Page 80 of Shadow and Smite

“Am I too late?”

Ayla rushed into the room. For a moment, I thought I had imagined her, some hopeful delirium. With Eleanor lost to the rite, I had fallen into the trance of her vigil. The whole court should have been there, empowering her journey.

I surfaced to see Ayla. “You came back.”

She shoved the satchel of ashflower into my hand. “Can you help her?”

“I already did. Or Ninti did—she strengthened the root enough for it to heal Eleanor.”

Ninti didn’t preen at the praise. She took a long sniff, her eyes darting as she observed the scene. Her gaze paused at my chest, the Brand.

Ayla stared at Eleanor’s body sunken into the throne. She gaped.

“This is normal,” Ninti assured her. “It’s Eleanor’s ascension rite.”

“How long does it take?” Ayla asked, still disconcerted by the state of my wooden sister.

“A few minutes, a few days. It varies,” I replied.

“And she’s just stuck like that… until she’s queen?”

Ninti answered, “Either she ascends, or her body is absorbed by the throne.”

Ayla shivered. I did too.

“Inarus is coming,” she whispered. “And he’s not what I expected.”

“I know.”

“He’s been corrupted,” Ninti explained. “The power of the black diamond, it’soff.”

“He thinks he makes Shades for a noble reason,” I added. “Something about Gloom’s expansion.”

“What should we do?” Ayla asked Ninti.

Her brow wrinkled. “We need to be careful.” She glanced at the door.

Inarus stood at the threshold. He looked at the throne and lifted his arms. His eyes widened with anger.

In one violent thrash, he threw the vial against a wall. The glass broke, and the potion within splattered.

“What is happening?” he roared.

“The rite has begun,” I said. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”

In his other hand, he carried a collar. It was a choker-style necklace made from black ribbon, accented with a central black stone and thin metal chains.

I knew what it was. “What the fuck is that for?”

Collars were a fae good invention, one quickly forbidden. Only someone who knew the dark markets would find one of these—someone who sought absolute control over another.

Ayla didn’t understand, but she followed my lead. Her hands went to her swords, bracing, as Ninti jumped down from her shoulders, transforming into the Firewolf.

“When Eleanor rises, she will be vulnerable,” I explained. “We cannot allow Inarus to place that collar on her—it will give him control over her.”

“I have no choice,” Inarus replied. “For her safety—for everyone’s safety—she must be under my command for the next part of my plan to work.”

I growled. “Your plans usuallyfail.”

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