Page 1 of Celestial Shadows
CHAPTER ONE
CAMBION
Mortal Ruins
“Abedon is awake? How the fuck did that happen?!” Baron snaps.
He paces the floor, causing me to rub my temples in frustration. Though they all may appear civilized, they are far from tame.
Pyre stands as though he’s ready to interfere if the climbing tension gets out of hand. I, too, stand ready to fight beside Baron or Dragan even if Pyre decides to be diplomatic. At least until Theren shakes his head when our gazes meet across the table.
Theren can most likely sense our father now that Elioth is no longer in the Chasm. He leans onto his elbows and folds his hands on the table. “Though I’m not to be as vulgar as Baron, I believe his question is still valid. How exactly has Abedon awakened?”
To my surprise, Variant is the one who speaks. “When Eilish stabbed me with the soul-stealing blade, she did away with the spell Morrigan used to corrupt me. I was able to break free of Morrigan’s control to finally seek retribution against the Midnight Queen.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Dragan snarls through his teeth. He’s still holding his shadow blade at the ready and the look in his eyes is murderous.
Variant doesn’t seem to notice or, if he does, doesn’t appear to care. “It means I killed the Midnight Queen.”
“Is that true?” Dragan says as he faces Silvanus.
“It is,” Silvanus says with a quick nod.
“As if we can trust you or your word,” Baron starts but Variant interrupts.
“Morrigan died by my hand. And that is the truth.” Then he tosses a dagger forged from enchanted ice onto the table. I see Baron flinch and have no doubt he’s reliving the moment of his own death.
“What is this?” Dragan demands.
Variant faces him. “The blade with which I killed Morrigan,” he says.
“No one has responded to the question of why Abedon is awake,” Eilish points out.
Variant looks at her then and something passes between the two of them. Something I struggle to give words to, but it’s something deep, all the same. “When I killed Morrigan, her death weakened the spells holding Abedon captive. The only thing holding him within those walls now is Silvanus’s spells.”
“Abedon has already begun awakening his disciples,” Silvanus ads.
Then he steps in front of Eilish, only to be blocked by Dragan and his gargoyle companion. The illusive god isn’t fettered by this and speaks to Eilish by simply ignoring their presence. “What Variant says is true. Morrigan has been slain and the prophecies are obsolete.” Silvanus waves his hand and casts an illusion in the room. Suddenly we stand at the heart of Variant’s throne room, watching as Variant and Morrigan battle for power.
I look to Variant.
He is my nemesis. He’s the bane of my existence and yet I can’t find the strength to hate him as I once did. My entire being is shaken to its core. I face my brother and he appears weak, pale to the point of worry. As the illusion breaks, I push myself beneath Theren’s arm and help him from the room while the others are distracted. Theren groans in pain as we hobble to his temporary quarters.
None of us have real rooms just yet as the Vindication struggles to find resources.
I lay Theren on his bare bones cot and sit beside him. My magic probes along his body, searching for wounds or signs of lingering hexes. Theren shivers. His eyes open and his golden gaze is shocking in the pale light coming through the window. Theren has the same shade of hair as our father, but his locks are cut short where Elioth wears his in a long braid. If not for the faint features of our mother, Theren would be the spitting image of the former Unseelie King. But as Theren shares Elioth’s appearance and aptitude for forbidden magics, I am the one who inherited our father’s pride and temper.
“What’s on your mind, brother?” Theren croaks.
“We once believed the gods were jesting when the courts appointed us to our destined thrones. You were humble and adventurous, always kind in your actions. I often wondered why you hadn’t been given the gift of light, why I’d become the King of Nature when I could hardly stand being in the forest. I much preferred the palace where I could read my books in the library.”
“And I, the forsaken son of our dark lord, was the one who climbed trees and fell in love with an angel who dwelled in the sacred glade,” my brother chuckles in response. “Though I was the elder, I envied you, Cambion.”
Guilt settles in the gaping wound in my heart. “I swear I was unaware of what Elioth put you through. You were so good at hiding it. All I saw was naive arrogance and youthful rebellion. You endured the weight of his wrath and protected me at every turn. And, in my ignorance, I tattled to father whenever you snuck out of the castle.”
“Maybe so. But if not for your tattling, I would never have met Eilish.” A smile appears on Theren’s face as I work to heal him. “I took one look at her and felt the pull of fate.”
“I wish I could say it was the same for me,” I reply hesitantly. “When Eilish came to me, in hopes of sparing you the trouble of protecting her family, I was... not myself and I saw her as an opportunity more than a person.”
