The Light in the Dark ✓

Chapter 22.1 Planning

After they all got up and ate breakfast, they sat down to talk about the next steps. Everyone mourned Marcus' loss, so they didn't blame Jayden for his angry outburst.

'All right, I think we should start sorting what we know,' Jayden started. 'We learned that the Shadow that Grand Inquisitor made a pact with is Brath, one of the most powerful of them all. Is that correct?' He looked at Sam.

The other Mage sat cross-legged, holding Kara's hand and stroking it with his thumb absentmindedly. He already looked better. His eyes were still all black, but the dark circles under them were gone, and his skin was a touch less sickly pale than in the Shadow Realm. He looked at Jayden and nodded slowly. 'Unfortunately, you are right.'

'What can you tell us about him?' Myrica asked.

'Not much more than what you already know. Brath is shaking most of the Shadow Realm. I don't know exactly when it all started, but he must be ancient. His appearance was very mysterious. Some even say he did not originate in the Shadow Realm. But once he appeared, he started to gather power immediately.

'He used to be the leader of the radicalistic part of Shadows' society, the ones who opposed sharing the knowledge with Realmfarers. His methods became more and more vicious and uncompromising with time. He ordered more experiments with Light Magic, leading to degradation of the whole society.'

'What a cheerful fellow.' Arlo sighed.

'Quite.'

'Have you ever encountered him yourself?' Myr asked.

'No, I'm not that stupid.' Sam scoffed. 'As soon as I've learnt about him, I made sure I stay as far away from him as possible. Luckily, my Light was never very potent, so searching for me wasn't worth the effort.'

'Do you think he knew about you?' Iris asked.

'I'm sure he did. Look, I know you all have a lot of misconceptions about the Shadow Realm. The thing is its inhabitants are not some mindless creatures lurking there and waiting for the chance to break into our world. Well, at least not all of them. They are sentient creatures, and they have a mind of their own. They might not think and act the way we do, but I risk the assumption they are similar in more ways than we would like to admit.

'So yes, Brath has the Shadows who serve him, a whole lot of them. That's how he knew when you came there. One weak Light Mage might not be worth the effort, but the whole squad of humans? That's another story.'

'The Shadow we let get away,' Kara growled. 'I bet it was that pathetic thing that led him straight to us. I knew we should have killed him.'

'That wouldn't change a thing, love.' Sam squeezed her hand gently. 'The moment you stepped into that realm, all nearby Shadows could sense you. It's not every day that something so exciting is happening in this godforsaken place.'

'Do you think Alaife is all right?' Iris asked hesitantly. Since they left the Shadow Realm, the thought was weighing on her mind, filling her with guilt. 'We did leave him there while all those wild Shadows were swarming the place.'

'I'm sure he's fine.' Sam waved his hand dismissively. 'I can still feel my bond with him, still can use Shadow Magic. That means he's still alive and kicking.'

'That's a relief.'

Jayden raised his brow. 'Are you seriously worried about the Shadow right now?'

'And what if I do?' she hissed back. 'He is a nice... Shadow? I feel like we left a friend out there.'

'I get you, Iris,' Sam said in a surprisingly serious tone. 'Alfie saved my life more than once out there, and I trust him completely. I felt bad for leaving him there too. But those books mean more to him than his own life. He would never agree to leave that place. Don't worry your pretty little head about it. I'm sure once we left, those Shadows lost their interest. They might have gone mad in their yearning for light, but they rarely destroy things just out of pure malice. There's nothing in those dusty old books that might interest them.'