“Can we really trust Sadal to lead us?” I murmur quietly to the two Fae men.
They exchange cold, calculating glances. “No, we can’t,” Altair says. “But we have no choice.”
Sadal saunters towards us, his face lit with a sickly glow by my lantern. “Shall we?” He crows.
He doesn’t wait for an answer before striding into the darkness fearlessly. I think of the demons lurking in it and shudder. Once, they were Sadal’s to control. Now, if they get the former Dark God in their sights, he'll be mauled in seconds. But Sadal has no fear, or perhaps the madness is merely driving it away. We follow him into the darkness, and I hurry to make sure he always stays within reach of my light. Thal's sword is in hand, gripped so tightly his knuckles are white. His green eyes never leave Sadal’s back and I know Thal will be the first to leap into the shadows if Sadal makes a run for it.
Suddenly, Sadal stops short. He edges back towards us, to the safety of the group. Altair and Erzur have their swords drawn in an instant. They form a circle with their backs to Sadal, Serus, and me. I hoist my lamp higher, and close my eyes, trying to summon more light. But the shadows are stubborn, and they writhe against the soft light, trying to dim it. My stomach churns with fear. Something is out there. Something I’ve never encountered before.
“A Shadow-Teaser,” Serus whispers, his voice echoing in the silence.
“How do we kill it?” Altair asks, his deep voice low and quiet.
“You don’t,” Serus explains. “A Shadow-Teaser has no physical form—no life. It’s an intelligence that lives in the shadows. Stay in the light and you won’t succumb to it.”
“Then why is Sadal so frightened of it?” Erzur asks bitingly.
Altair lowers his sword but doesn't sheath it. His hazel eyes rove over me as if ensuring my safety before he glances at Sadal’s cowering form. “Because he’s mad.”
“The girl and her lantern go first,” Sadal says, nudging me forward.
Altair’s hand is around Sadal’s neck in an instant, squeezing tightly. I don’t stop him as Sadal gasps helplessly. The chains on his wrists rattle as he tries to pry Altair off of him. Altair’s lip curls up into a look of disgust. “Coward.”
“That’s enough,” I say, placing a hand on Altair’s forearm. The simple touch has both of us leaning into each other and he releases Sadal. My thumb strokes Altair’s arm before I withdraw my hand. “I’ll do it. As long as he directs me. And you stay close.”
“Always,” Altair murmurs.
Memories flood through me. Memories that I know Serus can see as his small claws prick my ankle; a painful reminder. I pick a single one of Altair; a quiet night when he fell asleep in one of the armchairs in my room and snored softly. I cling to it, and the light of my lamp glows brighter. I feel a small hint of satisfaction as my power now protects the people most important to me from harm.
Sadal’s presence at my shoulder doesn’t dampen my mood. “Where did you live, when you resided in the Ether?” I ask, hoping that if he speaks his hot breath won’t keep wafting down my neck.
“In the Third Stratum with a very wicked creature,” Sadal says. “But I made it a point to visit my little beasties in the dark here from time to time. I even spoke with little Serus here, though back then it didn’t have a name—just an unquenching thirst for the human mind.”
My eyes cut towards the cat near my feet. His hackles are raised, ears flat against his head. I don’t press him for validation. Sadal has always liked to sow discord—he feeds off it. It’s how he got me to betray Altair in the beginning. I feel a pang of guilt at the thought but then gratitude as I realize that without him, I may not have ever accepted my feelings for the Fae King.
“Tell me,” Erzur asks silkily. “Is this wicked creature the same one whose cage we are going to study?”
“The very same,” Sadal says gleefully.
“And what might it be?” Thal taps a fingernail against the blade of his sword, a stark reminder to Sadal that his very life hangs in Thal’s calloused hands.
“Oh, it’s a surprise,” Sadal whispers conspiratorially.
I slow as my light streams out over a stone pathway. It breaks through the monotony of the Ether’s slick, black floor. Slowly, the stone pathway becomes a well-trodden highway, crumbling in disrepair. Ahead of us, I see arches and grand columns stretch up into the shadows like tree trunks. My gut twists and I feel a stroke of fear down my spine. This isn’t right. Something about this is very, very wrong.
“Is this the right way?” I ask, trying to hide the tremble of fear in my voice.
“It is,” Sadal answers. I can feel his smugness in just the tone of his wicked voice.
“What is this place?” Erzur asks, staring at the details on a column as we pass it. A bloody scene of carnage is carved into it, beasts and wolfhounds and demons decorate the surface.
“One of the few highways in the Ether.” Sadal touches one of the stones reverently. “Unused now and haunted by all manner of dark creatures.”
Thal shakes his head. “I hate this place.”
“Quiet,” Altair barks, maneuvering closer to me. His presence feels like the warm glow of the sun on my back. “I hear something ahead.”
“The River Mori,” Sadal says.
I hear the sound of roaring water ahead and walk faster instinctively. It's been so long since I heard that familiar rushing sound or seen the silky surface of a river. It doesn't matter to me that the river is in the Ether, the closest
