Page 16 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
I leave him by the castle gates and continue my journey eastward.
Svenn is nothing like the Nightwalker we were taught to hate and fear. The council members’ decision in the meeting earlier was frustrating. They’re planning on locking him up. I can’t let that happen. Not when I know the truth.
Dim light from the street lanterns shimmers on the wet cobblestones over the lower district of Windhaven. Lord Wesley made sure his night watch lit every single one of them before dusk. I run along the walkway until I reach a set of stairs that leads to the lower level beneath the city. Talulla’s words cut through my mind like a dagger.
The underground passage of Windhaven’s old drainage systems connects everywhere across town.
If I exclude all the Valorians’ death, the rest of the murder occurs alongside the sewer passage across town. I lurch straightto the stairs leading down to the lower drainage tunnel. Multiple dark passages stare back at me, all cavernous with similar height and width. I’m not quite sure which one I should take.
“What are you doing?” A low, gravelly voice breaks the quietude of the air.
Shade stands behind me, clad in full light armor. The dark cloak and cowl blend him well with the night.
I stare into his gray, muted eyes. The demonic mask over the lower half of his face is a reminder that he is a cold-blooded assassin.
“You’ve figured it out too…” I say to him. “The murderer is using the sewers to move around.”
Shade’s silence is confirmation enough.
These ancient tunnels are how the killer is able to evade Lord Wesley’s patrol and tight security.
“We’re not the first to make this association,” the assassin finally says with a sigh, dragging a hand through his gray hair. “The city guards have scoured the sewers last week at your one-eyed knight’s suggestion. They found nothing.”
Nothing?
My heart stalls in my chest. This is my last hope of proving that Svenn is not the murderer they’re looking for.
“But…” the assassin drawls and points to one tunnel, “…they didn’t focus on this particular strait. It’s flooded from the tide during the day,” he says, showing the research he had done on his notepad. I don’t understand his scribblings, but I nod.
His eyes gleam in the dim light. “I’ll go ahead and check to see if the killer has left any trace.”
“Take me with you.” I ask him.
“No.” He looms over me, subtly blocking my path.
“Shade!”
“It’s dangerous and you’re the Silverra’s niece,” he reminds me in a low voice. “The guy will have my head if anything were to happen to you.”
He moves towards the passage carefully. I trail behind him like a stubborn duckling.
“Go home, Queen Rhianelle,” the male instructs, casting me a sidelong glance.
“You owe me, Shade.” I call him out, my voice echoing eerily over and over down the passage.
The assassin gives me a glare worthy of a Grimsbane from Tiamat. I try not to flinch as I stare right back at his smoky gray eyes.
“I—I’ve helped you label the salt and sugar in the manor with stickers.” My heart squeezes in my chest the instant I say that.
Shade is quiet for a long moment.
I hate myself a little for doing this to him.
The tea he made every time I visited my uncle was always a hit and miss. I’ve suspected that the Grimsbanes can’t read, but Shade never asked for help. He’s probably embarrassed about it, so I secretly put on stickers for him on the stuff back at the house.
I never would have requested for a return to any favors I do for others, but I’m desperate. More people are dying. I also need to prove that it’s not Svenn.
I need this, Shade.
