Waking the Dark Read online

  Waking the Dark

  The Darkest Day Book One

  K.N. Lee

  Captive Quill Press

  Copyright © 2018 by K.N. Lee

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For Sylvie and Jensen, my everything.

  I do things like get in a taxi and say, “The library, and step on it.”

  David Foster Wallace

  Contents

  Aranthia World Info

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  An Exclusive Excerpt from Throne of Deceit

  An Exclusive Look at The Way of Thieves

  A Look at Fallen Empire

  About the Author

  Also by K.N. Lee

  Aranthia World Info

  RACES OF ARANTHIA:

  Humans

  Sun Elves

  Moon Elves

  Gnomes

  Fairies

  Dwarves

  Tryans

  KINGDOMS OF ARANTHIA:

  Veruth- Sun Elf Territory

  Odom- Dwarven Territory

  Modan- Sun Elf Territory

  Kapernica- Fairy Territory

  Leeds- Human Territory

  Erindium- Moon Elf Territory

  Vasiria- Moon Elf Territory

  Saint Aria- Tryan Territory

  REIGNING GODS:

  Preeti

  Vineet

  Chapter One

  Ava

  Whispers. Beckoning. The trees in the distance rustled as if in greeting, urging me to take the leap, and shed my dismal life.

  If only I had the courage.

  I scraped caked-in blood from my ragged fingertips. Me and the other workers had toiled for hours while the cold wind blew at our backs.

  As I stood at the top of The Wall, overlooking what was left of the Old World, I coughed and rubbed at my frozen nose. Wetness smeared on my knuckles, only making me colder.

  From this high up, the quiet and peace was worth every frozen finger and toe. For a moment, I pretended to be free, picturing myself at the helm of a ship as it sailed across the Karcadian Sea.

  Veruth was the largest kingdom on the Aranthian continent, but none of us would know it. We’d never been outside of those walls.

  “See anything, Ava?” Ford asked, breaking me from my thoughts. He called up from the platform just below mine. “Any monsters? Anything at all?”

  I glanced down at him, his murky, brown eyes hooded by thick black hair that constantly whipped into his face as the Northern winds continued their assault.

  Taking another look, I wished I had seen something. Was the mysterious Dark out there, floating around and breeding new terrors like the elves and our ancestors said?

  So far, I’d never seen it. Some wondered if it even existed. Centuries had passed since it had shown itself. No luck catching a glimpse today. But, to the east, over the city, I did see the magical Sky Keep where the elvish monks lived. Though faint, I could see wyverns flying above it, weaving in and out of the thick clouds.

  I’d give anything to go there one day, even if just for a moment.

  I shook my head. “Nothing,” I said, glancing back up as I held onto the black pole at the top of the stone structure meant to protect us from the creatures across the wall.

  The unnerving silence on the other side always captivated me since I’d taken this job. While we were slaves within the walls, there was such eerie beauty in the wilderness. As I gazed into the horizon, mountains emerged from the thick green of the forest, and the sea stretched all across the east.

  This was just my first week helping tar and stack heavy stones onto the top. For years, the humans had made the wall taller and more fortified, and each year we began to wonder whether it was meant to keep something out…or to keep us in.

  I already knew the answer to that question, but we worked nonetheless, feigning ignorance and convincing ourselves that the sun elves who had invaded our land had our safety in mind.

  “Oy,” a loud shout came from far to the right.

  I shuddered, turning to meet the hawk-like glare of Hyatt, the task master. Silvery-white hair whipped around my face as our gazes met.

  His pointed ears were red from the cold, yet the cruelty in his glowing amber eyes betrayed nothing of his discomfort.

  I dreaded the lashing of his long, enchanted whip, lip trembling as I eyed it, waiting for it to snap out and slash my face or back open.

  Damned sun elf. It was as if our peace only angered them even though we did the menial work that built the city. Nonetheless, we kept our heads down, executed our tasks, and sealed our mouths closed.

  “Get back to work,” he ordered, and everyone turned their attention to their respective jobs pulling stones up from the ground.

  There were hundreds on the wall, old and young, children, and the outcast class of gnomes. No matter where we came from, we were all slaves.

  Quickly ducking down, I accepted the next block of stone and used all of my strength to slide it to the top of the wall. As I leaned down and got the next one, a wyvern swept in, stunning me. Black wings blotted out the faint light of the sun, silver claws glistening.

  Instead of flying away, it lunged into my face, knocking me from the safety of my spot on the platform.

  I screamed. Though I tried to catch myself, another gust of wind blew at me and my descent into the foggy abyss began.

  Ford reached for me.

  He missed, his hand sliding up my arm and catching nothing but air.

  My scream caught in my throat as I realized I was falling to my inevitable death. The Wall was hundreds of feet tall, so tall that most days the clouds met us halfway, leaving mist on our faces.

  No matter how much I flailed, the fall continued to pick up speed. A cry of pain ripped from my lips as something wrapped itself around my ankle.

  I slammed into the side of the wall, foot, ankle, and leg burning with pain—pain that was nothing compared to the cracking of my skull against the stone.

  I heard them screaming my name.

  Yet, the darkness called it the loudest.

  Chapter Two

  Xander

  I left the palace as quickly as my legs would take me without breaking into a run. Once I stood outside the double doors, with two armed guards at my side, I could finally breathe—finally shed the heavy burden of being a royal off as I lifted my hood and inhaled the cool wintry air.

  They told me not to be daft and reject the Princess of Modan, and yet that's exactly what I'd done. Of course, she was a beautiful, lovely girl, but I needed more than beauty.

  It wasn’t a shock that Father was angry, Mother cried in front of the entire court, and my brothers and sisters snickered or scowled as I made my decision.

  As the ninth sun elf prince, I was far from being considered in line for the throne. Unless a sickness struck the palace, or something drastic happened, I would never see myself as king of Veruth.

  I escaped from the throne room before father could
seek me out and scold me for my decision. But, that's the beauty of being ninth in line. I didn't have to marry for wealth or power. I could marry whomever I wanted.

  If I wanted to.

  The stone steps of the palace led down to the white, paved streets that made up the upper end of the walled city. While my brothers and sisters were content living within those walls, I wanted nothing more than to be free—to leave and explore the world.

  Perhaps I should have accepted a marriage with a princess from far across the sea. But, tales of the Dark kept us all living in fear of the outside world.

  To explore would have been a monumental adventure. But, father forbade it, and King Kirian's word was law in this realm.

  The world was a massive place, but what my siblings didn't realize, was that we were slaves just as much as the humans who lived below us. Living in a golden cage.

  "Where do you think you're going, Alexander?” Kastia asked, flying to me on the back of her pet wyvern, Lucky. The slim beast flapped its black wings and eyed me with red eyes as my sister held onto the reigns.

  I glanced over my shoulder at my sister. The sun was hidden by clouds today, and as a result our shimmering skin lost much of its glow. Winter was the hardest time for sun elves, who drew their power and vitality from its magical rays.

  Her purple hair whipped around her face as she hovered above me, a look of suspicion in her green eyes that matched my own.

  "Home,” I lied. “This place sickens me.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “Where are you really going?” Kastia asked, folding her arms over her chest. “I know you better than anyone. You’re going to try to find that girl again, aren’t you?”

  I looked away. There was no use lying to Kastia, she and I were the closest. Twins. But she didn’t understand what happened in my dreams. Or how they came true.

  To her, I was a silly elf with too much time on his hands. I was a warrior elf, with visions. Something didn’t make sense, and so, I was off to find the girl from my dreams.

  The girl with the white hair.

  Chapter Three

  Ava

  Darkness. Silence. As I came to, my senses were heightened by a pang of warning in my gut.

  “No,” I whispered, realizing that I had not awakened to the real world.

  Panic filled my body as I stood, clutching a crystal dagger in my fist.

  This was the dark world I sometimes visited in my dreams—the place where my nightmares and darkest fears came to life. I knew I was asleep, yet I couldn’t awaken, and my body was left frozen where I left it behind.

  I glanced down at the dagger, and my hands shook. The crystal was cold and the grooves pressed into my palm. The dagger felt as though it was made just for me, but I wasn’t sure why I needed it. What lurked in the shadows of this horrific place inside my head?

  Having a weapon, and one as glorious as the crystal dagger in my grasp, felt right, and so I lifted it before me, letting the glow light the area ahead.

  I swallowed and took a step forward. A wisp floated above me. I knew not to fear it, for when it was close to me, a wave of soothing peace washed over me. I stepped closer, desperate to feel its warmth and serenity. Waves of blue light composed its arms and tail, and its face was indistinct with two dark portals for eyes, and a wavering flame as its hair.

  “Why am I here?” I asked the wisp, meeting its hollow eyes. If I was going to be forced into this nightmare, I’d at least try to make sense of it. Sometimes—in my dreams—I’d see people I knew, and watch them do dark deeds that I’d awaken to find were real. For that reason, I didn’t have many friends. Ford was a good person, one I’d never seen hurt another in the real world, or in my dreams.

  As I stared at the wisp, visions of fire destroying Veruth taunted me as it burst into flames that lit the entire dark cavern in which we stood. In the fire, was a translucent image of my body dressed in brass, with a light between my hands that cast a glow that made a bubble around me.

  To my surprise, I didn’t burn, I seemed calm, confident.

  I was the one burning the city, and the people and elves screamed for mercy.

  A vibration within my chest interrupted the deepest sleep I’d ever had the pleasure to experience. A faint memory of flames and destruction lingered, but fear dissipated. I missed the warmth and confidence I felt in its grasp.

  Something about the inky black stretched around me was soothing, and wrapped around me like a thick blanket that shielded me from the cold world.

  I wished I could feel that safe always.

  Something told me to resist the calm solitude of the dark descent into the abyss, and I almost didn’t want to say farewell to its luscious kiss.

  Wake up, Ava, I willed myself, and ascended to the light with a gasp that ripped from my throat.

  “Bloody fool,” a harsh voice growled as I came to.

  Pain shot behind my eyes, and everything ached. My arms, my legs, even my neck. Most of all, my head felt as though I’d been pummeled relentlessly.

  Once my eyes adjusted to candlelight, I stared back at Hyatt and Lord Sceptimus, the sun elf responsible for The Wall and all of its workers.

  We were in a small room, with the loud roar of the city outside the door.

  Lord Sceptimus stood there at the foot of the cot on which I lay, his black hair long over his shoulders, framing his pale, ivory face. Dark eyes beheld me with disgust.

  He turned to Hyatt. “It seems she’ll live,” he said, ignoring me. “Though I have no clue how she survived.”

  I touched my face, wincing at the shock of pain. My right eye was nearly swollen shut, and when I glanced down I saw blood covering my shirt and wool pants.

  What had happened?

  All I remembered, was falling.

  That—and a strange voice singing my name.

  “Aye,” Hyatt said, lowering his head to the lord who was of a much higher rank than a task master.

  No matter how low Hyatt was on the class hierarchy, he was still superior to any human in Veruth.

  “Who is she?”

  Hyatt sneered at me. “No one,” he said, but the lord continued to stare at me with increasing interest. “You said she smashed her head on the stones.”

  “Just a minor incident,” Hyatt said. “You know how clumsy humans are, my lord.”

  Lord Sceptimus gave a flippant wave of his hand and opened the door to leave. “Don’t let it happen again. Send her home, and replace her before morning.”

  I shot to my feet, instantly regretting it. The room spun and my stomach lurched, making me nauseous. My face was wet with sweat and heat filled my entire body.

  “No,” I said, weakly, holding onto my middle as I tried to focus on keeping what little I’d eaten that morning down. “I can’t lose this job. I’ve a sister and—”

  The lord didn’t pay me any mind, closing the door behind him before I could finish my sentence.

  Once I was alone with Hyatt, he slapped me, sending me tumbling into the stone wall.

  Stunned and hurt, I glared at him through tears that stung my eyes. My face was already battered, so his strike only succeeded at numbing me.

  How could someone be so cruel?

  He lifted his finger, pointing at me, and looking at me with narrowed eyes. “You are lucky I saved your pitiful, useless life. Now, get out of here and don’t come back or I’ll have you flogged.”

  Lip trembling, I rubbed my face of tears and blood and rushed out of the small storage room. I stumbled out into the courtyard that connected the city to the wall. Outside, the sudden boom of noise made it hard to focus. Everyone was in a hurry, whipping past me as I stood in the middle of the street.

  Home—I had to get home.

  The cold dried my eyes as I raced away from The Wall, down crowded paved streets full of elves and humans alike. With each step, I plummeted further and further into despair.

  My mother, sister, and I were poor, starving. Without what little coin I brought into our
household, I was unsure of what fate would befall us. Moira was too frail to work, having been born with a sickness of the lungs, and mother did what she could, baking and doing the washing for various households.

  No matter what we did, it was never enough. Our supper tables composed of little more than old bread, and thin soup made from the scrapings given to my mother from her employers.

  Before I knew it, I’d be eighteen, and up for the Blood Lottery.

  I slammed into someone, nearly knocking the wind from my lungs.

  Terrified of what was to come, I glanced up at the face of a beautiful elf. His body was hard, not giving even an inch from the blow of my body into his.

  Instead of scolding me, or striking me, he held me steady by my arms.

  “All right there, miss?”

  I swallowed, paling. Miss?

  He frowned, narrowing his eyes at the state of my broken and bruised face.

  I knew I must have looked awful, but why would an elf care anything about a human?

  Still, despite my pain and shame, I was mystified by the brightness of his ivy-colored eyes that seemed to sparkle, and the smoothness of his skin and long rust-colored hair. By the look of his clothes, he was of the upper-class. He wore fine leather and light armor on his upper half. With silver gaiters and bracers, he also carried a sword.

  An enchanted sword with a glow that lit the space around us.