Page 40 of Once the Skies Fade

“Yes, Your Majesty. I grew up near Holsham.” His voice cut into my deliberations, pulling my attention back to where he was dancing from foot to foot to avoid the still-creeping vine. The comical display dashed away any need to remember this male’s face, and I had to put all my effort into hiding my amusement. I might have been able to, had his horse not begun to mimic hismovements with its hooves. Angling my head down, I lifted the back of my hand to my lips to cover my smile.

A breath later, I cleared my throat and gestured quickly to the driveway behind him. “You should probably turn back.”

Without hesitation, the male grabbed his horse’s reins, though he didn’t turn to leave.

“And what about you?”

I had already begun to pivot away from him, but I hesitated as Isa’s warnings about potential assassins rang through my mind again. My general would certainly frown upon my turning my back on a stranger, whether I was in the safety of the forest or not.

“I’m safe here,” I said. “Unlike you.”

“Is that a threat?” he said with that same tinge of humor, even as he surveyed the trees around him suspiciously.

I widened my eyes at him and shrugged. “Not from me. While safe from the forest’s magic, I don’t control it. Plus, you’re nearly out of time to register for the tournament, assuming that is why you were riding toward my castle.”

At this he dipped his chin and moved alongside his horse. Once mounted, he started to turn back toward the path, but paused briefly to meet my gaze.

A fire burned in his eyes that I hadn’t witnessed in anyone since…

Brennan.

My heart seemed to cease and race at the same time. The forest closed in on me, the trees spinning around me as my panic ignited in my chest. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of his name. I’d forgotten his eyes, his smile, his scent, everything.

I had started to heal—or at least I thought I had. But this male. This fucking male and his stars-damned eyes gleaming with a mischievous passion I’d only ever witnessed in my husband. Mydeadhusband. Grief slammed into me like a wavethrowing me against the rocky shores of Dolobare, and my shadows burst free as if they could save me from myself and my resurrected pain. Everything vanished, my world darkening as my shadows enveloped me in blissful emptiness void of strangers and memories and tournaments and pain.

Chapter 20

Matthias

Shadows swirled around the queen like a dark tempest. Grim memories tightened my chest, but unlike the last Shadow Keeper I had encountered, the queen seemed to be at the mercy of her power. Her brown eyes, wide but unfocused, started to roll back as her knees buckled and her shadows closed in around her.

Shit.

The darkness had nearly concealed her completely by the time I slipped from my saddle. I ignored the fast-approaching vines and the growing dread in my heart, thrusting myself into the shadows, catching the queen before she hit the ground. Blinded by her shadows, I scooped her up into my arms and tried to escape the darkness, but her shadows persisted. I backed up and barely managed to stay upright as my heel caught on something. Stumbling, I spun around, but quickly stopped. I could easily wander deeper into the forest without realizing it and, assuming she had told the truth about the forest’s dangers, that would mean failing this mission before I’d truly started it.

Except…

Holding my breath, I planted my feet and waited, listened, focused all of my attention on my feet.

Nothing.

I nudged a toe forward. No vine.

I swung my foot in an arch out to the side. Nothing.

Were her shadows protecting me?

Interesting.

Contrary to my words earlier, I did, in fact, know about the forest’s enchantment, though the details had never been divulged by my scouts—or the royal family. We knew the Vaels had called on Minerva—as everyone in our world seemed to—to protect the castle. The price they had paid for such magic remained a secret, as did the fact that the spell didn’t affect their bloodline.

As fascinating as it was that her shadows extended that protection to me, I couldn’t trust them to guard me for much longer. But which way was I facing?

“Sorel,” I called, hoping the beast hadn’t darted off when I’d dismounted.

Thankfully, a soft nicker answered me over my left shoulder. I turned and walked toward him, following the sound of his footfalls as he backed away from the shadows that hid me. After a few tense minutes of wondering if my horse wasn’t stupidly leading us in the wrong direction, the soft grass under my feet gave way to the crunch of gravel.

My shoulders slumped under my relief to be out of those woods, but there was still the trouble of escaping the queen’s magic. I could have Sorel guide me all the way back to the castle, if necessary.

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