Master of Shadows by E. A. Copen

Author:E. A. Copen [Copen, E. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
Amazon: B07V2PLJ17
Goodreads: 49561936
Publisher: #PrB.rating#4.53
Published: 2019-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

T he torches stayed lit all through Finn’s shift. He changed places with Declan just as the sky began to brighten from midnight blue to steel blue. Once inside, he curled up in a corner as far away from Foxglove as he could manage and fell asleep.

He dreamt of his days in the tower, his world little more than a series of brick-lined rooms. It hadn’t seemed like a prison then, but that was only because he didn’t know what he was missing. There was a world beyond his tower. Even as a child, he knew that. He just didn’t understand it.

After so many years, his memory of his mother’s face had faded. She existed in Finn’s dreams as a shapeless shadow. He would spend all day smearing paint over a canvas with his fingers and show it to her when she came to visit, but she would never smile. She would just pick him up, carry him to his bed and explain over and over again how he had to stay in his tower. The world outside wasn’t safe. There were people who would want to hurt him.

“But why? What did I do?” he asked.

Then the shadow of a smile would touch her lips and she’d brush some of his hair aside. “Nothing, and that’s the tragedy of it all, isn’t it? We can’t hide from who we are, no matter how much we wish we could.”

He looked at her, blinking sleepy eyes. “What am I supposed to be, mamma?”

She planted a kiss on his forehead, but Foxglove shook him awake before she could answer.

“It’s light,” Foxglove said. “Everyone else is saddled and ready to go.”

Finn inhaled deeply and wished he hadn’t. The farmhouse smelled like death. “I’m up.”

Foxglove nodded and stood.

“Hey, Foxglove? You didn’t tell anyone, did you? What we talked about last night, I mean.”

“Not yet,” said the knight, “but the truth will come out eventually, Finn. It would be better if it came from you and not me. I will tell the queen when we return if you don’t.” He left Finn to get ready.

As Finn secured his pack and finished readying the saddle, he reflected on his dream and tried to determine if it was more memory than a dream. He didn’t recall having that particular conversation with his mother. In fact, he didn’t recall having many conversations with her at all. She wasn’t usually that motherly. If anything, she’d always been distant, some nebulous person he’d never known well. How could he from his room atop the castle’s highest tower?

They rode out in lower spirits than before. The events of the night had worn all of them down. Finn couldn’t stop thinking about what Foxglove had said, that he’d run away when he could’ve saved everyone. Maybe Foxglove was right in principle, but Finn hadn’t known at the time how his powers worked, or that they could even affect the invading creatures. He’d stumbled out of the palace lost and confused just like

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