The Shadow King's Claim

chapter one

It was a peaceful day with birds flying in a thick and tall forest that obscured the sky above and the ground below. A deer grazed in a nearby clearing, a wolf rested while her pups played, and a fox chased a rabbit.

But a loud thump startled them all. The birds flew away in fright, the deer ran, the mother wolf leaped to alertness, and the fox stopped its chase.

The fox then moved towards the noise to investigate.

Kalia groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Her head hurt, and she realized she wasn't in her cozy sitting room by the fire but in a distant forest.

The trees were thick and gray, with what looked to be purple moss growing at the bottom and red ivy climbing up the trunks.

Kalia was admiring the forest when she heard a rustling. To her right was a rustling bush, and when she looked over, she saw a fox with gold and gray fur and silver-blue eyes.

"What a beautiful creature," Kalia thought. "Hello," she said.

The fox startled and stepped back into the bush.

"Oh, no, don't be afraid.I won't hurt you," Kalia said softly. But the fox still moved back and out of her sight.With a sigh she got up and dusted off her legs.

"Now, where am I, and where should I go?"

Kalia looked where the fox came from, then to her left. She turned around, not finding any path, and sighed again. It seems like she has been doing a lot of sighing that day. She shook her head and decided to head where the fox came from.

Kalia then started to walk towards the bush. She stopped and with another sigh, she moved forward.

Kalia walked through the bush and down the path behind it, looking around to see anything familiar to her. But she saw nothing. Another sigh escaped her. Jeez, what's with all the sighing today?

The farther she walked the denser the forest got until she saw a light in the distance. Kalia then ran towards the light and came upon the clearing where the deer was grazing before.

"Beautiful," Kalia thought.

The clearing where the deer was grazing before was filled with grass that was the color blue and flowers that looked like pink glass. It was beautiful like something out of a fairytale.

She walked farther into the clearing not realizing that there was someone in the shadows watching her.

~~

Hidden in the shadows was Hadrian, the shadow king.Hadrian was hunting when he heard running, so he followed from the shadows. When the running stopped, he came upon the clearing where he and his best friend Raspen used to play with the wind element. But that was before they both became kings in their kingdom.

Shaking his head to focus on what was happening, he saw a beautiful woman walk into the clearing.

With hair as crimson as blood, skin as pale as snow, and gray eyes that shone like thunder.

He could not look away. There was something about her that he wanted.

Hadrian had never felt like this, before, like an animal with a need to take what was his.

He had to take a deep breath just to calm the need he felt deep inside his soul.

Could this woman be his soulmate, the one destined for him?

If she was his soulmate,then he would do whatever it takes to have her by his side as his queen.

But before, that he needs to know her name.

With that in mind, Hadrian walked out of the shadows and towards the woman.

~~

Kalia was startled from her thoughts when she heard someone approach her. She turned around and saw a man with midnight hair and a mask that obscured his face. He was tall, with skin like caramel. There was something mysterious about him that intrigued her.

"Hello," she said.

"Suilad," the man said.

"What? I don't understand you," she stated. "What language is this?" she thought.

Just then, the man held out his hand.

"Ae anírar handon i-pedich, aphado cam nîn."

"What?" Kalia commented, "I just said that I don't understand you."

With a sigh, the man gasped her hand and then a whole ton of knowledge flooded her mind. With a groan, she let go of the man's hand, now knowing his name is Hadrian, grabbed her head, and started to fall to her knees. But before she hit the ground, Hadrian caught her by the waist.

"Do you understand me now?" Hadrian asked.

"Yeah," Kalia said with a groan. "That hurt."

Hadrian chuckled, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's okay," Kalia said, "Um, can you let go of my waist?"

"Oh, sorry," Hadrian remarked, and then released Kalia's waist.

When he let her go, Kalia stepped backward away from him.

"Where am I?" Kalia asked.

"You are in the Mirkwood, in the northern part of the shadows kingdom," Hadrian answered.

"Oh, so we are not in Kansas then," Kalia said.

"Kansas?" Hadrian asked looking confused.

"Yeah, it's a place back home. Well can you show me the way out of this forest, please," Kalia asked politely.

"Sure, why not. Follow me then," Hadrian said with a smirk.

Then Hadrian started to walk back from where he came from. Kalia then followed him. Kalia looked around the forest and saw flowers that appeared to be glowing in the shadows. It was beautiful. Kalia stopped at a flower that looked like a diamond rose. She went to touch it but Hadrian stopped her.

"Don't touch," he said softly.

"Why? It's beautiful," Kalia said.

"It might look beautiful, but it's deadly. It will kill you with in a moment," Hadrian said.

"Oh," Kalia said pulling her hand away.

"Okay, let's go and no more stopping to look at dangerous flowers and plants," Hadrian said.

"Okay," Kalia agreed.

Then they started moving again, and this time they did not stop.

They walked for two hours until they saw the end of the forest.

Kalia then walked a little faster until she emerged from the forest. She had to shield

her eyes from the bright light.

Once Kalia's eyes adjusted to the light, she pulled her hand away. Right in front of her was a dirt road, and across the road was a field of unusual horses. Stunned to see eight-legged horses with spikes going down their necks, she asked in wonderment,

"What kind of horse is that?"

"They are Sleipnir," Hadrian said, walking over to where Kalia stood.

"Oh, they are beautiful," Kalia remarked.

"Yes, they are," Hadrian agreed.

Just then, a figure emerged out of the shadows and walked over to Hadrian to whisper something into his ear. Once the figure was done, theydisappeared back into the shadows, as if they were never there.

"Um, what was that?" Kalia asked looking a little frightened.

"Oh that was Bheire, he is a Djinn," Hadrian answered.

"Okay, well thanks for showing me the way out of the forest. Can you tell me the way to the nearest town? I need to find away back home. Hopefully, someone there will know how I can get back home?" Kalia said.

"How about I just take you there," Hadrian replied, grabbing Kalia's waist and pulling her close to him. "You should probably take a deep breath."

"What? Why?" Kalia asked.

But Hadrian did not answer. He just smirked.

~~

The town of Lena was bustling with excitement. It was the time of the shadow moon, so the townspeople were getting ready for the event. Shop owners closed down their buildings to put up stalls in the main street. Musicians from all over Lena and shadow dancers came to perform and celebrate the day.

In the center of the town, there was a fountain with a grim reaper and a hellhound. Red liquid flowed out of the mouth of the hellhound and down into the fountain.

Lights of all colors were hung around the town, creating a beautiful sight.

One vendor was setting up their booth when a shiver ran down their spine, causing them to stop and look up.

They saw shadows forming into a spire, then fading away revealing two people inside. One man and one woman.