The Shadow Reader (40 page)
Authors: Sandy Williams
Tags: #Romance, #Fantasy, #Fiction, #General, #Contemporary
“It’s not a bad idea,” Lorn says after a moment.
Nalst speaks up from his spot beside the fireplace. “The high nobles might consider her over Atroth
if
they believed the Zarrak line contained more of the
Tar Sidhe
’s blood. They don’t.”
if
they believed the Zarrak line contained more of the
Tar Sidhe
’s blood. They don’t.”
Lorn glances at me, hesitates. After a quick look at Aren, he says, “With Taltrayn’s support behind Lena, they’d consider it.”
I sniff. If only. “I already tried to get him to leave the Court. He won’t abandon his king.”
No one says a word. That’s odd. What’s even odder is, when I scan the faces around me, no one meets my gaze, not even Aren, who’s staring, jaw clenched, at the hilt of his dagger.
Something twists through my stomach. “What?”
Kelia shifts in Naito’s arms. She knows something I don’t. They all do.
“The king’s ordered Taltrayn to be executed,” Lena says.
A chill sinks into my bones. No. Atroth wouldn’t execute Kyol. They’re
friends
, have been for decades. I wouldn’t have left Kyol if I thought he’d be hurt. Lena has to be misinformed.
friends
, have been for decades. I wouldn’t have left Kyol if I thought he’d be hurt. Lena has to be misinformed.
But no, Aren’s expression confirms it. There’s a defensive glint in his eyes, but they’re sharp, almost threatening, too.
“You weren’t going to tell me.”
His face is like a stone. There’s no remorse there, no apology.
“Did you think I wouldn’t want to know?”
“You didn’t need to know.” He chunks his dagger down on the coffee table; it slides off the other side.
I suck in a shallow breath. The air isn’t cold enough to quell the hurt burning in the pit of my stomach, and I’m too pissed to do anything but stare. He stares right back at me.
“So sorry to interrupt what I’m sure will be an interesting little quarrel,” Lorn says from the sofa-chair. “But if Taltrayn abandons the Court, the nobles will take note. They trust him. They know he’d never change his allegiance without reason. They’ll consider your cause. They may consider Lena.”
A muscle twitches in Aren’s cheek. “We don’t need him.”
“We do,” Lena says.
“We don’t!” Aren’s eyes flash. “Besides, he’s in the dungeons beneath the Silver Palace. We can’t get to him.”
“We could if we knew the location of a
Sidhe Tol
.” Lena looks at me.
Sidhe Tol
.” Lena looks at me.
I grab a sketchbook off the coffee table. I found it last night and started drawing all the shadows I could remember. Flipping through the pages, I find the map I’m looking for. It isn’t my most accurate map—I sketched it in the dirt while I waited for Kyol to speak to the
Sidhe Tol
’s guards—but the rebels have Sosch. The shadow-reading will take them close enough for the
kimki
to find it.
Sidhe Tol
’s guards—but the rebels have Sosch. The shadow-reading will take them close enough for the
kimki
to find it.
“Moldova,” I say, jamming my finger down on the center of my sketch. I’m with the rebellion now. There’s no reason to withhold the gate’s location.
“Moldova?” Naito says. “That’s in this world.”
It is. Aren doesn’t seem to care.
“You give me the
Sidhe Tol
now,” he all but snarls. “For him.”
Sidhe Tol
now,” he all but snarls. “For him.”
“I would have given it to you anyway.”
He laughs.
I dig my fingers into my knees, attempt to hold on to my temper, but I’m too tired for this. “Don’t be an ass, Aren. You need him. If he’s going to be executed, he knows he can’t reason with the king.”
“So that’s how it is,” he says. “You want me to risk my life for his.”
“I—” I stop. Jesus, that’s what I’m asking, isn’t it? With the
Sidhe Tol
, Aren has surprise on his side, but he still has to get out of the Silver Palace. It won’t be a simple rescue. He might not make it. How can I even ask him to try?
Sidhe Tol
, Aren has surprise on his side, but he still has to get out of the Silver Palace. It won’t be a simple rescue. He might not make it. How can I even ask him to try?
“Aren—”
“I’ll talk to our other supporters. I’ll make them listen.” He stands and abruptly opens a fissure.
“Before you go,” Lena says, “you should shower and change clothes.”
Her suggestion comes out more like an order. Aren stiffens. I’m certain he’s going to ignore Lena and step through the slash of light, but then his shoulders relax. He lets his fissure disappear. “I won’t change my mind on this.”
Lena returns his stare, but says nothing. The living room is silent for a long, tense moment before Aren finally heads to the hallway.
“Somebody is short-tempered today,” Lorn says when he’s gone.
He has reason to be. He’s exhausted and frustrated. He’s lost friends, the rebellion is falling apart, and I just asked him to save the life of one of his enemies.
I scrape my fingers through my hair. I don’t want to hurt Aren, but Kyol would do anything to save me. I can’t abandon him. There has to be a way to help him without Aren being involved.
I look up, and my eyes find Lorn. Maybe?
“No,” he says, preempting my question. “I’m afraid you’ve lost your advantage, McKenzie. The
Sidhe Tol
isn’t useful to me if others know its location. Besides, you still owe me for saving your life in Belecha.”
Sidhe Tol
isn’t useful to me if others know its location. Besides, you still owe me for saving your life in Belecha.”
“Then I’ll owe you again.
Kyol
will owe you.” I hear the desperation in my voice, but I’m too worn-out and shaken to try to hide it.
Kyol
will owe you.” I hear the desperation in my voice, but I’m too worn-out and shaken to try to hide it.
“Now you’re offering favors that aren’t yours to give away,” he says. “No, I’ve done far too much already. My people can’t be involved in a raid on the palace. If Aren has no interest in freeing Taltrayn, then this rebellion is over.”
He sounds so nonchalant. He really doesn’t care about the rebellion.
“I need to speak to McKenzie alone.”
All eyes turn to Lena. She doesn’t look eager to talk to me. In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t want to talk to her either, but, well, things have changed.
Lorn stands. “It’s past time I leave, anyway. Kelia, you will stay out of trouble, won’t you, my dear?”
When she doesn’t answer, just raises an eyebrow, he sighs. “Then do send for me
before
you do something foolish.”
before
you do something foolish.”
He’s the only fae who fissures out. I watch his shadows bend and shift as the others go out the back door. It’s quiet when it closes behind them. The only sound is the squeak of the shower being turned on. Not wanting to remain sitting on the floor for this conversation, I move to the chair Lorn vacated.
Lena still doesn’t say anything. I hate the silence. I hate sitting here not knowing if Kyol’s alive, not knowing if I can get to him in time or if I can get to him at all. But it seems wrong and selfish to bring him up right now, so instead I say, “I’m sorry about your brother.”
She looks up. I don’t think she believes me. She doesn’t look skeptical, exactly. Her eyes are a muted silver, not bright and sharp, and her expression is as neutral as I’ve ever seen it. It reminds me of Kyol, and I have to wonder if she’s hiding as much as he does behind her mask.
“I didn’t think you would support me,” she says.
I would support Sethan if he were here. Of course, Sethan didn’t advocate killing me. He didn’t break my arm. He didn’t have an obvious vendetta against me. But Lena is the only option we have now. I’m willing to put our past aside and start over if she is.
“Can you get Kyol out of the palace?” I ask.
“Can you convince him to support me?” She doesn’t blink. I want to lie. I want to assure her Kyol will do anything I ask, but he won’t. He’ll do
almost
anything, and as much as I want to believe his pending execution will erase that “almost,” I don’t think it will. There’s a reason why his support could win Lena the throne: the fae respect him. They trust him. They know honor is etched into his soul. Even though his honor has kept us from being together, I don’t want that part of him to change. Kyol has been the only constant in my life these last ten years. I need him to stay the same.
almost
anything, and as much as I want to believe his pending execution will erase that “almost,” I don’t think it will. There’s a reason why his support could win Lena the throne: the fae respect him. They trust him. They know honor is etched into his soul. Even though his honor has kept us from being together, I don’t want that part of him to change. Kyol has been the only constant in my life these last ten years. I need him to stay the same.
I need him to stay alive.
“I don’t know,” I say. God, I hope those words don’t get him killed. Lena doesn’t owe me anything. She might not take action without a guarantee, but I can’t give her one. If Kyol doesn’t think she’s good for the Realm, he won’t help the rebellion.
“Sethan didn’t want this,” she says quietly, her gaze settling on the coffee table. I relax some. It has to be a good sign that she’s thinking about what Sethan would do. Sethan would take this risk.
“When the high nobles chose Atroth as king, he could have protested. He could have complained about the remapping of the provinces. There was a quiet outcry, but that was to be expected. What he didn’t expect was Thrain.”
Thrain. Of course this would lead back to him. I might be oblivious to the existence of the fae if he didn’t discover me.
“There have always been false-bloods,” she continues. “But none were as successful as he was. He scared Atroth, and Atroth reacted . . . badly. He started making decisions based on how to keep his throne, not how to protect the Realm. Sethan . . .” Her voice cracks and, hell, I almost—
almost
—want to put an arm around her shoulders. “Sethan decided to overthrow the king only after Krytta.”
almost
—want to put an arm around her shoulders. “Sethan decided to overthrow the king only after Krytta.”
Krytta. The ghost town in the middle of what became the Barren. A magical implosion killed every one of its inhabitants when its gate was destroyed. Their essences, their souls, were ripped from their bodies. More than two thousand fae—they hadn’t gone into the ether—rotted in the sun for weeks before a caravan reached them. But that wasn’t Atroth’s fault.
“Thrain destroyed the gate,” I say. “Not the Court.” It sounds like I’m defending the Court. I’m not—not really—but the king and his fae did do some good things. They saved my life, got rid of Thrain, and have been trying to keep peace and order in the Realm. Plus, if the king was a tyrant or truly, thoroughly evil, Kyol would never have fought for him.
“It was Thrain’s fault,” Lena acknowledges, “but the fae in Krytta were protecting him. He wouldn’t have had that support if Atroth made different decisions. Krytta’s merchants couldn’t afford the gate taxes. They lied when they told inspectors what they were transporting, and the king responded by invading their businesses and confiscating their goods. Fae who fought back were imprisoned or killed, things escalated, and
then
Thrain destroyed the gate.” She meets my eyes again. “Do you think Taltrayn will see the damage his king has done?”
then
Thrain destroyed the gate.” She meets my eyes again. “Do you think Taltrayn will see the damage his king has done?”
He’s already seen it. That’s why he stayed behind: he thought he could reason with Atroth. I’m sure he knows now how wrong he was to believe that, but whether his new perception of his king will translate into support for Lena, I have no idea.
That’s not the question she’s asking, though.
“Yes,” I say, putting confidence in my voice.
Maybe too much confidence. Lena’s lips thin. She looks like she’s about to stand when she moves to the edge of the couch. Then she goes still again. After another long moment in which I seriously consider dropping to my knees and begging for her help, she lets out a breath. She doesn’t look happy, but some of the tension ebbs out of her posture.
“I need you to talk to Aren.”
I frown. That’s not what I expected her to say.
“Talk to him about what?” It might be a stupid question, but Lena was here when Aren all but said he’d rather see Kyol dead than have him help the rebellion.
“You need to convince him to save Taltrayn.”
Maybe she’s hard of hearing or was totally spaced out during that conversation. I shake my head. “Aren
hates
Kyol. You’re going to have to send someone else. With the
Sidhe Tol
they can—”
hates
Kyol. You’re going to have to send someone else. With the
Sidhe Tol
they can—”
“No one else will go,” she cuts me off. “Not without Aren.”
“I already tried—”
“You didn’t try,” she snaps. “You gave in. You gave in because you didn’t want to hurt him.”
The fact that she knows me this well annoys the hell out of me. Add to that annoyance a shovelful of exhaustion and I’m close to saying something I’ll regret. The deep breath I take in doesn’t do much to calm me, but I exhale, reminding myself that I can’t afford to piss her off.
“You saw how he acted,” I say. “He won’t listen.”
Her lips twitch into a brief, bitter smile. “Aren sent you to the Court with an anchor-stone. In all the time I’ve known him, he’s never done something so careless, so foolish, before. He acts on instinct, but his instinct isn’t always right, and he’s angry and tired now. He’s not thinking clearly, but if you push him—if you really try to make him see reason—he’ll listen to you.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. It feels like someone’s slamming a hammer against the backs of my eyes. “I need some time to think.”
“You don’t have time,” Lena says. “If you care about either of them, you’ll make Aren do this. He won’t give up on this rebellion until he’s dead or we’ve won. The only way to win is with Taltrayn’s help.”
The shower squeaks off in the bathroom, and snakes coil in the pit of my stomach. Lena knows Aren better than I do. Maybe he will listen.
“Can Aren do it?” I ask.
“If he can put a sword in Taltrayn’s hand, I believe so.” Aren and Kyol fighting side by side? It could work. If they don’t kill each other.
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