The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams Read Free Book Online

and even if you do, the
cirikiths
move so sluggishly it’s hardly worth the effort.
    Despite how well this is going so far, goose bumps break out on my arms, and the nape
     of my neck tingles. Out here on the avenue, there are plenty of places for the remnants
     to hide.
    “Relax,” Aren says beside me. “They’ll come after me before they do you.”
    I pull my cloak more tightly around me. “That’s supposed to be comforting?”
    “It would have been a few weeks ago.” My hood is too far forward for me to see him,
     but I can imagine the amusementin his eyes. That’s just like him, shrugging off the fact that people want to kill
     him, but I hate that he’s a target. I might be trying to take our relationship slow,
     but losing him would devastate me.
    The avenue curves to the left, and now I have goose bumps for a completely different
     reason. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve walked up this road, the view at its
     end is still staggering.
    The Silver Palace is more like Neushweinstein Castle than an impenetrable fortress.
     It’s impractical for defensive purposes, but aesthetically? Aesthetically, it’s freaking
     beautiful. Six blackwood turrets, all lit by the fae’s magic, rise into the night
     sky. The palace is built against the base of the Corrist Mountains, so the silver-edged
     spires in the back reach higher than those in the front. The
Sidhe Cabred
, the Ancestors’ Garden that only a few privileged fae were allowed to enter under
     King Atroth’s rule, climbs up the steep cliffs marking the mountains’ southern edge.
    We reach the end of the avenue and step onto the huge, tiled promenade in front of
     the castle’s main gate. The palace has three entrances, but this one is the most impressive.
     The slate blue stone that makes up its walls is imported from a province in the southeast,
     so the lighter color stands out dramatically against the deep red-brown of the mountain
     behind it.
    We don’t enter through the carved blackwood gate—it’s gargantuan and takes forever
     to open and close—we enter through a nondescript door to its left, and I relax a little.
     The palace is filled with fae loyal to Lena. Only a few watch from their posts in
     this chamber, but somewhere above us, archers stand guard, ready to kill and raise
     an alarm if the remnants attempt another attack.
    I pull my hood back. As soon as I do, I see two fae heading our way. One is a rebel
     swordsman whose skin, despite the chilly air, glistens with sweat. The other is the
     impeccably dressed assistant to Lord Kaeth, the high noble whose home we passed. Their
     accents are thick and, when they reach us, they both start speaking at once. I can’t
     decipher what they say. I began learning their language only a little more than a
     month ago, and while I’m picking it up quickly,I struggle when fae speak too quickly or if I’m distracted by other things.
    Aren holds up a hand.
“Not now.”
    The swordsman swallows his words, then respectfully bows his head before he retreats.
    The assistant isn’t as easily dismissed.
“Shall I tell Lord Kaeth you’re with the human?”
    That, I do understand, but there must be more meaning in the words or the fae’s tone
     because Aren stiffens.
    “You can tell Lord Kaeth I’m with the queen.”
His response is way too calm, but the fae doesn’t seem to notice.
    “She isn’t the queen,”
he says. Then, with a disdainful glance in my direction, he turns on his heel and
     walks away.
    Aren’s eyes don’t leave Lord Kaeth’s assistant, not until he takes my arm to lead
     me down a side corridor.
    “What was that about?” I ask.
    “Nothing,” he answers.
    “Aren.”
    He squeezes my hand, keeps walking. “It’s nothing, McKenzie.”
    Which means it’s definitely something, and I’m 99.9 percent sure I know what it is.
     Lena and the rebels might have won control of the palace, but that doesn’t mean everyone
     in the Realm is suddenly okay with our races