"According to the old laws of Shadowmere, a wife shares her husband's fate. If I die, you die. If I'm exiled, you're exiled. And if someone wants to hurt me..." He trailed off, but I understood.
"They'll hurt me instead."
"Yes."
I pulled my knees to my chest, trying to process this. "So I'm not just married to you. I'm a target. A liability. A weapon to be used against you."
"I won't let anyone hurt you," Kael said fiercely. "I promise you that. Whatever my father plans, whatever my brothers try, I will keep you safe."
"How? You said it yourself you can't always control your curse. And if there are more of those shadow beasts"
"There will be more. They're drawn to powerful magic, and Shadowmere has magic in its very stones." He looked at me seriously. "But I'm not the only one with power in my kingdom. There are others who can help. Who will help, if I ask them."
"Why would they help me?"
"Because you're my wife. And because..." He hesitated. "Because there are people in Shadowmere who are tired of my father's rule. Tired of the paranoia, the cruelty, the constant fear. They see me as a potential ally. And now, by extension, they'll see you that way too."
"So I'm not just a weakness. I'm also a political tool."
"In Shadowmere, everything is political," Kael said. "Every word, every action, every relationship. You'll need to learn that quickly if you want to survive."
I thought about my life back in Eldoria. About how I'd always felt like a pawn, a piece to be moved around on my father's game board. I'd thought marriage would be different. Maybe, in some small way, I'd finally have some control over my own life.
How naive I'd been.
"I'm tired of being a tool," I said quietly. "Tired of being used. First by my father, now by your father, by your brothers, by everyone who wants something from you."
"Then don't be a tool." Kael's voice was sharp. "Be a player instead."
I looked at him. "What?"
You're smart, Elara. I can see it. You question things, think things through. You don't just accept what you're told." He leaned forward slightly. "In Shadowmere, that's a dangerous trait. But it's also a powerful one. If you learn how the game is played, if you make your own alliances, gather your own information... you could be more than just my wife. You could be a force in your own right."
"I don't know how to play political games."
"Then I'll teach you." His gray eyes were intense. "I'll teach you everything I know about survival in Shadowmere. About magic, curses, court politics, everything. And in return…"
"In return?"
"You watch my back. Trust me when I tell you something is dangerous. Be my eyes and ears in places I can't go." He held out his hand. "We help each other. Partners, not just husband and wife. Deal?"
I stared at his outstretched hand. It was still marked with those black veins from absorbing the shadow beast. Still covered in drying blood. Still deadly dangerous.
But it was also the first time anyone had ever offered me a choice. Real agency. Real partnership.
I took his hand. "Deal."
His fingers closed around mine, warm despite the cold water. "Good. Then we survive this together."
We stayed in the ravine until dawn, just as Kael promised. The sun rose slowly, painting the sky pink and gold. Beautiful, after such a terrible night.
"Time to move," Kael said, pulling himself to his feet with obvious effort. He looked worse in the daylight, pale, exhausted, and covered in cuts and bruises.
"There's a village about five miles north. We can get supplies there, maybe horses."
"What about your men? The guards from the carriage?"
His expression went hard. "Dead. All of them. I heard their screams during the fight."
"I'm sorry."
"So am I." He offered me his hand and pulled me up. "But we honor them by surviving. By getting to Shadowmere and making sure their deaths meant something."
We climbed out of the ravine, Kael helping me navigate the slippery rocks. My whole body ached. My feet were cut and swollen. My shoulder was definitely injured. But I could walk, and that was what mattered.
The forest looked different in daylight. Less menacing. The bodies from last night were gone, dissolved into smoke, Kael explained, which is what happened to creatures made of shadow magic. The carriage was still there, though, broken and abandoned.
"Wait here," Kael said, approaching the wreckage. He disappeared inside for a moment, then emerged with something bundled in his arms. "Found your bag. The one with your personal things."
I took it gratefully. It wasn't much, some clothes, a few pieces of jewelry, a book I'd been reading, but it was mine. A small piece of home.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. We still have to walk five miles, and you're barefoot."
He was right. Within the first mile, my feet were screaming. I tried not to show it, tried to keep pace with Kael, but eventually I was limping badly.
"Stop," he said finally. "This isn't working."
"I'm fine—"
"You're bleeding. Again." He knelt down, examining my feet. "We need to wrap these before they get infected."
He tore strips from the bottom of his shirt, already ruined anyway, and wrapped them around my feet like makeshift bandages. His hands were surprisingly gentle.
"Better?" he asked.
"Better. Thank you."
We continued, slower now. Kael stayed close, ready to catch me if I stumbled. We didn't talk much—we were both too tired, too hurt. But the silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was almost... companionable.
"Kael?" I said after a while. "Last night, you said there were ways to manage curses. Protections."
"Yes."
"Could you... could you tell me about them? I want to understand what I'm dealing with."
He was quiet for a moment, considering. "There are different types of curses. Some are cast deliberately, by someone with power and intent. Others are inherited, passed down through bloodlines. Mine is inherited, from my mother's family, probably, though I don't know for certain."
"What does your curse do? Besides the shadow—the shade?"
"The shade is the most visible part. But there's more." He pushed a branch out of our path.
"I'm stronger than I should be. Faster. I heal quickly from wounds that would kill normal men. I can see in the dark. Sense magic when it's near." He paused. "And I can absorb shadow creatures. Take their essence into myself."
"That's what you did last night. With the beast."
"Yes. It makes me stronger temporarily, but it also feeds the curse. Makes it harder to control." He glanced at me. "Every curse has a price, Elara. Mine is that the more I use it, the more it uses me. Eventually, if I'm not careful, it will consume me completely."
"And then what?"
"Then I become a shade myself. Lose my humanity. Become nothing but shadow and hunger."
I shivered. "How do you stop that from happening?"
"Wards help. Magical protections that dampen the curse's power. There are also rituals, sacrifices you can make to appease the dark forces that fuel these things." He looked uncomfortable. "And there's... balance."
"Balance?"
"Light magic to counter the dark. Life to counter death. Love to counter—" He stopped abruptly. "Never mind. That's not relevant."
But I thought I understood. Love to counter darkness. Was that even possible?
"What about protections for me?" I asked. "You said there were ways to keep me safe."
"There are. Binding spells that connect you to me, so my power shields you. Charms and amulets that ward off shadow creatures. And training.
" He looked at me seriously. "I can teach you to recognize magic. To feel when something dangerous is near. It won't make you powerful, but it might keep you alive."
"Then teach me," I said immediately. "All of it. I want to learn everything."