Page 37 of Shadows of Fate

He nodded his head. “Go send your letter, Ice Sickle.”

I arched a brow and shook my head at the nickname. I’d been called worse, so I’d take this one. I turned and headed up the stone stairwell. It led to a small wooden door that I quickly pushed open and closed behind me. I was in a small stone room that was surrounded by grass and windows that were truly just openings in the stone walls. There were around fifteen different birds surrounding me, varying in different shades of white, gray, brown, and black.

Thankfully beside the door, there was a small wooden table with parchment and quills. I scribbled out a quick message for Cedar asking him to come home, and where to meet me.

Knowing Cedar was more than likely in the Court of Ravens, I handed a small treat to a brown bird. Handing him the rolled-up message, I laid my hand on his back, picturing Cedar in my mind.

All carrier birds were bred with innate magic that allowed the messenger to picture whom they needed to send a message to, and the bird did the rest. I watched as the small chestnut-colored bird fly off into the night, knowing I’d see my best friend soon.

* * *

Walking back to the library with Bastian was a quick affair. Once we got there, however, I was a little thrown off balance. As soon as we entered, something felt off to me. Micah was staring at Allie, worry written all over his face. While Allie seemed perfectly content to stay quiet and eat the rest of her meal.

I looked around trying to find Raiden, but realized quickly that he wasn’t there.

“Where’s Raiden?” Bastian asked before I could form the words. I didn’t feel as if it was my place to ask his whereabouts anyhow, although part of my heart longed to go searching for him myself. Internally I chided myself for those thoughts, although it did feel like we’d reached some sort of truce earlier.

Micah glanced up at the two of us for a moment. “He went for a walk. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

“In the middle of our meeting? We were only gone a few moments.” Bastian being thrown off told me this wasn’t normal behavior for their friend, which caused me to worry more.

Part of me knew I was making a mistake before I even did it, but I also didn’t care. Since when did I listen to my subconscious warnings? Never.

I turned and left the library—no real idea of where I was going. He was supposed to give me a tour after the meeting, but apparently, that had been put on pause. I let my feet do the deciding and just walked.

Before I knew it, I’d gone down two flights of stairs to the main level, through a kitchen, a smaller library, and into a conservatory room. The conservatory was a gorgeous room, and part of me wondered how much different it would appear in the morning as the sun rose. It was covered in glass-paneled windows. There were large green plants spread along the walls, along with a few small velvet couches. Looking around the open room for a moment, I felt him.

I walked toward the double doors on the far wall and pushed them open, revealing the rose gardens I’d seen below in the library. They were just as stunning from down here. I walked through the overgrown path. It was clear the staff did the bare minimum at keeping the wildflowers at bay and off the paths.

I followed through a few winding bends in the path until I finally laid eyes on him.

His tall frame was easy to find, even in the darkness. He was standing barefoot in the middle of the path, hands in the pockets of his dark trousers, staring up at the moon. I slowly walked toward him, unsure of exactly what I was going to say. ‘Hey, you owe me a tour’ felt wrong and insensitive when something was clearly bothering him.

“Do you ever worry that if you say the wrong thing, it will ruin every single thing you’ve ever secretly longed for, but been too afraid to seek out?” The sudden sound of his voice, although quiet, startled me.

“Mmm. That’s a very profound question, and it’s still quite early for us, My Lord,” I replied. I stopped when I was standing next to him and saw the small smile on his face.

“You’re right.”

“Although, if I was forced to produce an answer, I’d say no. I don’t worry about that. The Fates work in mysterious ways Raiden. Whatever should happen? Well, I believe it will. Good and bad. So why worry about it?” I said quietly.

He looked down at me, so many emotions crossing his face that I couldn’t keep up.

“I never expected someone like you, Silvana…” he whispered. I thought he would stop there but he looked back at the moon and continued after a moment. “I never expected someone like you to believe in the Fates.”

I laughed. “Oh, you mean someone who kills without mercy and doesn’t truly give a fuck about what happens to me?” He nodded. “I figure if it’s my time, Ernesia will take me. If it’s not, I’ll take everyone else out before they can get me. Someone has to be willing to do the dirty work, Raiden. I don’t mind that being me.”

We were both quiet for a moment, looking up at the sky together when he spoke again.

“I just needed some fresh air. I know it was rude of me to just disappear. We have things to do that are more important than me having a moment.”

I shrugged. “We all need a moment here and there.”

We stood outside together, side by side, for what felt like a long time. However, for the first time, I didn’t feel like I was anywhere but where I was supposed to be.

Chapter20

I Said Run

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