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A chill up my spine causes me to shiver. I focus my attention on the land stretched out before us. The sun sets through the tree line ahead, painting the sky in striking shades of pink and orange. The black shadows of Umbra become clearer as we rush toward the portal.
Breaking out of the forest, I finally lay eyes on my kingdom after a week away, and my heart warms at the sight. It looms high above, beneath thick swirling shadows.
The lore in Omnia is that when Thalos pulled Umbra into the sky, he veiled it in his darkness to hide its beauty. It is said he did so to protect his people from the other gods, fearing their hunger for power would destroy his land. In the end, he wasn’t wrong, it just didn’t happen in our kingdom.
Through the years, Umbra’s divinus helped to cultivate the legends of the land and heighten the dangers of the shadow kingdom, ensuring no one dared to visit. The monsters in the forests and beasts in our water add to the fear factor.
One long, black tendril spirals around the column of stone as I near, as if welcoming me home. I smile at the thought. It hasn’t always been my home, but it is now. It’s mine and Asher’s to protect. I’m the judge, while Asher acts as executioner.
Waterfalls plummet from the edge of the land above and collide with the river below. The portals to Umbra are undulating vortexes of water that look like they will swallow you whole in their overwhelming current. Believing you are about to be drowned by stepping through the portals prevents many from trying to cross.
There is one guard standing watch at the portal, which is mainly to provide my people with a sense of ease. Only the villagers of Umbra, or those with nothing to lose, use our portal—brave souls daring to risk it all in the land of beasts and monsters.
The guard spots me and stands at full attention.
“Good evening, Marcus,” I say, looking down at my guard.
Midnight stops in front of him, and Marcus drops into a deep bow.
With an arm over his chest, Marcus says, “My queen. Welcome home.”
Home indeed.
Midnight huffs as we push toward the portal entrance. I have to force him into it, and he calms as we step through the other side. The captain of my guard, Hiram, is waiting for me. He smiles at me from atop his own tan Warlander. Hiram’s brown eyes are a warm and familiar sight.
As he bows at the waist with an arm across his chest, Hiram says, “We’re so happy you have returned to us safely, my queen.”
I roll my eyes at his statement but smile back at him. We both know I can handle myself.
“I’m happy to see you too, Hiram,” I say as he returns to an upright position.
“How was your quest?” Hiram asks, and I take a moment to contemplate how to respond.
I can’t say outright what I did or whom I saw. That would cause too many questions.
“It went well. Only time will tell if the information I gathered is worthwhile.”
Not exactly a lie, but a clear sign I don’t want to speak further on the subject. Hiram takes the hint.
“Let’s head back to The Keep. I had Pyke save you a plate, and it’s keeping warm near the hearth,” Hiram says.
My stomach rumbles at the prospect of a meal from my cook.
“I knew you were my favorite captain, Hiram,” I say as I tap Midnight with my heels to get him moving.
We walk past Hiram and his horse.
“I’m your only captain, my queen,” he says, and we both laugh as we head off toward The Keep.
The haunted forest separates the entrance to Umbra from the rest of the kingdom. It’s a menacing, dark, thick grove of massive trees. The wide branches of the bloodwood trees overlap, preventing light from piercing the canopy to the ground below.
A heavy, knee-high layer of fog ripples across the forest floor. The trees ooze sap the color of rich, fresh blood. The trees alone cause trepidation, and many who have made it this far turn around running when they see them. But the real horror of the forest are the Cypres who have claimed it as their home. These shadow creatures have no known origin and kill intruders by flooding their minds with nightmares horrendous enough to cause death. Only those who prove themselves worthy to the Cypres can exit the forest and live another day.
The sounds of hooves on the gravel path ricochet off the forest, mixing with the noises of breaking branches and rustling leaves. A cold breeze cuts into me, and the hair on the back of my neck stands.
Large, black shadows skirt the edges of our periphery as we near the center of the forest. They circle around us, just out of sight, seeming to stalk their prey. The ominous feeling slowly closing in would cause most people’s hearts to skip a few beats. But my heart thunders with excitement to see my creatures again.
We slow as the four shadows, partly hidden by the trees, stop in front of us. Climbing off Midnight, I hand the reins to Hiram and step into the small clearing at the center of the forest. The speckles of light peeking through the canopy allow the beasts to get a better look at who’s traveling in their territory. At the sight of me, the four shadows shift into their physical forms, something they only do for me.
