When Darkness Seeks Hope

Chapter 1

Chapter One

The Night Jewel

Nik

I could feel the steady thump of my heart beating inside my chest.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

As a Lightner who’d joined the Light King’s army many years ago, I lived for the thrill. The chase. It was my duty to capture any Thorns who escaped into The Grey and deliver them right back to the pits of Oscuro. A place so rancid that nothing good could ever come from it.

Except Matthias—but I have to say that because he’s my brother-in-law.

Icy wind battered my skin as I pursued the Thorn through the narrow streets of The Grey.

Winter in District Five had been especially unkind this year, and they didn’t usually make it this far into the towns where the Shadowkin dwelt.

These two facts alone made me grit my teeth.

Out of frustration or determination, I couldn’t quite tell.

Whatever this feeling was, I used it to propel my legs down the cobblestone alleyway.

There wasn’t a chance on this side of the Veil that I’d let the Thorn slip away. They could scamper back through the tear they came from, or I would personally deliver them myself—with or without my blade. I made no promises.

Echoes from boots ricocheted off stone-walled houses, loud enough to rattle the warped windows in their frames. Yet the sound wouldn’t carry to the Shadowkin throughout the district. They’d be none the wiser to us. Perks of living in the afterlife.

I sprinted after the smudge of black who was doing his best to blend in with the shadows. Unluckily for him, I had eyes like a hawk. Could spot a putrid Thorn from a mile off.

Thorn soldiers were forbidden by the king of Light to pass through the gates of Oscuro—the dark kingdom—and enter where the Shadowkin dwelt.

Instead, they found weak spots—called tears—in the Veil that shielded The Grey from the afterlife and came through that way.

Too many times had they whispered their dark, and skewered thoughts into the minds of the innocent, influencing them in more wicked ways than one.

Not only was it forbidden for them to be in The Grey, it was also prohibited for both Thorns and Lightners to reveal our true forms to the Shadowkin—mostly.

I’ve known a few Lightners who’d dropped their glamour around a Shadowkin on occasion, mostly to loved ones they couldn’t bear to be parted from.

Scared the daylights out of the poor sods, mind you.

Who could blame them? I’m sure I would’ve been alarmed too if I’d seen someone with feathered wings towering over their heads taking up space in The Grey’s local grocers.

The Lightners were never punished as such, but the king always gave them a stern talking to.

I confess, I’d been tempted many times, but had yet to do it. There’d been no real need to expose my grin or the feathered extensions protruding from my back.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

I hadn’t even broken a sweat yet, and I was gaining on the Thorn, who threw a glance over his shoulder, his sunken eyes full of hate.

I flashed him a grin, a friendly reminder of who and what I stood for.

Justice and reckless audacity. With a side of pure rage for anyone who might harm the innocent.

A flicker of forest-green caught the corner of my peripherals. River was flanking my right, heading down another side street to try and sever the Thorn off. His green wings caught the sunlight, each feather a perfect cut of emerald, delicately interwoven with each other.

He took to the skies to get a better view of the gutter rat who was slowly gaining distance.

I followed, leaping from the ground as I launched myself above the rooftops.

I drew my wings wide, every joint unfolding with a pop, sunlight pouring through the gaps like warmth through a windowpane.

The tension bled from my back as they steadied my position, and with one powerful thrust, I shot towards the male who was headed for the outskirts of The Grey and the forest beyond. We’d lose him there if we didn’t hurry.

Bitter currents carried me as I dipped and twisted over rooftops, weaving through a scattering of tall trees that grew in backyards of those I’d sworn to protect from the creatures of Oscuro.

As soon as I had this Thorn back where he belonged, I had an appointment with a warm bath and a very simple meal for one.

Let’s be honest, I couldn’t cook like Adalia—my sister and the true chef in the family.

Ever since she married Matthias over a year ago and I’d moved into my own place, fancy meals and fine dining had all but disappeared.

Focus, Nik.

I glanced over to River, and he gave me a nod. We’d have to go on foot again. Both of us dropped from the skies as we reached the edge of the forest. The Thorn melted into the sea of trees just as River and I landed with a thud. The ground trembled slightly underfoot.

Within seconds we were pursuing the male once more, only this time it was trees I had to navigate through, not Shadowkin and houses.

My legs moved on their own accord, powering towards the Veil that was gently shimmering in the distance. River had veered off to the right, and I’d lost sight of him a few strides back in the thick of the forest—no doubt he was trying to come in from a different angle.

Sticks cracked beneath the thunder of my boots as I tore through the underbrush. If the Shadowkin could hear me, they’d mistake me for an antlered creature, limbs pounding the earth, coming to crush whatever stood in its path.

I pushed that little bit harder, the cold air rushing through my lungs with every breath I drew. The distance between us grew smaller and smaller—I was so close, yet not close enough.

Black wings lunged at the tear in the iridescent curtain that hung between Oscuro and The Grey, disappearing from view.

I came to a sudden halt just as I reached the edge of the barrier, arriving in time to see the Thorn tumble to the ground in a matted ball of dust and wilted grass on the other side.

My chest heaved, as I caught my breath, hands braced on my hips. The male righted himself and turned to face me just as River skidded to a halt nearby.

As he brushed the dust from his black Oscuro leathers, the Thorn sauntered towards us. “Look at you,” he taunted, voice low and sweet. “All winded and wide-eyed.”

I didn’t answer.

He laughed—short, sharp, like timber splitting.

“No matter,” he continued. “You almost caught me. Most Lightners don’t get that far.”

A smile tugged the corner of my mouth. “I’ve chased faster than you, reprimanded worse than you. Hell, I’ve caught better looking than you and still made it home in time for supper.”

River let out a low snicker, the kind that curled beneath the skin. I didn’t look at him—couldn’t. If I did, the laugh rising in my throat would snap loose, and there’d be no grace in the sound it made.

The Thorn stopped just shy of the Veil between us, his grin cracking wider than it should’ve. “You know what I love about Lightners?” he whispered. “You all pretend you're made of mercy—right up until someone begs for it.”

My hand shot through the Veil into Oscuro and wrapped around the Thorn’s scrawny throat, ripping him towards me until his head hovered in The Grey and my face was inches from his. “If I have to listen to your whiney voice for one more second, I fear my ears will bleed.”

Yellowed teeth jutted from his grin, slick with spit and crooked as shattered gravestones. His breath hit a moment later—hot, wet, and rancid. It reeked of spoiled meat, a carcass left to liquefy in his throat. I recoiled, a gag rising.

The Thorn’s hand shot up and wrapped around my wrist, trying to free his neck from my whitened knuckles, so I gripped tighter, watching his eyes bulge that little bit more.

Despite the stench, I leaned in closer so my voice was barely a whisper. “If I catch you in The Grey ever again, I will rip off your arm and slap you across the face with your own hand. You’d be lucky if I simply ended you . . . got it?”

River took a step closer, knuckles cracking against his palms. The Thorn's eyes grew bigger, and his throat bobbed against my hand.

It was too easy. Where was this Thorn’s fight? Surely he had one more insult in him.

Sulphurous teeth barred between pale twitching lips. “You two make such a beautiful couple—”

There it was.

I didn’t even think. I just acted. Pain exploded through my fist as it connected with the Thorn’s face. The impact sent him flying backwards. I watched as he slid across the ground of Oscuro, his wings kicking up clouds of dust as they grated over the decaying earth.

He lay motionless for a few seconds, then struggled to his feet. When he turned to face us, crimson blood poured down his nose, running between the seams of his cracked lips.

His eyes darkened, but he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. After one more glance at me, the Thorn ran off into the murky shadows of Oscuro.

I turned to face River, who clearly couldn’t help the grin forming on his face. Mischief danced in his hazel eyes as he ran a hand through his dark brown curls. “Acting without thinking is going to get you in trouble one day.”

My shoulders lifted and fell in one smooth motion. “He asked for it.”

River huffed a laugh. “Remember that time in The Grey when you were only eighteen and you nearly broke that man’s jaw for hurting that girl in the market? You spent two nights locked up for that.”

I thought back to the time. I’d been so angry at the world for so long, that when I saw injustice, I couldn’t help but respond. For once the anger had somewhere to go, instead of just making things worse.

I grinned. “And once the law heard the girl’s side of the story they let me go.”

River’s brow pinched.

I folded my arms across my chest. “What was I supposed to do? Just stand there?”

He shook his head, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. “I know your heart was in the right place, but you can’t solve every problem with your fists.”

I snorted. “It works more often than you think.”

~~~~~