Queen's Shadow || Kingdom at the End of the World - Book II

[24.2] Home Soul

A nightingale sang in the dark. It was a sweet song, but lonely, and dampened the mood quite thoroughly.

Or whatever was left of it, anyway. Given their current straits, Gabriel supposed that the forlorn squawking rather matched the overall ambiance of the moment.

"It's just over the river," Gabriel told his companion.

Iavor was silent. The man had not spoken a word since his moment of madness in the Korral household, and wore a forbidding expression that discouraged any attempts at conversation.

Naturally, Gabriel was not deterred. The demon prodded and cajoled the entire way up the mountain. There had been little progress so far, but Gabriel was persistent and singularly talented in angering others. He had faith that he would elicit a response – or start a fight. Either way, Iavor would not be allowed to sink deeper into the mire of heartache in his presence.

The man Gabriel once was would find the entire situation laughable. The death of a mortal woman was an unremarkable event, as natural as the turning of the leaves come autumn. Iavor's reaction was unreasonable.

At present, Gabriel was able to envision himself in Iavor's place only too well. The fear curdling in his gut made him irritable.

And that damn bird was still singing. Gabriel considered turning into his feline form and munching on the foul fowl.

"There is nothing here," Iavor said.

The words broke Gabriel from his increasingly unhinged thoughts. The demon followed Iavor's gaze to the peaceful plain that had once housed a very impressive – and very temperamental – manor. All that remained were the structure's guts, strewn in heaps of broken wood and burned things. Amid the dead grass and gray skies of early winter, it was truly a sad sight.

Iavor levelled Gabriel with a look. Gabriel scowled in response, internally cheered to have a glimpse of his friend back.

"If you think I had anything to do with Valeri's decision to set roots in the middle of nowhere, you do not know me at all," the demon sniffed.

"You should have guided him somewhere safer," Iavor said.

Gabriel's anger was not for show this time. "Let us not speak of who should have done what, Iavor. You coddled that boy into near uselessness. What exactly was your vision for Valeri's life without you there to soften every blow that might come his way?"

"I did not plan on dying," Iavor said, a touch of irritation in his voice.

"No one does!" Gabriel exclaimed.

Iavor fell silent again, his expression stubborn. Gabriel felt like shaking the man. He wondered how Yevelina Hale had dealt with Iavor when he was in such a mood. Probably by throwing sharp things his way – it had been the woman's style.

The thought brought another. Gabriel's ire turned to ashes, clogging his throat.

"Ira does not remember you," he said quietly. "She barely remembers Yevelina, and knew nothing of her own identity until the protective runes her mother put in place broke."

Iavor was too still. Gabriel shifted uneasily, suddenly glad to have led the man so far out of the village. The potential for irrevocable damage was much smaller when the targets in sight were trees and not, say, the cherished home of a grieving child.

"Perhaps it is for the best," Iavor said.

"Oh, by Hel," Gabriel groaned, deflating as the tension of the moment passed.

And people called him dramatic.

"Listen, your daughter is very likely on her way to the Capital as we speak. Ignorance does not suit the woman she has become. If you believe Ira Hale would choose to remain in the dark out of fear, then you are a bigger fool than I thought!" Gabriel snapped.