Page 69 of Once the Skies Fade (Immortal Reveries #2)

Chapter 69

Calla

D espite it being mid-morning, Matthias’s room was as dark as nightfall with the drapes drawn tightly closed over the single window. My shadows darkened my vision further, making it nearly impossible to see where I was going as I moved further into the room. Slowly, I pulled my power back into my palms, releasing a breath as the room came into better focus. My fingers grazed the edge of the now-empty tub as I stepped around it, surveying the space and savoring his comforting scent that still remained on the air despite his absence.

Stars, I hoped Graham had been able to get him out in time. No doubt the Assembly would seek his suffering simply for being my mate. The six fae appeared in my mind’s eye, sending my teeth grinding together. My hands formed tight fists at my sides, shaking with the need to do something other than hide here.

I needed Isa.

Where are you, Isa?

The door opened behind me, and I spun around, hope igniting in my chest that my friend had somehow heard my silent call and arrived, but it wasn’t Isa.

Six members of the guard rushed in, their boots thundering against the floor as they circled around me. My mind raced through my options. My shadows itched to be released, to help me, but these were my guard, my protectors. I didn’t want to hurt them, though I would if I absolutely had to.

“Where’s General Marlowe?” I asked, looking into the face of each of the armor-clad fae. None of them met my gaze, the fucking cowards.

“We thought you might know that,” a female replied from the doorway in a recognizable, pompous voice—Ursula. She strolled into the room, her slim figure silhouetted against the dim lamplight in the corridor. I wanted to send my shadows toward her, but I forced myself to remain patient. If I was going to learn anything, I needed her alive, at least for a little while longer.

“Under what authority do you command my guard, Ursula? The Assembly holds?—”

“Holds all of the power should our king or queen be found incapable of ruling,” she offered. “And unfortunately for you, the evidence against you is substantial enough the Assembly has assumed control.”

“What evidence?”

“The healers went back over their records from the king’s death per your request, and they discovered he was, in fact, poisoned.”

“How does that point to me exactly? After all, you and the Assembly just had me poisoned. Why aren’t you suspects?”

“Because your signature is on the shipment orders from Dolobare.”

“Of course they are, but I never approved poison on those manifests,” I explained.

Ursula produced a well-worn piece of paper from behind her back and brought it closer for me to read. She pointed to a line in the list of items.

“This, right here. What is it?”

I narrowed my eyes and read aloud: “Shadowsong, liquid.” I peered up at the advisor. “I have never heard of this before. I certainly didn’t put it on this list. And why would poison be listed so clearly? Do you even know that’s the poison?”

“Yet you signed your name to have it shipped here, without knowing what it is?”

“I approve a lot of items requested by the healers—from those at the castle and throughout our kingdom?—”

“And you never thought to ask what this was?”

“I trust our healers, but unless you know for certain that this Shadowsong is the actual poison used on my husband, you have no reason to arrest me simply for an unknown substance on a manifest.”

Ursula angled her head, her brow lifting crookedly. “Your own healers had poison available for the trials.”

I wanted to remind her that was the poison she’d just used on her queen, but I held it back. Barely.

“The poison in the healers’ possession was from a small stash retrieved from a group of rebels we caught years ago in our efforts to help Emeryn.”

Ursula’s chin lifted, her eyes darting to one of the guards as she flicked her fingers in the air. “Check her pockets.”

The guard on my left stepped toward me, and my shadows—spurred on by my sudden burst of anxiety—flew from my palms, splaying my fingers. They shot straight for the guard, burrowing into his nose and ears. He opened his mouth to scream, but my shadows extinguished any sound, drowning him in darkness as they traveled through his body, wreaking havoc on his organs until he fell in a lifeless heap at the floor.

It took the span of a single breath to fell one guard, and I was foolishly so transfixed on my own power I didn’t notice Ursula flick her fingers again.

Arms wrapped around my shoulders and pinned my arms to my sides. Two guards moved in, holding large pieces of metal connected together by hinges. I tried to redirect my shadows, but I wasn’t fast enough. Two more guards approached, each taking hold of one of my forearms, using both hands to hold me steady. My shadows finally reacted, swirling around my attackers’ heads, trying to obscure their vision, but somehow this didn’t hinder them from clamping the metal—iron—contraptions on my hands.

No!

My shadows vanished at once, recoiling.

With all my strength I thrust my knee into the groin of the male in front of me. He doubled over but recovered quickly, bringing the back of his hand to strike me across the face as if I were some common criminal and not his queen. The strike sent my head flying to the side, but I refused to cry out in pain. Instead, a growl erupted from my chest, and I put all my strength into getting free.

“Seriously, three of you should be able to hold her,” Ursula chided, smirking at me as I twisted and pulled and kicked to get away. “Someone check her pockets.”

What did she think was in my pockets? This was ridiculous. What could they possibly expect to find?

One of the guards came forward and almost seemed apologetic—the only thing that kept me from kneeing her in the face as she reached her hand into one pocket and then the other. I was about to gloat over them finding nothing when the guard lifted a clear bottle I’d never seen before.

I stilled. My blood froze with dread only to shift in the next breath, my growing rage heating it to near boiling as I watched Ursula stretch out her hand for the vial. She held it up to peer through it.

“Seems we have every right to arrest you, Your Majesty .”

“I don’t even know what that is!”I spat at her, but somehow I knew it was the poison. Even if it wasn’t, they would force the healers to declare it was just to rip me from power.

I threw all my weight forward as if to attack her, but the guards held firm, and all I achieved was to cause a searing pain in my shoulders as my arms were held behind me. Cuffs slammed onto my wrists below the iron gloves. The chains rattled as I continued to struggle to get at Ursula.

How did it get into my pocket?

Who had been close enough to?—

Graham.

My whole body froze except for my chest, which heaved faster and faster as this new betrayal took hold of my heart. I wanted to double over and retch, but the guards held me upright.

No. He’d been my friend for years. Decades! He wouldn’t.

I glared at Ursula through hot tears.

“How?” I hissed out. “How did you threaten him to get him to help you?”

Ursula’s empty hand flew to her chest. “Threaten? Threaten whom exactly?”

“Graham.” His name was ash on my tongue.

Ursula’s dry cackle rent the air. “Oh, Your Majesty, this was his idea.”

My eyes closed as my head dropped to my chest, but I refused to shed a fucking tear over that traitor, instead clinging to the bitter hatred brewing in my veins. The bastard would die for this—painfully and slowly.

I barely listened to Ursula’s prattling. “This holds a striking resemblance to the poison used in the trial,” she said, clicking her tongue at me. “We’ll have the healers determine what it is just to be sure.”

Ursula’s lips curled into a sneer as she stepped closer, and she dropped her voice into a whisper. “I wonder, though, will you choose to die by poison like your husband? Or to hang like your mate?”