Shadow

Idonia Torbet

As I packed my saddlebag, I note that the others are working slower than me. Eske exits the homestead and comes over to my horse and me. He stays on the opposite side of the horse that I am, letting me doubt check the saddle and bags. Once I give him a glance of my attention he starts speaking.

“You don’t have to go,” he offers. He said the same thing when I left for my first hunt. I went with several Vikers, all of which has previously killed a shadowbeast. Eske never actually believed that I killed the shadowbeasts. He knew I must have dealt the final blow, but he always assumed that the Viker did most of the work.

This was not the case. However, my brother never asked me the tale so I never told them. Olen asks all the time, so he is my only brother, neigh, the only soul in the homestead who knows the parts of the true tale. I have kept much of it from him considering his age. It’s the tale where I came home alone after leaving with multiple strong Viker.

“Khanelea, are you ready?” Rikki asks me as he brings his horse close to mine. The rest of my family piles out of the main door to see me off. Olen runs past both our parents and over to me.

“Be safe, sister,” he grips my legs harshly before backing away to stand by Mother.

“Be good for Egil while he trains you,” I tell him. Olen scrunched his nose, not liking the idea of Egil taking over his lessons. Mother comes forward next and wrapped her gentle arms around me.

“Be safe, my love,” she lightly kissed my temple before stepping back.

Father gives me a curt nod, understanding what happened to me last time. I never gave him all the details, but he knew of the horrors I witnessed the last time I left for a hunt. The hunt I swore I wouldn’t go on again.

The party mounts our horses and goes for the gate. Rae leads us down the road and I stay close at his side. I remember leaving the first time, how excited I was to be on the hunting road.

“Uhh, Khanelea, this is east. I thought we were going north,” Danal states as he makes his horse catch up to mine.

“East to Dunrin, then north to Caesting,” I tell him. “There is a road in Dunrin that goes north, that isn’t accessable by my homestead. North of Caesting is The Last End before we reach the darkness.”

“Sounds ominous,” Rikki is all giddy, he can barely keep his horse straight with all the excitement bubbling out of him. It is hard to believe he is mated and she is bearing a pup. Rikki seems like a pup himself half of the time. Nonetheless, he is my Viker until we land in Bethlianna, my advisor and personal guard.

“The Last End is only a small town, not even that. It is a farm with an inn to stay in. The last good meal and warm bed before the shadowlands. Once there, we’ll have to camp.”

“I love camping,” Rikki adds.

“Not like this. Northern Theris only gets sunlight two months of the year, and even then it’s cold. Nothing grows, only shadowbeasts live up there. It’s cold, but there is no fire to be built because there is nothing to burn. Sometimes the cold takes you before the shadowbeasts can.”

“How do you survive?” Danal asks in his always serious tone. The two Viker were opposites, while Rikki is a bouncing bundle of energy, Danal is thoughtful, analytical.

“You take food into the shadowlands with you, you go with a party and keep each other warm.”

“What happens if we die?” Danal’s eyes meet mine, almost like he’s reading my mind. I turn away from him, looking at my mate instead. His eyes are calming, comforting, as he waits for me to answer every question of the Vikers.

“Then you are left in the shadowlands. Bodies are recovered during the bright season,” I look away from all of them. Sudden dread fills my body, my beast howling at me to not take my mate into such a place. “If you want--”

“No,” Rae cuts me off. “We are going.”

I nod once before continuing the ride in silence. I could practically feel Rae’s need to speak with me alone. I could always feel it when we were in others’ presence. Maybe it was the way he looks at me, the way his eyes bore into the side of my head when I refuse to look at him. Yet even though I don’t look back, he still watches me. That’s how I know there is something else on his mind. Something he will only say to me in private.

“Khanelea,” Danal spoke first, drawing my attention to him. “What happened the first time you went hunting?”

“I left with five other Viker of my father, all having previously killed a shadowbeast. I came home alone.”

“They all died,” Rae barely whispered. When I look at him, he won’t look at me. Instead, he stares at the road ahead of him. The other two refuse to look at me as well, all three blaming me for this journey.

When I had challenged my mate, I didn’t think it would make me feel this way. Initially, I just wanted him to go away for a while. Then I had volunteered to go with him, to escort him to the shadowlands in the north. In reflecting upon that, it had been my instincts to protect Rae that made me agree to go. My beast told me to protect him, so I agreed to go with him.

In all my hindsight, I also knew that Rae killing the shadowbeast would not only prove to be his strength and ability to me, but it will also prove it to all the Isles. The job of the Khannun is to protect against the shadows and their beasts. While I know this, while my beast accepts this, she can’t help but be worried for our mate. We’ve seen grown lycan, strong Vikers be ripped apart by shadowbeasts.

Danal makes his horse rush in front of us. He blocks our path in the road and stares at Rae. “Khanal,” he says sternly, gripping the reins of his steed tight. “This is a bad idea.”

“We’ll be fine, Danal.” When Rae tries to kick his horse forward, Danal rears his to block the path once more.

“This will kill you, Rae,” his tone turns deathly. The use of his nickname surprises me, but not so much. These lycan are obviously close to one another. Rae trusts both of them.

“It won’t kill me because I am strong, don’t question me, Danal.”

That was final, Rae passed Danal and continues down the road. As I pass behind Rae, Danal gives me the most hateful of looks before we move on.

Hello all my lovely readers!

I just wanted to check in, I hope all of you are enjoying the book.

I would love some feedback, were it be comments, correction, or even some emojis!

All my love,

Rosie🥀