Page 56 of Of Shadow and Moon

She hesitates, her jaw tightening, as if what she’s about to say is a secret held close. “She was murdered, actually. By… the Shadow Reaper.”

The world stops.

I feel myself go perfectly still, my mind racing, trying to absorb the enormity of her confession.

That can’t be right.

It just… it doesn’t make sense.

I know every single face I’ve taken, every soul claimed under Alexander’s orders, and the Reina of Atlacoya was not one of them. The faces, the memories, they’re burned into me. None of them belong to her mother. I have never inmy life, in all my years of missions, had to work as hard as I am working to not break my mask.

My voice comes out in a whisper, disbelief thick in my throat. “How… how do you know that?”

Nasarea shrugs, her face hardening again, though a shadow of pain lingers in her eyes. “That’s what Father told me,” she says, her voice hollow, tinged with bitterness. “He told Nazriel and me after it happened. Told us the Shadow Reaper killed her. That’s all I know.”

My mind reels. How did I not know she was dead? Why wouldn’t Alexander have told me? Or did he know all along and chose to keep it from me? I push the questions down, though they thrash beneath the surface, a quiet storm building within me.

Nasarea’s gaze softens a little as she looks away, her hands resting on her knees, her fingers twisting nervously, and I see a side of her I hadn’t understood until now. A girl caught between a kingdom’s secrets and her own grief. The fierce mask she wears, the cold indifference, all of it feels like a thin layer now, something barely covering the pain she’s kept hidden.

I swallow, searching for something to say, a way to lift even a fraction of the weight she carries.

“Blueberry muffins,” she whispers, so soft, I barely hear her.

“What?” I say.

A smile tugs at her lips, barely there. “They were her favorite,” she says quietly. “My mother… she’d have blueberry muffins every year on her birthday, instead of cake. Said it made her feel free, like a little rebellion against all the royal expectations.”

My heart twists, a strange warmth blooming in my chest as I watch her, feeling a closeness I hadn’t expected. “Why don’t we get some blueberry muffins from the dining hall?” I suggest, keeping my voice soft, steady. “Celebrate her life together, in her honor.”

Nasarea’s eyes widen, surprise crossing her features. She opens her mouth as if to respond, then closes it, her expression shifting into something quieter, more thoughtful. For a moment, she just looks at me, searching my face, as if trying to read my intentions.

After a moment, she nods, a small, hesitant motion, a quiet acceptance that feels like the beginnings of trust. “Yeah,” she says, her voice low, barely a whisper. “I think… she’d like that.”

She smiles, and I feel a warmth in my chest, an unexpected connection that bridges the space between us.

Professor Karr’s voice cuts through the air, calling us to our feet, snapping us back to reality. I rise, stretching out my limbs, but my mind is somewhere else, wrapped up in Nasarea’s revelation, in the quiet sorrow she’s shared. As I glance over at her one last time, I see her draw herself up, straightening her back, her mask slipping into place once again.

She’s my mirror. While I don’t know grief like she knows, I understand what’s at stake. I nod to myself. A silent declaration.

I will do everything in my power to make sure that I never lose Nasarea as my friend.

All I can think about is that Nasarea can never, under any circumstances, discover my true identity. She can never know that I am the Shadow Reaper. Even though I know I didn’t take her mother’s life, the fragile bond we’re beginning to build, the friendship I’m starting to value more than I’d like to admit, would shatter in an instant if she knew thetruth. It would slip right through my fingers, lost forever, even though it just began.

Chapter 32

Selestina

Ipoke at the fruit on my plate, the bright colors muted against my appetite. Across from me, Nasarea leans forward, her curly black hair cascading like a curtain, shielding us from the rest of the room.

Her voice is low, a whisper meant only for me. “I have something to tell you.”

I glance up, my brow furrowing. The serious tone in her voice is a sharp contrast to the usual sarcasm that laces her words. “What is it?”

Nasarea’s blue eyes dart around the room, scanning for eavesdroppers. They settle briefly on Nazriel, who is sitting across the hall, his piercing blue gaze locked on us like a predator watching its prey. His jaw is tight, his expression unreadable, but I know that look. He’s pissed.

“Nazriel’s going to burn a hole through my head if he keeps staring,” I mutter, stabbing a piece of melon with my fork.

Nasarea smirks, but it’s brief. “Ignore him. He’s always brooding about something. This is important.” Her voice drops even lower. “It’s about my mother.”

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