Page 5 of The Call of Crimson (The Crimson & Shadows #2)

CHAPTER TWO

brEYLA

“ A re you ready?” Elijah asks, though no one answers.

Aurelius, Ayden, Jade, and Ophelia gather in a circle around us.

Ayden had dragged me from my room this morning for what he called a “family meeting” regarding the night of my mother’s death.

It was awfully presumptuous, considering I barely knew him, and Aurelius was hardly someone I felt a familial connection to.

They were the only true family in the room, a fact that Aurelius did not enjoy me pointing out.

Despite my distrust, I wanted answers. I didn’t mind gathering everyone with Ayden since I hadn’t given him a chance to explain his involvement or what he did—or didn’t—know.

Elijah revealed that in her final moments, my mother had shared a flood of memories with him. Until now, I hadn’t been ready to face them. In truth, I’m still not, but Ayden didn’t give me a choice. He carried me out against my will, despite the punches I threw at his kidneys.

I sit curled in an oversized armchair, Ophelia beside me. The two of us choose the furthest spot from every male in the room, which seems like the safest course after last night.

“How are you?” I ask Ophelia, ignoring Elijah’s question.

“I’m…here.” Her voice cracks. She looks as shattered as I feel. “He’s just… gone. Layne was the only family I truly cared about, who cared about me. And it doesn’t feel real. It’s like I’m walking through a dream, just waiting to wake up and find that none of this ever happened.”

I take her hand in my own. “I know exactly what you mean.”

Her head drops to my shoulder, her body trembling as a single tear slips down her cheek.

“My mother once told me that there are two types of family—the kind we are born into and the kind we choose. They’re different, but both beautiful. I need you to know, you’re part of my chosen family, Ophelia. We aren’t alone in this world.”

She gently squeezes my hand. “I choose you, too, Breyla.”

I glance back toward Elijah. Ayden and Aurelius flank him, leaning against the wall with arms crossed. Aurelius glares daggers at Ayden, who wears his usual permanent smirk.

Ayden waves a hand for him to start. “Elijah, the floor is yours.”

Elijah swallows slowly, his jaw clenching as he heaves a deep breath in, then finally out.

His eyes glaze over as he searches for the words he wants to say.

“In her final moments, the queen shared memories that answer a lot of our questions. I won’t lie, some of them are difficult to watch, so I’ll spare you those for now. ”

I cut in, choking on the question that’s haunted me since the night she died, “Why did she kill my father?”

“The short answer—she had no choice.” Elijah pauses. “And… he asked her to.”

Bile pools in the back of my throat, the hot acidic burn making me choke back tears. “Wh-what?”

Elijah waits a beat, then asks gently, “Were you aware your mother had a Vizie Gift?”

“No, she didn’t. I would have known.”

He turns to Aurelius, whose face is, shockingly, ashen with disbelief. “She never mentioned anything like that to me.”

“She had visions,” Elijah says. “One, in particular, that came to her again and again. It never changed. Just grew worse each time.”

He holds out his hands. One by one, we reach for him.

When we’re all connected, he lets the memory play.

Flames crawl up the walls of the castle, engulfing Ciyoria. Smoke blackens the sky, swallowing the sun, and casting a dark glow over the land.

Queen Genevieve stands alone as the castle crumbles around her. The sword slips from her hand, clattering to the cobblestones, the sound dull compared to the scream tearing from her throat.

Streams of blood run through the cobblestone street, staining it with the lives of the innocents slaughtered here today. The people flee the flames right into the waiting line of enemy soldiers. Those that were not claimed by the fire die at the end of a sword. All innocent, but all slaughtered.

“I told you our people didn’t need us, my love.”

My father appears behind her, a wicked smile on his face. His eyes are cold and hard, devoid of any compassion or life.

“You vowed to protect them!” she screams, fury and sorrow in every word. “Instead, you butchered them!”

“It is time this kingdom paid for its sins,” he replies. “Change is here, My Queen.”

The vision ends.

My chest tightens, and the tears I’ve been holding back fall freely.

“That’s what she saw?” I whisper.

“Every night. For nearly a year,” Elijah confirms.

“That… explains a lot,” Aurelius whispers, his voice cracking. His eyes meet mine for a heartbeat, then dart away.

My mind frantically tries to connect the dots. The pieces are all there, yet somehow not fitting. “You said he asked her to kill him?”

Elijah nods, swallowing hard. “The night he died, she confronted him. He admitted something had a grip on his mind, but he didn’t know what it was.

He told her she’d made a vow to the kingdom before she’d ever made one to him.

” Elijah’s voice catches. “And he said he expected her to uphold that vow.”

His face twists with emotion, his eyes watering as he forces out the answers. His parents had died when he was young, and mine took him in. They were as much his family as they were mine.

My mother was clever, passing along her memories at the last moment, ensuring we wouldn’t be left without answers. But she was also unintentionally cruel, forcing the male she loved as a son to endure the heartbreak behind those answers.

“But… my father would never,” I say, struggling to form words.

“I think I can answer this one,” Ayden interjects.

“If you’re going to spout some bullshit about how he would do something like that because he killed your father, then I don’t?—”

“Stop talking, Breyla.” Ayden’s voice is low and sharp. “Just let me fucking explain.”

I glare at him but fall silent.

“Those letters you stole, the ones you used to condemn me, they weren’t the only ones. And they weren’t meant for me . Lord Seamus was communicating with someone in Tierna. I believe there was another traitor amongst your court.”

My heart lurches. “Who?”

Ayden narrows his eyes. “Use that sharp brain of yours, General. Who’s been missing since the moment your mother died?”

The grief turns to guilt as I contemplate the question. Since my mother’s death, I had been neglectfully absent. Glancing around the room, I try to read the faces of my companions. “I-I don’t know. I haven’t left my chambers until now.”

“We haven’t been able to locate Lord Craylor,” Jade offers.

Gratitude for her flares in my chest.

“I’ve never trusted him,” I say with disgust.

“Your mother didn’t trust him either,” Elijah adds quietly.

“In the months leading up to his death, your father met with Lord Craylor often. And always alone. I remember him making several questionable decisions, skipping council input entirely. I’d bet Craylor was somehow connected to the corruption in the king’s mind. ”

Ayden cuts in, voice smooth and inquisitive. “Tell me, darling—what was Lord Craylor’s Gift? Why was he chosen as the court’s spymaster?”

He’s fishing. I know it. But I play along.

“He always knew everything. Court gossip, military secrets, foreign whispers—he had information no one should’ve had. But I guess that’s not strange for a spymaster.”

“Yes, but what was his actual Gift?”

Realization hits me, and I grow pale. “I don’t actually know.”

Ayden scans the group. “Does anyone here know?”

Everyone shakes their head.

“How is it possible that no one knows what the spymaster’s Gift is?” I ask.

“Because his Gift is unlike any you’ve ever seen before,” Ayden answers.

“Explain,” I demand, voice sharp.

Ayden smirks. “Simple, darling—he’s Fae.”

The room erupts. Voices rise in a cacophony of disbelief, anger, and confusion.

“Silence, all of you,” Jade snaps. Her compulsion Gift rolls through the room like a wave, dousing the noise. She nods to me. “Go ahead, Breyla.”

“How is that possible?” I ask Ayden. “The Fae have been gone for nearly a millennium.”

He raises a brow. “Have they?”

“I know cryptic is kind of your personality, Ayden, but just give us a straight answer,” Aurelius grunts.

“There’s not enough time for an entire history lesson, but the short story is that most of the Fae are gone from this land, but not all. No one alive has seen one in Rimor, so you wouldn’t know if they stood right in front of you.”

“At least that was sort of an answer,” I say sarcastically.

“She is beautiful, brother. The glimmer in his eyes tells me that Ayden is trying to provoke Aurelius. “But I really don’t understand how that temper of yours ever tolerated her attitude. You two make zero sense together.”

“We make perfect sense. Would you like a demonstration of how well we work together?”

Innuendo and seduction drip off Aurelius’ tongue as his eyes meet mine, heat flaring in the crimson pieces of his dark irises.

“Maybe later,” Ayden winks.

I groan, throwing my head back in frustration. “What have I gotten myself into?”

“I don’t know,” Jade muses, “but I wouldn’t complain if I were stuck in the middle of it.”

I blink at her, startled—and relieved. Her humor is returning.

“Oh, so watching is fine, but sharing is off limits?” Ophelia tosses in.

My eyes dart between them. “Neither of you is helping the situation.”

“No,” Elijah chimes in with a grin, “but they are making it more entertaining.”

“I hate you all,” I sigh. “Every one of you.”

“Liar,” Aurelius challenges, eyebrow cocked.

I ignore him and fix my gaze on Ayden. “Since we’re all here—how exactly are you and Aurelius brothers, and no one knew?”

“I should clarify,” Ayden says smoothly. “We’re half-brothers. We share a father, but my mother will undoubtedly despise you now that she knows.”

My eyes cut to Aurelius, hurt clear in my tone as I ask, “And you’ve kept that to yourself for how long, exactly?”

His glare snaps to Ayden. “I’ve known exactly as long as you have, Princess.”

“Like I’d believe anything you say after everything else you’ve kept from me.”

Ayden steps in, voice softening slightly. “Easy there, darling. He didn’t know. Not about this. He didn’t know he was the bastard prince of Prudia. Outside of this room, only a handful of people know the truth.”

My anger deflates. Slightly.

So he hadn’t lied about that. He was just as in the dark as I’d been.

“Well, I can see keeping secrets is a family trait.”

Ayden chuckles darkly. “Oh, you have no idea.”

“So, who is his mother?” Ophelia asks.

Ayden’s face hardens, his lips forming a thin line. “That’s a story for another time, I’m afraid.”

Sensing we weren’t going to get much more from him on the topic, I pivot. “Fine, tell me more about the marriage contract you signed with my father.”

“I was wondering when you’d get around to that.” Ayden’s lips tilt in a mischievous smirk. “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t ask Aurelius—he was there for the entire negotiation.”

A low growl emanates from Aurelius as I level a glare at Ayden. I had already known that, but he was clearly up to something. “I’m not sure which one of us you’re trying to rile now, but stop it.”

“Such a perceptive female, you are,” Ayden purrs. “I do admire that.”

Shadows form in my palm, dark tendrils shaping into a dagger. “I’m about to be a violent female.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Aurelius’s expression shift—his eyes brighten, lips curling into a smug smile.

I narrow my gaze at both of them. “Unbelievable.”

Ayden sighs, mumbling something about how I’m no fun. Finally, Aurelius speaks.

“Your father came to me just over a year ago and told me he wanted peace between Prudia and Rimor. I didn’t know he planned to offer your hand to Ayden to achieve that peace.”

Ayden looks like he has something to say, but wisely keeps his mouth shut.

“Not that you would have cared,” I bite out.

“That’s not fair, Princess.”

“Life isn’t fair, Aurelius. For any of us.” I turn my attention back to Ayden. “Keep talking.”

“The terms were simple. We would marry within a year of the agreement being finalized. That happened in June—so the clock’s ticking. Our marriage ends the conflict between Prudia and Rimor.”

“That’s too simple. What else does it say?”

Ayden chuckles. “Clever girl.”

The way he says those two words tickle the back of my mind, but I ignore it. For now.

“It also states that should either of us assume our thrones before the year is up, the agreement—in this instance, our nuptials—would take effect immediately.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that we’re both still just prince and princess,” I say, crossing my arms.

“Are we?” Ayden quirks a brow at me.

The room falls dead silent.

I scan each face, every one of them avoiding my gaze.

“Breyla,” Ophelia says gently, “you may not have been coronated yet… but the throne is yours now.”

My chest tightens as my jaw drops open at the gravity of what that means.

If I’m crowned, I become Ayden’s wife. Immediately.

If I delay, leaving the throne empty, I buy myself time.

Eight months.

But at the cost of my kingdom’s stability.

“So, My Queen,” Ayden says smoothly, his smile unapologetically smug, “how does a winter wedding sound?”

The words hit their mark.

Aurelius snarls and lunges, slamming his brother to the ground.

They crash to the floor, fists already flying.

“Do you want me to step in?” Elijah asks, watching them roll across the floor, trading punches.

“I say let them work their differences out,” Jade replies with a shrug.

“Maybe without shirts,” Ophelia adds.

Clearly caught off guard by Ophelia’s unusually bold commentary, Elijah turns to study her like he’s trying to solve a puzzle. “That’s enough of that,” he says, scooping her into his arms.

As he walks toward the door, he tosses over his shoulder, “Good luck,” and carries her out, her laughter trailing behind him.

Jade raises an eyebrow in silent question.

I don’t even hesitate. “I don’t give a fuck what either of these idiots do. Let them fight it out, for all I care.” I shrug, pulling myself from the chair and leaving to find somewhere else to be. Somewhere with wine, hopefully.

Hopefully a lot of it.