Page 41 of Once the Skies Fade

I let out a long sigh and muttered, “If only these shadows would clear out on their own.”

I’d barely taken my next inhale when the darkness started to dissipate. Little by little I could see the outlines of trees and my horse, and I held my breath, as if it might cause the shadows to rush back into place. Now thin wisps of gray, they swirledaround me as they disappeared into the queen’s palms—one resting on her torso, the other dangling at her side. Assuming she had to have called the shadows back, I looked down, expecting to find her conscious, but her eyes remained closed, her face appearing almost peaceful with all trace of her earlier pained confusion now vanished.

I frowned down at her.

She hadn’t recognized me.

While it weighed decidedly in my favor with respect to the tournament, for some reason it still stung—if only a bit.

Sorel nudged my shoulder with his muzzle, snorting at me.

“Right, right,” I said. Unfortunately, there was no way to mount my horse while holding the queen, and tossing her unconscious body across the saddle, while effective, seemed less than ideal for my first impression at this tournament. With no better options, I trudged down the long driveway toward the castle.

Why they called it a castle was beyond me. It was more like the Emeryn Palace than the utilitarian castles once used long before my time, though I’d heard the humans had chosen to build the more historical, practical strongholds for their kingdoms in the south. Even so, the Arenysen Castle differed greatly from the palace where I served the Durands. Where their home was warm and inviting—and somehow remained so, even after the death of the queen—the castle I approached now was not.

The dark gray stone of the building loomed cold and ominous. Despite being in the dead of autumn, when the leaves should have been changing to deep oranges and reds, everything surrounding the castle was lush and green, as if the land here was as enchanted as the forest that surrounded it, caught in a perpetual summer. Vacant, depressing windows peeked out from behind a shroud of deep green—nearly black—ivy thatreached up from the ground like massive hands seeking to drag the home into the bowels of the earth. I shuddered, reminded of the forest’s vines inching toward me. Would they have sought to swallow me whole, like this web of foliage seemed to be doing to the castle?

Even the bright sunlight streaming down onto the castle couldn’t seem to penetrate the gloom that surrounded it, like the castle itself consumed all light and life that came near it.

Well, that’s a little melodramatic. I’m starting to sound as optimistic as Connor.

I laughed softly at myself. It was just a building, nothing more.

And yet.

I glanced back down at the sleeping queen in my arms, remembering how her eyes had darkened when her shadows had flowed from her palms. The castle itself may have been harmless, but that didn’t mean the queen was. As serene as she seemed now, she may have killed my king’s son, and I could not afford to forget that.

We were nearly to the front stairs when the grand doors to the castle opened and a serious-looking female stormed out toward us. I’d never met General Isa Marlowe face-to-face, but it wasn’t difficult to recognize her. Even behind the deep concern on her face, she exuded pure confidence. The raised chin, crisp gait, and commanding gleam in her eye all testified to her authority.

She barely looked at me as she approached, keeping her attention firmly on the queen.

“What happened?” she asked, not accusingly. She glanced briefly up at me before she lifted a hand to brush a strand of hair from the queen’s forehead.

“I was riding up the road when Her Majesty rounded the front of the castle. She noticed me and bolted into the forest,” I explained, pausing to chuckle lightly. “Can’t say it bolstered my confidence for this tournament.”

Isa didn’t seem at all perturbed by any of this, her expression softening as she asked, “How did she come to be in this state? As you’re here to compete for her hand, I assume you didn’t do this.”

“I wish I could claim some heroics, but alas, I simply followed her into the forest to make sure she was okay. Turned out her horse had spooked and thrown her. She didn’t appear hurt, but as we were parting ways, something…changed.”

“What do you mean changed?”

“It was like she remembered something, like she saw something that frightened her? And then…” I hesitated.

“Then what?” the general prodded gently.

“Her shadows appeared, and she collapsed.”

The general stiffened but recovered quickly and extended her arms toward me. “Let me take her.”

“Of course,” I said, handing the queen off like she was a sack of flour instead of a murder suspect.

Before Isa turned back for the castle, she tossed her chin toward the right. “The stables are around that way, and one of the grooms will tend to your horse so you can join us in the Great Hall. Registration will begin within the hour.”

Chapter 21

Matthias

Back in Emeryn I was used to keeping to the background, staying behind the royal family, always quietly observant. I only stood out and spoke up when needed, but this tournament demanded a different approach.

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