Chapter 188 Chapter 188

Chapter 188 Chapter 188
(Fiona's POV)

My knees bucked with terror as we walked through the north border. The grip of the men on my arm was firm but not painful.

My head swarmed with thoughts. What would the shadow king look like? What will I feel? What will he do to me? 

Subconsciously, I had already made up my mind to accept him and stop this nonsense once and for all.

The Shadow Thrall had not spoken even one word through the mindlink since we embarked on this journey, and somehow it added to my tension.

We were walking further up north until we approached what looked like a gigantic dead tree with its roots spread across the ground like enormous veins. At the centr of it was a vertical crack filled with absolute darkness.

The thrall approached it, cut its palm and I watched silently as black blood dripped onto the roots. And the entire forest went quiet.

Slowly, the tree opened. Not like a door, but the entire bark split apart and behind it was a swirveling void.

“Is this a portal?” I asked the Shadow Thrall.

“No.” It answered through the mindlink. “It's a wound between worlds.”

I felt the men gently nudge me and inhaling deeply, I took a leap into the void. The transition was not instantaneous but instead, everything disappeared.

There was no floor, no sky, no sounds. Just me, falling through the darkness as whispers echoed in my ear. Some sounded like Ziva, some like Xander, some like Knox, one even had the sound of my own voice.

I could see memories floating around me. My childhood, my first bite, my worst fears all in a warp of distorted memory.

It felt as though the Shadow King was telling me, ‘see, I know everything about you,”

Then, I felt my leg hit the ground and without being told, I knew I was in the shadow kingdom.

“We're here,” The Thrall said through the mindlink. 

I gasped as I took a look around. What was I expecting, perhaps a castle? But this was an entire realm of its own. A realm where the sky was permanently black, less than nighttime and more like an invisible hand had poured ink over the heavens.

There was no sun, no moon, no stars… atleast none that I could see and yet the place was not completely dark.

Enormous black crystals grew from the ground and the side of the mountain. Rivers of dark silver water ran through the kingdom reflecting the shadows that glided.

The place looked… alive.

“We shall head to the castle now,” The Thrall spoke.

With a light shove, I found myself walking through the strange kingdom.

There were creatures, millions of them. Some stared at me in wonder while others went about their business.

There were massive Shadow Thralls, Wraiths that floated through the sky, more Dullahans, shadows that looked like wolves, others like serpents.

I could see soul eaters, creatures that fed on memory, Night sirens, hollowborns with wings and multiple eyes that never looked away, Mimics that could mirror my own voice. 

I shook my head in wonder. This was a whole kingdom, with a massive city and its giant palace. I could see market places, forests where the trees spoke, a black river that showed my deepest secrets and regrets.

At first, I saw an image of me and Xander playing happily with two pups but it quickly morphed to an image of me, pregnant on a throne with the silhouette of a man with a crown.

I shook my head and closed my eyes. When I opened them, the image had vanished.

The Shadow kingdom felt beautiful, ancient and unsettling. The flowers were gorgeous but they bled, the waters glittery but dark, creatures that were gentle but terrifying.

We arrived at the palace gates and it slided open. 

The castle was obsidian, massive with walls that were black like ink, and blood red like gems, exaggerated decorations with a ground that seemed to ripple under feet.

And then I saw him. The Shadow king. The King of the Thrall. He sat on a very large throne.

“Your majesty,” the Thrall bowed deeply.

I was expecting a monster, but instead was met with something devastatingly beautiful. 

“Fiona,” his voice was fluid, but carried weight, just as I'd remembered. “At last, you finally came.”

He was unnaturally tall. I could tell even though he was sitting. He had very broad shoulders, with long, black hair that fell over it. He was pale with high cheekbones, with unnaturally perfect skin but black veins crawled underneath them.

I stared at his eyes, silver yet dark.

He wore a crown that looked like twisted horns. A long black robe that moved like smoke with a symbol carved into his chest.

Unlike a normal person, he had shadows that moved sonetimes with horns, then wings, then multiple arms.

One thing was sure. All the creatures were terrified of him.

The Thralls knelt, the guards had their heads bent a little too low and the place was eerily silent. 

Raising my chin defiantly, I spoke. “I did not come here willingly.”

He smiled. “I know.”

Then what I least expected happened next. 

The creature, one by one, began to kneel. Thousands of them. Thralls. Wraiths. Holllwbornes. Every. Single. One. Of them. Like they had been given a command.

“Wh… Why are they doing that?” I looked around, confused.

The shadow king spoke. “Because they know you are.”

My blood instantly ran cold. “Who am I?”

He looked around, then gave a chilling smile. “My queen.”

Were we back to this again? 

“But before that, I have a present for you,” the shadow king said. “What is a bride without her presents?"

With a chilling bark that had me almost taking to my heels, he roared. “Open the gates!”

A thunderous sound rippled as two giant holloways opened the massive gates and I watched for my present.

I stumbled backward as soon as they walked in, the two people I'd least expected to see in this realm.

“Wh… This can't be real.”

“What are you both doing here?” I watched Ziva walk in, with Valkyr following closely behind.

“Oh, these two?” the shadow king responded. “They work for me.”