Page 64 of Ties of Shadow

“But how could you leave her?” I whispered, too overwhelmed to remember to project my thoughts. The Shade’s pain lanced through me, and I felt instant regret—I didn’t mean it so harshly. The queen glanced between us, then fixed back on the Shade.

“Did you—?”

“No.” He looked away. “Not fully.”

She nodded and regarded me again. “Why not?”

The Shade just shook his head.

“Aelia, come here.” Her command was a whisper but lost no power in its quietness.

She attempted to sit but collapsed back against the pillows, fixing me with her gaze. “No matter what happens, Aelia, you must know that he didn’t do this to me.” She wheezed. “He could never. And Aelia, no matter what, no matter what you think you know or what you have been shown before, now you must trust yourself when it matters most.”

“Trust myself?” I repeated, confused at why that would matter at a time like this. At her insistent stare, I agreed. “Okay.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise, Your Majesty.”

The queen released a long sad sigh. “I am so tired of being tired.”

Uncle Koll set his hand on the bedding over leg. “These new potions should help, Gemmie They helped me.”

If the Shade was her son, then Uncle Koll…Uncle Koll was her brother.

“Mother, I have a gift.” The Shade reached into his pocket and withdrew the box with the four lights. “The instructions are inside.”

The queen held the glowing glass up toward her face. “My son, this is remarkable. How did you make this?”

The Shade blossomed with pride. “It was actually Aelia who inspired me when we—”

“The prince. The prince!”A small voice burst into our minds. “He’s not at the manor. He’s there! He’s coming. I’m—”Jamison cut off the connection with a squeak. He was nearby? But where?

The Shade stiffened, his eyes deadly and worried when they met mine. The Shade bent down to kiss his mother’s cheek. “I’m sorry, we must go. Leon is here. I’ll finish the story another time.”

The queen smiled weakly. “Come back soon, my dears. And Aelia, don’t forget.” The Shade still held her hand, his body tightened like a string on a bow.

“Shade,” Uncle Koll warned. “We must go.”

He whirled and stalked across the room. “Look at what he let her become.” I gave a fleeting curtsy to the queen and tripped after him.

“My son. Family is still family.” The queen’s voice croaked and stopped the Shade mid-step. His fists pulsed. Around him, the floor broke into fractals of shadow, the tiles seeming to smoke as the Shadestarted again, every step leaving a hazy footprint. Waves of icy shadows poured off his shoulders, and his eyes blackened. My heart ached with emotions that weren’t mine. Grief. Regret. Guilt. Anger. The last one boiled the strongest.

I set my hand upon his arm. Glancing at his contorted face. “Shade, let’s go home.”

He blinked once, though the billowing darkness still shrouded him. His voice crackled like walking over thin ice, desperate for a lifeline. “Say it again.”

I slipped my hand into his. “Let’s go home.”

A pulse of anger. “But the prince. The king. They are doing this to her.”

“They will be here tomorrow. And the next day. We aren’t finished yet. The potion will help her while we fix the rest.”

He turned to me and pressed his palm against the mark on my neck. Waves of his agony flooded through me. Violent pain ripped through us. I turned into his touch, begging him to feel what it could be: Comfort. Safety. Hope. His thoughts were a torrent.

“We have done what we came to do,” Uncle Koll murmured behind us.

His nostrils flared again as the trumpet sounded from the entrance. He nodded, then took my hand.Aelia first.“Get us out of here.”

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