Page 3 of Bartered by the Shadow Prince (Bargain with the Shadow Prince #3)

“Why should Father have bowed? Willowgulch was the aggressor.” My hand balls into a fist in my lap. I willfully loosen it when my brother directs an arched brow at it.

Brahm sighs. “Sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice for the greater good. You must know that, Damien. Father, growing ever sicker, understood that in the end and finally took the high ground. He sent an emissary to Blackspire Palace, relaying what he’d learned from the witches and asking for a peace accord.

King Entrydal agreed. The fruits of their negotiations was a ceasefire, but there were terms necessary to bind the treaty.

King Entrydal offered to give up his claim to the dark forest on the condition that his daughter be awarded a position in Stygarde’s ruling class. ”

My gaze darts to Nevina, whose fingers tangle in her lap as if the conversation makes her unduly uncomfortable.

When I look back at Brahm, he nods. “I’d spent most of the last decade inside a bottle, Damien.

You know better than anyone what kind of a mess I was, but Father’s condition had worsened and you were gone.

He asked me to do my duty for the kingdom.

I went to Willowgulch and met Nevina. Honestly, it was easy.

Love at first sight.” He takes her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, eliciting the first genuine smile I’ve seen on the elf’s face since this story began.

“We were wed the following day, bringing peace to Stygarde.”

“And Father?”

Brahm’s face betrays an old, festering grief. “It was too late for him. He passed from the illness within the week.”

A ball of lead forms in the pit of my stomach, and this time, I can’t disguise my pain. I hunch over, squeezing my eyes shut against a gnawing emptiness that seems to be everywhere at once.

“And Mother and Karyl?”

Brahm clears his throat before answering. “They’d contracted the disease only a few weeks before the peace accord. They succumbed a few months later.”

I bring my fists to my forehead, memories of my family flashing through my mind. My father’s laugh, my mother’s warm smile, Karyl’s zest for life. Grief pummels me, a hailstorm from the inside.

Eloise’s hand lands on my back, and she gently rubs my shoulders. She has no idea what Brahm’s just told me, only that I’m in agony. I’ll have to find the strength to explain this all to her. Gods, I can’t fathom it.

Brahm sighs. “So many times, I’ve asked myself, ‘Why not me?’ ‘Why them?’ But I know why I didn’t catch it.

At the time, I was spending my days in a hole-in-the-wall pub in Aendor, which meant the wind off the water blew the poison away from me.

I simply wasn’t as exposed. Mother and Karyl hunted on polluted grounds. I was rarely here to breathe the air.”

I straighten. I can’t break down here. Not yet. Not until I know everything. “Father passed,” I reiterate.

“Yes.”

“And you were made king.” Despite myself, my voice breaks.

“Yes,” he says somberly. “Almost fifty years ago.”

“And Nevina is queen.”

Brahm nods. “Much has changed since your time here, Damien. Our kingdom is at peace. Willowgulch is now our closest political ally. But yes, there was a price. We lost thousands. We lost our family.” His eyes shift. “A few isolated instances of the disease still exist in Stygarde.”

My eyes burn. I so badly want to be alone to nurse the gaping wound that’s been slashed into my chest. But there are a few more things I need to know. “The crest above the door… Does it mean that you’ve formed a new kingdom?”

He nods slowly. “Our ruling structure now includes representatives from Willowgulch, and they, in turn, have elected shades to positions within their kingdom. The white stag represents the elves, the red, the shades. The stags have intertwined horns, initially in battle and, now joined, only surviving by working together. We are now called the kingdom of New Stygarde.”

Realization dawns like a raging sun. This is not the kingdom I left.

Technically, I am no longer a prince and we have no rightful place here.

My stomach clenches with the very real possibility that Brahm and his queen could cast us out.

How will I keep Eloise safe and give her the life she deserves if that happens? “I understand,” I say carefully.

“I am sorry to have to share this news so soon after your arrival. I’ve had years to process my grief. You must be overwhelmed with it.”

He’s right about that, but there are more important things than the dead. “Brahm, my brother, I realize I no longer enjoy any position in New Stygarde, but my mate and I have nowhere else to turn. I wonder if you’d?—”

Brahm raises a hand, cutting me off. “Say no more. While I can’t restore your princely status, I am sure we can find a position suitable for you here. In the meantime, you are my guest. I’ll have Clara prepare your old room. We’ve kept it as it was, per tradition.”

“Thank you, brother.” I bow my head, grateful beyond belief for his generosity.

He leans forward and clasps me on the shoulder. “It is my honor to have you back. Welcome home, brother.”