Page 11 of The Sorrow of Shadows

“I do not wish to trouble my queen with this. It would onlyupset her further. She needs to heal. Please do not mention this to her, I beg of you.”

“You need not beg, brother. I will take care of Gen; she is always safe with me.” I truly mean that. I love her, but not in the way he had. “There is something you should know about my engagement to Gen?—“

“I do not wish to hear it. I love her, and I know you will protect her and Breyla. That is all I need to know.”

I chuckle, thinking about the dagger the princess had to my throat just hours ago. “The princess has made it abundantly clear she can protect herself.”

“That’s my girl,” the ghost says proudly. “Still, I expect my heir to be safe in your hands, Aurelius.” He shoots a stern look at me.

“Of course, Raynor. I understand.” With that, he was gone.

I lie back down, knowing dawn is still hours away, but I will get no more rest tonight. Lord Seamus might be suspicious, but he wasn’t the only one. Breyla was here for a reason, and I was determined to figure it out. What mess had I walked into here? My duties as emissary were never this interesting.

CHAPTER SEVEN

OPHELIA

Exhaustion fills every part of me. The white glow and tingling sensation fade from my hands as I remove them from Lyla. After Princess Breyla had dismissed her, she was reassigned to my father, Lord Seamus, as a maid. He had never been kind to his servants; this was the third time he had left her completely drained of energy this week. He was a leech, literally sucking the energy out of those he viewed as dispensable, but I feared if his Hemonia Gift were discovered we would be exiled from court. No law against such magic exists, but how he uses it would be looked down upon. It was why he let others believe he only carried the Kaminari Gift—in his case, the ability to wield lightning.

I am constantly cleaning up his messes. He would drain servants or other courtiers of their energy, unbeknownst to them, and I would find them near comatose, having to heal them with my own Hemonia Gift. When I was seventeen, I found a lady of pleasure laying naked on the floor of his room, near death from being drained while servicing my father. I barely had any graspon my Gift at that time, but I was able to bring her back from the brink of death and send her to the court physicians for further help. A large sum was paid for her silence, but the madame refused to send more females to him after that.

I had been hiding this Gift from him for years, letting him think I was powerless so he couldn’t wield me as a weapon. Healers were heavily sought after, but a healer I was not. I was something different, something more. There was no word I knew of for my Gift, so I settled on calling it the life touch. While healers’ magic encouraged the body's natural healing at an accelerated rate, my Gift traded my life force for theirs. The energy it took me to restore others was immense. I imagine it would become easier the more I trained, but it was challenging to train with a power that you hide and required someone to be injured.

“Thank you, M’lady,” Lyla says softly.

“Don’t mention it,” I say sternly but without intimidation. “Seriously, don’t mention this to anyone.”

“Of course. I won’t say a word,” she replies. “You best be getting to the princess. I saw her the day before last wandering the halls in just her underclothes with a half-empty bottle of ale. She was muttering about snakes, causing quite a commotion. She could use a friend, if you ask me.”

I had not witnessed the event Lyla mentioned, but the imagery made me giggle. I try to hide it with a slight cough. “Ah, yes. I am headed to her now. I’ll see if I can provide companionship to our distraught princess.”

I’m not entirely sure what the princess needs, but I have to get close to her so as not to disappoint Father. I ponder how I should approach the princess as I make my way to her wing of the castle. I round the corner, deep in thought, and run directly into a massive form coming in the opposite direction.

“Umph,” I grunt, looking into the warm brown eyes of Elijah. He reaches out to steady me. He usually wore gloves, buttoday they are absent. I can feel the warmth of his hands on my bare shoulders. It feels...nice.

“My apologies, Lady Ophelia. I did not see you coming.” He smiles, his eyes sparkling in the mid-afternoon light.

“No apologies needed, Lord Elijah. I was not paying close enough attention. The fault is all mine,” I say, diverting my attention downward.

He grabs my chin and lifts it gently. It is a bold move, but he is a notorious flirt. “Nonsense, the blame is mine, and that is the last I’ll hear of it. Now, where were you headed? Perhaps I can escort you there?”

To spy on your best friend.

“Oh, that’s not necessary. I’m just headed to visit the princess. I won’t keep you from your duties,” I stutter, trying to keep my voice even. I can’t let on that I’m up to something more.

His smile falters slightly. Is he suspicious? Or is he disappointed I turned down his company? Surely, it must be the former. “Very well. Until next time, Lady Ophelia.” He bows and turns to leave.

I finally reach Princess Breyla’s chambers and raise my fist to knock. The door opens immediately to reveal a rather disheveled princess. A loose tunic hangs off her muscled shoulder, and stains that look suspiciously like wine cover the front. Her hair hangs loosely down her back in tangled curls. Deep green eyes sparkle in the light, emphasizing the gold streaks surrounding her pupils. I don’t smell any alcohol on her, so I don’t think she’s drunk, but she is not the princess I was expecting.

“I knew you’d be back as soon as you realized you left these—” The princess stops mid-sentence, a pair of black leather gloves in her hands. “Sorry, I thought you were Elijah,” she says before dropping her hand.

“I passed him on my way here, but he didn’t mention where he was headed,” I say, trying to be helpful.

“He’ll be back later tonight; I’ll just hold onto them for now.” She opens the door wider, gesturing to the open space. “Why don’t you come in, Lady Ophelia.”He’ll be back tonight?Was Elijah sleeping with Breyla? Odd.

I step into her room and let the door shut behind me. “Thank you, Princess,” I say politely.

“Please, call me anything other thanPrincess. Breyla works just fine. Now, how can I help you, Ophelia?” Her smile is kind. I feel like I could trust her, which makes the whole situation that much harder.

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