Page 34 of The Call of Crimson (The Crimson & Shadows #2)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

brEYLA

“ I have a new book for you,” Rowina says, dropping a heavy tome in front of me.

Aurelius had joined me this morning in the library, intent on sharing my space, regardless of my desire for the opposite. He sits across from me, lazily flipping through a book, its cover weathered and clearly well-read.

I had been reading through The Genealogy of House Mordet for a third time, trying to decipher if there was some hidden reason she had given it to me.

As far as I could tell, there wasn’t.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“It’s the history of magic in the four kingdoms,” Rowina explains.

I examine the title, flipping through a few pages. “These look like stories.”

“What is history but a collection of stories?”

“No new reading assignment for me?” Aurelius teases.

“No,” Rowina states, her tone cold. “Go find your own book, Prince.”

It had been raining all morning, so Darian had canceled training, using the opportunity to check in with his troops stationed away from the capital.

Having nothing better to do, Ayden had joined us for library time.

“And what will you be reading today, Prince Ayden Liam Mordet II?” I ask, trying to keep the humor out of my voice.

His lip twitches at the use of his full name and title. “I see you’ve been paying attention to your reading.”

“Well, what did you expect? You’ve left me with little else to do.”

“If you’re bored,” Ayden purrs, “I can think of a few things to occupy your time.” His sultry tone should make me weak in the knees, but I’d grown accustomed to the flirting and filthy words that seemed to be a part of all the Mordet children.

I was starting to wonder if dirty talk was a new category of magical Gifts that went unrecorded in history.

I yawn, the rain lulling me into a tired contentment. “No thanks.”

I turn my attention back to the book in front of me, consuming the history I had already learned as an adolescent.

The Fall of Magic

When the Fae first arrived in the kingdoms of Prudia, Rimor, Lennox, and Meloria, their beauty was unlike anything the humans had ever seen. The Fae were quick to display their superiority and power through magical Gifts.

It was soon discovered that the Fae could choose to bless humans with a piece of their Gifts, allowing them to wield magic.

Over the years, humans began developing more Fae-like qualities.

Their lives extended, often lasting well into two centuries.

They became more resilient, quicker to heal, and possessed keener senses.

The humans became less… human, but not quite Fae. Their lives and abilities still paled in comparison to those of the Fae.

When the first occurrence of a Fae and human mating surfaced, it shocked both races. No one thought it possible, but no one could deny the couple’s bond.

Mating bonds were thought to be unique to Fae. No records existed of it occurring between humans prior to this.

Yet it was clear the mated pair, Elythia and Myer, felt the bond as deeply as any other had before them.

Where the Fae had difficulty conceiving previously, no such problem existed between Fae and human mates. Elysia and Myer welcomed their first children, a daughter they named Olivia and a son named Finn, within a year of their bond settling.

The family lived in peace and happiness in the kingdom of Rimor, where Myer served as the hand of King Grayson Rozaria. Queen Amantia had been blessed with the Gift of vision—the most unstable and unreliable of Gifts, even for the Fae.

Just after the twins’ second birthday, the queen received a vision of what Olivia and Finn might one day become. It was a vision that frightened her enough that she shared it with her husband.

The laws of Rimor stated that anyone could challenge the ruling family for the throne if they believed themselves strong enough to take it. Though the royal heirs had been born with Gifts, the Queen’s vision told a story of Olivia and Finn far surpassing them in magical strength.

Though nothing suggested that either child would challenge the king, the threat was too much for King Grayson to tolerate.

Without warning or explanation, the babes were slaughtered in their sleep.

Myer begged Elythia to flee to her homeland to protect herself and the life of their unborn child. He promised to follow as soon as he had ensured the safety of the rest of his family.

Reluctantly, Elythia agreed, leaving their home that day. But she didn’t immediately leave the capital. Fearing for her mate’s life, she watched from the shadows.

After warning his parents and siblings, urging them to leave the city, Myer confronted his king. Trust had existed between the two males until this point, so he believed he could approach him before leaving the country for good.

He was wrong.

Elythia watched from the shadows as the cruel king executed her mate, followed by his entire family.

Her sorrow-filled screams echoed through the castle as half of her soul was ripped from her body.

Broken by the loss of her mate and children, she let the kingdom feel her grief. For Elythia carried one of the rarest and most powerful Gifts amongst the Fae—the ability to wield blood. The call of crimson was too much for her to ignore, and she gave in to the bloodlust.

Every guard in the room dropped dead, their hearts having given out under the pressure of her magic.

While holding the queen in place, Elythia made her watch as she boiled her husband’s blood, slowly cooking him from the inside.

It was a slow and excruciating way to die, but Elythia felt no remorse.

When the king lay dead, she turned to the queen.

“From one mother to another, you should have stayed silent. My family was innocent. Your vision was wrong; my children would have never challenged for your pathetic human throne. They had one awaiting them in Tierna. I should slaughter yours in front of you, but I won’t.”

The queen tried to thank Elythia for her mercy, but no words would escape her lips. With one final snap of her fingers, every blood vessel in the queen’s body burst.

“Ayden,” I say, my voice shaking.

“Yes, Breyla?”

“Why does your history tell a different story than Rimor’s?”

This wasn’t the history we’d been taught about Myer and Elythia. Theirs was a cautionary tale against those who wished to commit treason against the crown.

It wasn’t this.

“That,” he gestures to the book, “is the truth of magic in our four kingdoms.”

“Why does it read more like a journal entry than a historical document?”

“Because it is a journal entry,” Ayden says simply. “Elythia wrote that, and her daughter brought it here when she left Tierna.”

“This isn’t how it’s told in Rimor,” I whisper. Shame and sadness fill me thinking of what my ancestors had allegedly done.

Aurelius returns from his search, new book in hand. “Not how what’s told?”

“Your grandmother’s tragic origin story,” Ayden explains.

“Excuse me?” I stutter, just as Aurelius says, “You know who she is?”

“Perhaps we should start over from the beginning,” Ayden suggests.

He spends the next several minutes recounting the story I had just read. My stomach drops when he gets to the part about them murdering Olivia and Finn.

If the story were true, there is nothing I can use to justify my ancestors slaughtering innocent children just because they might one day be powerful enough to challenge the ruling family.

“Why should we believe you?” Aurelius finally asks.

“You would know if I’m lying, and you can tell I’m not right now.”

“I know you believe this to be the truth, but that doesn’t mean it actually happened. History can be altered.”

“And it has,” Ayden replies, rubbing his temple. “ Rimor’s history was altered. What reason would I have to fabricate this?”

“I don’t know,” Aurelius sneers. “I don’t pretend to know your reason for a lot of the things you do.”

“To the best of my knowledge, this is the factual account of what happened to Myer and Elythia nearly eight hundred years ago.” Ayden sighs. “But it doesn’t stop there.”

“There’s more to this horror story?”

I had taken countless lives, both on and off the battlefield. Never an innocent, never on purpose. The thought of murdering babes in their cribs has me stifling a sob.

“There are details I’m unclear of, but I am relatively certain that Elythia had another child with another Fae and that child grew up to be your mother, Aurelius.”

“W-what?” Aurelius stammers.

I narrow my eyes. “Why would you say that?”

“Because it was the last thing our father confessed before he died.” Ayden pauses, a heavy silence filling the room. “I had to put some things together, but that was the most obvious conclusion.”

“It’s not obvious to me, so explain how you came to that conclusion,” Aurelius replies.

“Father admitted that he had created a child with a beautiful traveling female, but held regret that you had become lost to him. Shortly after finding out she was carrying you, she disappeared, leaving my father heartbroken.”

“What was her name?” Aurelius breathes.

“He never told me,” Ayden admits. “But he said she was the most beautiful female he had ever seen. Long, raven black hair, violet eyes that almost seemed to glow red when her emotions were high.”

The red in Aurelius’ irises always seemed to glow when he felt strongly about something, be it pleasure, fury, or joy.

“The most remarkable thing about her was that she carried the Hemonia gift, which?—”

“Is incredibly rare and passed exclusively through bloodlines,” I cut in, the pieces clicking together in my mind.

“ Clever girl. There’s that beautiful mind at work,” Ayden praises, causing a slight growl from Aurelius. Ignoring him, he continues, “As far as I can tell, there is only one family line recorded to have the Hemonia Gift—Elythia’s.”

My attention snags on the way he purrs the words clever girl. There’s something so familiar about it that I can’t place.

Aurelius runs a hand through his hair, mussing the loose black waves around his face. “So, what? You’re saying I’m Fae?”