Unto Shadow #13 - Birthday

"There is just one part of all of this that I do not understand. I know why I was made. By whom, when, where, and how. But I do not know what I did that was so terrible that I deserved to be made thus."

Since uttering those words I have elected to not know. The day is marked, regardless. May it pass without memories.

Unto Shadow #12 - Gifts

My beloved and I brought gifts to our host and hostesses out of gratitude for their hospitality. They were selected with a mind for individual personalities (or in Sophia’s case, a shortage thereof). I was the one who managed the presentations.

Sophia was easy to please because she seems to be satisfied with anything shiny. Kaelyn received something pretty, or at least I think it is, but am biased because it was one of my better rose hybrids. And to Victora I gave something ostentatious. I had no use for that gaudy crystal chalice. She hinted that she did not either, in her ambivalent response.

For the Lord it was difficult to envision what to give a man already in possession of wealth and power. Except something with more power. An undamaged relic found during one of my most fruitful ventures. But I confess additional motives in the desire to remove that object from my treasury, and my calculation that anything to please and strengthen an ally in this realm is not wasted.

He expressed his surprise that I had not kept it for myself. Of the ladies, I believe Kaelyn was the most grateful despite her gift's simplicity. I expect that Victora has already shattered her own gift against a wall somewhere.

It really is impossible to satisfy everyone, I suppose.

Unto Shadow #11 - The Ladies

There are still three of them.

The eldest is named Victora. She does not like me in the least. Nor does she care for D.A., I think. But that is somewhat irrelevant in this context, as her Lord accepted us as guests and as his senior companion she must behave. She is the dark-haired one that I wrote of months ago. So pleased she had appeared then, when I ventured into the Web for certain destruction. Conscious of her rank, she wields it whenever possible.

The blonde-haired one has not changed either. She is called Sophia and does not possess a talent for conversation. Her talents rest below the neck. She is not vicious though and is manageable.

The third has red hair, and unintentionally revealed a different aspect of the Lord when he introduced her to my beloved. Her name is Kaelyn. Of the three she seems the most compassionate and aware. The Lord complimented her maturity despite being the youngest, and I detected the hint of affection between them. I did not expect that of him. In later calculations I concluded that he hides it.

Unto Shadow #10 - Lodgings

The castle is very grand inside. Although it appears extremely empty unless one knows about the shadow-people that behave as servants. My beloved and I have been given a suite that is larger than the accommodations I utilized before.

We agree that there is some intent to the luxury that is not pure generosity. But whether to impress or intimidate is not clear.

The servants are still silent and helpful. I do wonder if the one lingering about is the same as the one before but do not know their longevity. A sentimental piece of me hopes that it is her.

Unto Shadow #9 - Arrival

It took some days to locate this journal, because I left it in my saddle bags and have been preoccupied with our hosts. But as I wrote before, my beloved and I have found the Lord of the Castle and he granted hospitality to us.

He did vaguely chastise me for delaying my return though. I explained that the circumstances were too severe to both remain in the realm and survive at the moment I last departed. I expect that soon he will ask for clarification; and I dread describing that moment.

My beloved was suitably impressed with the castle and its forbidding location. As before the Lord escorted us through the jungle and remarked on our “wonderfully delicious youth,” which was not praise necessarily. In honesty it meant that our method of travel was primitive and plain compared to his. That is a theme that surrounds me in particular here.

For now I am content that we arrived in safety, but not in complete ease. We do not forget that our hosts are just as dangerous as the rest of the inhabitants of this realm. If better mannered and dressed.

Unto Shadow #8 - The Others

We have found them.

Unto Shadow #7 - Storm

To my dismay, it can storm and rain here. The chill of the land combines with the damp for a truly miserable experience. There was an opportunity to camp before the storm began but I chose to continue moving forward to a safer area.

The consequences were an extremely unhappy, soggy cat and beloved. But from here it should not be much longer to the Lord’s forest. Then things should be more comfortable. Materially, at the least.