She pursed her lips. “You need rest.”
“Mother, I feel fine,” I said with a sigh. “I know you said it normally takes weeks to recover, but honestly, I feel as good as new already. Ever since…” I swallowed my words as Cora’s revelation came back to me. You have magic. Did using the Arts to save Liam somehow heal me from the strain of birth? I shook the questions from my head and fixed Mother with a pleading stare. “Please trust me.”
Her face softened as she gave me a reluctant nod, then swept out of the room.
We sat in silence while I debated what to say. As much as I relished the peace of the moment, I knew I had to tell him what was weighing on my mind. My heart raced as I finally said, “Lare, why do you love me?”
He turned his head toward mine, brows knit together as his lips twitched between a smile and a frown. “What do you mean? I love you because I love you.”
“But why? For so many years, you loved me for the girl you imagined me to be. When you found out I wasn’t everything you thought I was, you still loved me. Why?”
His eyes unfocused for a moment. “Even though there were many things about you I hadn’t known before, I still loved you once I learned the truth. It made my love stronger to know the real you. Accepting you as you are is what made our love real.”
“What about when we were younger? When you first realized you loved me? Did I do something to make that happen?”
“What is this about, Mare?”
I folded my hands to keep them from shaking. “There’s something I need to tell you. It’s about Liam’s birth. I need you to know the truth.”
His face paled, lips pressing into a tight line. “What?”
“When he was born, he wasn’t breathing. He…wasn’t going to make it. Then I held him and…” My eyes locked on his. “I used magic to heal him.”
Larylis stared back at me, frozen, until he threw his head back with laughter. My eyes darted from him to Liam, worried the noise would wake the baby.
I elbowed Larylis gently in the arm. “It’s not funny, Lare! I’m serious.”
He sobered and brought his forehead to mine, letting out a deep breath. “I thought you were going to tell me something else. We were talking about truth and love, and then suddenly you said you had to tell me the truth about Liam’s birth. I thought you were about to say…something else.”
“What were you expecting me to say?”
“That I wasn’t the father.”
My mouth fell open, and I felt my cheeks burn. “How could you think that of me?”
He laughed, making my blood boil even more. “My love, I would never think that of you. My mind simply went to the worst possible scenario.”
I forced my anger to cool as I considered the conversation from his perspective. “I’m sorry, Lare. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“Perhaps it was for the best. After what I’d been thinking, the truth couldn’t possibly be any worse than that. Now, what’s this talk about magic?”
I stared down at my hands. “Cora saw me do it. She calls it the Arts. I still don’t fully understand it, but she thinks I’ve been able to use the Arts my entire life. The more I think about it, the more I think she’s right.”
“Are you saying you think you used the Arts to make me fall in love with you?”
I shrugged. “I’ve done worse. Cora thinks it was how I was able to end all my engagements. She says I used something called a glamour.”
“Mare, my love for you is entirely my own. Besides, all those years I was pining for you, you didn’t even want me to love you.”
“I don’t think that’s true. It may have hurt me to know we couldn’t be together, but at the same time, I was selfish. Your love for me sustained me. Never once did I hope you’d move on and love someone else.” Fire filled my veins just thinking about it. “I wanted you all to myself, even if you were unable to know the truth.”
“I understand that more than you know,” he said. “It nearly killed me to think of you with my brother. If I’d been under some devious love spell, I probably would have killed Teryn to have you as my own. But I didn’t. Instead, I let you go.”
“Until I convinced you otherwise.” I remembered the night I confessed my feelings, the truth of my past, and all the obstacles that forbade us from being together. Had I used the Arts that night? Had I carried magic on my words, held a glamour over my body?
“You didn’t convince me of anything,” Larylis said. “You told me the truth. I made the choice to pursue you.”
His words did nothing to ease my suspicion, but at that point, did it matter? Our love felt real, and perhaps it was. It was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and I knew without a doubt that I would do anything to keep it…even use the Arts. That fact sent a pang of guilt through me. Why am I so terrible?
“There’s something else you should know,” I said in a rush before I could hold the words in any longer.
“You can tell me anything.”
My gaze fell on Liam, still sleeping peacefully in his father’s arms. Pools of tears welled in my eyes and began to trail down my cheeks. “When I found out I was pregnant…I didn’t want him.” My words tightened my chest, crushing my heart as my breath caught on a sob. “I even considered ending it.”
Larylis seemed to be holding his breath as my eyes lifted to meet his. I pulled back any power I could possibly have, let my shoulders drop, let the skin of my face sag. Truth. Let him see the truth. Let him see the real me.
He blinked a few times to clear the moisture that glazed his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was raw. “Thank you for being honest with me. I don’t judge you for what you considered. You were scared and alone.”
“Knowing that…do you still love me?” The real me. The selfish me. The me who thinks only of herself.
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Of course I do. It doesn’t matter what you do or what you say. I am going to love you until the day I die.”
It felt as if another weight had been lifted from my shoulders. First, I’d been honest with my mother. Now, Larylis knew a truth that had been eating me alive for months. And he still loved me.
Whether that was real or magic, I didn’t care. He was mine, and I was his. Our son was alive, healthy, and beautiful. And the child of a prophecy. The reminder threatened to shatter my tranquility, but I pushed it away. Not now. Let me have this peace.
6
SKY
Cora
I pushed my fork across my plate, moving through islands of egg, meat, and torn pieces of bread. Yet in all its wanderings, it had managed to bring no more than three bites to my mouth since the start of breakfast.
A hand fell over mine, stilling my fork’s scraping. “Isn’t that right, Cora?”
My eyes shot from my plate to Teryn, then darted toward Lex and Lily. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
Lex took a bite of pastry and spoke through his mouthful. “Teryn was telling me how you scolded him the night he proposed to you.”
I shook my head to clear it and forced a smile. “Yes, that’s right. Of course I scolded him. I thought he was a married man sneaking into my bedroom. It didn’t help that he laughed when I confronted him about it.”
“I suppose I could have been more tactful about that,” Teryn said.
“I know all about making my beloved angry, don’t I, Lilylove?” Lex turned to Lily, and she blushed under his adoring stare. “She nearly took off my head when I returned home from Centerpointe Rock.”
Lily gave us a shy smile, making it impossible to imagine her angry. “I was upset at him for joining the Quest, and even more upset that he went to war without seeing me first.” Her eyes met her husband’s. “But I forgave him when he asked for my hand.”
Lex and Lily brought their noses together, nuzzling into each other. My cheeks grew warm, and I turned my attention to Teryn, who met my eyes with a smile.
Teryn leaned toward me. “I never could have imagined this side of Le
x existed,” he whispered.
My eyes flashed toward the happy couple who were now feeding each other bites of apple tart. I couldn’t help but laugh. “It is both a strange and heartwarming sight.”
When my eyes returned to Teryn’s, he held them with a furrowed brow. “Is something wrong? You seem distracted this morning.”
I shrugged. “My mind was wandering. I’m here now, though.”
“Is it the prophecy? Mareleau?”
My stomach began to churn, reminding me why I’d found it hard to eat more than three bites of breakfast. No matter how much I tried to keep my mind off what I’d learned, I found my thoughts returning to it over and over, leaving me with more questions than I knew what to do with.
“Eat more, Lilylove.” Lex’s voice pulled me back to the present, which I was grateful for. I turned from Teryn’s concerned expression to watch Lex pile Lily’s plate with fruit and sausages.
“I told you, Lex, I’m full.”
“You won’t be saying that by next bell. I know how you get these days. Eat as much as you can now.” Lex caught me watching him and paused as he reached for a piece of bread. His cheeks flushed pink, and Lily brought her hand to her lips to hide her grin.
“He worries about my appetite,” she said, “because of the baby.”
Pain tugged at my heart, but I kept my expression even. “Oh, are the two of you expecting?”
Lily nodded while Lex’s face stretched into the biggest smile I’d ever seen him wear. “My first heir,” he said.
“What about the two of you?” Lily asked. “You must be excited to have children.”
My hand tightened around my fork as a fire ignited in my gut. No, we will not be having children, I said to myself, forcing the words to hide behind my sealed lips when all I wanted to do was shout. All because I was mistaken for someone else.
Teryn touched my shoulder, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. The fork fell from my grasp, clanging onto the plate as pain radiated through my palm. I breathed the fire away and let my eyes rest on the center of the table while I recovered my wits.
I was grateful when Teryn took the lead to answer. “We have yet to be blessed as you have. In the meantime, my newborn nephew will be our heir, and that’s all the reassurance we need.”
I nodded along with Teryn’s words and brought my attention back to Lex and Lily.
“Mareleau’s baby will be your heir?” Lex grimaced. “Wouldn’t you rather—” Lily elbowed him in the ribs, her eyes locked on my face.
“That’s a wonderful plan,” Lily said.
Her sympathy touched my heart, but my fury was stronger. “Excuse me.” I stood from the table and went to a window at the other end of the great hall. My eyes glazed with tears as the view of Ridine’s grounds swam before them. Footsteps approached, followed by the warmth of Teryn’s arm draped over my shoulders.
“I wonder if that question will ever get easier to answer.” His voice sounded raw.
“I think it’s only going to get more difficult.” Especially now that I know it was all a cruel mistake.
“It’s over. It’s in the past. You’re safe.” His words sounded genuine as always, yet this time they felt meaningless, mocking. My hands clenched into fists as I turned to face him.
“Your Majesties.” Master Arther approached, stealing my attention. His face was pale as he wrung his hands. “There’s something you need to see.”
* * *
Teryn
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s really better if you see for yourselves.” Arther’s eyes darted toward Lex and Lily, who had turned to watch us. “And it’s better if we keep this private.”
Cora and I exchanged a glance and excused ourselves from our guests. My mouth felt dry as Master Arther led us through the halls to the great keep.
“Where are we going?” Cora asked as we passed door after door with no sign of stopping. We both knew where the end of the hall led.
Arther sighed. “You won’t like it.”
We reached the end of the corridor, and Arther turned toward the staircase to the high tower. “Please, no,” Cora said under her breath.
My hand trembled as I took hold of hers. Arther didn’t pause to wait for us as he made his way up the stairs. With careful steps, we followed.
As we entered the tower room, we were met with nervous glances of guards and a few of our councilmen. Lord Jonston turned away from one of the windows and gave a hasty bow. “Your Majesties, there is something urgent you must be made aware of.”
“What is it?” I looked around the tower room, expecting the threat to spring forth at any moment, but all I saw was the freshly polished stone walls illuminated by new lanterns and the light of the morning sun. It was impossible to tell this room had once been the darkest, most dangerous place in Ridine, yet the memories remained, superimposed in my mind’s eye, making me search for threat in every shadow of every man surrounding me. I squeezed Cora’s hand, knowing she must feel the same.
Lord Jonston nodded toward one of the windows. “Come.”
With bated breath, I followed. The glass had been pushed open, sending icy air into my nostrils as I approached. Silence wrapped around us as Cora and I looked out at the scenery below. From this high in Ridine, we could see the castle grounds all the way to Lake Ridine and the snowcapped mountains beyond. The sun did little to provide warmth, yet it had burned away the morning mist, leaving nothing but a clear, winter sky.
“I don’t see anything,” Cora said, her brow furrowed as she squinted into the distance.
I turned back to Lord Jonston. “What are we looking for?”
His face was grave as his eyes remained on the sky. “Keep watching. Look toward the mountains.”
My gaze returned to the scenery, trying to pierce beyond what I saw to the danger Lord Jonston was hinting at. Moments passed, and I nearly turned away when a flash of movement caught my eye—a dark streak in the cloudless blue above the mountains. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it moved beyond view.
Cora stiffened beside me. “Did you see that?”
I craned my neck to look in the direction it had gone, but movement at the opposite range of view appeared. This time, it continued across the sky before returning the other way. We continued to watch, the shadow returning again and again, darting across the sky, soaring over the mountains. After a while, it was clear that there was not one shadow but two, and they were circling over the land like birds of prey. However, they looked too large to be ordinary birds.
Cora faced Lord Jonston. “What are they?”
He swallowed hard. “We aren’t certain, but we’ve had reports coming in all morning from scouts and messengers claiming they’ve seen dragons.”
My mouth fell open. “Dragons? That isn’t possible.”
Cora met my eyes, and I knew what she was thinking. Not impossible. After everything we’d seen and experienced, nothing was truly impossible. “Have they caused anyone harm?” she asked.
Jonston scratched at his massive beard. “The first reports we’ve received have claimed scorched fields and missing livestock.”
Cora’s chest heaved as her eyes returned to the window, knuckles white as she gripped the ledge. I followed her line of vision to the forest beyond Ridine’s grounds. “Valorre.”
“What’s wrong?” I whispered.
“He isn’t close. I have to…” She turned away and rushed from the room.
Lord Jonston gaped after her. “Where is she going?”
I knew the answer but kept it to myself as I raced to the other side of the room. “I’ll be back.”
“What do we do about this, Your Majesty?” Lord Jonston’s tone held an edge that stopped me in my tracks. He had a way of reminding me of my place as king. While he wasn’t condescending like Lord Kevan had been, he carried himself with a similar confidence. Instead of making me feel small, he made me feel like I had an important standard to live up to.
I ran down the stairs and through the corridors, ignoring Lex and Lily’s startled exclamations as I passed them. I came to the door that led to the charred field and flung it open. My eyes darted toward the line of trees where Cora was running. I called after her, but she paid me no heed as she made her way into the forest. My legs flew beneath me, screaming in protest after my morning’s grueling training session with Larylis. I forced them faster until I caught up to Cora and took hold of her elbow.
She spun around to face me, cheeks flushed, eyes wide and angry. “Teryn, let go. I need to find Valorre.”
“You need to slow down and not put yourself in danger. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Valorre could be in danger. I can’t…feel him. If it’s because he isn’t close, then he could be too near those things. And if it’s because he’s in danger…” She swallowed hard.
“What are you going to do about either of those things? Do you know how to fight a dragon? You can’t save everyone—”
She burned me with a seething glare. “How many times do you have to remind me of that? I know I can’t save everyone, but too many people have been hurt around me already. I won’t ever stop trying to protect the ones I love, no matter how much danger that puts me in. You can’t change that, so you can either come with me or let me go.”
I released her arm. “That’s all I wanted—for you to wait one damn moment so I can come with you.”
She rubbed her arm, and although she remained silent, her glare lessened.
I let out a deep breath to calm my pounding heart. “I was trying to say you can’t save everyone on your own. Do you have any idea how much it kills me to watch you run away from me? To leave me behind while you endanger yourself? You may feel the need to protect Valorre, but I can’t live without trying to protect you, no matter how many times I fail at it. Don’t push me away, even if you’re hurting. Please.”
Shades of Prophecy Page 4