A Walk Amongst Shadows (Book 2)

I awoke excited the next morning. Aris and I vacated the Inn before any of the other patrons stirred. Neither one of us wanted a repeat of the evening before. We hadn’t walked long before the skyline of the city crested upon the horizon. Looming spires pierced the sky to either side of the fortress. A thick stone inner wall surrounded the castle, obscuring the sunrise from view. Hundreds of smaller buildings making up the castle city surrounded the fortifications. Finally, a smaller wall made of stonemasonry and timber surrounded the city with tall gates at regular intervals allowing entrance to, and exit from the city. On the outskirts of the city, farmland stretched out for hundreds of acres with the occasional smattering of grazing sheep or cattle dotting the landscape. I had never seen anything quite like it in my life. I stopped walking and admired the grandeur of the royal city. Aris looked amused.

“Remarkable, isn’t it?” he asked.

I nodded.

“You know, we’re still miles away. It only gets bigger from here,” he jested.

I shook my head, waving him off. “I never imagined it would look like this.” My heart thumped excitedly in my chest at the sight of what was to be my new home. It seemed surreal. The vision of the city before me seemed more like something in a fairy tale than a real place. I mean I was staring at a real castle after all. I picked up my pace eager to get closer and see more. As we neared the city, pathways began forming on the ground. I realized once more just how much I had missed civilization. Walking on a proper footpath again was a welcome change. We came to a fork in the road and Aris paused.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I have something I want to show you before we enter the city.” His voice sounded uneasy.

“Ok?” I answered, mirroring his uncertainty.

His eyes flashed and he smiled at me. “Come, I think you’ll like it.”

We walked down a path that led away from the city and into a nearby wooded area. I couldn’t help but feel a little crestfallen, I was so ready to finally see the city. But on we walked, away once more from civilization. If I had been with anyone else, I would’ve been a little concerned for my safety. We walked until we lost the path entirely and then we walked some more. Winding over rocks and stepping carefully over exposed tree roots. I thought there was no way he could possibly know where he was going. Deeper and deeper we trekked. The canopy above us got so dense that it almost blocked out the sun entirely. Finally, we reached a small clearing where a stone house sat. It was small with two levels and a thatched roof that seemed perfectly intact. The masonry was clear of debris and the thatch work was clear of the green lichen commonly seen in older homes. Wisps of gray smoke wafted out of the small chimney to the left of the roof. It reminded me a lot of my family’s apothecary. Aris stopped in front of it. I looked at him.

“What is this place?” I asked.

“Well…” he started, “I was thinking, it could be ours.” He left his words hanging in the space between us. I felt my jaw drop and eyes widen as I looked back at the house.

“Seriously?” I broke into a grin. Aris looked relieved and smiled back. I flung myself into his arms. I had assumed we would’ve been staying at an inn in the city I never imagined a house of our own.

“Want to see the inside?” he asked.

“Yes!” I ran up to the house and opened the door. The main level was one room. A large fireplace sat at the back and I heard the familiar crackling of burning wood. I saw an area to prepare food and a small area to sit. I ran my hands over the table and chairs. They looked brand new. I inhaled the smell of fresh lumber as I walked upstairs and found a brand-new bed and mattress in an otherwise empty room.

“It’s nothing like the estate you were promised back in the village,” I heard Aris say walking up behind me. “I’ve been trying to fix it up. Hopefully, we’ll have running water soon.”

I spun around and looked up at him. “How long have you been fixing this place up?”

He smiled sheepishly. “When I wasn’t with you in the village, I’d sometimes come here.” He paused and nervously rubbed the back of his neck, “I wanted to have a nice place to bring you to after we left.” I felt tears well up in my eyes. I stood on my toes to kiss him and felt him relax as I did so.

“So, you like it then?” he asked.

“Aris, it’s perfect.” I was truly touched that he had put so much thought and effort into making a home for me.

We set about unpacking our bags which only took a few minutes given what little I had brought with me.

“So, how did you even find this place?” I asked as we walked back downstairs.

“I was born here,” he answered.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“My father worked as a blacksmith in the city. My mother convinced him to move out here shortly after they married. She loved nature.” Aris seemed far away as he told me about his family. I sat down at the table quietly, hanging on his every word. He sat in one of the chairs beside me. “Of course, we abandoned this place when my father decided to take us all to this brand-new utopian village forming up in the mountains,” he said sarcastically, pausing for a moment. “Anyway, a few years after I became a shadow walker I came back to see if it was still standing.”

“And?” I asked.

I watched his eyes fill with sadness. “It was as if we had never left.” He snapped back to the present. “Anyway, this was the only place I ever truly felt happy when I was alive. I thought maybe you could be happy here too.”

I placed my hand on top of his on the table. “Well, you thought correctly.” I got up and walked around the table to hug him once again. The village had taken everything from us both. It was almost poetic that we found each other in the wreckage of it all.

“Come,” he said, “Let’s get you to the city.”

I had completely forgotten about our plans to go to the city. I would’ve been content spending the day at my new home. But Aris was quick to remind me of the day ahead and before I knew it, we were back on or way towards the city. I felt rejuvenated as we made our way back through the woods. For the first time in months, I felt like I belonged somewhere. I was still horribly uncertain about what my future was going to look like, but for the moment, I wasn’t worried about it.