My shoulders slack. “I’m sorry. I can’t explain all of this, not yet, but I will soon.”
Maines breathes deep and slow as she calms her pounding heart. She closes her eyes, letting the wind whip her hair around for a moment. “You promise,” she says, her eyes softening as she looks at me once more.
“I promise.”
Grabbing her hand, I whisk her away toward the courtyard columns, hidden from castle staff or anyone passing by nosey enough to try to hear what’s going on. The dead vines brush against my skin as we move to a dark corner. “I know what I need to do to challenge my father—to find out more information about his plans—and I’m going to need your help.”
Chapter 10
Istand on the large balcony just outside of the Great Room. I grasp the stone railing, afraid I may fall, as I lean—overlooking the miles that stretch before me across the Kingdom of Daramveer. This used to be my favorite place in the castle. Most mornings, the sun was an expert artist, painting the sky pink and purple hues that awed me. For a moment, each sunrise, I forgot about the bleak kingdom that loomed below. The port has reopened to welcome travelers from other realms—many ships now dock at the harbor, their white sails blending with the clouds above. The waves crash against the sides of the boats, and I squint to make out a faint figure disembarking along with two white horses.
The wind seems to pause as the figure steps both feet on the solid ground of Daramveer. I swear the person raises their head to look toward the castle, and a shock moves through my core as if responding to new eyes staring at me.
A hand touches my shoulder, interrupting my intense stare that causes me to yelp as I spin around to see Rose.
“Briar! I didn’t mean to startle you. I was bringing up a few dishes and saw you standing here. I should have expected that reaction; you seem quite lost in thought.”
I only ever see Rose in the kitchen; the lighting bouncing off her face makes her undeniably stunning, and a familiar twinkle in her eye I’ve never noticed before catches me by surprise. “It’s fine! I just didn’t expect anyone to be joining me.”
I glance at the dock again. That person is gone, but I swear I can still feel the weight of their stare.
“I… I heard the news of your brother. It’s heartbreaking. Then, for your father to make you continue with this competition like nothing happened. He’s lost his mind…”
I grab Rose’s hand and pull her to the side of the doors. “Don’t talk like that! No one can hear you speak about the king that way, or he’ll have you killed. The castle isn’t safe right now. I need you to be careful of everyone—especially him.”
“Briar, I’ve never been afraid of him and I'm not going to start now. Your mother did what was best for her family by marrying him, but she never stopped standing up for what she believed was right. Do you think what’s happening in this kingdom is right?”
I shake my head.
“Then fight, Briar. With all you have. Listen to those around you trying to help guide you. Don’t shut the darkness out. Let it guide you.”
She grabs my hands, her lovely dark eyes staring into mine like black pools of diamonds. “Go get ready, Princess. You are meeting the men you may marry soon. We mustn’t get you upset.”
She winks and moves back into the throne room with feline grace. I look over the bleak kingdom once more, a sigh making my chest cave in. “Oh, and Briar,” Rose shouts from the doorway. “I left something in your room that I think you are going to like.”
An unfamiliar smell lingers in my bedroom as I slam the door behind me, the hinges rattling against the stone wall. I close my eyes for a moment and lean my head against the thick wooden door, taking a minute to breathe. Suddenly, my senses jolt, and I snap my eyes open.
My heart pounds when I see it.
The creature that haunts me stands once again before my fireplace, its black cloak absorbing the light from the fire. I stifle a scream, aware that even the faintest sound would bring the guards rushing into the room.
“What do you want?”
The figure hovers over the cold floor, its face hidden by the lip of the hood. Its sharp finger points in my direction without responding, spiking the hair on my arms. A chill moves across me like the touch of an icy finger.
Is this what Rose left me?
I shake my head in confusion. “Me?”
The creature remains deathly still—the darkness oozing from its presence sucks the life out of the room as the fire even stops crackling. Refusing to turn away, my feet backpedal as my back presses against the stone wall.
“I see you, Briar Blackbyrne. The real you,” the creature hisses, its deathly voice entering my mind.
A few months after my mother died, this creature visited my bedroom. Grief weighed heavily on me as I was in and out of a daze for weeks. I never knew if what I saw that night was confirmed real until now—in this moment, it stands before meonce more. The creature screams, the sound slamming into my mind as I crouch against the wall, covering my ears. I expect the guards to charge in, weapons drawn, but my door remains shut.
My eyes travel to the creature, its wide, crooked jaw unhinged as a scream echoes only in my mind. The fire resumes crackling, no guards enter, and the darkness has eased—mine being the only remaining. I unfurl my body, standing on weak legs and I move across my room to where the creature stood only seconds ago. Ash peppers the rug, and a stench lingers that I know to be death. Another letter sits on the table from my mother.
To my shadow,
