Chapter Forty-Four
Aelia
The moonlight caressed my bare shoulders as I ambled through the nightbloom gardens, the air heavily perfumed by the exotic flora.
It was early and most of the inhabitants of the fortress still slept, pleasantly unaware of the new ancestral discoveries we’d made, or the ramifications they would bring.
After Reign and I had spent hours tangled in each other with our bodies moving as one, and the cuorem had finally been temporarily satiated, he’d confessed that today he would approach the Shadow generals to take a more active role in the upcoming war.
We still had the Ebonshard Compass, after all, and with it, we had the power to find Helroth. Now that Reign knew his grandmother lived, and under Helroth’s control, no less, he wished to move immediately.
But with the tumultuous state of Reign’s arrival, and the subsequent lifechanging discoveries, he’d yet to show me the legendary Moirai Shard, or give me many—or any—details of its recovery.
He’d mentioned the encounters with the Wolvryn, and bits and pieces of their journey, but I still had no idea how exactly they’d acquired the mystical artifact, how it worked, or how the blood vow would be broken.
I had assumed he would wish to break the blood vow before moving against Helroth, and now with the Shard we could. Vaelora was his family, after all, and I understood his desire to rescue her as soon as possible.
A flicker of movement caught my attention near the edge of the reflecting pool, and I turned just in time to see a shadow detach itself from the hedges.
Ruhl stepped into the moonlight, his black tunic rumpled and his hair wind tousled as if he'd just flown in, or as if he hadn't slept at all.
Judging by the weariness etched into the lines around his eyes, it might have been both.
“You’re up early,” he said, voice low.
I offered a small smile. “So are you. Aren’t you tired after that excursion to Lunaris?”
He shrugged. “I figured I’d steal a moment of quiet before Reign hauls me into yet another war council.”
I shifted toward him, brushing my fingers along the petals of a deep violet blossom. “So, how was Lunaris? I still haven’t heard about everything that happened.” My gaze flicked to his, the question lingering in the silence between us. “Or how the Moirai Shard works.”
His brows lifted slightly, clearly surprised. “Reign hasn’t told you?”
I shook my head. “Not in full. Only that it exists. That you found it. And that it can break the vow.”
Ruhl exhaled slowly, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “It’s not that simple.”
My stomach dipped. “It never is, is it?”
He looked away, jaw tightening, as if he wished my cuoré had imparted this knowledge to me instead.
“There was a priestess. A servant of Selraya, the Moon Goddess. She didn’t stop us from taking the Shard, but she did leave us with a warning.
” His voice grew quieter. “The Moirai Shard doesn’t just sever bonds.
It rewrites fate. But to do that, a thread must be cut. ”
My throat constricted. “What does that even mean?”
Ruhl’s gaze met mine, solemn and shadowed. “She said a sacrifice is required. One we can’t predict. That the Shard will choose what needs to be given up when it’s used. It doesn’t ask permission. It just takes.”
A hush fell over the garden, the only sound the soft rustle of nightbloom leaves in the breeze and the sudden frantic thrumming in my chest. The Moirai Shard wasn’t the key to our salvation. No. It was simply another blade. And someone, Reign, me, or maybe this realm, would bleed when it was drawn.
No wonder Reign hadn’t told me yet. He likely had it in his stubborn head to do something stupidly selfless to save me.
“And if the price is too high?” I asked, the question tearing from me in a hoarse whisper. “What then?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. I could feel the hurt behind his words. “But it’s the only way we’ve found to truly break the blood vow. There’s no other option, besides the one I offered before.”
Having Ruhl assume the vow wasn’t an option. Not a real one. The future king of the Court of Umbral Shadows couldn’t just abandon his kingdom for me. I wouldn’t let him.
I stared out at the glowing pool, my reflection rippling in the water, half in shadow, half in moonlight. The child of twilight.
Of course the Shard would demand a price. Power like that never came freely. Not even for someone like me, cursed with abilities she never asked for. Powerful beyond anything the realms had ever seen.
“Do you think the Moirai Shard will take him?” My voice shook. “Reign?”
Ruhl didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I think it will take whatever costs us the most. That’s how fate works, isn’t it?”
I closed my eyes, fighting the sting of tears. I wouldn’t give him up. I simply wasn’t capable. “Then we better be ready,” I finally murmured, choking back the building sob. “Because if the Shard demands more than we can give, we’ll have to decide—”
“How far we’re willing to go to win this war,” Ruhl finished for me.
I nodded, the weight of his words pressing deep into my chest. And for the first time in weeks, I wondered if we were truly ready for what was to come.
Because fate was cruel. And sacrifices were always steep.
“And not to make this just about me, but…” A flicker of mirth danced in Ruhl’s dark eyes.
“I can only serve as temporary king for so long before I must undertake the Ritual of the Shadow Throne. Otherwise, some other arrogant Shadow Fae lord, a far worse candidate than me with some distant claim to the throne, may come to fight me for it. Clearly, that would not be ideal during a war.”
“Raysa, no, it wouldn’t.” I heaved out a breath, fighting the small smile at his feeble attempt at lightening the mood. “And what exactly does the ritual encompass?”
He grunted, rolling his eyes. “It’s an overly complicated sacred rite passed down through generations of the Shadow Court to prove a prince’s worth and bind him to the realm.
” He waved a dismissive hand. “It begins with a rare celestial event, then there’s a trial, a binding of the crown, and, finally, culminates with the coronation at the Obsidian Lake.
There I must stand before the mystical waters to determine what kind of king I will become.
If the reflection accepts me, the waters will rise and cloak me in a royal mantle of living shadow, thereby crowning me as king.
But if it does not deem me worthy, I’ll be pulled into its murky depths, never to be seen again. ”
“Good gods, that sounds awful.”
“And you wondered why I offered myself as the substitute…” He grinned, but a hint of worry flashed across those bottomless pitch irises. He was clearly more concerned about this ritual than he wanted to let on.
“Surely, this mystical lake will find you worthy, Ruhl.” I stepped forward, placing my hands on his shoulders, needing him to hear the truth in my words. “You will be the greatest king this court has ever seen. At least ten times the ruler your father ever was.”
“At least he set the bar low.”
“Don’t do that.” I shook my head with a rueful smile. He truly didn’t believe himself worthy and that gutted me.
“Do what, duskling?” He cocked his head to the side so that the stars twinkled in his eyes.
“Belittle yourself like that. We never would have come this far without you. You are the reason the Shadow and Light Court soldiers are here today, together and united. That’s a tremendous accomplishment, Ruhl, not something to make light of.
Those men already look up to you as their leader.
” I gave his shoulders a squeeze. “Undertaking the ritual now may not be ideal, but it could help to solidify the realm. Don’t be afraid. You are more than worthy.”
A slow smile crept across his lips. “Your faith in me, though very likely misplaced, means the world to me, princess.”
For once, he used my title not in a mocking tone, not as a way to poke fun at his brother’s pet name for me, but rather in what seemed like real reverence.
“In case you’ve forgotten,” he added, growing serious once more, “there’s also that pesky premonition from our trial last year. The one that said I’d never claim the Shadow Throne.”
Now, it was my turn to wave a dismissive hand. “Prophecies can be fickle things, and we all know it’s in the specific wording. Perhaps you won’t claim it, maybe it’ll simply fall into your lap. Or maybe it’ll claim you.”
He shook his head, the ghost of a smile twitching at his lips. “I certainly hope you’re right, duskling.” With that, he turned toward the pathway leading back to the fortress, holding out his arm in invitation. “Come on, we better get back inside before Reign comes out to hunt you down.”
A laugh bubbled up as the truth of his words hit me. I’d just felt him stir through the bond, and Ruhl was right, even half-conscious, my mate was already searching for me. I only hoped when the time came, Helroth would be as easy to find.
An hour later and we were all seated in the war room.
The table had been cleared of scrolls and war maps, save for one object that now held every eye in the chamber, the Ebonshard Compass.
The face was a liquid mirror, reflective and shifting, emitting faint, eerie whispers.
At its center, a shard of pure ebony crystal floated, pulsing with a crimson glow.
The ancient artifact hovered inches above the polished obsidian table, spinning slowly, as if it could already sense its quarry.
Reign stood at the head of the room, hands braced on the edge of the table with Aidan by his side, the ever-faithful general. The full weight of Reign’s presence pressed into every corner. Shadows clung to him like night, but his voice was clear and steady.
“It’s time,” he said simply. “We stop waiting. We stop hiding. We take the fight to Helroth.”
The silence that followed was thick. Oppressive.
Aidan leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. “And if he sees us coming? Like when we rescued Aelia?”
“I don’t care,” Reign bit out. “He has Vaelora. My grandmother. And we’ve delayed long enough.
We have the Compass and the Shard. Why not use them to our advantage?
We can track him no matter where he runs.
We can use the Shard to break the blood vows.
No more waiting for him to strike first, to come after our courts or my mate. ”
A ripple of unease passed through the generals at the far end of the table. One of them, Commander Varek, tapped his fingers against the table’s edge. “We’ve strengthened our forces, yes. But we still don’t know the full extent of his army. Or their zar. Attacking blindly could cost us everything.”
Reign’s jaw flexed. “It’s not blind. The Compass will lead us directly to him.
And the longer we wait, the stronger he becomes.
He’s already sent his troops after us. He’s wormed his way into Aelia’s mind, and I won’t let him get away with it again.
He’s watching. Listening. Every breath we take is another invitation for him to strike first.”
I met Reign’s eyes across the room. The cuorem pulsed softly, the storm of his resolve bleeding into me. And Gods, I knew he was right. I, too, was tired of waiting.
Ruhl let out a breath from beside him, arms crossed. “And what about the Shard? Do we use it before the assault? After?”
Reign hesitated, just barely, but I caught it. “We wait. We hold it until we know it’s needed. If Helroth tries to activate the blood vow he has over Aelia, then we use it.”
“And what if the price is too high?” Aidan asked grimly.
Reign’s shadows stirred. “Then I’ll pay it.”
I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to shout across the room. To tell him he couldn’t just offer himself up like a lamb to slaughter. But I knew this wasn’t the time. Not here. Not in front of the others.
But we would definitely discuss it in private.
Silence fell again, and for a moment, I feared they would still deny him. That the council would once again vote for caution over action. That they’d let fear blind them to the danger at our doorstep.
Then Aidan’s hand struck the table, the vibration resonating across the room. “We strike,” he said, his voice like steel. “In two days’ time. Let the bastard see us coming.”
Commander Varek exchanged a glance with the other generals before nodding once. “It’s risky, but the troops have come a long way. And I agree, we can’t wait forever.”
Ruhl smirked faintly, though there was little amusement behind it. “Guess we better start packing.”
Relief surged through the bond as Reign’s shoulders finally dropped a fraction. He met my gaze once more, the fire in his eyes no longer just fury, but hope.
And a hint of fear.
Because now that we’d set the plan in motion, there was no turning back.