my shadow tilts its head at me,
spirits in the dark are waiting.
Ah, the wall. He’d gotten used to it, though he still didn’t like it. Honestly, he was just biding his time till Gallows and Fennick got rid of the damn thing. There were too many in the Valley that disliked the wall, and while he didn’t know either of the two monarchs well, he trusted that they wanted what was best for the kingdom. And if their kingdom hated the wall, then in the end, so did they.
What does surprise him is the weird, unexpected moment in which he nearly reaches down to comfort her. He doesn’t, and the feeling dissipates almost as quickly as it had come, and he shakes his head slightly. What the hell? Worst idea that’s ever crossed his mind. She’s not that kind of girl, and he’s not that kind of guy. And in truth, it’s not some sort of love that bubbles in his chest, but she is made of shadows, and he can feel her in such an extraordinary way that her hatred becomes his own all too quickly.
He has to take a moment to push it away, to steady himself. “I hate it too,” he says simply. He’s never been willing to swear himself to the kingdom, and probably never will be. Usually, he coats himself in armor and just walks on through, singing the shadows some, but with no real damage done. But lately, he’s been practicing, and he’s finally figured out how to portal around the damn thing. Though it’s so hard, he rarely does it.
“I don’t think it’ll be here much longer. But we can go elsewhere, if you want.” A herdland, perhaps. There might be one free under the Valley. If not, he could take one. He can’t give her up, not over a damn fire wall and a kingdom he doesn’t love the way he loves the shadows. He’d go to any other kingdom, honestly, though the Valley still seemed to hold most of the shadows.
“But I can get us in, and inside, there’s plenty of space that the fire doesn’t touch.” He has to work for this one, has to pull the portal from shadows farther away, breaks a sweat trying to keep the fire from casting the darkness away. But he can portal under it, because once they get into the dirt, it’s much easier to keep the shadows together, to keep the portal together. He looks at her expectantly, though one eye stays on the portal, because he cannot break his concentration entirely here. It’s her choice, in the end. He’d follow her. He’d rather surround himself with other shadow creatures like him than serve a kingdom.
rhonan.
i think it is...i'm not entirely sure myself. we'll go with it