Page 161 of The Queen’s Shadow

“All great swords have names, little Lightning Bug. What will you call yours?” He asked her, and she glanced up at him with wide eyes, before looking down at the shadowstone blade in her hand.

“I don’t know.” She said with a frown. “I will need to think about it.”

Zayne’s lip twitched, as he watched her examine her new sword. He looked like he might say something more, then thought better of it, and turned to face me.

“I’m taking Cerenah back to Greed now. We have what we came for, and we have much to do if we want to free Midasara and undo the damage that has been done to the city.”

Cerenah glanced at him, her expression turning sour. I knew she didn’t want to go with him, but we didn’t have a choice. She had agreed to the terms of the deal we had struck. Our hands were tied. I nodded in resignation and pulled Cerenah forward for a hug.

“Take care of yourself.” I told her. “You let me know if he pulls any bullshit, I’ll kick his ass.”

She smiled at me warmly, before shooting Zayne a defiant smirk.

“I think I can handle him.” She said, and as her power hummed and cracked against my aura, I had to agree. She was powerful, in her own right. He would have his hands full now that she was free.

“I will escort you to the perimeter, so you may bone walk home.” Dossidian said, before turning to me to explain. “The Court will only allow daemons Amon has approved to use transportation magick to get in or out. Guests must leave from the perimeter.”

I was once again struck with how little I knew about my new home. I tried to remind myself I had only really learned of who I truly was a few months ago, and I had spent most of that time fighting for my life or the lives of my loved ones. I hadn’t had much of an opportunity to really figure out how things worked. It was still frustrating, however, to continuously be reminded that I was still an outsider.

Dossidian left with Zayne and Cerenah while Conrad and Jeremy browsed through the shop. Finally, I felt like I had a free moment to talk to Kael and ask her about Sabel.

“Dossidian tells me you can’t reach Sabel.” I said, not bothering to hide the concern in my voice.

“Yes, she was on her way to Envy, to meet with the leaders of the Restructium Guild there. I haven’t heard from her since she boarded the ship.”

“What happens when you try to reach her through the trace?” I asked, and Kael frowned.

“It’s the strangest thing… every time I try to reach her, everything is dark.”

My heart rate sped up and I felt a cold rush of adrenaline shoot through my body. I licked my lips nervously and tried to compose myself before speaking.

“What do you mean, everything is dark? Have you tried to move past the darkness?” I pressed. Kael was staring at me like she could sense my fear, despite my effort to keep voice stable.

“Yes, I have tried… but it is as if there is a large wall of magick. No matter how hard I press, I cannot get through. Why? What does it mean?” She asked, her own voice now tinged with panic. I felt the blood drain from my face, and I glanced at Jeremy and Conrad before responding.

Suddenly, there was a roaring in my ears. The thick, impenetrable wall of adamantium that blocked my mind from Amon’s vanished, and the trace opened up. I knew that if I followed that shining line of power, I would find myself in his mind.

I also knew that this was Ash Nevra punishing us, for our recent success in The Court of Greed. I knew she would be hurting him, and I would bear witness to his torture if I submitted the overwhelming urge to follow the line of the trace.

“She took off his triquetra.” I gasped, Conrad and Jeremy exchanged a glance. “I need to go to him.”

Jeremy grabbed me by the shoulders suddenly. “Raven wait - last time this happened you nearly killed Rycon.”

“Dad, I have to go. You don’t understand, it’s like my soul is forcing me to go to him.” I choked. My father looked panicked.

“I’m not saying don’t go… you just can’t do it here. If you come back and you’re not yourself, you might hurt innocent people.” He gestured out the window to the bustling village that was nestled in the crescent moon shape of the mountain range that surrounded us.

He was right, I was barely in control as it was. I had been struggling to keep my aura contained all morning. I knew I was falling for her trap and risking a complete meltdown, but I wasn’t strong enough to stay away. My soul was screaming at me to allow it to connect with my other half.

“I’ll go to the training ring.” I affirmed. I was about to call my shadows when Conrad leapt forward to grab my arm.

“Mi come wit yuh.” He said, his tone leaving me no room for argument. Jeremy nodded.

“Me too.”

I pursed my lips. I didn’t like the idea, I could hurt them too, if I lost control.

“We’ll all go,” Kael said, sensing my hesitation. Kael was not nearly as strong as Dossidian, but it would be better to have a daemon present, in case I needed to be restrained. I made the snap decision to bring her as well.