Page 83 of A Kingdom of Shadows

It's Darius and Faye again, just like that morning, with the same scene repeatedly showing.

Him kissing her.

I glance at the ring, then at what is unfolding before me, and as I stare at it, everything I've just seen disappears.

Darius and Faye are no longer there, and the ring's brightness dims.

I look back to where the festivities are—to where the king must be—and clench the ring tight in my palm as I think of what to do next.

Chapter Thirty-Two

I push through the king's study doors, interrupting him and his second-in-command, Thallan.

As I march up to the desk and place the ring in front of Dusan, Thallan’s head turns toward me. With no mask on and leaves and grime splattered in my hair, they must know I'm not here for a friendly discussion. "Is this part of the tasks, or are you just that bored staring at the same castle walls each day that you feel like messing with me?"

Dusan studies the ring with a frown marring his forehead before he looks up.

Thallan's pale green eyes are on me, judging and wondering why someone who doesn't belong here has just barged in to question the king.

"The ring you gave to Aias, whatever it contains, magic, illusions, tricks, it worked in making me doubt certain things." My words taste bitter on my tongue. "Congratulations, your majesty. You made me believe you are on our side."

He drops his head, heaving a sigh. "Nara—"

"Were you ever in love with Sarilyn? Do you want us to fail? What is—"

"Nara, that ring belonged to Sarilyn." That shuts me up. "I gave it to Aias because it reminded him of someone. I didn't think it still worked, but when Sarilyn was last here—" He slides a glance Thallan's way "—She placed a magic cast over it to create hallucinations, and sometimes it could also conjure up fears of others. She also used it to mess with me, and it is the last thing she left behind."

I open my mouth but immediately shut it at the humiliation settling in the base of my stomach.

"I understand you are cautions, Nara, but you were simply caught in the middle of something that shouldn't have happened, and I apologize for that."

"Mortals," Thallan's scoff sends a wave of anger through my veins as he shakes his head.

It's the first thing that has me reliving every moment the general taunted and belittled me. Rage roars in my ears, and I step toward Thallan with hands fisting at the sides. I'm acting on blind emotions when something hard blocks me. My gaze drifts to the firm hand splayed across my bodice and then to sharp golden eyes dipped with wrath at my side.

"I hope that comment implies how important you think mortals are. Much like us." Darius slowly looks Thallan's way. The fact that he is no longer wearing a mask lets me see the furrow of his brows and the tension in how he stares at Thallan. "Nara here managed to complete the first task in Melwraith without my help. Back in Emberwell, she subdued a herd of dangerous creatures at her command. And if she wanted to right now, she wouldn't hesitate to hurt whoever gets in her way."

Thallan's complacent stance toward me disappears as he stiffens. I'd seen him a couple of times around the castle, heard him and Arlayna arguing about her duties, and from the looks of things, I'd figured he was a pompous lackey of the king.

From the corner of my eye, Dusan smirks, dropping back against his chair. Darius's hand slides from my bodice to my hand and grips it as he turns to Dusan and bows his head. "Your majesty. "He then gives Thallan one final glance. "Happy celebrations."

He drags me out of the study before I get the last word.

I squeeze his hand, watching his side profile as he takes us through the castle, never stopping until we reach his chambers. He lets go, his back turned from me as he strides to the end of the room and runs his hand along his jaw as if debating something.

The moon is brighter than ever tonight, igniting the room in an ethereal glow even as I imagine all the possible scenarios in which my moment at the king's study could have gone.

She placed a magic cast over it to create hallucinations, and sometimes it could also conjure up fears of others.

Are Darius and Faye kissing one of my fears?

I place a hand over my heart, wondering if it is still beating, and clear my throat. "I could have handled that on my own."

Darius's chuckle is soft and husky. It reverberates through the room. "I know you could have," he says over his shoulder before turning to me. "But I also know we can't risk getting into trouble. We are the kings' guests. Now, if that Thallan had laid a hand on you, it would have been different."

I roll my eyes, a sarcastic comment brewing on my tongue. "Would you have jumped at my aid and rescued me?"

He hums a lazy, proud sound. "It is our thing, isn't it, Goldie? You save me, I save you, the only difference is—" He starts unbuttoning the top part of his jacket, revealing his chest as each step he takes nears me "—If someone so much as touches a hair on your body, I'd leave them in a state beyond what anyone would consider worth saving."

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