The Shadow Prince (10 page)

“What are you going to wear?”

I looked down at my black hoodie and jeans. “I guess I should wear something nice, right?”

She clasped her hands on my shoulders. “No, you should wear what you want. Your Dad will be ecstatic to see you regardless.”

I had to try one last time before I go. She might finally open up to me. I put my hands around her wrists so she couldn’t escape. “I’m sure he’d like to see you too. Why won’t you come with me?”

She leaned her forehead into mine. “It’s complicated.”

I let go of her, heading toward a pile of folded clothes on my bed. As I inserted them into my backpack, I said, “That’s what you always say.”

“Look, I promise you, one day we’ll sit down and talk about it. But today is about you.”

I grabbed the picture of us off my nightstand and placed it inside the backpack. “If you never come to Avalon, I may never see you again.”

A second later she was next to me. I turned to face her as she said, “I didn’t say I’d never come. I said not right now. Your Dad has been waiting a long time for you. He deserves your full attention.”

“And what about what I deserve? What I want? Did you even think about that when you both sat down and planned out my future?” I snapped.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Are you saying you don’t want to go?”

I wasn’t sure. I had always known what they had planned for me so I never really thought about what I wanted. It wasn’t until my friends started talking about their college plans that I began to resent the idea. Yet, there was a big part of me that wanted to go. “All I’m saying is it would’ve been nice to have a choice.”

Her eyes watered. “I’m sorry, Kalin. It’s just—”

I cut her off. “Complicated, I know.” Guilt burned in my chest. The last thing I wanted was to fight with her on our last day together. “Let’s forget about it for now. Like you said, you will tell me when it’s the right time.”

She hugged me. “Exactly.”

I held on, not wanting to let her go. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

Sniffling, she replied, “I’m going to miss you too.”

Okay, I needed to get out of here before we both broke into the ugly cry. I grabbed my backpack and slid it over my shoulder. “I’m going to go wait outside for the knights to return.”

She wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her sweater. “I’ll wait with you.”

“No, if you’re there it’s only going to be that much harder to leave.” I hugged her again. “Goodbye, Mom. I love you so much.”

“I love you too. Be careful.”

I winked. “I always am.”

Once I finally made it outside, the frigid midnight breeze stung my face. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and locked the backdoor. I was instructed to wait here for my father's knights to return. They should have been back by now. I decided it didn't matter, I didn't need them. The forest behind my house went back about two miles, but I knew every inch. As a child I'd spent hours wandering the dirt walkways pretending to be on a treasure hunt with my friends. I had also kissed my first boyfriend behind one of the larger oak trees on the edge of our backyard.

The weathered wooden planks of the back porch creaked with each step. I plunked down three stairs and headed straight for the dark forest. When I reached the entrance of the woodland, I turned around and took one last look at the home I grew up in. The modest brick rancher sat alone in a tucked away
cul-de-sac
. It was so hidden it didn't even show up on a standard GPS. I knew that had to be a selling point for Mom.

She preferred quiet, tucked away spaces over city life.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and made my way into the dim woods. The scent of wet moss filled my nostrils. I hiked at least a mile before I stopped to get my bearings. The moonlight did little to illuminate the forest floor, it had become nearly impossible to see anything more than a few feet in front of me. The overriding silence made me shiver. Reality check: I was in the middle of the woods, in the dark, with no idea how to find Dad's knights.

I should’ve waited—

A familiar white shimmer appeared in the distance. Even though I had spent my entire childhood in the mortal world, Dad had sent me books about the history of the elementals. From the reading I knew the brightness I saw was a pathway; the fastest way to travel to Avalon. There were hidden paths all over the mortal world, but only elementals could see them.

Someone had just arrived.

I called out, letting them know where I was, but got no response. The light thinned until I could only see a shadow heading in my direction. Once she was a few feet in front of me, her creamy porcelain skin, slightly oversized amber eyes, and feathered wings came into view. From far away I had assumed she was one of my father’s knights, but her black feathers left no question about of her identity.

She was a fire elemental.

The fire court drew their power from the Earth's core. They controlled everything from a volcano eruption down to a simple burning match. From the stories I read, I learned they were passionate and unpredictable much like their element.

I bit the inside of my cheek to hide the excited grin trying to form across my face. For a second I thought about asking her to ignite a flame from her palm like the ones I'd seen in pictures, but I didn't want to come off like a moron. Minus her wings, she might have passed for a mortal in her strapless forest green tube top and dark colored jeans. The round onyx pendant embedded in silver wings around her neck was unusual, as was the twisted grin across her face.

“Taron's a fool to leave you unattended.” Her voice was calm, almost soothing, as she circled around me. “It's truly a disappointment how easy this will be.”

A consuming sense of unease crept from my scalp to my toes. “What's a disappointment?”

Her hand shot out, clutched my neck, and raised me off the ground. My feet dangled and I gasped for air as I tried to make sense out of what was happening. Why would she want to attack me? Panic gagged me as I clawed feverishly at her hands, digging my fingernails into her skin.

“Are you really this helpless?” she laughed.

“Let me go,” I demanded, trying to sound intimidating even though I was confused and filled with fear. I grimaced as her grip tightened.

She thrust my body into the nearest tree and pain radiated up my spine. Had I been only mortal, she might have broken my back. Still in shock I tried to twist away, scraping my forearm against a broken tree limb. She smirked, her hand remaining clutched around my neck. “You are in no position to order me around, girl!”

Whatever this was, it was beyond bad.

“Get away from her!” a deep voice shouted.

My attacker peered over her shoulder and her grip loosened. “Back for more, deserter?” she asked, her voice coated with venom.

Deserter?

While her attention was somewhere else, I thrust my knee into her stomach and fell to the ground. She scooped me up by my shirt, pressing my back into her chest with her fingers wrapped tightly around my neck. I drew blood when I clawed my fingernails into her hands but she didn’t even wince.

A flash of silver light whizzed by my head and my captor's grip eased. This time I was able to slip away. I stumbled. Reaching out to steady myself, I only found air and crashed onto the ground. She launched herself at me again and ended up straddled on top of me with one hand clasped around my windpipe. My lungs burned for air. Legs thrashing, I tried to wiggle free. Yet, throughout my efforts, she showed no sign of strain. Her other hand pulled shards of what I assumed was iron from her neck.

Blackness filled the rim of my vision. Frantically I searched the ground for a rock, but found nothing. I plunged my hand into the damp forest floor. Maybe a little dirt in her eyes would give me enough time—

He emerged out of the shadows, thrusting a large knife into her back. She arched upwards in pain, releasing me from her grasp. I rolled onto my side gasping for air in between coughs. Hearing a struggle behind me, I took a glimpse over my shoulder. The male elemental lodged another silver blade into her back before she could crawl away.

“Go!” he yelled.

Several yards away the moonlight illuminated a clearing. I got to my feet and ran towards it. By the time I reached a large row of bushes, I ached all over.
What the hell?
Since when did the fire court want me dead? I mean, she was definitely trying to kill me. In all the chaos of the last several minutes, that was the one thing I was sure of. No way had she thought I was someone else. It was clear she knew who I was and where I'd be.

A throbbing ache drew my attention to a cut on my forearm. It was swollen and dripping blood. I tore off a piece of the bottom of my shirt, wrapping it around the wound. Peering through the leaves, I watched my attacker thrash violently on the ground. The male elemental tore the necklace from her neck, then faster than I could blink, he slit her throat. Black blood spurted from her neck and onto his shirt. He jumped out of the way when her body ignited in flames and watched until all that was left of her was a pile of ash.

My rescuer stepped into the clearing. I caught his stare and slowly rose to my feet. At my measly 5’3”, I guessed he was close to a foot taller and maybe seventeen or eighteen. His brown shaggy hair hung in waves over his eyes, the silver barbell in his eyebrow shimmered in the moonlight. A torn blue t-shirt showed off his lean, muscular build.

His appearance suggested he had spent a lot of time in the mortal world. For every young elemental, years away from Avalon were necessary. There was no other way to mature into adulthood. The magical veil that kept Avalon hidden from the rest of the world also prevented anyone inside from aging.

Adrenaline raced through my veins. “Who was she?” My voice shook.

He glanced down at the necklace in his hand. “She was an assassin from the fire court.”

My brain had officially left my body. “There has to be some kind of mistake.” In all the nights Dad had visited with me in my dreams, he never once mentioned any tension between the air and fire courts. I thought the elementals were at peace. “She must have been after someone else.”

He put the necklace in his jeans pocket and shot me a stern look. “The dead air court elementals she killed would prove otherwise.”

His words burned into me like a branding iron. They died because of me. Guilt rushed over me as I imagined the loss their families would feel. “You're sure she killed them?” I knew I had heard him correctly, but for some reason, I needed to hear it again.

“Yes. I found them only a short distance away from the pathway.”

If my attacker went to the pathway first, she must have been expecting me to be there. Oh god, this was getting worse by the second. “Wait. How do I know this isn’t some kind of trick? How do I know you’re not working with her?” I took a few steps backwards to put some distance between us. “How do I know
you
didn’t kill them?”

“The fact that you’re alive is a pretty good indication that I’m not trying to kill you.”

He pulled up the bottom of his shirt and wiped the black blood off his cheek. The curve of his hip was exposed and I forced myself to look away. I needed to focus, not drool over some guy who was obviously dangerous.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Rowan.”

“Were you tracking her?”

“No.”

Rowan definitely wasn’t big on details. “Then, what are you doing here?”

“I was in the area.” He looked away and I got the feeling he was hiding something. “Taron has knights at your house. You should be there instead of scampering around in the forest.”

I crossed my arms. “I wasn’t
scampering
.” I got impatient and stupidly decided I could find my own way to the pathway.

“Whatever you want to call it doesn’t change the fact that you’re alone and unprotected.” The leaves rustled, and Rowan tensed. “We have to get you out of here.”

He looped his arm inside mine and towed me deeper into the dark forest. I had to jog to keep up. His urgency put my already amped up suspicions into epic overdrive. “Why? Where are you taking me?”

“You’re not safe here. The elemental who attacked you wasn't the only one they sent. There could be others.”

“This is insane!” Pulling back on my arm, I forced him to stop. “I’m not taking another step until you tell me who you are and what’s going on.”

“Look, this wasn't the way this was supposed to go down. I was supposed to be done, and now—” He cut himself off, emitting a low growl. “Trust me, this isn't going to make the highlight reel for me either.”

His answer only confused me more. “You were done with what? You're not making any sense.”

“You, I meant,” he snarled. “You and your…situation.”

“Wow, and up until now, I thought you were part of the welcoming party.” My
situation
? What was this guy’s damage? He doesn't even know me. And who said I invited him to be part of my
situation
anyway?

He took a deep breath, then exhaled as if he'd been defeated in a battle. “I killed two fire court assassins to protect you. Now, I have no choice. I have to return to Avalon and tell the council what happened.”

Finally, Mister Personality said something I understood. The council was judge and jury to everything. The members included the four royal families and several other high ranking elementals. I definitely wasn't convinced I could trust Rowan, but Dad was a member of the council. If that was where he planned to go, then it’s exactly where I needed to be. “I’m coming with you.”

“Absolutely not.” He shook his head. “We need to go back to your mother's house. The knights can take you somewhere safe until I can get this mess sorted out.”

I let out an exaggerated breath. “Listen, I really appreciate what you did back there—I really do, but I need to find my father. If you want to keep me safe, take me to the council.”

“Last time I checked, the fire court was part of the council.” He pointed over his shoulder. “I think the big pile of ash back there sent a pretty clear message.”

He wasn’t wrong, but I had reached my limit. “Okay, let me make this simple for you. You’ll either take me to the council, or I’ll scream my freakin’ head off until I alert every elemental within a five mile distance.” I poked my finger into his chest, which was surprisingly hard. “Do you understand me now?”