Chapter 58
Stretching restlessly beneath the covers, Rain abandoned any hope of a peaceful night’s sleep.
The familiar comfort of his own bed offered little relief, unable to shield him from the persistent night terrors.
Tonight was proving to be the worst yet.
Despite his exhaustion, sleep came quickly, only to be shattered again and again by a relentless parade of nightmares.
Each time he drifted off, he was confronted with the demise of either himself or someone he loved.
A blood-red hourglass threaded through every dream; its desert-red sand tormenting him, forcing him to race against the falling grains only to fall short each time.
The backs of his eyelids were plagued by failure and death.
Two dreams in particular refused to loosen their grip on him. The first; the worst of his Snow dreams. lingered like a bruise on his mind. Perhaps it was the slow, horrifically gory demise, or perhaps it was the way her screams echoed through him as though she were truly calling out for him.
In this dream, she was tightly chained to a large pole atop a wooden platform, surrounded by a bloodthirsty crowd chanting for her death, almost salivating for her execution.
The rowdy masses blocked his path, and as she pleaded for him to save her, he realised he was powerless.
He had to reach her. He clawed his way through the crowd, but they grabbed at him, tugging him backward—for every step he took, they pushed him back three more.
A dark hooded figure in blood-soaked robes appeared before her as a tall hourglass materialised at her side. The figure pressed a long, sharp blade to Snow’s chest, driving it toward her heart. Her agonised screams tore through him as the crowd roared in approval.
The harder he pushed, the faster the grains bled through the hourglass and the deeper the blade sank.
By the time he reached her, the hourglass sat motionless, filled.
Time was up. Snow hung slumped over the blade that fully impaled her petite body, blood weeping from the wound as he clutched the sharpened edge, lost to despair while the crowd celebrated around them.
The dream featuring Jay was quicker, yet somehow even more gory.
It began pleasantly; a romantic walk through the palace gardens, both enjoying one another’s company as Rain gave Jay a tour. Jay’s doe eyes shone with love as Rain cupped his jaw, leaning in for a kiss… when a flicker of flames reflected in Jay’s irises caught his attention.
He pulled away sharply—only to find the gardens gone. They were encased within an hourglass of flames. Droplets of molten heat fell from above, fuelling the inferno that engulfed them faster than thought.
There was no time to escape.
Rain—protected by his flame resistance—acted instinctively, trying to shield Jay with his body. But it was futile. Jay screamed in agony, begging Rain to make it stop. All Rain could do was watch as skin and muscle grotesquely melted to bone before crumbling to ash in his hands.
Only then did the blaze die down, fizzling into a scorched circle. Tears stung Rain’s cheeks as he dropped to his knees, watching the last traces of Jay slip through his fingers and drift away on the breeze.
There were countless other dreams; friends chased to their deaths, driven off cliffs, trapped in impossible scenarios. No matter how hard he fought, he could not outrun the haunting red hourglass. And then there were the dreams in which he was the victim and when he died, the world died with him.
Rain glanced at the clock beside the bed and groaned.
Five AM. Far too early to be awake, and five hours of turbulent sleep was nowhere near enough.
Reluctantly, he rolled out of bed and shrugged into his training gear, deciding to get his heart racing in the gym rather than let his mind dwell on the night’s unrest.
Though the palace was quiet at this hour, it thrummed with life beneath the surface. Staff tiptoed through the halls, working diligently to keep everything running smoothly. Several bowed respectfully as he passed before returning to their routines.
Upon entering the gym, Rain immediately spotted Raymon on the treadmill. Raymon’s shirt clung to his chest, drenched in sweat; exactly the person Rain had hoped to find. Raymon panted a greeting as Rain hopped onto the machine beside him, setting off at a light jog.
“Morning. We haven’t seen you around the palace in a while,” Raymon said breathlessly.
“Yes, I’ve been a little busy—hiding away rescued princesses and avoiding my father’s wrath,” Rain replied casually, getting straight to the point. “You know how it is.”
Raymon eased his pace, recognising the seriousness in Rain’s tone.
“You know it was me who brought the intel to His Majesty,” Raymon said.
Rain responded with a confirming hum as Raymon continued.
“I know you would have preferred I came to you directly, but I was only passing on a message to the king. I’m a guest in this palace, and as a Red I have to constantly prove my loyalty to your father—especially since your need for my services is becoming less and less.
I’ve built a life here, Rain, and in doing so I’ve created an enemy in Drazier.
My family misses me and… well, a circumstance presented itself. ”
Rain’s response was sharp. “And you brought it to the king knowing he would use me to retrieve Scarlet—Drazier’s eldest daughter, a female who’s been imprisoned and abused for most of her life—to be used as a pawn. I can’t grasp how anyone involved thought that was the right thing to do.”
He sighed, increasing his pace, needing to channel his frustration into something other than his combat trainer.
“All that aside—yes, I’m disappointed I had to find out it was you behind it, and you didn’t say a word to me. As a friend, and as your prince.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe I should have. But many of us want Drazier dead.” Raymon stopped running, stepping off the treadmill to stand before Rain, leaning against the frame to maintain eye contact. “Despite what everyone thinks, you are not as ruthless as your father, and—”
Rain huffed, glaring frostily as he cut him off
“I will kill Drazier, without an ounce of remorse and I will do so without sacrificing innocents. My empathy is not a weakness, Raymon. I understand my duty, and I want him gone just as much—if not more—than anyone else. If you had brought it to me… fuck, never mind that. You could have at least warned me what I was heading into. You had every opportunity when you handed me the Red aetherchrome. That was all I expected. I don’t expect you to bypass your king—I just thought you respected me as your prince, if not as a friend. ”
Raymon straightened, processing Rain’s words. A flicker of understanding crossed his face.
“You’re right,” he admitted quietly. “I am sorry for not saying anything. The king ordered me to keep quiet, and at the time it seemed safer for everyone if I followed his command.”
Rain didn’t respond with words but nodded; forgiving, understanding his reasoning.
Raymon pushed away from the machine. “Thirty minutes cardio, then meet me in the training room. Your scolding reminded me I could use the target practice.”
He wiggled his brows playfully as he left. The challenge sparked excitement in Rain; he had missed their sessions, and a good sparring was exactly what he needed.
The training session hit the spot. Rain avoided every blade thrown at him, showcasing his agility and sharp reflexes. He won two rounds of hand-to-hand, pinning Raymon in ways they rarely achieved. His determination was palpable; every movement fuelled by a need to escape the turmoil in his mind.
Despite the hiatus, Rain’s strength and control had not waned.
Raymon found himself working harder than usual, pushing his limits, but ultimately falling short.
Each strike—laced with Raymon’s power, painfully biting—only spurred Rain further.
Instead of weakening him, the pain pushed him to move faster, fight harder, endure more.
By the end, Raymon grumbled out of the room with a limp, blaming his age for the minor injuries and insisting it was not Rain’s skill that required him to lie down for a day or two.
After showering, Rain emerged refreshed and changed into a clean set of training gear. The familiar sound of Snow’s cheerful chatter drifted in from the balcony, prompting him to follow her voice. As he stepped outside, he found Neel there, serving breakfast for them.
It hadn’t occurred to him until now just how much he had missed the butler.
Neel was in the midst of setting the jug of orange juice on the table when Rain approached. Before Neel could fully react, Rain moved swiftly, reaching out and grasping him by the shoulders.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you!” Rain exclaimed, his intense gaze quickly giving way to a broad grin.
Neel, momentarily startled, tried to maintain his composure and professionalism. He gently placed the jug down and returned Rain’s embrace. “I have missed you too, your highness.”
Pulling away, Rain patted Neel fondly on the back before taking a seat opposite Snow.
One glance at her and he noticed the dark shadows beneath her eyes; she had slept as poorly as he had.
As he grabbed a slice of buttered toast, he scanned her energy.
The confirmation hit instantly: she too had tossed and turned all night, her dreams filling her with the same gnawing dread that plagued him. Like him, she was avoiding the topic.
“Neel, how would your husband feel about relocating?” Rain asked casually, even as Snow narrowed her eyes at him; she knew he was reading her, but he chose not to push. He didn’t want to recount his nightmares aloud either.
“There isn’t much I’d wish to bring with me if I find myself permanently unwelcome here,” he continued, “but I have decidedly become very attached to you. And if fending for myself over the last few weeks has taught me anything, it’s that you are a very valuable asset.”
“What I’m hearing, sir, is that you hated every moment of self-sufficiency and would like to steal me away from your father’s employment,” Neel teased as he finished pouring Rain a glass of orange juice.
A grin tugged at Rain’s lips as he devoured the rest of his toast.
“But to answer your question,” Neel added, “I was hired to serve you, and I will continue to do so until you decide otherwise. My husband understands that is what I signed up for when I accepted this position.”
For some reason, Neel’s words felt like a comforting hug he hadn’t realised he needed. With so much uncertainty in the air, Neel’s reaffirmed loyalty offered a small but vital anchor.
“I don’t suppose there is anything I could say to talk you out of attending the tournament today?” Snow asked. The apprehension in her voice made Rain pause. He frowned, confused by her sudden plea.
She laughed drily and placed her Connekt on the table. “I watched you die in my dreams last night. Not just once—every time I tried to go back to sleep. And I’m worried it’s an omen.”
Her breath faltered as she stared at him. “I can’t shake the feeling it’s meant as a warning. What if something bad happens today? Drazier is so close, and they’ve surrounded our borders. It doesn’t feel like the best time for you to be leaving the protection of our kingdom.”
His gaze softened. He understood her fear; his own night terrors had him wanting to lock her safely in her room but he knew the fear was irrational.
“It’s not as if I’m safer here,” he said gently. “If Drazier were idiotic enough to launch an attack—which is highly improbable—Father would send me straight to the front line, and I would go willingly. You know that.”
She flinched, the truth hitting too close.
“The tournament is in neutral territory,” he added. “The biggest threat to me there is myself.”
She remained displeased but couldn’t argue with his logic.
“Fine,” she muttered. “But you’ll have to forgive me while I stick to you like glue all day—if only to settle my own nerves. The dreams were horrendous. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t protect you.”
Snow glanced away, her fingers tracing anxious patterns on the tablecloth.
Silence settled over them. Rain took a long sip of orange juice, letting the cool liquid ground him.
He wished he could reassure her, but the truth was their mutual sense of foreboding, it lingered like a shadow neither wanted to name.
He nudged her foot beneath the table; a small gesture, a reminder that they were here, together, and alive.
“Hey,” he said lightly, “did my fiancé make it home last night?”
Snow shrugged. “Virginia left to join her late last night. Candy refused to return to the palace and chose to stay in a Grey territory hotel instead.”
Rain mouthed wow. Snow raised her brows in agreement; Candy was trouble.