Dark World (Book I in the Dark World Trilogy) by Danielle Q. Lee Page A

either
side of the trio. Fate swore she heard moaning and wailing
emanating from within the gale. The hurricane seemed to breathe
around her, threatening to collapse at any moment.
    Ahead of her, Deme and Kane moved at a
snail’s pace. Dim light radiated ahead. They were almost there.
Almost free from the whirling storm of shadows. As they stepped out
of the tunnel, the gap in which they’d just walked through sealed
itself, closing off any exit.
    The perfect trap, she thought with a
shudder.
    Like a tornado, the center was calm
while the walls of dark fog twisted relentlessly. Several beings
stood before them, hovering a foot or so above the ground. The
creatures, who she assumed were the wraiths, seemed to wisp in and
out of existence. Their hands and feet manifested briefly, then
would disappear into a tendril of smoke.
    Vaguely transparent and dressed in
long, hooded cloaks, they hung silently in the air, their form
dematerializing and then reappearing like magic, sometimes a few
feet from where they’d originated.
    The only things that didn’t waver out
of existence were their cold, amber glares—and they were focused
solely on her.
     
    Kane could feel the tension in the air
as if it had its own consciousness. Hatred wove its way past the
two demons and landed directly on the shade.
    “ Friends, I assure you, the
shade is harmless,” he said, attempting to diffuse the growing
pressure.
    One wraith, the tallest, moved
forward, his eyes locked on Fate. “No shade is harmlessss…” he hissed, his
hollow voice hovering above a whisper. “Why have you brought her to
Cryptica?”
    “ Please, my…friend, she
needs help,” Kane tilted his head towards Deme, who had fallen
unconscious once more and lay slumped against his torso.
    “ Because you are Lucifer’s son,
we will assist you.” The wraith pointed a vaporous finger at him. “But you must leave
immediately after.”
    “ Of course,” Kane stammered,
“I apologize for the burden.”
    Two of the wraiths moved forward and
gently took Deme from Kane’s grasp. With their unseen hands, they
carried her into a tower made entirely of polished obsidian
slabs.
    Kane approached the tallest of the
wraiths and asked, “Which of you is the guardian of your scroll? It
is urgent that I speak with them.”
    He hesitated a moment,
uncertain.
    “ Thisss way, but the shade stays
here,” the
wraith rasped, shifting his path to the left and gliding towards an
dwelling across the village.
    Kane gave a fleeting glance to Fate.
Her expression read volumes. With her arms wrapped around herself
in a hug and eyes fastened on the ground, he worried about leaving
her. But he’d seen her in action, she wasn’t frail by a long
shot—she was lethal. He hoped she’d be able to stay out of trouble
for a few moments. So far, she’d been a fairly agreeable companion,
all things considering.
    The wraith led him to a secluded edge
of the village, paused in front of a hollowed out spherical shell
made of rose quartz. As he ducked into the crystal shack, an
overwhelming odor pervaded his nostrils.
    Black incense?
    There was only one being in the entire
realm that burned the ancient bouquet of the undead.
     
    Enigma
     
    Perched upon her shoulder like some
otherworldly parrot, Ick suddenly lifted up Fate’s long, white hair
and stuffed his head between her locks and the nape of her
neck.
    “ What are you doing?” she
asked of the gargoyle, trying to pry him from his hiding
spot.
    After pulling him out, cursing as he
scratched her arm in protest, she took a quick look around and
realized what he was afraid of. The five remaining wraiths were
moving towards her, encircling her, their arms outstretched like
ravenous zombies.
    “ What…are you doing?” she
repeated, only now it was directed at the phantom creatures
surrounding her. Their blazing orange eyes were locked on her,
seething with an ancient hate.
    Oh no…Kane, where are
you?
    She didn’t want to fight. She didn’t
want