Page 75 of Ties of Shadow

Awkwardly, the people began to clap—no doubt whiplashed from their long held belief that the scourge of the deep, the menace of goodness, and Death himself was suddenly not…and heralded as a hero instead. As the crowd grew, so did the volume of the cheers. The city was saved. A prophecy fulfilled. Light had won.

King Regent Harold, swayed on the opinion of the people, shouted next, “Together we will rebuild and restore. Please see your head of village to compile a list of needs. With my queen healed, she will rebuild this kingdom even better than it was before.” He regarded his queen fondly, brushing her shoulders with his thumb. Despite anything else I felt about him at that moment, at least he loved his wife.

The queen smiled, then turned her back to the crowd, her voice dropping to a murmur. “Well boys, that potion was something, but I’m exhausted. Please help me leave gracefully.”

The queen positioned herself between them and began her return to the castle. I stood uncertainly, even as Shea looked back at me.

“May I have the honor?”

The king regent stood before me with his arm out. I clacked my gaping mouth shut, curtsied for good measure, and with cheeks flaming, took his arm. He had publicly acknowledged me—an honoramong my peers—after everything. At long last, I had the king's attention. It was remarkable how little it mattered to me now. What was once something I strived for daily now seemed so paltry compared to what I had found in myself, what I had found at the manor, and what I had found with Shea.

“Thank you for saving us,” he said as he waved to the people.

“You are welcome, Your Highness.”

We ducked through the doorway, side-stepping the already busy cleaning maids. He paused, his gaze lingering after Shea. “I broke him, I think, when I sent him away.” He coughed once. “It broke us all. It worsened my queen, poisoned my first son against me, and ripped out the heart of my second son. Leon loved him as a boy.” My heart ached for the entire family. He continued. “I was a fool.”

“A fool is one who, seeing the right path, takes another.” I swallowed. “If I may be so bold, you may have been mistaken, but there is still a right path before you.”

I braced for the backlash for my brashness, but the king’s eyes remained contemplative. “Even so, Aelia. I’m glad you didn’t die at the temple.”

I doubted I would get any other apology from the king. “I am too, Your Highness. For her sake.”

He faltered in his steps, regarding Queen Gemaline as she made her way through the halls of the main floor. “For her sake, I would do anything. Yet I could not save her.” His hand pulsed on mine. “But you did. For this, I am in your debt.”

I smiled. “I’m sure we can think of some way to repay it.”

Chapter thirty

Light at the End

The castle restoration went slowly, but since the mining stopped, the smog had filtered away, and the earth returned to rest. The potion was widely distributed to all the loamers, and those who’d left the kingdom returned in droves. Through the next few weeks, the healed loamers systematically collapsed caverns to separate the worms, spyrings, rats, and humans. The prince unveiled a new policy regarding mining, instituting a new team led by Uncle Koll, who would mine responsibly for the prosperity of the kingdom without harming any loamers, the earth, or the creatures within. The fire battles had ended, and washers began to rehydrate the dry earth around the castle, while loamers worked to recover the soil.

The village and the queen alike were thrilled with Shea’s new light source. The bacteria was easy to reproduce, and the cubes were a wonder to children and adults. People still walked cautiously around the Shade, uncertain if the dark lord would suddenly flip and kill them all, but they were softening to him bit by bit. It helped, I liked to think, to have me at his side, beaming—literally—and happy. No one had ever been afraid of me.

My bond with Shea and our glorious display of magic had intimidated some, but my newfound power—and my close association tothe king regent and queen—had thrown me into the center of public attention. Everyone who had previously disregarded me, belittled me, or bullied me suddenly wanted me to be their best friend. I was the tamer of the darkness. The pinnacle of the kingdom of light. I was even dressed in fine gowns, much finer than I was comfortable with, but I hoped with time, I would get used to all the attention. Everyone watched me. Most whispered about me. But it didn’t feel like the harsh judgments I’d always received before. Not that I trusted flattery any more.

As for me, I just wanted to spend time with Shea and steal moments eating cookies with Chef in the kitchen. We split our time between the manor and the castle at first, needing our own quiet time at night, while we helped to reunify the kingdom and mollify the people during the day. My quiet moments with the queen were now limited to allotted tea times, as she flitted around with Jamison—making up for a decade of motionless bedrest by never ceasing her work. She was tireless and grew stronger by the hour. Between her and Jamison, the castle was whipped into shape.

My father seemed to recover some, the potion and the healing earth were both effective treatments, and he looked healthier than he had in years. It also helped that he had continued to avoid alcohol. We spent most days apart. He continued making potions using the new recipe Shea and I had created. But even that need would hopefully fade as the earth fully healed. I waited to see if he would prove himself trustworthy.

Prince Leon and Prince Shea held an uneasy truce, but I caught them playing a game of cards last evening and they had laughed like tentative friends.

I now stood on the edge of the ballroom, dressed in an enormous deep purple gown, like dusk just before twilight, with lines of silverthat caught in the new shealights. Queen Gemaline and Jamison were bustling around the ballroom. He hung from her shoulder tassels, repeating her orders to the creatures, as they went about bossing and directing the servants and soldiers alike to prepare for a ball.

Our ball. Shea’s and my bonding ball.

Though the bond was complete, the rights and covenants had to be shared formally. I had about an hour before the room was filled with nobility and commoners.

Soldiers lined the newly finished balcony, and the courtyard beyond was strung with lights, ready to welcome the whole city in celebration of the return of a son, the saving of the kingdom, and the recovery of the queen. Owls hung lanterns, and the queen stepped around a pangolin that waddled awkwardly toward a lantern with a light cube. The castle was filled with many such helpful creatures. I wasn’t sure Chef was entirely thrilled by the raccoons yet. But she did like them better than the lords and ladies.

My shadowy prince was…well, he wasn’t entirely pleased by the nobles’ attention. I think he might have been happier as a menace than as a highly sought-after power player in the courtly games. While there had been discussion of having both Shea and Leon split certain royal duties, to his delight, the queen placed him in charge of the forests, creatures, and mountains and the defense of the lands. The queen had strongly limited the power of her husband as she recovered her full strength and political power. And while part of me wished there could be even more punishment for what had been a poisoned reign, I had confidence in the queen—and Shea—to keep things honest.

Tonight, Shea had mysteriously disappeared. Hiding, no doubt, from forced pleasantries. I tugged gently on the bond, which pointed somewhere near the garden. Happiness filtered through, and I suspected he was playing with Bertha. The best part about her was thatwhen she walked at my side through the castle, no one approached the ugly cat. Shea and I both appreciated that kind of reluctant respect.

Someone stepped in front of me, snapping me back to the present. Prince Leon was bowing, much lower than I warranted.

Quietly, he spoke, “Aelia…I…I feel terrible about everything.”

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