Page 45 of Dreams of Ash and Smoke

I abruptly stand, wiping tears from my face and moving past him, “My apologies, your majesty.” His firm grip wraps itself around my arm.

“What did the lady mean? About your mother?” He asks. I look up to the end of the alley and see the other three pretend they’re not listening as I turn to face him.

“I do not know.”

“Your mother was Vaia Nightcrest? Of Khyrel? And you didn’t think me privy to this information?” He was getting irritated, of course he was. It looks as if I deliberately hid this from him. I jerk my arm from his grasp in anger.

“I didn’t know!” My voice raises before I settle it again, moving closer to him. “I knew my mother was from Khyrel and that we moved when I was two years of age. That is it. I didn’t even know Nightcrest was her last name. She went by my fathers in Zorya.” He sees something in my face that crumbles him as he softens his gaze.

“If your mother was Vaia Nightcrest, we have more of a history than was to be believed.” He moves closer, resting his fingers on my chin and raising my eyes to his. “But we cannot speak of it here.”

Chapter 22: Damsel in Distress

Verena

“What are you saying to me right now?” I ask him, my hands pulling at my hair in frustration.

“I am saying that when Vaia Nightcrest had her baby, our parents set up a betrothal. The raven and the serpent; a prophetical union since the beginning of the two Courts. And ironically it is just as the witch told me. You are the raven. I am the serpent. Our fates are bound and clearly it’s been trying to get us together from the beginning.Wewere betrothed. But Vaia and Arzhel left with you and faked your family’s death. Calanthe and Vaia were best friends. I don’t know why she didn’t say anything to me about your mother. I barely remember the woman, let alone what she looked like.” He stands in front of his desk, resting against it. I pace the room in front of him.

“Why wouldn’t she tell me?” I ask him.

“I can not answer that. But, my guess is that your father made a deal with Dryston’s father behind her back and took you both. She was happy here, that much I know. But, your father was very influential to her. She was stubborn and from what my mother says, very independent. Until he came along. And your grandparents hated him because of it. They died shortly after your birth which is probably why he was able totake you both so quietly.”

I shake my head slowly, the motion not driven by disbelief but rather by the weight of revelation pressing down on me. It feels like everything I had known was built on a foundation of deception; my entire life now unfurls before me as an intricate tapestry woven from lies. The hardships I’ve endured—long nights spent in quiet despair and days filled with relentless struggle—now lay bare as mere pawns in my father’s insatiable greed. Each scar etched into my soul was inflicted for his selfish gain, an ambition that he ultimately failed to savor for long.

The irony swirls around me like a thick fog, saturating the air with its pungent bitterness.

I draw in a long, deep breath, filling my lungs with air that feels almost electric against the backdrop of this harrowing truth.

“I am Verena Nightcrest.” He nods. “What does that even mean?” I ask him.

He pauses his thoughts before stepping closer, his hands gently cupping my arms as he peers deeply into my indigo eyes. “It means you have a title. That you possess property, family, and a rightful place here. You belong here, Verena. Whether that is by my side or not. If you do not wish to continue with this any longer, I understand.”

His genuine regard ensnares me, as if time itself has folded around us in that moment. His scent envelops me, now becoming my solace amidst the storm of emotions swirling inside. I feel myself getting too comfortable in his presence, an unsettling realization washing over me. Taking a step back, I regain some distance between us. “No. I made you a deal, and I intend to honor it. Dryston has committed…” My voice trembles slightly as I take a shaky breath, “heinous acts, and he must pay for them. We will decide what to do with me when this is all over.”

His gaze continues to pierce through the layers of my soul, but I summon the strength to fortify the wall I’ve built around it for decades. Yet this time, I sense the chinks and cracks in its facade—the fissures that threaten to betray my resolve. “I need some time to process all of this,” I manage to say firmly, if not a bit breathlessly. Without waiting for his reply, I turn and swiftly retreat from the room, leaving behind the castle’s stone walls thatecho with unspoken words and unresolved tension.

I need a place where no one will bother me.

* * *

Leaves flurry through the trees as the wind billows. It’s the only sound I hear as I walk barefoot since I ditched my shoes in the garden. The sun shines through scattered sections of limbs and greenery, reaching for the forest floor with it’s rays of warm light. Khyrel’s capital was gorgeous in the night but I also love it during the day. The culture, the people, they all seem content and happy with their lives.

I walk through the forest alone. Eryx had warned me back about being here alone. He had stated there were dangers lurking here and if I wasn’t traveling with someone who knows it, it’s easy to get lost.

But something was pulling me here and I hadn’t realized I ventured in so far until I snapped back into reality. It was seemingly peaceful regardless and this wasn’t my first time. When I was planning on leaving and the witch stopped me I was also here alone and at night when it’s harder to see. The feel of the earth underneath my bare feet was relaxing, soothing.

The only thing creepy about these woods was that it seemed eerily quiet other than the breeze blowing through and the birds that sang in a melancholy tone.

Oddly enough, it was somewhat comforting.

I was wearing my fighting leathers now, changing out of the dress before I left. Daggers strapped to my thighs and my sides. My hair was fading faster, the blonde halfway through my hair in a change from this morning. Chills run down my spine, feeling as if someone is watching me again. I take a look around, trying to spot any movement. A raven caws from above me, making me jump in surprise before blowing out a breath of relief.

I wish I wasn’t wrong about what I said to Eryx. Thiswasa business arrangement and feelings don’t belong in the middle of it. But if that werethe truth why did it feel as if fate herself was pulling me closer to him? Why does my heart beat faster when he’s near and my lungs stop taking in air when he’s away?

The crowd cheered around us when we walked through town. But why did I still feel as if I wasn’t enough?

I shake my head of the thoughts. It didn’t matter. Soon I’d get my revenge and I will leave them to live their lives in peace. Even if the idea of leaving them… of leavinghim… made my chest hurt.

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