Prologue
She clung to her husband's leg with utter desperation and terror as he dragged her down the corridor. Her screaming attracted servants, noblemen, and courtesans throughout the palace, but none of them came to her rescue. They dared not challenge the emperor at this moment, even when the victim was their empress by birth, and the emperor was a mere ruler by marriage. Some of them snickered with covered mouths while others carried curious children back to bed.
The king had doused her with cold mud and draped her in a shamefully red cloth before dragging her through the hallways. To everyone in the empire of Shangri-La, that was the worst insult a person, especially a monarch, could suffer. She was being relegated in the worst way.
He quickly grew tired of her screaming and begging. "Shut up! Shut up you stupid bitch, or I'll kill you right now with my bare hands!" He stopped for a moment to nurse the cramp in his lower back. The next moment, his eyes betrayed the red shadow several feet further down the corridor. The emperor knew whom it was; the platinum hair and glowing red eyes gave it away, not to mention the huge sword on its back.
The red eyes lowered to the shamed empress on the floor. "Having trouble with the missus?"
The emperor huffed and snarled. "Don't patronize me, you freak. You're the reason it has come to this."
The glowing red eyes returned their gaze to the emperor. "Really, Arkyle, it's rude to blame others for your own idiosyncrasies. I had nothing to do with this."
"Liar! You come to my shores, and I welcome you as one of my own. Then you dare to take my wife, MY OWN WIFE, into your bed. You dare to say you had nothing to do with this!" He seized a fistful of her hair, but she refused to scream again. "Deanna Min Ná is not worthy to rule Shangri-La. I dare not disgrace myself by being married to a woman who carries another man's child."
The red eyes didn't falter. "Neither you nor this godforsaken country deserve her. She's the only one here who deserves to live."
"So you wish to take her yourself?" Rather than give the red shadow a chance to respond, he twisted Deanna's hair. Before she could scream again, the red shadow grasped the sword on its back and pulled it free. It was almost as long as he was tall, which was about six feet. Thin streams of lightning zipped across the flawless metal. He never gave Arkyle another chance to move. The sword tip plunged through Arkyle's back, right of the heart. By reflex, Arkyle released Deanna and turned to face the shadow. Lightning engulfed his body as the shadow plunged the sword through Arkyle's chest. Arkyle began to fall before the sword was pulled free. The shadow placed the sword onto his back and picked up Deanna.
"We are in so much trouble," Deanna whispered.
The shadow wiped blood from her face. "There's no one here to argue. Let's go before someone makes us regret this."
Arkyle lay alone in the hallway. Seconds after Deanna and the shadow disappeared, another shadow, more ominous than the first, leaned over him. It made a tsk tsk sound while shaking what appeared to be its head.
"Arkyle, dear, what good are you if a mere man can take you down so easily?"
"He's no mere man," Arkyle gurgled through a throat full of blood.
"No, he's not, but, compared to me, he might as well be." It placed what could have been a foot on Arkyle's chest. "Give it time. Let them flourish and have their child. The child is the true key." It held up what should have been a hand. A small sparkle of light pulsated in its palm. "She'll bring it back to us. I'll see to that." It closed its fingers around the sparkle. "It's a shame, though."
"What is?" Arkyle asked.
"That child will have a terrible mother."
Arkyle rolled from under the foot. "If that child comes here, I'll throttle it with my bare hands."
The shadow suddenly exploded in laughter. "That's a good one, Arkyle! This coming from a guy who practically let his wife invite someone else into her bed and didn't even care. You amuse me."
"How can you say I didn't care? I just shamed and exiled her."
"Only because I told you to."
"Oh shut up."
The shadow stopped laughing. It slammed its foot against Arkyle's head and forced him to the floor. "Watch your back, Arkyle. I'll kill you."
She clung to her husband's leg with utter desperation and terror as he dragged her down the corridor. Her screaming attracted servants, noblemen, and courtesans throughout the palace, but none of them came to her rescue. They dared not challenge the emperor at this moment, even when the victim was their empress by birth, and the emperor was a mere ruler by marriage. Some of them snickered with covered mouths while others carried curious children back to bed.
The king had doused her with cold mud and draped her in a shamefully red cloth before dragging her through the hallways. To everyone in the empire of Shangri-La, that was the worst insult a person, especially a monarch, could suffer. She was being relegated in the worst way.
He quickly grew tired of her screaming and begging. "Shut up! Shut up you stupid bitch, or I'll kill you right now with my bare hands!" He stopped for a moment to nurse the cramp in his lower back. The next moment, his eyes betrayed the red shadow several feet further down the corridor. The emperor knew whom it was; the platinum hair and glowing red eyes gave it away, not to mention the huge sword on its back.
The red eyes lowered to the shamed empress on the floor. "Having trouble with the missus?"
The emperor huffed and snarled. "Don't patronize me, you freak. You're the reason it has come to this."
The glowing red eyes returned their gaze to the emperor. "Really, Arkyle, it's rude to blame others for your own idiosyncrasies. I had nothing to do with this."
"Liar! You come to my shores, and I welcome you as one of my own. Then you dare to take my wife, MY OWN WIFE, into your bed. You dare to say you had nothing to do with this!" He seized a fistful of her hair, but she refused to scream again. "Deanna Min Ná is not worthy to rule Shangri-La. I dare not disgrace myself by being married to a woman who carries another man's child."
The red eyes didn't falter. "Neither you nor this godforsaken country deserve her. She's the only one here who deserves to live."
"So you wish to take her yourself?" Rather than give the red shadow a chance to respond, he twisted Deanna's hair. Before she could scream again, the red shadow grasped the sword on its back and pulled it free. It was almost as long as he was tall, which was about six feet. Thin streams of lightning zipped across the flawless metal. He never gave Arkyle another chance to move. The sword tip plunged through Arkyle's back, right of the heart. By reflex, Arkyle released Deanna and turned to face the shadow. Lightning engulfed his body as the shadow plunged the sword through Arkyle's chest. Arkyle began to fall before the sword was pulled free. The shadow placed the sword onto his back and picked up Deanna.
"We are in so much trouble," Deanna whispered.
The shadow wiped blood from her face. "There's no one here to argue. Let's go before someone makes us regret this."
Arkyle lay alone in the hallway. Seconds after Deanna and the shadow disappeared, another shadow, more ominous than the first, leaned over him. It made a tsk tsk sound while shaking what appeared to be its head.
"Arkyle, dear, what good are you if a mere man can take you down so easily?"
"He's no mere man," Arkyle gurgled through a throat full of blood.
"No, he's not, but, compared to me, he might as well be." It placed what could have been a foot on Arkyle's chest. "Give it time. Let them flourish and have their child. The child is the true key." It held up what should have been a hand. A small sparkle of light pulsated in its palm. "She'll bring it back to us. I'll see to that." It closed its fingers around the sparkle. "It's a shame, though."
"What is?" Arkyle asked.
"That child will have a terrible mother."
Arkyle rolled from under the foot. "If that child comes here, I'll throttle it with my bare hands."
The shadow suddenly exploded in laughter. "That's a good one, Arkyle! This coming from a guy who practically let his wife invite someone else into her bed and didn't even care. You amuse me."
"How can you say I didn't care? I just shamed and exiled her."
"Only because I told you to."
"Oh shut up."
The shadow stopped laughing. It slammed its foot against Arkyle's head and forced him to the floor. "Watch your back, Arkyle. I'll kill you."