Einar’s impassioned declaration of loyalty filled my heart, warmth spilling over to flow through my veins until I felt like I was glowing from the inside. But Lady Axlya seemed less than impressed.
“Eradicate shadow magic?” she said archly. “But according to my sources, shadow magic hasalreadybeen eradicated.” Her gaze returned to me. “That is why you traveled all the way to Kaipei and killed King Aolis, wasn’t it?”
Her pointed question sliced through the tension in the room, causing the gallery to break out in whispers again. “That was one of the reasons,” I said, raising my voice to be heard, “but although I did kill the king, I didn’t rid the realm of shadow magic. General Slaugh and his men still wield the shadow magic Aolis gave them, and they are holding Kaipei with the help of a powerful shadow demon. That’s why I’ve come to you, Grandmother. I need your help.”
“A shadow demon?” one of the males sitting to Lady Axlya’s right spoke up. “This is the first we’ve heard of this. Cascada didn’t mention a shadow demon.”
“Cascada?” Einar asked, his voice sharpening. “Who is Cascada?”
“Me,” a familiar voice spoke from the gallery, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I turned to see a turquoise-haired fae rise from her seat and walk toward the dais, and my mouth dropped open. It was Cascada, one of the three hostages King Aolis had been keeping in his castle as security to keep the nobles from the other houses from trying to usurp him. She smirked a little as she met my shocked gaze and paused in front of me. “Surprised to see me here, are you?”
I picked up my jaw off the floor and straightened, trying not to bristle at her snarky attitude. “I just… I’m surprised you made it out of the castle alive,” I said honestly. “I thought General Slaugh and his men would have slaughtered you.”
“Oh they tried,” Cascada said sweetly. “But Slaugh and his cronies lost their shadow magic once we killed that shadow bitch, and after that, it was easy to escape.”
She flicked some imaginary dust off her shoulder, and my world screeched to a sudden halt. “Y-youkilledher?” I said faintly, my heart hammering so hard in my chest that I thought I was going to pass out. “You killed Gelsyne?”
Einar caught me as I stumbled back a step, reeling from the news. “What’s happening?” Prentis demanded as the nobles rose from their chairs, their murmurs filling the chamber. “What’s wrong, Adara?”
“Gelsyne was her mother,” Einar growled. “Or at least, she became her mother after Olette died. The entire reason she traveled to Kaipei Castle was to rescue her, but all that went to shit once the shadow demon left King Aolis’s body and inhabited hers instead.” He gave Cascada a sharp look. “You say that you killed her, and the shadow magic just disappeared? You didn’t see it enter anyone else’s body?”
Cascada shook her head, her eyes wide and innocent as a newborn babe as she stared at me. “It vanished completely,” she insisted.
I shook my head slowly, brushing Einar’s hands aside. “That can’t be true. You’re lying.”
Gasps rang out from the gallery, and Lady Axlya cleared her throat. “Excuse me,” she said in an icy tone, her serenity cracking for the first time, “but did you just accuse my daughter of lying?”
I spun around to face the throne. “I’m your family too,” I snapped, nails digging into my palms as I spoke, “And I’m the one who fought King Aolis, not Cascada. I saw that shadow demon leave King Aolis’s body and take possession of my mother’s, and I’m telling you right now, there is no way it would have easily left. It took every ounce of power I had to drive it out of King Aolis,plusthe decades of fire magic stored in the primal stone Einar gave me.” I held up my wrist to show the room the golden cuff glinting there, the deep red stone glittering in the morning light. “There is no way that Cascada and the other two could have killed her.”
Cascada huffed. “That’s because you’re a whelp,” she said. “Tempest, Avani, and I have at least eight-hundred years on you, collectively. Is it so hard to imagine that the three of us could have taken down the shadow demon together?”
“I…” I hesitated, glancing at Einar and Prentis. Einar’s brows bunched together in a suspicious glower, but Prentis was looking at me with something akin to pity, and my insides squirmed. Was it possible that I was just overreacting? Could it be that they really did kill Gelsyne, and the shadow demon, for whatever reason, was forced back into its own world?
“Lady Axlya,” Prentis said, breaking the awkward silence. “Please, forgive Cousin Adara. She’s had quite an ordeal over the last few days, and as Einar said, Gelsyne was basically her mother. It’s only natural that she would take the loss hard.” He put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I think Adara should take some time to recover from the journey. We can talk more later and sort this all out, perhaps as a family.”
He gave a pointed glance to the gallery, and Lady Axlya gave a regal nod. “Of course,” she said, her anger melting into an understanding smile. “Please, rest, Adara, and we’ll discuss how I can help you over dinner. I’ve had the steward prepare Olette’s old rooms for you. I think you’ll find them quite comfortable.”
“Thank you, Great-Grandmother.” I curtseyed again, hoping Axlya wouldn’t notice the shameful flush creeping up the back of my neck. “I’m humbled by your generosity.”
“Nonsense,” she insisted. “My home is your home.”
She glanced at Prentis, and he nodded, then led me and Einar out of the chamber. I tried to ignore the stares as we walked past the gallery, but I couldn’t help glancing back one last time as the doors opened, meeting Cascada’s gaze one more time.
I could have sworn I saw a flicker of shadow in her gaze right before the doors closed behind me.
14
Leap
The guards didn’t take any chances with Leap. They searched him thoroughly, confiscating his boots, his lock picks, and anything else they thought might be useful, before fastening magic-dampening manacles around his wrists and tossing him into a cell to spend the night.
“This is just fantastic,” Mavlyn growled from the cell across from him. She paced behind the bars, heedless of the icy stone beneath her bare feet. “They’ve taken my pouches and put magical bindings on us, Leap. How in the Shadows are we supposed to get out of here?”
“We can’t,” Leap said dully. He flopped onto his cot and gazed up at the ceiling. “We’re stuck here until morning.”
Mavlyn stopped pacing so she could shoot a death glare at Leap through the bars. “So, you’re giving up then?” she accused.
“Of course we’re not giving up,” Leap snapped, sitting up on his elbows so he could glare right back at her. “I said we’re stuck here until morning, not that we’re stuck hereforever.The guards will have to come back tomorrow to escort us to Angtun. We’ll find an opportunity to escape then.”
