Dark World (Book I in the Dark World Trilogy) (14 page)

In the midst of her liberation, an
arched pathway emerged from within the tempest.

“
Leave,”
the entire community of wraiths
hissed, pointing to the exit,
“but know this, son of Lucifer…this isn’t
finished.”

The Demon City

“
What happened back there?”
Deme asked, hobbling alongside Kane as they continued their journey
to the demon city. “I’ve never seen that kind of magic.”

Honestly, he didn’t know. For the last
hour, he’d been replaying the instance over and over in his mind,
trying to decipher just how he’d accomplished that feat. Without
the obvious sources of magic to infuse him, he couldn’t fathom
where this new power had come from.

“
I don’t know,” he responded
sincerely. “It just…happened.”

“
Well, it certainly worked.”
She shrugged.

Although he nodded in agreement, a
cloud of unease drifted over him. He’d made a new enemy today and
being the son of the king, he’d infected his people with the
possibility of a plague that could last generations to come. Even
though they were not great in numbers, the wraiths were not a foe
to take lightly.

Fate plodded ever silently behind them.
He’d glanced back several times along the way, noting her slumped
shoulders and lowered chin. He yearned to speak with her, to
question her about her worries, but with Deme there and already
suspicious of his mixed feelings for the shade, he
resisted.

“
There they are,” Deme
whispered suddenly, reverence coloring her voice.

He looked up, breathing a sigh of
relief and feeling his shoulders relax for the first time in days
as he recognized the telltale landmarks of home. Two large obsidian
rocks stood stoic against the barren landscape, monoliths designed
to guide demons to a secret sanctuary.

With Deme limping by his side,
he led Fate toward the hidden kingdom, wondering if it was a wise
decision. The city had been kept secret from the shades for almost
a century. Certainly, a shade had somehow discovered the demons’
lair, invaded it, and stolen the scroll, but Kane was
intentionally
inviting one in.

The elders are not going to
be pleased.

With a furrowed brow he looked back,
Fate cuddled Ick in her arms like a baby. His stomach twisted into
a knot. Would his people be able to see beyond what she
was?

Kane had seen the good in her. He hoped
they could too.

Ick nuzzled the slope of Fate’s jaw and
gave her an encouraging lick, but nothing erased the emotions
threatening to consume her already fractured soul. Confusion and
misery pulled her in opposing directions like a tug of war. Where
did she belong? Being imprisoned within the sentient storm
barricading the wraith city, she was forced to face her greatest
fears and sorrows—and didn’t know what to do with them.

If only she could remember what
happened. How she got here. Kane mentioned she’d been damned to
this place, but by whom? And why would they do such a
thing?

Drawn from her thoughts by Kane’s
gentle voice, an entirely new fear emerged. “We’re here…the demon
city.” He stood between two colossal stones and then turned,
grinning shyly at Fate, “Welcome to my home,” he said as he waved
his free arm over the empty setting.

“
It’s…lovely.” Her eyes
panned the barren landscape, frowning as she searched for evidence
of his proclamation.

He chuckled and proceeded to pound his
right hoof against the ground three times, resonating with a
metallic echo upon each strike.

“
Aperio,
” he uttered and immediately a deep
grinding thundered beneath their feet. The red sands of the desert
sifted downward as a large, metal ramp lowered itself before them.
Once disguised as simply solid ground, it soon unveiled itself as
the entrance to an underground world.

As she took slow steps into the belly
of an even deeper netherworld, Fate felt the stirrings of
apprehension.

“
Child…my child…come
home,”
the
maternal voice whispered to her thoughts.

An ache tore through her chest as she
gazed longingly at the apocalyptic setting. Almost as strong as the
hunger, the call of her dark mother pleaded for her to find her way
home.

“
Fate?” Kane’s deep voice
called to her, a guarded concern laced within.

She pushed the dark yearning away and
followed him into the pit, the large metal door rising like a
drawbridge behind her. She hoped she wouldn’t regret trusting in
the demon.

Ick trembled in her arms.

“
It’s okay, Ick,” she
soothed, stroking the downy fur atop his head.

Lit torches adorned either side of the
rocky tunnel. An eerie flicker danced along the walls, wavering
with every movement and exhaled breath. They moved through the
passageway in silence, descending further into the depths of the
earth with each step. As it wound around several corners, following
a maze-like path, Fate noticed a light emerging in the
distance.

A thick, steel door lay ahead with a
small, rectangular window allowing a single beam of light to slice
through the dimness. Baritone voices emanated from the other side,
echoing throughout the cavern.

Fate suddenly paused.

“
Kane?” she whispered. He
stopped and turned to face her, his hulking body perilously close
to hers. His warmth slid over her, caressed her. She swallowed,
then asked, “Are they going to hurt me?”

“
No, Fate, I won’t let
them.”

“
How can you be
sure?”

He answered humbly, “Because…I’m their
leader.”

She averted her eyes from his. She
hadn’t realized he was of such importance. Of course, she’d heard
Deme refer to him as sire, but Fate hadn’t paid much attention to
the allusion at the time. He seemed so…young, not much older than
herself. She had no idea how demons aged, but he certainly didn’t
appear old enough to be a ruler.

Now at the steel gateway, Kane pounded
on it, hard with his fist. Fate narrowed the space between them,
fearful of what lie beyond the heavy door.

Again, she found herself staring at his
back. The low amber lights cast soft shadows across his physique,
she found herself fixated on his strength and the way his muscles
flexed beneath his dark skin.

She resisted reaching out and touching
his long blue hair as it swung casually at his waistline. Her eyes
wandered over his every curve, examining his poise, his allure—she
closed her eyes and shook her head.

What are you
thinking?

He was a demon. She, a shade. The two
races had a turbulent past. A dark, embedded hatred for one
another. He probably didn’t even see her as an equal, let alone a
love interest.

Deme groaned, falling against his
shoulder. Stabilizing her, he hammered the door harder, shouting,
“Open up, it’s Kane.”

The metal hinges groaned in protest as
the door was slowly pulled open. Two heavily armed demons stood
guard on either side of the entrance. Fate trailed closely behind
Kane, knowing that the moment they saw her, there was going to be
trouble.

“
Sire,” a demon guard
exclaimed. “What happened?”

“
The three of us were
attacked by sphinxes,” Kane answered with veiled apprehension,
delivering Deme into the guard’s waiting arms.

“
Three?” the guard repeated
with obvious confusion.

Kane stepped wide to the left and
exposed Fate standing nervously behind him. Instantly, the guard’s
upper lip curled back, rendering his pointed fangs. He raised his
staff, a sharp blade adorning the tip, and lowered into a fighting
stance.

“
Shade!” he snarled, spittle
spraying from his black lips.

Immediately alerted, the other guard
brandished his weapon, his face wound tight with hatred. Kane
elevated his hands, attempting to calm the two warriors.

“
It’s okay, she’s with
me.”

Fate lowered her eyes in submission,
holding tight to poor, little Ick who was endeavoring to burrow
into her chest.

“
But sire…I don’t
understand!” one guard sputtered, bewilderment filling his green
eyes.

A crowd of demons had begun to amass,
each gasping as they laid eyes upon their sworn enemy.

Kane glanced calmly between the two
guards, then quietly commanded, “Please take Deme to Shaman
Goratus.”

They reluctantly complied and carefully
led the wounded tracker away, both eyeing Fate with quiet
contempt.

“
Kane,” an elderly male
demon moved out of the gathering crowd and asked, “What is the
meaning of this?”

Fate’s eyes darted amongst the angry
and confused faces of the mob. It took all her willpower not to
turn and run back into the tunnels from which they came.

Kane raised his hands and stated, “My
people, please, calm yourselves.”

A respective hush blanketed the crowd.
Kane swung his head in Fate’s direction, his sapphire gaze falling
upon her. After casting a look of remorse, he shifted his attention
to the throng of demons before him.

His Baritone voice boomed, echoing
throughout the cavern with his announcement, “I bring you…the
Devil’s heir!”

Prisoner

Marble pillars swirling with steely
veins stood stoic in every corner of the great entrance. Though
they’d obviously seen a great deal of wear, hairline fractures
running throughout their polished torsos, the ivory columns loomed
like colossal soldiers.

A dozen arched doorways led from the
grand hall, each enlightened with metallic torches. Every hallway
boasted long, red runners hemmed with golden thread. Twelve
ten-foot statues guarded the exits, each bearing a different weapon
or symbol. Beautiful and intricate in detail, Fate gazed at the
solid sentinels, then realized something odd.

The statues—they’re of
humans.

Overhead, an elaborately painted
ceiling, gilded with gold and silver trim, depicted a war scenario
where humans had triumphed over forces of evil. Fate had to take a
second look at the artwork. She thought it strange that demons
would have anything remotely human within their midst.

With the eyes of a hundred demons
fastened on her, each blazing with evident hatred, Fate lowered her
head and stayed close to Kane as he walked confidently into the
center of the room.

Whispers and gasps reverberated off the
walls, some even snickered and jeered.

“
Friends, please, if you
will listen to me,” Kane began, vying for attention over the
discontented mumblings. “I understand you’re upset, but please,
this is no ordinary shade.”

A large black demon stepped forward,
his nostrils flaring and fists clenched tight. “How do you know for
sure? How do you know it isn’t another of Malus’s
traps?”

Kane sighed deeply, visibly pooling his
thoughts before explaining. “I know because she was born right
before my eyes—alone.”

A united gasp embraced the room.
Several demons brought their hands to their mouth in
surprise.

Fate fought the urge to question Kane
regarding his statement. What did that mean? Why was she so special
for having been born alone? Why was she the Devil’s heir—and did
she want to be?

The crowd of demons, their sight
fixated on her, shared a perplexed expression. Disgust and
fascination.

The
Devil?
Fate contemplated.
Is that who’s been calling to
me? Is that where I belong?

Kane turned to her, apprehension
nestled behind his soft, blue eyes. Gently taking her by the arm,
he led her through the horde of restless demons and down a hall to
the right.

Away from the strain of a hundred
glares, she forced herself to breathe again. While she should have
been more concerned for her safety, she was currently too
enraptured by the way Kane’s large, black hand felt wrapped around
the back of her arm. Ripples of heat extended from him. Every
molecule he touched exploded with light. Like bubbles fluttering
over her undead skin. A pleasant shiver traversed the small of her
back. She longed to turn to him and...

“
I apologize,” he started
quietly, stirring her back to reality. “My people have been through
much sorrow because of the shades.”

As though he suddenly realized he was
touching her, he pulled his hand away as if burned. A dull pain
wound around her heart. She was simply fooling herself.

“
I understand,” she
responded, keeping her eyes on the floor.

Red doors lined the hallway, each
decorated with ornate golden handles. After passing numerous doors,
they finally paused at one on the right.

“
Here is your room,” Kane
grasped the knob and opened the door for her. “I…hope it’s to your
liking.”

Upon entering, Fate couldn’t help but
smile. A theme of burgundy and gold played about the room. An
enormous four-poster bed dominated the space, crimson sheers draped
around it like long flowing ribbons, matching ties binding them to
four vertical columns. A large gilded mirror lay perched atop an
antique mahogany dresser. Burrowed in the far corner yawned a large
fireplace set in onyx marble, just begging to be fed with fire and
basked before.