Chapter 108 Darkness & Traitors

Chapter 108 Darkness & Traitors
Aeloria POV

The energy blasted upward, into the wards. Into every barrier and protective rune. Every defensive structure. Every ancient spell. The world exploded. A sonic boom shattered the night. The ocean rose fifty feet. The sky cracked with lightning, and the wards transformed. No longer barriers. No longer walls. Weapons. The pulse raced outward. Across the sky. Across the ocean. Across reality itself. Every shadow creature it touched disintegrated instantly. No screams. No resistance. Nothing. One moment they existed. The next they were gone. Erased. Completely.

Silence followed. Complete silence. The entire island stared upward. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. Then darkness rolled in. Fast, cold and hungry. The last thing I heard was panic.

"AELORIA!" Dorian screamed. "She's falling!"

Calren roared in frustration.  "Well fucking catch her!"

Rhyven grunted, “I fucking have her.”

Zorath growled, “Don't you dare let her head hit the ground.”

Several pairs of arms grabbed me. The world tilted, then blurred, then faded. My vision dimmed. The darkness swallowed everything. And as consciousness slipped away, one final thought echoed through my mind. The shadow creatures hadn't been attacking. They'd been scouting.

And now...something knew where we were.

Then everything faded to black, and I wondered briefly…if this was it for me…
~

Nethrys POV

The Shadow Realm had always felt alive.

Not alive in the way mortals understood life. Not breathing. Not growing or changing. Watching. Waiting. Remembering. Its endless black skies churned above me as I stood atop the obsidian cliffs overlooking the fractured wasteland that made up my kingdom. Rivers of shadow flowed through deep canyons below, carrying whispers from a thousand worlds. Normally, the realm obeyed me without question. Tonight, it screamed. I felt the destruction before I saw it. Thousands of connections snapped simultaneously. My shadow army. Gone. Not defeated. Not wounded. Erased.

The sensation hit like a hammer against my chest. I closed my eyes. Then slowly opened them again. A massive viewing pool formed before me, shadow gathering into liquid glass. The image appeared instantly. The islands. The wards. The ocean. And her. Aeloria. The Leviathan Queen stood at the center of a circle surrounded by her mates and allies. Even through the magical projection I could feel the sheer amount of power that had poured through her. Gods. My fingers tightened against the stone railing. That should not have been possible. Not for someone her age. Not for someone so newly awakened. Certainly not for someone who hadn't fully embraced her Leviathan inheritance.

Yet she had done it anyway. She had taken ancient power directly into herself and unleashed it with enough force to obliterate an entire army of shadow constructs. A slow shiver worked its way down my spine. Not fear. Respect. The girl was far more dangerous than I had anticipated. Far more powerful. Far more important. Below, the last remnants of my army dissolved into nothingness. The wards shimmered with renewed strength. The islands stood untouched and protected. For now. I watched as Aeloria collapsed into the waiting arms of those who loved her.

Interesting. Very interesting. Most rulers stood alone. Most powerful beings eventually isolated themselves. Not her. She drew people to her. Bound them together. Inspired loyalty. The kind of loyalty that couldn't be bought. Couldn't be threatened. Couldn't be commanded. The kind that changed history. My gaze drifted toward the horizon. Toward the darkness beyond the darkness. Toward the prison that held something infinitely worse than myself. Chaos. The very thought made the Shadow Realm tremble. For a long moment, I remained silent. Thinking. Calculating. Considering possibilities. If the ancient texts were right, and they usually were, then eventually the Chaos God would return.

The seals were weakening. The barriers were cracking. The signs were becoming impossible to ignore. If that happened...Even I might not survive. The realization annoyed me greatly. My fingers tapped thoughtfully against the obsidian. A Leviathan Queen. A Shadow King. Ancient bloodlines. Ancient powers. Ancient enemies.

Perhaps...Just perhaps...Together they might stand a chance. The thought would have sounded ridiculous only a few days ago. Now? After witnessing what she'd done to my army? I wasn't so sure. A slow smile touched my lips as a decision was formed. Quickly, cleanly, and without hesitation. Shadow magic gathered around my hands, and dark tendrils spiraled outward, crossing dimensions, slipping through wards and barriers like smoke through cracks in a wall. I searched and found her immediately. Aeloria.

Unconscious. Exhausted. Being carried toward safety by those who loved her. Good. That would make this easier. My magic brushed gently against her mind. Careful. Respectful. No force. No intrusion. Simply a whisper. A message. An invitation. My voice echoed softly through the darkness of her unconscious thoughts.

"Well played, Leviathan Queen." The words drifted like silk. Like shadow. Like moonlight on black water. "You are considerably more powerful than I anticipated." For a moment I hesitated. Then continued. "I have a proposal." The Shadow Realm stirred around me. "But no one must know of it except us."

Far away, I felt her mind shift slightly. Not waking. Not yet. Listening. "Meet me at the southern tip of your island tomorrow at midnight." My smile widened. "Bring no one." The warning came next. Firm, absolute, and completely sincere. "No harm will come to you from me."

The message settled into her dreams. Waiting. Like a seed planted in fertile soil. Then I withdrew. The connection vanished, and the silence returned. Below, the shadows continued flowing through my kingdom. Above, the fractured sky churned endlessly. And for the first time in centuries...

I found myself genuinely curious about what would happen next.

A few hours later...

By the time Katria and I finally made our way down to the dungeon levels beneath the palace, my irritation had returned in full force.

The traitors had been left to stew for most of the night last night and today. Personally, I considered that a kindness. The corridors beneath the palace were carved directly into black stone, illuminated by floating lanterns filled with shadowfire. The air was cool and still, carrying the faint scent of ancient magic. Guards immediately straightened as we approached. "My king. My queen."

I nodded once. Katria barely acknowledged them. She was still angry. Not the explosive kind of anger or the screaming kind. The dangerous kind. Rosia sat perched on her shoulder growling, and it was kind of adorable. We entered the holding chamber. Lori Elle and Veronica sat in despair. Both women immediately looked up. Hope flashed across their faces. Then died when they saw Katria. The room itself was simple. Two chairs occupied the center of the chamber. Iron restraints bound wrists and ankles. The moment they saw Katria, they began talking all at once.

"Katria, please.."

"We can explain.."

"It wasn't what you think.."

Katria laughed, and the sound made even me pause. There was absolutely no humor in it.
"You know what's funny?" she asked quietly. Neither of them answered. Her eyes burned. "I genuinely don't care." The silence that followed was beautiful. The women exchanged frightened looks. I stepped forward. "Excellent." Shadow magic slid from my fingers and black tendrils crawled across the floor like living snakes. The women screamed as the shadows wrapped around them. Their restraints shattered. Not because I intended to free them, but because I had something better. The shadows lifted them bodily from their chairs. Bound them. Wrapped around throats. Arms. Legs. Bodies. They couldn't move. Couldn't struggle.
Couldn't even look away. I enjoyed that immensely.

"Katria wishes for answers." The shadows tightened. "And I am feeling particularly charitable today." Lori Elle swallowed hard. "We already told you.."

"No."

My voice echoed through the chamber. "You lied."

The shadows crawled higher. Magic gathered. Ancient, cold and merciless. Their eyes widened as they recognized it. Truth magic. A particularly unpleasant version of it. The kind I preferred. Veronica immediately started crying and I rolled my eyes. Pathetic. The spell settled over them. Darkness flowed through their minds. Tearing apart lies. Destroying deception. Leaving only truth behind. I smiled wickedly.

"Now."

The women visibly trembled.

"Let's try this again."

For the next hour, truth spilled from their lips. Every secret. Every betrayal. Every lie. Every ugly little detail. Katria stood beside me in complete silence as the story unfolded. The jealousy. The resentment. The manipulation. The attempts to isolate her. The plans they had made behind her back. The information they had sold. The people they had spoken to. The enemies they had aided. Each confession made Katria's expression colder. Harder. More distant. By the end of it, even I was mildly impressed. They had managed to be worse than I originally suspected. Quite an achievement. Finally the last confession faded. Silence filled the chamber. The women sobbed quietly. Katria stared at them, unblinking. Then she stepped forward. Lori Elle immediately burst into tears.

"Katria please..."

She spat directly in Lori's face. I almost applauded. The entire room froze. Including the guards. Lori Elle looked stunned. Katria looked relieved. "That's for making me think you loved me."

The words landed harder than any weapon. Neither of the women spoke.. Katria turned toward me. "What should we do with them?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

Her gaze moved back to the prisoners. For several moments she simply stared. Then she shrugged. "They can fucking die for all I care."

Veronica started sobbing harder. Lori Elle nearly fainted. I found it refreshing. Katria turned away and began petting Rosia who was hissing supportively. Done with them. Finished. As far as she was concerned, they no longer existed. I considered that.
Then smiled slowly. "That seems wasteful."

She glanced back. The women looked confused. I continued. "They betrayed you."

"Yes."

"They betrayed their kingdom."

"Yes."

"They betrayed common sense."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Also yes."

I nodded. "Then perhaps we should get something useful out of them."

Now I had everyone's attention. Including the prisoners. Unfortunately for them. I approached Lori Elle first. The shadows beneath my feet stirred eagerly. Hungry. Waiting. Watching. I placed two fingers beneath her chin. She flinched. "Please."

I smiled. "No."

Darkness exploded outward. The shadows slammed into her body. She screamed. The sound echoed through the dungeon. Black tendrils disappeared beneath her skin. Into her veins. Into her bones. Into her soul. The process lasted only seconds. When it ended, she hung limply against the restraints. Breathing heavily. Terrified. Perfect. I repeated the process with Veronica. Two screams. Two new servants. The shadows settled. Satisfied and waiting. Katria watched carefully. "What exactly did you do?"

I stepped back. "A gift."

She snorted. "A terrifying gift."

"Those are my specialty."

I admired my work. The two women stared forward with wide eyes. The shadows now lived inside them. Not enough to control them completely. That would be boring. Just enough. Enough to watch. Enough to listen. Enough to see. I could peer through their eyes whenever I wished. Hear what they heard. Observe what they observed. A network of spies. Living surveillance. Katria's expression slowly shifted from disgust to understanding. Then amusement. "Oh."

I grinned. "Oh indeed."

The realization hit her. "You'll see everything."

"Everything."

A wicked smile appeared. Gods. She was beautiful when she smiled like that. "That's actually brilliant."

"I know."

The women looked horrified. Which made it even better. I approached them one final time.
"If I send you somewhere, you'll go."

They nodded immediately. "If I tell you to watch someone, you'll watch."

More nodding.

"If I require information, you'll provide it."

Another round of frantic agreement. Excellent. I turned toward Katria. "My queen?"

She looked at the women one last time. Whatever sadness had existed earlier was gone now. Burned away. What remained was strength, resolve and power. "Send them away. They're beneath my attention." The words hit harder than any execution. Rosia growled softly and Katria stroked her fur as she took my arm.