Page 105 of Façade

A heavy silence settled around us. I searched every sound crowding the clearing almost as intensely as Ryland and Silas, but the heaviness brought by the Shadow’s sinister presence had vanished, dispelling the tension that had choked the air along with the fear that had seized my heart in its relentless grasp. For the moment I was safe.

I released a shaky breath and collapsed to my knees. Ryland lowered himself and kept his arm wrapped securely around me, even as he continued searching the surrounding forest almost as earnestly as Silas. Once he was satisfied that the assassin was truly gone, his concern settled on me.

“Are you alright?”

I fought for each raspy and painful breath, all a much-needed reminder that I was alive. “He would have killed me.”

Anguish harrowed Ryland’s expression, confirming my terror hadn’t exaggerated the danger I’d been in. “I couldn’t have stopped it.”

Despair wrenched his voice as he pulled me into a suffocating embrace, his head nestled against my hair and the heat of his reassuring touch pressed against my back. But as much as I welcomed his comfort, lingering would only waste time I didn’t have, not with the assassin’s ultimatum hanging over me like an executioner’s ax.

I waited to speak until we’d moved away from the cover of the trees where the Shadow likely remained hidden to silently watch our conversation. “I must return to the palace.”

Ryland’s gaze snapped up, but before he could protest, Silas spun around with a horrified gasp. “No, absolutely not. I was against the decision before, but now thathewill be awaiting you…for your safety I simply cannot allow your return.”

“I must. If I don’t save the decoy…”

“All the reason for you to stay behind,” Silas snapped. “From that conversation it’s clear she and the Shadow have some sort of connection, one that would only be dangerous for you. I don’t trust any name she submits to Their Majesties, so should you return you’ll be in greater danger than before.”

Yet if I tried to run…it was all but guaranteed the Shadow would track me down, leaving me trapped. My guard was likely correct that over the course of my parents’ plan, the decoy and one of the assassins after my life had somehow ended up on the same side…which only increased my urgency to return in order to solve that mystery, despite the likelihood of walking into a trap.

I determinedly lifted my chin. “I am the true crown princess of Estoria. As such, no matter the risks, my place is beside my parents. I will be the only one to face the threats against me, and for now the greatest chance of surviving the most imminent one is by doing what the Shadow has asked.”

Silas’s mouth twisted as if he wanted to protest, but Ryland firmly met my gaze. “You possess the strength for whatever lies ahead. As such, I support your decision, but you won’t go alone. We’ll face whatever comes…together.”

My heart swelled. I could face anything with Ryland at my side…whether that turned out to be a highly skilled assassin seeking my blood, a treacherous decoy, any of the other threats lingering at the palace…or even finally facing the pain and fears brought by the wound my parents had carved in my heart the moment they set their plan in motion.

CHAPTER34

Magic filled the air as we stood on a hilltop overlooking the capital of Estoria. I slowly took in the familiar buildings and streets brimming with the life of my dear subjects. In the distance the palace stood erect, white and gleaming in the setting sun, a place I’d never expected to return to, only to do so under the realization I actually belonged there.

“Are you happy to be be home?”

I nodded at Ryland’s gentle inquiry. “No matter what happens, this will always be my home.” However, the concept ofhomehad shifted—while this would always remain the place I grew up and where one day I hoped to build my future, I’d also built a new life in Brimoire with Ryland.

While I was excited to return even with all the risk, I remained afraid not just of the impending danger but of possibly being forced to face the future without Ryland by my side should my parents disapprove of our union. The thought of living a life apart from him was torturous.

But at the moment I had more pressing worries. We nudged our horses forward. The closer we drew to the palace, the greater my foreboding that we were walking into a trap. I used a scarf to hide my identity from the guards we might encounter and followed Silas to the secret back entrance that would lead us past the attending guards into the palace dungeon.

We squeezed into the narrow passage. Our footsteps echoed through the musty air as Silas led us through the twisting corridors, our only light the faint, flickering glow emanating from the sconces lining the walls. I sensed the assassin’s threatening presence lurking from every sinister shadow. I kept my hand wound with Ryland’s, finding solace in his presence for whatever lay ahead.

If I could enter a marriage with a man who at the time I believed to be my enemy and the possibility of execution should my deceit be discovered, I could face an assassin within my home in order to reclaim my royal title.

The passage gradually sloped upward to open up to an unused room within the dank dungeon. “I shall retrieve Their Majesties.” Silas spoke in a whisper to hide our presence from any guards who might be nearby. He stared at Ryland, sizing him up. “You will protect her.” He issued the order with begrudging trust.

Ryland responded with a resolute lift of his chin. “I will protect her.” He withdrew his sword and wrapped his arm securely around me to nestle me against his side. “I promise.”

Silas hesitated only a moment before leaving with a conceding grunt. Silence crowded the room following his departure, a quiet that only magnified the sound of my wildly pounding heart and each of my shallow breaths.

Ryland’s comforting touch rested against the base of my back. “Are you nervous?”

Unable to speak, I could only offer a tentative nod. It felt surreal to face my parents after all that had happened. I’d spent the length of our separation yearning for them, mourning their loss even midst the acute hurt that their love had been nothing more than an illusion.

With everything that had transpired, I’d been able to tuck those unresolved emotions away, but now they’d broken free of their secure prison, causing all my previous hurt to escape, evidence of the unhealed gash upon my heart. But if I could forgive Ryland for his betrayal, I could somehow forgive my parents for their well-meaning attempts to protect me. Love would give me the strength to move forward.

“I just want everything to return to the way it once was.”

Compassion filled Ryland’s tender expression. “I’m sure it will never be exactly how it was. It may take a while, but I’m hopeful things will eventually turn out better than they’ve ever been.” He cradled my cheek. “In the meantime, you won’t need to walk this difficult path alone. I’m here.”

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