Page 20 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
I opened my mouth to speak, but it was too dry, and the words wouldn’t form. I swallowed hard and glanced at the council surrounding me.
All but Vyraetos dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. Their long hoods draped forward, but this time, they spread out their hands and turned them so that the palms faced me. “The power is vested in King Vad. The power of the Shadow King is now seated.”
Vyraetos strode around the pedestal and stopped in front of me. I straightened slowly and squared my shoulders, my wings twitching. Remnants of pain cut through my veins, aching and pulsing with each breath and heartbeat.
He bowed his head and then also lowered himself to his knees. “The fullness of our kingdom’s magic now rests within you. It will hold for at least three days, perhaps up to seven. May Fate guide you as you seek the answers you need, and may your bride bring you great strength and further balance this power when the bond is sealed.”
I nodded; then I stood and took two steps away from the black pedestal. Shadows spiraled over my arms, wings, and chest. The scent of scorched ozone, cold rock, and fresh blood hung in the air, and I focused on keeping my feet steady beneath me and my spine straight, the silent weight of the council’s eyes a pressure on me. Even now, power lashed wildly at the edges of my awareness, tearing at the boundaries of the realm and merging where I started and it began. The notion didn’t terrify me as much as it should have. For a heartbeat, I almost welcomed it. I was sotiredof holding back.
The room seemed smaller than before, shimmering with energy, and my body felt exhausted. I needed to be alone before I could collapse in front of everyone. My legs were shaking, and my head was pounding. I gestured for the council to stand.
Vyraetos pressed his hands palm to palm. “We serve the Shadow Kingdom and its ruler.” The others rose and echoed his words.
I was fortunate that, in this case, they viewed the interests of both my rule and the Shadow Kingdom as being in alignment. Removing me from power would now be more complicated, though when the magic weakened, such a removal would become simpler.
I lowered my head, and the room spun. Still, I cleared my throat and spoke steadily. “And I shall do all within my power to preserve and protect our kingdom.” It was the right response, even if the truth was that the kingdom was not so high in my priorities as my family and, most of all, Briar.
Vyraetos shifted his gaze over me. “If I might be so bold as to suggest it, Your Highness, I recommend you return to your chambers and rest for a few hours. The vesting process leaves the body and mind taxed. The morning will bring with it more conflicts that will require your attention, and we still need to prepare for the formal coronation for the benefit of the kingdom.”
I bit back a bitter laugh, steeling my expression as I gave a curt nod. Sleep was the last thing I’d be getting, but they didn’t need to know that. I couldn’t rest until Briar was safe. I suspected that what I had just gone through was nothing compared to what my enemies were doing to her.
I exchanged a few more cursory notes with Vyraetos and then called the shadows to transport me back to the observatory. There were so many plans I needed to make, but first, I needed to see if Thalen had located either guard.
As the observatory appeared around me, I stumbled forward, my legs hitting the edge of one of the couches. Luckily, there were no unexpected visitors this time, so I took a moment to catch my breath.
The air still held the charge of magic but also a tinge of fresher, lighter air from the hall, as if someone had just been here moments before.
Someone other than me.
Muscles tensing and shadows flaring out, I glanced around the chamber past the golden telescope and back to the black couches and—there, on the center table between the couches, sat a large crystal flagon of black currant wine. The signal. Thalen had found at least one of the guards and gotten him to the onyx cellar.
My blood surged with delight at the thought of wreaking vengeance on one of the bastards who had dared to touch my beloved. After what I’d endured, if it couldn’t be Briar sitting here waiting for me, this was exactly what I needed to see.Fate bless you, Thalen.
I called my shadows, the cool tendrils stirring within me just as my knees gave way and I almost dropped to the ground once again.
I snarled, disgust seeping through me at how physically weak I was, but I had to remember the cause. I had gained enough power to give me more time to fix this mess, and I needed to rest, but time would run out quickly. I needed to push through and free Briar.
Saving my strength, I walked toward the back staircase in the eastern wing of the royal quarters. The heavy diagonal door guarding it slid open on soundless hinges to reveal a narrow passage of the gouged rock, the stairs so narrow that barely half my foot fit on one at a time. My shadows urged me down into the depths, which gave me a little surge of energy.
Traces of quartz made the onyx walls glimmer even without torchlight, and my eyes adjusted to the darkness… not that I needed them to. I’d walked this way so many times I knew the path by heart. My shadows slid along the walls, and I kept my wings folded tight against my back.
The staircase twisted four times in a tight spiral before opening into the tunnel of coarse-cut stone. Nothing had been polished or sanded, but some of the roughness of the stone floor had been worn away over time. I suspected my sparring, training, games, and youthful endeavors had added a fair bit of wear over the decades, and my footsteps were silent now.
I caught the tang of blood. No sounds stirred, but most likely, Thalen had taken special care for that and created a circle of silence. The faint thrum of Sylvan magic pushed against myears. My own shadows could mute sounds as well, especially if I focused them, but Sylvan silencing magic was especially powerful because it commanded the very air itself.
Around the next bend of the narrow passage, I reached the entry to another staircase and glimpsed pale light beneath the reinforced metal door. It yielded to my touch as the magic of the guard sigils recognized me.
The onyx cellar was a large, low-ceilinged room of rough-hewn stone and diagonal stone cubicles for storage. In the center of the room, in a chair, sat a prisoner with his hands bound behind his back by spindles of thick wire, head lolling as if he’d just been struck. The prisoner’s ankles were lashed to the chair’s legs with the same material, and livid bruising around his extremities made it clear that he was far from comfortable. Thick bolts screwed the feet of the chair into the stone floor to prevent him from toppling it and escaping.
Blood trickled from the corners of the prisoner’s lips, and a pile of armor lay by the western wall, stacked haphazardly next to cubicles that previous royals had used for storing special vintages.
Across the room, Thalen leaned against the wall, his amber eyes bright and sharp. His gaze slid to mine, and he gave a small nod as if to confirm it was one of the guards who had taken Briar.
I smirked. Now I could release some of the anger I’d been trying to hide.
When the guard saw me, he started to speak, but not a peep reached my ears.
Smart Thalen.
