Page 104 of The Edge of Darkness

I nodded.

It wasn’t long before the air grew cooler and became drenched with the damp aroma of wet, mildewed stone instead of rotting flesh. The gentle sound of a steady stream echoed from the chamber’s opening as we approached it.

Aremis held up a hand to slow us all to a halt as he leaned to peer around the corner.

“Wait!” Nivelle hissed. “If a wraith has lived here this long, she has laid claim to this cave, and if you do not make it known who you are, she will retaliate.”

“Not a problem,” I said, pushing past the three of them and stepping into the open with a pulse of my power. The shockwave shook the atmosphere, and the cavern shuddered. Rocks skittered down the walls, and the pool of water at the center of the space rippled with the disturbance.

Whatever creature had been periodically whimpering before, began wailing, its shrill voice piercing the room. I gritted my teeth. Then, I heard what sounded like the snapping of bone.

The howling ceased.

Aremis, Auren, and Nivelle fell into place at my side, all of us surveying the area. The cavern was vast, with high ceilings dripping with glittering, black stalactites. The glistening floor was the perfect mirror to what hung from above, covered in mounds of razor-sharp stalagmites shooting forth from the stone like pikes ready to skewer anyone who dared to enter. Every square inch of the chamber was glazed with moisture, making the walls shimmer. But what drew all of our attention was the pool of water. The liquid swirled amongst itself, a dark, pearlescent blue, flecked with what looked like stardust. Strangely, it emitted a faint glow, casting the space in a gloomy light akin to an evening haze after the sun slips past the horizon.

Something moved along the far side of the cavern—a shadowed figure. I sent my own shadows into the room, coupled with another burst of power. A warning.

The figure flinched, halting in place. Then, it straightened, and stood eerily still on the opposite bank of the water, watching us. A soft female voice floated in our direction, her faint accent strange and foreign. “Who are you?”

My shadows spooled forth, curling around my feet like they were ready to strike, but I remained silent, assessing.

“You are a shadow,” the voice said. “Are you kin of Eathril?”

I felt Auren’s attention snap to me at the mention of my court interrogator’s name. I myself was taken aback as well.

“You are a stranger that has been dwelling in my territory, unaccounted for,” I said, “and yet you dare ask me the questions?”

The figure shifted, and my shadows marked it, twitching in response.

“I do not fare well outside of this place,” she finally said.

“So I’ve been told. Show yourself.”

She stayed quiet for a moment, then ignored my command altogether. “May I see them? Your shadows?”

Nivelle stepped forward, chin high, her hand out to her side, as if she would keep me from following her. “You are at the High Lord’s command, wraith. Obey.”

Slowly, the shadowed figure slunk to the ground, disappearing at the edge of the pool. The otherworldly waters stirred as whatever form she’d taken moved underneath, in our direction.

Nivelle remained where she was while Aremis and I stepped protectively toward Auren.

I’d expected a repulsive creature, but what emerged from the star-flecked waters was a very familiar-figured being. Human—at first glance. But the longer I looked . . .

Other.

She appeared to be in her prime. Still youthful, like we were. Her body was small and slender, her skin as pale as moonlight and as thin as a veil—smooth as glass. Her lips were a deep shade of purple, and beneath her long, dark, sodden hair were pointed ears. Though, unlike the fae’s, hers drooped at the tip, as if they were soaked so thoroughly they were too heavy to stay upright.

She moved with fluid grace, like she was made of water, or air, or both, seeming as if she’d evaporate into the mist or dissipate into the darkness at any moment. A creature in her own right.

And she was . . . completely naked, though she didn’t seem the least bit shy about it.

A smile crept across her lips. “May I?”

She acted timid and meek, her voice leading me to believe she harbored no ill will. But I could feel her essence beneath her façade. And it writhed with mischief.

Despite what I had gleaned, I let a tendril of my shadowfire waft in her direction, curious as to how she would react. Her eerily blue eyes widened as it neared. She reached her delicate finger out to touch it, and when she did, it absorbed into her skin.

Auren stiffened beside me, and Aremis said my name low, in warning.