Page 2 of Shadows of Ruin

The whip wasn’t new. Bringing it out in public was though. My body tensed, freezing in front of everyone.

“Kneel before your king,” he said, dramatically pointing the whip at my face.

I felt Storm flinch, but I didn’t look at my friend, who stood just a few feet away from me.

“It seems my Guardians need a reminder. Disobedience at any level, Guardian or not, will not be tolerated.”

My lip curled as I met the king’s hateful glare, but I schooled my expression, refusing to give him any satisfaction. Unbuttoning my shirt, I shrugged it off, kneeling before him, hands on my knees.

He grinned. “Face them.”

I lifted my chin, turning and kneeling before the people of Mysthaven. How had we become a kingdom of people who cheered and enjoyed public punishments? A kingdom so terrified of their neighbors that they turned on each other, praying the king stopped the spread of evil and dark ones in our land.

The more the king unleashed me to destroy these so-called traitors across Mysthaven, the more I learned about them. The more inconsistencies appeared in the narrative spun by the king. The more Ifeltlike a monster. Not the righteous hand of the king, but a weapon wielded by evil hands.

“No one is above the king. No one is above Mysthaven. Anyone who believes they are will be held accountable. For allowing so many traitors among us as of late, my Guardian will accept this reminder of my might and my mercy by retaining his life.”

Crack.

The whip lanced along my back as the king finished spewing his lies. He held himself above all else.

Crack.

The leather split my skin. The familiar sting across my back tingled across my spine. He’d drawn one of his special whips for this display. The king had a collection of torture devices containing some sort of magic. Magic that somehow made my punishments harsher.

As pain flooded my body, I let it fill me with rage. I kept my hands on my knees, unflinching, refusing to give him the satisfaction of breaking me.

After all, I’ve had years to get used to this particular form of punishment.

I lost count at thirty lashes, and once the lastcrackrang in the courtyard, the crowd had gone silent.

When the punishment stopped, the crowd quietly shuffled away. Most of the other Guardians left too. Dismissed by the king perhaps? Or maybe just done watching their leader, the king’s most trusted Guardian, be whipped for so long.

I finally let go of my control, falling forward as my body trembled, shadows nowhere to be found.

The king’s polished black boots appeared in front of my face. He leaned down. “You will remember your place. You will abide by my orders. Hesitate again in my presence or at an order, and I will destroy you.”

I lay on the cool cobblestone, wishing it would swallow me whole.Monster. I’d remain his monster, or I’d die.

Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad.

Feet scuffed along the stones, but I didn’t raise my head to look at who approached.

“The winds, they whisper a solemn tale. One fated in nature, calling to you. Magic swirls in unrelenting waves, crested in light.” Our seer, the strange woman who always cared for me, spoke in her riddles as she kneeled beside me.

“Are you flirting with me, Cassandra?”

She squeezed a piece of unblemished flesh. “Hush, boy. Hush.”

A warmth radiated along my back. Cassandra’s skills wereunrivaled. How she held such strong healing gifts while also being a seer made no sense. No one knew how deep her magic ran.

No one but me.

She’d been healing me for years. The king didn’t pay enough attention to know when Cassandra had taken over my healing from the palace healer, Nadia.

Or if he knew, he didn’t care.

The wounds on my back wept blood. Suddenly, my shadows whipped out of me, called forth either by Cassandra or after my own natural healing abilities kicked in. I couldn’t heal others, but I could assist my own Fae abilities and bolster them to quicken the process myself.

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