Valley of Shadows and Roses | ONC 2024

Chapter 4

The dim light illuminated the surrounding trees forming eerie shadows, and the real ones moved among them. They flickered around. They crept through the darkness. They were gathering. Every second there were more and more of them. They walked around, on the edge of light and dark, like a pack of wolves sharpening their fangs for a feast. Their guttural, low laughter carried through the air and cut into the flesh. It gave the men goosebumps. Soldiers looked around, startled. They didn't want to be taken by surprise. Even the Commander felt insecure. He began to wonder if he had been too hasty in pursuing the Shadow Lord. Those shadows awakened fear in him as well.

"Hello, gentlemen." as if out of nowhere, the one they were chasing, or better said, trying to find, appeared right in front of them. He sat there on the log among them as if nothing was happening. The glow of the fire illuminated the handsome features of his face.

Scared, the men jumped to their feet and backed away from the mysterious man wielding powerful magic. They drew their swords, but he just looked at them amused. He regarded them as children playing knights. But they trembled in terror before him.

"How rude to point those blades at me," the Shadow Lord spoke without the slightest interest. "I'm coming in peace, and you're treating me like an enemy."

"You became an enemy the moment you murdered our princess," replied the Commander.

The rest of the group held their ground, trying to ignore the shadows surrounding them. They tried to stand firmly in place and not run away.

"I didn't kill her," the Shadow Lord corrected him. It was true; she was healthy and alive. "I gave your princess eternity, and this is your gratitude? What discourtesy. You come here asking for my head."

"You killed her. Twice."

The Shadow Lord silenced the Commander with a gesture of a hand. He's only a soldier, and he is a king. How dare he contradict him? How dare he raise his voice at him?

"To kill someone, that person would have to stay dead," he said. "And I don't think dear Princess Luna needs flowers to be left on her grave."

He stood up from his place and slowly walked over to the Commander without taking his eyes off him. His step was proud. Power oozed from him. His face was stony. The soldiers automatically dodged him, not allowing themselves to stand in his way. The Shadow Lord stopped a sword's length from the Commander, the tip of his blade digging into his chest.

"Do you have the courage to do what you came here for, Commander?" a mischievous smile bloomed on his lips.

In the Commander this provocation awakened the anger he said he would not succumb to. He lost control and plunged his sword into his chest. He pierced him through and through. However, the satisfaction of his act quickly faded. How could he ever thought it would be so easy?

The Shadow Lord laughed. He had a good reason for that, for he is not only a shadow lord, but he is also a shadow himself. The most powerful shadow of all. He drew his sword from his chest. Not even a drop of blood came out. The soldiers took a step back. Even the Commander became nervous at the sight. It made no sense, like nothing lately. Now he was supposed to fall to the ground, breathless, but he stood there in full force, laughing his lungs out.

"Bad decision." said the Shadow Lord, and as if by magic, he appeared on the other side of the camp, where the light was absorbed by the darkness. "This meeting could have ended very differently," he finally added, disappearing into the night.

And hell broke loose.

Shadows emerged from the darkness covering the forest. They had no material form. Their silhouettes blurred and materialized all over again, but you could clearly see their sharp claws and fangs. They were starving to tear something alive. They were asking for it. They wanted blood. Shadows rushed at the soldiers with the ferocity of wild animals. The best men of the royal army fought bravely, but the fear in their veins overcame them at this unknown enemy. The atmosphere thickened and became heavier. The blades of the swords glistened in the glow of the fire. They mowed down one shadow after another but did not even scratch them. The blades penetrated through them like through the fog that surrounded them day and night. As if they were made of it. That was just a glimpse of who they were.