Page 18 of Shadows of Ruin (The Broken Prophecy #2)

Chapter 17

Lana

M y body stilled as the king silently stared at me.

A cruel smirk shadowed his face.

Raising my chin slightly, I forced my voice to remain steady. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean, Your Majesty.”

His eyes shifted, two catlike slits assessing me, before he clicked his tongue and turned away.

He waved at his people.

I didn’t relax, despite his attention being elsewhere. I couldn’t let my guard down now.

Kade’s shadows were not recovering below, seeping out of him so much that if it continued, he’d black out the view of the arena entirely in minutes. Storm forcibly grabbed him and led him to the side. He spoke until Kade lifted his sword and the two sparred together.

The king didn’t give them much time before raising both his arms. “People of Mysthaven, welcome to the Festival of Swords!” he shouted, the echoes of his voice reverberating off the canyons surrounding us, even without magic.

I glanced down at the pit, noting Kade’s eyes fully trained on me. Even from this distance, I could feel his fear. See it through the agitation of his shadows. As much as I wanted to reassure him I would be all right, I didn’t actually know if that was true; his father had already discovered our lie so easily.

“We gather to watch our Guardians fight, to battle for honor,” the king announced. “To witness the select few chosen by the Fates to join my warriors, should they survive.” A titter of excitement ran through the crowd.

I closed my eyes, remembering the last time I sat on a dais like this, not too long ago, for the start of the marriage trials. How quickly things changed.

“Once the Guardians have shown why they are the most revered in our land, we’ll witness the reaffirming of their oaths, and the oaths of any new Guardians we welcome into our ranks.”

My gaze roamed from Kade to Storm, Jax, and even Raya in the back. I hoped they’d made it to Cassandra. I didn’t think I could stomach watching any of them die, even if I was still angry with them. With all that had transpired, I couldn't help but feel an attachment growing. To all of them.

My foolish heart.

“Are you ready?” the king shouted, and the crowd roared, rising to their feet. “Let your blades strike true, Guardians of Mysthaven.”

I shuddered, wondering why on earth the king would revel in his own warriors destroying each other unnecessarily or hoping their blades struck true. It seemed like such a waste of good men.

“With blood may you reign,” he announced. My jaw dropped as the crowd chanted the line. This kingdom’s vicious mantra, I realized. So incredibly different from our “May nature guide you” motto .

Suddenly, fire exploded into the air, spreading around the arena in billowing strands. The fight had begun. Below me a flurry of movement took over the arena, and Guardians descended on one another. I jumped back, startled at the immediate intensity of their attacks.

I dared to look at the king, who sat watching with rapt fascination. “Marvelous, isn’t it?” he cooed without looking away from the fight.

“I assumed it would be one-on-one fighting,” I admitted.

He turned toward me. “Where would be the fun in that? This way, they can turn on each other. Weed out the weak.”

Keeping my face as neutral as possible, I watched. The king’s maliciousness unnerved me.

In Brookmere, it had been evident Kade and Storm possessed skills, both with magic and blades, far surpassing most of our soldiers. Evidently, the same could be said of the others in Mysthaven as well. Watching them fight, even in such a bloody and extreme tradition, mesmerized me. Then again, the fluidity and grace warriors possessed always held a certain allure for me. Even as a child, watching Ian train and hone his skills had been breathtaking.

Screams echoed around us, a Guardian falling. Clashing swords rang in the pit below. Some purposefully sought out individuals to attack alone, while others teamed up in groups, making it nearly impossible to survive their concerted attack. The brutality of their aggression grew the longer the fight continued. My gaze remained focused on each of those I knew. My hands clasped the edge of the seat in anticipation. Storm, Jax, and Raya were all safe, fighting their way among their fellow warriors.

Though there were those walking to the edge of the ring, merely bloodied, a few bodies littered the dirt floor of the ring too.

I’d never considered myself bloodthirsty, but watching the others move with grace and a ruthless efficiency stirred something inside of me. Especially Kade.

My eyes lingered on his form, his physique. I shifted in my seat. He battled, his sword whipping through the air swiftly, marking other Guardians with three strikes before they even had a chance to raise their blades in their own attack. All the while, he kept his blows shallow, never injuring those he battled more than necessary to disqualify them.

I let out a breath as he disarmed another attacker, one that got far too close for my liking.

“Careful now, Illiana.” The king’s voice sounded too close to my ear. I’d been so entranced with Kade, I hadn’t noticed him shift toward me. “One might think you have eyes for a different Guardian. I do feel obligated to tell you though, my son is off-limits for the likes of you. He has far too many options as it is.” The king brought his hand to my knee.

I wanted to rip it off.

“Dalliances distract him from his true purpose. Beyond whoever is selected to be his wife and bear him an heir, he’s mine.”

His purpose? Slaughtering traitors. At the king's command. What would my life have been if my parents had treated me like this man treated Kade? How was it possible he ever learned to thrive when this bloodthirsty king served as his only example of a man at a young age.

He stroked my knee. “If you’re interested in someone outside of Storm , do let me know. I have space for an additional consort, even if you are a lesser Fae.”

My body chilled. I was through with men touching what wasn’t theirs. Right now, every fiber of my being raged in response to his unwanted advances. That rage only burned fiercer as an internal voice screamed that Kade was more mine than his.

And my damn leg the king so eagerly pawed at, my body—those certainly belonged to me as well.

"I suggest, Your Majesty, you remove your hand. I don’t appreciate being touched without permission.” I cocked an eyebrow, knowing I treaded a dangerous line with my words. “ I have no desire to be a consort. Unfortunately, though generous of you to offer, my heart lies elsewhere.”

The king’s cold smile grew at my words. He slowly removed his hand, one finger at a time, but his expression seemed far too victorious. He looked nothing like his son. I may struggle to know the true Kade, but I knew that no one owned him.

Including this tyrant.

I clenched my teeth, wanting to run. Or shove the king off the balcony.

A deafening roar from the arena drew our attention back to the fight. A Guardian came up behind Kade, sword over his head as though he meant to kill, not injure. Kade had just knocked a Guardian in front of him out of the competition and hadn’t turned around yet. I gripped the railing of the chair, helpless.

Kade twisted at the last minute, easily disarming the man and slashing his blade across the right arm of his attacker. He ducked, then sliced his opponent’s leg and opposite arm. Three strokes and it was over. Blood pooled from the minor wounds of the Guardian Kade defeated, his expression hateful even from up here in the stands.

I closed my eyes, loosening my death grip.

“You give yourself away too easily,” the king drawled, his eyes still on the ring. “My son bows to my command, whether he likes it or not. If I say you’re gone, so you shall be. I’d remember that before you get too comfortable running your mouth.”

I raised my chin.

In the brief time I had spent in his company, I knew everything I needed to about this man. Mysthaven may not be my home, but I’d be damn sure I helped my friends with whatever they needed to succeed against their king.

My friends.

Again, the thought struck me. They had every chance to hurt me yet hadn’t. Every chance to command me without including me. They bared their darkest secret to me, willingly. Kade brought me here for a purpose, one he felt strongly about. His hesitation in Brookmere, his words—for the first time I no longer doubted them.

The competition continued below while my focus remained on Kade. He’d had to fight his whole life. What had Storm said about how he acted back home? Cold? Closed off?

Perhaps the man in Brookmere truly was Kade. A Kade free from his father. A man able to experience life without the weight of being the king’s monster every second of every day.

Tears sprang to my eyes.

Which meant my father’s request, the request to take his life, forced Kade right back into the role of the monster he’d briefly escaped while in Brookmere. I gasped, bringing my hand to my chest. The impossible burden placed on Kade’s shoulders even in Brookmere was overwhelming.

Fates.

The king rose, standing and raising his arms again.

Kade’s gaze immediately found me as the fighting ceased, and he took a step forward. Like he’d leave the damn arena to come up here. I shook my head subtly. Too many emotions filtered through the pain I’d clung to the past week. The anger dissipated, transforming into something else entirely. A feeling weaving over my heart, my soul. A desperate need to protect Kade Blackthorn in a way he hadn’t ever been given before.

I needed air, even though I sat in the open colosseum.

The pace of my breathing increased. I closed my eyes tightly. The entire situation was horrible. In my grief, no matter how rightful, I’d ignored everything he experienced.

“Shall we add in some more fun, my people?” the king bellowed to the crowd’s delight. “The time has come for the lottery of Guardians! Cassandra will draw the names from those in the crowd who will be chosen to compete for a place among my warriors. ”

I opened my eyes. Now was not the time to be caught up in this. There would be time to process everything. Later. Right now, I had to get through the rest of this battle, and hope the others survived the upcoming Blood Oath.

The king lowered his arm, extending his hand toward the entrance to the arena, where Cassandra sauntered out. A deep blue tunic billowed around her body, two sizes too large. Her face donned a smile, and her skin practically glowed despite the dimming sun as she approached a small table set to the side of the arena. On it rested a large cauldron. Black, shiny, it took me by surprise; I hadn’t noticed it at first.

She tossed her curly silver hair over her shoulder and waved a palm over the mouth of the pot.

“Guardians for Mysthaven, tried and true. Hearts and minds we seek for you. In the depths of the Fae not yet pledged, bring forth more warriors to fight at blade’s edge.” Her voice carried through the colosseum, an airy sound flitting around us.

A shimmery gold smoke swirled along the edge of the cauldron before shooting straight up into the air. The spectators cheered at the theatrics, leaning forward and taking in the show.

Cassandra’s smile widened as she brought her hands from above her head downward in a slow descent. As she did, the smoke settled from the eruption, following the height of her hands until the cauldron merely steamed with the golden mist.

A man approached her, holding a scroll and quill. She nodded toward him, then the king.

“Begin,” he ordered.

Cassandra snapped a finger. A plume of gold mist puffed out in a circle in front of her face, then dissipated.

“Morgan Talley,” she said.

The man beside her wrote on the scroll while a group of Fae at the far side of the colosseum shouted, slapping a man on the back as he moved toward the aisles leading to the arena’s entrance.

He’d barely made it to the opening when Cassandra moved again.

“Tyson Rivbane,” she called out from behind another puff of gold.

The same process happened again. Cheers erupted from various locations in the colosseum, and the potential Guardian moved through the aisles and into the ring.

Cassandra called out more names of both men and women. As soon as they entered the arena, they were handed a sword, mostly procured from bleeding Guardians already removed from the battle in the arena.

Forty or so Guardians stood in the center of the arena, either unmarked like Kade, Storm, Jax, and Raya, or boasting one or two bloody wounds.

I couldn’t look too closely at the scattered dead bodies lying on the colosseum ground.

Almost twenty additional hopefuls lined up along the rim of the fighting ring, waiting for their turn to duel.

“And finally…” Cassandra waved her hand over the cauldron once more. This time she paused and tilted her head, frowning before she looked at the crowd.

“Illiana Dresden.”