Page 45 of Reaper's Ruin
“The Storm Court,” Morden whispered. “That’s a royal dagger. Only those of the royal bloodline carry them.”
I gasped, my mind reeling.
Storm Court royalty?
Was he saying that some royals from Faelora had wanted me dead?
Rhyker released him, and Morden slumped against the wall, rubbing his wrist. “Please,” the merchant said, “you never heard this from me. If the Storm Court finds out I identified their blade and you go do... whatever is it seems like you want to do....”
“No one will know,” Rhyker said sharply. Then, with a coldness that sent shivers down my spine, he added, “But if I find you’ve warned them someone is asking questions, I’ll return. And then you’ll learn what true fear is.”
Morden nodded frantically. “I won’t say a word. I swear.”
Rhyker turned to me, his expression softening slightly. “We should go.”
He turned and started walking out of the shop, then paused, eyeing a dagger displayed on the wall. “I’m taking this,” he said, not waiting for an answer from Morden, then slipped it into his boot. He tossed a few coins on the counter as he walked to the door.
Still processing this bombshell, I followed him out of the shop into the crowded pathways of the Dark Market. We walked in silence until we were far enough from Morden’s shop, then ducked into a narrow alley where we wouldn’t be overheard.
“The Storm Court?” I whispered, my voice trembling with shock and confusion. “Why would fae royalty want me dead? I don’t even know what the Storm Court is!”
Rhyker’s face was grim. “The Storm Court is one of the five fae courts that rule Faelora. Their domain lies to the east, where perpetual storms rage across mountain peaks. We need to go there and hunt.”
“But why would they come after me? I’m human! I’ve never been to Faelora before! I didn’t even know it existed!”
“I don’t know,” Rhyker admitted. “But royal daggers aren’t used lightly. They’re symbols of authority, wielded only for official purposes.”
“How would a Storm Court royal dagger even end up in my world?” I pressed, struggling to make sense of any of this.
“Only a Realm Walker could cross between worlds,” Rhyker said quietly. “They’re incredibly rare.”
“So you’re saying a royal Realm Walker from the Storm Court crossed worlds specifically to kill me?” I couldn’t keep the disbelief from my voice. “But why? I’m nobody! A nursing student from Minnesota! This makes no sense!”
Rhyker’s face was grim. “I don’t know. But we need to find out.”
“How?”
“We need to get closer to the Storm Court. Learn more about these royal daggers, about who has access to them, about why they’d target someone in the Mortal Realm.”
“This is insane. I’m just... me. Soraya Peterman. Twenty-four years old. Nursing student. I work at a hospital, I have student loans, I binge-watch medical dramas. I spend more time reading books than interacting with real humans. I’m nobody important!”
“Yet someone important enough to wield a royal dagger crossed realms to kill you,” Rhyker said quietly. “That means you matter very much to someone, Soraya. The question is why.”
As we made our way back through the Dark Market, I couldn’t shake the image of that dagger floating above the crystal, perfectin every terrifying detail. The weapon that had ended my life. The weapon that had taken my mother from me.
A royal weapon, wielded by someone with the power to travel between worlds.
Someone who, for reasons I couldn’t begin to fathom, had decided I needed to die.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. “Well, this is the only clue we have, so we need to follow it. No matter how crazy it seems.” I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling suddenly cold despite the stuffy heat of the Dark Market. “If understanding why I was killed is what I need to find my door... if it’s what I need to see my mom again... then we have to figure this out.”
Rhyker’s eyes met mine, something fierce and protective flashing in their stormy depths. “I won’t stop until I get the truth out of whoever knows it.”
A shiver that had nothing to do with fear ran through me at his words.
Standing in the shadows of the Dark Market, with danger all around us and my murderer still out there somewhere, I realized how impossible this would be on my own. I knew nothing about this world, its politics, its dangers. I would have been lost, helpless, probably reaped by one of those shadowy figures long ago.
Instead, I had him.
