Page 79 of Shadows of Fate

Silvana giggled. “I love the way you think, My Lord.”

For a while, we took turns freezing and shattering bones or just dissipating them completely. I was almost positive the only thing holding Viktor together and upright was my shadows. Eventually, Bastian brought down blood for him so he could start the regrowth process.

“Do you think he’s ready to chat with us? Or should we go one more round and then ask?” Silvana asked me, her blade tapping against her thigh the way it did when she was pondering things.

“Ju-just tell m-me what you want to know,” Viktor mumbled under his breath. Apparently, regrowing and healing this many bones was painful.

“We want to know who ordered you to start the Eternal Outcasts. Who pulled the strings,” I said.

He was quiet for a moment and then he glanced up at us. “I did. Alone,” he grunted.

A blade flew through the air, hitting him on the right side of his chest. “Nice shot, darling,” I said, as he gritted his teeth against the torment and released a pained breath.

“Thank you. I didn’t mean to interrupt; I just hate liars.” She walked over to Viktor and crouched in front of him to peer up at his bruised and bloody face. “Here’s the thing, Viktor, you’re simply not smart enough to be the only one behind this grand scheme, and we both know you’ve been sucking Keres’s cock to get ahead for over a hundred years now. Am I wrong?”

Viktor looked down at her, rage clear in his eyes. “Fuck you, ice bitch. Helovesme. You wouldn’t understand. He’s only with those other females because he needs an heir to solidify his place on the throne.” The moment the words came out of his mouth, his eyes widened, and his face paled.

“Why would he need to—” She cut herself off and stood to stare at me for a moment. “I’m done questioning him. Let’s get him cleaned up and when he’s well enough to travel, we take him back to his master.”

With that, she turned and headed back up the stairs, leaving Bastian and me staring at Viktor, completely lost as to what she’d just figured out.

Chapter40

The Broken Ruins Pass

Silvana

We were riding back to Cainhorn with Viktor trailing behind us. Bastian had offered him a seat on his horse, but the male grumbled and said he’d rather walk. So there he was, tied up in Raiden’s shadows, trailing in the middle of our little brigade.

Raiden thought it was wiser to go back to the castle, meet with Paine, and make a plan. Then go to Whitbourne, the city and capital of the Court of Ice, together. He thought having another court ruler there as a witness would be safer for me being face to face with Keres after all of this time. I didn’t disagree with him, I was more so just feeling… lost with all of this new knowledge flowing through my head.

I knew that Raiden was wondering what I’d figured out in that basement, and truly, I wanted to tell him. I wanted to explain, but I couldn’t seem to make my mouth form the words.

“He’s only with those other females because he needs an heir to solidify his place on the throne.”

Since Raiden had explained some of my past to me, I realized that the nightmares I’d been having hadn’t been just nightmares. They’d truly been fragmented memories. Parts of my past that my mind just couldn’t let go of. I’d always had the deep-seated belief that was the case. But having the confirmation made it real.

We’d spent three more nights in that house, forcing blood down Viktor’s throat. Three nights of spending time with my mate, becoming connected all over again and talking about what I could remember and what he saw.

None of it was pleasant and many times it ended up in tears and long periods of silence, but Raiden never pressed me. He just existed by my side, a never-ending force of calm reassurance.

How was one supposed to act when they found out they had an entire family? Not just any family, a family that should’ve lived by their side forever. A family that should’ve been there, and instead they were taken. All of them. My parents. My sister.

Cora was another topic I didn’t wish to go near. Part of me hoped with every fiber of my being that when we went to Whitbourne and walked into that hideous golden castle, she’d be there. In the throne room, just as healthy as ever. While another part of me hoped she’d escaped and was somewhere living her life—happy. The only other option was one I couldn’t bring myself to think about. So, I simply didn’t.

“Deep in thought over there, My Queen,” Raiden said gently as he rode beside me. He reached over, offering his hand to me, which I graciously took. I wondered if he knew how much his presence helped me.

“Just thinking about what lies ahead. That’s all.” I shrugged.

“We’ll get through it, Silvana. Try not to fret too much.” He squeezed my hand in his gently, a small smile on his face. I nodded in confirmation and looked forward.

I couldn’t tell him the ache and anxiety brewing in my chest. The panic in my gut told me everything would not be okay when we arrived in Whitbourne. Truly, I could only hope he didn’t feel it either.

We were almost back to Cainhorn when a raven landed on Raiden’s shoulder. He glanced at the bird and chuckled. Before I could speak, another dropped on my shoulder. I looked at the bird for a moment while he ruffled my hair. It didn’t take me long to recognize my best friend, which made the bird on Raiden’s shoulder Paine.

“Okay, well, now that the party is full, we can head toward the Mistral River, and then up through The Broken Ruins Pass,” Raiden stated, still chuckling at the bird perched on his shoulder.

“Damn stowaways,” Bastian muttered, shaking his head.

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