Page 43 of A Kingdom of Shadows

Silence falls on us as I repeat her words inside my head. She is not wrong. People in power can also be the ones that end up powerless. Sarilyn lost hers, but she succeeded in ending Aurum's life. He underestimated what a woman would go through to get what she wanted.

"Will you be attending the feast tomorrow evening?" Arlayna's voice cuts through my reverie.

My brows scrunch together. "Feast?"

She nods ever so eloquently and poised. "It is something my uncle's courtier always organizes. It might do you well to forget the tasks you are set to do for a little while if you're introduced to some of our people."

People... Elves, immortals that will likely be stunned by a human in their lands.

"I suppose so," I say, not as invested as one should be over a feast. Luckily, Arlayna cannot question much about my lack of enthusiasm as a servant suddenly calls for her from behind me.

"I must go," she says. "Meetings and whatnot." The fake cheerfulness in her voice mixes with the bleak look in her eyes. I smile at her as she walks past me, but I'm quick to frown as I ponder whether being a dutiful princess of Olcar is what she wishes to be.

Regardless, I close my eyes, drawing in a breath before going to the tree where Darius is animatedly talking to Tibith. I stop at a safe distance where Darius won’t notice me, but I can still hear him. He's telling a story, dramatically pretending to impale himself as Tibith giggles and quirks his head to the side.

I cross my arms over my chest, biting my lower lip as I stop myself from smiling, but it's hopeless.

"Magic then sprung to life—" Darius's palm creates a flame "—As the handsome thief grabbed the enchanted crown." The fire creates a wreath-like crown, and Tibith's eyes brighten with awe. "The curse was lifted; each person that was no longer stone was free from the evil warlock—"

"And the maiden?" Tibith blinks up at him, his voice not missing that child-like wonder.

"She stole the crown from the thief," I decide to speak up, and Darius looks over his shoulder as I approach them. His eyes brighten as I stand beside him and say to Tibith, "It was the ultimate betrayal, but he couldn't help but admit how he didn't hate being bested by the most brilliant maiden in all the lands—"

"For he knew he would see her again," Darius says, our eyes meeting as we face each other. "Because their story never ends."

"They always find each other," I say gently, thoughtfully. "Like Solaris and Crello."

"What about the warlock?" Tibith asks, and it takes a moment for Darius to break his stare from mine. "What happened to him, Darry!"

Darius bends down as he says to Tibith in a dramatic whisper, "he turned to stone."

Tibith gasps, and my cheeks hurt from smiling. "Like the curse he placed?"

Darius nods, and Tibith squeals, forming into his cocoon ball and rolling towards the edge of the vast garden. From here, you can see how far up the castle is on the hill compared to the land of Terranos before us.

Darius rises and twists to face me as I tip my head to the side and lift a brow.

"Do all your stories end with a thief saving the world?" Sarcasm weaves through my voice as he saunters past me, and I follow his movement, turning to look at him.

"You would know that I don't always end them that way—" He grabs his gold coin from his pocket and flips it between his fingers "—If you hadn't fallen asleep before I finished that story back at the hut." He takes a step forward, grinning down at me. "Which reminds me how much you snore during your sleep."

I throw him a wry look. "Well, then you should have left. What are you, a creep?"

He flips the coin again. "I seem to remember you wanting me to lie beside you."

Solaris, he loves to test me. "I'd eaten something that made me act irrational."

I'm on my toes, attempting to snag the coin from him before he can catch it. I fail as he grabs it and laughs as he reaches out and grazes my left ear. He then moves his fingers in front of me, indicating that the coin is not in that hand, while touching my right ear with the other. I watch him with bated breath as he retracts the coin like a magician.

If he thought I would be impressed by that, then—

My breath shudders out of me when he hooks his finger between the white ribbon tied at the top of my dress, almost undoing it. His smile fades, and his gaze focuses on my chest, rising slowly and heavily.

"Favorite childhood memory?"

It takes me a second to realize he's asking a question from when we'd made a new deal.

I step back in an attempt to breathe. "I—" My head shakes, trying to get a grip of myself. "It was when I would dance with my brothers on Noctura night, and the magic would erupt from the Isle of Elements." Before he can answer, I ask, "Why did you have your tattoos removed." My eyes catch sight of his hand now at his side. "Was it because of venators?"

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