Shadows of Discovery by Brenda K. Davies
Chapter Thirty-Six
Cole was almostto the bottom of the hill when the darkness eased and the shadows finally gave way. He emerged onto a rocky plane similar to the one he stood on before entering the tunnel.
And when he glanced to his right, he saw the tunnel opening. He’d somehow managed to come full circle, and the remaining members of the council were there to greet him. The five of them stood before the open portal to the Gloaming.
His Gloaming now.
He didn’t bother to shield his nudity as he walked toward them. He’d never cared about nudity before; he cared less now.
“Have you all been standing here, waiting this whole time?” he asked them.
“No,” Elvin replied. “We have taken turns keeping watch. I sent back word something was happening when the volcanoes stopped erupting.”
When Cole looked over the tunnel, he saw that the volcanoes had stopped spewing smoke and lava.
“Where are the others?” Durin asked.
“Are you going to pretend to be concerned about your son now?” Cole inquired.
Durin’s jaw clenched, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
“Eoghan didn’t survive the tunnel,” he shot a pointed look at Alston, who had the sense to find his feet fascinating. “Your son, Auberon, screamed as he died an excruciating death,” Cole said to Durin. “And I killed Aelfdane.”
They exchanged looks as he let his revelations sink in. When they looked to him again, he saw the wariness in their eyes.
“I am your king,” he stated. “And if one or all of you intend to fight me on it, then I’ll kill you too.”
“That’s not necessary,” Elvin said. “You have survived the trials and, as the law dictates, have earned the throne. But more than that, the trials have proven you are strong enough to protect the Gloaming.”
Durin made a sound that caused Cole’s eyes to narrow on him, but the coward wouldn’t look at him. One day, Cole would make him pay, but today was not the day.
Even with all his newfound power coursing through him and the backing of the dark fae throne behind him, he still needed the council on his side. They held a lot of sway over the dark fae realm.
“Yes, you are,” Becca purred.
She seemed to have forgotten her irritation with him as she lustfully eyed his body. When Cole scowled at her, she smiled. Becca was something he would also deal with later, but all he wanted now was to return home to Lexi.
She had to be worried about him, and not only did he need to ease her apprehension, but he also had to hold her. He missed the feel of her in his arms more than he’d missed water while in the desert.
“I expect all of you to meet me in the palace in one hour,” he said. “We have much to discuss.”
“Of course,” Finn murmured.
He didn’t look back at them as he strode toward the portal and entered it. He would never look back on the trials or the realm that nearly destroyed him.
It was time to move on to a throne he never wanted but would fight to the death to protect.
As he stalked through the portal, the shadows twisted around him, and he felt their movement in his soul. He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to the strange sensation, but he welcomed it.
When he emerged from the portal, he was only fifty feet away from the palace gates. A crow cawed as it soared toward one of the open palace windows and slipped inside. As soon as he got inside, he would send crows to Lexi and Brokk.
He hoped she would agree to join him here for a little while. He would have preferred to go to her, but he couldn’t leave until he secured the throne.
Grasping the gate, Cole felt the familiar warmth beneath his hand as it recognized him before opening. He ignored the rotting dragon’s head and Sindri’s body as he strolled through the gate.
For the first time in years, he admired the palace as he stopped. Its endless rooms and numerous mysteries had always fascinated him, but sometime over his many years here, he stopped appreciating it as much.
He didn’t make that mistake again today. This towering, magical structure with a personality all its own was his now, and he would make sure the palace deemed him worthy of such a claim.
These fae, moving about the inner courtyard, going about their lives, were his to rule and protect now. Like the palace, he would make sure they also deemed him worthy.
He would not always be kind, he would not tolerate disobedience, but he would be just and fair. And he would fight and die for them if it became necessary.
This was his land, these were his people, and he was glad to be their king.
Taking a deep breath, he smiled as he examined the buildings and the fae before walking up the stairs to the palace. One of the double doors swung open before he reached it, but as he entered the hall beyond, he discovered no one there.
Then the helot Adham emerged from one of the hallways.
“Milord!” he greeted as he rushed toward Cole. He came to a stop a few feet away. “Milord… Your Highness. You’ve returned.”
“I’ve returned,” Cole said. “How long was I gone?”
“Ten days.”
Ten days of pure, unadulterated hell.
“It is good to see you,” Adham said as he fell into step beside Cole.
“You too, Adham. I need some paper, a pen, and two crows. When that is done, I want any members of the council who have taken up residence here removed.”
“No one has moved in, milord.”
Adham stared at the door like a dog at a bone.
“The council didn’t try to move in?” Cole asked.
“They tried, but they were unsuccessful.”
Cole had intended for the crows to be the first thing he did, but those words caused him to stop and face Adham. “Explain.”
The helot stopped in front of him. “Your entrance through the doors was the first time they’ve opened since you and master Brokk left.”
Cole gazed around the hall before chuckling. “I love this place.”