Page 31 of Shadows of Ruin (The Broken Prophecy #2)

Chapter 30

Lana

“ I will kill you,” Ian shouted, lunging forward, wildly taking another swing at Kade.

I scrambled toward them. “Ian,” I yelled, but my voice caught in my raw throat. “Wait!”

Ian landed another blow to Kade’s jaw, one he should have easily deflected but didn’t.

I stepped between them, holding my hands out in an effort to quell the fight.

“Please, Ian,” I said at the same time Kade spoke.

“I deserved those,” Kade said to me, standing with his chin lifted. A sly smile forming as he turned to Ian. “But I won’t hold back should you come for me again.”

“Tits and daggers you’re an idiot.” I shoved him, turning to face my best friend. “Ian, he can explain, just give him a chance?—”

“An explanation?” Ian’s eyes flared. “An explanation? He murdered your father. Do you not remember? Then kidnapped you, which allowed your kingdom to fall without you there.”

I wobbled. I knew Andras had won the moment we’d discovered Ian trapped in the dungeon. But to hear the words of defeat from Ian’s mouth as if my presence could have changed things was unbearable. I ignored the rising guilt.

Yet I said nothing.

Ian lowered his voice and reached for my hand. “You cannot trust them. Whatever lies they told you, let them go.”

“Ian,” Storm said, finally speaking.

The malice in Ian’s gaze surprised me. Only once had I ever seen such hatred seep from him, and that was toward Andras. He pointed his finger directly into Storm’s face. “Don’t even think about spewing your deceit with me. I will never trust you again.”

“Maybe we should all take a breath.” Jax emerged from behind Storm and Kade, followed by Raya.

“Great, there’s more of you?” Ian asked.

Raya scoffed. “There’s always more of us.”

Ian’s gaze drifted to Raya and his body stiffened at her appearance.

Raya ran her cool, appraising gaze over him once and then dismissed him by looking elsewhere.

“You.” Ian’s eyes flared. “She has mind magic. We cannot trust them.” He didn't take his gaze off Raya as he spoke. “Do not ever enter my mind again.”

Raya scoffed again. “Gladly.”

“Jax is right,” I pleaded, trying again to get through to Ian. “We need to talk.”

He shook his head. “We do need to talk,” he agreed, lacing his fingers with mine. “But not with them here.” He turned to face Kade and Storm once more. “You’ve returned her, now you can go.”

Shadows unfurled around us. “I’m not going anywhere,” Kade said through gritted teeth. His gaze lingered on where my hand joined Ian’s until it rose to me.

I cocked an eyebrow, daring him to say something. His expression softened, but barely. Storm observed the whole interaction as he always did. Only this time, his lips twitched as if he found it amusing.

“You’ve done enough,” Ian seethed, turning his back on the group to leave.

“We need them,” I said, slipping my hand from his.

Ian turned on his heel, facing me. “We don’t need them. Not them.”

I didn’t say anything else, just stared at him, trying desperately to convey that he could trust me, even if he didn’t trust them. There was no doubt in my mind we all needed to work together to conquer the evil facing both of our worlds. Especially with both prophecies. Ian would come around. He had to.

He ran a hand through his hair, through heavy breaths. “I refuse to fight with you the second I have you back. These assholes nearly cost me your life, Lan. Mine too. I will not trust them. I cannot. Don’t ask that of me.”

“Fair enough,” I whispered, closing the space and taking his arm. “But for now, I need you to trust me. And since I trust them, I need you to have faith in me.”

Ian looked over my shoulder toward the others. “One toe out of line, Blackthorn, and I will not hesitate to end your life with my blade.” He led me back to my horse and climbed on, grabbing my arm in his and hoisting me up. The others remained close, mounting their horses as well.

I turned to see Kade and Jax riding side by side. Jax wiggled his fingers in a wave before turning back to face Kade.

“I think that went well.” Jax’s playful tone made me believe this could be okay. Eventually. “Twenty coins says Kade’s shadows toss the shifter from behind Lana,” he added, loud enough for all of us to hear.

“Fifty.” Storm didn’t bother hiding his amusement.

“We arrived only an hour ago and set up camp outside Valeford,” Ian said, ignoring the others and bringing my attention back to my best friend. “We believe it’s important to keep our presence quiet.”

“Who is here?” I asked.

Ian turned in the saddle slightly, looking over his shoulder, and I followed his line of sight to Raya. But she didn’t look back.

“Kalliah, Corbin”—he paused—“and Hale are with me.”

Hale’s name came as a surprise. Ian never liked the man. “Leif?” I asked, not understanding why he didn’t mention him.

Ian sighed. “Remained behind to buy us time to flee.”

I clutched his wrist “Will he make it?”

“I don’t know, Lan.” Ian quieted. “Andras is more deranged than ever before, and the guards were about to attack Leif as we left.”

I trembled. Leif had thrown himself in front of me at the castle when Andras and I fought during the final trial. Damn him for playing the hero. My heart ached thinking of the lesser Fae who continued to prove braver than most of the Royal Guards with three times the magic in their veins.

Ian tightened his hold on the reins and breathed in deeply. I silently thanked the Fates he was free from the dungeons and with me. “What did he do to you?” I whispered.

I looked over my shoulder when I heard no response, but Ian shook his head. “Later.”

“Are any of the others hurt?” I asked.

“No.”

His answers were short. Hopefully once we arrived at the camp and we all had a chance to talk, he would open up more. I knew how the dungeons affected us before. To know he had been back in them, and alone, made me sick to my stomach.

We rode down the lush hills, and speckles of black figures appeared in the distance.

I let out a sigh, seeing one break into a run .

“Kalliah.” I grinned.

Ian urged the horse forward, galloping across the field. Moments later, he helped me down from the steed, and I collided with her too.

“Fates, Lana,” she cried, tears in her eyes.

“I'm so glad you're safe,” I whispered.

Ian’s arms wrapped around both of us, and I looked up to see Corbin and Hale approaching too.

When Kalliah let me go, I walked toward them. Hale bowed, but Corbin kneeled in front of me.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, Your Majesty,” Corbin said first.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You know how I feel about kneeling and titles, Corbin. Plus, you’ve elevated my status a bit.”

His gaze jerked up, looking from me to Ian. I caught something passing between him before Corbin swallowed and rose.

I didn’t stop myself from giving him a hug, shaking off the uneasy weight that settled on me. “I have to tell you about the flowers in their homeland.”

He remained stiff but brought a hand to my back, patting it twice. “I look forward to it.”

“Illiana,” Hale said next, kissing my hand before pulling me into his own embrace. “It’s so good to see you safe.”

“It’s thanks to Hale we escaped,” Kalliah said as I pulled away.

Hale shook his head, red coloring his skin. The boyish features I remembered seemed to have disappeared completely from his face. “Illiana needed Ian. Needed all of you.”

“Thank you.” I squeezed his hand.

Jax cleared his throat from behind us. “Princess, I’m appalled at your manners,” he teased. “How dare you ignore us.”

“You’re impossible to ignore,” Ian grumbled .

“Kade and Storm you all know.” I pointed to where Kade stood, arms crossed and defenses clearly up. “This is Jax and Raya.” Pointing out each of my friends, I ran through those here. “Jax, Raya, this is Hale, Corbin, and Kalliah. Ian you sort of met already.”

“What are they doing here.” Kalliah’s hands clenched into fists as she spoke. Ian flashed her a proud smile.

“We’re going to work together,” I said, then sighed. “There’s a lot to discuss.”

The stillness overcoming my friends brought back the feeling of uneasiness I’d been trying to ignore. Kalliah attempted a smile, but her eyes welled with tears.

“What is it?” I asked, looking between each of them.

No one answered.

Ian’s face fell, but he took a step toward me.

“I can show you all where we set up camp.” Corbin moved to the Mysthaven group, but Raya stilled.

I didn’t take my eyes off Ian, even as the others shuffled around me. Kade’s presence loomed at my back as shadows sprawled around me in the grass.

“Ian?” I whispered. All the fears of the unknown, some awful atrocity occurring, crashed into my bones so hard, it could no longer be ignored.

Kade’s hand squeezed mine before he stepped back to give us a moment.

Ian still hadn’t spoken a word. Kalliah stood slightly behind him, tears falling freely now.

“What the hell is going on? You’re acting as if someone—” I froze. Icy dread prickled down my back. “Ian?” I asked again, my voice cracking.

“Lan,” he mustered, his voice hollow, “your mother?—"

I shook my head. “No, no,” I begged. “Do not say it.” My stomach dropped, and I took a small step back. I could not lose anyone else. It couldn’t be true. I refused to believe the words about to come out of their mouths. What would I do if I lost my mother too? I would have no one.

My family would all be gone.

“Lana, I’m so sorry,” Kalliah said, stepping forward, closing the distance between us. Her green eyes brimming with tears.

I stretched my arms in front of me as I looked between the two of them, like keeping them at bay would keep the truth from reaching me. “Please.” It came out as barely a whisper.

When they didn’t continue, both with tears falling down their faces, I turned away from them, coming face to face with Raya. I clung to a feeling separate from despair.

Clenching my hands to stop them from shaking, I whispered to her, “You knew.”

“I’m so sorry, Lana,” Raya uttered, barely audible, unable to hold back her own tears. “I couldn’t.”

Grief, hard and debilitating, hit me. I stumbled back, knees giving out. Kade lunged forward, but another pair of arms had me first. Ones I’d escaped into since childhood.

I screamed, as Ian held me from behind, arms wrapped around my waist. When I ran out of breath, Ian slowly allowed my body to fall to the ground.

I screamed again, this time at the sky. I screamed at nature, at any Fates listening.

“Please,” I begged them. Begged. “ Please don’t let it be true.”

My screams turned to sobs. Ian stroked my back, holding my head against his chest as I wept. Kalliah kneeled beside me, whispering words that didn’t reach my ears, even with her soothing tone.

Together, the two of them held me as the fragile shards I had so carefully reconstructed broke again, shattering into a million pieces.

A few hours later, I sat with a blanket over my shoulders in front of the campfire Storm easily kept alive.

The others handled erecting the tents in the small meadow, though they maintained a clear division. Those from Mysthaven on one side, and those from Brookmere on the other.

Stew warmed over the fire, but my body rejected the idea of eating.

My silence lingered long after the tears stopped, and I had been unable to ask the question burning in my throat. “How?” I finally croaked out.

Ian sat, arm around me, but Kade’s shadows hadn’t left my side either, wrapped around my ankles, touching whatever skin they could access.

Numbness threatened deep, unreachable parts of me, and I knew if I succumbed I might not climb back out of the bliss it promised.

“Andras killed her,” Ian said, his unwavering presence enveloping me. His reassurance constantly crashed into me, despite knowing he suffered greatly from my mother’s loss too, in addition to the horrors he’d experienced at Andras’s hands.

“She fought alongside us,” Corbin added. “She moved like the Fae old stories are written about. She fought for our freedom. She was a true queen.”

I hung my head before leaning against Ian’s shoulder.

“We will kill him, Lan,” he whispered before placing a kiss on my head.

“No,” I said, my head jerking up as I stared straight into Ian’s gaze. “I will kill him. For killing her. For touching you. For myself. He dies by my hand. Understood?”

No one spoke, but their silent nods acknowledged my declaration. I once again rested my head upon his shoulder as I struggled to find any other words. Starting and stopping a hundred times in my mind, yet nothing came out. My mother had fought to free our people. She knew our purpose was greater than the pain I’d face without her. Just like my father knew. Her mate.

I knew it too.

At least my parents were together again in the afterlife. It was the only small piece of comfort I could latch onto.

Lifting my head from Ian’s comforting embrace, I wiped my eyes, sitting straighter. In order for Andras to pay, I had to keep moving.

Though my voice quivered, I didn’t stop. “What happened after I left?”

“After you were kidnapped,” Ian corrected, shooting a glare at Kade.

Kade didn’t take the bait, flipping a dagger between his fingers with his focus on me. The heaviness of his attention bothered Ian, maybe the others too, since they shifted uncomfortably watching the exchange. It didn’t bother me though.

The comfort his gaze, his presence brought me was too great for me to care what anyone else thought of it. I could only wonder how my life had turned upside down so fast. I shook my head.

“We’ll get to that at some point,” I said. “What happened?”

Clearing her throat, Kalliah spoke first. “I was sequestered in your mother’s tower initially. We were not allowed to leave unless with permission only from Andras and in the presence of multiple guards. It was terrible, Lana. Living in that state of constant fear of what he’d say or do. Andras is out of control. But the queen—she was so strong. She fought him. Fought his mind magic.”

Another piece of my heart chipped away, threatening to turn my soul into black nothingness. The shadows stroked my calf where they rested.

“He left me alone, unless he wanted to use me to taunt Ian,” Corbin said, adding to the story. “I quickly learned pretending to hate Ian meant I’d be granted the tasks that would send me to the dungeons, allowing me time to map out an escape route.”

“Clever,” Storm said.

Corbin grunted. “Hale and I connected, and we were able to form a plan—not to Hidden Henchman standards but good enough.”

“He let us escape,” Ian said, staring at the crackling fire. “I don’t know why, but we would be fools to think otherwise. He told us, after he killed—” Ian swallowed, closing his eyes. I slipped my hand in his. “He told us after, if we could get past the guards we could go. He knew you’d come back for revenge.”

“It was too easy,” Corbin agreed.

“Were you followed?” Kade asked, looking away from me for the first time this evening.

“No,” Ian said. “I shifted a few times to backtrack and check. We weren’t followed.”

Kalliah rose. “I think I need to lie down,” she said. Walking toward me, she pulled me into a hug. “I’m so happy you’re back.”

“Me too. I love you.” I didn’t want to let her go, so I held her until she pulled away. “He’s going to be all right. We will go back for him,” I assured her, knowing her thoughts were on Leif.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she nodded and went to one of the far tents.

Hale stood next. “Perhaps we should all rest.”

Everyone shifted, moving and packing up. Everyone except Ian and me.

I needed to talk to him, needed to hear he would be okay. He knew it, too, because he didn’t move at all.

Kade approached, standing next to me for only a moment, leaning down and placing a small kiss on the top of my head. “I’m here if you need me. ”

I nodded at him, watching him retreat until even the shadows reluctantly followed.

Then, only Ian and I remained.

“What can I do?” I asked.

He took my hand again. “Sit with me. Remind me what’s real. The same as we’ve always done for each other, and I will be okay.”

“Always, Ian.” I wiped away another tear, so grateful to be by his side again. “How did you know to come here?” I asked.

“Your mother visited me in the cells.” Ian paused. “She told me she knew you had to come here. That something was here, something you needed to do. Your father made her promise to make you come if anything happened.”

“I have so much to tell you.” I let out a deep breath, pulling out the letter my father wrote me. “About me, and the Forgotten Kingdom.”

Ian snorted, smiling a real smile. “What does your favorite book have to do with anything?”

“Because it’s not just a fairytale. It’s real. Actually, it's where Kade and his friends are from.”

Ian ran a hand down over his face. “Next you’ll tell me he’s the king.”

“Prince,” I corrected.

“Fucking hell, Lan,” Ian said. “I’m listening.”