Prince of Shadow and Ash

by Selina R. Gonzalez

  “What if I can’t get her alone to explain? What if she doesn’t understand?”

  Dresden leaned against one of the stone bannisters. “Relax.”

  “What if supper is awkward?” Regulus stopped short and Magnus pushed his head under his hand. He scratched behind the big dog’s floppy ears. “I think Sir Gaius has mixed opinions of me. What if I do something he dislikes? Or worse, I do something that offends Lady Minerva?”

  “You’re offending me with your incessant worrying.”

  The doors to the foyer swung inward and Regulus turned. Magnus stepped in front of him with a low growl. Steward Preston led Adelaide, Gaius, and Minerva into the castle. His anxiety melted away as she smiled. “They’re friends, Magnus.”

  Magnus looked back at him, his tongue hanging out of what looked like a grin.

  Adelaide knelt in front of Magnus. “Hello, Magnus.” He panted as she scratched beneath his chin. “Aren’t you a handsome big boy. Regulus told me all about you.” Magnus licked her bare forearm—she wore a sleeveless dress today. She laughed.

  “First your horse, now your dog,” Dresden said. “Maybe she wants to steal your animals, not your heart.”

  Adelaide stood and crossed her arms, but he caught the slight blush in her cheeks. She cocked an eyebrow. “Really, Dresden,” her tone was teasing. “If you put as much effort into your manners as you did into maintaining your beard, you’d have a wife by now.”

  “All right, all right.” Dresden laughed. “The lady knows how to spar. I humbly fold.”

  Regulus held out his arm. “Shall we head in?”

  Adelaide took his arm and they entered the hall. Magnus pushed between them, rubbing against their legs. He looked from one to the other, whimpering for attention. They moved to their seats as the rest of his knights arrived to join them for supper. Perceval’s wife Sarah and Jerrick’s wife Leonora joined as well. Adelaide sat in the chair to the right of the head of the table, Gaius in the chair to the left. Regulus pushed in her seat and sat down. Magnus laid between his and Adelaide’s feet.

  Contrary to his fears, supper progressed wonderfully. Gaius seemed relaxed and Minerva was as sassy as she was sweet. Adelaide’s laugh made his heart soar. The warm chatter that echoed down the long table filled his soul. This was all he ever wanted. To be surrounded by people he cared about and who cared for him in return. To see the joy on their faces.

  Halfway through supper, Estevan regaled them with a story about the time Perceval stepped in a hunter’s snare and refused help for an entire hour while he kept trying to cut himself down, all while hanging upside down. Regulus reached for his goblet, watching Adelaide’s eyes sparkle with mirth. Searing pain sliced up his arm. His hand jerked, and he knocked over his goblet with a clatter. Wine spilled over the table. He clenched his teeth against the stabbing, burning sensation covering his right forearm. The mark had never hurt like this when the sorcerer summoned him before.

  Estevan stopped mid-sentence. All eyes turned toward him.

  “Regulus? What’s wrong?” Alarm rang in Adelaide’s tone.

  “Nothing.” Another stab of pain. He gripped the edge of the table. “An old injury acting up. Excuse me for a moment.” He left the table, their stares clinging to him.

  Magnus followed, but he shook his head. “You stay here, boy.” Magnus cocked his head, and Regulus pointed back toward the table. The dog padded back and laid down at Adelaide’s feet. It pleased him Magnus liked her, but the searing pain commanded his attention.

  Dresden cleared his throat. “You haven’t gotten to the best part yet, man! Keep going.”

  Good old Drez.

  The pain kept increasing, spreading from his arm to his shoulder to his chest. Regulus raced up the stairs, stumbling as his ribs ached. He threw open his door and slammed it behind him. He fumbled with the key, his hand shaking from the pain that wasn’t abating despite his obedience. It seemed to take forever to lock the door. I’m coming! He cursed.

  He struggled again with the lock on the chest. What in creation was the sorcerer’s problem? He yanked out the mirror and the pain eased. “I’m here.” He hung the mirror on the wall and stepped back.

  The mirror shimmered and the sorcerer appeared, an ecstatic grin on his face. The pain vanished.

  “Yes, my lord?” Regulus said, not hiding the irritation in his voice. “What’s with the...urgency? What if I had been out?”

  “I knew you weren’t,” he said, as if this were obvious. “I’ve found what I’m looking for.”

  Regulus sighed. “Which is?”

  “You see,” the sorcerer bobbed up and down, as if rocking back and forth onto his toes, “some twenty or so years ago, I lose count, I tracked down and killed—or rather, had killed, mostly—every mage in Monparth. Every sniveling idiot with pure magic in their veins.”

  “You...” Regulus’ jaw dropped. Of course. Idiot. Of course the self-proclaimed Prince of Shadow and Ash was The Shadow that had caused the extinction of mages in Monparth. His thoughts turned to Adelaide downstairs. Almost extinction. Panic surged, but he snapped his jaw closed.

  “Yes, that was me. Who else could have that much power?” The sorcerer paused, but Regulus didn’t know how to respond, so the sorcerer continued. “The trouble is, the final relic I need is hidden behind an enchanted wall. It’s like a gigantic lock. And only a mage,” he snarled, “can open it. It repels sorcery.”

  “So you used those ingredients to find mages again,” Regulus guessed, his spirit sinking.

  “What do you know. You’re not a complete idiot.”

  Regulus tried to keep his voice from shaking. To look indifferent and uninterested. “Did you find any, my lord?”

  “Oh, yes.” A sickening grin spread over the sorcerer’s face. “Would you believe a mage is downstairs, in your home, this very moment?”

  No. No, no, no. “Downstairs?” The word came out choked. Etiros, please, no!

  “Yes, pretty young woman.” The mirror turned watery and shifted to an image of Adelaide in Arrano’s hall. She rested her chin on her palm, her elbow propped on the table as she spoke. The image shifted back to the sorcerer.

  Regulus swallowed back the bile rising in his throat. “You...you’re certain?”

  The sorcerer’s smile turned into a frown. “I don’t make mistakes! She’s a mage as certainly as I’m a sorcerer. Hopefully she has the power to do what I need. What’s her name, anyway?”

  Regulus grit his teeth. His hands balled into fists.

  “I asked you a question, boy.”

  Pain burned his arm, and he grunted.

  “Her name?”

  He stared at the ground, clutching his forearm. “Adelaide Belanger.” The pain subsided.

  “You told the truth. Very good. At least bringing her to me should be easy. You know right where to find her.”

  Regulus hung his head. “Please. Don’t kill her.”

  “I won’t kill her, weren’t you listening? I just need her magic.”

  And after you’ve used her magic? He swallowed hard. “Surely there is someone else—”

  Agony exploded up his arm. He clutched his chest and doubled over as the pain spread from his sternum. A moan stuck in his throat.

  “I. Want. Her. As soon as possible.”

  Shouts sounded from the hallway. Cries of “Lord Hargreaves!” echoed up the stairs.

  Confused and gasping for breath, Regulus looked toward the door. He panted out, “My lord, I should go check—” before he fell to his knees as the pain redoubled, spreading over his entire body.

  “You will bring her to me.”

  Regulus’ eyes watered as his breathing grew more labored. The shouts continued, muffled and unintelligible.

  “I...can’t...” He swallowed back a scream as it felt like fire filled his veins. His vision blacked out, and he curled into a ball on the floor.

  “You’re my slave. You do what I tell you.”

  His heart felt like it would burst. Dying.
He was dying. Etiros...save me.

  “Do this, and your debt will be paid.”

  The pain ceased. Regulus took several deep breaths to steady himself. The darkness shrouding his vision receded. He stood, his knees shaking.

  “I expect to see you tomorrow with Belanger. I don’t want to harm her. But you must bring her.” The sorcerer’s voice became dark and menacing. “If I have to force you, every pain I have inflicted on you will seem as nothing compared to the pain you will inflict on everyone you care about, including the girl. And then you will die in more pain than you can imagine.”

  Regulus looked up. The mirror was blank—just a bronze mirror. He stuffed it in the trunk as someone pounded on his door. The muffled shouting from downstairs continued.

  “My lord!” Harold sounded panicked. “I am sorry, but you must come downstairs.”

  Regulus opened the door. “What is it? What’s going on?”

  “We couldn’t stop them,” Harold panted. “The sheriff has a warrant—”

  “Sheriff?” Regulus cursed. They had been spotted in Holgren. Someone must have recognized him or his description. Regulus grabbed his sheathed sword from next to his door and pushed past Harold, fastening the belt around his hips as he hurried down the stairs. If he was going to be accused of hunting in the royal forest—a theft against the crown—he needed to look like a lord.

  Because a lord might get away with a heavy fine. But a commoner could be hanged. If they tried to hang him, he would live. He would be exposed for the monster he was.

  Chapter 37

  ADELAIDE WATCHED REGULUS go with an unsettled feeling in her gut. He was hiding something. Dresden urged Estevan to continue his story. She would have to ask Regulus for the truth later—when she told him about Nolan’s threats.

  Regulus’ abrupt exit distracted her from the end of Estevan’s story. Something about Perceval injuring himself trying to escape from a hunter’s trap. The other knights laughed like this was the funniest thing in the world. Their laughter was infectious, even though Adelaide scarcely understood the cause.

  “That’s why he’s the blockhead and I’m the smart one,” Caleb said, his tone serious but mirth in the wrinkles around his eyes.

  Perceval pointed at him. “No, you’re the one askin’ for a beating.”

  Caleb gasped and put a hand over his heart. “To say such things in front of ladies! Including your own wife!”

  Leonora giggled. The curvy brunette wrapped her hands around Perceval’s muscular upper arm and leaned against her husband’s shoulder. “He has a point, Cal. You’ll push him too far one day.” She winked.

  Adelaide laughed and propped her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand. “What is it between you two?”

  “Ah, see that’s all on account of—”

  “Caleb Rathburn you shut your obnoxious mouth!” Perceval threw a bread crust at Caleb’s head, which he ducked.

  “Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking to a lady.” Caleb clicked his tongue. “What would your instructors at university say?”

  Adelaide looked at Perceval than back at Caleb. “Perceval went to university?”

  “Perceval got kicked out of university,” Caleb said.

  “I quit!” Perceval snatched up his goblet.

  Dresden leaned toward her. “This is a common argument,” he whispered.

  “Why were you kicked out or...quit? Whichever it was,” Gaius said as he cut into the roast quail on his plate.

  “Well, see—” A loud banging from the foyer interrupted Caleb.

  Dresden frowned. “That’s odd.” He rose from his seat and headed out of the hall. “Pardon me a moment.”

  “You cannot barge—” Adelaide recognized the voice of the steward who had greeted them in the courtyard.

  “I am the Sheriff of Relton, and I serve the king!” another man’s voice interrupted. “These men are my deputies. The others are here in case of trouble.”

  “Trouble? What business has a sheriff here?” Dresden’s voice. “Why—Carrick.”

  A tremor ran down Adelaide’s spine. Surely Nolan wasn’t here? Now?

  “Sir Carrick. I’m here as a witness, as are my knights.”

  Her stomach churned, her appetite gone.

  “I am here to arrest Regulus Hargreaves for treason,” the sheriff said. Her head spun.

  “Treason?” Dresden’s voice echoed as he shouted. “You’re out of your mind!”

  “Where is your master, Carasian?” Nolan asked. She could hear the sneer in his voice.

  “My lord is not. Present.”

  “Check the hall,” the sheriff ordered. A moment later three men she didn’t recognize strode into the hall, followed by a red-faced Dresden.

  “This is an outrage!” Dresden shouted. “Lord Hargreaves isn’t even home! And you have no proof! How can you possibly—”

  “He was heard conspiring to kill the king,” the sheriff said as he walked into the hall. He was of average height, with a drawn countenance and a balding head.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Adelaide blurted.

  The sheriff looked down his nose at her. “You are hosting guests without your lord present?” He eyed the empty chair at the head of the table. “Or perhaps you mean the treasonous coward has already fled.” He raised his voice. “Hargreaves, show yourself!”

  Three more men walked in. Nolan and two other knights. He stopped in his tracks and stared. “Adelaide? What are you doing here?”

  She stood, glaring. “I was invited! What are you doing here?”

  Nolan shrugged. “I’m here to positively identify the man whom my knights and I heard discussing plans to murder the king.”

  All of Regulus’ knights stood, shouting over each other, protesting Regulus’ innocence and accusing Nolan and his knights of lying. Magnus stood, too. He stalked around the table and growled at the intruders. Gaius stood and turned toward the men.

  “Gentlemen,” he said, his voice calm and level, “perhaps there has been a misunderstanding. I hardly think Regulus Hargreaves capable of plotting treason. What reason could he possibly have?” Regulus’ knights shouted their assent.

  “The courts will determine the truth!” the sheriff bellowed.

  “There’s no proof!” Adelaide shot back. “Just his word against theirs!” She pointed at Nolan. “Nolan Carrick has a personal feud with Lord Hargreaves. He is lying!”

  Regulus’ knights talked over each other again, confirming what she said and calling Nolan all kinds of unsavory names. Nolan and his knights put their hands on their swords, as did the deputies. Perceval was the only one of Regulus’ knights wearing a sword, and he put his hand on his sword as well, pushing his wife toward the door at the far end of the hall with the other. Leonora grabbed Sarah’s hand, and they left the hall. Estevan pulled a strange dagger from the back of his belt. It was long, curved and sharp along one edge, with no handle. Opposite from the sharpened edge was a grip with four holes. Estevan put his fingers through and held the grip in his fist. Jerrick and Caleb grabbed carving knives off the table. Dresden eyed a sword hanging on the wall on the other side of the intruders.

  Gaius held out his hands. His face was pale as he moved to shield Minerva. “Now, gentlemen. Let’s not be hasty.” Magnus barked between low, rumbling growls.

  “Magnus!”

  Adelaide spun toward Regulus’ voice. Magnus ran to Regulus in the stairway but continued to snarl. Regulus now wore a sword. He stroked Magnus’ head. “Upstairs.” The dog whined, but obeyed, and Regulus shut the door behind him. “I demand to know what is going on!”

  “That’s him.” Nolan pointed at Regulus.

  “Regulus Hargreaves,” the sheriff said, “you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit treason against the crown.”

  Regulus looked confused, then angry. “Carrick.” He said it like a curse word. “You dare come into my home and spread lies?”

  “My men and I overheard you talking to some other men,” Nolan said, moti
oning to the knights on either side of him, “plotting to murder the king.”

  Perceval drew his sword. Nolan, his knights, and the bailiffs did the same. Regulus followed suit.

  “In here!” Nolan called.

  A dozen more men poured into the hall, all wearing swords. Adelaide’s lips parted in shock. Gaius grabbed Minerva and pulled her away, toward the far end of the hall.

  “Adelaide!” Minerva called, her voice desperate.

  “Go,” she said. Gaius hurried Minerva out of the hall.

  Nolan nodded at Adelaide. “You should go, too.”

  “I’m not leaving until you take back your accusations.”

  “Hargreaves will stand trial. The courts will determine if the accusations are true,” the sheriff repeated.

  “And who will the courts believe?” Regulus shouted. He strode away from the closed stairwell door until he stood near her at the head of the table. “How am I to prove what I did or did not say? When was this supposed to be? I’ve been away on business. Does that even matter to you? To the courts? Or only the word of a baron’s son? I’ll take my chances with my sword, thank you.” He spun the sword around like it weighed no more than a stick.

  Nolan rolled his eyes. “An honest lord would come willingly, Half-Breed.” Adelaide could have punched his perfect face.

  “As an agent of the crown, I am authorized to use any force necessary to take you into custody so you can stand trial.” The sheriff ignored Regulus’ questions. Doubtless because he knew that the judge would favor the testimony of a baron’s son over the word of a lesser lord and former mercenary. The sheriff nodded to the three bailiffs, and they moved toward Regulus. “If you resist, you will be killed.”

  “So my choices are death or death?” Regulus said, his voice hot with rage. He leaned toward her and whispered, “You need to leave. Now. I’m sorry.”

  “If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear.” Nolan sneered.