Page 100 of Andreas

‘Stop what?’ Rymedur’s jaw ticked. His patience was waning. Fast. ‘You haven’t explained what it is you want, nor have you been clear about what might occur. Stop speaking in riddles and tell me.’ His muscles bulged, straining against the shadowed bonds, but they held fast—tirelessly unyielding. ‘If you’re asking me to kill Areanel—’ Rymedur’s scoff was disbelieving. ‘That is something I will never do. And, if anyone even considers it, they will have to go through me first.’ Rymedur hissed at the shadow. Daring… Challenging it to try.

The shadows blew around the figure, forming a sort of phantom crown. It shook its head as though disappointed. ‘It will come. Death and decay. It will devour this world whole. It has already begun…’ Raising its arm at Rymedur, the shadow moved with swift motions. ‘Let me show you.’

One moment, the shadowy figure stood opposite, and the next, it rushed him. Swarming. Engulfing. Surging. Rising like a tide, a cacophony of shadows descended upon Rymedur until it was all he could see, feel, hear—darkness and death merging into one.

Chapter 38

Rymedur

Death tasted like ash and rot. Rymedur couldn’t tell whether his eyes were open or closed.

The darkness was so dense and thick that it suffocated him, and whatever comfort he usually felt in it had been stripped away. No longer was he safe within the shadows.

Fear was not a familiar sensation for Rymedur when it came to the dark. He had never been afraid of it; the shadows were his safe haven. A place of solitude. But these gripping things, they felt unfamiliar. Raw and binding. These weren’t his shadows. They pulled and clawed at him, tearing into him with an unrelenting grip. The shadows yanked him forward and pinned him in place, and all the while, he fought with every ounce of strength he could muster. But it was no use. The shadowed being was stronger.

Darkness fell. Shapes formed. A scene unfolded before his very eyes, and suddenly, Rymedur was kneeling in a forest of lush grass and vibrant greenery. Testing the bonds that kept him still, Rymedur tried to rise, but the shadows held fast. Still gripping. Still pinning. Forcing him to watch.

An unnatural breeze wafted his hair into his eyes, and that same creeping cold prickled his skin, burning the side of his face with frost as the shadowed being came to stand to his left. Silent and still, the being did not move, its eyes trained on the forest that brimmed with life—flora and fauna alike. Rymedur opened his mouth to shoot a retort at the being, maybe to demand he be released, but before he could, birds sprang from the trees, their wings beating in rapid motions, eager to get away.

Rymedur didn’t move an inch. Yet, somehow, the scene changed. Growing and shifting, it zoomed in until Rymedur could see what had scared the birds. Hidden within the copse of trees, concealed from the world in an array of flora, stood three faceless figures. Terror brimmed in Rymedur’s thoughts. Although he couldn’t make out their features, a sense of familiarity itched the back of his mind.

Who were they? Why was this shadowed being showing him this?

Sunlight beamed from behind the figures. A young female stood before the shining rays; an ethereal radiance silhouetted her. Her white skirts, dotted with mud and creased, swished in the gentle breeze. Could it be? Was that… Some thread, a piece of his soul, sang in recognition. Rymedur wanted to draw closer, and his hands reached out but the shadows tightened around his wrists.

Mere meters behind her, the light felt warm, like a glowing sort of hope. Rymedur saw the way she inched towards it. Her body was angled as though she might break out into a run.

The large, faceless figure blocking her path was shouting. Rymedur couldn’t make out the words, yet silent, furious gestures suggested disappointment and wrath. The shadows distorted the voice, garbling it until it sounded like static in his ears, but Rymedur was able to make out what the girl had said.

Her voice was small—a whisper. ‘How could you?’ Betrayal coated her words—sour and bitter. Rymedur could taste the unpleasant sting on his own tongue.

Then, the scene warped, and it was like a rock had been thrown into the calm waters of a river, distorting the image as a leaner male turned to face the girl. Had he deceived the girl in some way? But why?

Gesturing to the male by his side, the larger male placed a demanding hand on his shoulder, and Rymedur could feel the iron grip as if it were upon him. The shadows, mimicking the movement, kept him in place. A command. One that was resolute. Whatever it was, wasn’t a choice. It was an order.

The other male did not speak. He hadn’t moved an inch or even tried to defend himself. Instead, he let the larger male command his death, doing nothing to stop the blade from ramming into his chest.

There was no flicker of emotion. Nothing. Even when warm blood splattered her barren features, there was no reaction. Stupefied, the girl stood dazed. All that was left was a numb, dull, senseless void surrounding her. A mirror to the abyss Rymedur had awoken in moments ago.

Thud. The body crashed to the ground in an ungraceful heap, and the sound shook Rymedur to his core. Was that the sound Resmundur’s body had made? He hadn’t been there to witness it. The sound was deafening, ringing in his ears and drowning his senses until it became all he was—mind, body and soul, whittled down to this one resounding thud.

Rymedur screwed his eyes shut, turning his head away from the scene as the blood dripped, dripped, dripped from the blade and soaked the leaves beneath the male’s body, burning the image into Rymedur’s mind.

‘Open your eyes,’ the disembodied voice finally spoke. ‘Look at the ruin she caused. The death that followed and will continue to follow.’

But Rymedur refused. This was his own rebellion; he would not give in to this being. ‘No!’ Rymedur growled, low and deep, clenching his teeth when the unfamiliar darkness crawled up the back of his neck, forcing his head back towards the scene. Rymedur would not relent. He pushed his head against the shadows, a shout building in the back of his throat with the effort it took to fight back.

Shadows climbed and crawled, piercing his skin. Biting. Creating small incisions as they clawed at his skin. ‘You will watch the carnage, Commander.’ As though they heard his command, the darkness twisted in front of him and shoved itself down his throat. Control slipped through his fingers like sand, and suddenly Rymedur was no longer himself. His body felt foreign, unusual, changed. Blinking his eyes open, a fire burned along his veins, sizzling beneath his skin and scorching every atom of his being. What had he become?

Enormous quantities of power like nothing he had ever felt before ached and throbbed. It burned. Vision cloudy, Rymedur struggled to focus. The sounds were too loud. The colours too bright. Senses overloaded, threatening to pull him under their current.

‘Look!’ Something yanked at his hair, pulling his blurry gaze up and forcing his attention.

The sting from the pull had his head swimming, but Rymedur managed to shake his mind into focus. Staring down at the girl, coagulated blood covering her hands, light glinted off the small green gems that dotted the ring adorning the index finger on her left hand. His eyes trained on the way her hands—small, pale and calloused—trembled in her lap, the blood stark against the white skirts beneath them dotted with mud.

The stinging sensation grew until it was behind his eyes—piercing and sharp. Memories clashed, warring and fighting for dominance. His mind no longer felt like his own, swarming with stabbing thoughts. What was happening? Rymedur grappled with invisible hands to gain any semblance of control, but each effort was abruptly halted by the darkness that kept him in place. What had that shadowed being done to him? He could only watch and felt everything as though the emotions were his own. He was losing himself. Stuck. It was all too much.

Killer. Murderer. Slayer. The shadows, swirling like a storm piercing his mind, bestowed their epithets upon her. Millions of them shouted: Killer. Murderer. Slayer. Who was she? What had she done? His mind became a fog Rymedur couldn’t navigate. Confusion warped his thoughts. What had she done wrong? Killer. Murderer. Slayer.