Page 15 of Crowned By the Shadow
His amber eyes bore into mine, fierce and unwavering. “I’m Sebastian Cira, elder brother to King Xavier of the Sun Court. Your mother was Aravae.”
“Aravae,” I murmured, her name sounding like music in my ears. I didn’t miss Thorn’s sharp intake of breath, though.
“Yes,” he said. “We had dreams of uniting the courts, an alliance that would strengthen all fae against growing threats from within and beyond our realm.” He took a step closer, urgency sharpening his tone. “But when your mother became pregnant with you, our plans were discovered.”
“Discovered?” The word felt heavy on my tongue.
Sebastian nodded grimly. “They thought it was an abomination, a union between two courts that could disrupt the balance of power. They took her from me.” His voice broke slightly as he continued, “When she vanished… I thought I had lost myself as well.”
“What happened?” My chest tightened at his pain.
“I spiraled into madness,” he admitted quietly. “Fenvalur captured me during one of my darker moments after I had felt her…” He paused and pulled himself back from the memory that was trying to swallow him. “When I could no longer feel her life force, or yours, I knew she was forever lost to me, and I thought you were too. That madness held me for years and because of my status they just imprisoned me, kept me here for years. Never putting me out of my misery because I was a noble and my magic wasinteresting.”
“So you’re saying…” My thoughts raced ahead, trying to piece together this shattered truth. “You’re the true king? But why hasn’t anyone else come for you?”
“I was mad. No one, not even me, would want a mad king on the throne of the Sun Court and now…Xavier doesn’t know who I am anymore,” he replied sharply. “The years changed me; Fenvalur ensured that my memories would fracture under pressure.”
I clutched his arm, uncertainty flooding through me like ice water in my veins. “Is there a chance…Do you think my mother is still alive?”
Sebastian hesitated, anguish shadowing his features before he spoke again with deliberate care. “No. I’m sorry. I felt her life force fade in a way that could only happen with death.”
I hadn’t realized how fiercely painful hope could be sometimes, but with Sebastian’s words hanging in the air between us like a blade, I knew I had just crushed the tiny part of my heart that had hoped when I heard him call me daughter that he wasn’t the only one still alive.
Sebastian shook his head slowly. “I am sorry, Senara.”
A low growl echoed down the hall. A guard? My instincts kicked in; urgency sparked through every nerve in my body.
“We can talk later,” I urged him while looking over my shoulder for any signs of danger creeping up behind us.
Thorn emerged from around the corner where he’d been scouting ahead, glancing back at us with narrowed eyes. “We need to move,” he said quietly but firmly.
Sebastian nodded and started walking again; Thorn fell in step beside him while I lingered back just enough to feel some space between us, the truth thrumming in my ears like an untamed heartbeat.
“What now?” Thorn asked once we were far enough from Fenvalur’s chambers.
“Now we head toward the exit.” Sebastian’s voice held steady resolve even amid the chaos surrounding us.
I moved through the shadows of the corridor, the weight of Sebastian’s revelation hanging heavy on my chest. My mind whirled as I grasped at fragments of my past, each one sharper than the last. The Moon Mark glowed faintly against my skin, whispering secrets about who I was meant to be, who I was born to be.
Sebastian turned slightly, his expression a mix of pride and sorrow. “Earlier, what I said…I need to make sure you understand. Senara, You carry the marks of both Sun and Moon Courts. It is a blessing and a curse, but it was a risk we were willing to take for the greater good, we just hadn’t expected not to be around to help you.”
“And they imprisoned you because they thought you were dangerous? Mad?” I pressed, each word a careful step through treacherous ground.
“They feared what I would do to find answers, and if you had somehow survived, they were terrified of what you would become under my influence,” he said simply. “And in doing so, they sought to control me.”
A flicker of anger sparked within me at their thoughtless cruelty. They hadn’t just taken him; they had stolen pieces of my identity along with it.
“Now really isn’t the time for this,” Thorn interjected, his voice steadying me as if he sensed the turmoil swirling inside me. “If we can get out, then we have to get to Wyn and Volker…”
Sebastian nodded gravely. “Once you leave the court grounds, you should be able to use the Veilshard Pendant to travel. It can open paths between our world and others, but we need someone knowledgeable in dark magic to harness its true potential against the Void Dragon Empress.”
“Then we find that person,” I declared, determination seeping into every syllable.
Thorn caught my gaze; his own eyes held an unwavering resolve. “We can’t take unnecessary risks. We don’t know how far Fenvalur’s reach extends or what other threats lie waiting.”
The walls felt closer now as shadows danced around us like specters eager for our misstep. Yet I couldn’t let fear dictate my actions any longer.
“Listen,” I said firmly, turning to Sebastian again. “What do you see when you look into the mirror? You’ve witnessed my past, yes, but what do you foresee?”
