My head spins around so fast that I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s stiff from the whiplash tomorrow. “Above ground?”
“Honey, prepare to be mind-blown.”
We turn one more corner, landing us in a giant curved balcony. He pushes me forward and when I look over the edge, mind-blown is exactly what I feel.
Glowing, warm-yellow crystals fill the middle of the giant pit. Several levels of palace-like floors wrap around the dark pit with curved balconies overlooking the large crystals. Other than the lack of natural light, there’s barely any indication that we’re underground.
“The crystals…” Artemus points to the cluster of them that must be at least seven stories tall. “They’re our power source. They control everything from the lights, water, and so forth.”
“This is incredible!”
“Oh, this is nothing. Wait until the others take you into the city. This is just the living quarters. There are a few shops and such, but most things will be located in the city. The goal was to create a new world that felt similar to the one we left. It wasn’t always like this, though. Before Ryder got here, it was mostly caves and ruin.”
“I can’t believe this. How could we not have known about all of this?”
“Well, if the Shadow Lands were advertised as such, people wouldn’t be so scared of being deemed Lesser. Besides, King Cimmerian doesn’t know about any of this. No one back in the realms does. It’s our not-so-little secret.”
“If all of this is underground, then what’s above?”
“How about you see for yourself?”
I nod and follow Artemus up a winding path. The incline is a rude awakening to how out of shape I am. Though I don’t look much different, my strained breathing says otherwise. By the time we stop at a dead end, I’m hunched over with a stitch in my side.
“Don’t start,” I warn to Artemus who is looking down at me with a mocking grin.
He traces a pattern over the wall, and it opens up, revealing a few steps. I follow closely behind him and when we reach the last step, my eyes take in the new view. It’s just as it was during Section Assessments when they almost tricked me into believing my father had come for me.
My father.
I’ve been so caught up in everything else that I had forgotten that he could be here.
“My father was banished years ago. Do you know if he’s alive? If he’s here?”
Artemus shifts uncomfortably. “Oh, I don’t know, Reign. I’m not too familiar with everyone here. I mostly interact with council members.” He must notice my disappointment because he quickly adds, “I’ll make it a priority to have someone hunt him down, though. What’s his name?”
“Orson Calloway. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
“You know, I was here once.” Artemus flashes me a confused look. “I mean, not really, but for Section Assessments this is where they had me believe I was. It was their way of catching traitors.”
“Oh, yeah. I heard about that. This is what most people imagine the Shadow Lands to look like.”
“The skulls are a nice touch,” I say sarcastically, nodding to the outside of the castle I remember following my false father into.
“I’d like to say they’re just for decoration, but as I said before, this place was a lot different not so long ago.” He motions toward the dark castle. “Shall we?”
When we step into the foyer, it’s just as I remember. The cold ambiance and dimly lit space are very different from the underground world.
“This is where Ryder lives,” Artemus tells me as we head up the wide, stone staircase.
“Why here? It’s so…”
“I think he likes to be reminded of how things used to be. Living here is a constant reminder of what we’re fighting for—what we’re fightingagainst.”
“What else is here?” I ask.
“There’s a library, a few studies, the council meeting room which happens to be my least favorite place to be.”
