Shadowed Lies

by Clara Hartley

  “It’s a dragon wife’s job,” Windell said, a snarl lifting his lips.

  “Enough,” Rayse barked. “One more word and I make you clean the dungeons.”

  He longed for the meeting to end. These weeks had left many stones unturned, and he needed to get things in order. These dragons unraveled so quickly without his care, and yet they often tried their best to get rid of him.

  He spotted Shen flying in from a distance. The warrior went behind an outcrop of rocks, away from sight, most likely to shift back and put on some clothes. Rayse frowned. There had been an urgency in the beating of Shen’s wings. The yellow dragon emerged moments later in human form, sweat beading on his forehead and a puff in his breath.

  “What’s wrong?” Rayse asked uneasily.

  “Your mate, milord. She’s…” Shen’s gaze wavered. “She missing. You said I was to report to you as soon as possible should anything like this happen.”

  Rayse’s limbs tensed to spring into action. His dragon roared within him, screaming at him to go to her side. But, of course, he had no idea where she was, and he was as useless as a dragonling fresh from his mother’s womb.

  “Have you searched the compound?” he asked.

  “As many places as I could. I went up to your home and she wasn’t there. I thought she might have gone for a walk. She couldn’t have gone far. She wasn’t at the clinic either, nor where she usually harvests the snow rats. I’ve scoured the forests as quickly but thoroughly as I could. Not a sign.”

  He felt his talons lengthening, and the flames within him rose in a storm. “They have her.”

  “They, milord?” Shen shrank bank. His tone was shaky. Rayse wanted to punish his friend for failing at his duties, but pushed back that desire. He had to find her as soon as he could. That had to be his priority.

  “The other dragons.” He looked at the group of subordinates who had gathered to meet him. “Some of you want her gone. You don’t want her to hurt your wives. So you selfishly refuse to listen to her and choose to get rid of her instead.”

  They darted their eyes from him, but couldn’t hide the guilt all over their faces.

  “Find out who has been plotting to rid of her. I want them at my feet and spilling everything they know about her disappearance.”

  “Yes, milord.” Shen bowed and took off.

  Rayse’s inner dragon shrieked in agony. The loss of a mate threatened to consume him. She’s not gone yet. They could still find her.

  There was a chance.

  He cursed at himself. His insides twisted and tore apart. He should have been close to her. Staying away was useless. He had been a coward all this time, letting his fear get the better of him. He thought that the lack of his presence would keep her safe from the dragon wife killings, but they had affected her anyway, and now she was nowhere to be found.

  He sped away from the group of dragons and willed his body to shift. His bones cracked, contorted, and grew. He was in dragon form in less than a minute and then leapt into the sky, spreading his wings.

  Please be safe, please be safe, he repeated in his head.

  But he knew she wasn’t.

  The whole of Everstone was in a stir. No home was left unturned. Rayse’s warriors darted through every building, barking hasty orders to find Constance. He didn’t care that it was in the middle of the night, or that babies woke up crying. He had to find her, no matter the cost. His clan could have a bad night’s sleep, but he couldn’t lose her.

  And there was no news.

  His dragon’s wings flapped in the wintry winds. Torches glowed beneath. He focused on the sights below him with his sharpened eyesight. Squads of his warriors were out through the forests, in the air, amongst the crowds. He had even sent word to the human officials about Constance’s disappearance, with an artist’s best rendition of her to see if they spotted her anywhere. They promised to give him word should a lady similar to her be found, but he doubted this course of action would see any results; she couldn’t have gone that far, unless someone had taken her there, and he didn’t see why his dragons would do so.

  He banked and continued searching tirelessly. The night was coming to an end and not a clue had been found. He had looked through her study, and they had determined she was there last. Their best bet was Nanili, and what the mishram told him nearly broke his heart.

  “What was she doing before she went out?” he had asked.

  “Talking to you, Lord Everstone,” Nanili responded. “She was upset about her conversation with you and rushed to the woods with tears in her eyes. Something you told her made her upset.”

  He knew it wasn’t what he had said, but what he hadn’t. He should have soothed her doubts instead of throwing her into the dark. But he was lost, too. He cursed as he looked down, making another run through the woods.

  It was a small detail. He would have missed it if his wings flapped a fraction faster—a trickle of blood on the white snow. His stomach sank, and he flew down. He landed in front of the blood, careful not to disturb the scene. Constance’s pouch—the one she carried her soul beads in—lay next to the red spots. He turned it around with a shove of his claw, and filled beads rolled from its opening.

  She was right here…

  He scanned the surroundings for any more hints. Only then did he notice the faint impressions of Constance’s feet in the snow. He growled.

  Shen and Greta flew toward him in human form and landed. “We’ve found something, milord,” Shen said. His friend was carrying a metallic object, the size of a human head.

  Rayse shifted back to human so he could talk to them. “What is it?”

  “An incense burner,” Greta replied, fidgeting with her glasses. She only took the prop out when stressed, but it seemed like the need to do so was more common these days. “And it contains poison.”

  “Poison?”

  “Magic-related sparrowleaf. It’s supposed to amplify magic. Some spells can only be used in close proximity. If the target has been breathing this poison in for a lengthy amount of time, those spells become easier to use from a distance.”

  He took the object from Greta and inspected it. “Where was it found?”

  “In her study. She had been inhaling it for a sizable amount of time. Poor pumpkin.” Greta’s lips curled. “She hasn’t been well since you left. She’s been wilting like an over-ripened fruit. Being a dragon wife is usually a perk for the humans. Not in her case.”

  “I don’t need a reminder of that,” he said, gritting his teeth. “Why was this in her study?”

  “Marzia gave it to her as a gift,” Shen answered.

  “Marzia? That can’t be right. They’re the best of friends.”

  Shen gave Rayse a pointed look.

  His grip on the burner tightened. “I want every dragon out there to be looking for Marzia, too. If anyone finds her, bring her to me at once.”

  “Fraser wouldn’t be happy about that,” Shen said.

  “Fuck him and his dragon wife.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  Shen, Fraser, and Rayse had started the Everstone dragons together. They were the closest people Rayse had to brothers, even though they feared him. “He’s gone, Shen,” Rayse said.

  “Most likely.”

  Rayse’s suspicions of Shen lit. If Marzia could betray Constance, then so could his friend. Shen had a dragon wife, too, even though the yellow dragon liked to keep his personal life private. Perhaps Shen was afraid for his wife’s life and had targeted Constance…

  Rayse had to get a grip on his thoughts. Every human, dragon, object in sight was starting to look like an enemy, and the loss of Constance was making him lose his mind.

  “I’ll try to find information about where this poison can be easily found,” Rayse said. “Get me something, anything, that will lead me closer to my mate. I will meet failure with punishment.” He glared at Shen.

  His friend nodded.

  The three of them shifted into dragon form and flew.


  Chapter 12

  Constance felt as if she was floating on water. She hovered in space in a sea of endless dreaming. She existed in a state of surreal nothingness. Drifting… drifting…

  Then the water took on a life of its own. It dragged her down, pulling her deeper into darkness, suffocating her and taking the air from her lungs. She strained to breathe, but the choking squeezed the life out of her. Her limbs were going numb from the lack of sustenance. She shut her eyes tight and tried to will the pain away.

  She gasped for air, but that only caused water to rush into her chest, like a dam released. She fought for survival as her organs collapsed into themselves. She struggled for the surface, but blackness swarmed her vision, thwarting her sight. Waves stabbed past her. They pushed her around and played with her as if she were a toy. Her head swung back and forth, giving her whiplash and a pounding that started where her neck met her skull.

  How did she end up in this mess? The last thing she recalled was… was…

  Marzia. Her child.

  Loneliness and pain.

  She had been betrayed and discarded.

  A nightmare. This is a nightmare. She would wake up any moment now.

  Her hands flailed and panic surged through her in a torrential rush.

  Her body slammed onto hard ground, sending a numbing spike of pain through her. The cool sensation of smooth pavement pressed against her cheek. She groaned under her own weight and strained to get up. Her lungs opened and she gasped, letting out a croak as she did. She grabbed her hair. She wasn’t damp. Where had the water gone? She surveyed her surroundings.

  A dream, she reminded herself.

  She inhaled, and her stuttered breaths calmed into normal breathing. She stilled her mind and murmured, “Be calm.”

  She was on a platform of sorts, lit by a dim blue glow. She reached for the open space. “There’s nothing here.”

  She’d never experienced a dream like this before. They usually came to her as vivid nightmares related to her past, or not at all.

  “Hello?” she called out into the expanse surrounding her. “Anyone there?”

  No answer.

  Was this an effect of the exhaustion she’d been experiencing? “Why am I here?”

  Once again, no reply.

  She remained seated and started counting upward, waiting for the experience to end. She was going to wake up in the winter cold any moment now. She wasn’t sure if that or death was better. Or perhaps this was death itself, and the Dragon Mother had already decided her time was up. This strange platform was the afterlife.

  The empty expanse shook. She dropped her body to the ground to keep herself stable. Her teeth chattered from the shaking. She wheezed, trying to get a grip on the fear forcing its way up her chest.

  Her surroundings faded to white. The solid ground turned green, and the air around her warmed into a summer’s embrace. A man lay next to her. She hadn’t met him before. He sported disheveled, long black hair, and stubble on his jaw. He was handsome, with sharp features and a muscular frame, but he didn’t have the same inhuman beauty Rayse and the other dragons held.

  Still, she loved him.

  What?

  No, it wasn’t she who loved him, but the persona she was living in. She was at the edge of a lake. Bending over, she stared at her reflection. She wasn’t herself, but in the body of someone who seemed familiar. She couldn’t place her finger on who exactly.

  Her host body had brown hair, slightly freckled skin, and a plump build—nothing more than a plain Jane. This woman reminded Constance of an ordinary hamlet girl, but her clothes were of a different period, with strange designs and drab colors, unlike what the villagers of Evernbrook wore.

  Somehow, Constance knew that the man talking to her was Edrienne. Her host thought that he had the dreamiest eyes possible, and the proximity of him was sending spikes of elation and nervousness through her body.

  “The annual couple dance is happening soon,” he said. “I need someone to come along with me.” He had wavy, black hair like Rayse, but bluish eyes instead. Unlike her mate, the man was lean, albeit muscular, with fine, feminine features.

  “The annual dance?” her host asked.

  Who are you and why are you showing me this?

  Edrienne raised a brow. “You’re asking me about it? You’ve been talking about it incessantly. The name speaks for itself.”

  “Oh, uh.” Her heart pounded in anticipation. Is he going to ask me? She found herself experiencing every thought the woman did, even though she didn’t care much for Edrienne. Her heart belonged to Rayse.

  She was stuck in a different body, with different emotions that fought with her real ones. The person who truly owned this body was madly obsessed with the dark-haired, charming man sitting in front of her.

  Excitedly, she clasped her hands together. “We could—”

  “I was thinking about asking your sister.”

  Her heart plunged toward her stomach. “Adriana?” Like how she knew what Edrienne’s name was, she found out this woman’s sister’s name spontaneously. She scowled and darted her eyes away from her crush. “I’m not sure you should ask her. I’ve heard a bunch of other men are looking for her hand. She’s quite popular.” The words sounded nothing like her, but they flowed from her mouth anyway. At that moment, Aesryn, the persona she had taken on, had control over her actions. Constance could do nothing to act, or feel, otherwise.

  “I suppose.” Edrienne sighed.

  “I could go with you.” She scratched the back of her neck and grinned sheepishly. “I have another date,” she lied to not sound desperate, “but I don’t mind turning him down if it’s to keep a friend company.” Aesryn’s eyes fixated on his rugged lips.

  He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. It left her skin tingling and desiring more. “I’ll try asking your sister first. But I appreciate your kindness. No need to upset the other lad. That wouldn’t be right.”

  “It’s no problem, really—”

  “Edrienne!” Just then, a woman with pale blonde locks and the smoothest skin Aesryn had ever seen came running along. Jealousy surged through her. She hated Adriana, her sister. The woman was a witch in disguise who was too good at hiding her true self. “I was looking all over the place for you.” Adriana turned her gaze to Aesryn and her eyes flashed a brief warning. The bitch’s fake smile returned when she faced Edrienne again. “Why are you with her?”

  He shrugged. “I figured I should take a break from the fields. And Aesryn wanted to talk, so why not?”

  “Oh, that’s so sweet of you.” Adriana flashed Aesryn a look of disgust.

  Edrienne didn’t notice. “It’s not much. Aesryn’s really nice to talk to.” He smiled at Aesryn, and she blushed deeply.

  “You don’t have to act humble,” Adriana said. “We know my sister doesn’t get along with people very well. Come with me. I want to show you something.”

  Without glancing in Aesryn’s direction, Edrienne picked himself up and allowed Adriana to lead him along. He tagged after her like a dog with a bone dangled in front of it.

  Aesryn was left alone next to the cold river. Angered, she kicked the water. The splash hit her own face, which infuriated her more.

  “That cunt,” she said. “Always getting what she wants.”

  Her head rang, emotions pounding through her. She saw green, then the red of her hurt feelings. How did Edrienne see anything in her sister? Couldn’t that blind dimwit see through the façade? It was she who truly loved him. She would die for Edrienne, and give up everything she had just to so he would look at her the same way he looked at Adriana. Her sister was merely toying with his emotions, kicking him around like a child playing a game.

  The vision crumbled, turning to smoke and ash. Then Constance was back on the solid platform. She felt for her face and glanced at her hands. She was herself. The hatred for Aesryn’s sister and the intense need for Edrienne disappeared.

  That was strange. With more questi
ons than answers, she picked herself up and stood.

  She walked along the darkness. The ground extended beneath her. “Hello?” she called out. It was fruitless, as expected. It didn’t work the first time, so why would it the second? What would answer her in her own dreams? She tried to will something to happen. But nothing did. She should be in control of her own mind, right?

  It seemed as if something within her was trying to show her something. It was trying to tell her a story she needed to know. Was it that voice on the night of Rayse’s and her first meeting?

  She let out a deep breath. She put one foot in front of the other and pressed on to nowhere. Whoever, or whatever, was trying to tell her the story wasn’t done yet. It had plenty left to show her.

  She continued wandering in the near-darkness. She recited spells in her head to lessen the boredom of her wait. The next vision was taking a drearily long time to come by.

  When her feet got too tired, she sat back down. As soon as her bottom hit the ground, her surroundings flashed white again.

  Chapter 13

  Frieda scooped a bowl of soup and passed it to her guest.

  “They say he’s going crazy,” Estella, the young dragon wife, said, accepting the food.

  “I didn’t invite you over, you know.”

  “And yet you have a fresh bowl of chicken stew waiting for me.”

  “I figured I had to be safe about it. You’re always here for lunch, whether I call you to come or not.”

  “And that’s why I love you.” Estella smiled, gesturing at Frieda with the spoon.

  “Clean up when you’re done. I don’t want your mess to be my trouble.”

  “Yes, yes.” Estella stood and walked to her pantry. The young woman reached for the salt and pepper, rearranging the position of Frieda’s things without so much as an “excuse me.” Estella slid back into her seat and ground a generous portion of pepper into her soup. “They say the femrah’s going crazy.”