Page 16 of Dreams of Ash and Smoke

He scoffs, stepping down and walking to me. “I need no proof. I am King. But if you must have it, Mya says she’s seen both of you together intimately.”

“She’s lying. She is just angry I removed her from being my ladysmaidbecause of how ignorant she is.” Again, another scoff.

“Where isyourproof? You are no one. You were not born into royalty, your parents are dead, and you have no one of statue to take your word as their own.” To prove his point, no one stands to defend me. It was like a punch to my heart. He was ripping the organ out and stomping on it. A power surges through me wanting to burst, it’s a foreign feeling but it dissipates just as quickly. “You are lucky I am not throwing you in the dungeon with him. You are dismissed, Lady Verena. Unless you do want to be thrown in there and hung for treason with him? You may be my wife but you will not be this country’s queen.” I look to Hadeon, who shakes his head almost unnoticeably. I turn and leave the room, not wanting to see him carried off or let everyone see my tears. My whole vision is blood red in rage and it takes everything in me not to snap and kill everyone.

Once the doors shut behind me, I run to my room.

What am I supposed to do now?

Everything I’ve ever been told to want and groomed to be is ripped away from me, my castle crumbling to the ground. The last thing of my parents wishes.

My soon-to-be empire was once a golden age where I was adored and loved. People— the people of Zorya— cherish me.

Or do they? No one said anything.No one cares. This overwhelming pain runs through my veins, burning me from the inside. I’ve been following all the rules, drawing inside all of the lines, staying quiet and never asking for anything since I was a little girl. I’ve allowed this scum of a male to consistently hurt me and tear me down for this crown I was told I should want and be grateful that I have it. Then why has it always felt like a burden? Sure, I wasn’t always easy to manage. I love adventure and I love causing a little trouble but this? And to lie to get his way? Branding me as a treasonous whore was the lowest he could go. No one will have me as their queen now even if he changed his mind.

I slam my door shut, screaming to myself while pulling my hair in frustration.

I wait patiently for twenty-six years and he just saysno?

I am done.

Done.

I am exhausted from constantly putting on a facade of politeness and allowing others to mistreat me. My frustration simmers beneath my skin, a seething rage that threatens to erupt. I hastily wipe away the tears streaming down my face, untangling my hair from its disheveled state and quickly weaving it into a braid. With determination fueling my movements, I storm toward the closet and violently strip off the suffocating dress before donning practical pants and a tunic. I then wrap myself in my trusty fighting leathers, hidden away for moments like this.

A flash of black on my forearm, catches my eye and I freeze entirely. With the wedded rune: spouses can track each other, feel each other’s life, and feel each other’s death.

Knives now line me along with a sword— my eyes stick to them, the gifts from Hadeon for my first time pinning him. Even if I’m still convinced he let me win. I will need to cut the skin off but Dryston would immediately know because the connection will feel as if I died.

In fact, the leathers were also a gift. As if he knew something like this would happen.

He said he’d follow me anywhere, let’s see if he was telling the truth.

I will get him out of the prison and we will leave the kingdom.

Dryston is bold. And stupid.

I know he thinks so little of me that he would never assume I’d run.

Well, that will be his first of many mistakes after today.

Today is the start of the future I will make for myself. And I know just where to go so he never finds me.

Chapter 8: Secret Passage

Verena

As the last hint of daylight fades, I know the time has come to make my move. With a trembling hand, I hastily tie off the blood flow to my arm with a ragged strip of cloth, biting down hard on the leather strap between my teeth to suppress a scream. My limb goes numb from the tourniquet, and I take a deep breath before pressing my dagger into the skin, steeling myself against the searing pain that follows.

Agony consumes me, my screams silent by the tight leather gag that threatens to choke me. With trembling hands, I carve off the intricate rune on my arm, each slice cutting deeper and drawing out more blood. As the black dots dance in my vision and tears stream down my face, I feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that this will finally sever our connection. The sharp blade makes it easier, but the excruciating pain was nothing compared to the overwhelming relief and empowerment coursing through my body.

When I finally peel off the last bit, I throw it to the ground with the blood leaking from me. Grabbing bandages, I wrap my arm until my fae healing can do its job. Tears finally spill down my face from the pain.

Taking more breaths and calming my racing heart, I finish grabbing what I need.

I crack my door open and hope to just slip out but a voice stops me. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I froze, recognizing it. “I am the wife to the King. Am I not allowed to walk the court?” I ask him. I turn to face the man, one of the royal guards. I know him. I know all of them and their names. Along with the other help in this castle. Meanwhile, Dryston can barely remember his own personal guard’s name.

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