Page 20 of Shadows of Ruin (The Broken Prophecy #2)

Chapter 19

Lana

I stared at my washed and primped reflection in the guest room mirror, shocked that only a few hours had passed since the Blood Oath.

I’d achieved all the things Kalliah normally would have done if we had been together.

A lonely yet proud sense of accomplishment came over me for what I’d mastered in such a short amount of time. Even if mastered was a stretch without Kalliah’s brilliant capabilities.

I rubbed at my chest as if that would somehow drown out the ache of worry for her. The ache of missing her.

Surprisingly, Raya had dropped off some beauty essentials on my bed shortly after we returned to the palace. I’m sure she was thrilled to share with me. On top of the supplies, she also left two dresses to choose from.

I selected the sleek fitted emerald-green satin dress. Black lace covered the bodice, wrapping around and zipping up the back. The pleats on the skirt of the dress made it appear as if I was gliding when I walked around the room. The loose skirt also allowed me to conceal a dagger on my thigh. Clearly necessary after the events that had transpired earlier today.

The other option had been an obnoxious pink dress, with frilly sleeves and a corset back, which was entirely too low. It was probably one of the ugliest things I had ever seen, so picking between the two had not been difficult. Raya presumably thought it funny to leave me with such an atrocious choice.

I touched the braided crown I’d woven atop my head, pinning it just like Kalliah had shown me. It only took me three attempts this time, so my practice had been paying off. Again, I craved her presence. I missed her desperately. Besides needing her expertise in hair and makeup. I missed my best friend. My confidant.

I had no idea if she was okay. I had to get back to her. Back to my mother.

I had to return to Ian.

If Andras had hurt them, I swore on the Fates themselves I would destroy the man in even worse ways than I’d already planned.

I looked up from the vanity stationed in the far corner of the room, out the large arched window overlooking the gaping canyon I’d seen from the balcony earlier.

While this room did not have the homey feeling of my own back in Brookmere, it felt elegant and comfortable, and the view was spectacular.

I jumped when a quick rap sounded at my door.

I braced myself in case Kade stood on the other side, ready to scold me for being with his father. The moments with the king had certainly been an experience I did not wish to repeat.

The sooner Kade accomplished whatever it was he needed to, the sooner I’d force him to take me back to Brookmere. Far away from his father.

He promised.

Steadying my nerves, I took a deep breath and opened the door .

Before me stood the grey-haired seer of Mysthaven, Cassandra.

“May I, my dear?” She peeked around me into the room.

“Yes, of course,” I assured her without hesitation. “Come in.”

I ushered her into the room, looking down the hallway to see if she had come alone, before shutting the door.

I met her in the middle of the room, and before I could say anything, she grabbed both of my hands. Her eyes appeared to be searching for something within me. They darted back and forth, up and down, and I could not tell what she was trying to find.

“It is a great honor to meet you officially, Illiana,” Cassandra said. Her wiry hair reminded me of Vivienne. In any other circumstance, one would have thought they were related. “I don’t wish to keep you long, I simply wanted to come by and heal any injuries you may have sustained from earlier. You fought spectacularly.”

She gently clasped my hands as if to prove herself. A warmth spread over my back, tingling up my spine as my injuries soothed. I watched our hands, noticing a faint glow of light emitting from her palms as she channeled her healing power into me.

I’d seen it so many times before. When Elisabeth healed me.

My chest tightened, watching the last bit of light fade from Cassandra’s hands.

Giving them a squeeze, I smiled at the woman, even if I struggled to give her my full trust. “Thank you. I’m not sure how you knew or if Kade sent you, but thank you.”

“Ah, Illiana, it is my job to know. To see. It is the least I could do after the Fates forced my hand today.” She didn’t let go of my hands, instead gripping them more firmly in her own. “I have lived a thousand years, and when such a light comes before us, we must bask in its glory. Feed it, feed it. Feed the light.”

I stared at the woman. She slipped into a nonsensical chatter under her breath, sounding far too much like Vivienne’s.

She shook her head and smiled once more at me, our hands remaining clasped.

“Kade wanted to bring me to you to talk?—”

She let go of me and brought a finger to her lips. “Not now. Not now, but tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow will do nicely.”

She bowed her head slightly and walked to the door. Just as she reached it, she turned back to me.

“Illiana, what you believe you see may be something else entirely.”

Before I could even try to comprehend what she’d said, she walked out, leaving me standing in the open doorway, confused.

I shut the door, backing up into the room.

What you believe you see may be something else entirely , played on repeat in my head. Something clawed at the back of my brain. This is important.

I returned to the large window, staring into the depths of the canyon below. The sun setting in the background made the stone mountains glisten with the last minutes of daylight.

Gasping, it finally struck me.

What you believe you see may be something else entirely was far too close to my father’s saying, never trust something is as it appears at first glance, for it to be a coincidence.

A lesson he’d reminded me of since my childhood.

A pang of hurt echoed in my heart. I missed my father. So much. He’d have advice or know what to do. How to act with this vengeful king.

I hated fate, hated prophecies. Especially after living so long in the shadow of my own. Things seemed far too coincidental to believe anything other than the Fates were at play. Cassandra said tomorrow. Kade and I would get the answers we both sought, and then I would go home.

Once I was with Ian and Kalliah and my mother, then I could deal with what had happened. For now, I had to steel my resolve and shove the emotions threatening to take hold of me for good deep within.

Besides, if the Fates wanted to play, then I was ready.

Torches lined Mysthaven’s great hall, dimly lighting the room. Twice the size of our ballroom in Ellevail, this space stretched on and on, seemingly unending in length. Dark-colored florals stood in urns scattered throughout the hall, with long dining tables lining the outskirts. The food smelled divine, wafting from the back of the room, and while many people sat at tables eating, others milled about the room enjoying delicacies from silver platters held by various staff walking about.

Others danced to a string quartet’s music, and many drank. They all seemed happy. Or at the very least celebratory. It was a feast unlike any I had ever seen. Voracious and liberating in a way Brookmere’s balls were not.

Raya led me to the back of the room, waving a hand at a seat and diving into the food plated in front of where we sat. Had I not witnessed and been forced to participate in such brutality today, perhaps I would have devoured the dishes before me as well, but my stomach had other plans. A nervous energy shifted inside of me. I wanted to put eyes on Kade. Something in me needed to make sure he remained unharmed.

Raya sat silently, ignoring the world around her as she pushed vegetables and stewed meat onto her plate.

I eyed a man walking by with a platter of drinks and jumped up, grabbing a glass of wine and downing it. My plans this evening included getting a fair amount of alcohol in me to forget about the horrors of the last few weeks.

My twenty-third birthday had been an absolute shit show thus far, so I may as well continue in such a fashion.

The doors on the opposite side of where Raya and I had entered slammed open, and Kade breezed through them. Jax and Storm followed closely behind. They had all cleaned up.

Too well.

I stared at Kade’s all black attire. His tunic hugged his chest deliciously, halting on his forearms. He’d rolled up his sleeves to the point where I could see the inky black design of his tattoo peeking from underneath the shirt. The top lay unlaced. His sword didn’t rest across his back in its usual place, instead sheathed at his side.

I smirked, knowing he’d attend a ball with it, and grazed my fingers over my own dagger, strapped to my thigh.

“Finally,” Raya muttered under her breath. “Thank the Fates.”

I couldn’t take my eyes from Kade as he moved across the room. His shadows trailed behind him as if he wore a cape. His eyes appeared dark, just like they did whenever he had his “episodes.” I wondered what darkness lurked in him to cause such changes.

And why it didn’t scare me like it should.

I stepped further away from the table, not bothering to let Raya know where I planned to go. I didn’t think walking directly up to Kade right away was smart, but maybe I could get to Storm. Someone more talkative than my babysitter.

I stalked a server at the side of the room, grabbing another glass from the drink tray.

Kade stopped in front of a raised table I assumed the king would be sitting at when he arrived. He didn’t bother sitting down. Instead, he grabbed a chalice of something, swallowing it in one gulp. He spun and grabbed the first woman before him, leading her onto the dance floor .

An uncomfortable, sick feeling knotted in my stomach. He hadn’t spared me a glance. Not one.

“Arrogant asshole,” I muttered to myself as a hand clenched my shoulder.

I turned swiftly, prepared for an attack, but found the king standing behind me.

“I often call him that myself,” he chuckled.

“I apologize, Your Majesty.” I stumbled with my words, putting the glass of wine down onto the table closest to me before I did something clumsy like spill it all over his robes.

If I drank much more, I might do it out of spite. The hate growing for this man, well, it was vast.

“Not that it’s your business, Princess , but it is tradition for the prince to dance with all the eligible women at each ball until he is betrothed,” King Dargan sneered. “He has been gone far too long, and his time to secure a wife has come. I’m sure you, too, must be required to find a husband.”

His words hit their mark, as I’m sure he knew they would. I refused to give him any indication that they had an effect on me. Even if something in me raged at the thought of witnessing Kade paraded around to the women in his court. I didn’t know how to respond to the king, so I chose to stay silent.

The king smirked. “My son inherits this throne, Princess. Perhaps you should set your sights on Storm after all. For no Princess of Brookmere would be worthy of the position of Queen of Mysthaven. Not in either of our worlds.” He bowed his head mockingly and walked into the crowd.

Instead of heading to his throne, he strode toward the front of the room.

He signaled to the quartet in the far corner to stop playing. Those on the dance floor halted mid-step. A silence filled the air. All the attendees waited with bated breath for the king to speak.

“Welcome one and all to the conclusion of our festivities, the Guardians’ Ball. Congratulations are in order for those who passed the challenge and the Blood Oath, and who are now members of the elite group of Fae known as the Guardians of Mysthaven. My army.” The king snapped his fingers, and a staff member handed him a chalice.

He raised it above his head. “To those who pledged their allegiance once more and survived, your king rewards you tonight with this feast. Eat, drink, and dance, for tomorrow our work begins again. Our never-ending battle to defeat the darkness spreading across our lands will find success. We will rid Mysthaven of the evil of this world.”

An explosive chorus of cheers echoed throughout the ballroom.

“That is not, however, the only thing we have to celebrate,” he continued. His eyes met mine, and that cruel smirk ticked at his lips. “Our prince is home. We have waited many months for his return, some of us more than others.” He winked toward a gaggle of giggling women to his right. “Eligible maidens of Mysthaven, tonight is your time to shine, for Prince Kade is in search of a wife. Perhaps you will be our next queen, should you prove yourself worthy to our prince.”

The room buzzed as women chattered excitedly. The energy became palpable as the reason for celebrating became even more apparent.

I scoffed and earned a side-eye from Raya, who I hadn’t even realized had made her way to me again. She surprised me by pressing another glass into my hand. I tipped it back. Water. I glared at her.

“I have no interest in watching you make a fool of yourself,” she whispered. “At least take a glass of water in between your alcohol.”

I conceded, finishing the sobering substance like it might somehow calm the anger coursing through my veins.

I looked to find Kade, but he stood smiling with Jax. Looking totally content. Even with his father’s words .

He still hadn’t so much as glanced over at me. And for a man who was so insistent I not be left alone with the king, that I needed protecting, I had now been left in his clutches numerous times.

The king signaled to the quartet to begin playing once more as he returned to his throne. Immediately, a group of women surrounded his chair, offering him food and drink. One held a strawberry above his mouth, and I scowled, shuddering at the ostentatiousness. Everyone presented themselves as though they lived to serve him. Disgusting .

I grabbed a drink from a passing server, debating throwing it back just as I had the first.

“If you don’t slow down, you will be on the floor. And I, for one, will not be holding your hair back tonight should you become ill,” Raya scolded. “Watching over you only goes so far.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, Raya. No need to hold my hair back when it’s already up. Let’s just survive the night, all right?”

She sighed. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

Kade finished his next dance and immediately began dancing with another, sweeping her off her feet. Laughing with her, smiling at her in a way I thought was only meant for me.

Jealousy nipped at me. I didn’t know I could ever feel such a way before, at least not like this. Maybe the alcohol exacerbated it. Right, this had to be alcohol. Never mind I hadn’t nearly enough to drink yet. My jealousy wasn’t this strong.

I finished my glass of wine, relishing the minor numbing warmth tingling through my body.

As Kade began his fourth dance of the evening, still without a single acknowledgment of my presence, I conceded he could dance with whomever he wanted. I knew he had to put on a front for the king, but it hurt nonetheless. Despite all we had been through, my body ached at our separation when we were so close. Others touching him, pawing at him, it gutted me in a way that made no sense. While I knew he had much to answer for—lies, deceit, a prophecy—my heart craved him and his shadows.

I wouldn’t let this bother me. Not now.

A man with a silver helmet on his head and a blood-red uniform came and stood before us. A Guardian. A cocky one, too, if the mischief in his eyes served as an indication.

“The king would like for you to dance with Prince Kade,” the guard said roughly.

I looked over at the king, and he waved his hand at me. A sickening smile graced his face as the scantily clad woman to his right fed him more berries.

“You may tell King Dargan I am fine where I am and have no intention of dancing with the prince since he made it so clear I am less than worthy of his attention.”

The guard stared at me, unwavering in his expression. “You will dance with Prince Kade as the king commands it, or I will be forced to take you over there myself. You won’t like how I handle you. The choice is yours, girl.”

“It’s Princess, actually, and?—”

Raya quickly stepped in front of me, glancing between me, the king, and the guard. “She will go. No need to threaten anyone, Braum.” Raya turned to me. “You. Go. Now.”

I wanted to argue, but her hateful stare shut me up. “Fine.”

Making my way through the slew of tables, I followed Braum. The entire room stood between us, and Fae lingered everywhere, making it difficult to pass through the masses. Fae stood eating, drinking, and some went so far as to be kissing and exploring each other already. All right here, out in the open. This was not the kind of ball I was used to attending.

Kade finally noticed me making my way toward him, when the king, again, motioned in our direction, indicating his desire for us to dance together. A sinister smile graced his face.

He rose. “As some of you may have heard during today’s oath, we have the honor of hosting a visiting dignitary.”

I gritted my teeth.

“Princess Illiana Dresden is from Brookmere, a land unable to be accessed by most of us. Never have we had the honor of hosting someone, let alone royalty, since the void keeps us apart from our neighbors. But don’t worry, ladies, she is not a contender for our prince. However, as is custom among royals, we will honor her with a dance.”

Raya stood on the edge of the dance floor, watching ever so closely.

Kade’s dark eyes bore into me as he scanned me, emotionless. As if he looked through me. He pursed his lips, and I took a step back.

He didn’t want to dance with me. He looked like he couldn’t stand the sight of me.

“Not so fast, Princess.” He aggressively grabbed my hand, unlike his normal gentle touches. I almost whimpered as the familiar faint electric current surged in me.

“You heard the king. One dance.”