Page 120 of Shadows of Ruin

I could do nothing. I lay there, half on my bedroll, my arms and legs in an awkward uncomfortable position as he peered over me.

“Do you know how your precious Elisabeth helped the king?” he continued.

Even if this magic had not been keeping me paralyzed, I would have frozen. I wanted to scream at him. Tell him to keep her name out of his mouth.

Hale stood, dazed, barely present.

“She created a potion that dulled his magic.” He laughed humorlessly. “Without magic to feed on, Andras’s control faltered. She kept him alive years longer than should have been possible. But that potion is ours now.” He turned to Hale, slapping his shoulder. “Delivered in the package of a friend.”

“What a good dog,” I hissed, using all of my final strength. My body may be immovable, but I would have him know he had not completely succeeded in dulling my magic. “Obeying your cowardly master.”

“Throw your words at me all you want,Captain.Your time has come,” he sneered. “Your power, your magic—it’s mine.”

The words I spoke were my last. For now. Unable to do anything, my scream remained lodged in my throat as Casimir clutched my neck, draining me of my magic. I stared into his eyes as he did it, vowing silently this would be the last time he stole from me. Or anyone I loved. The second I could get to him, I’d end this Fae.

“What a pity you will miss all the fun. Stuck here, helpless.”

A jeweled ring on his hand glowed a brilliant emerald as he siphoned my magic into the piece of jewelry.

Unable to fight, to do anything against this evil, I lay there fucking helpless. A failure once more. I had to warn Lana and Kade. Jax and Storm. Everyone.

“Pathetic.”

The last word I heard uttered by Casimir as my world blurred, but the oblivion of fading into darkness escaped me. Instead, I lay there awake, bound by a magic stronger than me.

How many more times would I fail?

The thought haunted me while I lay paralyzed, silently begging the Fates to wake the others before I had to face the nightmare of losing Lana again.

This time, perhaps forever.

Chapter 34

Lana

"Talk to me,” Kade said, rubbing his warm calloused hand over the back of my neck as we lay in his tent together.

The tingle against my skin mixed with the soothing way he kneaded the tension from me felt like bliss despite my lingering fears.

“I’m worried about Ian. I’m worried about what’s next,” I admitted, leaning into his touch. The other fears I wanted to keep to myself. Not voicing them made me believe I could store them in the box I tried so hard to keep them locked in.

Kade kissed my shoulder. “Give me whatever it is you’re holding on to, Little Rebel. Let me help you carry it.”

“I feel like everyone has been handed an incompetent, worthless Fae to lead them. How can I help Brookmere when I have no magic? How do I stand a chance against Andras as weak as I am? All of this comes down on the shoulders of others. How can a queen ask that of her people, let alone the people she loves most?”

“Look at me,” Kade demanded. I rolled over on the bedroll to face him. His eyes completely clear of any darkness.

I sucked in a sharp breath at their intensity, at the adoration staring back at me.

“You have never needed magic to prove your worth. You have never been weak.” He rested his hand over my heart. “In your darkest moments you survived, and then chose to not only continue but to throw yourself into caring for your people. You inspire loyalty forwhoyou are, Illiana, not what magic you can offer.”

My lip quivered. “They’re beautiful words, Kade. But at the end of the day, it will take someone extremely powerful to do whatever is needed to take back my kingdom."

“Youarepowerful,” he whispered. “It will takeyou.Magic does not determine a Fae’s worth. I know you believe that. You treat lesser Fae exactly the same as nobility, if not better. You don’t let their worth be determined by their magic. So why allow your mind to use it to condemn yourself?”

I shook my head, but he gripped my chin tightly, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Hear me, Little Rebel. You are worthy. You have always been worthy. There is no one else I would follow into any battle, any fight so willingly as you. There will never be a moment when I doubt what you can accomplish.” He kissed my forehead, lingering there.

I shuddered, soaking in his words. "What if I fail?”

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