Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
“I am so happy to finally meet you,” Vinia tells me in a voice like candy in audible form. “My cousin, Prince Kyranis, rushed this wedding, and I didn’t make it to the court in time for a first look at you yesterday,” she says, eyeing the two elves walking away from us. But once we both hear the click of a door, her expression gets more serious. “My sister told me about the message you tried passing her.”
I stiffen, instantly nervous. “It’s… I was panicking. I think I understand my position better now.”
She seems hesitant but leads me to a portrait farther down the corridor. “Are you sure? Prince Kyranis is not exactly known for his good temper. I imagine he takes after his great grandfather.” She points out a picture of an elf surprisingly similar to Kyranis with his long dark gray hair and piercing eyes. Next to him stands a small ginger woman with sad green eyes. “Did he tell you about Bonnie?”
I swallow, unsure what she’s getting at. “Not really, no. We didn’t have much time.”
Vinia sighs. “Of course he wouldn’t. It’s a rather melancholic story, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to scare you. But one of my uncles is old enough to remember her, and he said Bonnie went mad from being kept in the shadowild whenever she wasn’t of use. My great-grandmother tried to help her, but the Lord wouldn’t change his mind, because he disliked her ‘sullen face’.”
“H-he could do that?” I ask as a cold pressure settles in my stomach, and the incredible silver ribs I’m decorated with start feeling like a cage. I still have nightmares sometimes about being locked up in detention at my boarding school and that would be way worse.
“She was a glorified slave to Silas Nightweed. A source of power he could take out of the box whenever he chose.” Vinia points to Bonnie’s neck. “He made her wear a collar and used to drag her by it. The painting was amended after his death to spare Bonnie’s memory. She tried to end her life many times, but he always knew and saved her in time. He used to say that it’s his choice if she lived, and one day, he did choose to end her. I’d call that mercy, but that was never his intention. What he wanted was a new Companion, and Bonnie needed to die for that purpose.”
“And he could just do that? Without consequences?” I ask with growing dread.
“She belonged to him. Body, soul, and shadow. That’s the point of the wedding. Do you know how shadow magic works for those with the talent to wield it?” When I shake my head, Vinia goes on. “It’s very physical. As you use it, you become tired, even feel pain. You can faint, if the exhaustion is too much. With a Dark Companion and their shadow bound to you, one can push those consequences on the human. So any time Silas wanted to, he’d use Bonnie’s shadow instead of his own, pushing her to the point of suffering.”
I stand there, feeling like a fool in my finery. Am I really so dumb that a night of deliriously good sex made me forget that I value freedom? Kyranis told me none of these things, surely aware they’d push me away.
Vinia puts her hand over her mouth. “I think I have overstepped. Most Lords treat their Companions with respect and kindness. Forget I said anything!”
But dark clouds have already gathered around us, and I can barely breathe, as if the air was smoky. I look around the corridor, at the massive windows and the moon looming in the sky like an omen of future suffering. Of course Kyranis would promise me everything before the wedding. That’s what lying is all about. It’s also why he’s been rushing it. He wants me in his grasp. And even though we have passion now, do I want my future happiness to hinge on whether he likes my company?
“No! I need to know these things. I… I’m frightened. He said I’d be able to visit my world sometimes, but will he have any obligation to keep his word?”
I freeze when Vinia’s face falls. She locks her eyes with mine. “Well… that might prove difficult, especially if you have friends or family. Time passes differently here than it does in your world. He should have really mentioned that.”
“What? What does that mean?”
“One day here is a year in the human world. It’s happened to another Dark Companion. The Lord kept promising he’d let her visit her village but waited three months to fulfill the promise. By that time, the Companion’s loved ones were all gone, and the world changed so drastically, she never wanted to go back again.” Vinia shakes her head. “You cannot trust promises. They will always be twisted.”