The Sorrow of Shadows (Crimson & Shadows #1)

Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

brEYLA

I t has been nearly three weeks since I arrived at the castle, and I have seen no ghosts. Three weeks of watching my mother show affection for Aurelius, like my father meant nothing. Three weeks of avoiding everyone and drowning my grief in ale and wine.

“You win again,” I say, exasperated. We’ve been playing various card games since lunch and are now well past dinner. Of the last eight hands, Elijah had won seven. “How did you win, again? It’s statistically improbable!” I narrow my eyes at him.

He grins wide before answering, “Statistics don’t take into account the six cups of wine you’ve had in the last two hours.” He lets out a deep laugh at my expense.

My eyes narrow even further before I let out an unexpected hiccup, completely ruining the glare I was directing at my best friend. This only makes him laugh harder. Unable to contain myself any longer, I laugh with him, eventually so hard that I snort. My snort turns into me choking on my own saliva, then I’m coughing. I reach for my wine goblet, only to find it empty.

“On that note...” I stumble both with my words and with standing. Elijah gives me a questioning look as I trip over my feet on the way to my bedroom door.

“Are you sure you should be drinking more?” Elijah asks from his position, still on the floor.

My middle finger is the only response I give him as I exit my room in search of more wine. Trying not to trip again, I keep my eyes trained on the ground ahead of me. It would be easier if I created a few Faerie lights, but with all the wine in my system, it’s taking all my focus to walk at the moment. I make it about ten feet before I trip over absolutely nothing. As I prepare for impact with the floor, I let out a rather embarrassing squeal.

Except I never hit the floor. I feel an arm wrap around my waist as I make contact with something hard. By the warmth under my fingers, I can tell it’s not a wall or piece of furniture.

“I must say, I expected more grace from the general of the royal army. I’m not sure whether I should be disappointed or concerned for the safety of our kingdom.” That voice—deep and melodic. It belongs to the asshole I’ve been avoiding for the past three weeks. This close to him, I can smell his spiced bergamot scent. It’s intoxicating. My inebriated brain must be malfunctioning because I subtly breathe it in deeper as I push myself back upright, his hand still resting on my hip.

“Did you just sniff?—”

Before he can finish that thought I cut him off with the best retort I can muster, “I expected the future King of Rimor to be...taller.” Real smooth, dumbass. Aurelius stands several inches above six feet. He dwarfs me and most of the people in this castle.

Aurelius smirks at me. “Princess, clearly wine does not make you funny. Unless your goal was to make me laugh at you. In which case, mission accomplished.”

“It may not make me funny, but it makes you easier to look at. Has your face always looked that way?” I say. It’s another lie, but anything said with enough confidence sounds like the truth.

“Your insult might have worked if you actually believed that was true, but we both know you’re lying.”

“Egotistical, much?”

“Only when I have reason to be.”

We both knew he had reason to be. He had no shortage of options when it came to bed companions. Dark hair that curls slightly just above his shoulders. Tall and muscular. Not in the ridiculous way that Elijah is built, but toned and defined all over. I can’t see his eyes in this lighting, but they’re so dark brown they are almost black and laced with crimson flecks. If he were anyone else, I’d want to run my tongue all over him and claim him as mine.

Feeling his hand tighten on my side quickly disrupts my train of thought and brings me back to the situation at hand. “Well, as much fun as this chat has been, I really do need more wine. So, if you’ll let me pass, I’ll be on my way.” With that he finally releases me and steps aside.

I make my way to the kitchen, feeling his eyes on me the entire time. By the time I return to my room, Elijah has passed out and is lightly snoring on my floor. I slip into my bathing chamber to change into my nightgown, then crawl into bed.

I’m not sure what time it is when I sense someone else in the room. I can hear Elijah still snoring from the floor, so whoever arrived is unwelcome. Very slowly, I reach for the dagger I keep under my pillow. I’m still slightly groggy from the wine and sleep, so I take control of the shadows in the room, willing them to sense out where the intruder is located. That’s odd. My shadows find nothing.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I swiftly rip the covers back and jump to my feet in one fluid motion. Dagger in hand, I assume a defensive stance. Then my jaw drops because in front of me is my father's ghost.

He looks the same as the first time I saw him through Elijah, but clearer now. My breath catches as I take in his appearance. Every detail, every feature, even down to his clothing, is precisely as I remembered him. Red hair curls slightly around his ears, and hazel eyes stare back at me. His features are slightly muted by his mostly transparent form. I wonder if I could touch him or if my hand would pass right through.

He’s staring at me like I’m crazy. Granted, I did pull a knife on a ghost, so maybe the look is justified. “It certainly took you long enough,” I say, lowering my dagger and relaxing my stance.

“Time works differently when you’re dead, my dear,” he replies, and it feels like a punch to my gut. It feels odd to hear my father’s ghost talk so casually about his death. My eyes burn as my throat constricts, and I choke back my tears.

“So you do talk.”

“Perhaps I had nothing to say until now.”

“I doubt that. More likely that you didn’t have anyone worth speaking to until now,” I say with a healthy skepticism.

“Clever girl. You’re right,” he says before pausing. “My death was not of natural causes.” He has my full attention with that last statement. Something didn’t sit right with me about his death, so hearing this fills me with an anger that burns like wildfire. What he says next has me shaken. “Aurelius is responsible for my death.”

My eyes widen, and my pulse increases as I process his words. I stutter, “B-but why? He’s your brother. Better question: how? As far as I’m aware, he wasn’t even in the capital at the time of your death.” The wheels in my head are working overtime as I try to wrap my mind around this new information.

“I don’t know, my dear. I’m leaving that up to you to figure out. A word of warning, though: be cautious of who you trust. This castle is full of snakes.” I didn’t need his advice, but I would heed it nonetheless.

“I’m always careful, Father. But I don’t understand. How do you know it was Aurelius?” Aurelius and I shared no trust, but this seemed out of character for him.

“I have limited time here, and it has run out.”

Forget the questions; I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him yet. “Wait,” I beg. “Don’t leave yet.”

His form wavers, starting to disappear. I take a few steps forward, arms reaching out like I could somehow keep him here. A soft smile forms on his face. “I’m already gone, Breyla. You can’t keep me here. Time is up.”

“I still have so many questions,” I whisper, fighting the tears forming in the corner of my eyes.

“You’ll find answers. I’m sure of that,” he says as his form finally fades.

My king had given me a mission, and I would not disappoint him. There’s a lot that doesn’t make sense, but I will get to the bottom of it all. If he was murdered—regardless of who is responsible—I will avenge his death.

A knot forms in my stomach as I realize that I’ll need to get close to Aurelius. I do not trust him in the least. But do I believe he was the one to murder my father? Of that, I’m not so sure. There are a lot of things that don’t make sense with that situation. It is, however, somewhere to start. If this is going to work, I can’t let him—or anyone—know what I’m up to. As far as anyone is concerned, I am just a daughter mourning the untimely death of her father. My grief must be evident so my true actions are not.

I climb into bed, but I doubt I’ll get any more sleep tonight. I must figure out how to get close to my mother’s fiancé without arousing suspicion. I have other questions that need to be answered, but I will start with Aurelius.