Chapter 37
As I pass through the House of Hedro’s gates, the city before me appears dark and grim.
Even the passing of my father hasn’t removed the stain on this kingdom.
The people here don't deserve to live like this—they deserve peace, not fear.
Determined to fix this, I realize I'll need to conserve all the magic I can for what's next.
Therefore, walking is my only option back to the castle miles away.
Most of the kingdom should be sleeping but the things that aren't sleeping concern me the most.
The cool breeze from the sea fills the streets, casting a salty shine on the cobblestone streets as the moon high above peeks behind the rolling clouds. It would be a perfect night if I weren’t utterly terrified of every passing dark alley.
Thoughts of the man I previously encountered with Silas fill my mind.
He believed this world would be safer without me, and now, with everything that has unfolded, I can’t blame him.
People have looked at me differently over the past five years, as if they’ve always sensed the darkness within me.
No one judged me when I was locked in my bedroom for days.
Silas immediately noticed something about me—the darkness within me calls to his, like a rope constantly pulling us together.
I lived under my father's nose, yet he never saw what resided within me.
Then again, I always knew he was a fool—blinded by power and desire.
A crack breaks through my deep thoughts as I spin toward an alleyway behind me.
Mist rolls through the small opening, followed by complete darkness.
I narrow my eyes, unable to see even with eyesight that usually allows me to see well in the dark.
I continue forward, not wanting to stay too long in one place.
With everything that’s happened, maybe it wasn’t wise to take off alone, but I know I can’t wait for the others to wake up. This must happen now.
An elderly woman sits alone on a wooden bench with many books propped around her.
She doesn’t notice me as she remains consumed by the book in her hand, turning each white page slowly.
As I approach, she settles in her seat, causing a few books to crash and immediately collect dust. I rush to her side. “Let me help you with those.”
I lean down, picking up and dusting off the few books. Her old eyes meet mine, her once piercing blue eyes now turned milky with age. “Oh, thank you, dear.”
I don’t think she realizes who I am. She’s not afraid of me.
“Are you alright, my child?” she asks, her head tilting to the side.
Being a shadow wielder, her once black hair has turned snow white, and her face has many lines embedded in her skin: a laugh, a memory, a lesson.
“No. I’m not. I’ve been dealing with many challenges lately, and I’m unsure how to make it through. How everything is going to be okay.” I lower my head. “I feel a bit lost.”
“My child, you are going to make it. You will make it because you want to. You have the drive, the power, and the will to make it happen. Listen to your gut.” She stands, her curved spine making her wobble as she regains her balance.
I nod, helping her collect her few books into a small satchel. “Can I help you back to your house? I can walk with you if you’d like.”
She places the bag on her shoulder, the weight of the books curving her spine even more.
She moves forward, the strength in her legs diminished, likely worse with each passing year.
But through her struggles, she smiles, each step a challenge on her own.
“You have more pressing matters to attend to than to help an old woman home, Briar.”
She disappears around the corner, and I’m left standing alone again, wondering how she knew my name.
Continuing down the road, the waves against the shoreline provide a symphony of sounds, ones I used to enjoy.
I would come to the shore and spend hours staring at the sea, wishing I could hop on a boat and have someone take me far away to a kingdom where I could start over without a king who was my father—where I could experience my own adventures.
I never got the nerve to do it. I couldn’t leave my mother here, and when she died, I didn’t care if I rotted in that castle.
I should have left years ago. But now, standing facing the shore, everything in my body vibrates.
I should stay, fix this mess, and put Daramveer back together.
I move closer to the lapping waves, the moon shining on the water like a mirror reflecting the never-ending sky.
The roaring water before me drowns out all other sounds as I close my eyes, the sea breeze hitting my face— I wish at this moment that things were simple and Silas was with me.
They will be furious with me when they wake and see that I'm nowhere to be found.
I doubt it will take them long to figure out exactly where I've gone and what I've decided to do. A slight movement catches my eye in the water: a turtle. The animal nears the shore, fighting against the crashing waves with all its power—a feeling similar to mine—the fight against an unbeatable force. The waves will continue to roll and crash against the shore, and it’s up to the turtle to swim and continue to fight—just as I must choose to fight.
I choose to fight because I never have before.
Growing up, my father committed terrible acts in front of me, torturing countless people and even hitting my brother.
I remained silent, perhaps because I feared punishment myself, or because I was so numb—I couldn’t care even if I tried.
That's changed, and I will fight for my friends, family, and the people of Daramveer.
I will bring about change and help this kingdom thrive once more.
As I turn, I realize I’ve lingered too long on the shore when a dark figure that has been haunting me for weeks emerges from the shadows between the castle and the sea.
My entire body tenses, shooting tingles down both arms. It floats toward me, and as I freeze—I can’t blink, my breathing becoming jagged as it approaches.
The black cloak hangs off its thin frame, with no footsteps sounding beneath its shadow.
Its hands dangle at its sides as if both shoulders are dislocated, and the hood of the cloak obscures the creature’s face.
I quickly thank the Gods. I haven’t seen its absence of eyes or wide mouth yet, but my stomach still rolls as I stand my ground.
As the creature advances, so does the stench of death.
I gag, still unable to move from fear as it approaches closer than ever before—not retreating as it has in the past. A long finger reaches out, a sharp claw touching my chest, inches above my heart.
I slam my eyes shut, preparing for it to murder me right here, finally.
The finger moves from my chest, and I crack my eyes slowly open, expecting the creature to be gone as it has vanished many times before.
Instead, I'm face-to-face with the creature, its black eyes staring into mine, its black mouth slightly ajar, and I swear for a second that the creature is smelling me.
The creature rises back up, standing over two heads taller than I am, and points its long, bony finger at me. "You smell of greatness and power, but you cannot handle what is to come alone," it shrieks, and the voices of a thousand screams live deep inside, begging to be released.
My ears ring in pain as I cover them, desperate to block out the sound pouring from its wide mouth.
"The day will come when this burden must be shared to defeat what lives within. You mustn’t lose focus, for another Great arises.
You must remember that light can drown all darkness, but we need both to live in harmony. "
Unable to speak, I nod my head as the creature quiets.
"Why do you visit me? Why don’t you hurt me?" I whisper.
The creature begins to distance itself from us as if my louder tone had startled it. "You are destined for many things—you would do me no good dead, Briar Blackbyrne, Queen of Daramveer." The creature moves backward into the shadows like a gust of wind pulling it back to wherever it came from.
I exhale sharply, my lungs burning with airy fire, and I glance toward the castle. Light flickers inside the throne room like a beacon calling my name. Brushing off the fear, I stride off the shoreline and back toward the stone castle.
The castle before me has changed. When I imagined my father dying, I thought a weight would be lifted off Daramveer, as if a sheet were ripped away—revealing the old kingdom I remembered from so many years ago.
Instead, it feels like the darkness has deepened around the walls.
As I pass through the iron gates, no guards stand watch.
I assume they left long ago following the events of the fourth trial.
No wonder my father was always worried about building the strongest armies and gathering more allies if they fled without allegiance to my father at the first sign of chaos.
I make a mental note that as the queen now, I will have to build a proper army—gathering a following to rule this kingdom successfully.
Stepping into the castle, it’s quiet, like death has slowly crept through the walls.
Where is everyone?
Lang.
It’s not dawn, so he may still be packing Rose’s and his belongings.
I have time to say goodbye. I sprint down the long hallways, winding through the castle as if the route is burned into my memory.
Blasting through the kitchen door, it’s empty.
I feel my heart crack, hoping I’ll see them both again, my only true family left.
I scan the room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.
‘Good, he left safely,’ I think to myself when my eyes catch sight of something in the middle of the table, close to my regular spot.
I pick up the piece of paper, flipping it over when I see my name, Briar, written on the underside—a letter.
Opening the page, tears instantly fill my eyes as I realize it’s from Rose and Lang.
Briar,
You’ve sat in the kitchen for years with us, mostly not speaking but always there.
Our shadow, we started to call you. Since you were a child, we’ve watched you grow into the stunning young woman—the queen you are now.
Your mother loved you more than life itself.
She told us in secrecy that you were the vessel before she died; she suspected it a long time ago.
You don’t even know how strong you truly are.
Open yourself up to the power to defeat Carobon, but never let it take over you.
With the resurrection crystal, you can raise the dead and put them back in their rightful place. We will see you again one day.
All our love.
Tears stream down my face as I place the letter down. I wipe my vision clear, but the trembling doesn’t stop. My mother did not tell me this years ago, but she protected me, and we could have stopped this together.
"Stop being weak!" I scream at myself, the voice not all mine.
The longer I wait, the more likely Silas, Maines, and Oak find me and stop what I must do.
I need to get to the throne room and my father’s study and find the crystal.
If I can return things where they came from, I will send Kalix back—even if I die.
But I know now I have a bigger problem on my hands.
Someone else is here trying to raise Carobon, the Great Wiitch of Lumor.
Gathering myself, I leave the room, sprinting toward the throne room, where the candles were lit.
Maybe the castle staff lit them in memory of my father?
Who cares—I just need to look around. Bursting through the wooden double doors, they slam against the stone wall hard enough to rattle the chandeliers.
Empty, good. This allows me to search around, so I move toward the throne.
The coldness radiating from the throne hits my body, sending a shiver down my spine. Nothing catches my eye, and nothing in this room draws me in. My darkness calls to whatever darkness lives in that crystal.
The only sound echoing through the room is my beating heart against my chest. Something isn’t right.
I turn my body to the door as I move to my father’s study down the hall.
The door is cracked open and I can see the shadows of the fire flickering against the walls.
I peer my head through the door, cautious not to accidentally walk into something I’m not prepared for.
As I move further into the room, the hair on my arm stands out as if the air in this room were different—thicker and darker. My eyes move to his desk, which is untouched and cluttered, just like always. A black bag catches my eye and seems to pulse like a heartbeat, rattling my vision.
The weight of the bag drops my arms as I hold it firmly in my hand.
I loosen the ties around the top, peering into the small sack.
The resurrection crystal glows with the opposite of light, a pulse of energy throbbing through my body.
Darkness swells in my body as I feel the Wiitch deep inside, wanting to break through and touch the stone with her hands—my hands.
Swallowing the feeling, I tuck the stone into my pocket with a plan for where I’m heading.
I peel my eyes from my bulging pocket to see a cloaked figure standing between me and the door.
I jerk backward, startled by the abrupt intruder.
The figure stands a little taller than I am and has a slim build.
I notice a subtle movement in the cloak from my presence, alerting me that it knows I’ve seen it.
Not this creature again.
I move with purpose in its direction, unafraid for the first time in its presence.
I’m growing tired of the creature’s unexpected visits, providing little to no information about why.
Something in the room shifts as I get closer, and my body reacts to the figure's unfamiliarity. Sweat begins to bead on my brow as I approach. I realize this isn’t the creature that has been haunting me, and I’m struck with something hard between my shoulder blades, pain shooting down my spine.
The cold world around me goes silent and dark as I drift into nothingness.