Page 153 of The Queen’s Shadow

“Want to hook me up with a coffee, Obeah Man? I take it with cream.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Make yuh own damn coffee, Cat.”

He just smirked and took another bite of sausage.

“Since we’re waiting on Kael to finish up with Dossidian’s sabers, would you like to come see the gardens?” Meredith asked Cerenah, who looked delighted at the idea.

“I would love that!” Cerenah said earnestly.

“I’ll give you a tour of the palace too. Jeremy, would you like to come as well?” Meredith asked, and Raven’s father glanced up in surprise. I realized he had never had an official tour. There had been too much going on. “Raven planted sunflowers in Clair’s memory. There’s also a library in the West Wing that’s absolutely beautiful.”

Jeremy’s expression softened at the mention of his late wife, and he nodded.

“I would like that, very much.” He said, getting up to follow Meredith and Cerenah out of the common room. Raven watched them go but remained silent. She had barely spoken at all over breakfast, and her shadows continued to curl around her in agitation.

“So, Prince Zayne.” Dossidian said, turning to face The Bone Prince. “Perhaps we should discuss strategy, considering we are officially allies. We will need to -”

There was a loud clatter as Rycon dropped his plate and cutlery on the table. Dossidian abruptly stopped speaking. Both their heads snapped to the entrance of the common room, and I followed their gaze. My heart skipped a beat.

There, with her arms crossed over her stomach and haunted eyes, stood Kasha.

I felt my mouth drop open, and I quickly forced myself to shut it. Time seemed to stop as we all waited for her to say something. I met her eyes, and waited anxiously for her usual chipper, ‘Hey, hey!’ But it never came.

She hugged herself tighter and chewed anxiously on her bottom lip, dropping her gaze to the ground. Her face flushed as if she were embarrassed or ashamed. Anger stirred in my gut and I suddenly lost my appetite at the sight of the shame on her face.

Rycon shot out of the pit so fast I barely saw him move. In a blink, he was standing in front of her.

“Kasha…” He said, and she jumped at his sudden proximity. The fear that passed across her face as he pressed closer made my chest tighten. She seemed to shrink as she curled her arms tighter around herself. Rycon had been about to reach out to her, but he stopped moving altogether the moment she shied away from him.

She was back to her normal size, but her short blue hair, which was usually styled in two Dutch braids hung loose around her shoulders. She was in a soft, oversized long sleeve shirt and matching black pants. It was as if she were trying to hide away in the extra layers of clothes.

Even her aura felt different. The Kasha I knew and had come to love like family had always had an energy that was larger than life. She was always smiling and never put up with anyone’s shit. That Kasha would have never shied away from Rycon. She would have probably called him a name and tried to pick a fight.

They had broken her. They had broken my friend, and I suddenly wished I had gone to the dungeons with the puss, to help him slaughter those daemons who had taken the light from her eyes.

“Come sit,” Rycon said softly, though he made no movement to get closer to her. “You should eat.”

She looked up at him but didn’t respond. I noticed she had lost weight. Her cheekbones were sharp, and she looked almost painfully thin under the folds of clothes she had buried herself in.

“Yeah,” I said, sliding down the bench and patting the seat next to me. “Come sit, Kasha. Yuh must be starvin.” I tried to keep my tone upbeat and encouraging, but it came out sounding concerned and sad, even to me.

Raven hopped out of the pit. She dispelled the shadows that clung to her with a wave of her hand as she stalked toward Rycon and Kasha. She reached out and gently took Kasha’s hand in hers.

“We missed you.” Raven smiled at her warmly, despite the fact that she had been a storm cloud all morning. “Come sit and eat, I’ll help you into the pit.”

Kasha nodded slowly, allowing Raven to guide her to where I had made room for her on the bench.

“Thanks…” She said, her voice so soft I could barely hear her. She followed Raven as she tugged her forward. Rycon followed with a dark expression on his face. A muscle in his jaw ticked in irritation and I didn’t miss how he clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides.

Kasha paused again when her gaze fell on Zayne. Her eyes widened and the blood drained from her face. I frowned as she gripped Raven tighter and took a step back, clearly unwilling to get any closer to him.

I frowned. “Dun worry Kasha, Prince Zayne is an ally, wi nah let him hurt yuh.”

Zayne and Kasha just stared at each other silently. The Bone Prince’s face gave nothing away, but I noticed how he schooled his uncomfortable sanguineous aura and drew it in closer to himself so that it wouldn’t brush against her. Despite his obvious attempt to make Kasha feel more comfortable in his presence, Rycon looked like he might kill the prince just for existing.

Sighing, I stood up. “Dossidian, Prince Zayne. Maybe wi go talk strategy while Kasha and di cat eat some breakfast?” I suggested. “Yuh come too, Rayven?”

Rycon looked like he might kiss me on the mouth, and Raven gave me a small smile and a nod.