Chapter 1
Cadence stared out at the horizon, feeling awful inside. Her hands gripping the rough wood railing of the ship and rocking to the subtle swaying under her feet.
I just lost my best friend.
How could this be real?
But it was.
Her thoughts swirling and churning crushing her under their weight
And sighing she acknowledged to herself that she was sitting on the greatest secret she’d ever been forced to carry.
Rowan created the Catastrophe.
Those words hung with a heaviness that couldn’t be explained by just words, the words were too simple.
He hadn’t just been in the right place at the right time.
He had done it.
And then he had fought the aftermath.
She swallowed hard.
He’d been fighting the aftermath ever since.
Supplying his power around the world to kill soul eaters.
Organizing armies to protect people.
Working himself to the bone.
For over a hundred years.
And a quiet voice in the back of her mind whispered as she lifted her face to the sun overhead:
And while doing all that, he sat on a beach one night every month and was completely present with a girl whose name he didn’t even know.
Tears pricked her eyes.
Cadence shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts away.
Trying to clear him away.
Adrian joined her at the railing.
All easy confidence and royal elegance,
“Bryce seems to be having the time of his life.”
She glanced over her shoulder and found Bryce halfway up the rigging, climbing toward the lookout at the top of the main mast, the crow’s nest.
Cadence rolled her eyes.
Of course.
Then turned back toward the sea.
“Yeah. He seems at home no matter where he goes.”
“Mmm.”
Adrian rested his arms on the railing.
Then turned his piercing blue eyes sideways at her.
“You okay?”
Cadence let out a long breath.
“You know, I don’t think I am.”
The honesty surprised even her.
“I feel like I’ve been lied to my whole life.”
She stared out at the endless water.
“I mean, even my Aunt Solene...”
Her voice drifted off.
She shook her head again, trying to dislodge the hurt.
Trying not to think about it.
“Well,” Adrian said, “there’s a subject I happen to be an authority on.”
Cadence smiled despite herself.
“Oh yeah?”
“Absolutely.”
He straightened dramatically.
“Solene may be complicated, but she has a heart of gold.”
The prince’s expression softened.
“If she kept something from you, she had her reasons.”
Cadence looked unconvinced.
“My suggestion, for what it’s worth, is to hear her out.”
He looked back toward the horizon.
“She’s an extraordinary woman.”
Something deeper flickered through his expression. His eyes taking on a faraway look.
Something older.
More personal.
“I’d stand beside her without needing the whole story.”
Cadence narrowed her eyes.
“You talk about her with an awful lot of certainty.”
Adrian groaned.
“Oh no.”
“Oh yes.”
She pointed at him.
“Is there more going on there?”
Adrian barked out a laugh.
“There’s always more going on with me.”
Then he turned and winked.
Cadence snorted.
“Fair.”
The prince leaned against the railing.
“So what’s the grand plan?”
Cadence immediately straightened.
“Right.”
Determination returned.
“Well, I figured I’d lean into the whole miracle-worker thing.” She waved her arms and bent into a dramatic bow
Adrian nodded seriously.
“A strong strategy.”
“I’ll charm the pants off your father.”
“A dangerous strategy.”
“And then pray he lets us into the archives.”
“There it is.”
Cadence grinned.
“It’s the only lead I’ve got.”
Adrian considered that for a moment.
Then his expression grew thoughtful.
“I can’t tell you why.”
He frowned.
“Truthfully, I have no idea why.”
“That’s comforting.”
“But...”
His eyes shifted toward the distant horizon.
“I don’t get the feeling good old Dad is particularly eager for the boundary to be healed.”
Cadence blinked.
“What?”
“I know.”
He lifted both hands.
“I don’t have proof.”
“Then why say it?”
“Because instincts exist.”
Adrian shrugged.
“And mine are usually annoyingly good.”
Cadence stared at him.
“That’s unsettling.”
“It should be.”
A foxlike grin spread across his face.
“Whatever his reasons, it’s not something he’d want discussed publicly.”
Cadence’s eyebrows rose.
“So how do we get access?”
Adrian’s smile widened.
“Oh.”
He pushed away from the railing.
“You leave that part to me.”
“And why does that worry me?”
“Because you’ve met me.”
Cadence laughed despite herself.
The first genuine laugh she’d managed all day.
“I know how to put on a show,” Adrian said with a flourish.
That, at least, she believed.
---
They landed the following morning at an adorable little coastal port town. Busy and bustling with activity
The war against openings and soul eaters hadn’t seemed to reach the people here. Bryce itched to explore but they moved quickly through.
After replenishing supplies and gathering horses, thanks to Prince Adrians financing and connections, the group was on their way.
“It’s about two days to reach the city and the palace at the center.” Adrian informed his companions.
After the first long day of travel, everyone gathered around a campfire. They had been traveling a mostly heavily wooded road that stretched between the coast and the City of Oreilus. Where the Crown was seated.
Right as dusk was upon them a nice little field had opened up, clearly a common stopping place along this road.
Cadence was exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The flames crackled softly.
Stories drifted through the darkness.
Bryce, Adrian, and the other manipulators traded tales of disasters, victories, and near misses.
Every now and then Cadence realized she’d closed her eyes.
Only for a moment.
Then she’d force them open again.
This time, when she opened them, she froze.
Someone was sitting across the fire.
A familiar figure.
Dark hair.
Pale eyes.
Still as stone.
Rowan.
Her breath caught.
He sat motionless, staring into the flames.
As if he belonged there.
As if he’d been there all evening.
Then suddenly his eyes lifted.
Colliding with hers.
Cadence gasped.
The world seemed to stop.
Neither of them moved.
Then Rowan began to fade.
Slowly.
His form becoming translucent.
The trees beyond visible through him.
Yet his gaze never left hers.
Not once.
Not until he vanished completely.
Cadence stared at the empty space.
Heart hammering.
“You alright, Cadence?”
Bryce’s voice came from beside her.
She blinked several times.
Then forced a smile.
“Yeah.”
Bryce studied her for a moment.
Then nodded and returned to the conversation.
Cadence slowly looked back toward the place where Rowan had been.
Nothing.
Just firelight.
Just shadows.
She swallowed.
I’m going crazy.
Great.
That’s just great.
