28. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The Thrones will pull each of the Houses. Darkness will crave that which is hidden and will forget that which is right in front of them. Fire will revel in destruction and only constant control will keep them from burning the world around them.

~Inni the Destroyer, A History of Magic and Dragons

I walk across the platform, and the Immortals around me give me strange looks. They're probably wondering why someone who looks human and smells the way I do would consider buying human slaves. I don't want to even think about the things that they're assuming I want with them. I pretend to ignore them, but I'm intensely aware of how close I am to Immortals that would love nothing more than to slowly roast me over a spit so my fear makes me taste better .

No different from these humans. I could be right here. If I hadn't run into Cole, I could have ended up bound and being sold as food… or worse. Blood runs over their bodies from where they've already been bitten. I glance up at them and hope that they have enough energy left in them to escape when it's time. They'll be on their own once they're out of the city.

Darian walks around to the other side of the platform. He stands back, using his powers of light to darken him even in the bright sunlight of the middle of the day. Then he steps into the true shadows and is forgotten by the crowd of people who are transfixed on the humans.

An Immortal that looks half fish and half man reaches out and touches a woman with long black hair's stomach. The crystalline scales that cover its body from head to toe shimmer in the light, and as it runs clawed fingers over the woman's skin, thin red lines appear, a stream of blood beginning to run from each razor cut. The merchant whirls on him as he brings a claw to his mouth to taste the woman. And the woman doesn't make a sound. She doesn't even seem to realize that there are new wounds on her stomach.

"No touching the merchandise!" the merchant shouts. "You touch it, you buy it!" The shrieks are loud and are exactly what we need. All the people on the platform and most of the people on the street turn to watch the merchant.

I move to the back of the platform where fewer people can see me and slip my mother's ring off of my finger. I close my eyes and think of the way it felt when the Shade touched me, when his fingers and magic touched me…

A scream erupts from the crowd, and I focus harder. I need that drum to beat inside me. More screams. The platform shakes as people run. Then there's a very familiar shriek that could only come from a cat with wings, and I can't help but smile.

The merchant shouts, and I open my eyes. A gryphon even larger than the one Darian and I had tracked is standing in the street, and every Immortal's eyes are on it. It's pawing the ground in front of it, and a mix of roars and shrieks leave that hooked beak.

It's time, and when I glance over at where Darian was, he's emerging from the shadows, no longer looking like himself. He's taller with long, black tinted nails, and I let the shadows pour from my fingertips down to the ground. Praying that everyone ignores them and stays focused on Lee, our oversized gryphon, I pull those shadows up around Darian, transforming him into the Shade by giving him a cloak made of shadows that hides his face. I hold those shadows in place, and when Darian speaks, it's exactly like how the Shade sounds.

According to Darian, people with House of Steel bloodlines can alter their voices as well as their body, and while Darian and Lee aren't the best warriors, they're nearly unrivaled in their ability to manipulate their bodies even if House of Steel is their secondary set of abilities.

"I am calling in the debt," he says slowly, just as I explained.

The merchant turns at the voice, fear in his eyes. His nails click constantly, but the rest of his body stands stock still. "Shade…" He says the word slowly, as though he can't believe it.

"I claim these humans as repayment of the debt."

"That's… that's all?" The merchant's nearly shaking in fear, but there's relief in his face. And nervousness. I just want him to hurry. Lee will only be able to keep the crowd busy for a short time before people try to catch her.

There are already Immortals running for guards. If anyone from the House of Flame gets here, they'll kill her, and she'll have no way to defend herself.

"Yes. Release them. Now." The words come out as a hiss, and the merchant doesn't hesitate at all. Quickly, he runs those claws through the leather thongs holding them stretched out, and while several of the humans fall, none of them stay down. They look at Darian with terror in their eyes since even humans know who he's supposed to look like.

The merchant digs in his pocket and pulls a long iron key from it, slim with barely any rust on it. He slips it into a lock on each set of manacles, and then they snap open. The humans are weak and obviously terrified, but they know that everyone here wants to eat or hurt them. There's nowhere to run.

When Darian moves, I slip the ring back on my finger and the shadows disappear. Darian looks nothing like he had when I'd wrapped him in shadows. Now, he looks just like a much larger version of the merchant. Fur coating his body. Long, thin nails. A bear's face. But he's growing at an incredible pace, his arms extending an obscene amount, almost like wings.

He reaches around and picks up the humans, smashing them together against his chest. They all look like they're struggling as he lifts them into the air, his muscles straining even as he grows so large that he dwarfs the version of himself that fought Cole.

The platform creaks, and when he leaps into the air, the entire thing shatters, throwing me off. I hit a tent to the side of the platform and roll into the shadows, praying that no one even thinks to look for me.

When I look up and see the massive feathered wings carrying Darian high over the city and a gryphon following him, I know there's no way that anyone's thinking about the strange human hidden in a corner.

But then I hear one of the crowd say, "Do you smell shadows? Has the Shade been here?" It's been less than two minutes since I took off my ring, and already people can smell my shadows.

Which means it's time for me to get out of here.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" a voice hisses from behind me.

I whirl around to see Cole standing beside the destroyed platform. The merchant is screaming at anyone who will listen behind him, and everyone in the market is staring up at the creatures flying over the city.

"Cole… I…" He doesn't let me say anything. He just takes the two steps toward me and grabs me by the wrist. Hauling me up beside him, he ignores the scene of chaos around us and pulls me out of the market. Instead of going the way Darian and Lee had taken me to make our plan, Cole takes me deeper into the city.

I can feel the anger inside him. Our souls are bound, regardless of the fact that this betrothal is a farce. When he touches me, it's like that moment by the river all over again. Not as intense, but just as real. His emotions are powerful right now, and the anger inside him batters my mind.

When we're only a few steps away from an enormous castle made entirely of red marble streaked with gold, he stops. A forty-foot-tall wall rises into the air even inside the city, ringing the building. The castle I'd seen when we'd entered Draenyth. Looking up, I can see guards patrolling the top of the ramparts beside catapults, trebuchets, and ballistas that are already loaded.

Cole pulls me into a building, a small clothing shop, and drags me to a back room where an older male and female sit. One at a loom and the other hand-stitching two pieces of fabric together.

"I need the room," he says quietly, and the two High Fae hurry out, not even bothering to put up their things. I hear the door shut loudly, and then Cole speaks.

"You're supposed to keep your head down. I don't know what kind of idiotic idea has you stealing property while pretending to be the Shade, but this has to be stupid even for you."

I whirl around and glare at him. "They were going to eat them, Cole. That merchant was selling them to be eaten like cattle. Except that you don't beat cattle all the way to market. No one tries to sell cattle by suggesting people torture the cow before it's slaughtered. Even as a food source, it's cruel and terrible."

"That's what happens here, Maeve. Dozens of types of Fae feed on humans. You know that. Why wouldn't there be a merchant selling them?"

I don't have the words or logic for him. "It's wrong, Cole. It has to be obvious, even to you, that it's wrong."

He turns around and begins pacing, and every muscle in his body looks tense. "Maeve, that's the way things are right now. You knew that coming into Draenyth. Didn't you expect…" He looks up at me. "You really didn't know, did you? It's not just humans that are hurt and abused here. A single broken law could have a lesser Immortal living out the rest of their lives as a slave. And other than the four Great Houses, anyone could end up collared and being abused for centuries or even millennia. I'd rather be eaten than be tortured by my father for eternity."

I blink. "So you don't agree with it?"

Cole nods. "I don't want humans or Immortals abused. People that break the law should be punished, but it should be reasonable. There are alternative food sources for all the Immortals, but just like the High Fae treat the Lesser Fae as lesser beings, the Lesser Fae treat humans and Wyrdlings like they're food. All of it's wrong, Maeve, but that doesn't mean we can just go steal those slaves in broad daylight."

He's quiet, and I don't dare try to push him. I expect his hands to be alight with fire, but there's none. He turns to me. "You're lucky that Lee and Darian are so good with their House of Steel powers. No one would ever suspect that the two people who perpetrated that theft were actually House of Light. If they had, it's very possible that Rhion would pinpoint them and get his wish to have them as his slaves. Especially Lee. Even I couldn't prevent that."

He sighs and sits down in the chair that the female was stitching in. He runs his finger over the soft velvet that's on the stitching board. "They've always hidden their skills with House of Steel powers after that day with Rhion when we were children. They'll be safe, but…" he looks up at me, "Maeve, they're one of my weaknesses, and today, you gave my enemies a chance to hurt me by hurting them. I'm not afraid of someone trying to attack me. Physically, magically, or politically. I can handle that. Don't let them hurt Darian and Lee because… because I'll have to let them get hurt. I can't turn away from my goals, but seeing them broken would… I don't think I'd come back from it. I don't know if I'd survive it."

It's silent in the room as I look at Cole and really see him. He feels so invincible most of the time. Like there's nothing he couldn't do. He always has a solution to every problem, and he always seems to be right. If it comes down to a fight, there's no one I'd rather fight beside.

But his shoulders are slumping more than ever. His face looks haggard, and every step seems exhausting to him. Cole's burning out, and this… This scared him. He has more wounds than I know about. Moments that hurt him like when he was a child, like when his father punished him for Darian and Lee's mistake. How many more stories could he tell like that?

"Why'd you bring me here, Cole? Why'd you trust me with Darian and Lee? With all the people in Aerwyn? You know about my debts, but I've never proven that I'm trustworthy. I'm just a dumb Wyrdling trying to get to Draenyth. Now I'm here, and you're still keeping me safe from everyone. What is it you're not telling me? What do you know about me that I don't know?"

He slowly shakes his head back and forth. "You're one of the few House of Shadow members left. You're powerful, Maeve. Far more powerful than you could ever believe. I know about the ring you wear, and I've seen the shadows leak from your fingers even while you're wearing it. You're someone I want as an ally. But you're also a good person. That drakeling and gryphon wouldn't have taken to you as they had. The villagers in Aerwyn all fell in love with you. Now you're saving humans. You're… I trust you more than most people."

I blink, not entirely sure how to react to his declaration. And the thought of me being powerful in his eyes? Mind-blowing is what that is. "Then why do you keep so many things hidden from me?"

"Because I have to. I may want to trust you, but I can't. Maeve, I don't live in a simple world. I'm not working to make a village better or try to fix corruption. I'm trying to save the world while everyone in this forsaken city is trying their best to break it even faster. At any point, someone could catch you and torture you, and there's no way I could trust you to keep from telling them everything. And then there are the debts you owe to the Shade.

"I want you safe, Maeve. I want you to accomplish your goals. I want you to believe me enough that you listen to me. At the same time, I can't return that trust. I've given you more information and secrets than I should so you'll have faith in me. There's nothing else to really say about it."

I sigh, and this time, it's me that paces. "How am I supposed to prove that I'm trustworthy?"

Cole shakes his head. "This isn't something you can force." He pauses for a moment, takes a breath, and says, "Believe me, do as I say, and I promise that you'll meet with Calyr and you'll get to ask him to heal your cousin."

I cross my arms over my chest and look at the man that my soul is currently tied to. "You're really not going to tell me how I can prove myself to you?"

He just shakes his head. I stare at him, waiting for an answer, but none comes. He's not bending on this, but I already trust him more than anyone since Vesta left. "I believe you. You've helped me get this far, and it's not like I have a lot of options. I'll try not to get Darian and Lee in trouble anymore, but I want a promise from you. A real one."

He cocks an eyebrow. Part of me thinks about the marks on my wrist and wonders if I should do something like that, but no, I don't want that. I'm not a Fae who needs a magical agreement. I've felt Cole's mind, and while I know there are more hidden pieces of him, I also know that he puts more weight on his responsibilities than anything else. A human doesn't need to resort to magical oaths. They trust their instincts about a person's nature, and I don't think I'm wrong about Cole. He won't lie to me about this.

"I'll trust you, but I want you to promise that when you fix the world, that you pay at least a little attention to the way humans are treated by Immortals. They're not cattle. I can't force you to follow through with your promise, but that's just the way it is when you're dealing with humans. We don't have magical oaths, and we don't have marriages that will force you to be loyal. We have to put our trust in each other's honor. So, Prince Cole Cyrus of the House of Flames, will you take care of the humans if I stop questioning you so often?"

He looks at me, a strange spark in his eye, and then he nods. Slowly. Solemnly. "You can trust me to do what I can for humans, Maeve. If you help me when I ask it."

I put my hand out, as I've seen my Uncle Trevor do countless times, and I say, "Then shake on it."

He chuckles, but he shakes my hand, anyway. "Why create a ritual if the ritual doesn't actually mean anything?"

"It means something to humans. A bargain struck over a handshake is just as binding to many humans as a debt to the Shade."

Cole just chuckles, but then he gets a more serious look in his eye. He looks past me at the wall behind me and runs his hand through his thick black hair. "My father was gone when I got back to the Keep, but he'll be there for dinner. That means that instead of us two eating together, we'll have to sit at his table and have a formal dinner with him."

I blink. The most formal dinners I've ever had were the few times that Uncle Trevor had made the mistake of letting me go to the annual Winter Solstice celebration in Blackgrove. "I don't have anything to wear."

Cole chuckles. "That's fine. We have a few hours before dinner. We'll need to clean up a bit before we're allowed into any reputable shops, though. I may be a prince, but there's something about seamstresses that makes even me a little nervous."

"It's the needles," I say with a smile, and for the first time since we got to Draenyth, I feel like maybe things will be okay.

Maybe my fears aren't all going to come true. Maybe I won't be the next person standing on a slaver's platform, ready to spend the rest of my brief life in torment. Maybe, just maybe, I'll do something less miserable.

He gives me a grin and takes my hand. "Are you ready to learn to be engaged to the Prince of Flames?"

Instead of giving him an answer, I shrug, but the grin on my face tells him everything he needs to know. Namely, that I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm willing to try. Who wouldn't be? I never dreamed that I'd be swept away by a prince, that I'd wear fancy dresses, or meet a king. I might enjoy experiencing some niceties that go alongside the terror and dread of using magic and making bargains with people like the Shade and the Prince of Flames. Maybe it'd be nice to enjoy something because of magic. I could get used to that, actually.

Except that when I catch Cole's gaze, there's a haunted look in those eyes.