Page 38 of Of Nightmares & Fire (Elusive Umbra #1)
Chapter thirty
Astraea
My father steps from the palanquin swathed in white linen and blaring gold embellishments.
His pompous superiority is on display at every opportunity, and a journey into the desert seems to be the least of his worries.
Not when he won’t have to lift a single finger.
Unease builds in my stomach as he comes closer, announcing that the ceremony is to begin.
I hold my breath as he comes to a stop at my side. Thank the divine that it didn’t take much convincing to get Cole to agree on leaving. She was already in the moment I told her, no questions asked. My nerves are shot, and I can’t help but chew on my lip as I await what is to come.
“Why is your hair not pulled back, Astraea? This look is very unbecoming, especially for a woman who is looking to secure the future king.” My father tuts, eyeing me with disgust. His lip curls back as he greets me in front of those who turned out to watch the ceremony.
Keeping his features shadowed to the crowd to keep the facade of a doting father.
Taking my hands, he bends down, placing a kiss on my forehead, and then whispers the rest of his praise of his only child.
“If I can’t trust that you will be put together like the future queen, perhaps I need to find someone new to help ensure there are no more mishaps like this again.
” My eyes snap to his muddy brown stare before I fix my silent glare on the crowd.
His threat is void anyway. Colette is coming with me, and we will both be gone before nightfall.
He takes my silence as yielding and steps away, tilting his head smugly.
My eyes drift across the crowd of people, immediately drawn to the darkness that tends to cloud around Kyros.
His dark aura surrounds him and beckons me with its whispered embrace, and for a moment, I get lost in the memory of last night.
Everything that happened, everything said…
and not said. Kyros is still a mystery, but he showed kindness to me and is clearly loved by his people.
I feel myself wanting to trust him. I suppose I do to an extent; otherwise, none of this would be happening.
When our eyes meet, heat prickles up my spine and crawls into my cheeks, but I can’t look away.
As much as I have tried to convince myself otherwise, after all the deaths my running away caused…
I have dug down as far as I can in my gut, searching for any inkling that I am not doing the right thing, but every time, I come up with nothing.
I have never felt more sure of a decision in my life .
“Princess, the blessings.” Colette whispers into my ear, and I flinch.
My eyes flutter as the daze I was in is shattered by the touch of her hand on my elbow and the words breaching my conscious mind.
I blink slowly, drawing in a deep breath as I step down on the lower level of the stairway, where the suitors are lined up.
Pravin has informed me of my father’s decision on who my favor will be going to for this challenge and has assured me that if I disobey this time, he will make good on the promise he last gave.
Just the thought makes my stomach churn and bile threaten to burn my throat. That will not be happening.
Though it is still morning, the sun is already baking the sand with its radiating heat.
The scorching rays will only get worse as the day goes on.
Everyone taking this journey looks ill-prepared, save Mavros and his guard.
Cadoc, too, seems better equipped than the rest. They dress in the colors of the dunes.
I noticed Kyros wearing the same sort of attire today as he blends into the crowd.
The shemagh they have wrapped around their necks, the loose cotton fabrics, and light colors are better suited for the harsh elements the desert will undoubtedly provide.
Most of the others are dressed in the attire most acceptable for their own lands.
Not at all in tune with the arid heat and vicious landscape they are trying to be the next king of.
The rains that flooded the land as most of them arrived in Eathian have dried and will likely not return for some time now.
The heat of summer will bring a different type of storm.
Storms of the gods fury, winds that blow sand like tiny glass shards that cut through skin.
Lightning that will illuminate the land with its radiant light and catch flame to anything able to burn.
The heat alone is a slow death if you are not prepared; at least, that’s what I’ve read in journals of travelers.
Stories that the unsuspecting guards tell each other when Cole and I are merely shadows around the palace, sneaking through passageways in areas we are not supposed to venture to.
I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t terrified of what this journey will bring, but I’d rather be terrified and doing something than terrified and stuck in the same looping nightmare.
Stepping forward, I move down the line of suitors, each one respectful as ever, not like the last ceremony.
This one feels different, though. The energy of the men, their guards, and even just the atmosphere itself feels oppressive as my eyes meet the pleading gazes of those around me.
I know that I am not the only one who is feeling the change.
The Lord of Vadon’s son, Wrensford Tavares, and then Faolan Damalis of Halcyon each accept the blessing, and when I turn to Cadoc, he gives me a warm and empathetic smile as he accepts the blessing.
“I want you to choose freely who you bless today, princess. Please don’t worry about the deal our fathers have placed on our behalf.” As I kiss his cheek and look at him out of the corner of my eye, he whispers. “Believe it or not, I would rather your affection be genuine rather than forced.”
“Thank you, Cadoc. I’ll remember that.” From what I know of Cadoc, he would be a fine suitor.
Someone I may even be able to see myself with over time.
His kindness does seem authentic, but I see the way he is with my father too.
He wants to please us both in different ways.
I think Cadoc would be too pliable to be under a man like my father.
I don’t think his kindness is what this kingdom needs.
We both would be used by our fathers and be nothing but mere puppets for continuing their reign of terror and unrest. Only we would have both kingdoms to tend to.
“Prince Ruaan, it honors me that you should wish to fight for the chance of our betrothal. Your courage does not go unseen. If you should fall in the fight, I will pray that your ashes fly free and your soul not carry the burden of burning for eternity in Zameil.” I recite the same blessing crafted by the generations before me, and his lips curl into a close-lipped smile as he holds my hands between us.
This time, he rubs the back of my hand with his thumbs.
The scoring line of each pass creates tension in my shoulders as I think of the man behind me and not the one before me.
“Thank you, beautiful. Should you wish to give me your favor, I look forward to getting to know you personally .” His eyes sweep over my shoulder and hold a place there.
The exact spot I know Kyros stands, and I can’t help but shift on my feet.
A strange feeling gathers at the nape of my neck as I hone in on the challenge in Ruaan’s liquid gold eyes.
I clear my throat, looking down at my feet.
Suddenly feeling anxious about deceiving all these men with the thought that they might get the chance to not only become king but also be able to claim me as theirs too.
My gaze shifts back to Cadoc momentarily, and his kindness he exudes.
Perhaps even my heart . But the more time I spend with them, the more I see a genuine interest in me, and their need for power over the kingdom comes to light too.
Even if the two emotions are twisted together in a mess of rooted poisonous vines planted by my father.
I chew my lip as the thought draws my brows together.
All my life I’ve thought all men to be the same—power-hungry assholes who want nothing more than to dominate, jaded by the man who raised me and those he surrounds himself with—but I’m starting to realize that not everyone starts that way.
Some men become hardened by the way that they’ve been raised, just as I have.
But at some point, we have to decide when to break the mold.
We have to decide what impression our decisions will leave in the sand.
As I step up to Mavros, he grins, offering me his hands, and it’s easy to genuinely smile back at him.
Regardless of the way eyes cut over my face from onlookers.
The way his energy always seems to brighten my mood when I’m in his presence makes me wonder what his magick is.
He tilts his head as he catches me eyeing the shadowy tattoos that swirl around on his skin, just like Kyros has.
“You good, Princess?” He says, watching me curiously.
With a small nod, I squeeze his hands, shrinking my smile for the show I am required to put on.
When the parchment in my hand meets his, his facial features change just the slightest. The joking brightness that once filled his features becomes serious, and his eyes flit between my eyes in question.
“From Kyros.” I whisper against his cheek before I kiss him, giving my blessing for the challenge.
When I lean back, he’s not looking at me but at his brother in the crowd, and I can’t help but feel like an entire conversation is taking place within their eyes as I step back.
He finally looks at me, and although others may not see it, I see the narrowing in his silver eyes.
“What has changed?” He asks quietly, keeping a close eye on those around us.
“Everything.” I breathe, and with just that one word I know it to be true.
I may have decided to run away and make a place for myself in the world, but leaving with the heirs to another kingdom?
My father will know that I am leaving on my own accord, but it won't matter.
He will blame anyone else. He will blame everyone else.
I am the key to expanding his reach; without me he doesn't have much else to go on to further the land his vile touch rots. He will bring war to the lands, and if I’m wrong, if Kyros is wrong, we could be the cause for the deaths of thousands.
With the ceremony coming to an end, I turn to look out over the people I am leaving.
My wish is that by leaving them today, I will be able to bring them a better life in the long term.
I have nothing left of myself here. I will meet with their queen of Diemos, and together we will make a plan to finally rid Eathian of this poisonous bed of snakes.
I can only hope that I may be able to find myself somewhere between here and there.
Swallowing, I turn back to face my father.
“Prince Cadoc Natharia of Irowerth, please accept my favor for this challenge.” I say with my eyes never leaving the man who sired me.
Cadoc steps forward, placing his hand on my lower back, letting me know he is here, and when I turn to face him, his smile is sad as he nods in understanding.
The gesture makes my brows drop as my mind whirls on what the plan was… Shit. What do I do next?
The deep pound of the drums announces the journey’s beginning, and in a hurry to get this over with, I kiss Cadoc on his lips.
I feel nothing. A numbness takes over my body, and I wrap his wrist with a delicate gold ribbon.
The small smile he gives me causes my heart to ache.
I hate deceiving him when he has only shown me nothing but kindness.
Clapping my hand over his, I try to smile back.
However, my eyes never reach his as they instead round in panic.
In the distance a shadow forms in the otherwise cloudless sky.
The trajectory and speed at which the object moves make my brows pull together in the center of my forehead with terror.
The massive screech that follows causes everyone's eyes to snap skyward as well.
My father begins barking demands as chaos erupts, but I stand there frozen in place as I look up at what is now clearly a massive beast, feathers the color of deep oiled bronze and a shock of yellow on their underbelly.
It drops from the sky like a bolt of lightning that is coming right for me.
Its shadow looms over all of our heads, and as I stare into the bright sky, the birdlike creature with taloned hooks at the apex of its wingspan and a dark, viciously sharp beak blacks out the torturous sun in a nosedive for where I stand with the suitors.
I’ve heard stories of the beasts that dominate the skies, but never here.
Not here. Not in Eathian. The Thunderbird opens his shadowy beak and lets out the powerful wave of sky-cracking cries before banking hard to the left, sending sand flying and wind blowing back my hair.
Thunder rolls in the distance, and the surrounding air becomes forceful in its whistling and whipping, lifting sand higher as it does.
One moment I am standing on a stage for everyone to see, and the next I am grabbed from behind, tucked under large arms, and a hand covers my mouth as I scream for help.