After shadow traveling through the Kitska Forest, Gaige and I came to a halt in a small, secluded clearing. What had felt like merely a few minutes to us would’ve taken hours on foot, and I glanced around to get a grip on my bearings. Though try as I might, it was damn near impossible. There was nothing but dying grass beneath our feet and the same scene of gloomy, gnarled trees no matter where I looked.
“What are we doing here?” Slipping my hands into the pockets of my trousers, I glanced at Gaige. “We need to be getting back. Kost and Leena might already be waiting for us.”
“This will only take a moment.” He took a few steps into the clearing until he was at its epicenter. “After my…tiffwith Kost, I went for a walk in the woods. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I hadn’t realized how much time had passed—or how far I’d traveled.” He gestured wide to the forest and sent a river of shadows outward. They slunk across the floor and disappeared into the haunted wood.
A hair-raising howl sounded from the surrounding forest, and the trees began to tremble. The pinesco pods dangling from their limbs jittered in a frenzy, their strange pattern like wild eyes darting left and right. More terrifying calls joined the first until there was a cacophony of screeching, unsettling cries all vying for attention.
“What did you do?” My gaze roved along the edge of the clearing. I doubted monsters could hurt us in this form, but I wasn’t keen to test the theory. No one had been brazen enough to willingly put themselves in striking distance of a Kitska creature before.
“I’d like you to meet Boo.” Cupping his hands before him, he summoned a swirling shadow in his palms. With a quiet whisper directed solely at the thin tendril, he said, “Bring him to me.”
The shadow soared through the air like a bolt of lightning, cutting through the woods until it disappeared from view. Not a moment later, a loud roar shook the trees.
A dominating creature rushed into the clearing, knocking aside errant branches and vines to come to a lumbering halt before Gaige. Glowing red eyes glowered at us through his bone helm, and a fine mist curled outward from his open maw.
My throat dried. “The Gigloam.” Spittle dripped from the beast’s fangs as he let out a threatening growl, and I took an involuntary step back. “Is this the same one as before?”
“Yes. The one Yazmin provoked the day I died.” Curling his fingers, Gaige beckoned to the beast. “Come on. It’s all right.” Inching his muzzle toward Gaige, the beast inhaled deeply. He let out a disappointed chuff before suddenly poking him with one of his massive, stag-like antlers. My breath froze. But Gaige’s form merely wavered and re-formed once the antler was removed.
“None of that.” Gaige gave Boo a stern look. “It’s me, I promise.”
At that, the beast fell onto his haunches and let out a groan.
It took me a moment to find my words. “You charmed him? But how? I thought Charmers couldn’t tame Kitska monsters.”
Gaige shook his head. “I wouldn’t say ‘charmed.’ These beasts are different. I have earned his trust, though.” He gave Boo a pat on the nose, though his hand fell clean through the creature’s snout. Gaige frowned, but shook it off. “He didn’t take to me at first. Gave me his fair share of wounds. Fortunately, I heal pretty quickly, thanks to you.”
With an incredulous look, I stepped closer. “Are there others?”
“Oh, yes.” Gaige turned and gave a flippant wave to the trees. Outlined figures of foreign beasts appeared, but none were brave enough to enter the clearing with Boo. “Some are more trusting than others. You see, my whole predicament—me being undead—got me thinking. It’s basically the same for these beasts, right?
“They died during the First War, and they were cursed for some reason to live again in this wood rather than return to the earth. My theory is that Zane didn’t know the extent of his power when he founded Cruor, and his presence here caused the beasts to rise again.” He strolled toward the forest line, and a few beasts dared to extend their snouts and sniff at his shadows. He paused before each one and offered them a soft word before moving to the next. “That same power resides in me now, too. It corrupted my Charmer’s lure. Because when I tried calling to them, all that happened was this.”
Shadows swirled around him in a turbulent vortex and then shot outward like they had when we’d first come to the clearing. As they snaked through the surrounding woods, a cacophony of bestial calls rose above the treetops.
“They’re drawn to me because we’re the same. My shadows are my lure now.”
“That’s incredible.” I held the back of my hand outward to Boo, and he gave it a good sniff. He let out a disinterested huff before sinking to the ground and closing his eyes.
Gaige came back around to us. “It took time, and I couldn’t just leave them without seeing it through. They’ve been on edge for centuries, Noc. Can you imagine?” His pleading eyes found mine. My face fell. For these beasts, living in the Kitska Forest without any purpose or direction or love had to feel like being consumed by the shadow realm—lost without any way to get back to the life they once knew.
“So they’ll find peace now?” I crouched before the bear beast, all at once wishing I could solidify my hand and run my fingers through his fur. When was the last time he’d been stroked? Loved? My heart twisted. I’d once locked myself away in a prison of my own making, away from human contact and emotions, just to protect those around me. These creatures had been suffering a fate far worse than that—and for longer.
“I don’t know.” He clasped his hands together. “At least I can give them something to hold onto. And the Kitska Forest is vast—there are many more out there still roaming.” Sighing, he tipped his head to the sky. “The good news is, I think they’d be willing to help us fight in this war. They gave their lives for their masters, only to be cursed to this wood. I’d say they’d love to see balance restored to our world.”
Standing, I tilted my chin in his direction. Gaige had never given up on our mission, not even in death. Even when he was struggling to come to grips with his new reality, he found a way to hold on. To find purpose in these beasts and keep moving forward. And now, we had an army of Rhynelanders with a mage as their captain, a band of assassins, a troop of Lendrian soldiers headed by a powerful Sentinel, the Charmers of Hireath, and the beasts of Kitska Forest on our side. We were an army of scattered peoples and creatures, but together we would present a force strong enough to take down a kingdom.
The hope I’d been feeling earlier at the sight of Madeline and her men grew, and I let a slow smile claim my lips. “Gaige, we just might have a chance at this.”
He grinned. “I know. Now all we need is for Leena and Kost to return.” His smile faltered as his words registered. Kost. Leena. Their names tempered our excitement, and my shoulders tensed. We still didn’t know if they were okay.
“Let’s go.” Turning on my heels, I waved at him over my shoulder. He was right—we needed Leena and Kost. And as much hope as had built in the past few hours, I knew that if anything had happened to them, everything I felt right now in this moment would die. I needed them in my life like these Kitska beasts needed Gaige. They were everything to me, the reason I pushed forward, the reason I tried to be something better than I was.
Allowing the shadows to devour me whole, I sped through our world and rushed back to Hireath where my body was waiting. Gaige appeared in Leena’s quarters only a minute after me, and together we reentered our bodies. The feeling of silk sheets beneath my fingertips hit first, followed by the soft down of the pillow against my head. Once all my senses returned, I swung my feet over the side of the bed and stood up.
Gaige sat up on the couch and tenderly rubbed one of his temples. “Why does my body feel so…strange? Heavy?”
“You’ll get used to it. After a few more successful projections, you won’t even notice the difference when your consciousness returns to your physical being.” Extending my hand, I helped him up off the couch. He wobbled for a moment, then straightened.
