Shadows Book 1 in the World of Shadows (33 page)

Pyth hit the trigger, then slipped my arm
over his shoulder and we ran away from the Caves with the other
Duskies behind us. A moment of silence followed and my blood turned
to ice at the thought that perhaps the explosion wouldn't work.
Sathen fought free from the avalanche and rushed after us, then a
rumble sounded and the ground trembled. An explosion ripped through
the air, followed by another and then another in quick succession.
Parts of the Caves moved and several Sathen who had escaped were
trapped under sliding rocks.

I glanced at Pyth and he looked at me as if
to ask if we were done, then a roar sounded so loud the dunes moved
underneath us. The Caves rose like an awakening beast; boulders the
size of houses flew through the air and landed around the desert,
sending up smaller shockwaves that shook the dunes. The Caves then
collapsed inward as the entire mountain toppled into the gaping
holes beneath. Boulders grated together, and above it all I could
hear the screams of thousands of Sathen crushed by the red rock
mountain.

Red dust rose into the air smelling of
cinnamon and sage. We rounded the corner of the dunes and came face
to face with hundreds of Sathen who hadn’t gone into the Caves. The
weary Duskies around me drew their swords, but I could see the
defeat on their faces and the knowledge that we couldn’t beat them
alone.

Then dust began to drift down through the
air. Thick red flakes landed on our heads and shoulders and fell to
the ground with the sound of a hundred feathers dropping softly to
the earth. Sounds were muffled and the Sathen paused as the
cinnamon and sage scented flakes fell on them. A motion through the
drifting dust caught my eye. I looked up to see hundreds of Nathos
and Luminos charge down the dune. They raised their swords and a
battle cry, fierce with passion and rage, tore through the air. The
Sathen turned and shrieked their wordless, soul quaking cry and
swarmed to meet them, but the Luminos and Nathos cut them down as
though they were sheaves of grain.

I cut down a Sathen and turned as two more
leaped at me. I stumbled backward, then Axon was there. He took the
Sathen out with one slice and turned to face two more. I fell back
in the sand and closed my eyes as the first rays of morning lit the
desert.

“
Hold on, Nexa!”

Axon’s voice reached me through the
darkness. I wanted to tell him everything was alright, that the
Sathen were gone, but I couldn’t speak. Hands touched me and pain
flowed through every limb. I screamed, but they wouldn’t let go. I
tried to fight them off, but strong hands held me down.

“
Keep still; they’re trying
to save you,” Dathien’s deep voice said, though there was a quiver
to his tone I had never heard before.

“
There’s not enough sun,”
someone shouted.

“
We can’t wait,” Axon
replied with a growl. “Everyone, now!”

Pain flooded through my limbs as though I
was being doused with fire. My back arched off the damp sand and my
fingers clenched into fists. My eyes flew open and I saw Axon’s
face silhouetted by the rising sun. His blue eyes stared into mine
and I could see him talking, but a roar filled my ears and I
couldn't hear his words. Another surge went through me and my
strength left with my breath. I felt like I was drowning, like I
was back on the ship with the water over my head and bars holding
me down.

“
Breathe,” Axon whispered
softly.

I took a breath, then another. Sweet, warm
desert air filled my lungs. I opened my eyes to see Axon’s face
above me, tears on his cheeks and his gaze soft and loving. I
reached up and set a hand softly against his cheek. He turned his
face into my touch and kissed my palm, then helped me sit up.

“
They’re gone! Nexa,
they’re gone!” Pyth said from where he crouched on my other side.
“We’ve killed every last one of them.”

“
Probably not every one,”
Commander Thursten said, standing behind Axon so he could shadow me
from the sun. “But most.”

I nodded. “I’ll settle for most.”

Axon pulled me close in a hug, then helped
me to my feet. I wobbled slightly and he put an arm around my waist
so I could see the rocky debris that was all that remained of the
Caves. “Firen Caves are gone,” he said with a finality that lifted
the weight from my soul.

He helped me to the top of the dune and we
watched the sun rise. Fingers of light streamed through the cliffs
in the distance and lit the sand like paths to the heavens. “We did
it,” I said softly, trying to convince myself that it was over.

“
You did it,” Axon said
quietly. I turned at the strange tone of his voice and saw tears
tracing their way down his cheeks. He tried to speak, but his voice
caught. He shook his head and put his forehead against mine. I
stared into his icy blue eyes. “I almost lost you. It was so close.
You almost left me behind.”

His tears touched my cheeks and then I was
crying with him, crying at the thought of leaving a world that had
just become right, of leaving the one person I had truly come to
love, to whom I had given all that was left of my heart. “I’ll
never leave you,” I whispered past the tightness of my throat.

“
I thought you died,” he
replied, his eyes shut tight and forehead against mine. “You
stopped breathing and I wanted to run to the Caves and throw myself
in with the Sathen because I couldn’t live in a world you weren’t
in.”

My heart clenched at the thought of his
death by a hundred tearing claws and teeth, a death I had almost
experienced. I turned my head and kissed the hand that rested
carefully on my cheek. He put his fingers under my chin and turned
it back so that he could look at me. He brushed the tears from my
cheeks and kissed me soundly. I pulled him close and kissed him
with all the love, relief, and gratitude in my heart.

When he let go, he gave a soft smile. “At
least some of your strength has returned.”

I smiled back and turned to watch the
figures work below us.

Commander Jashen and Commander Thursten
directed the Luminos, Nathos, and Duskies below, setting up camp
and carrying away the bodies of the slain Sathen. It was strange to
see the Luminos and Nathos Commanders together; they were so
different, yet their stance and the way they held themselves was
similar, two strong men honed by years of fighting and defending
the people they loved. “So that was Reathe in the lower cave,” I
mused.

Axon nodded. “It filled the air after the
explosion. The Nathos say they can already feel the effects wearing
off, but at least it gave us what we needed to fight back.”

“
And much more,” I said
softly.

We watched the Luminos, Nathos, and Duskies
care for the wounded, carry away the bodies, and gather supplies
for a meal as one people. No one worried about race or who did
what. Everyone worked together and I saw smiles exchanges and
stories told as they helped each other. I leaned against Axon and
felt a surge of gratitude toward the Caves for one last gift.

Chapter 35

“
You’re sure you want to go
through with this?” Queen Midissa asked, disapproval in her
tone.

Axon’s eyes met hers and their gazes sparked
with matching stubbornness; it was like watching a battle between
two cave bears.

The Queen finally laughed. “Good; I just
wanted to be sure.” She motioned for me to come to her and took my
hand, ignoring her son’s stare completely. “I had to be positive
you deserved him,” she whispered to me loud enough for both Axon
and his father to hear.

“
Mother!” Axon said
indignantly.

She glanced at him and then back to me.
“Now, I’m not sure if he deserves you,” she said in a slightly
louder voice.

I laughed and she squeezed my fingers. “I’ve
waited a long time for a daughter.”

I looked at Axon and he gave a reassuring
smile. “I’ve always wanted a mother,” I replied, surprising myself
with my honesty.

Midissa studied me for a moment, then
wrapped me in a close hug. Axon and King Adexo watched us with
matching looks of surprise. Midissa let me go and waved a hand at
the men. “Oh, don’t look so shocked.” She motioned for me to follow
her. “We’ve got a lot to do before the wedding.” As we left through
the door, she said, “I know a material that will look just perfect
with your beautiful skin.” I followed her wordlessly and knew my
face had the same expression of shock as Axon’s.

EPILOGUE

Citizens of Lysus, Luminos, and the newly
relocated members of the Caves came for the wedding held on the
same beach where Axon and I had been rescued after the ship went
down. King Raden surprised everyone by crowning Tiseria ruler of
Lysus before he passed away, much to the chagrin of her mother,
whom Tiseria promptly settled in a beautiful home several miles
from the castle. She was happier than I had ever seen her, and
flirted with every suitor who asked for a dance.

The ceremony itself was beautiful, simple,
and elegant, which also described the dress of shimmering white
lace and silk that Axon’s mother had made for me. I stood at his
side amazed at the adventures which had brought us to such a
fitting new chapter. I held his hand and looked out over the mixed
faces of Luminos and Duskies. A celebration would also take place
later that night so the Nathos could participate. A deep
satisfaction formed in my chest and I knew it was all worth it. I
would face down the Sathen a thousand times if it meant the empire
could finally be at peace from the blood-thirsty creatures and from
war.

Several months later, I sat beside Axon at
the dinner table and watched the people below laugh and dance to
the joyful tunes supplied by Pyth’s lute and his wife’s beautiful
singing. Their sons chased each other through the dancers, two of
whom barely missed a disastrous tumble into a bowl of punch; Pyth’s
baby daughter slept on his wife’s lap while she sang. Several
Luminos and Duskie couples danced together, no longer needing to
hide their feelings for each other from the world. I smiled at the
girl who had asked me so long ago in the market square if I loved
Axon; she twirled with a look of pure joy in the arms of her
Luminos suitor. Commander Jashen met my eyes from down the table
and raised his glass. I smiled and lifted my own in return.

I felt a stirring in my stomach that had
repeated itself several times in the last few days and rested a
hand there. Axon glanced over and his eyes widened. I nodded and
his mouth fell open. He leaned over to his mother and whispered
something; she smiled at me knowingly and repeated the words to her
husband. King Adexo stood up so abruptly his chair fell over, which
caused the members of the court to fall silent.

King Adexo cleared his throat. ���My people,
it is my privilege to announce that my son, your future King, and
his wife, Princess Nexa, Commander of the Duskies, is expecting a
child.”

A roar of approval swept up through the
crowd; Axon set a hand on my stomach and we smiled at each other
when the baby pushed back.

***Mist, Book 2 in the World of Shadows, is
now available!

About the Author

Cheree Alsop is the mother of a beautiful,
talented daughter and two amazing twin sons who fill every day with
light and laughter. She married her best friend, Michael, who
changes lives each day in his Chiropractic clinic. Cheree is
currently working as a free-lance writer and mother. She enjoys
reading, riding her Ninja motorcycle on warm nights, and rocking
her twins while planning her next book. She is also an aspiring
drummer and bass player for her husband’s garage band.

Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they
rock out, enjoy the outdoors, and plan great adventures.