The Darkness

Leena

The sandy wasteland that surrounded Braun was not easy to travel through. More than once, Jonas had us take cover and settle in our tents as he felt someone watching us.

"It's beautiful out here." I had said more than once as we trudged through the warm white sand.

"Could you be more specific?" Cage teased, wiping his forehead with his shirt. "You have said it was beautiful in every area we have been to so far."

"There's beauty in all of it."

"I think it's just hot. And dirty."

I rolled my eyes and pushed his shoulder playfully. "The sky is gorgeous and so blue. I mean, it was blue in Fluvis but there was..." I lifted my fingers and traced the faint hills on the horizon. "A haze about it."

"Oh, good. You've really narrowed it down for me."

"You're ridiculous."

"It's just a bunch of sand." He sighed, causing Jonas to laugh beside us. "Piles of sand."

"Yes, exactly! And it's beautiful." Jonas agreed with me, shooting a fond smile in my direction.

Cage sighed with annoyance and tied his shirt around his head to form a strange hat. Small lizards scurried across our feet as we trudged on, our stomachs rumbling as we grew closer to a small cluster that looked like a handmade village. I assumed we wouldn't be greeted with a feast from this place. I became very thankful for the breads and stew Delphine had packed for us.

The face that stared back at me from the edge of the huts looked very similar to my own, if a bit darker in complexion. She had warm colored skin, same large eyes and dark spiral curled hair that was always just a little too curly to manage on my own. Her lips were full and covered in a deep red paint - much darker than Laurel would have ever allowed on my own. She had tiny scars scattered across her cheeks which I couldn't tell were from combat or childhood blemishes. Regardless of the small scars, she was strong and beautiful.

From the hint of defiance in her eyes, and the challenge that curved her lips, she certainly had a strong personality that made me momentarily forget her beauty. I imagined she was a strong warrior, though she didn't smell familiar to me at all which made me think she was from a different pack originally than my own.

She was wearing a high necked tunic with intricate reds and golds woven in with long arms, the bottom falling just below her thighs. The fabric was loose at her waist and just a little tight across her breasts. As I looked around at the others in the Pack, I realized that the red colors on their tunics were slightly different in shade and there was virtually no gold in the embroidery, but bronze instead.

I saw more dark-skinned people than pale, some so dark they appeared almost like shadows in the bright sunlight, others of various skin shades from olive to brown. I was used to seeing people with tanned skin like my other Pack member's, but the darkness of these people surprised me. On my journey I had seen many different complexions, but never darker than my own.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all." Jonas broke the silence, nodding to the woman who had stepped forward with the gold patterns. I assumed she was the leader here, though she looked to be about my age. I realized quickly that I had spent so much time with elves lately, I had no idea if these shifters aged the same as my Pack or if their life would be as long as Jonas or possibly Keya's.

"My name is Leena. I am here to meet you ahead of Demi."

I nodded in understanding. We were being vetted before being allowed to meet their leader. I wondered absently why this woman's clothing was different from the others, but a leadership position similar to my fathers would warrant a fair amount of respect. I assumed the colors all held a difference significance among the ranks. I made a mental note to ask Jonas about their customs in private.

Cage danced beside me with anxiety and awe. This was a first for both of us. While we both knew there were other Packs that had no relation to us, we had never learned their customs or locations.

"What do you want?" Leena demanded as her eyes began to glow with curiosity and malice. It was obvious that she had heard more of us than we had of her or her people.

"We wish to speak your leader in an official capacity." I said bravely, attempting to show my own air of confidence.

"Our leader has no interest in speaking to traitors."

As I opened my mouth to argue, the Pack members looked to the ground uneasily as a woman stepped through them. Her dark skin was accented with touches of red and sparkling glitter. Her hair was pinned neatly off her neck and a red ribbon was laced through the ebony coils. I had never seen anyone with as dark of complexion as this woman's, but she was utterly stunning. Her skin was like night, even against my own. The red and gold dress she wore hugged her chest and waist in a way that made her curves stand out in all the right ways, but the golden flowing skirts made her look effortless. Leena looked as if she wanted to say something, but cowered in silence as the woman came to stand beside her.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her, not only for her beauty, but the power that seemed to flow from her very soul.

She was beautiful, yet as I looked closely, the gleam in her doe eyes hid a mysterious essence. The smooth charcoal skin had the shine of a serpent and her strawberry lips had the kiss of a slow agonizing death. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I realized Demi was not the gentle ruler I assumed her to be.

Her eyes dialed in on me, seeming to look through me rather than acknowledging me fully. She wasn't necessarily cold in the way she took us in, but she didn't look entirely pleased to see us either.

"What do I owe the pleasure of the presence of the High Queen?" She asked finally, her perfectly manicured brow arching slightly. "It must be important if you brought the dog with you." Many of the Pack members disbursed quickly, leaving Leena behind to stand awkwardly near the woman.

I tensed slightly, but chose to ignore the way she spoke about Cage for now. He started to growl softly behind me, but stopped quickly as Jonas shot him a dark look. We needed help if there were any hope of saving Paeris and Allie and Fern had promised us another surprise along the way. There was something magnificent about the way I trusted Fern's insight so faithfully.

"I came for help." I said simply. "My name is Ray."

"I know who you are. Word travels fast in these parts." She smiled then. "Hot heads and all that." The ice in her stare seemed to melt a touch. "My name is Demi."

"It's a pleasure." I repeated Jonas' words, wondering if pleasantries would get me anywhere with this woman. There was an extreme difference between Fern and Delphine to Demi. The way the leaders of Fluvis and Spiris ruled was with warmth and kindness. Looking into this woman's eyes, I saw nothing but anger and cruelty.

"We wanted to stop through on our way back to the High Wall and introduce ourselves in hopes to form a treaty of sorts." I said confidently, my wolf trembling inside of me with frustration for the first time in days. I hadn't even needed to mention the idea of a treaty with the other Leaders, but it was apparent that we would not see the inside of Braun without playing nice.

"Treaty?" She scoffed, causing Leena's eyes to grow slightly in size. It was as if she were warning me to watch my words, despite the rude way she had addressed me earlier. How did the saying go?

'An enemy of our enemy is our friend'?

I could tell from the way the Pack cowered at her very presence that they feared and probably despised this woman. Maybe Demi was more like Lorelei than I had originally thought.

"You aren't here to make friends with us. And if you are, you are stupid or misguided." She spat, crossing her arms in front of her. I could feel the heat rolling off of her as Leena stepped a few paces away to give us a large space in case things turned south.

"I understand your anxiety." I expressed honestly. "But I am not my mother. We share a common threat. Together, we are stronger."

"I don't speak of war in front of my pets." Demi snapped her fingers and instantly Leena twisted on her heel and took off toward the least ragged hut in the small village.

"War? I'm not..." I looked to Jonas for guidance, but the pale look on his face told me that my words were taken in the opposite way they were intended. Cage shuffled once again with anxiety behind me. "I don't intend for any war."

She scoffed again, clearly growing wary of my words.

"You, the High Queen, come to our Region after everything your family has done, and expect us to believe that you mean us no harm?" Fire flashed at her fingertips, and though I didn't feel threatened by the action after spending time with Fern and Delphine, Cage growled again behind me. "Curb your mongrel."

I shot Cage a look, trying to calm his anxiety the way Laurel would by extending my magic to surround him the way Delphine had shown me. I didn't truly believe we were in danger, though I did believe Demi was angry. I remembered Paeris' explanation that anger and fear was much harder to control than passion.

"Is there somewhere more... private we can discuss things?"

"You are not welcome in my home."

I sighed, nodding with understanding. There would be no peace in this land. I wondered absently if we would have been more welcomed if Merith had come with us.

"Get on with what you need to say. I am a very busy woman and my daughter, Leena, has a full day of work ahead of her. Neither of us can afford to entertain vermin."

The confusion that flowed between Jonas and I in silent discussion was overpowering.

"Leena is... I was under the impression that Leena was a Guardian?"

"Her father was Alpha, before the takeover." She said cooly, as if she was annoyed with the line of my questioning. "Spit it out. What could you possibly need from us?"

"As you probably know, my sister and a dear friend of mine has gone Dark. It's caused a bit of a mess that I'm hoping to clean up."

"I have only heard of one way to end this." She seemed pained, though not at all surprised by my words. "I heard rumors about your friend. You will have to pay the price for your sister bringing him back."

"What's the price? What do I have to do?"

"Kill him. It's the only way to restore the balance." The blood drained from my face. "This time, leave him dead."

"No, I can't do that... Delphine of Essos said there may be another way..."

"Energy transferral will leave you deathly weak and can only be done once, from what I understand. And do you want to be forever bound to a man the way Delphine is bound to Dax? She once ruled her Region with pride but now Dax, even after all he has done to her, is in charge. If you follow her instruction, you will have to choose between your lover and your sister. You will ultimately be equal to him, even as Queen. The High Wall needs a leader, not another weak woman bound to a man." Her eyes narrowed on me and she shook her head. "It's bad enough you have your frail right hand with you as a peacekeeper. What about that boy that came with you? You could learn to love him, even if he is a mutt. Leena's father was an interesting consort for a while."

"Leena... Cage... it's not about my love life." It was new knowledge to me that the Leader of Braun would mix lineage with a Guardian, especially with the disgust she clearly had for them. I wondered if she even knew what love was. I wondered what Leena's father had seen in Demi that made their relationship a realistic possibility.

"I have no time for trivial of things like love or familiarity." She huffed again, the fire gone from her fingers as she studied them briefly. "Besides, it is his own fault for getting involved in royal affairs."

"Paeris didn't choose to come back! It's not his fault!"

"So send him back." The force of her words made me jump. "The balance must be restored! There can be no peace between our Regions if you weaken yourself for a boy! Believe me when I say, Penum and Braun will not allow you to make this mistake. There will be war."

"You're insane! How can you not care about another person's life if they can be saved?"

"I prefer chaotically inclined. And that, my Queen is what your whole life will be like. You are young. Beautiful. There will be other boys and you will eventually outlive your little pets. You will get used to losing people. Learn to get over it now and save yourself the heartache or I promise I will bring trouble to you."