Chapter 19
The lie
Wandering the bustling streets of the village that lay scattered at the base of his father’s kingdom, Matthias took in all that lay before him. Bland market stalls stretched in a dull symphony of pastel hues, laden with fresh produce that sat like dusty jewels in the sunlight. The aroma of sizzling delicacies wafted through the air, tantalising the senses and tempting all who passed by.
A week. An entire week at the cabin, and no one knew Matthias was there. He’d come into town for a change of scenery under the disguise of a dark, hooded cape blending with the shadows as he moved. Bones stuck close by his side, looking fierce enough to bat away wandering eyes.
Someone—a female—screamed to his left. A sickly looking male Thorn had shoved her to the ground and laughed as he undid his trousers. Matthias’s top lip curled, and he slunk down the alley. In an instant, he’d yanked the Thorn up by his hair and threw him against the wall, his new blade pressed to the attacker’s throat. The blade made the male go still—the pressure enough to break skin. A droplet of deep red travelled down the male’s throat.
“If you value your sad, pathetic life, even a little. I suggest you leave that,”—Matthias motioned his eyes downwards—“right there. And your hands up here . . . if you want to keep both of them.”
The Thorn whimpered.
“If I ever see you near a woman again, I will end you.” Matthias shoved the male to the ground and waited until he’d scurried off to whichever hole he’d crawled out of.
The female nodded her head towards Matthias in thanks before running into the shadows.
Matthias returned to the main street. Growing up here, this was normal to him. The dance of sunlight through the leaves cast fleeting shadows that seemed to whisper of a truth hidden beneath the layers of enchantment.
Yet, amidst this facade, an unsettling harshness lingered. Villagers’ smiles seemed almost mechanical, concealing hidden agendas. Whispers in the air carried undertones of secrets and deceit. Closer scrutiny revealed cracks in the once vibrant paint of cottages, mirroring fractures beneath the surface. Ornate masks hid stories of resentment, carefully veiled from prying eyes. Despite the market’s abundance, there was a disparity between those in excess and those scraping by in the shadows.
Women danced in the streets in barely anything, just hoping someone will show them some sort of attention, yearning for a love that will never come.
His chest thudded again, but this time he hadn’t been thinking of Adalia when it did. These people . . . these creatures were sorrow incarnate.
And for once, it broke his heart.
What had his father done? . . . what was their king doing?
He’d only ever fed them fear . . . fear that the King of Light was coming to diminish their free will and destroy the kingdom of Oscuro once and for all. They all lived as if their world might soon end.
He’d sold them a lie, and it bled into The Grey. The Lightners weren’t the problem. His father was.
Rounding a corner, Matthias came face to face with a female he’d rather never see again—Jes. His eyes scanned the crowd. Thorn soldiers had already circled around. Curiously, a familiar, light-haired male stood among them.They found him.
Cursing under his breath, he donned a calm demeanour and refused to look cowed by the triumphant look in their eyes.
“I think you need to come with us,” Jes purred as she sauntered towards him.
It was time to face the music.
A thunderous crash rang through the hall and the few Thorns that were laying about the room made themselves scarce.
“WHERE IS HE!?” the king’s voice roared through the air.
Matthias stiffened, but took a deep breath and prepared himself for impact.
His father tore into the room, arms flailing and saliva dripping from his teeth as if he was foaming at the mouth. Face red, eyes bulging, he screamed, “HOW DARE YOU LEAVE THIS KINGDOM TO ROAM ABOUT IN THE ENEMY’S TERRITORY!”
The king seemed to grow into a demon before Matthias’s eyes.
“Why do you care where I’ve been? My well being has never been high on your priority list,” Matthias hissed at his father.
Bones snarled quietly beside the prince. Matthias held out his hand and gently hushed him. He couldn’t bear it if Bones was targeted for defending him.
The king growled, and the room felt as if it shook. “No son of mine would ever want to set foot in the Kingdom that banished his own father for all eternity. How do you live with yourself knowing that you conversed with that self-absorbed, manipulative being who has the guts to call himself a king?”
Matthias shook his head and laughed, but it wasn’t a joyous sound. “If you truly think I willingly stepped into that kingdom of my free will, you’re just as delusional as I thought.”
The king growled and lifted his hand to strike.
Reaching up, Matthias angled his forearm to block the blow before it landed on its target. His father took a step back in shock.
“You will never lay a hand on me again,” the dark prince growled.
Matthias could tell his father was struggling to piece together his son’s words and actions. “You do not know what I have been through in the last few weeks.”
“Wondered how long it would take for you to find your backbone,” the king sneered. “And now that you have, I can see you’re still just as pathetic with it. Now, why don’t you enlighten us then? . . tell me just how terrible it’s been for you.”
Ignoring the king’s baiting. Words tumbled from Matthias’s lips from a place he didn’t know existed as he wove a story for his father and the faces that watched him.
“I was lured into The Grey by the woman I set free. She promised me the freedom I was so desperate for. A life of peace and happiness. But I was sorely mistaken. She took me to the King of Lucius who was just as ruthless as you. They dragged me down into the cells of the palace. I was their prisoner, their prize, someone to jeer and laugh at. I only got away because some fool finally let their guard down. So don’t you dare come in here and accuse me of treason.” Matthias’s chest heaved.
Eyeing him warily, the king sneered. “Why didn’t you come straight to the palace when you escaped back into Oscuro, then?”
“I felt embarrassed. Me? . . . the son of a king tricked by a woman! How could I face you when I couldn’t even face myself?”
The king assessed him with cold-blue eyes as he spoke. “Let me tell you this, son . . . if I find out you’re lying to me, if you so much as step one foot into that kingdom again, I’ll make it my personal vendetta to seek out that bitch. I will make you watch as I have my way with her. Then I will saw her wings off and hang them up as a trophy in my throne room before peeling the skin from her body, layer by layer. She will scream. She will beg. I will ensure she curses both our names with her dying breath and when that’s done, I will hunt down everyone she loves, and I will end their lives as well. Is that clear?”
Matthias’s world stopped. The king always followed through with threats . . . and this was one that endangered the very thing that brought Matthias hope. He stared his father down, but the prince struggled to find words to counteract his father’s forceful ones.
“Do you hear me, boy? Or do I have to show you with actions, so you understand?” the king taunted.
Matthias nodded, swallowing down the rage that was rose inside of him. He wanted to rip the smirk right off his evil face. He wanted to gouge his eyes out so they’d never look upon another soul. He wanted to cut his father’s tongue out of his mouth so that he couldn’t use his words as weapons again.
But that steady beat inside his chest kept his feet firmly planted. It seemed as if his father was willing to believe his son wouldn’t be so bold as to betray him.
For now, Matthias would bide his time until he knew his next move.
“I hear you loud and clear.”