Page 72 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
“Don’t you take that tone with me,Vad Dacian Nocthar! These are my quarters. You may be king soon, but I willalwaysbe your sister.”
I jerked back at the use of my full name, then scowled. “If there’s something you aren’t telling me, you need to tell menow, Elara Ravenne Isolde. It isnottoo much trouble, and I willalwayshave time for you.”
“Great. Then have time for me after the coronation and your fecking wedding,” Elara snapped, stepping out from behind the screen. She wore a simple indigo gown with a high neck and long sleeves fastened at the wrists, but she also wore a large black cloak that was far too large for her.
Was thatSilus’scloak?
Thalen beamed. “I love it when siblings start throwing out family names like they’re insults.”
Elara narrowed her eyes at him, and I shot him my own glare.
He lifted his hands and had the decency to look at the floor.
I spun back on Elara. “Where were you?”
“I went to visit Briar.” She folded her arms with exaggerated slowness while staring me straight in the eye as if daring me to react.
“How did you know where she was?” I demanded. I hadn’t told Silus, and I certainly hadn’t told Elara.
“You have your sources; I have mine.” She broadened her stance, daring me to keep pressing. The fire in her deep-blue eyes brought me some measure of comfort, even if it was aggravating for her to be pulling it out now.
“It was Vyraetos, wasn’t it?” I scoffed, then flicked a glance at Silus, barely containing my snarl.
Silus raised his hands in surrender. “I tried to find you. I did. And when I couldn’t, I believed it was best for me to follow her so she wasn’t there alone.”
His words placated me somewhat. And the guard had said Silus had tried to locate me. Still, the agitation remained knotted within me. Elara could have been hurt or killed. “I can’t believe you went there alone. It’s no place for any decent person.”
“Briar’s there, so I went.” She kept her arms folded and her posture immaculate.
My shadows slid along beside hers, offering strength.
Her upper lip curled a little, but she didn’t push me aside. “I’m perfectly fine. I feel wonderful. If you were unable to be king, I would easily and happily take on the crown myself.”
Silus’s breath hissed through his teeth. “You shouldnothave gone.”
She cut her eyes at him. “Do not tell me what I should and shouldn’t do, unless you are actually in a position to enforce such an order.”
Thalen’s eyes widened as an impish grin curved at his lips. “Are you suggesting you would like to be in a position where Silus can make demands on you?”
My eyebrows shot up, and Elara jerked back, her mouth falling open and her cheeks turning scarlet. Silus went rigid, his right hand curling into a fist against his immaculately pressed trousers.
One of my shadows yanked hard on Thalen’s wing, making him stagger. “Enough,” I snapped. “What were you doing there, Elara?”
Elara cleared her throat. “I needed to see her for myself and hear what she had to say.”
My muscles tightened. The urge to ask after Briar and demand every scrap of information rose in me like an insatiable flood. “Did you learn anything of value?”
“The earthquake in Firellan’s Spine happened at approximately the same time as here. That’s just further proof that what’s happening here is impacting more than just our kingdom. I also saw the condition they’re keeping her in,” she responded, lifting one eyebrow. “But if you’re not interested in that, we can skip it.”
Fecking void. I stood upright. “How are they keeping her?”
“She wore some ill-fitting wool gown that was damp, especially at the hem. The only good thing I can say about it is that it wasn’t moldy. When the material moved up and exposed some of her skin, I could see that she has a rash.
"They’d given her no shoes, and her feet were bleeding. She smelled like that awful black bread, blood, and bad water. From the state of her hands, it looked like she’d been clawing at the rocks, but it didn’t seem like she was being tortured, beyond being kept in that place. Some of her sores are infected. But...she’s strong. Best to get her out sooner rather than later, I’d say.” She pursed her lips and glared, and then said, “Anything you’d like to add, Silas?”
He cleared his throat and adjusted his stance, folding his arms across his chest. Still, he didn’t say anything.
“Doyou have something to add?” I let iciness fill my voice.
