Fallen Shadows by Raven More

Author:Raven More [More, Raven]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Flyaway Publishing
Published: 2024-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-SIX

ELARA

I shoot up from the chair, my heart hammering with betrayal and disbelief. Torin's words, they reek of envy. Varek had been right—Torin wants me for himself. "You accuse of witchcraft, yet that is forbidden. You're just trying to delay me," I accuse, my voice sharp with rising panic.

"No, it's not a trick but the will of the Elders that guides Varek," Torin insists, setting the fire poker aside and fixing me with a look of imploring softness. "Please, just listen. If you still don't believe me after, I won't stop you."

I want to bolt for the door, to escape the tangle of lies and manipulation. Yet I know he won't let me leave easily. I could be detained, and then my night with Varek would dissolve into nothing. If I stay, perhaps Torin will hold to his word. "Fine," I relent, the word like ash on my tongue.

He gestures to a chair, his favorite, the scent of aged leather enveloping me as I sit.

"Do you recall the night Alden fell ill, how you sought Varek out?"

The memory of my brother's pale, still form surges up, and I shove it away. It's too painful to linger on. "Yes, of course."

Torin's voice is a torrent now. "That night, a woman was sent to Varek, a 'gift' as they say, for warriors destined to win his affection for life. But why that evening? You had bested him; he should have been shamed, not rewarded."

A chill creeps into my core, a darkness that begins to spread. "That doesn't explain why you think the Elders control Varek's affections."

He takes my hand, his grasp too intimate, too familiar. "I heard the Apprentice report back after your arrest. The Elders had greater plans for that woman than just one night. They wanted her bound to Varek for life."

The shadow within me turns ice cold. "Marriage? That's forbidden. You're wrong."

Torin's forehead creases with concern. "Varek's focus in the Pit had been slipping, he'd been dreaming of marriage, a notion forbidden to him. The intended plan would sate his trouble and once he lay with her, the Elders would garner more control of him through his love for their gift."

I shake his hand off and straighten my dress, a futile attempt at composure. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Don't you see? That woman was meant for Varek; you got in the way."

Then why didn't Varek fall in love with her?" I press, my heart hammering against my ribcage, a mix of fear and desperation churning in my gut.

"He sent her away before she could seal her enchantment with him. Before they lay together," Torin murmurs, his hand sweeping across his forehead, a troubled expression shadowing his face. "Instead, it was you who captivated him."

"We didn’t—" I start to object, but the truth is as stark as the full moon on a clear night.

"I know what you claim, but Varek found something in your presence. Once the two of you connected... the Elders' intentions were thwarted."

Darkness seeps into my veins, cold and all-consuming.

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