Page 6 of Crowned By the Shadow
I turned to him, hope flickering to life. “How?”
“Split up.” He shrugged as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Volker can come with me to the Obsidian Keep, and we can scout things out while you and Thorn retrieve the mirror.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to do it the other way around?” Thorn countered. “Senara and I aren’t exactly welcome at court right now.”
“True,” Van nodded slowly as his fingers continued to pluck at the lute’s strings. “Your magic is stronger than mine, though, and you’re not the only ones not welcome at court. I never have been. They only put up with me because I play pretty songs, but now that Volker and I both mysteriously went missing when you fled the city? Neither of us will be welcome.”
“Yes, but you’re not actively being hunted.” I wanted to stick my tongue out at him. This back and forth was killing me when all I wanted to do was move and go after Wyn. Still, if there was a way to do both, then I needed to at least investigate it.
“Maybe not, but no one would let me get close to any restricted areas. I’m not part of the courts and they all know it.”
Not part of the courts? What did that mean?
Thorn crossed his arms over his chest. “How will you get into the Obsidian Keep? Didn’t you just said it’s supposed to be impenetrable?”
“No fortress is truly impenetrable,” Volker said with a grim smile. “Especially not to those who understand shadow magic.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You understand shadow magic?”
“Better than any other fae. It was one of the reasons Wyn was so motivated to study under me. Besides,” he added with a wry twist of his lips, “I’ve been waiting for an excuse to irritate Eldric Valtoris for decades.”
Before I could ask how Volker knew Eldric, Van spoke up, his eyes glinting with unexpected mischief. “And if Volker fails, I might have a way. The Shadow Dragons appreciate beauty and art above all else. They used to regularly invite performers from across the realms. Now that I know the Shadow Dragons aren’t all extinct, I bet I can get us in.”
“You want to walk in the front door?” Volker looked skeptical.
“Not just walk in,” Van replied, strumming a complex melody that seemed to shimmer in the air. “I’ll be invited in as their honored guest.”
“And what about Volker?” I asked.
Van’s smile widened. “Every great performer needs an attendant.”
“That might actually work,” Thorn said, surprising me. “Shadow Dragons are arrogant. They won’t look closely at servants, especially if they think the servant is a fae that’s been taken down a peg or two.”
“But you’re fae, so wouldn’t that make it harder for you to get in if they don’t like fae?” I asked.
“Whoever said I was fae?” Van smiled and my urge to ask more questions and find out what he was hinting at faded.
“Fine,” I relented, running a hand through my tangled hair. “Thorn and I will go after the Mirror, while you two scout the Obsidian Keep. But promise me you won’t try to rescue Wyn without us. We need to know exactly what we’re facing first.”
Van’s fingers stilled on the lute strings. “I promise we’ll only gather information. No heroics. A bard and a mage that leans more toward the academic than the battle side of things aren’t the best candidates for the job anyway.”
Volker nodded in agreement, though his expression remained troubled. “The Shadow Dragon territories are dangerous, especially for outsiders. We’ll need to move carefully.”
I picked up the Veilshard Pendant, wrapping it in a piece of cloth to avoid direct contact. The burn on my palm throbbed, a constant reminder of the strange connection I’d felt and that voice calling me daughter.
“The capital won’t be any safer for us,” Thorn said quietly. “Fenvalur will have the Mirror heavily guarded, especially after our escape.”
“I know.” I tucked the pendant into my pocket. “But we have one advantage. They don’t know we’d be foolish enough to return.”
Thorn’s mouth quirked in a half-smile. “Foolish or brave?”
“Is there a difference?” I asked, returning his smile despite the weight pressing down on me.
We spent the next hour planning our approach. The Moonweaver’s Grove would serve as our meeting point in three days’ time, regardless of our success. If either group didn’t return, the other would know something had gone wrong.
As night fell over the Moonweaver’s Grove, we completed our preparations. The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting silver light through the canopy that seemed to respond to my presence, brightening wherever I walked. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the Grove itself was watching over us, perhaps even guiding us.
I’d half expected the Aetherweavers to show up again, but we weren’t that lucky. If they had, maybe we could have got some useful information, but as it was, all we had to go on was the vague memories of Van and Volker and their knowledge of the Moonlit Court.
