Page 11 of Crowned By the Shadow
Fenvalur recovered quickly, his clinical detachment giving way to undisguised excitement. “Fascinating! The resonance patterns are stronger than I expected. This confirms my theory about bloodline connections.”
“Shut up,” I snarled, keeping my focus on the masked prisoner, who was slowly pushing himself to his knees. “Who are you? What do you know about my mother?”
The prisoner raised his head, and even through the mask, I felt the weight of his gaze. Slowly, with trembling hands, he reached up and removed the silver mask.
“No!” Fenvalur shouted, lunging forward.
But he was too late. The mask fell away, revealing a face that made my heart stop.
He had my eyes. My exact eyes.
The man’s face was gaunt, marked with scars and signs of long suffering, but the resemblance was unmistakable. The same high cheekbones, the same curve of the brow…
“My name,” he said, his voice steadier now, “is Sebastian Cira, rightful king of the Sun Court. And I am your father.”
My knees nearly buckled beneath me. The room seemed to tilt as I stared at the man claiming to be my father. A father I’d never known. The father I’d been told was dead.
“That’s impossible,” I whispered, though the evidence was right before my eyes. Our shared features couldn’t be coincidence.
Sebastian, my father, struggled to his feet, still weak from the chains. “I’ve waited so long to see you,” he said, his voice breaking. “When I felt your presence enter this place, I thought I was hallucinating again.”
Fenvalur’s face had transformed from scientific curiosity to calculating fury. “This reunion is touching, but premature. Subject Five’s delusions have clearly affected you, Senara.”
“Stop calling him that,” I snapped, my mark still pulsing with energy. “His name is Sebastian.”
“And he is a dangerous prisoner,” Fenvalur countered smoothly. “One who attempted to overthrow the Sun Court years ago. A traitor who was sentenced to containment rather than execution only because of his status and unique magical signature.”
Sebastian’s laugh was bitter. “Is that the story they tell now? That I tried to seize power?” He turned to me, his eyes, my eyes, pleading. “I tried to protect your mother. To protect you. When I discovered?—”
“Enough!” Fenvalur’s hand slashed through the air, sending a wave of binding magic toward Sebastian.
Without thinking, I threw myself between them, my mark flaring defensively. The magic dissipated against my shield.
“You will not touch him again,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
Thorn moved to flank Sebastian, his expression grim but determined. “We’re leaving,” he said. “All of us. And we’re taking the Mirror.”
Fenvalur’s face twisted with rage as he realized he was losing control of the situation. His hands moved in complex patterns, summoning a wall of crackling energy between us and the Mirror.
“You have no idea what you’re doing,” he hissed, eyes wild with desperation. “That man is not who you think?—”
I didn’t let him finish. There was no way I was going to trust the man who experimented on me against my will.
My mark blazed across my skin as I channeled its power, sending a blast of moonlight toward him. The force knocked him back against his workbench, scattering papers and vials.
“Thorn, get Sebastian out of here!” I called, keeping my eyes fixed on Fenvalur.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Thorn move swiftly to Sebastian’s side. My father, the word felt strange even in my thoughts, was still weak from what appeared to be years of imprisonment, barely able to stand on his own.
Fenvalur recovered quickly, sending a barrage of energy bolts toward me. I dodged, rolling behind a cabinet as the magic scorched the floor where I’d stood.
“You were always my most promising subject,” he called, his voice eerily calm despite the violence of his attacks. “You can be again. I would even be willing to father a child with you to restore you to the good graces of the Moon Court.”
The thought of being his experiment again, of carrying a child he forced on me, made my blood boil and my stomach turn. I emerged from cover, my hands weaving a counter-spell I’dlearned from Wyn. The moonlight from my mark coalesced into a shimmering shield.
Behind me, I heard the sounds of struggle as Thorn fought to free Sebastian from the remaining magical restraints. The clang of metal and grunts of exertion told me he was facing resistance, likely automated defensive spells Fenvalur had placed on his prisoner.
“The Mirror!” Sebastian’s voice rasped behind me. “It’s our only chance. Use it against him!”
