Page 22

Ada

I dragged the trembling man through the corridors toward the main hall where the Shadow Court convened.

My bound prisoner stumbled ahead of me, my light magic keeping him compliant while we navigated the twisting passages.

My mind still ached from Hakan’s brutal intrusion three days ago, but maternal fury burned brighter than personal pain.

When we reached the massive doors of the great hall, I didn’t hesitate. Light magic exploded from my hands, blasting the doors open with a thunderous crack that echoed through the chamber.

The proceedings halted abruptly. Dozens of shadow lords turned toward us, shocked at the sight of me—glowing with barely contained power—forcing a bound man into their sacred space.

I recognized faces from the gathering—Lord Kenan with his silver-streaked beard, Lady Narin whose shadows moved in fluid waves, the twins Ferhat and Firat with their matching scars. Some looked outraged at my intrusion, others curious, a few—surprisingly—approving.

At the head of the table, Hakan rose slowly, his expression thunderous. The temperature in the room plummeted as his gaze fixed on me.

"What do you want, Ada?" he demanded, his shadows coiling and darkening around him.

The memory of those children—corrupted, suffering, the same age as my hidden daughter—sent protective fury coursing through me. I shoved my prisoner forward, releasing him from my spell, so he collapsed before the assembly.

“While you play politics, children are being tortured beneath your very home!”

Gasps echoed through the chamber. Several shadow lords exchanged startled glances.

“This man has been experimenting on kidnapped children,” I continued, my words ringing with righteous anger. “Infusing them with shadow essence to create ‘vessels’ for some ceremony. All under the direction of your cousin, Lord Azad.”

Hakan’s expression shifted, his shadows rippling outward with controlled rage.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he said, his tone of voice deceptively calm—but I caught the flash of cold fury that suggested this confirmed suspicions he’d already harbored. “Do you have proof?”

“Proof?” I gestured to the trembling man. “Ask him yourself. Or better yet, follow me to the hidden laboratory beneath your gardens!”

Lord Kenan, whose reputation as a moderate was well-known, stepped forward. “Hidden laboratory? Beneath the gardens?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “Accessible through a concealed passage near the old yew grove.”

Lady Narin moved to stand beside Kenan, her silver eyes sharp. “These are grave accusations, Light-Bearer. Especially against Lord Azad, who stands high in Lord Erlik’s favor.”

I met her gaze without flinching. “See for yourself, then. The evidence cannot be denied.”

Hakan’s gaze hadn’t left my face. “And you discovered this, how, exactly?”

“Does it matter?” I challenged. “Children are suffering right now!”

“It matters,” he replied coldly, “because those passages are warded against unauthorized intrusion.”

“Your wards are ancient,” I countered, “designed before the binding rituals that created our bond. The combination of light and shadow magic flowing through me created resonances your ward-makers never anticipated.”

Something flickered in Hakan’s eyes—surprise, perhaps even concern at this revelation.

I refused to be deflected. “The point is what’s happening to those children!”

Hakan turned to the man on the floor. “Is what she says true? Are you conducting experiments on children under Lord Azad’s direction?”

The man shook. “M-my lord, we were only following orders. Lord Azad said the vessels were necessary for?—”

“For what?” Hakan’s response dropped dangerously low.

“For…for the ritual to please Lord Erlik. To prove House Azad’s loyalty and secure his favor above…above all others.”

Above House Hakan. Silence descended, heavy and final.

A ripple of murmurs spread through the assembled shadow lords. Politics, always politics. Even the lives of children were just pawns in their power games.

“Silence,” Hakan commanded, and the room obeyed instantly. Something in his demeanor had changed—the temperature around him plummeting until frost crystallized on the edges of the table. His shadows deepened, but there was calculation in his eyes now, not just rage.

“Show me.”

The journey back to the laboratory felt endless, shadow lords trailing behind us in tense silence. When we descended into the hidden chambers, the terrible truth hung heavy in the air.

The laboratory fell silent as Hakan surveyed the children in their cells. His expression remained impassive, but the temperature dropped with each passing second. Through our bond, I felt waves of his fury—cold and controlled, but devastating in its intensity.

“How many?” he asked the prisoner.

“T-thirteen, my lord. Nine are still living.”

“And how long has Lord Azad been conducting these experiments?”

“Three months, my lord. He…he had access through the old servant passages. Said his authority came directly from Lord Erlik.”

Hakan’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. Three months. Three months of operations beneath his roof, using passages that should have been monitored.

“Who gave him access to those passages?” Hakan’s tone had gone dangerously quiet.

“Captain Vural, my lord. He said…he said you had approved it.”

Hakan turned to face the assembled shadow lords, many of whom appeared genuinely disturbed by what they were seeing.

Even those who served the Lord of Hell had certain codes—children were meant to be corrupted through proper channels, not tortured in secret experiments that circumvented established hierarchies.

“Note who stands with me at this moment,” Hakan said quietly, his gaze sweeping the room. “And who does not?”

Several lords shifted uncomfortably, while others drew closer to Hakan’s side. The political battle lines were being redrawn before my eyes.

Hakan turned to the assembled shadow lords. “Find Azad. Bring him to me. Alive.”

Two immediately departed to carry out his command.

Then, to my surprise, Hakan knelt beside the black-eyed girl.

His fingers hovered near her face without touching, shadows extending from his hand to meet the darkness seeping from her eyes.

For a fleeting moment, his shadows seemed gentle, curling protectively rather than threatening.

The room’s temperature, which had plummeted with his rage, stabilized around the child.

“What is your name, child?” he asked, his response unnervingly gentle.

“Zahra,” she whispered, shadows leaking from her eyes.

“Are you afraid?”

She nodded slightly.

“Good,” he said, and rose to his feet. But there was something in his eyes—a flicker of something I hadn’t seen in years. Not compassion exactly, but recognition. “Fear keeps you alive.”

The moment passed quickly, replaced by his customary coldness.

He turned to Lady Narin. “Summon the shadow healers.”

“Some are too far gone.” She looked at the most corrupt children.

“Save those you can,” Hakan ordered. “The others…” He paused and studied the most corrupted children with an unreadable expression. “The others will need specialized care.”

My heart lurched. “What kind of care?”

His gaze met mine, and for a moment, I saw something almost like regret. “Shadow essence, once integrated, cannot simply be removed. What would you have me do? Abandon them to slow madness as the shadows consume them from within?”

“There must be another way,” I insisted.

"If there is, we'll find it," he said with such quiet certainty that for a moment I almost believed him.

Protection. Not controlled. The distinction was small but significant.

His shadows began to expand before he caught himself, pulling them back as his gaze flicked to the frightened children. "And you, Ada, have overstepped your bounds yet again."

Despite my fury, a chill of fear zipped through me. “I exposed a crime. An atrocity happening under your roof.”

"An atrocity orchestrated by my cousin," he corrected, stepping closer until I could feel the cold radiating from him. "How convenient that you discovered it. How fortunate that you, of all people, found your way through wards designed to repel anyone not of shadow blood."

“What are you implying?” I demanded.

“Nothing. Yet.” His eyes narrowed. “But your heroics grow tiresome. First, an escape attempt, now this dramatic intervention. One might almost think you were trying to undermine my authority.”

Before I could respond, commotion at the door announced new arrivals. Light from the corridor beyond spilled into our darkened chamber as the shadow lords returned, dragging Azad between them. His usual composure was gone, replaced by wide-eyed panic as he took in the scene.

"Cousin," Hakan greeted, his voice deceptively soft. The corridor's light caught his shadows as he approached, revealing them writhing around him as if they were living things hungry for violence. "I see you've been busy in my absence."

“These are lies,” Azad spat, and looked around wildly. “The light which fabricates stories to divide us—surely you see that!”

Several shadow lords who had been silent now stepped forward.

"I have seen the children myself," Lord Kenan stated, gesturing toward where my light orb still glowed faintly, illuminating the huddled forms behind us. "This is no fabrication."

"As have I," Lady Narin added. "The evidence is undeniable."

Azad’s expression shifted from defiance to calculation. “These experiments were for the glory of your house,” he said quickly. “To prove our family’s worth to Lord Erlik?—”

“My house,” Hakan repeated. “My family’s worth. How thoughtful of you to concern yourself with my standing.”

Faster than I could track, Hakan struck. His hand shot forward into the light, shadows condensing into a spear that pierced Azad’s shoulder, pinning him to the wall behind. Azad screamed, black blood oozing from the wound.