Shadow of the Abyss

Chapter 377 Crown and Shadows IV

By the time Alyssa and Therion had caught up to their Master, it was a little after midday. The sun was glaring as if to burn all beneath its glare to cinders. They found him nonetheless in the shadows of a tall sentinel, resting in Tasha's arms. Elena was there, though she scowled when she saw the two knights hurry forward with several Blackcloaks on their heels.

'More pretty women,' she thought. It wasn't fair, she knew, but she had always thought Nox would wait for her. He always had. Even when they were children, he only ever had eyes for her. Not once had his gaze ever swayed or his heart ever wavered.

It had been a thousand years, and while no one expected Elena to wait on Nox, she never thought, weeks after his awakening, he would fall into the arms of another.

'That's probably the reason why he was so heartless to me,' she thought. He was almost unrecognizable to her, even if he looked nearly identical to what she remembered. Almost. Perhaps it had been her imagination, but he seemed taller, stronger, with an aura of authority she found hard to refuse.

"You guys sure took your time," Tasha said in a teasing voice. She glanced at the knights behind the two shadows. A thin veil smile thinning her lips. The men of house De Nier all looked pale, wet, and tired like mortals after nearly a day of travel. When they left Inka, the Castilan had insisted Altair take fifty Blackcloaks to clear out the Golden Fork.

That seemed almost impossible now with how weary the men looked.

"What's wrong with them?"

Therion glanced back at them, a frown tight on his lips. "No idea. They all claim to be fine, but..." Even a fool could tell something was wrong. Their faces were drained of color, and the whites of their eyes a beat to yellow. "Whatever it is, we didn't have the time to investigate."

"You have time now," Tasha said, looking at him. "Master will not be pleased to see his men half dead."

Therion made his discontent known but could not refute her despite how much he disliked her. Sometimes, he wondered why his Master treated her so much better than some of his shadows. She was certainly stronger; no one could refute that, but when it came to intelligence, Therion felt they were equal.

Of the fifty men that had ridden along the Fork, there was not one who wasn't pale, shaking either from the rain that had long passed or something else. Therion searched them down to their briefs, frowning the more he investigated each man, finding nothing. They were all seventh Circles and higher, but for them to experience the sickness of the elements like mortals seemed unlikely.

When one fell off his horse, it was Alyssa who ran after him to see him scrambling to his feet, reaching into his cloak for this flask of water. She snatched it from him and gave it a sniff, followed by a taste. It didn't smell sweet or sour, and it tasted like water. Purified water.

"Master is going to be pissed."

'The Shadows...' Altair muttered suddenly, shivering. "Crown...Shadows. Shadows Shal'al G—" Blood trickled from his nose, and before anyone knew it, he went silent.

A dream of a lantern that bore no light yet held the darkness at bay, a lake, and an image welcomed him. One of his fathers, of Arsene Snow, walking alongside a strange void of darkness. It was so dark the night seemed to move. Tenebrae shone across the darkness, her warm smile pulling him into the lake of twilight, into the embrace of the Black Moon.

'Shal'al—"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

There was a grim silence before Alyssa spoke up. "Nia."

Tasha looked at her, realizing. "She is heading back to the dutchie. She could call for the Medarc."

"But it'll take three days for her to—" Therion was saying before they looked at Cloud beside their Master.

"Master's shadow steed," Tasha mumbled. She would have liked to make the trip herself, but... with her master in such a dire state, it was best not to leave him unattended with just his shadows and a woman whom she did not trust quite well.

"The creature can fly," Therion said. "If we send it to Nia, then perhaps she might be able to bring help before the next rise." he glanced at the others, sharing similar thoughts.

"I'll tell Nia," Alyssa said. "Who would have figured her getting in trouble would be so much help."

Therion was in agreement, taking Cloud by the reins. He whispered his mission deep within its subconscious. The shadow stallion neighed in an acknowledgment before taking off in a trot, picking up speed until it blurred.

"Let's find somewhere to stay," Tasha said, then glanced at Therion. "Can you clean this territory of monsters and bandits? I'd rather Master wake up with good news rather than the news we sat on our ass while he slept."

"Why can't you do it?"

Tasha's brow scrunched. "You are a hunter by nature. At the same time, I am the strongest present. Alyssa is a warrior trained in all forms of protection. We can protect Master without you. Stop complaining, or I'll put you down and make sure you don't ever rise. I could, you know.

You, Shadows, aren't as immortal as you think. "

Therion expression turned red. "Master would never forgive you!"

"You are but a shadow. A thing he picked up on a whim while I am of royalty. A concubine. A toy built so he will never grow tired of using and breaking. Are you so sure?"

"Enough the both of you." Alyssa cut in. "What is going on with you both? What's with the hate?" She glared at the two of them, rubbing her temple, and sighed. "Therion, she's right. Go out and hunt, but be on the lookout for assassins. I suspected some were hiding as various Blackcloaks, but since Tasha killed them all, there are bound to be more incoming."

Reluctantly, Therion obeyed, swinging away but not before shooting a murderous stare at Tasha.

"Bitch," he muttered, leaving.