Page 32 of Shadows of Ruin (The Broken Prophecy #2)

Chapter 31

Lana

T he pit of my stomach continued to drop, as an anxious ball of energy buzzed in my veins the closer we got to my parents’ home.

My real parents.

Ian and I talked long into the night, his shock as heavy as mine had been the more I revealed, both in letting him read my father’s letter and discussing Mysthaven. Though I didn’t give away all Kade’s secrets, I did tell him about the prophecies. That brought out a string of expletives, which eventually turned into Ian reluctantly conceding the Fates must want all of us together.

Though he made it clear he still did not trust them.

Ian handled organizing everyone this morning, revealing only some parts of our plan. We knew we needed to find my parents’ home. Once we did, I had to find the journal my father said lay buried with my mother.

Now faced with the purpose of coming to Valeford, my slick palms were not merely caused by the summer heat. The anticipation of walking where they walked, seeing what they saw rattled me. My boots thudded on the ground with each step, pounding to the beat of my racing heart as I realized I would be face-to-face with the last place they ever lived. I would be able to have a glimpse of what my life might have looked like had they not been brutally murdered the night Vivienne and Elisabeth rescued me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as Kade’s shadows whispered up my sides.

We’re here , they seemed to say.

Ever since the night they came for me in Mysthaven to help Kade, I swore I could understand the thoughts of his shadows.

“I’m here,” Kade whispered, echoing what his shadows physically showed me, “every step of the way.”

I nodded once, too afraid my voice would fail me.

Kade steered our horse down a narrow beaten path, riding directly behind Ian as Valeford came into view. The rest of our cadre followed close behind in a single-file line.

Every few minutes, Ian glanced over his shoulder, as if to remind himself I was still there, not allowing me out of his sight for long. Though a part of my heart felt the same desire to check on him, I knew his unease stemmed from his lack of trust in Kade and his friends. Understandable after everything that had happened, but I trusted him. He would too…eventually.

I hoped.

“Ian if your horse keeps stopping so close to mine, I cannot ensure you will not be bit,” Kade tsked. “It would be a shame for you to have come all this way to be bested by such a simple beast.”

Anger emanated from Ian. He was my oldest friend, and I didn’t need to look at him to know the daggers he shot with his eyes toward Kade. I reached out, shoving Kade’s shoulder.

“Harder next time, Princess,” Jax encouraged from behind us.

I winked over my shoulder, grateful for Jax’s keen ability to distract when we needed it. Maybe Jax’s teasing nature would settle the thick tension around us once and for all soon.

“You mean Queen ,” Corbin snapped.

A pang of pain seared my chest. Corbin’s intention was good, based on loyalty, and yet I couldn’t help but hate that the title belonged to me now.

Ian ignored the side comments around us, focused solely on Kade. “If you think for one moment that I will trust your intentions simply because my queen, who you kidnapped, does”—Ian’s voice trembled, an obvious attempt to contain his rage—“you are sorely mistaken, Kade Blackthorn.”

Kade chuckled but said nothing else. Ian eventually heeded his words, relenting and allowing his horse to keep a few paces ahead of ours.

We crested the shallow hill, and I took in the small town of Valeford. I’d been here once with my father many years ago, not knowing then the significance of the town as I did now—at least for my personal history. Homes clustered along tree-lined roads. Small quaint cottages dotted the land in front of us. Most contained beautiful gardens lined with white picket fences. Birds and other wildlife buzzed in the abundance of flowers, unperturbed by the disturbances of darkness to our land.

Being back in Brookmere provided a sense of relief in some ways, like breathing in its sweet air again. But at the same time, the looming suffocation of complete dread lingered at the task before us now that I had returned.

Ellevail had fallen.

Andras undoubtedly had stolen the crown for himself.

Fucking asshole.

I repeated the words I swore I would continue to say until they actually rang true.

I am Illiana Dresden, and Andras Braumlyn will die by my hand.

Slowly, painfully, and without regard for proper decorum normally afforded a member of the royal court .

I put a hand over my heart, fighting back the fresh new wave of grief washing over my soul.

The anguish over my mother’s death.

A warm hand swept over my cheek. Kade’s knuckles brushed away the falling tear, and I leaned into the compassionate touch.

“You will have your retribution, Little Rebel,” he said, low and ruthlessly.

I let myself believe his words as Ian led us down the small hill.

The last few paces toward the main entrance to the town felt like time stopped and sped up all at once. A whirlwind of emotions flooded my body, leaving me desperate for air.

Riding silently down the main road, we searched. Neither Ian nor I knew how we’d find my parents’ house, or the journal my father wanted me to obtain.

I figured I would merely ask someone. It might give away that we were here, but unless clearly marked, the idea of finding a home from twenty years ago seemed impossible.

People appeared content as they pushed wooden carts covered in dirt along the road. Children ran across yards, darting in and out of the small homes and onto the streets.

Despite the horrors gracing Brookmere, happiness filled the air. A joy that would be destroyed if the threats from not just the dark ones, but Andras continued to spread unchecked.

I dismounted and approached an elderly Fae tending to his front garden. He hummed to himself, his tan trousers caked in mud with a blue shirt billowing in the summer breeze.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

The man turned with a bright smile on his face. “Can I help ye?”

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” I said. “We’re looking for a cottage that belonged to the king’s sister. I’m not sure?—”

“Yes, yes.” He wiped his dirt-covered hands on his trousers, though with the dirt already on them, it didn’t do anything other than cake more on him. “It’s still just as he requested. Come on now. Not far.”

I blinked, surprised he knew the place so easily. Ian remained on his horse practically on top of me, but Kade dismounted and hovered with his shadows.

“He doesn’t know what you look like? That you’re the princess?” Kade asked.

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t expect them to. I didn’t travel outside of Ellevail often. Unless he had business in the city, he wouldn’t know my face.”

Kade relaxed. “I suppose that’s good to keep our presence quiet.”

We all followed the elderly Fae. His hands in his pockets, he kept on humming, not at all bothered with small talk.

He stopped suddenly and turned to face me. “Not my business, I know, but I’m assuming he requested someone check up on the place in his absence. We heard about his passing.”

I frowned, not sure how to respond.

“The king held a lot of unwarranted guilt about his sister. Terrible thing, the dark Fae. Especially killing the babe. But his sister and her husband, they were happy until the end. Kept to themselves, but always had a smile and lent a hand whenever someone needed it. Remembering their life rather than their deaths might be a better way to honor them.”

I frowned. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

The man nodded toward the end of the road, where a cottage sat in disrepair.

“Oh,” I gasped, a small sob escaping.

The man patted my shoulder. “I don’t mean no disrespect, young lady, especially with our king just passing and the princess missing. I thought I’d simply speak my piece. I disobeyed him and trimmed the hedges last year, just so the place was still visible. But like I said, none of my business. It’s his family matter.”

“Thank you,” Ian said for me, since I stood in silence a few moments too long for comfort.

I nodded at the man, and he gave me a sad smile before turning and leaving us.

My hand came up to my mouth in pain and anger, shocked at how neglected the cottage had become.

My parents’ home .

It took less than a heartbeat for me to decide my next move. I took off running the rest of the way, leaving the others behind.

“Lana!” Kade and Ian shouted simultaneously.

I ignored their shouts. One of fear and one of warning.

“Give her a minute,” I heard Kalliah say to the others.

I slowed, stopping in front of the overgrown white fence and broken trellis. Before me lay the ruins of my parents’ home. A small gold plaque, barely visible through the overgrowth, glinted in the sun, posted near the entrance to their garden. I brushed my hand over it. “To remember what we fight for. Always. By decree of the king, this home is designated a historical monument. Never to be touched.”

They could have at least cleaned it up, not left it as some abandoned piece of property.

Falling to my knees in their garden, I placed my hands on the earth. Feeling the overgrown grasses intertwine between my fingers. I inhaled, as if I might feel my real parents somehow.

I could have run through this yard, playing games with my father. Picked flowers with my mother. Instead, I’d been robbed of the innocence of my childhood. Thrust into the chaos of life in the palace without a choice. Without a voice.

Into the hands of Andras.

I didn’t know until this moment the anger I held at the king and queen for allowing what he did. Even knowing they allowed it by sheer ignorance. The overpowering guilt that followed when thinking anything bad about them after their deaths wrecked me further.

The others remained silent behind me until Ian kneeled next to me.

“Come on, Lana, let’s do this. Let’s find what your mother left you.”

Standing, I turned to the group, wiping my hands along my pants. Resolve washing over me. “I’d like to look inside.”

Kade sent his shadows in ahead of us, slipping in through the cracks of the windows and doors. He had been adamant that he examine everything first, wanting to make sure we weren’t walking into an ambush. The moment his shadows returned, he nodded.

“Storm and Raya will remain outside to keep watch. If anything appears amiss, leave. We don’t want to disturb any unnatural forces here.”

Kade spoke like a commander. A leader. Even Ian nodded in agreement.

I stopped at the front door, knowing everyone was standing behind me. With me. I tentatively placed my hand on the knob. After one more deep breath, I turned it, allowing the door to creak open.

Unlocked.

I frowned, until I looked at Kade. He gave me a wink while his shadows danced at his feet.

Was there anything his shadows couldn’t do?

As I stepped inside, my breath caught in my throat. Stumbling backward, my hand flew to my chest.

Kade caught me before I fell. His hardened glare, focusing on the house, softened instantly as he looked at me.

“Breathe,” he whispered. “It’s okay.” He cradled my head to his chest.

“What is it?” Ian ran forward and abruptly halted at the door. “Fucking Fates. ”

He’d seen what I had. Not only had the outside of my parents’ home been left alone, but the inside had been as well.

It had never been cleaned from the attack that took their lives.

I’d walked in the front door of my parents’ home only to witness the bloodstained walls perfectly preserved from the night they were murdered.