Page 25 of Kingdoms of Tides and Twilight (A World of Sun and Shadow #2)
S ion sat on the edge of her massive bed, his feet hanging over the tall bed frame. Dark red curtains hung along the four posters, and the only light in the room was from a few candles burning low. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Cressida was asleep, her pale skin translucent in the amber light. She was completely naked apart from the small, cold blade she kept strapped to her calf. Even in the throes of passion she didn’t remove it, and Sion had scrapes and scars from where it dug into his back and sides when he pleasured her.
The room was more like a dungeon than a bedchamber. Despite the lit candles, the space seemed to hang in a perpetual shadow, almost strangling him. He felt like he was in a long cave, and he could see the light out ahead but never reached it, no matter how hard or fast he ran. A large open air balcony covered an entire side of her chambers, with a dark satin curtain that ruffled in the wind.
A large decanter of fireale sat open on the dark granite nightstand, and Sion grabbed the bottle and took a large drink straight from the container, not even bothering to pour the cranberry-colored liquid into one of the thick-walled glasses. The ale burned his throat on the way down, but he took another large gulp, numbing his emotions and warming the hollow pit in his stomach.
Sion checked again to make sure she was deep under before he grabbed his tunic and pants from the floor, where Cressida had thrown them after ripping them off his body. He stepped off the raised platform the bed was on and pulled his tattered clothes on quickly, eager to be out of her room and away from her presence. Even asleep, her very existence tormented him.
He left the room and shut the door behind him silently, bare feet creeping down the hall, boots in hand. It was the middle of the night, and he knew she’d be furious he didn’t stay until morning. But he couldn’t force himself to sleep in her bed. Sion knew she didn’t trust him, and he was equally untrusting of her. Once he served his usefulness, he was sure she would kill him. There was no love or affection in her heart. The only reason she wanted him was to satisfy her lust. He was talented in bed, and Cressida knew it would be hard for her to ever replace him in that department. Still, she tended to explode and act irrationally, and Sion was always one tantrum away from death at all times.
He continued moving quickly through the palace, the open air cool against his skin. The wind played with the open collar of his tunic; he hadn't even bothered to lace it up, he just wanted to get the hell out of there. The side was torn open, and the fresh air hit his torso.
Sion wasn’t sure how much longer he could play this double role. He didn’t mind acting as a spy, but the secrets he got from her were no longer worth the self-degradation.
His feet carried him down a few steps to another landing, followed by another corridor. The hallways were a labyrinth, but he made this walk of shame so many times he could do it in the dark, which he sometimes did during the times Cressida didn’t dismiss him until the early hours of the morning. The torches were all burning low and the guards only half paying attention to who roamed the halls. In times like these, the Shadow Realm Palace was actually peaceful. If it wasn’t for the way he was forced to spend his evenings, it would be a nice place to live. But Cressida’s cruel influence spread throughout the land. Her subjects were starving, oppressed, and miserable.
He finally approached the door to his room and let himself inside. The room was dark and quiet, his bed made and everything tidy. He hardly spent time in his room, barely trusting anyone and never allowing himself to sleep deeply. He had been at her court for almost six months now, and managed to pass along useful information. The part he played was vital for his homelands and the Snowdens. Grayden had saved his life many times on the battlefield, and Sion knew that without him, he would be dead and buried, his soul with the Fates. But still, the depravity of being in her bed was wearing on him.
Sion slipped off his trousers and the ruined tunic and tossed his shoes in the corner of the room. The walls were a deep mahogany, and there was a window overlooking the valley. In the distance, he could just make out the Sun Realm Castle. Renya’s ancestral home. At least she was safe from Cressida, but there were other dangers in their world besides her. Sion pictured the way Grayden defended and protected Renya during the scrimmage at the Sunset Land, and it was obvious his best friend was in love. If Sion was ever fortunate enough to find someone to love, someone who would accept his past life as a whore to Cressida, Grayden would protect her too. They were brothers all but in name.
Shivering in the shadowed night, Sion moved away from the open window and into the bathing chamber to his left. He turned the handle to the large stone tub and filled it with the hottest water he could get to come out of the tap.
While the tub filled, he examined his copper-colored skin in the mirror. He had several long scratches on his face from where Cressida had dug her nails into him as he fucked her. His torso carried the same damage, as did his back. As he moved his neck in the mirror, he saw two large bruises on each side of his neck from her violent kisses. He grimaced as he splashed water on his face, the cuts stinging. Sion dried his face with a soft clean towel and then climbed into the tub.
The water stung the other marks along his body, but he grabbed a washcloth and scoured himself clean until the marks bled again. He washed off every trace of her from his body, until he couldn’t smell her scent upon him. Every time he came from her room he felt dirty and shameful. But he did his duty to protect his kingdom and his best friend.
Sion sat in the tub until the water turned cold. Feeling more like himself, Sion got out of the washtub and dried himself off. He just slipped on his robe when he heard a knock on his door.
“Enter,” he said, fearing it would be Cressida. Although, she most likely wouldn’t have knocked and just barged in. Or, sent someone else to summon him.
The door swung open and Brandle appeared, smug in the doorway. Sion tried to hide his disgust. At times, he wasn’t sure who was worse, Brandle or Cressida. Cressida was plain evil, but she didn’t hide it. Brandle was oily and sly, and if it came to it, he would murder anyone who got in the way of his goals. Which were mainly to screw anything that walked and to accumulate wealth and power under his cousin’s rule.
Brandle stalked into the room, looking around at Sion’s bare accommodations.
“As the queen’s lover, I would have expected your accommodations to be more…well, more accommodating.”
Sion gritted his teeth. “I care not for materialistic things, unlike you.”
Brandle’s lips curled into a smile, but Sion knew from experience that it was no such thing. “As much as I’d love to chat with you about the finer things in life, our queen has a request of us.”
Both of them? Sion was instantly on edge. He hoped to get a hawk or falcon to Grayden to warn him of Cressida’s plans to ambush them at the Twilight Kingdom. The task would be much more difficult with Brandle alongside him.
“What is it?” Sion asked, trying to calm his heart and keep his features disinterested.
“There is something our majesty requires from the human realm. She wishes for us to cross into the Snow Lands, through the portal there and retrieve it.”
Confusion came across Sion. “Didn’t she destroy the Snow Land portal? Didn’t she fear that Agatha would come back through?”
Brandle sneered. “How our queen accomplishes her goals is none of your concern. But, the old bat is no longer a problem. Queen Cressida bound her to the human world, so she can’t travel through the portal. She’s stuck in that hell for good.”
“I wouldn’t be so flippant about it, Brandle. I seem to recall just last week our queen was threatening to banish you there.”
Hatred crossed Brandle’s face, and Sion knew he touched a nerve. He watched as Brandle quickly pushed it down. “Worry about your own hide, Sion. Once our queen tires of your…skills…she’ll be done with you. I’m family, however. My place is beside her.”
Sion ignored him. He would be glad when Cressida finally relinquished her hold on him, even if she killed him. “So, when do we leave for this mission?”
“At dawn,” Brandle said, a sinister grin crossing his face. “Oh, and Sion? Since you’re going to be gone for a while, our queen told me to fetch you and bring you back to her bed. Once you return from our mission, you are to vacate this room and take up permanent residence in her chambers.”
Sion could barely swallow the horror down.