Page 117 of Shadows of Ruin

“Kade, do you see that?” I asked quietly, as the rest of the group spoke among themselves.

He peered into the casket. “See what?”

Summoning all of my bravery, I reached into the casket and moved the robes of my parents, right where the gold reflection had caught my eye. I reached out and grasped the golden shimmer, which turned solid at my touch.

I inhaled sharply and wrapped my fingers around a solid hilt. When I pulled back, a white dagger lay in my hand. A wave of energy raced down my spine, and the dagger thrummed in my palm.

My eyes widened in disbelief.

“How?” Kade murmured.

I stared at the dagger in my hand, humming with a kind of power I didn’t recognize. The consistency wasn’t metal, at least it didn’t look like it. “This feels unlike anything I have ever held,” I said. I turned the blade in my hand again. The weapon quieted, the hum settling. I tucked the dagger into an empty sheath along my thigh. I needed to keep this safe and out of sight for now. Daggers didn’t have a habit of appearing out of nowhere, even from powerful magic.

The men returned the lid to the casket, and both Hale and Corbin replaced the coffin and land to its natural state, as if completely untouched.

Corbin kneeled in front of the graves, touching the ground. When he stepped back, a small ring of purple and yellow roses rested at the headstone. A parting gift in honor of my parents, who’d died protecting me. Protecting Brookmere’s future.

Despite all the troubles that still lay before me, I couldn’thelp but feel an unknown weight lifted. Even though they were dead, I’d met my parents. Stood in their home. I would carry the pieces of them with me through this fight, whatever battle awaited.

Corbin turned, still on his knee, and remained bowing before me. “I know you hate the reverence, but you are my queen now, Illiana. What you had to face here today and the dignity with which you did it reminds me why I’m proud to be your humble servant.”

I touched his shoulder. “You are no servant, Corbin. You are my friend.”

He shook his head and rose before leaving me behind. Corbin, the unsung hero of today.

The others left, but Kade lingered by the doors when Hale stood beside me next. “Did you know, after Andras caught us in the gardens the first time we tried to fool around, your mother came to visit me?”

A low growl escaped Kade’s lips, but I shook my head and flicked my hand at him, dismissing him and his protectiveness.

My gaze shifted to Hale’s face. Somehow in the past few weeks he had transformed into something harsher. More determined.

“How terrifying was that?” I smiled thinking about our younger selves and how discussing a tryst with my mother would feel.

He grinned back at me. “She asked me my intentions.” He raised his eyebrows.

“What did you say?”

He sighed, putting his hands into his pockets. A warm smile remained on his lips. “I told her you were too good for me, but I would spend time earning your love.”

“Hale,” I breathed out. How many times had Ian and I joked about Hale as a mere distraction? I told him during the marriage trials that he would always be my friend, and I had no intention of going back on that now, but a nagging guiltputtered in my chest. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d missed out on years of having another close confidant.

He took my hand but didn’t turn from my parents’ grave. “I told your mother that if you wanted me, I would bask in your presence forever. If you didn’t, I would serve by your side however you saw fit. Whatever you chose, I believed I might love you until I died.”

I squeezed his hands. “What did she say?”

Tears pooled in Hale’s eyes. “My mother was— Well, you saw how important appearances were. I never quite lived up to her expectations, neither in the strength of my magic nor my ability with a blade. But your mother cupped my face and kissed my cheek. She said my belief in you was all she needed to see, and I was worthy no matter what your heart chose.” He looked over at me. “Then she told me if I did anything more serious than romping around in her rose bushes before you were ready, she’d banish me.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I can hear her saying that.”

“My point in telling you is that your mother saw the good in everyone. She had an ability to make people feel seen when she spoke to them. She made people feel as if they mattered. You have that ability too. Your heart for your people is exactly like our queen’s was, and your tenacity is like the king’s. I obviously didn’t know your birth parents, but I can only imagine the force they were to have created someone like you, Illiana. Meeting them would have been an honor.”

I leaned my head against Hale’s shoulder, and he kissed the side of my head before he spoke again. “You carry the traits of four parents who left their mark on this world not only in their actions, but in you. Our queen.”

Hale squeezed my hand once, then walked away, leaving me privacy at my parents’ grave. This time, I looked at their headstones with a smile on my face. A new stirring blossomed in my chest.

One of hope and pride. One of determination.

I looked at the headstone one last time. “For Brookmere and for you, I will fight.”

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