Chapter 20
—Kienna—
The moment Tislin pulled them through the shadows into Alverton, Kienna’s knees nearly buckled.
Her stomach lurched, her heart slamming against her ribs as if to escape.
The world folded inward, light collapsing into darkness and sound twisting into a hollow roar.
For an instant, her body was gone, dissolved into the void, weightless and endless.
Shadows clawed at her, cold fingers dragging against her skin, whispering in a thousand tongues that all screamed at once.
The air was silent and thunderous, suffocating and alive.
Only Tislin’s presence held the dark at bay, his magic defending the chaos like a barrier of will alone.
By the time her boots hit solid ground and wind brushed her cheeks again, her vision swam.
She gasped, clutching her chest, forcing herself to breathe.
How the fuck did he do that all the time?
“G-ohh,” Kienna stumbled. “I might—” she paused, working hard to hold the food in her stomach. “Yeah, I might consider swimming back after that.”
“It will pass.” Tislin put his hand on her shoulder until she straightened. “We are looking for an armory.”
Kienna adjusted to the light in the murky city. Alverton looked as it had when they passed through the first time after escaping the desert. It was as gray as River Storm, with the stench of sewage and animal droppings. “Why do we care that they’re making weapons here?”
Tislin peered around the corner of the stone building they were hiding behind. “They are being shadow-marked.”
Kienna cleared her throat for more. Tislin remained fixed on the bustling streets. “Are you going to tell me what shadow-marked means?”
“Pierced with shadows. Imagine me as a blade. If I pierce someone with a shadow, I hold a direct tether of controlling them.”
“Turning them into Shades?”
“Only a Shade can turn another,” Tislin said calmly. “Umbrin more likely.”
Kienna fought the Umbrin in Dalelry. They were soulless, blackened husks, but they still bore the shape of what they’d once been—before the mark.
Not quite Shades, but nowhere near alive.
They were fast, brutal, and she had no desire to face another one.
The thought of shadow-marked weapons churned her stomach, and she feared she’d be seeing one before the day was done.
Tislin summoned a black cloak and tossed it to Kienna. “Cover up. Your face draws attention.”
She didn’t waste any time, even if watching him summon items with shadows was unnerving. The cloak did nothing to hide her face, so Tislin wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to his body as he stepped out onto the street. He stank of burnt leather. Kienna’s nose curled.
Her eyes remained on the ground below them, hoping she didn’t catch anyone prying.
The streets of Alverton were a blur of gray stone and mud, filled with the clatter of carts and the hiss of steam from nearby forges.
The air smelled of smoke and iron, thick enough to taste.
As she dared a glance toward the corner, Tislin’s hand caught her shoulder and shoved her back against the wall.
His body closed the distance in a heartbeat.
He pressed a finger to his lips. Quiet. Kienna froze, heart hammering as the rhythmic clink of soldiers’ boots echoed down the narrow path.
She could feel the heat of his breath near her ear and the pulse of shadow magic still faintly crackling under his skin.
The soldiers passed without looking their way, but the unease stayed.
“Normally, I would run through the shadows to remain unseen. We could get there a lot quicker if you’ll let me—”
“No,” Kienna said, then groaned. She was only here because Tislin allowed her to be, not because she had to be. She pushed her head back against the stone wall and said, “Fine, but be qui—”
Tislin gripped her and flew into the darkness.
They appeared in another alley, closer to the heart of Alverton.
He didn’t wait for another reaction before disappearing and reappearing through the city again.
Kienna closed her eyes. She couldn’t handle looking the shadows in the face.
When she thought she was going to throw up, he stopped and pushed her into another wall.
Her body trembled, swaying back and forth as she found it hard to stand.
“I think that’s enough,” Kienna begged.
“Shh.” Tislin placed his hand over her mouth.
Along the streets, a large man walked by a run-down building with boarded-up planks across the windows.
He had a limp in his leg, his foot dragging behind him.
A large cigar billowed smoke from his mouth as he screamed orders to someone.
“Get those swords inside before that creature shows up again.”
Tislin glanced over his shoulder. Kienna peered through the side of her eye, but she couldn’t see much. She focused her other senses, smelling the iron of freshly forged weapons and the reek of rot of what she assumed were Vaerin’s creatures.
A chill ran through the shadows, and even through the cloak, Kienna shivered.
“I need to go inside,” Tislin whispered. “I must see what they have.”
“And then what?” Kienna asked, pulling his hand from her mouth.
“We need to burn it.” His eyes cut to her hands.
Kienna’s eyes widened. “It’s not strong enough.”
“We’ll see. Stay hidden.”
Tislin disappeared again, taking his warmth with him.
She shivered and backed further into the alley.
She didn’t know how long the master of shadows intended to be gone, but her mind raced with all the possibilities of what could go wrong while she waited.
For one, she only had a carving blade on her.
It wouldn’t get her very far if she had to fight an Umbrin—or a Shade, for that matter.
On top of that, Kienna’s mind only rustled with static. Ruva was too far, and Connak too consumed in his own pride. She slid into the farthest corner of the alley and fidgeted her leg to keep from spiraling.
Tislin could have handled this mission on his own. What was she doing here? She glanced around, drumming her fingers into the stone, counting seconds into minutes, and when he’d been gone way too long, Kienna stood and paced.
Then her gloves came off. Her nails dug deep into the cuticles.
She couldn’t sit around anymore. She had to get inside.
What if Tislin was in danger? She moved to the opening of the alley and scanned her surroundings.
Kienna pulled the cloak over her head and crept to the front entrance.
She leaned against the door, hoping to hear inside.
Nothing registered, but she knew it would be well guarded.
Kienna ran her fingers over the stone of the building, searching for an easy place to scale the wall. She wasn’t a climber like Danek, but she’d do what she had to if it meant making sure Tislin was alright. Moira would be devastated if he wasn’t.
A loose stone caught Kienna’s attention.
She gripped it, hoisting herself until she could find a stable place to continue upward.
The climb made her muscles ache as she compensated for the lack of grip, and she was certain she’d fall.
Her hands screamed while clinging to each crevice until she reached the windowsill on the top floor.
Kienna peeked over the ledge. Men laid weapons upon a long, wooden table—long spears, extended blades, and curved knives that looked forged from the underworld itself.
Dark smoke slithered across the surfaces, breathing death into the metal.
It curled, sank in, then vanished. What had once been dull iron shimmered like the black of night. No Tislin, though.
Kienna looked to the window on her left.
There were no steps or stones she could grip onto to get over.
She’d have to swing. Groaning, she rocked her body side to side, the ledge biting into her palms as she built momentum.
One misstep and she’d fall. One… Two… She couldn’t let herself reach three, or she’d lose her nerve.
At the peak of the swing, she released the ledge and hurled herself into the open air, arms stretching for the stone across the gap.
Her palms only grazed the other ledge, and she was slipping. Until Tislin’s hand reached out the window and clung to the fabric of her sleeves. Her heart sank to her feet as he pulled her into the empty room.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
Kienna closed her eyes and sat. When she looked back up, Tislin held his hand to his abdomen, crimson blood pooling beneath the pressure. “Oh, fuck! Tislin, what happened?”
“There’s a Shade here,” he whispered. “You should not be here.”
“Then let’s go.” She reached for him, but he remained fixed on the cracked door in front of him, watching as the shadows seeped into more weapons. He turned to her for a moment, the blood dripping over his hand and onto the ground. “Burn it.”
Kienna backed away. “I can only produce sparks.”
“Then you are not scared enough.” His eyes drifted back to her hands and stopped on her charm.
This was a bad idea. Whatever happened, she’d eat the consequences.
“If those weapons get out onto the streets, King Vaerin’s army will be unstoppable. We will become his army, and he’ll break the wards. Burn it. Now.”
“The weapons will survive,” Kienna said. “What good would burning it do besides kill everyone here?”
“They’ll get out. Your fire will kill the shadows before they can settle.”
The door creaked behind them. Tislin winced as he twisted. An Umbrin bore its dead eyes into them. Kienna gasped. With Tislin injured, she’d have to fight it alone. “Tislin, please, let’s go. Pull me through the shadows.”
Tislin’s face paled, his blood pooling around their feet. Would he even have the energy to get them out after? “Burn it,” he said.
“Give me your sword.” Kienna’s voice came out stern. “I‘ll get us out of here.”
“By burning it,” Tislin replied but didn’t stop her from taking his weapon. He leaned against the wall to conserve his energy.
The Umbrin watched her, tilting its head from side to side as if predicting her move.
She would have to be unpredictable. Before she let herself think, she lunged.
The creature reached its long, dark fingers in her direction.
Kienna spun herself out of its grasp, slicing her sword over its arm before finding her footing.
It shrieked, then reached for her blade with its other hand.
Kienna yanked at the blade, but it refused to come free from its body.
The Umbrin leaned, pushing it deeper before the blade shook and surged a spark through her arms. Crying out, she let go, and the Umbrin kicked her against a pillar in the small room.
Something cracked, and Kienna screamed as her shoulder dislocated.
Her shriek alerted the others, and they scrambled to collect the weapons they could and put them into a cart.
Tislin stood up straight, approaching her.
“You’ll have to forgive me for this,” he said, holding her wrist. A shadow appeared in the corner, one that took form to match the Umbrin’s appearance.
It was no Umbrin. Kienna didn’t have time to study it, but she assumed it was the Shade Tislin mentioned.
Before she could process, Tislin gripped Kienna’s charm and flung shadows toward her face. She gasped, lighting a fire in her palms. The flames took hold of the wooden floors and walls around them. As soon as the flames erupted, Tislin restored the charm and yanked her through the darkness.