Of course it is.
The fear that had been harbouring in my bones crashes to the surface. My feet betray my mind with every step. And suddenly,being caught in the impending storm doesn’t feel so bad. The weather doesn’t seem half as tumultuous as what lies ahead.
Long skeletal branches stretch out like clawed fingers, some broken, others reaching for the sky as if begging or cursing it. No leaves cling to its limbs, its naked and exposed. Telling sombre truths that reap a reckoning. Suddenly, the clearing makes sense. This twisted tree, rooted in the centre of the field, had clearly frightened the others around it so badly that they refused to grow in its vicinity. A branch hangs over me like an outstretched palm signalling me to halt as I stand, as if it is warning me to turn around while I still can. The bile in my throat slugs back down as I defy its orders and continue towards its trunk. My muscles turn to lead as nerves claim them. Its bark is dry and groans with the wind, fostering tormented faces in its wood.
“We’re here.” Ryder declares as we stand inches away from the bark. I always thought the shadow realm would have monsters guarding it, or I’d hear bloodcurdling screams the minute I got too close. But here we are, somehow in front of its gates, and the landscape remains undisturbed.
Ryder stands close and whispers into its wood. “Tenebrae.” The words instil a chill down my spine, one much harsher than the bite of the storm. I am not familiar with that word. I have read hundreds of books, and yet it is still foreign to me, but Ryder was so quick to place it on the tip of his tongue. It is clear he has made this journey before.
The bark comes alive like the word breathed life into it. Opening its walls with a groan to reveal its hollowed inside. Ryder steps in and pulls me before my knees have a chance to buckle with worry. We stand shoulder to shoulder in the shell of the tree whilst the floor beneath us begins to descend.
“Remember, Asha. You are Moon. You possess the Gift of Shadoro like me. And you keep your head down.” He has beenspinning this web since we started our journey. Getting me to repeat it so I don’t slip up.
“I am a Moon. I possess the Gift of Shadoro. And I will keep my head down.” I mutter to myself as if reminding myself one last time. I take in the words like I am inhaling a large gulp of air before submerging into the depths, unsure of the moment I’ll be able to breathe again.
“Remind me again how you know about this place?” I press my back against the curved wooden wall and cross my arms, trying to ignore the churning in my stomach caused by the downward motion of this odd lift. He looks down at me, his brown eyes half covered by the oversized hood resting on his forehead.
“I came here as a child, after I left the orphanage. I spent a few months here, would’ve been longer, but I found myself in some sort of trouble.” He takes a long exhale and scratches at the back of his neck.
“Ryder Stormwood, in trouble? Why am I not surprised?” I snort sarcastically as a small chuckle escapes my mouth. “What did you do?” I pry as Ryder smirks back at me.
“I took something that wasn’t mine.” Is all he says, and even though this was years ago, he still looks pretty impressed with himself.
“Well, did you give it back?” I ask, the elevator squeaking as it carries us further down into its depths.
“What do you think?” He stares down at me and cocks his head to the side, crossing his arms, and I know all I need to know. I roll my eyes at him. Of course, he didn’t give the damned thing back.
“Well, let’s hope they don’t hold a grudge,” I reply, suddenly realising why he needs a hooded robe too.
The wooden pod shakes as it reaches the end of its journey. I uncross my arms and lean up off the wall.
“Stay close to me.” Ryder orders, and I give him a weak nod, anxious about what hysteria awaits us behind the door.
He leans in and whispers against the wood. “Tenebrae.”
He mutters those foreign words again, and suddenly my heart beats a little too quickly. The doors are opening before I have a chance to steady myself. My lungs release a shaky breath, holding on to the side of the lift for a moment to ground myself.
The smell hits me before the sight does. A putrid odour eating away at my nostrils and stinging my eyes. A fragrance no doubt derived from the musk of a thousand bodies living side by side in a place with no sun or fresh air to smoke out the lingering scents. I scrunch my nose to adjust myself to it and blink back the watery sensation in my eyes. Ryder looks over at me and smirks.
“You’ll get used to it.” A slight chuckle leaves his lips, and I send him a sharp stare. This is definitely not the type of smell I would like to get used to. “Come on.” His eyes narrow as he ushers me to follow him out of the elevator. “You don’t wanna get lost down here.”
I don’t doubt him. In this place, getting lost means never coming back.
“Name and Gift.” A tall man snarls from beside us, guarding the entrance to the eluded city. He is wearing a cloak not dissimilar to the ones we are wearing, the hood carving most of his features into shadow. His eyes, however, can be seen through the smudge of darkness—narrow and unforgiving—eye contact so direct it feels as though his eyes have hands and they are squeezing my chest. Ryder steps forward first, sure and certain. He eludes an energy like he is supposed to be here, his very breath feeding into the very darkness of this place as his shadows unfurl around him.
“Sebastian Arrow, Gift of Shadoro.” His voice is sure and sparks not even an ounce of doubt in those unblinking eyeswatching his every move, even though he gave a fake name. I can’t help but wonder if this Sebastian Arrow was a real person he had known, or if he was just a figment of imagination—two words randomly strung together to create a person. We hadn’t spoken about giving fake names before, and now the thought of giving myself one, convincing enough, made my stomach twist.
The hooded man turns to me.
“Ava Karrin, Gift of Shadoro.” The name just flew out of my mouth; I hadn’t known that the syllables would actually form words as they did. But my breath steadied at the realisation that the name sounded…good—It sounded real. A shadow, like Ryder’s, sways like a flame in my palm as I wait for the hooded man’s verdict.
Had I been convincing enough?I had to be.
The shadows seeping from me were undeniable; they were Moon. In this moment, I was a Moon, and I was Ava Karrin.
The hooded man’s eyes dragged slowly up my body and then back down again, as if looking for loose threads in my woven lies. His eyes linger on the shadows whirling like black liquid on my palm before finally he steps to the side and nods, my breath finally releasing with him.
The shadow realm vibrates with a strange electric life, a city buried beneath the surface, lit only by flickering neon signs and the glow of torches wedged into crumbling walls. It’s not dirty, not really, and nothing like I had imagined; it’s raw—a twisted kind of thriving. The smells in the air change the further we walk into the realm. Hints of smoke, sweat and sizzling meat waft from the food stalls that line the crooked streets where vendors shout over each other, selling skewered lizard meat and spiced rat broths. I stifle a gag and peel my eyes away pretty fast.
