Elara's POV
The transport carriage lurched to a stop, throwing me against the wooden seat.
"What's wrong?" I called to the driver, my hand instinctively reaching for the knife hidden in my boot.
"Border checkpoint, miss." The driver's voice shook. "Between the Radiant Capital and the Shadowlands. We need permission to cross."
Through the small window, I watched two guards approach. They wore the Council's white uniforms, but something about the way they moved made my spy instincts scream danger. Too casual. Too interested in our carriage.
One of them peered through my window. His eyes locked onto mine, and he smiled. "Papers."
I handed him my forged documents—the ones that said I was Dr. Elara Ashton, innocent scholar. My hands stayed steady even though my heart hammered.
He studied them for too long. Way too long.
"You're going into the Shadowlands?" He made it sound like I'd announced plans to jump off a cliff. "Voluntarily?"
"I'm a researcher," I said, using my cover story voice—excited, naive, completely harmless. "The Dark Lord's library is supposed to be amazing. I got a six-month contract to work there."
The guard's smile widened. He looked at his partner and laughed. Actually laughed. "Another fool walking into the monster's den. How long you think this one will last?"
My blood went cold. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing, miss." He handed back my papers. "Safe travels. You're gonna need it."
They waved the carriage through, still laughing.
The driver snapped the reins, and we lurched forward again. I gripped the edge of my seat, the guard's words echoing in my mind. Another fool. How long will this one last.
What happened to the others?
I pulled out my mission file, needing to focus on something concrete. The Council's intelligence reports on the Dark Lord filled page after page. Details about his castle, his guards, his schedule. Everything I'd need to get close to him.
But tucked between the official reports, I found something else. A small piece of paper I didn't recognize. My breath caught as I unfolded it.
Trust nothing you see. Trust nothing he says. Trust nothing you feel. - M
Mira. She must have slipped it into my file while packing. But why? What was she trying to tell me?
Complete the mission, no matter what you discover.
Her strange warning from this morning came back to me. Like she knew I'd find something. Like she knew the mission wasn't what it seemed.
I crumpled the note and shoved it in my pocket, trying to ignore the fear crawling up my spine.
The landscape outside changed as we traveled. The bright golden sunlight of the capital faded. Colors became muted, softer. The sky shifted from blue to gray to something in between—eternal twilight that made it impossible to tell what time it was.
Trees grew taller and stranger, their leaves silver instead of green. Flowers I'd never seen before bloomed along the road, glowing faintly in the dim light. It was beautiful in a way that made my chest ache. Nothing like the sterile white perfection of the Council facility.
Nothing like the horror stories I'd been told about the Shadowlands.
I'd expected darkness and death. Suffering. The twisted landscape of a monster's kingdom.
Instead, I saw farms where people worked their fields. Small villages where children played. An old woman waving at our carriage as we passed.
This wasn't right. This wasn't what the Council had described.
"First time in the Shadowlands?" the driver called back to me.
"Yes." I leaned forward. "Have you been here before?"
"Couple times. It's not so bad, really. Folks keep to themselves, but they're decent enough." He paused. "Nothing like what they say in the capital."
My training kicked in. "What do they say in the capital?"
"That it's all darkness and evil. That the Dark Lord tortures people for fun. That everyone here is miserable." He shrugged. "But I've delivered supplies to the castle three times now. Never seen anything like that. Just... people. Living their lives."
Just people. Living their lives.
The monster's victims, I reminded myself. They probably lived in fear. Too scared to show their suffering to outsiders.
That had to be it.
We traveled for hours through the twilight. I reviewed my fake credentials again and again until I could recite every detail without thinking. Dr. Elara Ashton grew up in the Northern Provinces. Studied at the Academy for twelve years. Specialized in ancient languages and pre-war texts. Loves books more than people. Shy. Harmless. Completely, utterly harmless.
The perfect disguise for a killer.
As the sun—or what passed for sun in this strange land—began to set, I saw it.
The obsidian castle.
It rose from the landscape like something from a nightmare, all black stone and sharp towers. Impossibly tall. Impossibly dark. The kind of place where monsters lived in every story I'd ever heard.
My hands started shaking. I gripped them together, forcing them still.
I could do this. I had to do this. Eighteen years of training. Twelve successful missions. I was the Council's best spy. Their perfect weapon.
I could kill one man.
Even if that man was the Dark Lord himself.
The carriage rolled to a stop at the castle gates. They swung open without anyone touching them—magic, dark magic—and we entered a courtyard.
"End of the line, miss." The driver helped me down and handed me my trunk. "Good luck in there."
He climbed back onto his seat and drove away quickly. Too quickly. Like he couldn't wait to escape.
I stood alone in the courtyard, my trunk at my feet, staring up at the massive black castle. Somewhere in there, the man who killed my family was waiting. The monster who'd destroyed everything I'd ever loved.
My target.
The main doors opened. A figure emerged, silhouetted against the light from inside. They walked toward me, and I tensed, ready to fight or run or—
"Dr. Ashton?" A woman's voice. Warm. Kind. "We've been expecting you. Welcome to Shadowkeep Castle."
She stepped into the dim courtyard light, and I saw her face clearly. Middle-aged, with gentle eyes and a genuine smile.
Nothing like what I'd expected.
"I'm Mari," she said. "I'll show you to your quarters. You must be exhausted from your journey."
I opened my mouth to respond, but movement in one of the upper windows caught my eye. A figure stood there, watching us. Watching me.
Even from this distance, I could feel his gaze like a physical touch.
The Dark Lord.
And somehow, impossibly, I knew he was smiling.