The Shadow's Deal

The pact with the Old Gods had been broken and an era of chaotic darkness was soon to follow. What once was a world filled with magic and beauty was now divided by power and dominion and we all had our parts to play. As a high princess, I had become a target. People no longer looked to the royal families as a symbol of hope and strength or fairness and divine judgement, we were now seen as the pitfall of humanity. Our bloodlines, beliefs and magics were deemed self-absorbed despite the millennia of peace we had served.

A surge of world magic had begun it. Commoners were imbued with the same ancient magic of my bloodline and were soon able to manipulate the mystic energies of the world. Many lacked the required respect and discipline to truly control it, and even then, there was always a chance of being duped by nature. Fights to prove power broke out and in time they came knocking at the governing families, demanding a trial by mystic combat for the right to rule over continents.

I had been happy for those born without a connection to world magic suddenly being able to tap into it. That happiness quickly faded into the abyss of fear and guilt which was forced upon us like a poisoned crown. Mother became so sick her connection was all but a trickle of residual magic, unable to conjure or manipulate more than a weary smile in her defeated state. Father was on the edge of a fall to utter depreciation and despair, but he stood proudly, ready to defend his family from the quickly accumulating wisps of darkness that were once a loyal and content people. Everything had changed so quickly and the veiled desire for violence lying deep in the hearts of mankind was now surfacing. It erupted like a volcano in a burning hot rage to control and dominate all life while inadvertently destroying it.

Deep in the underground dungeons, I found refuge. The dark stone walls seeped with freshwater, giving life to small mossy plants and cooling the environment. It was a blissfully quiet place compared to the surface world, despite the darkness and abandonment. A few torches of eternal light created a dim shadow, illuminating just enough for me to navigate the eery darkness. Shadows moved slowly, watching my every step and waiting for an opportunity of distraction to morph into something new. Through a grand arch of stone and brick I found the ancient library; packed to the ceiling with books and tomes that had become waterlogged by the incessant dripping walls or ruined by time. I had come here a few times before against the will of my parents. They told me it was unsafe and had planned to have the entire underground destroyed and sealed off, but since many of our guards and workers had joined the rebellion and run away with newfound power, the underground project was put aside. The depletion of the royal guard also meant I was often unsupervised while within the palace walls and luckily the entryway to the underground dungeon was hidden deep below the palace library, with access through a hatch beneath an old rug and wonky floorboard. If anyone ever did storm the palace, we would be safe underground until starvation settled in. I had tried to convince my parents to hide below in the event of an emergency, but they recoiled at the notion and refused to discuss the underground dungeon again. I couldn’t hold the guilt of losing them to their lack of cooperation, so I went ahead with my plans.

I had stored a small pantry of food items in one of the ancient library rooms and had brought bedding and clothes down too. I was set to survive for quite some time and my magic would help with longevity and comfort in the meantime. My plans, however, were quickly brought to the tip of a blade that poked at me to make an even more important decision.

A shadow wraith formed from the darkness in the dimmest corner of the library. It floated towards me with tendrils wisping gently from its ghostly body.

“Who are you?” I whispered, “What do you want?”

A hissing sound protruded from the warped darkness; it was speaking an ancient tongue.

“I can’t understand you!” I held my hands up defensively as it came closer, ready to strike it with magic and banish it back into the darkness. It recognised my fear and stopped dead in its tracks. We were at a stalemate for some time, but I refused to lower my guard.

“One more time, wraith, what do you want?” I yelled, more fiercely than ever.

“A chance…” a strange, whispered voice replied. The wraith lifted its wispy dark hand, openly asking for a truce. I glared at it unconvinced.

“There is a shift of energy in this world. You will perish if you stay here. I can help.”

My eyes widened. It knew.

“I can’t trust you, please leave,” I asked, fingers shaking. The wraith seemed to sigh, it looked as though it was turning to retreat but then it launched itself at me, grappling onto my head and infecting my mind. Visions faded in and out, blocking the reality in front of me. I tried to scream and fight it off me but I was quickly paralysed by its magic.

A scene played out in front of me; it was from a much older time. People gathered in what appeared to be a royal courtyard. In the centre lied a guillotine. A public death sentence was about to take place. I tried to close my eyes but I was no longer in control. Guards walked me towards the death, lining my neck up perfectly beneath the blade.

“I’m innocent!” I scream at the crowd. Tears flush down my face as no one responds. I can feel my heart racing. Adrenaline is coursing through my veins, begging me to escape what is about to come. I think about the royal adviser lying dead in the hall of the palace. His cold, lifeless body was subject to several stabs of a blade in the night. The sight of him causes me to drop my bag. I look around but cannot find any evidence or signs of an enemy to the crown. A royal councillor arrives at the palace rather early; he must have heard my footsteps and comes to greet me. He notices me before the body and recoils in horror. I try to explain that I had only just found the body. He pats me on the shoulder and asks me to search around the court outside. While I am oblivious, he plants his bloodstained blade in the bag I dropped. He calls for guards to arrest me and tells them to search me and my bag. My heart stops when I realise what he has done. He is branded a hero and is appointed the new royal adviser, a step up from his position for avenging the previous one. I am jailed for three nights until the executioner is available. I cannot plea innocent for no one will listen. I stare out into the crowd of blank faces and scream once more, but no one will listen. The executioner pulls the lever.

Suddenly, my vision returns. I gasp for air and fall to my knees before the wraith.

“I hated your kind. I died with all the hate in the world boiling inside me. The fate your ancestors decided for me was unjust. I returned the favour by luring and killing as many royal associates as I could in my time haunting this place.”

I began coughing between gasps. I feared for my life more than ever in the presence of the wraith, now knowing the energy that had damned it.

“I would have found peace if I wasn’t so spiteful in my death….”

My heart rate slowed. The wraith sounded almost sad.

“I cannot escape this eternal damnation until I forgive.”

The wisps of its body settled to a slow flowing motion, it urged me to follow it.

“Why don’t you just say you forgive me and my ancestors then?” I asked with trembling legs. The wraith led me to an old brick wall, covered in thick vines.

“Actions speak louder than words, child. Remove the choking hate for me,” It ran its shadowy hand over the vines, unable to pry them away. I pulled at them but they wouldn’t budge.

“I couldn’t defend myself because of all the power you had, use your power.”

I stared into the empty darkness of its face, slightly uncertain of its goals. Steadying my hands, I attempted to remove the vines with magic. Surprisingly, it worked effectively. A single brick stuck out of place; the wraith gestured pushing it back in. With a loud click and thud, the wall moved aside to reveal a hidden room. In the centre stood a mirror of swirling magic, glowing lightly with an ethereal aura.

“What is this?” I asked, unable to take my eyes away.

“It is a way to escape. I cannot go in this form, but there is a chance for you.”

I glanced back, thinking of the burning world behind me.

“What happens if I go? Can I come back?”

The wraith moved in a circular motion around the mirror, “You must give up your magic to pass through. It may never return to you. And you may never return.”

“Why would I do that?” I exclaimed. The wraith was gentler than ever, it stared at the portal swirling in front of it like a child enthralled by a favourite toy.

“It is a better world. A world where everyone is equal. You can start over. If you go, maybe I can go too.”