Chapter 7

" A halfblood ?" The Credulan king's face was red with anger, his hand curled around the hilt of a sword that would serve him no purpose in Holiadon. Before he would even be able to draw his weapon, one of the guards would have knocked it from his grasp.

Ilias had become used to people being displeased with his lineage. He was used to them taking one look at his curved ear and scoffing at his existence. He'd been spit on, beaten to a pulp, and tossed around more than he could count. The words and the names no longer bothered him.

It was the look on Kaya's face that made him feel that dull ache that he hadn't felt in years—the anger in her eyes, the hardness of her jaw as she listened to the Credulan king insult him was utterly heartbreaking.

Because this was what he'd so foolishly asked her to commit to. An eternity of his being incomplete forever marring her image. A lifetime of him having to defend himself and prove himself worthy of their acceptance.

Kaya did not deserve that ridicule.

Even as she stood there, hand idly caressing over the place she had rubbed his seed onto her chest, he felt ashamed. Not proud. And he wanted so desperately to be able to be proud.

"What could I have done to prevent this union, King Thepyra?" Alder asked, his hand motioning to the two of them. "I sent her to train with him, I was not expecting for them to fall in love. Yet, here we are."

"Yes," King Thepyra sighed. "Here we are. And it is quite unfortunate, as I have had the best of the best planning this wedding. And my son will be greatly disappointed. "

Kaya heard it before—that the prince of Credula was not a male you wanted to cross. She'd heard that he was spoiled and entitled and that the word ‘no' seemingly was not apart of his vocabulary. He was everything that Ilias claimed her to be and just the mere thought of having to spend her life with someone like that made her want to take Ilias back to her room and appreciate him some more for saving her from a life of—

Ilias swatted at her hand, narrowing his eyes in her direction.

"What was that for?" She whispered.

He made a noise in the back of his throat, turning his attention back to the two kings. "Stop thinking about sex."

"Can you hear my thoughts?" Her face was hot, stomach flipping as she watched a small smile curve into his cheek.

"No." He licked his lips. "I can smell it."

The blush on her cheeks spread to the points of her ears and across her chest. She placed one leg over the other, hoping to paint the portrait of a poised lady as she started to listen more attentively to her father and the Credulan King.

"Forgive me if I am wrong or if it seems I am undermining you, but Ailikaya is not elvish, she is fae . If she and your son were to have children, they would be halfbloods, as well." Alder stated.

The fair-haired king grumbled something in a language Kaya couldn't understand. "From a biological standpoint, fae and elvish are not too dissimilar that it would matter much. The only differences I see between our two races are merely behavioral. Cultural. She could have been trained to infiltrate into our society."

"And this training you speak of," Alder began, his tone harsh and deep. "I've heard stories, Thepyra. And they are not comforting in the slightest. I would have had my own reservations in terms of sending my only daughter into a culture that chooses to whip people into submission."

Kaya blinked at her father, her hand curling in the fabric of her dress.

"As I said, our differences are strictly cultural."

"While that may be true, I must say that I am glad my daughter chose to marry someone with the same… behavior that she was raised around. You cannot take a rose from its fertile soil, plant it in the desert and expect it to bloom for you."

Thepyra let out a low chuckle. "And I'd assume you think of Credula as a desert? Too harsh a climate for your precious little rose?"

The muscle in Alder's jaw feathered. "Yes. But I assure you, roses are not all beauty. They have thorns ."

"So you have said before. And I would still like to them—these thorns."

Silence fell over the expanse of the great hall. All eyes turned to look at Kaya, who swallowed deeply, looking at Ilias in search of comfort. Or just something . Anything that could calm her nerves. She wasn't entirely sure what was expected of her in this demonstration, but she knew that her father and her kingdom's future depended solely on her ability to perform.

Alright. It's time for you all to wake up. I need your help . She spoke to her shadows, searching for the feeling of them rousing from their silent slumber.

Her request was met with silence. Her heart began to pound, her palms sweating in her lap. For a brief moment, she wished that she would have taken her training with Ilias more seriously. Perhaps she was childish in assuming that she had time and she berated herself for believing that she had a chance to assume anything when it came to the Credulans. She was not so full of herself that she could not admit when she was wrong. And, gods , had she been very wrong.

She startled at the feeling of Ilias's hand on her back, breathing out a sigh of relief when her shadows began to stir at the place he'd touched. "You'll have to help me." She whispered to him. "They don't come out unless they feel I am in danger."

Ilias nodded, eyes flickering from her to the Credulan King. "Stay as close to Thepyra as possible. I'd suggest you shaking his hand, it may get the shadows excited."

Kaya sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, blinking slowly as she rose to her feet. Thepyra watched as she approached, the conversation between him and her father swiftly dying as she extended her hand in his direction. Thepyra stared at her, a smirk tugging at one side of his face as his eyes moved to her hand. "I am Ailikaya Dothrae Aesa, princess of Holiadon. And I would like to demonstrate my abilities for you in hopes that you find me useful and agree to form an alliance with our kingdom for the betterment of Galore."

The king took her hand swiftly, his grip too tight—dominating and a warning. Not that she had much control over what the slithery little bastards inside of her decided to do. But the moment a joint in her hand popped under the pressure of Thepyra's grasp, her little friends decided to uncurl from around the base of her spine.

They flared out from around her shoulders, from her hands like thorned vines. Thepyra flinched, jerking his hand away to reveal that one of her shadowy thorns had, indeed, nicked his wrist. His blood dripped onto the pale blue floor, a vicious smile that revealed too-sharp teeth forming on his face. Before she could open her mouth to form an apology, the Credulan King reached forward and grabbed her by the throat with bone-crushing force.

Kaya gasped, eyes going wide as her shadows began to expand. They whipped and lashed through the brightness of the room, curling around the king's wrist. He laughed, the sound muffled by the veil that started to form around the two of them. Ilias launched himself to his feet the moment the king grabbed her, but he was now barred from seeing what was happening. Kaya's shadows had taken over.

"Let me in." Ilias whispered to them. "Let me in and let me help." He stepped back, the sounds of Alder's yelling at the other guards cutting through the catastrophic hissing of Kaya's shadows. The shadows parted just briefly, enough for him to see King Thepyra's hands wrapped around Kaya's throat. Ilias took the leap and darted through the opening and was quick to press his dagger against the king's neck.

"Get your fucking hands off of her." Ilias growled, the look of fear in Kaya's widened eyes causing him to dig the blade deeper, enough to draw blood. " Now ." Thepyra loosened his grip immediately, but the sick and sadistic smile on his face did not vanish.

Neither did Kaya's shadows.

The veil she created became so thick and impenetrable that it was as if the three of them had entered into another domain—another realm entirely. One that was completely under her control. The fear on her face was replaced with something far more sinister than Ilias had ever seen, but he was not afraid. He felt the cold, gentle caress of her shadows against his cheek, soothing him and assuring him that he would not be harmed.

"You will leave now." Kaya spoke, the veins on her hands turning just as dark as the shadows that spilled from her. "You will leave now . You will return to your stolen kingdom, wear your blood-soaked crown, and sit upon the dais that was built upon the bones of the innocent. No matter how far you move your stronghold from the kingdom you destroyed, we will haunt you. We will follow you. And even your children's children will feel the retribution we seek. For what you did to us . For what you made of Driikona."

Thepyra's already pale skin took on a sickly pallor, his body trembling as those shadowy vines encircled his head. The thorns dug into his forehead, taking shape and forming a crown that made blood spill down his ashen face. He trembled in their grip, teeth chattering against the deathly chill. "Wh-who are you?" Thepyra stammered.

Kaya smiled, but the smile was not her own. No—this smile belonged to the shadows, to the warriors that died fighting, to innocent lives that were taken upon Caddagh's invasion. This smile belonged to the fae.

"We are justice."

The veil peeled away from the only exit of the room and Ilias removed his blade, watching as the king turned and prepared to run, only to stumble upon his robes. He crawled the rest of the way, his golden hair matted to the blood that stained his face. When the Credulan male had vanished with his entourage through silver doors, Ilias looked at her again.

Kaya stared only at the doors, her shadows still a thick wall separating them from her father and the rest of the guards. "Princess." He spoke, his voice a low rumble in comparison to the high-pitched squealing that followed each violent thrash of shadow. He stepped forward, his hand coming up to cup the cheek that was now crawling with black veins. "Kaya, look at me."

Her eyes flickered in his direction almost instantly, the shadows vanishing as his thumb rubbed over her cheek. Alder stumbled forward once the darkness vanished, his face ghostly white as he tugged his daughter into an embrace, stumbling over tear-soaked apologies.

━?○?━?○?━

"Are you sure?" Moryna asked.

Kaya nodded, closing her eyes as she handed her friend the book. "I'm sure." She said, the trembling in her voice contradicting her words. But it had to be done, lest the Credulans learn of what they could do—how they could take her power and use it in the most savage way possible.

It'd been her plan for years—to rid herself of her horrid shadows and transfer them to another vessel, the only other vessels that could contain such powers.

But now, there was no time and there was no guarantee that her father, nor anyone in his guard or army would agree to the plan she concocted: to traipse through the jagged and lifeless terrain of the Wastelands of Bal'g, retrieve a dragon, and convince it to become a vessel for her shadows was almost as much a suicide mission as it was for her to agree to go to Credula and train with their guard.

Which she, surprisingly, agreed to do. She agreed to go with them and to become the weapon for them that they so desperately sought. It was more of an attempt for Kaya to make up for the scene she'd caused. There was no telling what lengths the Credulans would go to in order to seek revenge. And she'd definitely given them reason to attack Holiadon, if only for her actions towards Tymon Thepyra.

So she made the decision for them all to go to Credula—much to Ilias and her father's chagrin. Ilias spent majority of the day trying to convince her to refuse them, to remember how Thepyra had so greedily wrapped his hands around her throat, ready to snuff the life from her.

"He's seen what I am capable of ," She'd said. "I highly doubt that he will be trying anything to betray my trust any time soon."

Moryna let out a sigh, tucking the book to her side. "Kaya, you have told me that you don't believe in burning books. I don't think going against your own moral code is such a good idea when you are upset. "

"I'm not upset." Kaya snapped, eyes narrowed.

The red-haired female carded her fingers through her curls, shaking her head. "Right. And you're also not a very transparent person." She rose to her feet, moving around the side of the bed and crouching so that she could peer into the downcast eyes of her friend. "Can you tell me what's really going on?"

If she were being completely honest with herself, Kaya didn't even know where to begin, but she started from the moment they arrived in the charred remains of Drikiera—when Ilias called her spoiled and entitled. She continued on to tell her about her training, how she obeyed and perfected her combat skills and how she always fell short when it came to honing her powers. She told her of the moorbounders and the Credulan elf that crossed their path.

"And then I watched him torture Prim." Kaya breathed. "I watched him carve out Prim's tongue with a rusty, serrated knife. And as sick and twisted as it may sound, Ryna, I think that I fell in love with him then. Because he went against everything that is in Lowen law to do that for me—so that I might be able to trust him." Tears prickled the back of her eyes, the lump in her throat growing rapidly. "You know… The Credence ?"

Moryna went still, the small smile she wore falling into a straight line. "Yes. Why?"

The princess let out a huff, rubbing at her wet eyes with the palm of her hand. "He's mine, Ryna. We have a Credence. He's my mate ."

"How do you know that?"

She licked her lips. "There was this female at the Drikieran camps in the Borderlands. She told me that it's not my job to save Galore, that it will be the task of the generations after me. She said that I would birth the generation that would change the world—children I would have with my machna ii'loam ."

Moryna sucked in a breath, blinking rapidly as the words struck her. "And your mother—"

Kaya nodded. "I guess it was in one of my mother's visions, too."

"But if he is your mate, then why do your shadows react to him? Don't they only come out when you feel afraid? "

"Yes." She confirmed. "And what is it that I am most afraid of?"

It dawned on her. All Moryna could do was reach out and take Kaya's trembling hand. "You're afraid of love."

And it was true.

Prim took every sweet and jaded idea of love from her and ruined it—made her terrified to be vulnerable, to be open. All her life, Kaya loved hiding. She hid from the world, from responsibility. As a child, she loved to hide in the most inconspicuous places and reveled in her parents searching for her. As a grown female, she'd learned to hide her heart. To her, it only meant survival. Because if no one could find it, they couldn't take it.

A soft knock on the door startled them, both of them turning to see A'Nachnikara entering the room. Kaya rubbed the last of her tears away and slid off the bed to move into her mother's opened arms. The swell of her stomach was hard to maneuver around, but she smiled nonetheless.

"A married woman." A'Na chuckled. "Even if it is all a rouse, I still could not believe my ears when your father told me."

Kaya sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before she plopped back onto her bed. "I couldn't believe mine when I heard myself say yes."

" I couldn't believe that anyone would want to marry someone with such a bitter outlook on the world." Moryna grumbled, only to break out into laughter when Kaya chucked a magnifying glass at her. "And a shoddy aim, to boot."

Kaya rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to her mother. "Why you thought this little pest and I would be good friends is beyond me."

A'Na merely chuckled, wincing as she took a seat beside Kaya. "There are many things that won't make sense to you until they do."

"Much like that statement, mama. Thank you for always being consistently illusive." The room fell silent, both her mother and Moryna watching her closely. Kaya felt her cheeks flush under their scrutiny and toyed at the hem of her blouse.

"I have something for you." A'Na stated. She reached into the pocket of her dressing robe, retrieving a tiny, black velvet box with a silver latch. "My mother gave it to me the night of my wedding—an heirloom. For years, it was my wedding ring, but then your father replaced it with the one I wear now. Once we were able to afford one." She placed the box in Kaya's hand and watched as her daughter turned the latch, flicking back the lid to reveal its contents.

Kaya drew in a deep breath, a smile curling into one side of her cheek as she plucked the ring from its creased cushion.

She looked into the opal situated in the center of the ring, watching how the blues, reds, and purples within the stone caught the light. With each simple tilt of the ring, the colors seemed to move at the bend of light, giving it the effect that the stone had a pulse. It was beautiful, yet simple. And when she slid it onto her finger, she felt a dull hum of power radiate through the silver band.

"Is it enchanted?" Kaya asked.

A'Na shrugged. "My family passed down stories of it being blessed by Cadaith, herself. But one can never be too sure. They burned the majority of the books on such topics during the war."

"Of course they did." Kaya huffed, eyes still fused on the ring.

Another beat of silence. Kaya wasn't too sure what to say. She could sense that her mother and Moryna were either wanting to say more or they were waiting for her to speak—to give some kind of farewell speech and promises of a safe return from Credula. She would be leaving in a few days and couldn't understand why they lingered so intently when there was still time.

"Everything will be alright." Kaya sighed, forcing her irritation down and snuffing it as much as she could. "One thing I know for certain is that I'll always come home. I can't stay away from you all for very long." She extended her hand to lay it upon her mother's distended abdomen, smiling at the soft kick she felt under her palm.

"We do love you, you know." Moryna picked at the lace of her boot, purposefully avoiding eye contact.

"And I, you. Even if I seemed reluctant in the beginning, I swear it to you both that I will do everything in my power to keep Holiadon and our people safe from harm." She swallowed, the words burning in her throat. Because she didn't know how much power she had—how she could manipulate those shadows and hold true to her word. There was no telling if she would be able to keep them safe at all.

They talked for a while longer before both Moryna and her mother retired to their own rooms. Kaya shoved her things off of her bed, looking at the mess of books and clothing she would need to put away in the morning that was now just a heap of junk on the floor. Her thoughts were muddled—her mind a frenzy of mixed emotions that probably would not allow her to sleep. She sighed, staring at her mattress before she turned towards her washroom. She conjured her bath water and stripped herself of her clothing, avoiding her reflection as she moved into the tub.

Without an ounce of hesitation, she held her breath and dunked herself under the water, peering up at the distorted view of the washroom ceiling that opened up in the center to reveal the star-speckled night sky. She stayed under the water until her lungs ached and then launched herself to the surface, wishing that the water could wash away everything she felt. But to no avail.

"Kaya."

A scream flew past her lips, her heart nearly lurching out of her chest as she turned to see Ilias standing merely feet away. He licked his lips, eyes dropping to the purpling ring around her neck.

The muscle in his jaw jumped with how hard he clenched his teeth, his breathing sharp through flared nostrils. "I should have fucking killed him." He growled, his stride brisk as he cleared the space between them. Kaya gasped at the sudden feeling of his lips against her neck, allowing her arms to fall away from her chest. She wove her fingers through his hair, panting and whimpering at each kiss he placed along the bruising—at each flick of his tongue she felt on her sensitive flesh. Her shadows swirled instantly. They wove around them, pulling him closer.

"One day, I will kill them. Him and his pathetic excuse of a son who thinks he can just have you."

"Ilias—" She felt his incisor scrape against the bruising. Her body reacted, head falling back as if to push the column of her neck closer to his mouth. "They'll never have me." She breathed, words stumbling out of her so frantically that it was almost pathetic. But she couldn't help herself. Couldn't help the pulsing between her legs, nor how she arched her body against the hand that was now under the water with her, pressing against the slope of her stomach. The shadows that were twining around their limbs moved, sifting through the locks of his hair. Ilias groaned against her skin, inching his hand closer to the apex of her thighs.

Fear pooled deep in her chest, her stomach hollowing. She gripped the hand that was on her, drawing in ragged breaths as she broke free from him. "Ilias, please ."

He moved away quickly, falling onto his knees with a shocked expression taking over his face. "I'm sorry." He whispered, reaching forward to take her hand. "Kaya, I didn't mean to—" His voice broke off when his thumb ran over the ring on her hand. His eyes dropped to the stone, widening just briefly. "Where did you get this?" He asked.

Kaya's brow furrowed. "My mother gave it to me. It's an heirloom."

He shook his head, mouth falling open just slightly as he rose to his feet. "It's a relic ." She opened her mouth to question him further, but he was gone. Not even sparing her another glance before he left the her in the washroom, confused, breathless, and terrified of everything she felt for him.