by Jen McIntosh
Little wonder she was out here alone. That she worked so hard to hide this, even from her own family. The glamour had made her appear almost Elven. But now, in the dawn’s light, there was nothing there but the feral savagery of her father. Of the Shade. Beautiful, yes. But wild and dangerous. Something inside Alexan stirred, as if in recognition.
There was a smile on her lips while she bathed in the morning sun. She spread her hands wide, as if revelling in the play of the breeze through her fingers. He blinked. How many times had he watched her mother do the same thing? How many times had he stood guard while his Queen welcomed the dawn, stunned into silence, near blinded by the sheer beauty of the woman he loved gilded in the morning light? He took a deep breath, swallowing the lump of grief in his throat. Stood fast against the current as a flood of memories threatened to drown him.
‘Théon!’ An angry shout fractured the peace and tranquillity of the sunrise, but Théon didn’t flinch. He shared her exasperation when he registered the intruder a moment later. Illyandi’s expression was furious as she stormed up the hill.
‘Illyandi.’
‘Don’t you Illyandi me,’ her sister snapped. Joining Théon in the sun, her own glamour slipped away revealing the truth beneath. Unlike Théon, her appearance more Elven without it – any mortal traits vanishing, replaced by the delicate, ethereal beauty of their people. The aura of her magic erupted around her, shimmering like sunlight through oak leaves, gilding her in flecks of green and gold light. Alexan’s chest seized in shock. Her mother’s aura. He closed his eyes against the onslaught of memories.
‘You shouldn’t be outside the wards,’ Théon was saying.
‘Neither should you,’ Illyandi scolded.
‘I am prepared to deal with anything that comes my way.’ Théon smiled and tapped the dagger at her hip.
Illyandi tried to hide it, but Alexan could see her lip curl in distaste. ‘Just because I follow Benella’s example, doesn’t mean I can’t defend myself.’
Théon’s eyes grew distant and sad beyond measure, and she nodded, turning back towards the house. ‘I know,’ she said. Then she sighed and looked at her sister. ‘What is it?’
‘Faolin and Dorrien are getting ready to leave. You should come and say goodbye.’
Théon nodded in agreement and turned to follow her sister. Satisfied that they were returning to the safety of the wards, Illyandi began chattering about a new dress she was making. She said nothing of her night with the Dragon. Alexan wondered what her sister would make of it.
He watched Théon’s shoulders slump, and the unbridled, ferocious woman who would risk her life to greet the dawn disappeared beneath the layers of responsibilities weighing on her slender shoulders. She didn’t fool him for a moment. A wild animal – captured, broken and tamed to serve – always yearned to run free. He smiled. It was a crack just waiting to be exploited.
An hour later, hidden amongst the rocks high in the glen, he watched on while the Dragons prepared to leave. Kah Faolin and the Princess Illyandi stood close together, their heads bowed as they murmured to each other. Illyandi touched a gentle hand to his face, and Faolin once more folded her into his arms, before handing her over to Dorrien. The two women clung to each other, their faces streaked with tears at their parting. Silvermane kissed Dorrien on the brow and shook Faolin’s hand once more. Only Théon stood apart, arms folded across her chest as she watched in silence.
Alexan saw Faolin step away to join her. He pulled her hands away from her chest and clasped them in his own. When she refused to meet his eye, he tilted her chin up with the crook of his finger. His smile was warm and hers shy, making Alexan’s stomach churn with jealousy. He refused to consider what that meant.
‘Stay strong,’ Faolin murmured, squeezing her fingers in his own.
‘Be safe,’ she replied. He winked at her and gave her a fierce hug before turning back to Silvermane and Dorrien.
‘Take care of yourselves,’ the old man was saying to Dorrien. ‘See what news you can find of Keriath, but your priority has to be finding the source of that magic. There are not enough of us left now to risk losing any to a Darkling Hunt. See if you can get word to Arian and Ornak – they were headed south through Ciaron. They can get word to Resari. We’re going to need her.’ Alexan arched a brow at the list of names. Arian and Ornak were well known to the Shade Court, but only the King’s inner circle knew still to fear Resari. The Dragons nodded in understanding and shouldered their packs.
As they crossed the wards on foot, Faolin glanced over his shoulder. He inclined his head to Théon, but to Silvermane he only frowned. It was a clear warning: treat Théon better or face his wrath. Alexan smirked. In a different life, he and Faolin could have been good friends.
The Dragons Changed together in the morning light: where two fearsome warriors stood, now an osprey preened and, beside her, a fierce-eyed falcon. The falcon screeched once as they launched themselves skyward, and the noise echoed around the valley long after they had gone.
Alexan stood in the dying light, far from the croft, watching the sun set with disinterest while he contemplated the amulet in his hand. What it could unleash. It stung at his pride to even consider using it, but he’d evaluated all the other options, and this was the one most likely to succeed.
It was a simple design. Stark. Brutal. A blood-red gem set within a ring of iron. There were five, worn by the Shade King’s inner circle, by those blessed and burdened with his trust. His steward and lover, Jenia – his Queen in all but name. His spymaster and assassin, Seren. And his three most favoured generals. Kieyin. Corrigan. Alexan.
He wondered which one would answer.
Dreaded it.
For whoever answered was likely to be Keriath’s salvation. There was an even chance that they would be her doom instead.
With a sigh, he sliced his hand open and pressed his bloody palm to the jewel in the centre, the mark there itching in response to the magic within as it activated, pulsing out across the world. Dark magic. Stolen and corrupt. He’d gone some distance to get far enough away from the croft – from the Graced senses inside – to risk using it.
But now the signal was sent. Help would come. All he had to do was wait. Wait and worry.
He prayed it would be Kieyin. Even Seren would do. Jenia would be a disaster.
He shuddered at the thought. Legend said she’d killed her own sister to prove her devotion to the King. Alexan knew all too well she’d done far worse than that in the long centuries since then. Like trying to kill the King’s bastard child, for example. Alexan had seen the damage first-hand, opened the gates and carried that small, broken form into the palace himself. Stood guard for three days while the healers battled to save her. Not that she remembered. If there had been any flicker of recognition in Keriath’s gaze, it had only been at his name. The name of the Shade King’s Darkling general. Not the Lord Protector who’d given her his strength when her own had failed. She’d been barely ten years old. If Jenia came, if he told her where to find Keriath … She would only rescue the King’s daughter so she could kill Keriath herself.
Jenia would be a disaster, but that was at least predictable. The same couldn’t be said if Seren answered his call. No one seemed to know anything about the mysterious Darkling with the moon-white hair and ageless eyes. And not for lack of trying. Alexan had spent the best part of the last century trying to discover something – anything – about her. Who was she? Where had she come from? What did she want? He might as well have tried to fathom the stars. All he knew was that her loyalty to the King was absolute. And she was very, very good at what she did. But given that consisted of spying and killing, he wasn’t sure if she would be a help or a hindrance.
His fellow generals were as bad as each other. On the surface, Corrigan was worst. A cruel Elvish Nightwalker with a mean streak a mile wide. Their hatred of each other ran so deep that they were never left alone unsupervised. But that aside, Alexan could at least appreciate that Corrigan was
the more sensible one. He was efficient and far less reckless. And he had nothing to gain where Théon or Keriath were involved. But he had also murdered his Queen, and only the Claiming had stopped Alexan from killing the Nightwalker for the last century. Diathor’s ghost haunted him enough without sending her murderer to the rescue of her kin.
Kieyin, meanwhile, had an unbridled love of life and all it offered. The Phoenix-born Shade was a serial seducer with a taste for thieving, wine and violence. A Prince of the Court, living his life on a knife-edge for no other reason than the sheer rush it brought him. But he was also the only reason Alexan hadn’t been driven insane by the Claiming. Alexan owed him a life-debt. Several, if he was honest about it. More than that, he trusted Kieyin in a way that he could never trust Corrigan. At least the Shade was honest about what he was.
‘Penny for your thoughts?’ said a smooth, cultured voice behind him. He didn’t jump or turn. He’d sensed the magic of the Transference. Only a Shade had that kind of power. Relief had his legs feeling like water.
‘You took your time getting here,’ Alexan said, leaning against a nearby tree.
Kieyin snorted as he appeared in Alexan’s peripheral vision. ‘Still faster than Corrigan,’ he noted. Alexan chuckled, conceding the point. Kieyin leaned against another tree. ‘I assume you found her? If you’ve dragged me out here for nothing, I will be seriously fucked off. You would not believe the lovelies I left behind.’
‘I’m sure Corrigan will keep them warm for you,’ Alexan assured him.
Kieyin scowled. ‘That’s not funny. I don’t think he’d have a clue what to do with one. Frigid bastard.’
Alexan huffed a laugh. ‘It’s quite funny. And he does know what to do with them – they just won’t be as pretty once he’s finished.’
Kieyin mimed vomiting at the thought. ‘Gods, he’s a sick fucker.’ Then he clapped a hand on Alexan’s shoulder. ‘I’ve missed you, brother. I can’t believe you left me alone with that cretin.’
‘You’ve got Seren. And Jenia,’ Alexan said, laughing at the disgust on Kieyin’s handsome face. The Shade was pretty, preening and polished, with a smile that could charm his way into any bed he liked. But behind that urbane facade, Alexan knew all too well that a cunning mind lingered. He hid that sly, scheming intellect the same way he hid his slight but well-muscled physique – beneath the exquisitely tailored clothes, gleaming dark hair that shone red in the light, and glittering crimson jewels that adorned his fingers and pointed ears.
Alexan was proud to call him brother. Of all the horrors he’d lived through since his turning, Kieyin alone had made life bearable. He would almost suffer it all again rather than lose the Shade.
‘Don’t go all sentimental on me now, brother,’ Kieyin warned. ‘I didn’t travel all this way just so we could hold hands and sing songs around the campfire.’
Alexan chuckled darkly and gripped Kieyin’s shoulder hard enough that the Shade winced. ‘I found them,’ he said, his voice near breathless with excitement. Kieyin’s brow arched.
‘Well, I should fucking hope so,’ he snorted. ‘I guess that explains why you’ve gone all misty-eyed on me.’
Alexan pulled a face, ignoring Kieyin’s ribbing. ‘No, I found them. Théon and Keriath.’
Kieyin blinked, stunned into silence for once in his life. Alexan savoured the moment. Then the Shade let out a low whistle.
‘You’re shitting me.’
‘Obviously. I said it just to see that look on your face.’ Alexan rolled his eyes. ‘I’m being serious, Kieyin. I caught Keriath in the Ravenswood less than a fortnight ago.’
‘Well, where is she?’ asked Kieyin, glancing around in confusion.
‘I lost her to a mortal Hunt.’ Alexan spat in frustration. ‘They laid claim – said they’d been hunting her for weeks. Threatened to press charges of poaching if I took her. There were too many of them for me to risk it. A bloodbath like that could have launched us back into war.’
Kieyin frowned. ‘The King would have understood—’ he began.
But Alexan cut him off. ‘I know, but there are things the King isn’t aware of. Zorana and Mazron are at it again. She’s made it into Illyol, and I saw him heading towards Ciaron, of all places. I’m worried the Queens are allying with them and, without knowing for sure, I didn’t think it wise to risk starting a war we might not be able to win.’
Kieyin nodded in understanding, his eyes narrowing. ‘Mazron has been acting strange, right enough. But that sister of his is something else. Last time she was at Court, she was claiming she’d got some new pet – some remnant of the Graced that she’d corrupted.’ He snorted in disbelief then shook his head. ‘She’s a silly mare. If she’s got inside Illyol, she’s had help – and that can’t be good for us. I’ll see what I can find out.’
‘Thank you.’
Kieyin waved him away. ‘It’s fine. How did you catch her anyway?’
Alexan told him. The Shade King’s orders. The Awakening. The Dragons. Keriath’s arrival. The failed ambush. The chase. The fight that followed. Losing her to Drosta’s Hunt.
Kieyin interrupted. ‘Drosta? Assuming he’s one of the Queens’ lot?’ Alexan nodded. ‘What was he doing hunting someone like Keriath? And how did he find her?’
‘I don’t know. Seems too convenient though. He was well prepared. I can’t be sure who, but I reckon someone gave her up. It reeks of Mazron if you ask me, and that’s what worries me. Drosta wouldn’t have been bold enough to challenge me if the Queens weren’t in bed with someone from the Court.’
Kieyin nodded in agreement. ‘Alright. I’ll see what I can do. But we don’t even know where they’ve taken her, and if all you say is true, any rescue will require careful planning. And the King will want me to investigate the Awakening—’
‘Damn the Awakening, Kieyin. Whether she’s gone to Zorana, Mazron or the Queens, I guarantee she’s suffering. You have to save her. I’m bound by the King’s command to deal with Théon, and it’ll take too long for me to do it. Please—’
The Prince cut him off. ‘I understand, brother, but you know how this works. If the King wants me to investigate the Awakening first then I must do as he commands. But whatever his orders, I swear, I will not leave Keriath to rot. It may take some time, but I will get her out of there, one way or another. You have my word.’ Alexan nearly fell to his knees with relief at the words, but Kieyin continued, oblivious, ‘Now what about Théon?’
‘I tracked the Dragons. They led me right to her.’
‘That was careless,’ the Shade observed.
‘The Kah heir was wounded in the fight. Nothing permanent – certainly doesn’t seem to have affected his … vigour.’ Kieyin’s eyebrows quirked upward in confusion, and Alexan relayed his night of reluctant voyeurism.
As expected, the Shade howled with laughter. ‘You should have asked to join them.’
‘I’m not sure they would have said yes.’
A longing grin split Kieyin’s charming face. ‘Oh, but think how good it would be if they had. Did you know, Dragons can use the Change to make their di—’
‘Shut up,’ snapped Alexan. Kieyin pouted playfully but let the matter drop. ‘They’ve moved on now anyway. It’s just her and Illyandi, and an old man they call Silvermane.’
Kieyin was quiet for a while before he spoke again. ‘What’s she like?’ he asked, his voice soft. Alexan forced a neutral expression on his face. He’d never heard Kieyin speak like that, not about anyone. He resisted the urge to press him on the matter.
‘She’s nothing like her mother,’ he said, hiding his own feelings beneath a cold exterior. The glance Kieyin gave him spoke of understanding but not compassion.
‘Did you expect her to be?’ he said with a soft laugh.
Alexan shrugged. ‘I don’t know what I expected,’ he answered. Kieyin raised a quizzical eyebrow, inviting him to elaborate. ‘Someone more like the King. Composed. Logical. Less reckless.’
‘Was she ever any of those
things when you knew her as a child?’
‘No,’ he admitted. ‘But it was a long time ago. I assumed she’d grow out of it.’
‘Do you think you can convince her to return?’ Kieyin asked, his pale gaze frank.
Alexan sighed and rubbed a hand across his eyes. ‘I don’t know. I need to get closer, get to know her better before I can say for sure.’
‘And if you can’t?’
‘I need to be closer no matter what I do,’ he said. ‘Tempt her, take her or kill her – it makes no difference. I can’t do anything from here.’
‘But?’
He smiled. Kieyin knew him well. Too well.
‘The house is warded,’ he explained. ‘Impressively so too. Not like anything I’ve seen since I left Illyol.’
‘Do you have a plan to get through them?’ asked Kieyin.
Alexan suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he grunted. ‘A hundred years and you still think I’m stupid enough to go through something when I can just go around it?’
‘I know the effect that beautiful women have on you, Alexan,’ Kieyin chuckled. ‘Just have to check that you’ve still got your wits about you.’
Alexan smirked and shook his head. ‘No,’ he continued. ‘We wait for her to come to us.’
‘We?’
Alexan nodded. ‘I have a plan,’ he said, darkness glinting in his blood-red eyes. ‘If it works, the wards will cease to be a problem. Théon will take me through them herself.’
‘And if it doesn’t?’ asked Kieyin. There was no fear in his voice, only anticipation.
‘We’ll die.’
Kieyin grinned, his eyes dancing with dark delight. ‘When do we start?’
