Page 67 of Ties of Shadow

“Burn the trees.”

I snorted at the image. “The prince already does that so well.”

He raised his eyebrows.“May I punch him too?”

I gave him a sad scoff. “Maybe, but not today. Today, let’s get out of here.”

Dark shadows filtered across his green eyes as the muscles of his jaw feathered. “Dayspring, I—”

A boom preceded the shaking of the entire castle. The ground below us buckled, and dust rained down from the ceiling.

The Shade clasped his hands to his head. “Uncle, something is here—”

A loud blast shook the walls around us again. Uncle Koll rubbed his hands. “I can feel it.”

Father pulled a cane from the wall and peered out the door. “To the kitchens then. A recent shipment came for the village. We could put you on the cart as it leaves. You can escape.”

“They’ll search it,” the Shade said.

“Not if I’m driving,” my father answered with a disgusted sneer. “I’m the prince’s loyal dog.”

The Shade turned to me. “Your decision, Dayspring. I’m with you.”

I squeezed his hand, a flood of warmth blooming through my heart. No one had ever looked at me with such affection, much lessrespect.And no one had ever actually waited for my decision. “It’s not a bad plan.” He raised a brow, and I spoke more confidently. “Let’s do it.”

Chapter twenty-seven

Run or Fight

“Come this way,” my father shouted as he rushed to the back wall of his workshop. He tugged on a book, and a secret door clicked open. My lips parted. My father looked sheepish. “This, uh, this leads to the wine cellar.”

Of course it did. I stomped past him. At least the wine cellar had a front door in the kitchen—and it was, admittedly, a fine escape route. A huge bellow rumbled before distant screams screeched against the rough stone. A single line of booted footprints cleared a path through the dust on the floor—the steps my father had taken toward the thing he loved more than me.

As the pain surged, a shadow slipped gently against my palm. “Dayspring?”

I tried to stifle a teary sniff. “It’s not fair.”A stone fell into my hair as the hallway rumbled.“I shouldn’t have to forgive him. I shouldn’t be asked to be the better person again. I shouldn’t have to make peace after everything.”

“Dayspring, I am not a pinnacle of forgiveness.” His shadows caught me before I stumbled, as the earth heaved beneath us from whatever was going on outside. “But forgiveness isn’t about them. It’s about releasing yourself from the grip he has on you. He may not pay the priceof some just punishment, or suffer like you have, but you don’t have to be consumed by it or be beaten under it anymore. It’s in the past. The scar remains as a marker of when you were hurt but you healed.”

I whimpered, pain twisting my chest at his words. I knew he was right, but that didn’t make it easier to hear. I shifted and tried to deflect the weight of the conversation.“Could you forgive the prince?”

“I’m certain that I don’t know what you mean. Death doesn’t forgive.”

My laugh came out a bit sad as I wiped my eyes. At the end of the hall, my father pulled a luz wall sconce to open yet another doorway. Wine bottles were stacked on either side before we pushed through the other door into the kitchen. We all fell in and tried to rush to the outside doorway, threading through the chaos of servants and panicking staff. One woman stood on a stool and commanded them all.

Chef. My lips split into a grin as I took her in—in all her flour-coated, ladle-wielding glory. Her gaze caught mine, and she froze. Tossing one last command, she leapt with unexpected grace and rushed to me, wrapping me up in her embrace.

“Child, I have missed you.”

“I missed you too, Chef.”

She patted my arms as she pulled away to examine my face before taking in my companions. Her eyebrow rose in suspicion as she saw the Shade. We must have looked absurd: my ailing father, a scrappy Uncle Koll, the glowering Shade, and a black wolf rushing through her domain. But she pinched her lips and tilted her head to the side toward the exit. “And now, dear, we need to get you out of here. The castle is under attack.”

Uncle Koll asked, “From what exactly?”

“A monster is all I can gather.” Chef shuddered and pushed me toward the door. “It came from the mountain—a beast of the deep. Lord Ramsha, if you do anything right, get her out of here. Go home, if you must. Just save our girl.” She spoke of home to my father, but instead of my old home by the sea, the word conjured a dark manor with a dreamy solarium.

Uncle Koll caught Chef’s hand and flourished a bow and a kiss. “Don’t forget to save yourself, madame.”

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