I Am Ruined (TDA Lord of Shadows Sequel)

[ XXXV ] Reconnecting

Kieran was frozen in place, staring at his brother who was leaning on the outcropping of rock. Adaon had a cloak on, the hood pushed back to reveal his dark skin and glittering eyes. The cloak had the sigil of the Unseelie Court stamped on it; a golden crown broken in two.

"I believe the report of Nephilim in the Seelie Court is among your doing as well?" His voice was not angry, more intrigued. Kieran said nothing, no one did, just as Adaon had expected. He continued, "How, then, is it that you find yourself among three Shadowhunters far from the transmission and yet you were not detected?"

No one knew what to say, Adaon was one of the King's favorite sons, Cristina remembered as much. He was also less cruel than his siblings in regard to Kieran. But how far his loyalty to the King went, she did not know so she remained silent. Kieran answered with a question of his own, "What are you doing here, Adaon?"

"I was travelling with father to respond to the threat. Along with Cassius and Asier. He has a plan, which I assume you intend to learn since you are sneaking about in his court." Kieran blanched at the name of his brothers. "The Scouts are so enthralled at the thought of bloodshed, they could not sense the blood of the Angels nearby, but I could. I slipped away, no doubt going unnoticed. The King has lost interest in me after I showed you mercy." He spat the word King like it was poison in his mouth.

"Do you plan to turn us in?" Kieran spoke, his voice cold to his own ears.

The prince laughed, bright white teeth glittering in the dim moonlight, "Turn you in? So that he may torture you again? That would hardly be of use to me considering I defied father in order to protect you. I have not told father about Erec, so why would I risk all of that only to give you over to him now?"

His eyebrows were furrowed now, "Then why are you here?"

"Remember what you once said to me, little dark one?"

Kieran's mind went back to the last time he saw Adaon, after he killed Erec to protect Cristina. His brother's gaze brushed over her now, recognition flashing in his eyes, before snapping back to Kieran's as he answered, "That you would not make a move against the King, no matter how much you despised him. No matter the pain he caused others in his tyrannical rule."

He nodded, "I knew in that moment, you were planning. Plotting. Involved in some mess of sorts."

"And I presume you are here to stop me?" Kieran's hair was dark, voice sharp.

But his brother did not blanch, the corner of his mouth ticked upward, "No. No, brother, I'm here to listen. I want to hear your plan."

***

Jace had taken to checking the perimeter, wandering the edge of the clearing to make sure there were to be no surprises. Ash was fast asleep on the grass in the field, gloved hands folded across his chest. They had offered him a jacket but he claimed the nature of faerie would be more than enough to soothe him. Whatever that meant. Emma's mind was more focused on control now, sitting with her back against a stone and twisting a piece of grass between her fingers. Julian was sitting not too far away, his eyes trained up at the sky as he nibbled on some of the Adylade berries he and Ash had collected. They were delicious, sweet juice that almost felt carbonated. She was picking at pieces of grass before throwing them down, trying to keep her mind distracted – keep it from wandering to Julian. She felt her gaze slip over to him and marveled at how beautiful he was. He almost seemed to glow in the starlight. She realized with a start that her fingers had stilled and she was staring at him when his eyes met hers. Without a word, he got up and came to sit down next to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes, although the time seemed to stretch on to her. Desperate to break the tension, she looked up at the sky.

"The stars really are breathtaking." The words cut through the silence, her voice shaky.

Although her eyes were still trained at the sky, she could feel Julian's dark gaze on her as he spoke breathily, "Truly breathtaking."

A wave of desire rippled through her, her brown eyes meeting his. The stars were reflecting in them, lighting the Blackthorn blue with new colors – purple, red, gold. He was watching her, gaze flicking between her eyes and lips. She didn't dare lean in, her fingertips pushed into the earth beneath her, anchoring her to reality. They couldn't do this; they had already tested the curse too much. And yet, she felt as if she had no control of her body. She was saved from the situation when a bright light flashed in the field and two figures popped into existence.

***

Kit and Ty appeared in a massive clearing under the night sky of Faerie. It was beautiful, something Kit had never imagined he'd ever see in his life. The stars were the colors of rare gems he had seen at the Shadow Market, their dust sprinkled over a black canvas. The awe was short-lived as he saw Ty's brother and Emma on their feet, anger burning in Julian's eyes.

"Christopher and Tiberius. What in the name of the Angel are you doing here?!" He was striding over towards them, his hands braced on either side of Ty's shoulders. His grip was firm, but not too hard. Even in his frenzied state, he was careful with his younger brother. "Why are you here in Faerie?!"

Ty was looking over at Emma who was standing pale-faced behind Jules, and a semi-familiar face sitting up drowsily. His mind started racing at the sight of him. "What is he doing here?!"

Jules pulled back and shook his head, brown waves brushing the tops of his eyebrows, "You didn't answer my question, why are you here?"

Ty looked at his brother, but he couldn't form words. He was overwhelmed; the brightly colored stars of faerie, the sound of distant music through the trees, all of his senses were overloaded. Kit answered in his place, "We needed to tell you something. The Riders of Mannan - they are coming. They are with the King."

At this, Ash's sleep-addled eyes cleared and Emma exhaled a breath. Julian dropped his hands, looking back to Emma, "They're coming. We should have known, we should have expected it!" Julian shot his hand out, punching one of the rocks. Emma winced, holding her own fist to her chest as Jace came running up the slight hill.

His sprint slowed to a jog as he approached, "Christopher? Ty? What are you two doing here? I thought something bad happened."

"This is something bad, you two aren't supposed to be here! It's too dangerous!" Julian exclaimed, very obviously trying to keep a leash on his anger.

"The riders are coming, Jace." Emma breathed, "We don't have runes. We aren't prepared to face the riders and the King."

The glade was filled with tension and silence, fear hanging in the cool air until a small pop sounded. The Shadowhunters jumped, but Ash simply ducked down and picked up a small acorn with a gloved hand. All eyes were trained on him, knowing what that meant. One of the Seelie Scouts had detected something. They all waited as Ash opened the small message and read it.

"Bronn has detected Unseelie Knights in the woods just a few miles southwest of our location." Ash spoke clearly, "The King is not with them. They must have split up."

"Well we should go deal with them while they are separated. Gives us a better chance of defeating them if they come in small groups." Jace nodded, already wielding a shortsword; dark metal gleaming under the night sky.

Ash smiled, something that they had not seen yet. It was not cruel or vicious, simply eager. Something so uncharacteristic of Sebastian. "So we shall."

Kit and Ty exchanged a glance before he looked at the faerie boy in front of him. "Are you still not going to tell us what he is doing here?"