Page 52 of Shadow Kissed

I roll my eyes and gently pull my hands from hers, before rising to my feet. “I need to shower, and you need to quit daydreaming about the Lord Commander. For your information, he doesn’t bed Asen women.”

She shrugs her shoulders and grins wickedly at me. “I bet you could convince him to change his mind!”

I pretend to retch. “Goddess, no! I’d rather take my chance at the reaping than bed him. He is rude, obnoxious and ignorant.”

Saveya bobs her shoulders. “He may be all those things, and you can deny it all you want, but he is also the finest specimen of a man I’ve ever set my eyes on.”

I throw my shirt at her in response as I head to the shower. “He isn’t a man, though. He is a Shadow Borne, with dark magic.”

21

RAEGAL

Idon’t know what I was thinking when I took her to the arena. But the last time I’d seen her, she looked so miserable. Her eyes had lit up when she talked about her time with Arkynn and his dad, learning to fight behind his forge.

I told myself I’d stay away, but then I find myself back there, seeking her out, wanting to know her thoughts, and it sickens me to my core. She stands for everything I hate. I want to hate her. If I knew how intense sparring with her would be, I wouldn’t have suggested it. I need to stay away.

I weave my way through the rows of barracks until I reach the senior offices at the back of the base and rap on Colonel Graybane’s office door.

“Enter!” His deep voice barks from inside.

I enter his office to find him standing by the window, a deep frown on his face as he clutches a portal crystal in his hand. “Ah, Lord Commander. The intel party you sent out to the void have made contact and I think you need to see this.”

I come up beside him and he holds up the portal crystal and it shimmers and clears to reveal Captain Farran’s face.

“Captain Farran. The Lord Commander is here. Can you show him what you showed me?”

Farran nods his head and steps back holding up the portal crystal. The void comes into view, and I lean in closer at what I see. The dark crack appeared in this realm the night the night king took his last breath and sent his mutts into Asen. But after a hundred years of no activity, the crack has deepened, and a soft black light emanates from the centre.

“Can you hear that, Lord Commander?” he asks me, moving in closer to it.

It emits a low humming sound, like a soft rumble of constant thunder.

“I hear it. Is there anything else to report? Anything unexplained or unusual?”

The captain turns the viewing crystal back to his face, and he shakes his head, frowning. “Nothing, Commander, it all looks much the same as it always has. No evidence of anyone here, nor any night essence. However, two soldiers reported having nightmares last night.”

The Colonel and I share a look. “Nightmares?”

“Yes, Colonel. Nightmares and they said they were nightmares of their darkest fears.”

Graybane strokes at his beard. “That’s impossible!”

Captain Farran shrugs his shoulders and looks as perplexed as we do. “I know, but they definitely had nightmares.”

Nightmares stopped the moment the Night Realm fell. Bad dreams disappeared and dreams diminished over the years. With its people gone, the Night Realm no longer needed the essence of people’s nightmares to feed the land. Why now were people experiencing them again? It’s no coincidence that these men had nightmares near the Void.

“Any mutt activity?” I ask him.

The captain shakes his head. “Not one. We heard some on the road, but it’s odd. They were all heading south, Commander.”

“How many were heading south?” I ask, apprehension travelling up my spine.

“Hundreds. They are all abandoning their territories and moving south. It’s like a mass migration.” He shakes his head. “Something isn’t right, Lord Commander. I can’t put my finger on it, but being here at the void, this feeling is tangible.”

I nod my head, taking in his unease. “Stay, observe for two moon rises, and report any updates to me.”

“Order received, Commander.”