Part Four
UMBREA
Chapter 1
Kalon de Somnium
(A very, very long time ago)
The eclipse of darkness descended the heaviest when loss consumed the heart.
The ceiling looked exactly as it always did, covered in cobwebs, with the slight breeze swaying their threads like ripples in water. Kalon watched a spider crawl through its network of fibers, gradually creating its intricate maze.
He eagerly watched an insect trap themselves within and grinned with excitement. The black spider lunged for its prey, swiftly wrapping it into a tight ball and sinking its fangs into its meal.
This had been the most entertaining thing in months. He had lost interest in tormenting the sleeping being of Xyberus with nightmares after learning the news.
The hand resting on his chest twitched, and he silently groaned to himself for slipping. He looked away from the temptingdisplay above to the Fae lying beside him in his bed, her messy hair tangled from the night before.
He wanted her to go. His mistake only deepened the pain.
She shifted from the blankets and sat up, turning to look at him. Her long, brunette hair was unlike the starlight hair he longed for.
“Sleep okay?” she asked, stretching her arms in front of her and yawning.
“Fine,” he replied shortly, not wanting to engage with her. If he said anything more, she would be impossible to stop.
“Last night was amazing.” She looked at him with anticipation, yearning for something he refused to provide. He could sense waves of desperation coming from her as she pulled the blanket off, exposing her naked body for him in the cool air. “Would you like more?”
She leaned in to kiss him.
He averted his face, feeling irritated at the gesture. Kissing was clearly forbidden, and she knew that. He made that clear before he crossed the line.
She paused, her body stiffening beside his. “What’s wrong?”
“I messed up,” he whispered softly, feeling the pain of the truth tearing at his heart. He didn’t care if she heard or if it hurt her feelings. She knew he belonged to someone else, and her ongoing efforts to get close to him during the months she was there were increasingly irritating.
“She’s dead. I highly doubt my premonition was abouther,” the Fae snidely responded, cruel ire laced behind each word.
Kalon’s neglected heart fluttered in pain like a whispered song fading into the void, with no one around to hear the aching melody.
The brunette got out of bed and seethed, “I’m over this.”
She grabbed her clothing from the floor, stormed to the doorway, and paused before exiting. “I’m going back to Umbrea.”
She stared at him for too long, clearly hoping he would argue her departure.
When he didn’t answer, she sighed and shook her head as she left the room. He listened to her muttering profanities as she descended the hall.
Finally, he thought when silence greeted him once more. She had been around for too long, trying her hardest to seduce him. She had foretold that the stone had been jaded, the tree fell, and the guardian had been captured.
He already knew these things, as they had happened long before her arrival.
He frequently considered sending her away but hoped her premonitions of yanantin would offer more details—such as a location, a time, oranythingelse that could help his search—so he allowed her to stay in Noctrya.
He permitted himself just this one mistake, this single chance to reveal anything more. But none occurred.
He stared at the ceiling and watched the spider drain the life from the bug, feeling as though his own was depleting with each passing day, month, and year thatshewas gone.
