Page 1 of Realms of Shadow and Sun
Chapter One
The dragon snarled and huffed beneath Renya's knees. Heat radiated from the creature, its lungs expanding and contracting with each breath. She had wrongly assumed dragons were reptilian and cold-blooded, but beyond the scales, nothing about this beast resembled a reptile. A pair of enormous wings beat heavily against the air current, carrying her higher into the cool night sky. The dragon suddenly dived, and Renya's stomach lurched at the sensation—like hitting turbulence in an airplane, only far more intense.
It was hard to believe that mere hours ago, she had been in Grayden's arms, worrying about him seeing her thoughts. Now she found herself astride the fiercest creature she'd ever encountered, guided by the cruelest woman known to man.
Her mind drifted back to those final moments with Grayden. The image of the knife plunging into his side flashed before her eyes, and she shuddered. She'd been brutally torn away from him before she could even ensure his safety. In that instant, she knew she would sacrifice anything to spare his life. Renya clung to the hope that a healer had reached Grayden before he bled out on that field.
Cressida remained silent once they were airborne, ignoring Renya and refusing to acknowledge her presence. Renya was grateful for the lack of interaction, wanting nothing to do with the monster. Her hand throbbed where it had been sliced open, a constant reminder of the blood promise she'd made. What did such a promise entail? Was it reversible? She vowed to fight and sabotage Cressida's quest for domination at every turn, refusing to willingly join the Shadow Queen's cause.
As they soared higher, the features of the land below grew smaller. Renya's gaze swept over a shimmering lake nestled deep within a crater and an archipelago stretching out to the western sea. She marveled at the vastness of this world, realizing how little time she'd spent exploring it. Now, she feared she would be locked away for the rest of her life, separated from Grayden forever.
Desperately, she reached inward, trying to find him through their bond. The attempt proved futile, and she prayed it was due to the distance between them rather than his death. They hadn't had the chance to fully explore their connection or test its limitations. The thought of Grayden being gone forever threatened to shatter her completely. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, the wind chilling them until they felt like icicles stinging her skin.
The dragon's incredible speed and power amazed her. Renya recalled seeing more dragons during the battle, but now only this one carried her and Cressida toward the Shadow Realm. If the others had retreated, they must have done so under the cover of the dense forest canopy.
The darkness of the lands ahead loomed like an ominous portent. Sun and shadow collided abruptly, with no transition between them. The stark contrast between the two realms was jarring, and Renya realized with a pang that the lighter side was her homeland—where she was born, once loved, and comforted.
As they approached Shadow Realm territory, the dragon descended slightly. The lower altitude afforded Renya a clearer view of the realm that was hers by birthright. Everything below glistened with golden brilliance. Pearly white buildings and golden bricks created a dazzling cityscape. At its center, slightly elevated, stood a majestic palace reminiscent of the Taj Mahal, only more vibrant. Parts of the towers lay in ruins, and the surrounding city was eerily deserted. Renya's heart ached at the sight; her first glimpse of home was marred by emptiness and abandonment. While Grayden took such pride in his lands, hers lay desolate and forsaken.
Before Renya could commit more details to memory, the dragon accelerated and rapidly lost altitude. She let out a sharp squeal at the sudden descent, eliciting cruel laughter from Cressida. The tops of a dark forest came into view, its interior shrouded in near-total blackness. The only light came from the distant glow of the Sun Realm, hidden behind the overgrown foliage. Towering trees with gnarled, twisted branches stretched skyward, their leaves so dark a green they appeared black. An eerie silence enveloped them, broken only by the wind whistling through the trees.
The absence of light was so complete that Renya couldn't fathom how the dragon navigated through the dense canopy. As they neared the forest floor, the scent of pine needles wafted up, momentarily transporting her back to nights spent in Grayden's arms. His masculine aroma had always made her feel safe and protected. She choked back a sob as the dragon finally touched down on solid ground.
A massive sound, like metal grinding against metal, erupted from somewhere ahead. Renya spotted a large tunnel, its interior dimly illuminated by flickering torches. Before the dragon could enter, Cressida slid off its back and gave its scaled neck an affectionate pat.
“Good boy, Brutus.”
Renya swore she felt the dragon purr and vibrate beneath her. Before she could dwell on it, Cressida approached. Without so much as a glance in Renya's direction, she withdrew a knife from her calf and sliced through the knots securing Renya's hands to the saddle. The moment she was free, Renya pushed herself off the dragon and bolted toward the inky blackness of the forest.
She had barely covered ten feet when an invisible force jerked her back, as if tethered to Cressida by an unseen cord.
Cruel laughter bubbled up from Cressida's thin lips. “You made a promise in blood, princess,” she sneered. “I don't need my magic to hold you here. But by all means, try to escape. I'll enjoy watching your spirit break and revel in the helplessness you'll soon feel.”
Anger surged through Renya, and to her surprise, golden strands of magic cascaded from her fingertips. An ember separated itself from the strands, falling to the ground and igniting a pile of dry pine needles and dead leaves. Cressida reached out with dark tendrils of magic, extinguishing the flames effortlessly.
“So you've learned how to use my magic.” She looked at Renya with disgust and anger.
“It's my magic,” Renya said through clenched teeth. “You just tried to take it from me.”
“Actually, it never belonged to you. You took it from me first,daughter.”
Chapter Two
Pain sizzled throughout Grayden's entire body, a relentless fire that consumed him from within. His side throbbed with an intensity that radiated down to his feet, each pulse a stark reminder of his failure. He kept his eyes tightly shut, unwilling to face the cruel reality that awaited him. Opening them would mean admitting that he had once again lost Renya—his Little Fawn, his heart, his very reason for being. He scrunched his eyes even tighter, feeling hot tears threatening to spill over and pressure building along his brow.
“Prince Grayden?” a gentle voice inquired, its softness a stark contrast to the chaos in his mind.
Grayden rolled to his uninjured side, hissing as a fresh wave of agony tore through him. The slight movement felt like a thousand knives piercing his flesh. Finally, he forced his eyes open, blinking rapidly as he took in his surroundings. A gauzy canopy hung above, partially obscuring the view of the stone ceiling. The familiar scent of lavender lingered on the pillow beside him—Renya's scent, a bittersweet reminder of her absence. With a jolt of recognition, he realized he was in their shared bedroom at the Twilight Kingdom.
“Oh Gods, you're awake!” The soft voice came again, and this time he placed it. “I need to let Dimitri know you're conscious,” Julietta said, her words laced with both relief and concern.
Ignoring her, Grayden pushed himself up to a sitting position. A gasp escaped his lips as pain, raw and sharp, surged throughout his body. His hands clutched at the down comforter, knuckles turning white as he struggled to breathe through the sensation.
“Grayden, no. You need to heal.” Julietta's hand touched his bare shoulder, but she quickly withdrew it. “Gods, you're burning up. I think your wound is infected.”
Dismissing her worry, he attempted to swing his legs out of the bed. His trousers clung to his skin, damp with sweat, but his shirt and armor were conspicuously absent. As his bare feet hit the cool stone floor, he glanced around, searching for his boots. Every movement sent a fresh jolt of agony through his nerves, as if molten metal coursed through his veins instead of blood. His lungs felt constricted, each breath a laborious task. Glancing down, he noticed his injured side was tightly wrapped with pristine white bandages, a stark contrast to the angry red skin peeking out from beneath.
Julietta stood beside the bed, horror etched across her delicate features. She wore a flowing peach gown, having changed out of the nightgown she'd worn during the attack. The sight of her different attire made Grayden's stomach clench with panic as he realized how much time must have passed while he was unconscious. Fates, his Renya. How could he have let this happen?
