Prince of Blood and Shadow
I. Chapter 12

Keira was ready to pound him with every question she’d had since her capture. Vayne’s secrets, his motives for taking her, and her brother’s whereabouts consumed her thoughts. It seemed that someone else had already given him a thorough questioning, judging by the cuts on his cheek and his swollen lip. Her father had stopped her when she tried to question him. She stood, dagger in hand, a reminder of the ease with which she could end his life. “He won’t give up anything,” a woman spoke beside Keira, gripping Rurik’s shoulder. Inias recognized the voice under the cloak, the woman who corrected him about the statue. “I tracked that shadow back to you.” Varen stood from his seat to approach Rurik.

Styx growled beside Inias, causing Rurik to flinch. “Aw, he remembers you!” Inias teased from his seat, patting Styx, “How’d he taste, buddy?” Styx turned to Inias and licked his lips with a cheerful smile. Although he should have, he had not even considered suspecting Rurik, given how close those two had been. “He was talking to you,” Inias realized. He had heard the conversation through Styx’s ears. If that shadow was a familiar it was likely doing the same for Rurik.

Inias stood to his feet. They didn’t have time to torture it out of him. Sylvis would recover, and he’d team up with Caelan to hunt them down. “So what? We wait for him to summon it again? He’ll just wait us out,” Rurik looked to Inias with a knowing smile. They needed him alive if they were to lure the shadow out. “And I doubt her brother has the time.” Rurik chuckled even as Keira’s boot in her stomach caused him to cough and gag.

“So, he’s alive,” Varen calmly smiled at the boy and brushed his elegant, wavy hair now caked in dirt aside to look into his eyes. “Would’ve been a waste to kill him-.” The boy snapped his lips shut and looked away before he could say more, but Varen gripped his chin and forced their eyes to meet. Rurik seemed caught in Varen’s gaze as fear covered his face. Something about the way Varen’s silver eyes glowed made Inias uncomfortable. Keira, already aware, looked away to avoid it.

“What’s he doing?” Inias whispered to Keira, who pressed a finger to her lips, shushing him. “He needs to concentrate.” She whispered back, watching as Rurik’s face continued to twist into a horrified expression. “Where is my son?” Varen pressed him again as Rurik tried to jerk his face away. In a hoarse voice, Rurik forced out, “C-crescent… Arcana...” as foam started forming around his lips. He coughed it up, but Varen’s grip kept him from falling. “The shadow!” Varen reminded Inias as Rurik began coughing up more violently onto the patio.

Inias, Keira, and Styx looked at every surface around them. The fox yipped and growled at the floor where it lay stretched from Rurik’s body. The setting sun’s light illuminated it as it stretched far across the floor. Its head stood straight on the ruby wall across from them, staring at them. Instead of the wavy shadow of Rurik’s hair. Inias saw the fedora hat. “Great, how do we-.” Inias reached out to grab it, but it faded away as Rurik’s body crumbled to the floor.

Varen stepped away from the body, wiping his hands with a white silk cloth. “It fades with its caster,” He explained as the two hooded guards dragged the corpse away. “Hoped he’d last longer.” Those silver eyes drifted to where the shadow had once laid, frowning. “Crescent Arcana, is that a place?” Keira asked, poking her father’s arm to get his attention. “Let’s go, the three of us, while you inform the King. We know enough now; they can form rescue parties and-.”

“It’s not a place, it’s a syndicate,” Varen interrupted her with a stern gaze as he continued to clean his hands free of blood and foam. He passed the cloth to one of the silk robed servants and instructed them to have that foam examined. “And I’m not sure his majesty is ready to listen. This isn’t about his brother or Vayne. He’s a purist, believes the remnants of demon blood in our veins curses us and the kingdom.”

Inias wanted to defend his uncle, but he couldn’t deny it. Ivaran had often associated Inias’ violent and mischievous antics with those blood-red eyes and fangs. He had the look of a demon. Of course, he was prone to deviancy. “Yeah, Ivaran’s a prick. Can we get back to this syndicate now?” Inias demanded, receiving a glare from the elder as he stepped into his path. There was no time to debate politics while Vestin and possibly Ashryn were with some syndicate. “More importantly, how we replace them?” Had that attack been staged to capture him and his father? Or whoever they could snatch in the chaos?

“Are you itching to avenge your father, Nightfang?” Varen asked, echoing Inias’ exact thoughts in that moment. He walked past Inias, Keira following to stand beside him as he sat down. “We have to go! Vestin’s alive! Let’s go!” She shook his chair, only stopping when Varen gripped her arm. “You’re staying here!” He ordered with a growl and shoved her away. Keira groaned as her back hit the floor, glaring up at her father. He reached out to help her up, “I’m sorry,” He whispered and brushed a kiss against her forehead. “It’s okay I miss him too,” Keira whispered as her arms circled around her father.

As the two embraced, Inias only grew more impatient, his fingers curled into fists by his side, and he rolled his eyes. “Sylvis, Caelan, the royal army, all of them are after us!” He shouted more loudly than he intended. Varen threw him another glare as Keira slipped out of her father’s arms. “And yes, I am itching to avenge my father,” Inias answered, moving the chair aside as he approached Varen, “Let’s not forget, I am your prince. Tell me where to replace this syndicate now!” His voice rose, but Lord Varen remained calm, rolling his eyes as he fixed his chair.

“You’ve been declared an enemy of the kingdom,” Varen scoffed as he returned to his seat. “If you hadn’t rescued my daughter, I’d have left you in those woods.” Was he ever not an enemy? His uncle had driven into him what a monster he was. What did they expect him to become?

“Then I’m disposable. I’ll replace Vestin myself. What do you have to lose?” Varen seemed to consider Inias’ offer, but Keira quickly interjected, “I’m not staying here!” She told them as she looked to Inias, then her father. Varen looked from his daughter to Inias, where his eyes lingered. Inias had to look away, fearing he might get trapped like Rurik.

“My lord!” A loud cry echoed from within the manor as the doors burst open. One of the silk robed men fell to his knees breathing heavily as one guard brought him a cup of water. “They’ve breached out wards on the west side, my lord!” He cried again once he could catch his breath and have a drink. “Sylvis or Caelan?” Inias asked, bringing a hand to the blade at his side. The servant shook his head as Keira helped pull him to his feet. “Redcaps, your highness dozens, a hundred, we can’t be sure. But they’re headed for the manor.”