Chapter 16

Senka

The darkness spilled from my outstretched fingers like ink in water, tendrils of shadow snaking up the walls and curling around the metal contraptions hanging from the vaulted roof and perched on platforms. The room dimmed, consumed by darkness that danced and writhed at my command.

"You're a deathbringer," Baz breathed, his voice echoing, laced with a mix of wonder and trepidation.

His hands shone with golden light, bright and pure, flickering and flaring in response to the shadows that ebbed and flowed at my whim. It was as if the very air around us buzzed with the clash of our powers, a silent conversation between light and dark.

"Remarkable," he murmured, his orange-yellow eyes wide with fascination, reflecting the dance of my shadows.

"Isn"t it?" My voice was a low purr as I watched him take in the full extent of my blessing.

He"d seen me in ballgowns, looking every bit the part of a courtly temptress, but never like this—unleashed, formidable. I was more than the assassin in the black hood, more than the girl with olive skin and pale silver eyes who lurked on rooftops. I was power incarnate, and I reveled in it, in the way my shadows preened for me.

As the darkness obeyed, I sensed his own magic rising to meet it, a golden tide pushing against an endless night. His aura caressed the edges of my shadows, an intimate touch that sent a thrill racing through my veins.

"Your blessing... it"s alive," Baz said, stepping closer, his voice hushed as if afraid to disturb the magic that hung heavy between us. My shadows left a circle of empty space around the prince, careful not to touch him. One touch to his skin and he'd be dead in moments.

"Alive and hungry." I let the shadows lap at his feet teasingly, but not close enough to touch. "Don't touch them. Even I can't control what they consume if you're stupid enough to get too close."

He didn"t flinch, even as one of the serpentine wisps nearly brushed against his boot. Instead, he raised his glowing hand, palm facing towards me, as if reaching out to the abyss I commanded.

"I've never met a deathbringer in the flesh. I assumed they were long gone after…" he let his words trail off.

After his father had eradicated them. Had hunted them down along with the rest of the god-bloods who were too powerful to let live.

The golden light encroaching upon the darkness felt warm, a beacon in the consuming void I had created. My shadows didn't recoil from the light, though. They seemed to reach for it, as if craving that bit of warmth he provided them, as if they'd been searching for it.

"Does it scare you?" I asked.

"Scared isn't the word I'd use." His breath caught when the shadow grazed the corona of light around his fingertips. It was awe in his eyes, not fear. "It's beautiful."

"Good," I said, the corner of my mouth ticking up in a smirk. "Because I really don't want to have to use them on you, Prince."

"I was under the impression that Merikh was in charge of the deathbringers. Do you just go around deciding who lives and who dies?"

"She is," I conceded with a nod. "But I can still defend myself. My shadows do what I tell them to, not the other way around."

"Senka!" Wolfe"s commanding voice boomed from the staircase. I stilled, dread curling inside me.

He stood at the top of the staircase, unable to come any closer with my sea of shadows writhing on the ground in front of him. I snapped my head in his direction, a single look silencing him before he said too much.

"Wolfe, meet Prince Bazaan." I gestured between them.

Wolfe's unamused eyes narrowed into slits and he held his sword at the ready. His gaze shifted from me to Baz and back again, as if calculating our odds of making it out of here alive. "What the fuck were you thinking?" he hissed. "He"ll have you executed for this."

Genuine fear consumed his expression. I could feel the weight of dread in the air, and I considered telling him to flee for his own safety. The prince may have promised not to harm me, but there were no guarantees for Wolfe and Valera.

"He'll do no such thing." I looked at Baz again. "Is this what you wanted? Is this the secret you wanted from me so badly? Or have you changed your mind?"

He didn"t answer immediately, watching the play of shadows with a warrior"s calculated gaze.

"What a waste that would be. And a promise is a promise," he said firmly. "I don"t break them—not even for this."

This.My shadows. Death incarnate. I had no doubt in my mind that he could feel the danger surrounding him. How close he was to darkness. How easily I could drain the life out of him and leave him a withered husk alone in this tower.

The room"s charged silence was thick enough to slice through.

"Your power," he continued, stepping closer. "I sensed it on that ship all those years ago. It was raw and untamed then, but now..." He paused.

"I've tamed them," I whispered. "I promised myself that I'd never let another soul stifle them. Not again." The weight of phantom iron chains weighed on my twists and ankles, as if they'd never truly been broken.

"What is he talking about, Senka?" Wolfe asked, his eyes bouncing between us in confusion.

Baz looked between us. "Your guard is very informal with you."

It was too late for Wolfe to take it back, but Baz was right. No lady's guard in their right mind would speak to their charge like this. He'd seen it in training too, and there was no lying our way out of it. Not the lie he expected, anyway.

"He's not just my guard. He's my lover too," I said, a yawning pit opening up in my stomach as the almost lie spilled out. I could feel Wolfe's shock through the space between us. No, we weren't lovers exactly, but I couldn't deny that something existed between us.

"I see." Baz's mouth, once curved in a confident smirk, was now drawn into a tight line of disapproval. "A lover," he repeated slowly, as if tasting the words on his tongue. "And yet here you are, alone in this tower with me, the man whose hand in marriage you're competing for."

"He"s not the jealous type," I said, forcing a lightness into my tone that I didn"t feel. "And you and I both know this pageant has nothing to do with love. Your father had countless mistresses."

In his prime, the emperor was said to be nearly as handsome as his son, and women fawned over him.

Baz tilted his head to the side, studying me intently. "You don"t seem like the type who would settle for just one lover either. How could one man satisfy a woman with such raw power?"

His fingers twitched, and for a heart-stopping moment, I thought he might bridge the gap, might touch the void of shadows. But instead, he clenched his fist, and the glow receded ever so slightly.

I bristled at his assumption, feeling oddly defensive of my relationship with Wolfe, even though it wasn"t exactly what Baz thought it was.

But before I could retort, Baz said, "But that's not why your here in this tower tonight, is it?" His gaze flickered to Wolfe. "And why your bodyguard is practically dripping with restrained power." Wolfe's eyes flashed with warning. Baz waved him off. "Relax. I'm not here to judge you. But as I told your lover before, I can sense power when it's potent enough, and you, my friend, are rife with it."

"I'm not your friend," Wolfe snapped, his voice a low snarl. "Your" highness," he added with a slight head bow that came off more mocking than anything.

Baz"s lips gave a slight twitch. "That"s unfortunate. I was hoping the three of us could help each other. But that sounds like something friends would do."

Wolfe and I stood there, tense and guarded, awaiting Baz"s answer. There was no way we were going to blindly trust the prince.

Baz seemed to sense our hesitance and gave a smooth smile. "Let"s just say I have some enemies in high places. Those who would stop at nothing to see me deposed as heir to the throne. Aetheria, for instance. I sense a coup brewing, and this business in Saltburn is only the beginning. I don't believe in coincidence."

"And how exactly could we help with that? Red Sam nearly took out all of Elysian."

Was the Aetherian queen responsible for Red Sam"s sudden reappearance in Saltburn? It seemed highly unlikely. The idea of a powerful queen deliberately causing such destruction just to spite one man was unfathomable to me.

"It was a deathbringer who created Red Sam, so it stands to reason that a deathbringer can fight it."

"We're not all the same, Bazaan," I said with a sneer, ignoring leap in my chest at using his name so casually. "Every deathbringer is different. I have my poison shadows, but someone else might have…" I paused, raking my gaze over him, "Light."

"I'm not a deathbringer if that's what your insinuating," he said dryly. "My light serves other purposes."

I shrugged. It was a logical guess, and I couldn't stave off the wave of disappointment that washed over me. Deathbringers came in all shapes, sizes, and blessings. But the one thing we all had in common was instant death.

Valera once told me about an ancient deathbringer she read about who could make your blood boil with a single touch, and another who could suck the air from your lungs. My shadows were just another tool.

His demeanor shifted as he took a calculated step forward, my shadows inching closer. "I understand your hesitation. I could have you executed, and perhaps I should." My body tensed, and my shadows gave a subtle warning pulse. "However, if you decide to assist me, I can guarantee protection for the both of you."

Protection sounded tempting, especially if Aetheria was sending spies into Andune. I hadn't even known Lady Isolde was an imposter. But something about Baz"s proposition didn"t sit right with me.

"Why should we trust you? You clearly want to use me. Even before you knew what I was. You only sensed the power inside me, but you didn't know for sure. How am I supposed to believe that after all is said and done, you'll let me walk out of here alive?"

"I"m not asking for your trust," Baz said darkly. "I"m simply offering a partnership." His eyes sparkled with something wicked. "I'm not above exposing you for you lies."

"Lies?" I spat with an unamused laugh. "The only reason us undesirables even have to lie about who we are is because of your bloodline's dominion over us. You think you have some divine right to your blessing while I have to die for mine?" Wolfe shifted beside me, his hand straying towards his sword hilt as if ready for action at any moment. "You"ll have to excuse us for not taking such a benevolent offer lightly."

Venom laced. every word I spat at the prince. I could kill him here and now, and he knew that. I should have killed him. It would be one step closer to ending the chokehold the royal family had over the empire.

But then his sister would replace him. I knew next to nothing about Selma. I didn't even know if the woman had a blessing. If she did, it must have been weaker than Bazaan's.

"Just consider what might happen if Red Sam makes it past Saltburn," Baz said carefully. "When the first cases begin popping up in the lower city, what then? Andune is too dense; it'll spread like wildfire. How many of your friends need to die because you're too proud to help your enemy?"

The mental image alone was enough to make me queasy. All of those people. Even a deathbringer like me balked at it.

"Is that what we are? Enemies?" I supposed I never stopped to consider it.

Baz smirked, but there was nothing friendly about it. Just wicked, cold detachment. "We can be. Or we can be allies. I can practically taste your desire to end my life right now, Senka. You're vibrating with restraint." He came closer. And closer, rounding the top of the staircase until we were nearly chest to chest.

"Why shouldn't I?" He was right. He was always right. Somehow. It made me nervous.

He raised a ring-clad hand to my face, and I didn't move. Our skin never made contact as he framed my cheek, his eyes following his phantom touch as he ran it down to my throat. "Because then I'd never have the chance to pick you as my bride."

Rage simmered in my chest, threatening to bubble over. I didn't argue, because despite everything, I was still in this pageant. I was still Lady of the Ashwater, and my entry was just as valid as anyone else's. At the very least, I knew that Bazaan would never choose me now.

"So you're just a benevolent prince who wants to save the day, then?" I asked with a wry glance at Wolfe, who echoed my sentiments without words. He was glaring at the prince, and I knew that if my shadows weren't blocking his way, he would have been between us.

"I'll do what is necessary." My shadows jolted at the venom in his tone, but I reigned them in. "I won't allow some bitch of a child queen to overstep and spread sickness to my empire. If you can put aside your obvious distaste for me and help, then it would be much appreciated. If not, then I suppose we're done here."

We couldn't be done. That would mean forfeiting not only my life but also the lives of Wolfe and Valera.

"Give me time to think it over," I said finally. Wolfe's gaze snapped to mine in disbelief, but I looked away. "How long do I have to decide?"

I was surprised he didn't laugh at my choice of words. Decide. Was it really a decision or was it coercion?

If I was going to convince this prince that I was fit to be the next empress, then I had no choice but to concede.

"In three weeks, I'll be announcing that I've fallen ill and will be taking the week or more to recover. If you decide to join me, I'll be leaving at nightfall after the announcement."

"Won't that draw attention?" I could only imagine how much gossip the sight of the prince and the Tonne fleeing the palace when he was supposed to be resting would create.

"There"s a nest on the sea cliffs. We"ll wait until it"s dark before we leave," he said, glancing at me. "Your shadows would be very, very useful, seeing as we won't be traveling with the Tonne. Just the three of us."

A nest. I'd never seen one in person. I couldn't push down the thrill of excitement I felt at the thought of it.

"How will I explain my absence? Surely they'll be expecting me to show my face. They'll gossip."

"I don't give a damn about rumors," he said dismissively. "Let them think we're locked in a room fucking for the week for all I care. I'm going to be emperor. If I tell them to forget or ignore, or to twirl around in fucking circles on one foot, then they'll obey."

I blinked at him, but I didn't argue. "Three weeks," I echoed with a nod. I had no doubt that once we were alone, Wolfe would have some words about this.

"I need to know if you're with me. Preferably before I leave. There are preparations we need to make. Leaving would require us to cross the Folklands, and I doubt either of you have done so on your own."

I raised a brow. "You assume."

"Am I wrong?"

I shrugged. "I'm not answering that. But don't make the mistake of treating me like I'm some fragile lady. You know my secret now. I can kill with a single touch. I can't imagine anything in the Folklands more dangerous than that."

I neglected to mention that my power was not infinite and that every single time I took a life, I pulled the pain of it inside of me, and in the meantime, it rendered me incapacitated and useless. It was the one drawback to this dark blessing of mine. I supposed everything had its checks and balances.

"You're considering this?" Wolfe asked me with a growl of disapproval.

"Do we have a choice?" I spat, cutting a glare his way. "He's right. If Red Sam comes to Andune, it'll spread too quickly to stop it. If the new queen is behind it, then it means she must have a god-blood with the same blessing as the one who created Red Sam in the first place." I looked at Baz for confirmation.

He nodded, as if he'd come to the same conclusion. "All signs point to that, yes. The symptoms are the same. Bleeding from every orifice, fever, hallucinations, and eventually death."

It should have been impossible. Blessings were unique. Some mimicked one another, but never exactly the same unless you were born of the same womb

.

"Fuck," Wolfe breathed out, saying what we were all thinking and finally sheathing his sword. "And you think Senka's shadows can help?"

"We're getting ahead of ourselves," I cut in just as Baz went to answer. "I haven't given you my answer yet. I will, but give me time to think."

"Four days," Baz clipped, the mask of cold calculation falling over his handsome face again. "If you help me, then meet me at the nests in four days at sunset. We'll have a little less than three weeks to prepare for the journey to Saltburn."

"Saltburn?" My heart dropped into my stomach. "I thought we were going to Aetheria."

"We will. But it's important for you to see it with your own eyes. I want you to see Red Sam and maybe you see something that I'm missing."

"Fine," I clipped, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Fine," Bazaan echoed, his strong jaw flexing as he stared me down with those burning eyes of his. "Now, if you"ll excuse me, I have places to be."

After a second of hesitation, I allowed my shadows to recede, making a path for him as he turned back to the balcony window, putting his back to me.

A high-pitched whistle sang through the room as he stepped out onto the balcony, and a moment later, a thunderous flap of wings boomed from the outside.

My shadows retreated into me entirely as Xyla landed in front of Baz, bowing her massive lion's head at the prince. He patted her thick black mane and whispered something to her that I couldn't hear.

I stared in awe at the magnificent chimera. Her midnight black fur shimmered under the moonlight, giving off an eerie iridescence. Her wings, stretching out behind her, were so much larger than I thought they were. She was a powerful and majestic creature, and a part of me couldn"t help but feel excitement at the thought of venturing into her nest with Bazaan.

I would help Bazaan. I would go to Saltburn and witness Red Sam for myself. But I would make him wonder first, as repayment for his threats.

Baz climbed effortlessly onto Xyla"s saddle. With a sharp whistle, they were suddenly airborne, her thunderous wings propelling them into the night sky disappearing into the darkness.