I throw back my head and howl.
Finally, when I have myself under control, I get to my feet and head back to the house.
I need to talk with the Crone. Hecate. My mind reels at the implications. Hecate is a figure from our legends. She must be as old as my father. She certainly spoke as if she knew him.
As I approach the house, the door opens, and she steps out, her gaze settling on me. She nods. “Prince.”
I hate the way she says that, her tone dripping with scorn.
“Tell me about Khendril,” I say.
“What do you wish to know?”
“Sixteen years ago, he left without a word. I never heard from him again until that final message. Why?”
“Because I asked him to.”
I grit my teeth. “Tell me why. I need to understand.”
“Maybe he got fed up with being a second-class citizen, expected to do your father’s dirty work.”
“The guardians keep the worlds safe. They protect everyone.” But even as I speak the words, doubts form in my mind. I’ve started to question the role of the guardians and the way they are treated. But my father will not countenance any change.
“The guardians are nothing but slaves,” she snaps. “Bred to do your father’s bidding.” Then she sighs. “Khendril left his post because I told him a truth. A truth that has been shrouded in lies for so long that the lies have become reality.”
“And he believed you?”
“Oh yes, I can be very convincing, and I needed his help. And that of the others who came with him. He selected them himself.” A look of sadness flickers across her face. “They’re all dead now. They were good men.”
“Could he be imprisoned somewhere, unable to get back?” I ask. “Are you sure he’s dead?”
“I’m sure. He wouldn’t have sent Amber to you if there had been any other option. If he’d had any hope of surviving. No, he’s dead.”
“My brother died for her. Help me understand,” I say. “Who is she that Khendril would give his life for her?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Then what can you tell me?” I snarl.
She considers me for a minute. “I will tell you a truth that may make you look at your world a little differently.”
“The same truth you told Khendril?”
“Partly.” She purses her lips as she studies me. “What do you know of the shadowguard?”
“They are Lucifer’s army. Made in Hell to fight the guardians.”
“And their origins?”
I frown. “Some sort of demon spawn.”
She snorts. “The guardians are half-breeds, half Astrali, half human. They have the ability to shift but—”
“I know this. Why are you giving me a lesson in things I already know?”
“Patience, prince. They were denied the right to immortality, which your father could have granted them.”
“That’s not possible.”
