The Shadow King by Matthew R. Davis (bts book recommendations TXT) 📖

his father’s life. I will do the same if need be.”
Elena didn’t respond. She only sat looking nostalgic. “I miss him.” She mouthed.
Methias was no longer the man he once was. Elena seemed to be having a hard time accepting that. Elva wished she could comfort her.

******

Chapter 9:My Mother, Narava

Pen stood by the window, staring down and Elva sitting outside the Unague on the front stairs. He tried reaching for her with his mind, but was still unable to perform the action. He gathered their things and left the room. Outside he found Elena sitting next to Elva, and he realized that they shared a slight resemblance.
“Helena, I should be fine to leave now. Since we didn’t manage to make it to the desert before the heat wave, we are going to have to take the long way around. Is that alright with you?”
She stood and embraced him. “It’s just fine with me Glen. But it’s Urie you need to ask. I don’t know if she has decided to come with us, or to go off on her own.”
She stood silent, holding him tightly in her arms.
“Not lovers huh?” Elena said suddenly. Pen’s face turned red, as did Elva’s. She slowly let him out of her grip. “We, we’re not lovers.” She said nervously.
“Why don’t you just tell him dear?” Urie’s voice echoed in her mind.
“You know why Urie. I’m going to die, nothing will change that.” She replied
“And nothing will change the love you feel for him. I can feel it. It grows stronger every time you’re near him. Trust me child. It’s better to allow yourself to experience these pleasures while you can, than to never experience them.” Urie said. Elva wanted to tell him. But she couldn’t no matter how badly she yearned to.
“On a lighter note, I have decided to accompany you on your quest. I’ve thought much about it. Rien would want me to continue onward, to grow from this. Not to sulk and disgrace not only myself, but his memory as well.”
Elva was happy to hear this. She didn’t want to lose Urie. The only one she could truly talk to about her problems.
“I also am glad that Urie has decided to join us on this venture.” Apophis added. “We are ready to go when you three are. Elva, do you want to travel on Urie’s back? Or do you want to continue on mine?” Elva knew the answer as soon as Apophis asked “I want to ride with Pen.”
“Glen, it’s time. The dragons are ready.” They said their goodbyes to Elena and retrieved Pacco from his room. They joined Urie and Apophis on the outside of the town. It was still a bad idea for the dragons to be spotted. So they were careful in hiding. The three of them mounted the dragons and were off in a matter of minutes. They had a lot of ground to cover. Elva wrapped her arms around Pen’s waist and rested her head against his back.
The wind was cooled and whipped at her face. But yet, she was happy to be next to the one she loved.

While they flew, Pen concentrated on exiting his body. It began to frustrate him that he was unable to do so. He felt confined and trapped in his body. No matter how he tried. He did everything Elva had taught him. But nothing worked.
“Elva! I think I need to land for a minute! Tell Apophis and the others!” He yelled to her over the wind. She did as he said and relayed the message to the rest of the crew. They chose to land in between two substantial sized hills. The hills would keep anyone from spotting the group.
“Why have we landed Pen?” Apophis asked. Pen climbed down from Apophis’s back and answered “I think I know why I can’t leave my mind, or use magic.”
“So if you know, why did we land?” Elva asked
“I think I need a ferry.” The four of them looked puzzlingly at Pen.
“A ferry for what?” Elva asked. Pen looked at Apophis “A ferry to the moon.” Apophis stiffened. He stared blankly at Pen. “You want me to ferry your conscious to the moon?” Pen nodded in response.
“You see, when we were battling the shadow, he used a spell to absorb all the energy in my body. It turns out, that energy is never ending, but only when it needs to be. I think it only happens when I am in grave danger. I can’t control it. I remember when you took Elva to the moon, to help her fuel the spell to heal your wounds. She told me that she experienced happiness like no other. That the power emitting from the spirits there was so massive, it brought tears to her eyes. I felt something similar to this when my energy was replenished. I was so full of joy.
The power I felt was endless. But at the same time, I was restricted by this power. Elva had casted the spell while she was in the moon, and the moon spirits helped her to complete the task. I’m a different case though. Something happened to me when the Elder attacked me. He did something to me and I have a feeling the moon spirits will be able to help me. Please, I don’t have much of a choice.”
Apophis bowed his head and closed his eyes, “You must remain completely still. It will take me some time to reach the spirits, and then to return to your body to retrieve you. So be patient.”
Pen nodded and sat on the grass covered ground below. Elva soon joined him, followed by Pacco and eventually, Urie. Ten minutes went by, and Apophis remained motionless.
“Are you sure you want to meet with them Pen?” Elva’s voiced echoed through Pen’s conscious. She grabbed his hand and leaned against him.
“I don’t think I have much of a choice. If I face Methias as I am now, how will I ever be able to beat him?” Then Elva recalled what Elena had said about the dark lord. She hadn’t even considered telling Pen about it. She decided that it was better Methias’s past remained a mystery to Pen. Twenty minutes went by, and Apophis continued with whatever he was doing.
“How long do you think it will take him to complete this task?” Pacco asked
“I don’t know, it only took him a few seconds the last time.” Elva replied.
Just then Apophis’s conscious rushed into Pen’s mind. He was torn away from his body and pulled upwards. He watched as the ground below became further and further away, until he could no longer see himself, or Elva. His conscious was pulled away from Earth and pulled directly into the moon.

Colors of red and blue swirled around him as his conscious materialized into his human shape. Pen had never felt such an exuberating sensation. All around him was an endless void of white. Nothing existed here. Yet, he could feel an overwhelming surge of power from all sides. He could sense consciousness of all the fallen people whom had sacrificed themselves to save others within the power. And there was one conscious he focused on. It was his mother’s. He could recognize the gentle voice whispering the owner’s last words. Her last words were a lie. Deceiving the king and his black hands was the only way she could protect Pen from the king’s wrath. That was the reason she was allowed to enter this place and to live on.
That thought brought Pen comfort and finally allowed him to accept her death. Then another conscious caught his eye. This conscious was much bigger than the others. It moved towards Pen and began to take shape. It chose the shape of a human. The person before him was a woman Pen didn’t know. Her hair was white, shimmering as if flowed weightlessly around her face. Her eyes were crystal blue, her skin pale. She had elegance about her that Pen had never seen. Her small frame drifted closer to Pen until she was no more than a few feet from him.
“You are Pen. Are you not?” The woman asked. Pen nodded in response.
“I am Narava, Elder of the moon, and I welcome you to this place Pen, child of mine. I have been waiting for your arrival for far too long.”
“You, have been waiting for me? Why?” He asked. Narava floated around him, smiling kind and gentle.
“You are the one that the five Elders have chosen to save the land from tyranny Pen. We have gifted you with full access to our power. You are the only one who has ever lived that can draw power from not only the moon, but from life, death, earth, and magic itself. The Elders have given you this in hopes that you will save Methias from himself. But if you manage to defeat Methias, there will be nothing left on the Earth for you to do. You will lose your body to the thing you hold dearest to your heart, as we have. You will become an Elder.”
“Save Methias, why would I want to save Methias?! And why would I want to die for you? I have no desire to be an Elder! Tell me why it has to be me?” Pen inquired. Narava only smiled.
“Methias is not as evil as you think him to be. Though it is true he has committed horrible acts of cruelty, he once was a healer who used his magic for the good of all. He was corrupted by darkness, forced into what he is now. You must understand that he wants to be saved from the madness clawing at his conscious. He has managed to maintain a certain level of control over his darker half. If he didn’t his darker half would lay waste to the entire world.”
Pen yelled “Why is it that you Elders expect me to do this?! I hate Methias, no matter what kind of person he used to be, and when I face him in battle I will kill him. I will show him no mercy no matter what you Elders ask of me. I’m just a puppet to you. Why can’t you just do this yourselves if your all so powerful?! And again I ask you, why would I die for a bunch of worthless gods that can’t even help themselves?!”
Narava stopped in front of Pen. Her eyes fixated on his. She looked upset, not mad, but rather sad.
”I cannot blame you for the hatred you feel. He has taken much from you. He has even taken the future you share with the one you love. But please never think of yourself as a puppet. You are my child, and I love you very much Pen.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him into a hug.
“I will protect you from Methias. Just do this one thing for us Pen, and I promise to save Elva. I have that power. Allow me to accompany you through your journey and I will be there when you need me most.”
Pen struggled to understand. He knew Elders were not able to leave the places their souls had been bounded to. “How would you be able to come with me Narava?” he asked.
She placed her hand on his chest, and from it came the same white light that flowed around Narava. She removed her hand, revealing a small orb of white light.
“This is my conscious Pen. Though my spirit remains tethered to this place, my mind is free to wander. Carry it with you always. You will