Shadowed Lies

by Clara Hartley

  “I… I don’t know the right spells, and I can’t use magic efficiently. She’ll see through my weavings like glass, and I need to harvest innocents to keep up with the amount of souls I have to use.”

  “We… we have to go back.”

  “I just told you why we couldn’t.”

  “Rayse needs this information, and Constance can help us. He needs to know there’s a whole new city out there, under the Mother’s rule. I owe it to him as a friend, and maybe if we give him the answers, he’ll help us.”

  “He’ll have my head.” She pressed her face against Fraser’s warm skin. “I don’t want to die.”

  “We will if we don’t enlist their help. We can’t face the Mother alone.” He brushed a kiss over her temple, then put her down. “Stay here, then. I will talk to him, and he won’t be able to get to you should he show any signs of aggression.”

  “Don’t leave me.” She hugged him. “Not so soon.”

  “I’ll be back, love. I promise.” He swept his hand down from her ear to chin with such tenderness that her heart ached.

  She wanted to run to him, but couldn’t get up because of her foot.

  He turned around and summoned indigo wings from his back, before leaving her in the cold, dark cave.

  Chapter 17

  Rayse wasn’t certain how long his sanity would hold together. Constance was slipping away in front of his eyes, and with each passing hour, he failed at being a proper mate.

  His dragon senses picked up the heightened sound of her breathing. His pulse quickened, and his breath caught in his windpipe. “Little fire?” He lowered himself to her and watched her with a hesitant gaze.

  A moan wisped from her lips. He sat up straighter and inched closer. He hadn’t heard a sound from her since she’d arrived. This was good… this was hope.

  Nanili stood at the edge of the room. He spun around and said to the mishram, “Hurry and fetch Greta.” His servant nodded, then ambled out the door. “Quickly.” Nanili broke into a light jog and was off.

  He turned his attention back to his mate as soon as he could, studying her carefully. Her temple crinkled with a deep furrow. He held his breath, trying to control his excitement. He didn’t want to let his expectations soar too high, lest they come crashing down in waves against him.

  A flutter of her eyelids.

  And her eyes opened.

  He couldn’t think, couldn’t speak. It felt as if time had stopped for him. A surreal sensation caught in his chest. He still couldn’t believe it, couldn’t allow hope to embrace him, because everything felt too good to be true.

  Constance blinked. Her hand moved to her throat. “Wa… water.”

  It took more than a second for his mind to process her words, then he was up on his feet. He fetched her water from a nearby jug and placed it on the side table, next to her. He poured a cup for her, hearing the trickle of water on glass as he did, and readied it at her lips.

  “Can you sit up?” he asked, finally finding his voice.

  A gentle smile brushed the corners of her mouth. “I can try.”

  He pulled her up into a seating position, treating her like a glass doll. Each time she winced, he did, too. “You don’t have to stress yourself so soon after waking up,” he said, right after Constance managed to get up.

  “I think I’ve had enough lying down.” She paused. “How long was I out for?” Her voice was raspy and dry. He brought the cup to her lips and allowed her to take small sips. She was awake and alive.

  His heart sang. “You were gone, little fire.” He kissed her cheek. “For weeks. Then we found you in the snow, and you’ve been lying in this room for another six days.” He brushed the back of his hand over her face. “You’re so frail now.”

  “That long? It felt like less than a week in there.”

  He cocked his head. “In… there?”

  “My dreams. I don’t know if I can call them that. They were more like visions. I think someone or something was trying to show me something. I think I saw the first dragon.” Her voice was raspy from not being used for so long. She took another sip of water.

  “What was it like?”

  “Hideous.”

  He sat back down and placed a hand on her thigh, wanting to be close to her. “That’s not right. The Dragon Mother is gorgeous.” But terrible, he thought. He remembered the fear that she’d cast over him with her last visit. Constance’s breathing was more sporadic than usual. Her body was likely trying to catch up with being undernourished and asleep for so long.

  A knock on the door caught his attention. Shen stood in the doorway. “Milord,” Shen said. “It’s urgent…” His words trailed away as his gaze focused on Constance. “Femriahl. It’s good to see you back.” He bowed.

  “Good to be back,” Constance said, returning the greeting with a grin.

  Rayse didn’t want to be pried away from his little fire so quickly. This was his first conversation with her after what felt like an eternity. “Whatever it is, it can wait.”

  “Pardon me, milord. But please direct your attention to this as soon as possible.”

  “That’ll do. You may leave us.”

  “I will wait outside until you are ready to talk.”

  Rayse puzzled over what Shen found so important, then convinced himself that nothing else was worthier of his attention at this moment than his mate.

  “Love,” he said, “if there is anything you need to tell me, you can do so.” He grabbed her hand and held it in a tender grip.

  Constance raised a brow. “I can tell you about what I saw in those visions.”

  He shook his head. “No, not those. Little fire, what do you know about the dragon wife murders?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I saw you. You don’t have to lie.”

  “I’m not. You have to believe me.”

  He could tell she was struggling to talk, but he needed to hear the truth from her anyway.

  He wanted to know why he had been wronging his men and stripping their lives away because of the actions of his mate. He needed to. The doubts had been plaguing his thoughts since he saw Constance run in that forest. “Little fire, you’ve been hiding the fact about our bond for months. We’ve lost a baby because of it.” His eyes darted to her belly, then back to her face. “You can’t expect me to—”

  “To what? Trust me?”

  “I want to, love. I truly do, from the bottom of my heart. But I caught you. I saw you trying to kill Yoca and running away.”

  “That wasn’t me, Rayse. You have to believe me.” She stared at him with her moonlike eyes. They were filled with sincerity and longing. But perhaps she was too good a liar. He knew what he’d seen.

  He lowered his gaze, allowing the guilt of not being able to trust her simmer through him. He tried to kiss her, but she rejected his advance.

  “I’m not capable of doing such a thing,” she said, searching his eyes.

  “You just have to tell me why. I’ll forgive you, little fire, if you can simply give me the truth.”

  “That’s what I’m doing.”

  “Tell me why you killed those men.”

  Her jaw slackened. “I’ve lost you. I’ve lost your faith in me.”

  Not knowing what to say, he didn’t answer.

  A brief silence sliced through the air. A storm of emotions flickered through her features.

  “Leave,” she said.

  “Love, I—”

  “Leave!” she shouted, despite her weakened throat, and tossed the cup of water across the room. It hit the brick of the wall and clattered to the ground.

  She was breathing so hard that he could see the rise and fall of her chest.

  “Do you truly want me to?” he said.

  “I do.” Fury lit her caramel eyes.

  He didn’t want her to strain herself after just waking up. He stiffened, then got to his feet. This wasn’t how he imagined their reunion to be. He strode across the floor with a hunch in his shoulders and slid
out into the hallway.

  Constance had never felt this disconnected from her body.

  She lifted her arms and tested them by clenching and releasing her fists.

  After so long being stuck in her visions, this sensation of being in her own self, having control of her fingers, seemed wrong. Parts of her still tingled, and more of them ached. Her nose was swollen from crying over Rayse.

  Greta checked her temperature and cast a few spells to inspect her condition. “Your muscles are weak from not being used for so long,” Greta said. The old dragon pressed and prodded Constance, sometimes in locations she wasn’t comfortable with. “It’ll take some time to adjust, but I’m sure you’ll recover quickly.”

  Constance placed a hand over her belly. “It’s gone.”

  “It wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place, pumpkin.” Greta sniffed. “Darn mate won’t stop saying stupid things in my head. I always have to ask him to calm down.” She looked up at nothing in particular. “I said I get it already. No need to drone on about it.”

  “Your mate?” Constance asked.

  “I hear him sometimes.” The old woman packed her things. “Don’t go shouting and crying while you’re still so frail. What do you think you are, pumpkin? A dragon? You can’t heal as quickly as we do.”

  The chair scraped on the ground as Greta stood.

  “He thinks I’m responsible for the murders.”

  “And are you?” Greta raised a brow.

  “No, of course not. I think he blames me for the child.”

  “Which he very well should.”

  “I used that spell to protect him.”

  “Oh, and did he want that protection? Did you care to ask him what he preferred?” Greta’s shawl dropped from her shoulders, and the old woman swung it back up.

  “You gave it to me.”

  “Because I knew you were going to try something stupid anyway, so I figured I’d give you something safe.” Greta sighed. “What’s done is done. Don’t think too much about it.”

  “Safe? I had a miscarriage.”

  “It wasn’t likely you’d conceive. A miscalculation on my part. Better that than you accidentally wrecking your souls somehow.”

  Constance clutched her blanket to her chest. “I feel like I’ve lost him.”

  “Stupid peach. You’ve just hit a bump in your relationship. He’s hurting because of the secret, which you shouldn’t have told in the first place. Give him time. How I wish I had your problems.” Greta rolled her eyes. “Children.”

  “He walked out on me.”

  “From what I heard when walking up, it was because you sent him off.”

  Constance licked her lips, not knowing how to respond.

  “Rayse looked dejected when I saw him. You can’t hurt someone unless they love you.”

  “I… I don’t know what to do.”

  “Apologize when he comes back. He’ll trust you. He can’t hate you. He needs you. You didn’t see how distraught he was when you disappeared. The clan can breathe a sigh of relief now. We were all so stressed out about what he was going to do next. He stalked around like he wanted to rip everyone’s head off.”

  “He was quite adamant about the killings, however.”

  “Give him time.” Greta swung her medicine bag over her shoulders—it looked too heavy for an old woman like her to carry. Sometimes Constance forgot that Greta was a dragon inside. “Get some rest. Looks like someone sucked the life out of you. Your body needs to recover. And remember to drink plenty of water.”

  “I know, Greta. I’m a healer too.”

  “Sorry, you’re just acting so silly that I’m starting to think you’re losing your wits.” Greta looked up again. “I said I get it, you stupid oaf.”

  Constance scowled, but her mentor had her back turned and didn’t see it. Greta strode off, leaving the bedroom.

  Constance tugged a pillow from the edge of the bed and hugged it to her chest. She slumped her head back and forced her eyes close. She tried to get some shut-eye, but all she could think about was Rayse.

  Chapter 18

  Rayse stalked through the corridor with Shen at his side. They made their way past the gray bricks and the maroon carpet of the keep.

  Rayse’s mind was still reeling. “He’s back? How?” he asked.

  Shen shook his head. “He was in front of the castle.”

  “And what did you do with him?”

  “We tied him up. He let us lock him in dragon stone without much resistance.” They were walking toward the trial room to visit Fraser.

  “Did he say anything about Marzia?”

  “No. He refuses to give us her location. He tells us it’s urgent that he speak with you. That he has information on the Dragon Mother.”

  Rayse’s brow furrowed. “The Dragon Mother? What does she have to do with all this?”

  They stood in front of the massive entrance. His men pulled the doors open, and the both of them strode in. Fraser was in the center of the dim room, standing up with hands tied behind his back. His clothes looked fresh but had a few tears and stains on them. Dragon warriors were positioned around Fraser, swords raised and wings spread behind their backs. They circled Fraser in a tight, cautious position. But Rayse’s friend was standing with an almost-bored expression, not looking the least bit aggressive.

  Happiness sparked through Rayse. He was relieved to find Fraser safe. He almost thought he had lost the man he’d known for centuries.

  Rayse walked up to his friend and waved the men away. They lowered their guard.

  “Milord,” Fraser said, dipping his head.

  “Where have you been?” Rayse asked.

  “That’s what you need to know. But I can’t give you anything unless you promise my mate’s safety. We need your help.”

  He had almost forgotten about Marzia. Knowledge of her crime seeped back in, and his dragon found renewed rage. “My help? Do you know what she did?”

  “Many things.” Fraser cast his gaze down, then looked back up. “But I need you to forgive her.”

  Rayse growled. “She poisoned my mate.”

  “More than that. She’s been behind the murders.”

  “What?” His mouth went dry. “But I saw Constance doing that.”

  “It wasn’t her. I can tell you more, but you need to promise you won’t do anything to Marzia.”

  Rayse walked to the seat next to Fraser. He needed to sit down. “What are you saying, Fraser?”

  Fraser let his gaze wander across the walls. “That there’s something much larger than this. That there’s a whole world out there which is much bigger, and you need to know about it. Please, we won’t survive if you don’t help us.”

  “Help? You expect me to help your mate despite what she’s done? Despite the pain she has caused me?” Rayse was stopping his dragon from leaping at his friend. He now saw Fraser as a threat to his mate.

  But then he recalled the years they’d spent building the Everstones, and their experiences together. The dynamic of their relationship had changed, and somewhere down the road, Rayse had become Fraser’s leader. That didn’t mean they hadn’t spent those late nights drinking, or sometimes training together, even though Fraser and Shen had often found excuses to skip out on lifting those boulders.

  Rayse valued his friend, despite current circumstances.

  “Please,” Fraser said.

  Rayse darted his eyes to Shen. “Release him.”

  Shen nodded and stepped forward with a key. The yellow dragon snapped the dragon-stone chains off Fraser’s wrists. Fraser lifted his hands and rubbed the areas the stone had cuffed. “Thank you,” the blue dragon said.

  Rayse pressed his hands to his lips and closed his eyes. He let his thoughts wander for a moment, then said, “You’ve put me in a tight spot, Fraser.”

  “I know.”

  “Marzia… I can’t let her off like that. She’s wrecked this clan in ways our enemies never have.”

  “I don’t know why
she did that, milord.”

  “She deserves the worst of punishments.”

  Fraser’s eyes turned into a golden yellow. A snarl lifted his lips, but Fraser smothered it down and pulled his expression taut. “I’ve served you for many years, Rayse.”

  Rayse noted the dropping of honorifics. They used to call each other by name, but that was many years ago. “You know I’m a stickler for consequences.”

  “This once, let your rules go. For the sake of our friendship.”

  He met Fraser’s eyes for a long while. He could feel his mind turning, raking through what he had to do. If Marzia died, then Fraser would too. Could Rayse truly sentence his friend to death? He had Constance back…

  “I still can’t let her go without consequences,” he said.

  Fraser nodded. “I understand.”

  “She can’t be here, not after what she’s done. She’s a threat to both Constance and the clan.”

  “We’ll leave, but first we need Constance to hide us from the Dragon Mother.”

  “She’s after you? What does the goddess want with you?”

  “She’s been tormenting my mate with threats…” Fraser’s expression soured. “My wife was compelled by the Mother, Rayse. She’s not innocent, but she was facing a supernatural power even us dragons cannot withstand.”

  “And why does the Dragon Mother want your wife now?”

  “Marzia failed to fulfil the goddess’s last command.”

  Rayse paused, letting his brain turn. “When Shen stopped Yoca from killing his wife.”

  Fraser’s gaze met Shen’s. “Did you?”

  The yellow dragon nodded.

  “Then I suppose that’s what happened,” Fraser said. “Marzia said she’s been framing Constance for the murders. She knows black magic now. I’m guessing she disguised herself as Constance to make the clan think it was the femriahl instead.”

  “Why would she do that?” Rayse asked.

  “She’s been following the goddess’s instructions.”

  Rayse felt like a passenger in this conversation. He hadn’t suspected the Dragon Mother to be against him. “Then that brings the question of the goddess’s motives.” He had expected a rogue warlock or witch to be his enemy. It made more sense that one of the other dragon clans got greedy for power and wanted to undermine his authority with magic to take over. What did the goddess want with him and his mate?