Page 64 of Of Shadow and Moon

I reach the door to the tavern, my hand hovering over the rough, cut wood a second before I push it open and step inside.

The warmth of the fire hits me right away, the smell of ale and roasted meat mingling in the air. A few people sit at the tables, all of them with the look of worn out travelers, paying attention to little else beyond their meals and ale.

Good. That means fewer eyes on me.

I glance around the room quickly, peering for any signs of the meeting. There's nothing overt, just a barkeep cleaning glasses, a few patrons, and a fire crackling in the hearth. But I know the real business is happening behind the scenes.

I slide to the back, disappearing into the shadows of the darkly lit room, making myself as invisible as possible. I find a door tucked into the corner, partly concealed by a heavy curtain. There it is. That's where I need to be.

I step closer, heart pounding in my chest, and reach for the handle.

This is where it begins.

Chapter 37

Selestina

Ilook around the hallway and see a broken wooden panel. I open in and see the inner skeleton of the tavern.Perfect.I shimmy my way up the wooden beams.

The space between the roof and the ceiling is narrow, but I've squeezed into worse places. I press my body flat against the wood and inch along, trying not to make any noise.

As I crawl forward, murmurs of voices reach me from below. I don't catch their words yet, just enough to make out that something's wrong. My heart races. I wasn't expecting anything this massive, just some secret meeting of disgruntled nobles or traitors. But the more distinct the words get, the more I am sure this is bad. The feeling of unease snakes along my neck.

My hands shake slightly as I reach the edge of the ceiling where the wooden beams meet the stone wall. There's a small crack, a crevice just wide enough to see through if I press my eye against it. I glance down, and the sight below hits me like a punch to the gut.

The kings.

The five kings of Tonalli.

All five of them.

They sit around a large circular table. All with varying levels of nonchalance. I recognize them all at once. Rey Huehueteotl of Xochitlalpan, Rey Tezcatlipoca of Itzcalli, Rey Chalchiuhtotolin of Atlacoya, Rey Itztli of Metztli, and Rey Xiuhtecuhtli of Tepetl. All of them, under one roof. Together.

This doesn't make any sense. The kings despise each other. That's common knowledge. Their kingdoms have been at a silent war for as long as I can remember, fighting over land, power, and trade routes. There hasn't been peace between them in decades. Yet here they are, gathered together in secret, as if they're real allies. Everyone knows the alliances made years ago were just a front to give the illusion that citizens of Tonalli were safe.

If this was a council meeting, then okay, but it isn’t. It’s every king with one guard. This is meant to be a secret.

I clap my hand over my mouth to hold back a gasp. This is so much bigger than I'd thought. Much bigger.

“What are we going to do about him?” Rey Tezcatlipoca is the first to slice through the low murmurs. He sounds sharp, annoyed. “The Shadow Reaper is growing more dangerous by the day. Alexander has let him believe he can go rogue and not follow orders. He holds too much power.”

My heart skips a beat. They're talking about the Shadow Reaper? About Alexander? The men below begin murmuring in agreement, their tones low but laced with tension.

Rey Huehueteotl stepped forward, his enormous build and deliberate movements demanding the attention of all. His eyes narrowed, and I can feel the scorn in his voice. “Alexander thinks he controls the Reaper, but it's becoming clear that the Reaper may be in control of him. He is a wild card, a danger to the balance of Tonalli.”

I swallow hard as my heart takes off in my chest. The kings fear the Reaper.

My blood runs cold. They fear me.

“And what do we do? You know he murdered my wife!” Rey Chalchiuhtotolin speaks next, his voice cutting through the fake niceness. “Let him continue to rise? Let Alexander continue to gather all that power under the misguided notion of keeping him in check? We all know what happens should we let this get out of hand. The masquerade ball was a complete joke. He had the reaper kill the drunk on purpose.”

“Alexander's hold is slipping,” Rey Itztli says, his voice dark, sending a shiver down my spine. “And if he loses control of the Shadow Reaper, he'll lose control ofher, the Red Queen, too. The balance we've all maintained for so long will be destroyed.”

What are they talking about? I always do everything that Alexander asks of me. I never step out of line.

They've allowed Alexander to think he has more control over things than what is actually true. He's acted like the puppet master since the beginning, but here are the real kings, the ones pulling the real strings. My stomach churns as everything I had thought to be true, unravels right in front of me.

But what they say next sends ice running through my veins.

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