rush of heat as I touched her bare ankles.
It had been way too long since I’d been with a woman if even her ankles, of all things, turned me on.
“The way you looked at me earlier…” She turned her head away with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have worn your mother’s jewels.”
My back stiffened. “Don’t be. They’re yours now. I wasn’t upset. If anything, I was taken back by how beautiful you looked wearing them.”
“Truly?” The sleepy smile that slid across her lips made my trousers even more uncomfortable. “Then why did you leave?”
“I had business to attend to in another town. You shouldn’t have waited up for me.” I tucked the blankets around her. “Go to sleep, Rose.”
Her eyes were already closed, and I wondered if she had fallen asleep already.
Before I could stop myself, I bent down and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.
I straightened up quickly, wondering what on earth had gotten into me.
With any luck, she wouldn’t remember I had done something so foolish tomorrow.
I quickly made my escape, using the adjoining door to stumble into my bedroom as the exhaustion caught up to me. I hadn’t slept in my own bed in days, perhaps weeks, but I had no other choice tonight. I collapsed onto it still in my clothes, and was instantly sucked into dark, dreamless sleep.