Between Shadows (Shadows Saga bk2)

Sneak Peek into Beyond the Shadows

Mara walked down the deserted street, past the dilapidated houses, and mounds of rubble. She stopped in the middle of what had once been an intersection, taking a seat on the dirt path. Straight ahead she could see the castle that had once held power over the land.

The giant letters engraved in the stone for the whole kingdom to see, now weathered and barely distinguishable. The two words in Latin, a reminder for all the people who had once lived within the walls, fortitudo intrinsecus. Strength from within.

Mara wanted to laugh at the irony; a motto for strength for the kingdom that fell, and yet she appreciated the words. She wished she had known them when she first learned of the world. It had been the strength within her and her friends that had helped them face down their fears and the dangers of the Magical Realm, it had helped them take down Zander.

But this was her kingdom now, and she would not let it fall to past mistakes. The kingdom would find its strength from within, she would be that strength, and this time it would hold.  

Word had traveled far and wide of the battle between the High Council and the Nightshades. The witches who had stepped up, ready to fight for their world, to keep the Realm safe for their children had told their stories. They had spread word of the powerful Mara Crowland, a force to be reckoned with, and the witch to save them all.

She had laughed at the stories she heard; she couldn’t believe the way they talked about her. Nonetheless word had spread not just amongst the witches, but all the races. There had been petitions to bring back the era of the witch, to rebuild the kingdom that hadn’t been even since before Urissa’s time. They wanted order again.

Mara hadn’t believed anything would come of these musings but it had been enough to warrant the attention of the High Council. They were excited about the talk, for generations they had wanted the witches to join again, to have united forces in the Realm once more.

Things didn’t need to become even more complicated, but the will of the Realm, as well as the High Council, had spoken. The witch kingdom would rebuild.

That left Mara sitting amongst broken homes and destroyed businesses. They had said a team would be placed to rebuild the kingdom, but Mara had declined the offer. If she was the chosen queen to her people, then she would rebuild the kingdom herself.

She had stared at the images for hours, photos of the kingdom at its best. She had pictures of all five kingdoms that she would pick and choose from. She wanted to take elements from each of the five, the past witch kingdom, the werewolves, fae, goblins, and dwarves. She wanted it to be a symbol of unity, of all races coming together as one.

She and her friends hoped for a day when race no longer mattered, where whom someone was with no longer mattered. Mara wanted her kingdom to reflect that. She knew it was a far cry from winning the battle, but it would be a start. The beginning of acceptance.

Mara laid each picture out in front of her, showing all the aspects to the different kingdoms. Staring at them, she began to arrange them they way she wanted in her mind, building up a virtual kingdom.

Once she had the image up, she spun it in her head, covering all the sides and making sure they were absolutely perfect. She smiled, satisfied with what she saw. Now she just had to project it out and hope that her powers were strong enough to build it.

By now Mara knew she was powerful enough, but she still doubted herself every once in a while, and with the pressure of a whole world resting on her shoulders, she didn’t want to mess up.

Mara relaxed her muscles and kept turning the image around, looking the whole kingdom over making sure she didn’t miss anything. She called on her magic, feeling the familiar tingle wash over her. The hairs on her arms stood on end, and a warmth spread through every cell as she let her magic and mind work together.

As the magic flowed, Mara could tell it was working. She could hear the stones rebuilding themselves and feel the shift in the wind as the buildings once again stood tall and proud.

When her eyes finally opened, Mara smiled. It was just as she had pictured it, everything was in the right place. She looked up at the castle now with a new phrase, nos vincet.

“We shall overcome,” she whispered.