Page 27 of The Sorrow of Shadows

“What did you say?” Jade questions.

“I asked her if pretending to love my father was hard, or if the hard part was waiting two whole weeks to move on with his brother.” I cringe as I repeat the words, realizing now how bad they truly were.

“Ouch,” they say in unison.

“Yeah.”

“Did you apologize?” Julian asks.

“I tried, but she didn’t want to hear it. She said I may feel guilty, but I didn’t feel remorse for what I said and that’s what mattered. She doesn’t want to talk to me now.”

Jade hums, swinging her head back and forth slightly, and watches her silver braids wave in the air. “Frankly, I wouldn’t want to talk to you either.”

“Jade,” Julian tsks.

“Julian,” she says mockingly back at him. “What? I can’t say I blame the queen for how she’s feeling. That was exceptionally cruel.”

“Perhaps, but I can’t fault Breyla for how she felt either. She could have approached it differently, but they’re valid feelings.”

“Hm, that’s fair,” Jade concedes. “Do you feel remorseful now?”

“I regret hurting her,” I start, “but I don’t regret saying it.”

Julian shifts his weight back and forth, swinging his torso until he’s sitting upright on the branch. He drops to the ground below us and grasps my outstretched arms.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Come on, enough sulking. We’re going swimming.” He tugs me off the branch and into his arms before gently placing me on the ground.

In typical Jade fashion, she needs no help dismounting. She swings her body back and forth until she has enough momentum to flip herself off the branch, landing gracefully beside me.

“Show off,” I tease.

She just shrugs and says, “Race you to the river. Loser buys drinks tonight at the tavern.”

Jade and Julian both take off before I can respond, leaving me in their dust. I chase after them, my feet pounding the dirt and grass beneath me. Arms pumping, I push myself to catch up to them, but it’s not easy when they’re both so much taller than me.

I wind through the training yard and royal garden, savoringthe feeling of the earth beneath my bare feet. The late afternoon sun shines brightly, but the slight breeze makes it bearable. We reach the outer wall, the twins still several paces ahead of me. Once outside the gates, I push myself harder through the tall grass, desperately trying to close the distance between us.

As I near the riverbank, I realize it’s a lost cause. Drinks are on me tonight. Jade and Julian are both there, already stripping out of their leathers before I even reach them.

“I’m feeling exceptionally thirsty tonight,” Julian says, grinning at me.

I roll my eyes as I peel the sweaty layers of clothing off. Once we’re all down to our undergarments, we take a running jump into the river. Calling it a river might be a bit of a stretch. It’s closer to a stream, just barely enough to swim.

My feet dig into the soft mud at the bottom of the riverbed, and I let out a sigh of relief. The cool water provides the perfect reprieve from the hot sun and my troubled thoughts. I let myself float, the gentle current pushing me slowly down the river. The golden tones of my hair sparkle in the sunlight as it fans out in a halo around my head.

Jade and Julian are wrestling in the water a few feet from me, and Jade looks to be winning. She’s currently on Julian’s back, her arm wrapped around his neck in a stranglehold. Julian grunts as he attempts to pry his sister from his shoulders. After a few moments of struggling, he changes tactics and throws all his weight back, plunging them both under the surface of the water.

Waves ripple out from their impact, gently rocking me. When they don’t reemerge, I get suspicious. I move into a standing position, my senses on high alert. It’s not their safety I’m concerned about since we’re all adept swimmers. No, I don’t trust that they aren’t up to something.

Something wraps around both ankles under the water, followed immediately by Julian popping up from the water right behind me. He wraps an arm around my torso at the same timethat Jade yanks my feet out from under me. I’m immediately pulled under water, and the three of us hit the riverbed.

Fucking assholes, I think as I kick out to free myself from their grips. They let go easily, and I swim back up to the surface.

Wiping the water out of my eyes and brushing my hair back, I stand and face them. They’re both grinning like idiots at my expense. I shoot them a half-hearted glare and flip them off, only making them laugh harder.

In our underwater struggle we have moved further downriver. My eye is drawn to the flower petals and leaves floating on the surface. I can identify most of them easily. Rue and daisies comprise most of the floating flowers, and I think the uniquely shaped purple petals belong to columbine. A flash of vibrant red catches my eye.

---