Page 37 of The Queen’s Shadow

No.

NO!

I had already lost Amon, I couldn’t lose Conrad too. She couldn’t take him away from me. I needed him. Tears pricked at my eyes, and a rush of rage exploded through me, I clenched my fists at my sides.

“No.” I said, my tone dark. “Absolutely not. I forbid it.”

Conrad’s face crumpled, and his own eyes turned glassy.

“Rayen, mi must go. ‘Is a direct order. Mi have no choice.” He stepped forward, reaching out for me, but I backed away, shaking my head. I tried to swallow past the extremely painful lump that seemed to have grown in my throat.

“You can’t.” I whispered, choking, drowning.

He took several more steps forward and pulled me into him, wrapping his long arms around me. I resisted briefly before allowing him to curl me into his chest. I buried my face into him and the tears finally fell, soaking into his t-shirt. I balled my hands into fists and he held me as I cried.

“Please, Conrad.” I begged, my voice small and broken. “Please don’t leave me. I need you.” I shook in his arms, his voice broke as he replied, and I realized he was crying too.

“Mi know, gyaal. Mi know. Mi promise mi soon come back. Mi just need to get some tings sorted.”

I knew he would try, but I also knew that if Sofia never came around, if she ordered him to stay there forever, he couldn’t disobey her and maintain his spot on The Board. As his friend, I knew I couldn’t ask him to give that up. He had worked his whole life for this position. I had been so proud of him when he had earned his ring. But selfishly… selfishly I didn’t want to let him go.

Conrad was my anchor. He always knew what the right thing to do was, and never let me stray too far from the light. Without him, I would be lost. He pulled back, looking down at me, pain and concern painted across every line of his face.

“Listen gyaal, yuh gon be ‘aight. Yuh strong.” He told me. I looked up at him, doing my best to get a handle on the panic that was shattering my already broken heart. “Like mi say, mi come soon back. Is just until mi can convince Di Board that mi needed here, and wi need to align ourselves with Di Origin’s dawta.” He smirked, before playfully flicking me in the forehead. “Dat means you.”

One of my sobs turned into a burst of laughter, and I nodded, wiping away a tear.

“You promise?” I asked shakily. He nodded, pulling me back in for one more squeeze.

“Of course, gyaal. Mi tell yuh already, here fi stay, cyaa get rid a mi, so easy. We bredren for life.”

I nodded against his chest before pulling away, sniffing.

“Okay, fine. But hurry up. We need you here.”

He nodded. “Trust, mi know. Yuh be lost without mi.” He winked and I let out another shaky laugh. Once I had finally composed myself, I suddenly felt embarrassed. Everyone was watching me with concern. Even Rycon was eyeing me warily, as if he were afraid I would break at any minute.

“There’s more.” Dossidian said, almost reluctantly, and I tried not to groan.

“Of course there is,” I sighed. Dossidian looked apologetic but continued.

“It is about the slave.” He said. That caught my interest.

“What about her?” I asked, and he exchanged a look with Meredith, who had looked as upset as I was about the news that she and Conrad were being summoned back across The Veil.

“She has woken up.” Dossidian said cautiously.

“That’s excellent!” I said, suddenly cheering up. “That means we can try to free her!”

Meredith and Dossidian exchanged another look and I frowned.

“What is it?” I asked. “Just tell me.”

“Her name is Cerenah.” Meredith said, her tone careful. “She claims to be Ash Nevra’s illegitimate half sister.”

For the second time in less than an hour, I felt the world tilt beneath my feet.

Raven