Page 92 of Shadow Kissed
As the last member leaves, Corlan gestures us over to his table and we join him, each taking a seat opposite him and Izan.
“Reya, it’s good to see you. Tell us how are classes going? How are you faring against the other girls?”
I bob my head from side to side. “I’m not in the top five yet, but I have been working with one of my dorm girls to practice my sewing and my dancing, so I’m improving. Adding combat to the curriculum has helped me gain valuable points.”
Corlan looks pleased at this news. “This is good. Keep up the good work. We must thank you for the intelligence about the shipment of onyx. Hopefully we’ll be able to intercept it and create a dint in their supplies.” He leans in and lowers his voice. “I have something important to show you, Reya.” He gestures to Izan, who reaches under the table and pulls out a wooden case. He sets it on the table and, smiling, he looks up at us as he slides back the wooden lid. Arkynn and I both lean forward to glance inside. It looks like a crystal stake. The end has a sharp point that looks like it could do serious damage. I blink when I take the time to further examine it.
“Is that sunstone?”
Corlan grins and points his finger at me. “It is. It’s incredibly rare and not found here on Asen.”
I frown. “This is lethal to the Shadow Borne.”
His smile widens as his eyes flick from me to Arkynn. “Stick this directly into the heart of a Shadow Borne, and it removes their shadow from them, killing them within seconds.” Hepushes the box towards me. “This, this is what you will use to kill the prince at the reaping.”
My eyes dart up to meet his. “Wait! You want me to kill the prince? With this?”
I startle when he reaches out and grabs my hand. “You are our only hope, Reya. None of us will get close enough but you. He will walk right in front of you at the reaping. Even his guards won’t expect a pretty young girl to attack their prince.”
I cast my eyes upon the sunstone stake and draw in a trembling breath. “I’ve never taken a life before.” Even as the words leave my mouth, memories of the night the mutts entered Terleigh run through my head. That night I’d pictured them taking Mayla’s life and a few hours later they did exactly that. I shudder. “You need to find someone else,” I tell him, pushing the wooden case back towards him.
Arkynn leans in closer to me. “Reya, remember what will happen if you’re chosen at the reaping? They will take you through the gateway, and you will never see your brothers again or me and my family. Is that what you want? Do you want our men to keep dying fighting in their war?”
“Of course not,” I reply. He knows how I feel. “You’re asking me to take a life Ark. There’s no coming back from that.
“I understand Rey, trust me, I understand, but think about the lives we will save if we defeat them,” Arkynn says, reaching out and enveloping my hand in his.
“I need time to think,” I tell them all. “I wasn’t expecting this. I need time.”
Ark goes to speak and Corlan shakes his head at him before looking back at me. “Of course you can have time. I’m aware we’re asking a lot, so you sleep on it, but Reya, I can’t stress enough that you’re the only one who will get close enough. You need to stop thinking of the prince as a person and start thinkingof him as the one who is responsible for everything here on Asen.”
I chew on my lip, my eyes fixated on the crystal stake. Izan slides the lid of the box closed then he picks it up and places it under his chair on the floor. “You just concentrate for now on getting one of those top spots. The rest we can figure out nearer the time, okay?”
I nod my head, unable to formulate words at this point. My mind is reeling with so many thoughts. I need to get out of here and feel the cool night air against my face. “I need some air,” I tell Ark as I hurriedly stand and make my way towards the door. I don’t hear what Corlan says to Arkynn, but he’s beside me in seconds, following me through the yard back into the back of the inn. I keep my head down as I barge through the crowd, knocking shoulders with a few revellers in my rush to get out of here. I step out into the night, and dart up the side of the inn, breathing in much needed fresh air. Arkynn appears in my line of sight, but he hangs back and gives me a few moments.
“Were you aware that this was their plan?” I ask him, and he visibly winces.
“Reya, you’re the strongest girl I know. I’m confident you can do this.” He glances back to the main street as some drunken revellers leaving the inn pass by. “I don’t think we should talk about this here. Let’s head back.”
I don’t remember the walk back to the tunnel and I don’t speak as I climb down the ladder. All I can see in my mind is the stake in my hand and it dripping with blood.
When we climb out of the secret passage, Ark asks me if I’m okay.
“I’m fine. It’s just a lot to process. I need my bed, and I need sleep,” I snap, and he steps away from me and places his hands in the air.
“Whatever you need, Rey. I’ll try to speak with you soon.” He reaches out to touch me and I take a step back.
“Ark, you know nothing will ever happen between us, right? Things are different now, I’m not the same girl you knew from Terleigh.”
A look of hurt flits across his face. “I know that but how do you think it makes me feel when I hear rumours about you and him…” He clenches his fists and turns away from me.
“I can’t be any clearer that I have been, Ark. There is nothing going on between me and Raegal and there will never be anything between the two of us either.” I sigh. “This night has been a lot. I need time to think. I’ll speak with you soon.” I turn on my heel, before striding away from him as quickly as I can. I somehow make it back into my room with no idea or memory of getting there. I sit in a daze at the end of my bed and run my fingers through my tangled mane of hair. My mind turns to my mother’s notebook and I’m on my feet and pulling out the bottom drawer in my chest of drawers and reaching underneath to locate it. I release a breath when my hand touches it and, pulling it out, I hug it to my chest. I open the cover and my chest tightens when I see my mother’s handwriting. Mother Goddess, I miss her so much. What I wouldn’t do for one more day with her? I flick through the first pages and frown when I realise the notes are all about amethyst and how to combine it to strengthen its natural properties. I’d always joked with her about how much amethyst we had around our house, and she’d said it was because of its natural calming and healing properties. My palm closes around the heart-shaped pendant on my chest. This was the last gift she gave me. I look outside and realise by the placement of the moon in the sky that Raegal will be here soon. In the distance, I hear the chorus of howls from the mutts. I overheard one of the serving girls here at the mansion telling another about the rumour of there being around five hundredout there now. I walk over to my chest of drawers and hide the notebook back under the drawer. Not that I don’t trust Orna, but I just need to know it’s somewhere safe. As I place it back, my hand brushes over silk and I remember the silk hanky I found in Mother’s workshop the day I left Terleigh. I pull it out and kneel back on my heels as I inspect it. Whose initials were these and why did my mother have it. Small, embroidered gold stars decorate the initials, with one larger black star in the centre. My professors’ words replay in my head from class this morning.
They live under an eternal night sky full of stars and they worship their creator, Aster.
There is no way I can be right about this. It is ludicrous. I mean to think that I am some descendent of a forgotten realm with the powers of the night. Shaking my head at how crazy I am being, I fold up the handkerchief and place it back on top of my mother’s book before returning the drawer back into its place. Hopefully, a good night’s sleep will clear my head of these crazy ideas.
Istrip out of my clothes and, after hiding them behind the back of my wardrobe, I climb into bed. I’ve no sooner lay my head on my pillow when I sense his presence. His shadows weave their way towards me, and they cup my face like a tender caress. I close my eyes and savour their touch.