River Of Shadows Novels & Stories

There was real magic in the Realm. So, River called out to the forest in a whispered plea, to save her, save her friends. To hide them in the shadows and keep them hidden from Dub. The answer came more quickly than she expected. It was so loud, and so clear in her head that it stopped her in her tracks. River could hear snapping twigs and branches, likely Cinder and Inana chasing after her. They probably thought she was the one who was possessed. The answer was they had to go somewhere dark. Without light utterly. Shadows, after all, couldn’t exist without the light.

“Erevan—are we safe here?” “For the moment.” Not comforting. He stepped toward the river of shadowlight, kneeling beside it. “Come.” Aria knelt too, peering into the dark current. It looked like water—if water swallowed light instead of reflecting it. Erevan touched the surface lightly. Shadows rippled outward like ink disturbed. Then they began to whisper. Aria’s breath caught as fragmented words rose from the river—some in languages she didn’t recognize, some in tones that felt like memories slicing through time.

The shadow-spirit swallows the silver canisters whole, the metal exploding harmlessly inside the void of his darkness, suffocating the chemical fire before a single grain of dust can touch my skin. The wave of boiling water slams into the northern bank, knocking out two of the portable floodlights with a violent hiss of short-circuiting wires. The white light vanishes, replaced by the deep, terrifying amethyst glow of my presence. The northern line collapses in a panic of wet wool and screaming men. The fighters drop their compound bows, scrambling up the muddy ridge to escape the rising, boiling river, while the three elders stumble over their own gold-trimmed robes, rolling into the muck l

Faces pressed against the liquid surface from within, mouths open in silent screams or perhaps desperate attempts to breathe. The River of Sorrows contains all grief ever experienced. To cross is to face not just your own loss but all loss throughout existence. A simple instruction, brutally difficult in execution. The Shadow Knight approached the river's edge. The water, if it could be called that, reacted to his presence, reaching tendrils toward him like a living thing seeking connection. He stepped into the flow.

Thalia’s POV The river waited for me like a beast holding its breath. It was stretched wide and endless, cloaked in silver mist and shadows that moved too slowly with the wind. Rocks jutted from the banks like broken teeth, and the water beneath was dark. Not clear. Not blue, Just…dark. The kind of dark that felt sentient. The Devil’s Cleft. That’s what Rorik called it. He mentioned that the river was cursed. It held strange creatures and danger seemed to make it his abode.

Up ahead, the heavy rushing sound of water filled my ears. The Raven River. It was the border line. Beyond the dark, raging water lay The Deadwoods, a lawless, toxic neutral territory where no single pack held control. A place where outcasts, rogues, and dangerous things went to disappear. I didn't slow down. I threw myself straight off the muddy bank, plunging into the freezing, violent river. The cold water hit my burning skin like a shock, but I kicked with all my strength, fighting the heavy current as arrows whistled through the dark air above my head, splashing into the water around me.

Ali was stopped by Ibrahim. “Don’t.” Ibrahim mouthed silently. “Let her be.” He added. Ali had no choice but to follow suit. Yet, both of them couldn’t tear their eyes off Shadow. Shadow rose and undid the leather glove. She bit the edge of the finger and pulled out her hand from the glove. She kept the glove inside her pocket. Trudging two steps forward, she kneeled for the second time. Outstreching her arm toward the tangy smell of the river that didn’t even look like one. The color was so murky, full of unexplainable toxins.

He sends me a photo of our victim, one he received from Emory. We stop in the street in front of the bar. As Sanchez climbs out of the car, she zips her black puffer jacket halfway up and places her hands in the pockets. I lead the way toward the big black door and the neon sign that says 'Cheers and Beers'. Once opened, I gesture for her to enter.

I thought his deeply protective, nurturing nature meant he was falling for me, too. Why on earth did you let your foolish assumptions get the best of you, Raegan? Why did you mistake basic human decency and care for romantic love? You are so incredibly stupid. I tilted my head back and stared up at the dark, heavy clouds. The deep, reddish tint of the atmosphere signaled that a torrential downpour was bound to unleash at any given second. There wasn't a single star in sight, the moon was completely hidden from view, and the only remaining presence was the shivering, howling wind. It felt like a sick, twisted joke that the desolate sky right now perfectly mirrored the chaotic storm brewing in

The baton connected with the back of my neck, hard and final. Pain exploded through me, fast and blinding. My body gave in instantly, strength draining out like it was never mine to begin with. My knees buckled. The wall slipped away. Voices turned distant. Blurred. And just like that... Darkness took over.