Chapter 34 Shade
Shade
The critters of the forest were slowly growing used to my presence.
They still scattered once they sensed me, of course, but eventually, they returned.
I sat on a fallen log and stared off into the night, enjoying the way the darkness cloaked me, clung to me like a second skin.
I was stitching my past together like a patchwork quilt.
Erebus. The God of Shadows. The name rang with familiarity, resonated in my bones, hummed in my blood.
I had been… away… for a long while. Years. Centuries? Eons? A very long while.
How long had it been since I last walked the realm with the mortals? Had I ever? The memories were hazy. Cloaked in fog. Drenched in shadows.
I was sent away. We all were. To that dark, dark place.
We didn’t go willingly.
But why?
My brain squeezed painfully as I stretched it.
The shadows grew more responsive, as though they too were becoming used to my presence. They were remembering me as their commander.
They were an extension of my very being, even if they didn’t know it yet.
I closed my eyes and breathed through the darkness, drawing it in, letting it whisper to me.
A small wisp of darkness shared sweet secrets.
Ginger was sleeping in her cottage with her dragon curled up at her side. Her room was dark, saturated in shadow. If I strained, I could almost see her in my mind’s eye.
She slept fitfully, tossing and turning.
I resisted the urge to go to her, to slip into her home, to watch her sleep.
Watching her sleep was my favorite thing to do, and I had so little time left to indulge in the activity, but trepidation held me back. If she knew I watched her slumber, would she be angry?
And if she was angry… Would she forgive me?
I stayed in the forest with my shadows where I belonged.
The King would be coming for me soon. I had nothing to fear from a measly mortal, but his intentions were mysterious enough to be concerning.
He knew of me before I even knew of myself.
I sifted through my fragmented memory for thoughts of the King.
There was a King, once, ages ago. How long ago?
Time sifted through my fingers like sand.
He was incredibly powerful, as arrogant as they came.
And he resented the gods for taking what he sought.
For drawing praise. For taking the attention from him.
He was a greedy, hungry man. Prideful. And he craved adoration more than anything.
Would this King be the same?
And if he was, would I be able to take him out? I could shove my shadows down his throat, snuff him like the flame of a candle. But then what? Take his place? Let another rotten-core mortal step into his place? I had no desire to rule—not anymore.
I simply wanted to be with my wife. Be near her. Bask in her presence. Soak up her light, allow her to brighten my darkness.
She was my own personal sun.
After long hours, the twin suns rose into the sky and the town awoke. Folk began to move. The smells of baking bread and brewing coffee delicately perfumed the air.
I rose, tucking my shadows beneath my skin where they were safe and returned to town.
“Two elderberry mint teas, please. With an extra splash of energy potion.”
The fae woman running the bakery glared at me sharply, clearly unhappy that I was in her shop. She held her hand out. “Five silvers.”
I startled. It had taken some time, but I had learned the new monetary system. And five silvers was an outrageous price. “Five? They cost only one.”
She wiggled her fingers. “For dangerous, attempted murderers—five. And then get the fuck out of my shop.”
My mouth tightened. “Five it is, then.” I reluctantly gave her the coins.
I spent my nights in the dungeon training my shadows to do my bidding, and when they explored the forest, ventured further, they found dropped coins. Forgotten treasures. Occasionally, they slipped into pockets, coaxing coins to fall, where I retrieved them.
It was incredibly tiring and painstaking, and I dreaded the thought of having to find more. I only had ten.
The woman snatched the coins with a huff and then turned to prepare the cups of tea.
I kept my head down as I waited, not in the mood to earn the ire of anyone else.
The rumors about me had clearly spread. I wondered if any of the truth had spread, as well.
I begged the shadows to conceal me, to hide me from notice of any passersby as I returned to the safety of the forest.