It hit her then that she would be doing it alone. She had turned her back on her family, so they wouldn’t come to her aid. Kiril, wherever he was, would have no idea she was being kept against her will.
She walked to a wall and leaned back against it before she slowly slid to the ground. Shara hugged her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees. The anticipation of what was to come was most likely worse than what would actually happen. Or at least that’s what she tried to tell herself.
The darkness was something all Dark Fae sought, and yet Shara wished to see the moon. Ever since she’d found Kiril in dragon form, she wanted to see him flying through the night sky, the moon silhouetting him. What a magnificent sight he would be.
Whereas her people were among the humans, the dragons were gone from the realm. Sent away so the humans could live. Shara didn’t think either of the Fae would have allowed such a thing to happen. All the while, the humans thrived as the Dragon Kings remained concealed.
If that wasn’t enough, the Dark wanted to find something they had hidden. Shara lifted her head as she considered this. The Dragon Kings were completely immortal. There was nothing that could be done to them by any being that they wouldn’t survive.
It took a King turning on a King to kill one, and that happened on such rare occasions that the Dark couldn’t wait for that to happen.
The Kings protected themselves to the point that they would do anything for one of their own. So different from how she was raised, and yet the Fae might feel the same if their race was threatened.
Whatever the Dark searched for couldn’t be to kill a King. But it could be used against them.
It was like a lightbulb went off in her head. The only way a Dark could beat a Dragon King was with whatever they searched for. She hoped the Kings hid it well enough that the Dark never found it, because if they did, the realm of earth would be forever altered.
The idea of it left her numb. Odd how so much of her way of thinking had changed since she had come to know Kiril.
Her gaze snapped to the door when it suddenly opened. She quickly stood when she spotted a Dark Fae enter. Shara blinked and abruptly he was Kiril.
“What are you doing?” she demanded of the Dark.
Kiril smiled and took a step toward her. “It’s me, Shara. The Dark Fae is a disguise to allow me to move around this place.”
“I’m supposed to believe you?”
“Shall I prove it then?”
She merely looked at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing in case this was some trick by Balladyn so he could punish her more.
“You found me in the cellar,” he said. “By a door hidden with my magic. You saw me in my true form—that of a burnt orange dragon.”
There was no way anyone else knew that. She ran to him and flung her arms around his neck as she held him close. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“I’m here now,” he said and smoothed his hands over her back.
She leaned away. “How did you find me?”
“I saw Balladyn enter his chamber, and I knew you were in there. I waited for a while before I came down to get Rhi. That’s when I heard him toss you in here.”
“So you have Rhi?” she asked excitedly.
His face was bleak. “Nay.”
Shara’s hands slid down his shoulders to his arms. “Then let’s get her now.”
“We can no’. She’s being held with the Chains of Mordare.”
Shara jerked away, surprise making her heart pound faster. “That’s impossible. They’ve been missing for eons.”
“Balladyn found them. He’s using them on Rhi.”
Shara felt as if all the wind had been taken out of her sails. “He’s the only one who can unlock those chains.”
“Let’s get you out. I’ll return once we figure out another way to get those chains off Rhi.”
Shara knew it wasn’t right that she was being rescued when Rhi was being left behind. Kiril had come for Rhi, not her.
“I’m coming back for her,” Kiril whispered as he led her out of the cell.
As soon as they stepped out of the cell, Kiril’s face disappeared, once more replaced with that of a Dark Fae. “How are you doing that?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you when we’re out of here.”
He didn’t trust her, and she didn’t blame him. Kiril was surrounded by enemies. He was just being cautious. It was a lesson she needed to learn after all the mistakes she had made with her family and Balladyn.
She remained beside him with his hand on her arm as if she were his prisoner. As long as they didn’t encounter Balladyn, they should make it out fine. They made it up the first short set of stairs without incident. It wasn’t until they reached the top of the second flight that things went from bad to worse.
“Hello, Shara,” Balladyn said as he leaned a shoulder against the wall and examined a small dagger in his hand. “I knew you would manage to find your way back up. Who’s your new friend?”
She swallowed, and kept her gaze locked on Balladyn. “How am I supposed to know? I thought you sent him to fetch me.”