Page 75 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

Rian snarls. “You will take us to the mayor.”

Darkness hovers over the prince’s body, a dangerous promise, a visible threat.

Fear flashes in the man’s gaze, but he presses his lips together and jerks his head.

Foolish man.

Rian’s anger floods my senses, coating my tongue like ash.

The other bound men flail and flop on the ground, like fish ripped from the water, fruitlessly attempting to free themselves of their dark bindings.

A slow clap punctures the air, and the sharp sound pierces my eardrums with a painful stab.

“Well now…” a masculine voice delivers with an airy quality, “that was quite an entrance.”

All eyes land on the man and woman descending the tall, stone staircase located at the other end of the courtyard. Like everyone else in Virendrell, they wear their hair long and loose. The strands sway as they glide toward us, walking arm in arm.

The couple’s clothes resemble sheets. The flowing fabric is cinched and pinned strategically at their waists and one shoulder. The woman’s dress, if that’s what it can be called, reaches all the way to the floor while the man’s shirt stops at his hips. Loose trousers cover the lower half of his body.

I’m so busy taking in their unusual clothing that I don’t notice the shadow that wraps around my wrist before it begins to tug. I’m pulled away from the bush and dragged forward until I stand just behind Rian.

Silas, Darius, and Draven shift back, the three of them forming a protective triangle around me.

The couple reaches us, stopping short of the first bound guard lying on the ground, still thrashing against the shadows.

Both the man and woman focus on Rian.

The man breaks the silence. “This is certainly not how we expected your first royal visit to begin, Prince Zylen.”

The name strikes me in the chest, pulling a tiny gasp from my throat.

I can’t remember the last time I heard the Shadow Prince’s name said out loud. Even muttering his title was considered taboo.

But people whispered it…feared it.

Prince Zylen is the Shadow King’s monster. He patrols the border towns, wreaking havoc in his king’s name. He slaughters innocents for daring to speak out against their Fae rulers. He’s kidnapped children to work as slaves for the Fae.

I acknowledged Rian is that monster the moment Silas rode up on his horse and jokingly addressed him by his title, not realizing I had yet to make that connection.

Horror and fear promptly consumed me, but I cannot lie and say that those emotions didn’t dwindle in the following days.

My interactions with the Fae, and even my past interactions with Rian, the male I viewed as an ordinary soldier, had dulled the blade of truth.

But hearing this stranger say his name out loud forces me to truly, completely accept Rian is Prince Zylen. He’s responsible for countless, horrific crimes. Crimes no sane person could ever forget.

Except… Everything else I thought to be true has been a lie…so what if those stories were also lies?

I exhale a staggered breath and tune back into the world around me.

Rian’s shadows have solidified into a long cape, fluttering behind him despite the lack of breeze. “I did not expect to be recognized.”

The man smiles, but the expression lacks warmth. “There is only one Shadow Fae we know of that wields darkness with such…efficiency.”

Rian crosses his arms. “Then you haven’t heard of my cadre.”

Shadows flow from the other Fae’s shoulders in demonstration.

“On the contrary, rumors of your fabled cadre have reached our shores,” the man replies.