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“Nice shirt.”
“Thank you,” he beamed. “Hardly anyone around here notices my efforts anymore.”
“Yes, heavens forbid no one laugh at your lame attempts,” Hugo scolded sarcastically. “The gods only know how you rose to be Commander of the Shadow Army.”
Leader of the Shadow Army? Interesting.
Phalen grinned. “I am what I am. Now,” he rubbed his palms together, “I’ll be your tour guide this morning. If the three of you would please follow me, I shall escort you to the Council Room.”
“You're not coming?” I asked Hugo.
“I’m not on the Council. By choice. It would be worse than babysitting a group of toddlers who can’t stay focused.”
“Too right,” Phalen laughed.
“But don’t worry, you’ll be in good hands. I’ll check in with you later, alright?”
“Alright,” I replied then trailed Phalen out the door, Father and Kol close behind.
The sun blazed high in the sky. My eyes blinked rapidly. I’d been indoors for so long I forgot how unforgiving the Otherland’s sun could be if you weren’t used to it. I barely remembered the last time I’d walked around outdoors.
Our group walked along a well-worn path across a small meadow of low grass. Clusters of trees blocked the view of what might lie beyond to our right and left.
From my father’s stories, I knew the basic layout of the Shadowlands’ stronghold. Somewhere beyond my line of vision were training grounds and barracks for the Shadow Army members stationed here.
Embour was infamous for not only its size and simplistic, rectangular shape, but also its coloring. Most Others didn’t purposefully build black castles. Though, I wouldn’t call the building ahead a castle. It looked nothing like Ansley Keep. It had a militant air about it, lacking the artistic flare of the fae.
We approached the imposing dark-stoned structure which was surrounded by a wall, some fifteen feet in height, made of the same shadowy material. Unlike the keep, nothing abutted the perimeter. No townhomes, no markets, no shops—and most notably, no civilians shuffling about. It was quiet. Unnervingly so.
Father had told us everyone at Embour was a trained killer and operated more like a wartime base than a civilian community. I could only assume the trained killers had other talents. Killers or not, how could anyone live without baked goods?
Get it together.Here I was marching into the unknown while fantasizing about pastries.
The creak of hinges ahead killed my appetite. The sound came from a narrow iron gate, guarded by two stolid Shadows clad in black warriors’ gear. I passed through the opening carefully, taking note of the weapons attached to their belts. Four blades each of varying lengths.
Then I noticed the pocket knife on the one to my left. Not wanting to throw up the broth I’d consumed, I breathed through my mouth, avoiding the scent of the toxic metal bars.
We entered a large courtyard. A bulky, bronze-colored fountain sat halfway between the outer wall and the main building. Another Shadow stood at the edge of the fountain’s pool, laughing at a small gargoyle. Its hairless grey body wiggled and hopped playfully, splashing water in all directions.
The male caught our movement and lifted his head. The gargoyle took advantage of the distraction and used its wings to slosh water onto the Shadow’s crotch. Some creative phrases were muttered and Phalen barked out a laugh.
The scene was as unexpected as Phalen’s shirt. Embour wasn’t what I’d pictured. Wait, no, technically it was. It was those who lived here that weren’t.
“Training the gargoyle pups is still going well, then, Lyson?”
The soldiers' skin flushed at Phalen’s words. “Yes, sir. Truffles here did well today so some fountain time was her reward.”
“Truffles,” Kol snickered.
“Many of our gargoyles are named after foods,” Lyson told him.
“Why?” Kol asked.
“It makes odd-looking critters more endearing, I suppose. Gargoyles work harder and obey better if they like their trainer. It’s hard to get mad or frustrated with a little mongrel named Peaches and it sounds nutty to shout the name in anger. Less yelling makes training easier for everyone.”
Phalen tapped Kol on the side of his shoulder. “We’ve a dozen pups at the moment. I’ll take you to play with them later, if you’d like.”
Kol looked up at Father who nodded once in return. “I’d like that,” my brother grinned. “Thank you.”
