Dark World (Book I in the Dark World Trilogy) (30 page)

But if Malus finds
out…

He shuddered, knowing the
Queen would
instantly recognize Ever as her granddaughter.

Kane’s gaze shifted to the dragon. It
wasn’t going to be easy to travel with such a large beast. How was
he going to get them safely to Necrosia?

Just then, Ever stirred from her sleep.
Sitting up and stretching, she took in her surroundings with a
smile.

“
Morning, Daddy,” she said
in a sleepy voice.

“
Morning,” he replied. “How
did you sleep?”

She nodded and grinned. “Very good,
despite all the lumps and bumps.” She patted the ground beneath
her.

“
We should get going soon,”
Kane commented, standing and slinging his pack over his
shoulder.

She nodded slowly. “Can I…come with
you?” Her voice was small and hopeful.

Kane sighed heavily, his heart torn.
Finally, he surrendered. “Yes,” he said over her clapping and
giggling, “but you have to do exactly what I say, do you
understand? No questions asked.”

“
I promise!” Her blue eyes
sparkled like sapphires.

“
Now,” Kane said as he eyed
the dragon. “What do we do with him?”

“
What do you mean?” Ever
inquired, taking a protective step towards Arcanum.

“
Well, we can’t just fly
around on a two ton dragon, can we? Malus will be alerted within
minutes,” he explained.

A sly grin crept over her face. “Well,”
she began, petting the dragon’s head, “you don’t know much about
dragons, do you?”

New Worlds

The great wall loomed before them. Its
dark form snaked over the landscape as far as the eye could see,
obedient to every curve of netherworld’s physique. Amber magma
burbled and rolled sluggishly through the winding moat, preventing
the two shades from getting any closer to the barrier.

Fate brought her gaze to the top of the
wall, then the bottom, searching for a way over or through. The
bricks of black stone stretched over twenty feet in the air,
razor-sharp steel points protruding from the top like
fangs.

“
Where’s the door,” she
asked Vale in a hushed voice as though someone—or something—could
be listening on the other side.

“
It’s enchanted,” Vale said,
raising his hands at the obstruction, then uttering quietly,
“
Expositus.
”

On cue, a loud grinding disturbed the
air followed by a grumbling underfoot. Before them, a large stone
gate guided by steel chains lowered. Clearing the magma river, it
slammed with a thud only inches before their toes.

“
Let’s go,” Vale said
confidently, waving her forward as he stepped onto the temporary
bridge.

Fate swallowed hard, fear of the
unknown crawling under her skin like a thousand venomous spiders.
What if this was a trap? She could be setting herself up for
serious trouble. If she went in there, would she be able to get out
again? Her sight fell on Vale. Could she trust him?

He gave her a reassuring smile and
gallantly offered his hand to her. “Come on,” he urged. “You’ll
love it, I promise.”

Shakily, she placed her hand into his
and walked over the threshold.

Ever laughed at her father’s petrified
expression. His talons gripped tightly around the dragon’s shoulder
scales, he looked ready to jump off—or vomit—at any given moment.
The ground faded from view while Arcanum climbed higher and higher,
diving and dodging the fang-like ceiling at breakneck
speeds.

“
Been awhile since you’ve
flown?” she hollered back at him, her body perched nearest the
dragon’s head. Arcanum’s entire body, now the shade of chocolate,
was perfectly camouflaged against the darkened
stalactites.

Her father nodded, swallowing hard as
though fearing he might lose his lunch. “Not used to…the
maneuvering, I suppose,” he answered, his bluish-black skin
paling.

“
This is fun!”
Arcanum commented to
Ever.

Arcanum banked hard to the left,
causing his passengers to cling harder. Ever sent him the message
to take it easier, despite the joy she was getting from
it.

“
How did you know…he could
do this?” her father asked.

“
What? Change color?” She
conjured a lie quickly, not wanting her father to know she could
speak with the dragon telepathically and that he’d told her he was
a chameleon years ago. “I saw him do it…in the garden.”

“
Okay, but how does he know
to do it right now?” her father asked but was promptly silenced
when Arcanum decided to do a full roll through the sky, spinning
the ground and sky into one.

Ever giggled as she clung tighter to
the dragon’s neck, but heard her father stifle what she thought
might have been a scream.

Her long hair cascaded behind her, the
wind running its transparent fingers over every strand. She raised
her arms, closed her eyes and simply embraced the warm air as it
rushed past her.

“
Ever, please hang on,” her
father pleaded.

She was free. Never had anything
felt so wonderful. The scents, the sounds, the
feel
of Dark World, it was hope come
alive. A dream made real.

“
You must warn him to be
cautious,
”
Arcanum urged suddenly, breaking her moment of serenity.

“
Of what?
”

The great dragon leveled out,
reining in his aeronautics to a tranquil glide.
“
The
necromancers. They are very powerful beings, at one with the
energies of the earth…both good and bad.
”

She frowned.
“
There are
bad energies in the earth?
”

“
Yes, tell him to be
mindful…mistrustful if necessary. They will not relinquish their
scroll easily.
”

Ever nodded, though she had no idea how
she could relay this message without giving away her secret
connection with Arcanum. She pondered for a moment until she
realized that the great wall was approaching quickly. Turning back
to face her father, she summoned the words.

“
Um, Father, have you ever
met any necromancers?”

He shook his head, looking both
relieved and more comfortable now that the dragon’s flight had far
less turbulence. “No, they are a very elusive race.”

She pressed on, hoping the conversation
would fall into place. “Have you heard much about them?”

Her father sighed, his brows pressed.
“My father told me stories of them when I was young, they are very
powerful beings. Shapeshifters and manipulators of the
dead.”

Ever’s nose wrinkled in disgust.
“Manipulators of the dead! Whatever does that mean?”

He suppressed a smile. “I’m not exactly
sure, and I’m not sure I want to.”

She saw her moment and moved in. “Are
you sure we can trust them? Maybe they won’t want to give us their
scroll. Maybe they work with the…dark energies.”

Her father rolled the thought around,
then nodded. “Yes, they might be of the dark nature, that’s why I’m
going in alone.”

“
What?! I thought we were in
this together!” Ever’s heart picked up pace.

“
Ever,” he started in his
most parental tone, eyes focused sternly upon her. “Remember when I
said that if you were to come along, you’d have to do as I say, no
questions asked?”

She nodded reluctantly and quashed the
urge to roll her eyes at him.

“
I want you and Arcanum to
stay in the Opal Meadows and I’ll continue to the gate
alone.”

Tears found their way to the corners of
her eyes. “What if…something happens to you?”

He sighed, then reached out, placing
his dark hand upon her alabaster arm. “If I don’t return after one
night, fly home and seek help. Do you promise you will abide by my
wishes?”

She contemplated tearing her arm from
his gentle touch, throwing a tantrum and demanding he take her with
him. She wished he would consider taking Arcanum, at the very least
he’d provide protection and an element of intimidation.

“
Do you promise?” he asked
again, squeezing her arm softly. “I can’t lose you, Ever, I just
can’t. Please promise me.”

The princess closed her eyes and said
in a defeated voice, “Fine, I’ll do as you ask.”

Macabre

The drawbridge groaned shut behind
them, then sealed with a resounding slam. Fate felt panic claw its
way to the base of her throat as she surveyed the sprawling
metropolis of Necrosia. It was so much bigger than she’d imagined.
So many powerful beings in a single area. A nervous flutter
occupied her stomach and she wondered again if this was a good
idea. How well did she really know Vale? Could he be trusted? She
tried to calm herself with the notion that he was also from
Edmonton when he lived on the Surface, somehow hoping there was an
invisible bond of trust that held them together because they were
both human. In another life, anyways.

They moved forward into the strange
city, the odd cobblestone streets catching her attention. Rounded
stones half buried beneath the reddish soil, only, on closer
inspection, she realized that they weren’t stones—they were the
tops of skulls.

She lifted her gaze. Took a good look
around. Took in all in. Then let the horror sink in.

Bones.

The entirety of Necrosia was built from
the bones of various beasts and humanoids. Skulls, ribcages,
femurs, and more, were all on display, arranged into a plethora of
macabre structures. Assembled like pale bricks, the skeletal
remains stretched across the city. All sizes, from tiny to
colossal, the bones acted as walls and ceilings for the patrons.
Held together by what appeared to be gold twine, they were at the
very least, articulately placed.

Fate thought she might have to
physically close her mouth, her jaw being agape for so long as she
absorbed the creepy nature of the necromancer city. She wrapped
Deme’s pitch cloak tighter around herself, hoping the material
would hug her in return, giving her the courage to move forward
through this ghoulish city of the dead.

“
Vale, you’ve returned,” a
monotone voice said from behind them.

Vale spun around with a grin of
recognition. “Xia, this is my friend, Fate.”

Fate turned and locked eyes with Xia—a
necromancer. She was not at all what Fate would have imagined one
of her kind to look like. Skin of pure silver, it shimmered with
her every movement. It even had a water-like quality to it,
undulating. Like liquid steel.

At least a head taller than Fate, she
was clothed in a semi-translucent gown of ivory with circlets of
gold clasped onto her lean arms and wrists, the dress flowed
eloquently over her toned body. It reminded Fate of the ancient
Greeks’ attire on the Surface.

Long blue hair cascaded over her
shoulders with the grace of a waterfall, spilling over breasts and
curling every so stylishly at the tips. A strand of beaded gems,
alternating rubies and sapphires, collared her swan-like
neck.

It was her eyes, however, that
mesmerized Fate. Akin to a spiral galaxy, they spun with shades of
silver and blue, coiling into a glowing center. They were
intoxicating. Hypnotic. And cold.

“
Did you just return?” she
asked, ignoring his introduction to Fate.

He nodded, adding, “I found her in the
Crystalline Forest,” he said, tilting his head in Fate’s direction.
“She was born alone,” he lowered his voice, glancing around as he
spoke.

Xia’s churning eyes widened marginally
and an eloquent eyebrow raised. “Well, Vrill will be most intrigued
with this development.”

Before Fate could ponder their
conversation further, a deafening gong rang out.

Hordes of silver-skinned necromancers
emerged from their bony dwellings, filling the square in which she,
Vale and Xia stood.

“
Shall we?” Xia extended an
arm to Vale, who in turn, graciously accepted. As though they’d
forgotten about her, the two moved ahead, leaving Fate to trail
behind with uncertainty climbing into her psyche.

The throng filed towards a large
building in the center of the city. An enormous stadium. Akin to
the Olympic stadium on the Surface, the bleachers filled with
excited onlookers. Many of them shades.

“
I thought you said there
were only a few shades living here!” Fate hissed at Vale who wore a
cool smirk as he and Xia meandered toward the seating
area.

“
There is,” he stated. “A
few
hundred.”

Her eyes darted about the arena
nervously. “And…they’re all rogues like us?”

“
Look! The races are about
the start!” he exclaimed. “Come on!”

Spark peeped quietly into her ear.
Fate’s gaze swept over a few shades sitting close by, hunger in
their eyes as they eyed the tiny phoenix perched on her shoulder.
She immediately took hold of him and tucked him into her pack. It
hadn’t dawned on her that she was putting him in danger, but now
her stomach churned with worry for the little bird. How could she
have forgotten that shades were soul-thirsty beings without mercy?
Hadn’t she heard that enough from the demons? The wraiths? What was
she thinking bringing her poor little friend along? It was a good
thing, she supposed, that Ick had gone missing, they would have
eaten him alive. Literally.