Shattered Souls (Guardians of the Maiden Book 3)

The land of Hermon was beautiful, with breathtaking mountain ranges that made Rawn want to weep when he first saw them. He never thought he’d see a Celestial Realm in his lifetime, and had wished to paint the view of it for his wife. But every hour he spent here diminished that wonder with each hissing whisper floating through the castle. Such dreadful bigotry the purebloods spoke of each other were like nails in his ears. The only thing that helped muffled the voices, was standing outside with the rush of the wind.

“I need you both to be my ears tonight,” Cassiel said.

Rawn glanced over his shoulder from the balcony. The prince stood before his floor length mirror as his valets dressed him in navy robes for tonight’s banquet. The intimidating glower he wore in the war room had been traded for a grimace of worry.

“Take everything you heard this morning very seriously.”

“Was she threatened again?” Zev asked, his voice bordering on a growl. He’d been washed and shaven, against his will, if asked. He constantly tugged at the collar of his dark gray tunic. The lavish fabric must feel strange and too delicate for his rough skin and claws.

“Not outright,” Cassiel frowned. “But I don’t trust the Lords. And I don’t trust Malakel. I cannot help feeling on edge.”

From the whispers Rawn had been catching all day, the concern was valid. An icy gust blew against him, fluttering the ends of his formal, olive-colored jacket.

“Lucenna is keeping guard,” Zev said, “Not to mention the Valkyrie.”

Cassiel rubbed the tension gathering on his face. “This must all be a lot for Dyna. I did not have a moment to find her afterwards before Madam Kahna cornered me.”

Rawn and Zev had caught up with him when the stewardess made him sit through a short lesson on the Bonding Rites. He looked a little green.

Zev smirked. “Are you going to be sick? You look more frightened of the rites than facing off with your people.”

Cassiel glared at him as one of the valets placed a silver circlet on his head. “Addressing parliament is not the same as cutting out a piece of my rib and burning the bone to make sacred paint. Did you miss that part?”

Zev scrunched his face. “Your customs are strange.”

“No, they are different,” Rawn corrected as he reentered the room. He offered the valets an apologetic smile when they glowered at Zev. “I find taking a piece of the rib closest to the heart sets the moral principle of marriage. To sacrifice one’s flesh signifies loving your mate and protecting her as your body and soul. The act of the vows is performed in such a way that visibility displays this promise of love and unity. It’s a beautiful tradition.”

Rawn looked outside again, at the endless horizon in the south where he had left a piece of himself behind. The elves had different traditions when it came to marriage, but they held the same meaning. He bound himself to his wife, and every part of his being craved to return to her.

“Thank you, Aaron,” Cassiel told the male with blueish-gray wings. In the light, they sometimes turned an iridescent green. The other two were twins with matching brown hair and feathers. They excused themselves and left the room.

Cassiel frowned at himself in the mirror. “I don’t know if I did the right thing today. Now I fear I might have placed a target on Dyna’s back.”

“You mean because of the rumors?” Zev asked.

Rawn had caught the whispers in the alcoves and secret corners. While the castle residents were taken back by his human mate, the main topic of discussion was Cassiel’s ability to freely wield Seraph fire. Only one person has ever had that ability and they were convinced it meant his return.

“They are calling you the reincarnation of King Kāhssiel,” Rawn said.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Cassiel rolled his eyes. “It’s all court blather.”

It must not be the first time he had to endure gossipmongering, but Rawn had seen how damaging it could be at court. It could easily tarnish a reputation to the point of losing everything. He had gone through the same with his wife. But they had made it work—until he was forced to leave her. Being here was reminding him of too many things he rather forget.

“Your enemies will use what they can to disparage your position in hopes of removing you,” Rawn said. “But you did right to defend Lady Dynalya. She is your wife, and the Realms must know it. You are overwhelmed, understandably. This is a new responsibility over your heads, and your support is marginal, but this is where you begin to build your life.”

He could see Cassiel’s worry. Heard it in his irregular breathing, the shift of his feet, and his elevated heart rate. Zev had to hear it, too. His worried gaze flickered to Rawn.

“We will protect her, Prince Cassiel. Enjoy your evening with Lady Dynalya. Zev and I will be watching and listening.”

Zev nodded, crossing his arms.

“Thank you.” Cassiel sighed and rubbed his face. “I confess, I don’t exactly know what I’m doing.”

“At this moment your position is vulnerable as you transition into your new station as Lord,” Rawn told him. “You must establish power and find backing from the other nobles. Preferably without coercion.”

Cassiel winced. They had yet to really discuss what happened in the war room, but Rawn felt a sense of trepidation. Cassiel’s power was growing exponentially in a way that made him dangerous, and he had revealed that to a crowd full of nobles with their own objectives. Instead of helping their cause, they may have made it worse.

This could end very badly.

“Can he do that in three days?” Zev asked. “This place makes my wolf antsy. The sooner we can go, the better.”

Rawn had to agree. He was impatient to leave, now more than ever. Winter was imminent. A chill lingered in the air, and he sensed the approaching snowfall. His worry spiked at the thought of being stuck in Azure until winter ended.

He laid a hand over his front pocket where he felt the last letter he wrote to his wife.

The chance to mail it to her hadn’t arrived yet, and there would be none until they crossed Troll Bridge. He had never missed a month of sending her a letter. She might fear him dead. Merely thinking of how his wife was handling it formed a knot form in his throat.

He had spent too much time away from home. Every day out here kept him from it. He felt himself wearing down under a growing desperation to see his family again.

Cassiel nodded. “As soon as Dyna and I are wed, we go. I already informed my uncle that I require a year before officially taking his place.”

That settled Rawn and he tucked away his frustration. He could withstand a few more days.

But would they allow him to leave? Lord Jophiel knew about their plans for Mount Ida, and he surely passed on that news to the High King. What did Cassiel’s father think of all this?

On their way to the main hall, other Celestials and servants passed them in the corridors. They either stared at their prince or quickly walked past. Cassiel ignored it. He strode purposefully through the halls, his expression perfectly stoic and indifferent. Either he was practiced at pretending not to care, or he truly didn’t.

Their faint whispers drifting in the halls filled Rawn’s ears in a constant hum.

“…bonded with a human…”

“…wields Seraph fire…”

“…rotten black heart…”

“…the first king has returned…”

There were conflicting opinions about who the first king was. Some seemed to hold King Kāhssiel in esteem, but all of their tones held a connotation that indicated there was some dark history behind it.

“She will soon die,” a male voice hissed faintly. “We will wait for the right moment.”

Rawn and Zev whipped around in the direction of the voice, but saw no one in the empty corridor. Rawn listened carefully past the sound of their beating hearts and breathing, reaching for the barest whisper. Zev’s eyes bled to yellow, and his claws extended.

“What is it?” Cassiel asked warily.

“A threat,” he growled under his breath.

Rawn reached for his sword as footsteps drew closer from an opposing hall leading into the corridor. The last person he expected was Lady Sarrai. She came around the corner with Lord Gadriel at her side. Both froze at the sight of them. Though it may have been due to the way Rawn and Zev looked posed to attack.

“Lady Sarrai,” Cassiel greeted, his measured manner, indicating they should stand down. “Lord Gadriel. Are you joining us for dinner this evening?”

Rawn and Zev straightened.

Lady Sarrai composed her expression and only acknowledged Cassiel. “It’s the first day of the festival,” she answered with a gentle smile. “You know it’s my favorite.”

Lord Gadriel, however, continued studying them through cold eyes. Rawn read the tension of his body, but he was not interested in any confrontation. “Don’t dally here,” he told her curtly as he stepped back.

Rawn couldn’t be certain if he was the one who spoke, but it seemed likely. The lord headed for an opening in the banister with nothing but open air over the mountain. His massive wings extended and he leaped into the sky.

“Walk with me?” Lady Sarrai asked.

“Of course.” Cassiel took her extended hand and placed it on his curved arm as he escorted her.

Rawn nodded for Zev to wait a pause and let them walk several steps ahead. Enough for an illusion of privacy, though he was listening very carefully to her voice and heartrate. There was no mistaking what he had heard.

“I have been meaning to speak to you,” Cassiel said. “To apologize for how you came to learn of my bonded. It seems gossip has a way of getting ahead of me before I have the chance to properly explain myself.”

“They are saying she enchanted you into marrying her.”

Cassiel hummed. “Don’t tell me you believe in such things.”

“Are you with her of your own free will?”

“I am.”

They stopped a short distance from the banquet hall teaming with a medley of voices. At the sound of soft footsteps, Rawn noticed Lady Dyna coming down an opposite corridor behind Sarrai, accompanied by Lucenna and two Valkyrie warriors.

She paused at the sight of them together and lingered back.

“If that is so, then why did you bond so suddenly without the proper rites and your father’s permission? Without acknowledgement of the court?” Sarrai asked.

Rawn caught Zev grimace beside him.

“I regret the way our bonding was done,” Cassiel said, holding Dyna’s gaze past Sarrai’s shoulder. “For I wish I could have properly courted her in the way she deserved. But in any other fate, the end result would have been the same. She is who I choose. It was not due to enchantments or any outlandish schemes. She simply saw me for who I was rather than what I was made to believe. And that was enough.”

So many emotions crossed Lady Dyna’s face, and all of them made Rawn secretly smile. Whatever misgivings she may have had or feared of the other woman evaporated in that instant.

“I see…”

Cassiel’s gaze dropped back to Lady Sarrai.

“Your eyes.” She smiled in a way that looked a little sad. “They once bore trapped stars, but now they are shining in someone else’s sky.”

Lady Sarrai bowed to him in a curtsey and glided into the banquet. A simple ending to an engagement that didn’t fully take root. But Rawn couldn’t forget she may not be as innocent as she appeared.

“Prince Cassiel—”

Cassiel shook his head. “Whatever you heard, tell me later,” he said under his breath. “I’m sure you will hear more tonight.”

Rawn read the request in his expression. He didn’t want his mate to worry, so he was keeping this from her.

Cassiel went to Dyna and pulled her into a recessed alcove in the corridor, partially hidden by a column. They said nothing, only had their foreheads pressed together. Most likely speaking to each other in private.

Rawn and Zev gave them space and joined Lucenna by the entryway. Her lilac gown flowed freely around her legs with each step, attached by the fabric of braided satin around her neck. Her silvery white hair was woven in elaborate design that pulled it away from her face.

She let out a huff of air. “It’s starting to seem like we have enemies everywhere, don’t we?”

“We may know of one,” Zev growled. “Lord Gadriel might be planning to go after Dyna.”

Lucenna’s mouth curled. “I knew I didn’t like him.”

“As uncle of Lady Sarrai, he stands to lose sway here,” Rawn said quietly.

“No wonder he was angry she wouldn’t become Lady of Hermon Ridge,” Lucenna whispered back. “Nobles are all the same. They only care about power and will do nearly anything to keep it.”

Rawn had dealt with his fair share of that in his youth and was glad it was over. “Zev and I will monitor the banqueting room as we keep an eye on Lord Gadriel.”

“And anyone else who may be trouble,” Zev added. “You make sure to stay by Dyna’s side tonight.”

Lucenna nodded, and they ended their discussion when Cassiel and Dyna rejoined them hand in hand. Her gown was a dark shade of sapphire, flowing around her in soft waves of tulle and satin. The bodice was embroidered with silver flowers and leaves, each centered with pearls, glittering with every turn she took. Her shoulders and back were left bare, with puffed sleeves hanging low on her arms.

“Lady Dyna, you look lovely,” Rawn said with a gallant bow.

Zev grinned and did the same. “Like royalty.”

“Stop teasing me, Zev.” Dyna flushed. “Merely tell me I look absurd.”

“Nothing about you is short of divine.” Cassiel tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “Shall we?”

It brought a shy smile to her lips and she nodded. Rawn was happy to see it, if not a little forlorn. It reminded him of what he had been missing for the last twenty years.

“So, Cassiel,” Lucenna commented casually as he led them for the hall. “I heard about certain activities that involve paint.”

He stayed facing forward but the back of his neck turned bright red, matching the color rising to Dyna’s cheeks. “Piss off, Lucenna.”

“What?” She snickered. “I think it will make for a most exciting first night together.”

“I don’t want to hear about this,” Zev grumbled.

The sorceress let her teasing fall away as they entered the great hall. It was full of Celestials from every Realm. Each wall bore a tapestry displaying their sigil and colors. Rawn’s senses were immediately overwhelmed with smells and sounds as voices flooded his ears in droves. Picking out any sign of danger was going to try his abilities tonight.