The Sorrow of Shadows (Crimson & Shadows #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

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T his blathering fool really should watch the way in which he addresses the grieving, widowed queen in his midst. The others may not notice, but I see the tremble of her lip and the ramrod-straight spine she keeps as she tries to hold herself together. “Queen Genevieve, are you listening to a word we are saying?” Lord Seamus all but demands. He may be one of the longest-standing council members, but his tone is one that would have seen me reprimanded as a child.

Elijah shoots him a glare that says as much. King Raynor was found dead not even a fortnight ago, and now his widow—my mother—sits with the King’s council, having a conversation none of us want to have. Decisions must be made, but I wouldn’t wish them on anyone. Especially not while you’re supposed to be grieving.

I watch the council meeting unfold through the eyes of Elijah. Apart from him and the queen, no one knows I’m observing. Currently, I’m miles away from the capital city of Rimor leading the royal armies in battle against the neighboring kingdom of Prudia.

“Of course I’m listening,” Queen Genevieve snaps. “I just don’t see the point in this conversation. Quite frankly, Seamus, I’m not particularly fond of your tone. I suggest you fix it, unless you prefer I do it for you.” The dark circles under her sky-blue eyes and messy golden hair give the appearance of a female broken, but my mother has never been weak. I can’t help but notice she purposefully left out his full title, which I’m sure irks him but forces me to hide a smirk of satisfaction. Pompous prick .

“My apologies, My Queen. It’s just that the law states that while a female may inherit the throne of Rimor, to main?—”

“But to maintain it, she must be wed to a male of high noble ranking and power. Yes, I know the law quite well. Or did you forget that I am the one with royal blood flowing through my veins? That throne is rightfully mine. That law is archaic.”

She’s not wrong. Thousands of years ago we were a kingdom of just humans, then the Fae arrived and blessed us with The Gift. We received the ability to use magic, enhanced healing, and somewhat enhanced senses. The Fae worked and lived alongside us for a time, but they disappeared soon after arriving. They shared their culture and ideals with us, and as a result, ours had begun to evolve. Theirs was a matriarchal society that allowed females to not only rule but also lead armies and train alongside the males. What they left us with was their Gift and a society stuck somewhere between the old ideals of humans and the enlightened ideals of the Fae.

“Be that as it may, My Queen, the point still remains that you must remarry a male of high ranking and power to remain on the throne.” Gods, this male is insensitive, but I have a feeling I know what he’ll say next.

Before he can spew more useless knowledge of outdated laws, Elijah speaks gently, “My Queen, might I suggest you step down and let Princess Breyla rule? She is more than of age at twenty-seven, and she leads our armies just as well, if not better, than her male predecessors. She is equipped.”

If I could reach through our connection and punch him for that suggestion, I would. His faith in me is touching, but I do not want the throne. I will have no choice one day, but that would not be today. I suspect the suggestion only came as a way to appease the snake sitting to the left of the queen.

The queen smiles softly at Elijah. “I know your faith in Breyla is high, but it’s not her ability that keeps me from stepping down. Even if I passed the rule to her, the law still dictates that she would also have to marry. You know as well as I that nobody, not even her queen mother, tells her what to do. Though I found great love in my own arranged marriage, I would never force that upon her. I will let her find love in her own time.” Her tone is gentler with him than the others. Perhaps it is that she feels something akin to motherly affection toward Eli. We grew up together and were the best of friends but prone to causing mischief. That’s a fact that hasn’t changed much over the years.

“You’re right, My Queen,” Elijah agrees. “No one tells Breyla what to do. It makes her a damn good general,” then adds under his breath, “and a much larger pain in the ass.”

“Besides...” the queen continues, “the point is moot as I have already planned for this. I sent a request to Lord Aurelius requesting his allegiance through marriage. I just received word this morning that he has accepted my proposal and is on his way here as we speak. This conversation, my lords and ladies, is over.”

However, this doesn’t satisfy Lord Seamus, and he rises quickly to speak. “Pardon me, My Queen, but did you say Lord Aurelius ? As in the king’s younger brother? Surely, there are better-suited matches available. I could?—"

“You could do nothing, Lord Seamus. Lord Aurelius is only the king’s adoptive brother. He is more powerful than most of you sitting at this table and twice as cunning. He is a brilliant strategist, which I am sure will be useful in the war with Prudia that’s knocking on our door.” Her exhaustion is apparent as she rubs tiny circles on her temples to assuage the brewing headache. How she’s even having this conversation is beyond me. She sighs deeply and speaks with finality, “This meeting is over,” before turning to leave the meeting room.

Finally. These council meetings are painful on the best of days, but today was worse. There are far more interesting things Elijah's Gifts are better suited for, but he keeps this position on the council to support the queen against the wolves in sheep’s clothing. He is my eyes and ears when I’m away from court.

Elijah exits the meeting room, deep in thought, and makes his way toward his quarters in the east wing. When he's out of earshot from the rest of the council, he says, "I respect the queen and her decisions, but something seems off.” He’s voicing his thoughts to me, even if I can’t respond to him through our connection. If I could speak to him right now, I would tell him I agree. He seems to read my next thought, though. “I understand why she would want to choose her suitor, but why Aurelius?”

Why Aurelius, indeed. While he was everything my mother described, he also had quite a reputation. We also had history—most of it not good. His ability to bend blood is what gave him his high rank in court, but he was rumored to have a secondary power that made him even more coveted by the lowborns and nobles alike. He was raised alongside the late king—my father—but bore no blood relation. It had been years since anyone had seen him at court, making me question both my mother’s choice of suitor and why he would accept her proposal.

Elijah is nearly through the door when a royal guard stops him. “My Lord,” his voice waivers, “there’s something—more so someone we think you should see...” His voice trails off, and he looks shaken and pale.

Slightly confused by his statement, Elijah raises an eyebrow at him. “Who is it? And where are they? ”

“Well, that’s just it, My Lord. He’s not always there, but several maids swear they’ve seen King Raynor’s ghost around the princess’s chambers. I would have thought it nonsense if I hadn’t seen it myself. Then Alexander right here was telling me he?—”

Elijah raises his hand, stopping the guard mid-sentence. My jaw drops alongside Elijah's, and he tries to form the words to tell the guard there’s no need to convince him. Behind the two guards appears what looks to be the late king’s ghost. Since he can’t seem to form the words, Elijah just points behind them. The guards slowly turn to see what he's pointing at. While magic is commonplace, seeing ghosts is not. A strong sense of unease floods me as I stare at the apparition. The transparent form wavers, hovering just above the ground, staring straight at me. The first guard, Nathaniel, swallows hard and says quietly, “Yep, that’s exactly what I was trying to tell you.”

The ghost isn’t trying to communicate, and it doesn’t seem like he’s there to harm anyone. He slowly starts to fade away, and I realize I can no longer avoid going home.