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Man, I wished I’d seen that twisted monster’s face when he felt the curse get locked away… if he felt it. Obviously, the best option would be if he were completely clueless as to the curse’s demise and we could blindside him when we finally went to take him down.
Then again, we still didn’t know how to actually hurt him. But if Ayla had managed a way to find a way to banish her curse without having to kill the Shrouded Shriek, I was sure she could find a way to obliterate him from existence.
I tried to calm myself, to just enjoy the moment with Ayla and relax, but I couldn’t. After long enough, I gently extricated myself from her hold and began to head downstairs. It was still early, but maybe I could get started on cooking, so we could begin our day on the correct foot.
I was halfway down the stairs when I heard a gentle knock on the door, one so quiet, I wasn’t quite sure it was actually real until I heard it a second time.
Cautious, I crept closer to the door until I could tell who was on the other side, and I was relieved to pick up the familiar smell of Aodin. I couldn’t think of a reason why he’d be at our door before dawn if it weren’t important, so I hurried to open it.
“Ah, you’re awake! I was hoping I wouldn’t disturb you, but I also didn’t want to wait any longer.”
“Did something happen? Do you have news?”
He nodded happily, and my worry abated slightly. I doubted he would be grinning if he were showing up at our door with unhappy tidings.
“Word just got back to me from several Arbiters on the main island that the council has finally agreed to meet with you.”
Once more, I couldn’t believe it. It really felt like our luck had turned around. “That’s incredible. When?”
“Two days from now. They’re eager not to waste any time.”
I didn’t point out that they’d certainly wasted plenty already, as it wouldn’t do any good. Instead, I just let myself enjoy the victory. “When do you want to arrange our travel?”
“That’s the thing. Because of the so-called peace delegation sent from Camdaria, they have opted to covertly meet you here in Blath for a brief conference. Obviously, we want to keep news of them meeting with the fugitive crown prince from getting out as long as possible. We all know it’s inevitable something will eventually leak, but it’s best to be cautious.”
“Yes,” I agreed, feeling like, finally, after so much pain and heartache, things were truly going our way. “That would be for the best.”
Chapter 16
Ayla
When I woke up, I was sure I would emerge into a world where I’d just dreamed up the entire previous day and was still fully locked in the clutches of my curse, stuck with a Malignant Shadow haunting my every step, preying on everyone that I loved.
But when I jolted awake in our bed in Tove’s cottage, I drove my magic inward, scanning myself thoroughly.
Sure enough, I could feel my curse within me, but it was different. It was contained, wrapped up in a part of my magic that’d been twisted into something wicked and with teeth, and it was hungry—oh so hungry.
Hah! Now the curse could see what it felt like to be constantly whittled down, to be endlessly gnawed on.
It wasn’t like it was destroyed yet, and in a way some part of it would always be there, but I was fine with that as long as the shadow didn’t have the ability to seep out and hurt the people around me.
Finally, finally, I didn’t have to worry about killing the man I loved or my best friend, just because I was spending time with them. Well, I didn’t have to worry if it stayed locked up. That was going to be the tricky part.
Yet I was still cautiously optimistic when I waltzed downstairs to meet up with Kai for breakfast. I felt so spoiled that he’d taken to cooking our morning meals, but it was a feeling I wouldn’t mind getting used to. Maybe, after everything was settled with the Shrouded Shriek, his father, and everything else in the world stacked against us, Kai would teach me how to cook.
That was when Kai told me the good news about the council coming in secret to meet in Blath. I figured if they were willing to evoke subterfuge to meet up with Kai, they had to be at least a little interested in what he had to say.
“Is it too soon to say that I feel like things are finally looking up for us?” I mused as Kai finished bringing me up to speed.
“No, I’m getting the same feeling,” my mate said, which filled me with a warmth and ease I wasn’t used to. I was used to having every emotion followed by a deluge of existential dread, but I was growing accustomed to the opposite feeling.
I reached across the table as the two of us interlaced our fingers together, just enjoying a long moment of silence. But it didn’t weight heavily, nor was it filled with apprehension or worry. It was just us. In the moment.
At least we were until someone knocked on our door.
“That’s been happening more and more lately,” Kai said with a smirk. Yet another thing we weren’t used to that was a wonderful preview of everything our life could be if we just had a slice of normalcy to our names.
“I’ll get it,” I said, setting my fork to the side and going to answer it. I wasn’t surprised to see Oren on the other side—I could scent him from the main hall—but I was surprised that he spoke directly to me instead of asking for Kai.
