Page 87 of The Rose in the Shadows

Sighing, I frowned up at him. There were dozens, if nothundreds,of myths and legends to learn and memorize before my trials, but could he really blame a girl for being curious about her own history? Hyrax was my ancestor, after all. Didn’t I deserve to know his story? Wasn’t it somehow part of my own?

Hansel scratched a hand through his beard as if he, too, were debating that same question. Finally, he sat back down and nodded.

“Then, Hyrax rose to the Mortal Realm, bringing his beasts of the Underworld with him. He claimed a throne for himself and demanded the mortals submit to him. Of course, Zion and the Gods of the Upperworld fought back, but they knew they would need to make a sacrifice to banish Hyrax back to the Underworld fully. I’m afraid no one truly knows how they managed it. The reports are inconsistent, but to end the Second War of the Gods, they created the Veil.”

“The Veil?”

Hansel nodded. “When Hyrax announced to his kingdom that he would return briefly to the Underworld to retrieve his bride Pasnia, the Goddess of Madness, and bring her to the Mortal Realm, the Descendants of Zion alerted him to Hyrax’s plan. Zion instructed Caldrius to steal the bident while Hyrax was away. Then, the Gods created the magical veil betweenthe worlds. A gate, if you will, that answers to no God or Goddess. Once it was created, traveling between the realms was impossible, locking Hyrax and Pasnia permanently in the Underworld and keeping all other Gods in Upperworld.”

I sighed, chewing on my lip and questioning again what it meant to descend from the God labeled an enemy to all. Everything I’d read of Hyrax so far painted him as a jealous, gloomy man with no other desire than to conquer an entire realm of mortals and Descendants. Who knew what he would attempt to do if he ever fully got dominion over the mortal realm?

“No wonder people don’t trust me,” I mumbled.

Hansel scoffed. “If there is one thing I have learned by studying these histories, girl, it is that the only people who can tell you the truth of what happened are the Gods themselves. And besides, we are our own people, are we not? Do we not make our own choices?”

Well, wasn’t that just the question that motivated all my anxieties?

Were Clay and I destined to be enemies, or could we choose to be something else?

And if wecouldenact that kind of choice within our own lives, how could I choose Clay over restoring the name of my House on the Athenian Council and ensuring that heirs would be born to continue it?

Perhaps Hansel was right, and these stories were nothing more than history being told by the victors. Perhaps Hyrax was not the villain he was so often portrayed as. But didn’t that make it more critical than ever that I stand tall in the name of my House and prove to Athenia and the world that House Hyrax could be more than just the Descendants of an evil God?

I lifted my quill and began taking notes on the tome before me, more determined than ever to ensure I passed the trials. Afterall, none of my pining for Clay meant anything now, not when he had made it abundantly clear that the only thinghewanted frommewas to fulfill my duties.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“Imust send out my most gracious thanks to all of you for joining us on this special night.” The Dragon’s booming voice seemed to echo throughout the great hall. “Please, grab your drinks and join me in raising a glass to honor my son’s twenty-third birthnight celebration. Clayton, son, you are a pillar of strength that would make your forefathers proud. Happy birthday, son.”

I downed my glass, avoiding the false spectacle the Dragon was putting on. I doubted his majesty wanted to be here any more than I did. It had been exactly three weeks since the doors to my suites were shut behind me, and there hadn’t been a single update from Clayton about when I could expect to be allowed to leave.

There hadn’t been a single update from Clayton about anything, in fact.

The Crown Prince was obviously avoiding me. And though I knew I didn’t have any reason to begrudge him for that - I wasthe one who rejected him after all - I still grew more irritated each day that passed without him.

I wasn’t entirely sure when it had happened, but Clayton Vail had become my addiction, and the more time that passed without him, the more I wanted to see him. And the more I wanted to see him, the more I hated him.

For three weeks, Clayton had avoided me. There had been no visits, no communication through my guards, nothing until a small invitation arrived at my door. Apparently, the Royal Birth Night celebration was an occasion that demanded my presence.

I suspected the invitation had come from the Dragon and not my prince. And it likely had more to do with my many suitors in the room than it did with anyone actually desiring my presence at this party. I remembered some of the marriage hopefuls from the last ball, but most of their faces were nothing more than a blur. Each one faded into the next as men from across the kingdom - and beyond - offered me drinks and dances. I suffered silently as best I could, offering timid smiles and polite dances, unable to stop remembering how the last time this had happened it had been Clay who had rescued me from it all.

Most of the suiters were kind enough, except for Lord Ducay, who promptly reached for my rear end once he pulled me to him for a dance. Much to his chagrin, though, Lord Ducay mysteriously had his drink fall from his own hand onto the top of his head. It was almost like magic. Fortunately, he hadn’t been seen since.

As Nessira and Geia dressed me for the party earlier, I’d been filled with nerves. I’d changed three times before finally settling on a pale yellow dress with cap sleeves. I couldn’t sit still long enough for Nessira to do anything elaborate with my hair, so she’d twisted the front pieces away from my face and held them back with pearl clips. Neither questioned my anxieties, and I suspected they already knew the cause. Coming to the princes’birthnight celebration meant I would finally have to come face to face with him again. And that made me uneasy at best and nauseous at worst.

Clayhadbeen right that day, though. I did need to stand by the path I had chosen for myself. And I had decided to embrace my role in this court the second I had stepped forth to speak for myself that day on the terrace. So I had vowed to myself that all anyone would see when they looked at me tonight was a respectable future Council member with a pleasant smile and a gracious attitude.

That attitude was getting difficult to maintain as the night went on, though.

“I’ll take one of those,” I called, reaching out for a glass of sparkling wine as a servant passed by. He bowed stiffly, extending the tray towards me. I took the glass silently, fighting the urge to roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of this man bowing before me. I hardly deserved that, nor did I really want it.

Lorelai folded her arm into mine as she took a glass herself. “Best not to drink too fast.”

I raised an eyebrow at her as she giggled.

“We have to come to this party every year with all the fancy old dignitaries, but we’ve been known to continue things afterward. You’ve got a long night of fun ahead of you.”

I doubted that.

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