Page 32 of Tryggred By the Orc

Dusk leans in a little closer so I can read his lips. "You okay?"

I nod.

He gives a small smile and mouths, "Who would have thought this was the way things would end?"

I did.I hoped it wouldn't end this way, and I didn't expect to be betrayed, but it seemed we were always going to lose against the shadow king.

We're drawing closer to the Void. I know it without seeing the Void yet. The darkness is closer here, closing in with every step, and the air is thicker though the trees are sparser here. Clouds swirl above, dark and black, and lightning splits the clouds even though the rest of the sky is calm and placid. It's not just a sign that we're close, but that the shadow king is closer to expanding his hold over this world. The Void hasn't reached this place yet, but I can feel the energy here. It's different. Darker and more dangerous.

I don’t have to ask where the sliver is that leads to the shadow world, the little opening between our world and earth. I know. It's in the Void. The center of the black, looming cloud that we've named the Void. That we fear. That's an expansion of the king's world.

I only wish I could say something now, could hear my own voice, could hear the sound of the thunder and my impending doom. It’s a stupid thought, but I can’t seem to escape it.

And I’m probably pathetic for missing it at a time like this, at a time when I should be worried about breaking free or dying. But right now, with the clouds swirling and the thunder rolling, thunder I can feel rumbling through the ground not hear on the air, all I can think of is that I’ll never hear myself again. I’ll never hear the sounds of battle as I fight to save… everyone on Earth. I’ll never hear the hiss of a fire, the flapping of leaves in a strong wind, the sound of Ann’s passion as I take her, my name as a whisper on her lips, as a cry. It's just another thing this terrible journey has taken from me.

I glance at Dusk, at Phantom. In beast form, we’ll suffer the same silence, privy only to the king’s orders. The parts of us not useful to the king will die off. And there’s not a fucking thing we can do about it, nothing we can do to save ourselves. The shadow king will kill the very essence that makes us who we are. He needs us to be moldable, amenable to his commands, unlikely, or more unwilling, to fight him. It’s what the shadow king is counting on. It’s how he breaks the wills of his people. Even though will doesn’t matter when we’re under his control. And he controls us all.

Or will.Soon.

Foreboding is more than a feeling. It’s an actual state of being. Going through the Void and going back to our shadow world will destroy us. And there’s no coming back once we’re there.

Fate really is unkind. I finally found my mate. We all did. We found her only to have to give her up. To make the decision ourselves. Even though it’s to save her, part of my soul is missing now. And it’s more painful that I could’ve ever imagined. More crushing. I don’t know that I can take the absolute destruction, but right now, I don’t have a choice. We made our stand. Fought our fight. And lost.

The Void pulls me closer. I can feel its power now in a way I was only barely aware of before. Now it calls to me, demands I move. It’s the beast responding to the shadow king’s command. His power is deeper, bigger, stronger than ever before. It's frightening, sending a chill down my spine. It's almost a whisper of warning, like a snake's rattle before it strikes. Only, it's not a sound. It's a feeling deep in my soul.

Suddenly, we come to the clearing. In it we can see this side of the Void. A giant, swirling, looming black cloud. Only, unlike before, dark clouds, whispering of a storm, have spread all around it. A warning of the space that will soon be swallowed by our world. Never have I feared the Void more. Never have I had such a soul-deep sense that my fate is sealed.

I would panic if that was my way, but I’m a tower of strength, of courage. I’m the epitome of a man facing his destiny. And it’s devastating.

Looking closer does nothing to calm me. But the choice is out of our hands. No one would choose this. Except the dumbasses who traded us for their “freedom.” They’d damned well chosen this, even if they didn’t know.

They force us forward, even though I feel like my legs are made of concrete. It's not just us slowing our procession though; our own captors are slowing. Moving toward the Void like men on a march toward death. But even though we move slowly, we're continually moving forward until we're standing just in front of it. Dusk says something to the men, something about this being our last chance, but I can read their answer in their faces. There's nothing any of us could say to change their minds, even if they're afraid too.

Slade's gaze meets mine, and then he forces me into the Void while Flame shoves Phantom and then Dusk. The air crackles with energy around us and then everything goes dark. In seconds, we'll be back in the shadow king's world. Back where he can control us.

And so it begins.

SEVENTEEN

Ann

"Rayne."My voice cracks, edged with tears.

He freezes, the darkness of the woods seeming to close in around us as he does. "Don't..." And he sounds just as upset as I feel.

"I know you want to protect me. That all of you do. But you can't do this. You can't use your strength to force me to do something I don't want to do. It's wrong. And if you carry me away now, mate or not, I will never forgive you. When you eventually put me down, I'll go right back to the Void, and I'll hate you. I won't want to, but I will." A sob explodes from my lips because I'm telling him the truth. I love him, but I'll never forgive him for this.

He takes a step forward, then stops again. "Ann, the other shadow beasts are probably hunting us as we speak. We need to get as far from them as fast as we can. At a certain point, they'll go back into the Void, and we'll be free."

"I don't want to be free, not like this." I wipe the tears from my eyes. "Please. I was able to help them before. I think I can now too."

"With your light?" He sounds doubtful.

"With my light, with my fists, it doesn't matter. I can help."

To my surprise, he slowly sets me down, and then we're staring at each other. "I'm fighting every instinct inside of me doing this. Losing you again... it'll break me."

"Which is how I'll feel if I lose them."