Chapter 4 Cethin #2
His mother’s shadows were more powerful than his father’s water magic, but his father had been one of the most powerful water-wielders of the realm.
All that power merged in Cethin’s soul, and the entire kingdom knew it.
Knew his power was vast and mighty. Their kingdom was relatively safe, tucked behind the Wards and locked away from the rest of the realm.
But that didn’t mean there hadn’t been threats.
That there hadn’t been instances when he’d had to stand beside his father and wield that darkness to assert dominance or answer a threat.
It kept him on the throne now and prevented anyone from ever entertaining the idea of challenging him.
No one would take the throne from him and the legacy his bloodline had left to him.
“So your proposal is that I take a Fae wife? That is not a new revelation, Zayan,” Cethin said flatly.
“That is not the entirety of the proposal,” Zayan answered.
“The Spring Esbat Festival will commence in a few weeks. We suggest extending a special invitation to all the Fae in the kingdom. You can address them at the Festival, reassure them you are working to ensure their safety. And with all the Fae here, you could perhaps…get to know some of them better.”
An entire minute ticked by, the advisors shifting uncomfortably in their seats as they waited for Cethin to respond to their proposal.
“You want me to use the Esbat Festival to find a partner,” Cethin said slowly.
“No,” Zayan said quickly, nervously running a hand through his dark blond hair. “We are suggesting you use the festival to reassure the Fae, and if you happen to connect with one on a deeper level, then we would thank the Fates.”
“Perhaps the lot of you should simply narrow it down and present me with a pool of potential partners to choose from,” he replied coolly.
Zayan’s eyes widened, recognizing the dangerous tone, but apparently not everyone at the table picked up on the warning. Not as Lady Odessa muttered under her breath, “As if we haven’t discussed doing that.”
His control slipped, darkness snapping out like whips and dragging down the marble table, leaving long scratches across the smooth surface. The council members lurched to their feet, magic appearing and shields forming to protect themselves.
Cethin leisurely stood, that heavy darkness drifting around him like a dense fog. “I believe we are done here for today.”
“But, your grace, we still have the matter of the vacant advisory seat, and—”
His gaze slid to Zayan, and he said nothing. He didn’t need to. He knew his face said it all as he stared down the male. Zayan bowed his head as he murmured, “Of course, your grace.”
Cethin didn’t bother saying anything to the others. He left the room with his dark magic trailing him. A reminder to everyone of who he was.
He climbed to the top floor of the castle, the entire level serving as the king’s private quarters. But he was merely there to discard the crown that sat on his brow. Tybalt and Zayan insisted he wear it for council meetings. It was ridiculous.
He unceremoniously tossed the silver thing inlaid with rubies into a velvet-lined box on his dresser before he Traveled from the room.
A moment later, he was on the shore he’d been longing for earlier.
The waves called to him, the same way they’d called to his father.
He could think here with nothing but the sea breeze and the stars overhead.
The moon was waning leading up to the Spring Esbat Festival.
Esbat itself was a celebration of the new moon, when the sky was dark and the shadows reigned.
It was said to be a time of introspection.
When things hidden in the shadows might reveal themselves.
New beginnings and new intentions were set on Esbat, and while each new moon brought the sacred day with it, the ones that fell closest to the Spring and Autumnal Equinoxes were celebrated with festivals.
And apparently his council wanted him to use the coming sacred day to scout for a godsdamn partner. He wasn’t a fool. They’d accept a husband, but they were all hoping for a wife. A wife could produce an heir and keep his bloodline—and power—alive.
Cethin sighed, slipping his boots and socks off and leaving them in the sand as he walked to the water’s edge. It was so cold it nearly burned as the surf rolled over his bare toes, but he didn’t mind. The bite made him feel…
It just made him feel.
Not much seemed to do that these days. Paperwork and meetings made for dull days, and his title made for faux friends and suspicious motives.
He slipped his hands into his pockets as he stared out at the Edria Sea. Perhaps he should go to his study in the catacombs of the castle and work there for the rest of the evening. It would keep him busy and distract from thoughts of an impending marriage.
Before he turned to leave, he paused. Something stirred in the air. Something he couldn’t see, but that he could feel. Something powerful. Something predatory. Something watching him. A feeling he’d had more and more of as of late.
A feeling he’d recently discovered wasn’t a feeling at all but a person.
He debated calling her out, but in the end decided against it. She could simply leave, and he wasn’t quite ready for her to know he could sense her presence. Not yet.
So he let her be, and he lingered longer, a plan taking shape as he stood listening to the song of the waves. He’d sacrificed much to keep his people safe, and he refused to believe those sacrifices were for nothing.
Because sometimes you had to be the villain in one story to be the savior in another.