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“Would I ally myself with another cruel king after defecting from another?” Karn asked the crowd, his tone sure and his charisma suddenly turned up to the max. “No. I have seen what the Thief King is capable of. What he plans to do. You all have seen what hehasdone in the name of power and expansion, and he will not stop, no matter how many innocent lives are lost. Our people are suffering for his cruelty.”
Mrak took my hand in his again and began making his way for the interior of the palace. His jaw was locked hard, the muscles of his forearm tense as we walked.
“Mrak…”
He growled deep in his chest, the sound of it reverberating through me. “Karn will handle it. I knew my people wouldn’t be quick to forgive.”
I frowned. “I wish they could see what I see.”
“Me too,” Mrak said. “I will make them accept us.Bothof us, as king and queen.”
Heir. Karn had said Mrak could give them an heir through me. My legs shook, weakening to jelly, as my mind focused in one that one word. I squeezed Mrak’s hand to keep myself anchored to this moment.
Could a human carry a shadow demon child?
Was that even what I wanted?
We’djustgotten to Kithonia. I’d thought I’d died in Cassius’s manor. That all of those innocent victims had. And now Karn was talking about building political stability with achild.
“Aisling,” Mrak said after a few moments of silence. “We must go and let Karn handle this.”
I hadn’t realized I’d stopped walking. Every moment since waking in Kithonia had been a whirlwind. I wasn’t sure I could handle another surprise or change.
I took a few steps to follow Mrak, my legs still shaky. “Sorry. I’ll follow your lead.”
“Are you all right?” Mrak asked.
I nodded weakly. “Tired.”
“Come.” Mrak’s brow twisted with concern as he led me away.
“Our people aredyingto the Thief King’s agenda,” Karn continued as we walked. “Our Dark King has returned to save us all from this end, with compassion and understanding, and the benefit of immense time passed, which has given him wisdom. Let us allow him this chance for redemption—and revenge.”
Karn’s words echoed as we retreated through the front doors to the palace. No matter what I thought of him, Karnwasgood with words. And if Mrak thought he was also a good advisor, who was I to judge at this point?
We continued through corridor after corridor, all the way back to my chambers before Mrak and I spoke again. He shut the door behind us, silence falling at last.
Mrak studied me closely with his six crimson eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I pressed a hand to my suddenly warm forehead. “I think so. That was a lot.”
His lips pressed together into a thin line. “You need to sit down.”
“I need the world to stop shifting,” I argued. Earth to Kithonia. One ethereal shadow demon to dozens in flesh and blood and shadow.
“I had hoped for a slower introduction to my world,” Mrak said as he led me to my bed. We sat on the side of it, my feet dangling and not hitting the floor. He reached for a nearby glass of water and handed it to me. “I shouldn’t have brought you with me to meet the refugees.”
I gratefully accepted the water and gulped it down. Which I shouldn’t have done because my stomach immediately revolted. I managed to not vomit, though the wave of nausea sent my vision spinning. I grabbed Mrak’s leg to hold me in place, only to watch concern pass over his features again.
“Aisling—”
“I’mfine,” I insisted. I was not in any way fine. But having him doting over me was just as annoying with him really here as it had been when he’d just been an ethereal monster following me around. “I think my body’s just adjusting.”
“To Kithonia?”
“And life.” I swallowed hard before lifting my gaze to him, unsure of how to broach the subject. “I think I was dead, at least for a few seconds. My magic…Yourmagic… consumed me.”
Mrak’s gazed dropped a fraction. “Yes. But you reemerged stronger, my Shadow Fire.”
