Page 85 of Shadows of Fate

“Oh, I’m sorry to disappoint, Arabella. There was nothing left to bring back by the time I was finished with him,” I told her with a shrug that said how not sorry I truly was.

There was a mischievous glint in her eye I always enjoyed seeing. Paine and Arabella matched in a way I’d always been envious of. As if they’d found someone who truly understood all the chaos inside of their soul. At least I was jealous until I had found my little ice queen killing that male in a dark alleyway. I smiled to myself at the thought of her in that short red dress, giggling at him while he bled out.

We walked into my office, and I sat in the chair behind my desk while Allie, Bastian, and Micah piled together on the far couch. Bastian rested his arm on the back of the couch behind Allie, his fingers playing with Micah’s hair. Then Arabella and Anwen sat in the chairs across from me.

“Did you know, My Lord, that it was that moment that truly connected your threads?” Anwen asked me, a knowing smile on her face.

“What do you mean? I thought that was Fate’s design all along?” I replied with an arched brow, part of me wondering how she knew where my mind had been racing off to.

Anwen nodded knowingly. “You are correct. The Fates guide us, of course, but ultimately the choice is ours. When we see the person the Fates picked for us, they offer them. But it’s up to us to accept the gift. They won’t push you into things you refuse to accept. When you saw Silvana, in all of her darkness and depravity in that alleyway, you chose her. You knew the consequences of being the ruler of this court. You knew how badly this could turn if she was a crazed serial killer, but you were drawn to her. To her fire. You chose her over yourself that night, so the Fates fully combined your threads as a reward. There was no going back after that.”

Silvana walked through the door then. She was dressed in a pair of loose black shorts and one of my black, cotton shirts.

“Oh, so you’re the reason I couldn’t resist? That checks out,” she stated, her voice full of teasing and love. She walked around my desk and sat herself down on my lap. I wrapped my arms protectively around her waist, my thumb finding a bit of skin above her shorts to slowly rub circles onto.

“Okay, I’m ready. What did you want to tell me?” Silvana said as she peered across the desk at Arabella.

Arabella looked toward the ground for a moment before looking back at my mate.

“Start at the beginning, Ara,” Anwen said, her voice comforting and kind.

Arabella nodded. “Yes, so I was born in a small town on the edge of Whitbourne. My parents were hard workers. I had two younger brothers. The normal human family, most would say. When I’d seen eighteen years go by, I decided I wanted to study under a modiste I’d met in Whitbourne. She was known to design all of Keres’s royal ladies’ gowns and she was looking for an apprentice. I was so excited; I saved up money for ages to finally travel and meet with her.” She paused and stared out the window for a short time before looking back toward us. “My parents were sad to see me leaving, but of course they wanted me to be happy. So off I went. Into the unknown. I’d seen twenty years by then, saved up every coin I could. I immediately started working when I arrived. Her name was Elina. She told me I was a bright pupil, and I showed such promise. Until one day, a male came in with a custom order…”

I felt Silvana tighten up before Arabella continued.

“Elina was immediately anxious when he entered and she tried to send me away before he laid eyes on me, but she wasn’t quick enough. Apparently, he scented me the moment he stepped into the shop… He asked for me to make a stunning gold piece with an intricate design of small golden snowflakes, and then he asked that I deliver it to the castle. I was so excited; the dress took me ages, of course. It was a long sheer layered piece. The snowflakes scattered down the entire piece.” She trailed off for a moment before clearing her throat. “Anyway, I delivered the gown, and I didn’t leave the castle for another fifty years. He had my entire family killed so no one would come looking for me, threatened Elina’s life if she spoke of me, and he turned me that very night.”

“I remember the gown… that was… that was the first time he tried to force me to help him make an heir. He had the gown made for me as a way to show his love…” Silvana’s voice was quiet and filled with pain. “Why don’t I remember you?”

“He kept a great many of us away from you at that time, Silvana. I remember there were only a select few able to be close to you. He was convinced you were the one who would help him hold on to his seat as ruler in the Court of Ice, so he needed you happy and pliable. It was a long time before you knew of the other females in his life, wasn’t it?”

Silvana quickly wiped the tears away from her cheeks. “Yeah, I think so anyway. I remember always being scared of him, but it wasn’t until later that he was so… obvious about the others. How did you leave?”

“That is a more complicated story. It took me a great many years to finally learn of my magic. As you can imagine I wasn’t truly around many of the dead in the castle of Whitbourne. It wasn’t until one evening when Keres was very angry about you not being with child yet, that he killed a guard in front of us in a fit of rage. Threw a dagger into his eye… anyway. When he passed on, I was able to see his spirit. He spoke to me. It took some reading to realize what I could do. Then training. Eventually, I was able to bring back a dead guard long enough to lead me out of the castle and help me find a horse and escape. I went to the Court of Ravens and found a job as a modiste in Cainhorn. Paine found me a few years later. He’d come in to have a new court outfit made. Truly, Anwen saw me and sent him on his way after continuously telling him how dingy his clothing was.” A sad smile curled along her face.

“But that’s not why I’m here. My point in telling you all of this, Silvana, is to let you know that you aren’t alone. I know what he’s capable of. I know what happens in that castle. I’m here to give you my vow to help you bring that male to his knees and see him dead. I’m here to give you friendship. If you’ll accept it, of course.”

“Can we trust everyone in this room? Truly?”Silvana asked through the bond.

I looked around the room. Micah, Bastian, and Allie. Arabella. Anwen. Anwen was the only one I didn’t truly know, but she’d been at Paine’s side for almost as many years as I’d been ruling the Court of Shadows.

“Yes. We can trust them all, darling,” I told her.

“In the sense of vows and honesty, I think it’s time everyone knows exactly who Keres is and what he’s capable of. Before anyone promises to help Raiden and I destroy him,” Silvana said. She glanced back at me, and I knew what she wanted. I released my shadows around the entirety of the room to block out any noise or listening ears.

“Keres is King Cyprian’s son,” Silvana stated.

The resounding silence took up the room completely. Bastian was the one to break it after a few breaths, but instead of words, the male was laughing. Fully.

“Have your memories been completely corrupt, Ice Sickle?” Bastian asked. The growl that came from my throat had him holding his hands up in mercy. “I mean no disrespect, Raiden, of course. However, you all must know how absurd that sounds. I mean, Micah, Cyprian ruled, what? Four millennia ago, right? Which would make his children… ancient?” Bastian looked around the room, waiting for someone else to chime in with him on how crazy this sounded. It wasn’t that I didn’t agree with him, but I wasn’t going to tell my queen she was crazy.

“I know it sounds absolutely insane. Trust me. I’ve gone over the memories… so many times. I still don’t fully understand what happened to make me forget everything, but it’s all coming back. Including what Raiden saw in his dream. I’d told Keres that the court would never fully accept him. That he’d never belong. This is part of the reason why. I think the people who ruled before him, I think he posed as their child, and he killed them. Think about it. The born children? The royalty? I looked it up before coming down earlier. Vena and Agon. They were the last rulers of the Court of Ice. Both possessed powerful ice magic and were said to have had two children. One, a girl, was killed around the time that they stepped down and let their son take over. What if Keres stepped in and posed as their son?” The words just started tumbling out of her mouth, leaving her chest heaving as she explained her theory.

“Okay, but what makes you think this? Did he say something? Do something?” Micah asked her.

I placed a hand fully on her back beneath her shirt, reminding her I was there for her. I believed her.

“He has no magic,” she whispered.

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