Honour or Reason - Book 1# in the Burning Prince Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Brilyn let his shadow spiral around him. It moved through the air like ink through water. He focused all his strength on willing the shadows up. It rose like a bonfire, circling itself. Bri thrust a hand out to the magic. It reacted instantly, shooting upward to the hole in the ceiling. He watched as the shadow caressed the edges of the hole, gathered within it. He grits his teeth and ordered it to move out of the hole into the night air. The magic did not respond this time. Instead, it lowered back to Brilyn and circled him lazily. The boy sucked in a sharp breath and the shadow entered him once more.

As soon as the last wisp disappeared, Bri collapsed to the ground in an exhausted heap. His limbs were jelly, and his head was spinning madly. Still, a thrill buzzed in his heart. A childish hopefulness. He finally had something to use, something to wield. No longer was he a weak boy with a lonely and broken heart. He was... special.

All his life, Brilyn had been around special people. He had grown up listening to how special and incredible his friends were. Conlaed was destined to be king of the Isle, Aglaesha and Zoysia and Yaslin were all powerful Mages. Bri had grown used to being the shadow of the flame. He was used to being shoved aside like rubbish, being forgotten. He had no doubt his friends probably needed reminding of his imprisonment. The truth was bitter and unfair and Brilyn hated it. He had never realized how tired he was of being cast aside, being treated as nothing.

He had always tried to be a good friend. Bri had put his life on the line for his friends countless times. He had fought for them even when they seemed out of their mind. He had always spoken the truth to them, always given them his love. It always seemed too hard for them to repay him. He was only the Guardian's apprentice - Brilyn wasn't truly a lord, but a charity case. He had always been the one to forget. He had never been worth remembering. Bri did not have a beautiful face, nor a true House or purpose. He had always been the quiet little librarian. It made sense that Zoysia did not believe him. Brilyn Cstorm was not meant to be special.

Still, despite his newfound magic, Brilyn remained unhappy and despaired. Surely Zoysia would have told them he was mad by then. They would all believe her of course and he would be trapped in the Tower forever. Unless I can use my magic somehow. So far shadow magic seemed useless as a tool to escape. All it did was move. Its only quality that could help him was the one that had sent the monster in the tower flying. The problem was, Brilyn had no idea how to control his shadows properly, as well as regaining enough strength to kill the monster and run away. He had discovered that magic took the majority of his energy - if he did manage to kill or maim the monster, he would not have the strength to escape or move for that matter.

Despite the trials that lay in wait, a plan had begun to form in his mind. Bri had begun to suspect the entrance to the rest of the West tower was hidden behind one of the doors with the strange door knockers. It made sense - the monster probably guarded them, so that if Bri ever did get close to escape it would surely kill him. If Brilyn killed the monster, there was a chance of escape. Even if there was not a sure escape hatch into the rest of the tower, at least he could build up his powers in peace. His backup plan was to build up his new magic enough that he could blast a hole in the tower and leap through it, praying for the best.

He hoped Conlaed did nothing stupid before his escape.

Bri sat up slowly, still trembling with exhaustion. He was only growing used to the energy his magic took from him. Brilyn crawled to the corner with the pile of shredded blankets and nestled among them. As he lay there, his heart began to ache again. Brilyn still couldn't believe how badly Zoysia had treated him the day before. If she truly told his other friends that he was actually mad... nothing could be worse. If his plan failed, he was doomed. Everything she had said... it haunted him. The night before, his dreams had been filled with her. That a friend could turn on him so easily was horrifying. The Guardian is turning them against me.

His heart bled as the voices of his friends filled his head.

"It seems that promise must be broken. I am sorry for everything Brilyn - it would have been easier for both of us if I had left you here in the first place."

"You do not understand yourself yet, little kit."

"Brilyn Cstorm, I swear that no one will hurt you again - I will kill them before they can even come close. I swear on my life and the gods."

It hurt. It was agony, actually. He was trapped in a tower, useless and pathetic, meanwhile his friends were in grave danger. If Conlaed was in danger it would be all Brilyn's fault.

"I should have told them earlier," he muttered to himself angrily. "I could have saved them. I could have saved them."

He buried his face in his hands, weary and despairing. Bri let the tears fall long and hard. There was no point containing them any longer. There was nothing left to cry for. It could not be worse. I am a coward. I was always a gods-damned coward. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing but Conlaed and Aglaesha, Zoysia and Yaslin. They were everything to him and he had lost every one of them. He knew at that moment it wouldn't be the monster that killed him, but the loneliness. Before, he had clung to hope that Zoysia would come swooping down to comfort him, even for a short while. That hope was gone. He was all alone.

"You are a candle. Your flame may be small, but you outlast the darkness."

Words of a friend. Words of someone who gave a damn about him. No longer. Not really. Brilyn wiped the tears from his face. He felt small. So very small. As a petite person, he had grown used to having someone else there, someone strong. It seemed in spirit he was small too. Helpless to change anything.

"Why do you weep, shadow child?"

Brilyn's head snapped up. His shadow was gathered thickly around him, yet a light shone through it, lightning behind a dark cloud. Bri watched it intently, heart hammering in his quivering chest. With wide eyes he watched as the light faded and appeared all throughout the shadow, each time the centre of the light accompanied with the silhouette of a woman. She was tall - at least six feet - and moved fluidly. Brilyn rose to his feet in almost a trance, enthralled by the mysterious shadow. It kept the same voice as before, although it seemed more feminine.

"Do you fear this prison, shadow child?"

"Y-yes."

"Why?"

His voice shook as he gulped, "I hate the darkness."

There was a laugh. Sharp and cool. The shadow chuckled, "You are the darkness, Brilyn. You are everything you fear...and more."

"What does that even mean!"

"I cannot tell you that, shadow child. All I can tell you is that we are coming for you."

Bri swallowed the lump in his throat and chewed his chapped lips anxiously. His voice was hoarse when he asked, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

The light appeared right before him. The shadow stretched her hand toward him. A deadly cold spread through him as her inky finger caressed his cheek. "I am a friend and you, Brilyn Cstorm, will be mine. You will be ours."

A shiver went down his back as the shadow woman took his face in her cold hands and kissed him. Her lips were icy and slipped over his smoothly. When she released him, he was shivering? Brilyn stumbled back from her, mortified.

"Why...?"

There was another cold laugh. "Why, Brilyn? Because I can and I will when we meet again. you are mine, shadow child."

Brilyn shook his head and inhaled sharp as he could. The light disappeared and the shadow re-entered him with a snap. Bri fell back, frozen. He nestled back in the mound of shredded blankets, confused and shocked. Whoever the silhouette belonged to was dangerous. To wield such powers... Only Fey could do that, maybe an Enigma. The word Fey filled his mouth with a sour taste. It was very possible Brilyn was of Fey kind - it made sense. Still, it did not make him like Fey any more than he had before. They had caused the mess that had become he and Conlaed's lives. And now one will claim me, or whatever that dreadful thing was.

Bri wondered if the creature would lock him up if he resisted, wondered if he had just made another enemy. Most likely.

Whoever they are, let them come. If I am the darkness, I will be unyielding as the night.