Shadows of Discovery by Brenda K. Davies

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“We will havethe memorial for my father tomorrow,” Cole stated.

He rested the tips of his fingers on the table and studied the remaining council members. After sending the crows to Lexi and Brokk, he’d taken the time to shower, eat, and dress before meeting with them in the hall.

“There may not be a body, but the residents of the Gloaming should have a chance to say goodbye to him. I will take care of the details,” Cole continued.

“As you command, milord,” Elvin said.

“My coronation will be the following day.”

“Why so soon afterward?” Finn asked.

“The Lord threatened to destroy the Gloaming if I do not ascend to the throne. I don’t think there’s any reason to make him wait.”

“And what do you plan to do about the Lord?” Alston asked.

“What do you mean?”

“He killed our king,” Becca said. “He must pay for that.”

“And how do you propose to make him pay?” Cole asked. “Many of the dark fae fought on his side during the war. Some split off to join the rebellion, but we lost a lot of our soldiers during the war. We don’t have the forces to fight him… or the allies. Besides, our loyalty lies with the Lord.”

Cole didn’t care about any of that. However, he didn’t trust anyone at this table not to run back to the Lord and reveal everything he said here. They might act like they were eager to avenge his father’s death, but that didn’t mean it was true.

“He killed our king,” Durin said.

“And he’ll kill all of us too if we try to go against him, and I will not allow the dark fae to suffer any more than they already have.”

A couple of them exchanged a look while Becca batted her eyes like a teenager on her first date.

“There are many in the Gloaming who want revenge for our king’s death,” Finn said. “Tove was beloved in this land.”

“And I bet every single one of them would prefer to live,” Cole said. “And unless they want to unleash the wrath of the dragons on this land, they will accept that my father is dead, and we must move on.”

Alston scowled at him, but Elvin teepeed his fingers and rested his chin on them. His black eyes shone in the sputtering torchlight. He looked about to say something but refrained from speaking.

“The dark fae seek vengeance when wronged,” Alston said.

Cole’s flesh rippled as he gazed at the man. Alston was correct, and not declaring his goal to avenge his father’s death would make him appear weak and could create a rebellion, but if he did announce those intentions, the Lord would unleash his dragons on the realm.

He was sure the Lord was well aware of the situation he’d placed Cole in when he killed his father and commanded Cole to take the throne. The almost certain infighting to follow was one more way for the man to maintain his control.

The dark fae could not turn on the Lord when they were too busy turning on each other. Cole would do his best to avoid such a fate, but it was going to take him time to learn who he could and could not trust in this realm to help him form a rebellion against the Lord.

“We will not be seeking vengeance this time, but you are free to start your own rebellion. I’ll let the Lord deal with you. And I’m sure he’ll be glad to feed more of us to his dragons.”

Alston paled visibly and pulled his hands off the table to rest them in his lap.

“We will hunt down the traitors, and we will destroy them,” Cole continued. “That is why the Lord killed my father, so we will get our revenge for his death by destroying those who deserve it.”

“You plan to destroy your brothers?” Becca inquired.

“Yes,” Cole said.

The hideousness of that word burnt his throat as the lust in Becca’s eyes deepened. He hadn’t believed it was possible, but she repulsed him more every time they encountered each other.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but a current running through the palace walls stopped him. Cole leaned heavily on his fingers and frowned at the strange sensation. He’d spent his entire life inside these walls and never experienced anything like it.

It was as if the palace was… happy?

But how was that possible? And how could he feel it?

And then the faint scent of strawberries drifted to him, and his heart lurched. Lexi was here, and the palace was happy about her presence, or Brokk’s return, or maybe both.

This strange connection he felt to these walls was a little disturbing but also exciting. It must be some new ability from the trials. Had his father experienced this?

If he had, he’d never mentioned it, but then, he wouldn’t. Like all dark fae, he’d kept many of his abilities hidden. It was the best way to stay alive in this world where friends and sons could become enemies, and one small misstep might destroy you.

It was possible his father never felt this connection to the palace after the trials. Unlike Cole, Tove didn’t grow up in the palace. Cole was born here; it had always been his home, and he’d always felt bonded to it.

Tove moved in after surviving the trials. He’d claimed the throne, but had the palace claimed him too?

Like many of the other secrets the palace held, Cole doubted he’d ever get the answer to his questions. He felt the connection now, and that was what mattered.

Despite this new, deeper connection, there were still rooms here that wouldn’t open to him. Curious to see if the locked rooms would grant access to the new king, he’d tried a couple of them when he returned. The doors refused to yield their secrets.

Maybe some of those locked rooms would open to him now, but he could spend a lifetime trying all the doors here and still never know. When a new ripple went through the walls, Cole stepped away from the table and strode toward the hall.