The God & The Shadow

Chapter 24

VERONICA

"Can't we just live here forever?"

"No, Olivia. You aren't fae." Taylor told the witch.

Olivia bristled next to me as we walked to the kingdom's borders. There stood a group of soldiers that donned similar armour to that of the group that attacked us in the forest hours ago.

We spent two hours before our arrival planning out how we were to reach out to the king and queen about our motives without causing much panic.

Edmund, to everyone's surprise, wanted to help after Gideon told him what exactly we were willing to do for his kingdom.

Now, Edmund is talking to the guards overseeing the borders in a foreign tongue. Matt, ever the scholar, listened intently to their conversation.

He told us earlier that he could speak eleven languages. Valyan, the common language of the fae folk, was taught to him when he was younger.

Matt's face showed no indication of whatever they were talking about, but his face dropped as Edmund walked back to us, hands freed from the manacles.

The vampire grimaced and walked alongside Edmund. "They won't let us in unless the king or queen wills it so. We'll have to-"

Suddenly, the guards started screaming and dropped to a bow at the entrance. We all turned to look at Lore looking down at them, hands pocketed and a stance that, you guessed it, looked entirely bored and calm.

"Lord Hades!" Some of the soldiers shouted, quickly slipping into multiple languages to call out to the god.

Lore walked over to the soldier that bowed the lowest, his lips inches from the floor. He talked in the fae tongue with a deep voice and it wasn't long before the fae scrambled to stand up and run to the palace.

I looked around to see everyone staring at him with wide eyes, except for Nixon who looked annoyed at the god.

Everyone remained silent as Lore still faced away from us and watched a group of another soldiers on horses ride toward us.

The man leading the group cantered and stopped in front of Lore. He swiftly dropped from his horse and bowed low to the god.

"Lord Hades. We weren't expecting a visit from your excellency."

Lore just stood there, watching the man who stared back.

"Ever the formal prince, Cassian." The god drawled.

Cassian laughed and gripped Lore's extended arm and shook it. Surprise rippled through the group, myself included. They're friends?

The prince stepped closer to Lore and looked behind him. He surveyed us quickly before his eyes landed on me and lingered.

"Who is this lot, my lord?" He asked.

Lore blinked at him and curled his fingers, and a string of gasps and curses came from the commoners inside the borders as a saddled horse of raven black approached his extended hand.

He ran his fingers through the horse's mare and turned to the prince. "The horses?"

Cassian faced his soldiers and they immediately got off their steeds and walked them toward us. Those who didn't know how to ride one mounted with some of the soldiers who volunteered, Olivia blushing at the fae soldier behind her on her horse.