AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If Kaia hasn’t begun to sense it yet, she likely will soon. And she would say the same thing Railan said when he confronted me after seeing the effects of Elora’s blood in the sparring ring. The solution might not be ideal, but it’s the right one.
I only wish I could accept that.
“I need a more permanent solution than keeping Elora here indefinitely. I thought performing the ritual again might do it.”
At least half of that is true. I hope performing the ritual a second time and rebinding the Shadow Realm will stop whatever is eating away at the power that created it. But I have no intention of letting Elora go.
Even though her question about her right to choose to stay has been sitting heavy at the back of my mind since she asked it. One day I might give her the choice. But not now. Not yet. Not until I know the Shadow Realm will no longer require this of her.
“Are you thinking of letting her go?”
“No. But one day she’ll succumb to old age.” Another thing I try not to think about. “And then what will happen? Will her soul still affect the realm in the same way?”
Kaia gently sets the piece of parchment back on the table. “I’m not sure. But blood rituals are meant to be permanent. You shouldn’t haven’t to do the ritual twice.”
“So you think it won’t work.”
Sighing, she grips her hands in front of her and shifts to stare out the window. “I don’t know. But it’s better to try it than not. We can’t let the Shadow Realm fall.”
“I’m doing my best,” I assure her.
Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I glance up to see Elora making her way through the waist-high grass. Her hair is loose today, flying behind her, and her cheeks are pink from the wind.
I don’t relish the idea of unleashing the darkness my realm contains on Acaria. I know the destruction and devastation it would cause. But I would for her. I would set fire to Acaria a thousand times over to keep Elora safe. She is more important to me than anything else now.
“Which is why I’m going to Fontoss.”
“What? You can’t. Winter ball preparations are well underway. It’ll be too busy. Someone will recognize you.”
I push to my feet and give Elora one last long look before turning to Kaia. Running a hand over my face and through my hair, I grin when she shakes her head.
It’s been a long time since I disguised my appearance with a glamour, but the key to successfully getting the information I need will be to move around Fontoss unnoticed. I change my black robes for red, and Kaia snorts.
“Even with someone else’s face, I hardly think anyone will believe you to be a priest.”
“I’m sure I’ll manage.”
“Do you even know where the Fontossian temples are?”
“I’m going for the library, not the temples. Don’t worry. I won’t be gone long.”
“Thieran,” Kaia says, giving me a pointed look. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
I raise a brow, shifting to a secluded flower garden outside my brother’s palace. The air is warm, too warm, and already I miss the cool breeze from my own realm. My brother’s obsession with eternal summer is at least half the reason I love the cold and the dark so much.
Bees buzz around the fat, heavy blooms as I make my way to the stone path and follow its curve around an elaborate fountain and neatly pruned beds bursting with bright colors.
The closer I get to the palace, the busier it becomes. Mortal servants bustle about carrying linens and pushing carts rattling with silver. The queen really is going all out with this year’s ball. No doubt she and my brother have something big they’re planning to reveal.
Unable to conjure much interest in what that might be, I glide effortlessly through the crowd of servants and curious spectators. Occasionally people pause to bow their heads to me in a sign of respect.
My brother and his wife take the worshipping of themselves very seriously. So much so they grant their priests and priestesses the social rank equivalent to a demigod. Which is why in this disguise, I’ll be able to move unrestricted around the capital.
Rounding the side of the palace, I weave through the throng of people entering and leaving the tall gates fashioned from pure gold. The sunlight glinting off them is blinding, and I cannot understand why Elora missed such a garish thing.
Beyond the gates, Fontoss is laid out in a spiral, the winding streets paved with rough cobblestones. Homes closest to the palace are large and ornate, most of them mimicking my brother’s flair for white stone and gold accents with pops of bright red.
The further you wander from the ostentatious display of wealth, the smaller the homes become, squeezed together in tight rows. Wander too far and you’ll encounter poverty my brother likes to pretend doesn’t exist in his city. How could it not when he makes sure far too few have far too much and leaves the rest to fend for themselves?
