“You paint a convincing portrait of innocence,” he murmured. “Silas and Mila certainly believe you to be. But they have not known your kind as I do. They did notseeyou as I did.” I tried to respond, but my throat was dust, my teeth carved from chalk. And even if I could speak, I didn’t think the words would come. They were stuck to the walls of my mind, clinging to the shadows. “Even so, we agreed that you would be treated justly,” he continued. “Your punishment will be suitable for your crime.”
Again, Mithras offered his flask, and I drank.
“I have no reason to be punished,” I managed, blinking away the haze that shrouded my eyes. “I want to see my family.”
“You will,” Mithras said simply. As if a curse had lifted, the pain instantly ebbed. “In heaven one day. That is, if your troubled heart is ever allowed entrance.”
“Then my mother, my father—”
“Are with the Maker.”
“And their bodies?”
“Were buried with the rest of the purified Corrupt.”
My heart burned with grief. I wanted to sob, to hug someone, toscream. Mithras put his elbows on his knees, eyeing me warily. “We are currently en route to Istralla. Your brother is, too, since it is too dangerous for him to remain in Norhavellis unattended. If he is worthy, he can train at Citadel Firstlight and become a member of the Light Legion one day.”
This made my heart ache, too. I had never considered the possibility, but Elliot would be a wonderful legionnaire. He was brave, empathetic,and kind. Everything the Light Legion should be. He deserved a future. He deserved the entire world.
“And what about me?” I rasped, tears pricking my eyes.
“Youare being escorted to the capital for your formal hearing.”
“What am I being tried for?”
“For consorting with the Shadow Bringer,” he snapped, his hypnotic voice growing cold.
“I did not consort with him. My lord, he captured me.”
His mouth twitched up in a tight, forced smile. “Then you’re either delusional or a liar. Either way, it does not matter. I saw it with my own eyes. You were standing next to the Shadow Bringer and wielding his shadows as if his dark magic was your very own.”
His words slid like fire down my spine.
Wielding the shadowsdidfeel natural. Like they had always been a part of me.
“No—no. I wasn’t with him,” I insisted, the words falling from a tongue that felt too numb, too dry. “He captured me against my will. I was trying to escape.” Tears slipped down my face. “I would never side with that monster.”
The Shadow Bringer’s deep, melodic voice rang in my ears:What you just saw was merely a half-truth, as most dreams are. It held parts of your reality, but not the whole. This isn’t real.
Maybe there was a chance I was still dreaming.
I pinched the inside of my palm, wincing at the bite of my nails and the tight ropes still looped around my wrists. Pain could be felt in the Dream Realm, too, but this sensation was sharper and more complete. I wasn’t dreaming. This was terribly, horribly real.
The carriage slowed to a stop.
Silas tapped lightly on the door before carefully opening it. The Light Bringer signaled him to speak.
“My lord, we must set up camp.” Silas glanced at me uneasily. “The injured need to be freshly bandaged, and morale is low.”
Mithras gave a curt nod. “Very well.”
He made to stand, leaving me inside the carriage.
“This isn’t just, my lord,” I begged, feeling pathetic. “You haven’t even heard my story.”
“Oh, but your story has already been told,” Mithras said angrily, snapping his mask back into place. He held me by my bindings, squeezing the ropes until they hurt. “You have earned your fate. Now be strong for your brother and face the justice you deserve.”
I swallowed a scream.
