Shadows Entwined (Shadows Descent #3)

3. Caine

3

CAINE

As we step out into the frozen wasteland that was once the Forbidden Forest, I can’t help but feel a twinge of pride at my handiwork. The trees stand like glittering sculptures, their branches drooping under the weight of ice and snow. The ground crunches beneath our feet, a thick layer of frost coating every surface. If only Dad could see this now. I wonder briefly where he and Glacier went.

“Wait!” Violet calls out suddenly. “What about the guys who went into the underground chamber?”

“Thank you for your concern, Miss Violet. We are here, alive and well, if not the worse for wear. I have not missed that place one bit.”

I turn as Blackthorn’s voice rings out in the clear air behind us. He, Aurelius and Gaida are staggering towards us, clothes ripped, and hair dishevelled. I see a look pass between Gaida and Violet that simmers with something, but I can’t place my finger on what that is. Eyes narrowed, I say, “Well, good to have you back. Glad to see I didn’t freeze you.”

Blackthorn glares at me as he fixes his hair, smoothing it back and making him look more severe than he did a few moments ago. “If you had, Mr Caine, you would’ve found yourself in detention for the rest of your life.”

“Ouch,” I mutter. “Good to know for future reference.”

He huffs, his breath coming out of his nose visible in the frigid air. “Where are we off to then?”

“The Nexus,” Morgan replies and stares at Blackthorn with another look I can’t place. She must feel my eyes on her, and she turns abruptly and marches off towards the wards. We fall in behind her, and then she stops. “Perhaps this isn’t a trip for everyone. Shouldn’t you be making sure the students and MistHallow are in order?”

She doesn’t look at Blackthorn but instead keeps her back turned.

He scowls but reluctantly nods. “Yes. Aurelius, Miss Aragon, perhaps Miss le Fay is right. We will leave you to it.”

“But—” Gaida starts.

Blackthorn silences her with a look, and she slumps her shoulders.

“Fine,” she grouses.

They walk away, clearly wanting to ask a dozen questions, but have no idea where to even start.

“Why did you ask them to leave?” I ask Morgan.

“They are not a part of this. Besides, the Headmaster has a duty to this Academy and his students.”

Accepting that answer, although I feel there is more to it than that, I lift my cane and start walking towards the forest.

“Any idea which way we should go?” Violet asks, catching up to me.

Stopping, as I really don’t, I close my eyes, reaching out with my senses. The wild magick of this place is dangerous. It is trying to worm its way into my power so it can wreak havoc. I can’t let it, even though it is like a siren song.

My eyes snap open. Siren song.

That fish bitch affected me way more than she did Flint that night we were out here collecting ingredients. Is that something to do with anything? The more I focus on it, the more I can feel the pull of the lake.

“This way,” I murmur and start walking.

I lead our small group deeper into the frozen forest, following an instinct I can’t quite explain. The pull towards the lake grows stronger with each step, a siren song humming in my bones, although I don’t think the others can hear it.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Thorne asks uneasily.

“No,” I admit. “But it feels right.”

Morgan nods approvingly. “Trust your instincts, Ice Prince.”

We trudge on through the snow, the silence broken only by the crunch of our footsteps and the occasional crack of a frozen branch. The familiar forest has become an alien landscape, beautiful and treacherous.

Suddenly, Violet gasps. “Look!”

We follow her gaze to see a shimmering curtain of light hanging in the air between two trees. It flickers and wavers like the northern lights, but there’s something unsettling about it.

“A tear in the veil,” Morgan explains grimly. “They’ll become more common as we get closer to the Convergence.”

No sooner has she said it, a clawed hand reaches through the curtain of light, grasping at empty air before being sucked back in.

“Fuck,” Flint mutters, pulling Violet closer to him.

“Keep moving,” I say, tightening my grip on my cane. “We don’t want to be here if a head pops out next.”

The frozen landscape grows increasingly surreal. Shimmering curtains of light appear more frequently, flickering between trees and casting haunting shadows. Occasionally, we catch glimpses of strange creatures or impossible landscapes through these tears in reality before they fade.

“The veils are growing thinner,” Morgan murmurs, her eyes darting warily from one ethereal curtain to the next. “We must hurry.”

The pull towards the lake grows stronger with each step, an insistent tugging sensation in my chest. But as we draw nearer, an unsettling feeling crawls up my spine.

“Something’s not right,” I mutter, coming to a halt at the edge of a clearing.

The others stop behind me, tensed and alert. Ahead, the frozen surface of the lake gleams in the pale winter light. But the ice is wrong somehow. It ripples and shifts like liquid, despite being solid enough to walk on.

“What the hell?” Flint breathes.

As we watch, the surface of the lake begins to bubble and churn. The melodic humming in my bones stills, silence falling all around.

“The sirens,” Flint hisses. “You brought us to the siren lake.”

“Well, yeah and no,” I mutter.

These aren’t like any sirens I’ve ever seen or heard before. As they emerge from the roiling waters, I see that their forms are twisted and monstrous. Fish-like scales cover writhing, elongated bodies. Their faces are a nightmarish blend of human and aquatic features, with gaping maws lined with needle-sharp teeth.

“Those aren’t sirens,” Thorne says. “At least, not anymore.”

Morgan’s face is grim. “The approaching Convergence is changing them, reverting them to a more primal form.”

The creatures slither onto the shore, their eyes fixed on us with predatory hunger.

“Can you hear them? Any of you?” I whisper, keeping my eyes on these creatures.

“No,” Flint breathes. “Can you?”

I shake my head, not bothering to explain about the humming earlier.

Then all hell breaks loose. The sirens burst into song, and it yanks on my soul, urging me forward with promises of everything I can desire.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Violet screeches over the noise. “Get your own guys, bitches!”

The siren-creatures hiss and snarl as they advance slowly. Their movements are jerky and uncoordinated on land, but there’s no mistaking the deadly intent in their eyes.

Violet’s hands are outstretched, power crackles around her, the air growing muggy with wild magick.

“Violet, wait—” Morgan starts, but it’s too late.

With a primal cry of fury, Violet unleashes a wave of pure energy. It slams into the siren-creatures, sending them flying back into the lake. The ice shatters, plunging them into the freezing waters.

For a moment, all is silent. Then, the lake freezes over again, trapping the creatures beneath a thick layer of ice.

“Holy shit,” I breathe as the daze lifts, staring out at the now-silent lake. The creatures thrash beneath the surface, their muffled shrieks inaudible through the thick ice. “Thanks for the save, snowdrop.”

“I don’t take kindly to the theft of what’s mine,” she replies with a wicked smile that sends my arousal for her skyrocketing. Not that it needs any encouragement. She is everything.

I grin back. “Wise words, gorgeous.”

“A wise man said them once.”

“We need to keep moving,” Thorne says, glancing at the lake. “Those things might not stay trapped forever.”

I nod in agreement, trying to shake off the lingering effects of the sirens’ song. It still echoes in my bones, urging me towards something.

“This was a bit of a test,” I say, closing my eyes again. “To see if we could get past the sirens. They didn’t bank on us having a jealous vampire witch creature ready to defend our honour. This way,” I say with a snicker, gesturing deeper into the forest. The pull is stronger now and more insistent.

“Hey,” Violet snaps. “I am not jealous of those fish faces.”

“You have no reason to be. All they have to offer, I already have a thousandfold. You are hard to beat, Violet.”

She beams, and I shoot her a heated look before facing forward again.

The landscape becomes increasingly surreal as we trek further into the frozen wilderness. Trees twist into impossible shapes, their branches forming intricate, fractal patterns—the air shimmers with barely visible currents of wild magick.

“Any idea how much further?” Flint asks, falling into step beside me.

I shake my head. “No idea. I don’t even know where we’re going or if it’s even the right place when we get there.”

“It will be,” Morgan says confidently from behind us. “The Nexus calls to those attuned to its power. Trust your instincts.”

“Shouldn’t you know where this place is?” I grumble.

She gives me a scathing glare. “This forest has changed in the last fifteen hundred years.”

“Yeah,” I mutter, feeling like a douche.

But I can’t help the pull in my chest as it grows stronger with each step, an almost painful tugging sensation.

Suddenly, the forest opens up into a vast clearing. At its centre stands an enormous tree, its trunk easily twenty feet in diameter. Its branches stretch impossibly high, disappearing into the clouds above. The bark shimmers with an iridescent light, pulsing with power.

“Holy shit,” Violet breathes beside me.

“The Nexus, ladies and gentlemen,” I say grandly. “I think.”

“You think right,” Morgan says, dropping reverently to her knees. We stare at her for a moment before doing the same. It seems right after all. This is a very sacred place.

I frown as it was almost too easy to reach. I voice this thought. “Anyone else think this was too easy?”

“Oh, for the love of all things unholy, Caine!” Thorne snaps. “Why?”