Page 41

Chapter 40

The Broken Ruins Pass

Silvana

W e were riding back to Cainhorn with Viktor trailing behind us. Bastian had offered him a seat on his horse, but the male grumbled and said he’d rather walk. So there he was, tied up in Raiden’s shadows, trailing in the middle of our little brigade.

Raiden thought it was wiser to go back to the castle, meet with Paine, and make a plan. Then go to Whitbourne, the city and capital of the Court of Ice, together. He thought having another court ruler there as a witness would be safer for me being face to face with Keres after all of this time. I didn’t disagree with him, I was more so just feeling… lost with all of this new knowledge flowing through my head.

I knew that Raiden was wondering what I’d figured out in that basement, and truly, I wanted to tell him. I wanted to explain, but I couldn’t seem to make my mouth form the words.

“He’s only with those other females because he needs an heir to solidify his place on the throne.”

Since Raiden had explained some of my past to me, I realized that the nightmares I’d been having hadn’t been just nightmares. They’d truly been fragmented memories. Parts of my past that my mind just couldn’t let go of. I’d always had the deep-seated belief that was the case. But having the confirmation made it real.

We’d spent three more nights in that house, forcing blood down Viktor’s throat. Three nights of spending time with my mate, becoming connected all over again and talking about what I could remember and what he saw.

None of it was pleasant and many times it ended up in tears and long periods of silence, but Raiden never pressed me. He just existed by my side, a never-ending force of calm reassurance.

How was one supposed to act when they found out they had an entire family? Not just any family, a family that should’ve lived by their side forever. A family that should’ve been there, and instead they were taken. All of them. My parents. My sister.

Cora was another topic I didn’t wish to go near. Part of me hoped with every fiber of my being that when we went to Whitbourne and walked into that hideous golden castle, she’d be there. In the throne room, just as healthy as ever. While another part of me hoped she’d escaped and was somewhere living her life—happy. The only other option was one I couldn’t bring myself to think about. So, I simply didn’t.

“Deep in thought over there, My Queen,” Raiden said gently as he rode beside me. He reached over, offering his hand to me, which I graciously took. I wondered if he knew how much his presence helped me.

“Just thinking about what lies ahead. That’s all.” I shrugged.

“We’ll get through it, Silvana. Try not to fret too much.” He squeezed my hand in his gently, a small smile on his face. I nodded in confirmation and looked forward.

I couldn’t tell him the ache and anxiety brewing in my chest. The panic in my gut told me everything would not be okay when we arrived in Whitbourne. Truly, I could only hope he didn’t feel it either.

We were almost back to Cainhorn when a raven landed on Raiden’s shoulder. He glanced at the bird and chuckled. Before I could speak, another dropped on my shoulder. I looked at the bird for a moment while he ruffled my hair. It didn’t take me long to recognize my best friend, which made the bird on Raiden’s shoulder Paine.

“Okay, well, now that the party is full, we can head toward the Mistral River, and then up through The Broken Ruins Pass,” Raiden stated, still chuckling at the bird perched on his shoulder.

“Damn stowaways,” Bastian muttered, shaking his head.

“I didn’t realize your dislike of birds pertained to all types, Bastian,” I said.

His eyes narrowed at me for a moment, and I knew he picked up on the teasing tone in my voice. “Leave me be, My Queen. You two can keep the bird boys up there with you. I’ll stick with the prisoner back here,” he replied.

Cedar turned his feathered head around to stare back at Bastian and then made a laughing squawk.

“You’re lucky you’re using our queen as protection, my feathered friend,” Bastian said.

We rode like that for a while, finding a small inn to stay in until the sun fell again once we reached a town on the Mistral River. Paine and Cedar shifted back, and the five of us took turns guarding Viktor.

“What type of magic does Viktor have? I never asked before,” I sent through the bond once Raiden and I laid down to rest.

“I’m not completely sure, honestly. He feels like some sort of shifter to me, something small like a bird, but I haven’t seen him use it yet. Not even to try to leave,” Raiden said.

I was quiet for a moment, thinking about what he said.

“You think this is a trap? That Keres knows we’re coming to him?”

Raiden turned his head and stared at me for a short time and then wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest tight.

“Get some sleep, darling. Tomorrow is going to be emotional enough without adding sleep deprivation into it ,” he said softly.

I kissed him, a soft brush of lips, before letting sleep take me.

* * *

T he ride through The Broken Ruins Pass was something I couldn’t truly fathom how I’d made it through on my own and to the Court of Wolves in one piece when I’d escaped Keres.

I remember asking Cedar once why it was named the way it was; if there were indeed ruins in the pass into the city of Whitbourne. He’d laughed at me and said the ruins were not ruins in the sense of buildings that had fallen and been left behind, but the dead who’d fallen and been left behind instead. It had been chilling to hear then, but seeing it now? Left me shaken to the bone.

We rode down a narrow road, the path going up and downhill as it pleased. Mountains that touched the sky on either side of us, and copious amounts of snow as far as the eye could see. I knew if I wasn’t on my horse, the snow would have been up to my ankles in the shallowest of portions, and to my hips in the deeper sections.

“How are the horses able to get through this so easily?” I asked Raiden.

“I ensure I only breed horses who are equipped to deal with any and all the courts, darling. You never know when you’ll be stuck trying to get into the Court of Ice after all,” he said.

I smirked. “A male who’s always prepared. That’s quite the turn-on, My Lord.”

“I’ll show you quite the turn-on, my ice queen. Just wait,” he growled through the bond.

I shook my head as my core clenched and focused on the terrain ahead. Cedar and Paine were taking turns flying ahead to see how much farther we had to go. I glanced up at the endless cloudy night sky just in time to see Cedar swoop down and land back in his vampire form on the back of my horse.

“Just a little while longer and we’ll come to the edge of Whitbourne,” he said.

I felt Cedar’s hand land on my arm and gently squeeze in a calm reassurance.

“Do you ever feel like something dreadful is coming our way, Cedar?” I asked quietly, just for his ears.

He didn’t respond at first, but then he squeezed my arm again. “It’s going to be okay, Silv. Don’t worry about it. Between Raiden and I? We’ll get you out of here together.”

I glanced back. Viktor was on the front of Bastian’s horse now. We didn’t have time to let him wade through the snow on his own, so we didn’t give him an option once we hit the pass. He looked just as miserable as I hoped he would, but his injuries were healed. Well, the internal ones, at least. Every time Raiden “accidentally” allowed a shadow to slip near him, his entire body would jerk in alarm. It made for quite the entertainment for a while.

“Do you think this will go down… easily at least? Telling Keres about Viktor? Do you think he actually knows?” I asked Cedar after a while.

“I think Keres is going to show us what he wants us to see—even if that means throwing one of his loyal subjects to the dogs,” Cedar replied. I nodded. That sounded like the male that I recalled in my nightmares.

I knew I was trying to distract myself from what was coming, and Cedar was playing along like a best friend should. He’d always been that person for me. The one I could go to no matter the mental crisis, and he’d provide the distraction I needed to move on or just the time I needed to bury the hurt and feelings again.

I let out a sigh. “Thank you, Cedar,” I whispered.

“Anything for you, Silv. Always,” he whispered back.

Cedar stayed at my back as we crested over the last hill and the castle of Whitbourne came into view. It took everything in my body not to gasp at the sight.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting the castle here to look like, but this wasn’t exactly it.

The building itself was set down in a gully below us, surrounded on all sides by massive ice-covered mountains. Unlike the manor Raiden and I lived in, or the old stone castle Paine and Arabella lived in, this was opulent. It looked as if the castle was made of a type of stone that reflected off the little bit of moonlight we had right now, making it appear as though it was crafted entirely of ice, instead of a dark stone like most were. It was easily thrice the size of the manor we lived in. The spires reached almost as tall as the mountains themselves, the windows made of stunning blue and gold-stained glass. Everything was covered in ice and snow, except the narrow road to the castle walls.

The walls kept everyone out, including the town surrounding it. The town started at the top of the mountain pass where we’d entered and ended near the walls crafted of ice. The homes were small and made of graying stone. Each crafted with narrow windows and chimneys. Blankets of snow made each of them look quaint and homey, as if small children would dash out at any moment for a snowball fight. Periodic larger buildings that served as inns, taverns, blacksmiths, bakeries, and so on popped up as we rode along.

I buried the sense of longing emerging from my chest at the simplicity and focused ahead. We were nearing the gates, and Paine had cut ahead of us to announce who we were and that we wanted to speak with Keres.

“They don’t look surprised to see us, Raiden ,” I said through the bond.

“No, I suppose they don’t ,” he replied.

The gate into the castle of Whitbourne opened, welcoming us. However, instead of feeling relieved, it felt ominous. I looked up at the castle ahead, and there, standing at the base of the steps to welcome us, was him .

He wasn’t as tall as I’d pictured in my head all these many years. Straight ebony hair fell over his ears, stopping at his sharp jawline. His eyes were an unusual shade of dark blue. It didn’t feel natural. Nothing about him felt natural. Where I expected to feel an immense amount of power, I just felt a deep-seated loathing.

“Welcome to my home,” he said, a condescending smile plastered to his face.

And that was when it all came flooding back.