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She seemed almost familiar—Ayla, a part-fae with red hair and green eyes—but I couldn’t quite place her. Ayla was a common name in both the human and fae lands, so maybe there was nothing to recall.

“Ayla… what? No surname?” I asked.

“No surname.” She shrugged like it meant nothing. “I gave you my name, so tell me about the Shades.” She tilted her chin and widened her eyes. The green of her gaze was wild. She was a daring female, flirting with me, knowing who I was. It was bold, refreshing, and I liked it.

I chuckled—I couldn’t help it. It was the first I had laughed in…ages.Since losing Eleanor? The ache of release tumbled through my tired body.

“The Shades are the dead, brought back to life by a necromancer,” I explained.

She blanched. “I thought necromancers only existed in stories.”

“I thought so too. Once.” Just as I had once believed Inarus was a strict but kind tutor. “In an attack, the horde of Shades will hold down their victims. Their leader, the Gray General, will curse their victims with a Brand. They place it over the heart, and those who have been cursed…”

Eleanor said the Brand began as a coin-sized mark—ashy and gray, like death placed over her heart. Later that evening, it had grown, consuming her neck and shoulders.

I continued, “Once cursed, it doesn’t matter if a victim lives through the attack. The Brand binds their soul and forces them deeper into Gloom. I don’t know where they go, but I believe they are killed so they can be turned into undead Shades…”

I remembered when Eleanor had left me. Willpower was not enough to overcome the Brand. Even her icy focus wasn’t enough. Only Teyr’s promise convinced me she was alive—that my sister needed me.

Ayla frowned. “You lost someone this way.” It wasn’t a question. If she knew who I was, maybe she realized it was Eleanor.

I gave a brisk nod, and Ayla had the grace not to press me further.

Ayla.She impressed me in so many ways. Nobody treated me like an equal. I was a princeling to take advantage of, an exiled prince to pity, or Prince of the Shadow Court, to be feared.

Her casual attitude, bordering on disdain, flirty yet noncommittal, was a relief. I had so many questions. I wanted to know her better.

There was no time.

We neared the Rift. I felt shadows lurking in the marrow of my bones. My sense of death grew, and I glanced to where the Shades were waiting.

They were ready. And so was I.

“Well, Ayla.” Somehow, I found a wild, careless grin. This might have been the last conversation of my life. “Chatting with you, it’s been fun. Honestly, the most fun I’ve had in weeks.”

I might have kissed her—to feel the heat of her lips, to inhale her scent of cherry and spice—but I didn’t dare.

If she kissed me back, I might lose the courage to face my fate. She tempted me to choose the safer route, to live.

Only, it was my duty to save Eleanor, stop Gloom, and forge a future for the Shadow Court. I had to claim my Brand.

3 | Learnings and Loss

Zayne

Since I last faced the Shades, I had learned several things.

First, they acted as a simpleminded horde under the leadership of a general. The Gray General was still undead, but smarter, directly connected to their necromancer. Generals directed their horde, and they administered the Brand.

The Shades had held Eleanor down while their general branded her. They pursued her first, the Heir to the Shadow Court.

That was the next thing I learned. In their simplemindedness, Shades pursue the victim with the strongest connection to the Isles. They were called to snuff the brightest magic.

Unless someone on the merchant’s ship was an heir—which wasn’t possible, I knew all of them—they would pursue me. That knowledge formed the core of my plan: lure them to me.

My newly acquired boat was ready. TheUmbral Starhung from the side of the merchant ship, held by pulleys over the sea. It was a small fae boat, designed to be captained by a water sprite. It had no power without magic.

Vanessa, the water sprite, waited for me on the boat. I had commissioned her for this trip, giving an oath that she could keep the boat once my quest was finished.