“Kayal?”
I turned to find a scrawny figure draped in a dark cloak.
His upper arms and lower legs were open to the elements, and he wore no hood, which denoted him as an understudy to one of the Elders.
He was much lower in rank but could one day become someone to be respected.
And feared.
I bowed my head and lowered my eyes.
Everyone knew an assistant Elder could create real problems for any Shadow that crossed him.
Paying them more respect than was due was the best way to massage their egos.
“The Grand Elder wishes to speak with you.”
His words were clipped and rushed as if he didn’t want to sully himself with having to speak with me directly.
But it wasn’t his tone that bothered me.
It was the words coming out of his mouth.
The Grand Elder?
He was dangerous, someone not to be trifled with.
I swallowed the fear that bubbled up in my chest.
“What does he want to meet with me for? If it’s about the ship, I’m sure I can pull extra shifts to cover the cost—”
“It has nothing to do with a damn ship!” he spat. “Come. The Grand Elder doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
That was the card the assistants like to flash most often—the power of their masters.
It always worked like a charm.
He spun and marched back toward the Citadel.
The journey to the Grand Elder’s rooms in the upper reaches of the Citadel was a long one.
My mind whirled at why the Grand Elder would want to see me of all people.
I was nothing.
It could only signal bad news.
Nobody ever went to see him for something good.
Not without a ceremony attached.
Maybe they wanted to make an example out of me.
And then it struck me.
I’d been the epitome of a good warrior my entire life…
Until I met my fated mate.
Until I fell in love with her.
Had they somehow learned I’d told her the truth?
That I had given her the choice of which fated mate to choose?
Or maybe they discovered the ship had traveled back in time.
They would pay a great deal of treasure to learn such a secret.
That alone could allow me into the upper reaches of Shadow society.
But it also meant the Shadow could do terrible harm.
And I couldn’t allow another planet to suffer the same way mine had.
I decided not to dwell on it.
I would know the reason soon enough.
Finally, we came to a stop outside a large set of doors.
The assistant rapped on it with his skinny knuckles.
“Come.”
The Grand Elder’s voice was deep and vibrated through the door.
The assistant eased it open and bowed so low, his forehead almost grazed the floor.
“I have the Shadow Warrior you requested, my lord.”
“Good. Show him in.”
The assistant entered first and pointed a sharp claw at a tile in the middle of the floor.
“Stand.”
The jumped-up little turd deserved a slap.
But he was an extension of the Elder himself and striking him was the same as striking the Grand Elder.
He was sat behind a large desk covered with piles of papers.
He finished reading a report, scrawled his signature across it, and added it upside down to another pile.
Then he removed his spectacles and peered up at me.
He pursed his lips and leaned back in his chair, tapping his long fingertips together.
“Is there anything else you desire, sire?” the assistant whimpered.
The Grand Elder shook his head and the assistant beat a hasty retreat, shutting the door quietly behind himself.
It was a one-to-one meeting.
The worst of the worst.
I must have done something wrong.
I gulped and a cold sweat broke across my forehead.
I prepared to admit any wrongdoing he accused me of.
I would prostrate myself and agree to whatever terms he gave me.
Everyone knew you never crossed swords with an Elder, least of all the Grand freaking Elder.
He pushed back from his chair and moved around the desk, his hands behind his back.
He came to a stop in front of me.
“I’ve read your profile. You’re a loyal soldier of the Shadow Empire, yes?”
“Yes, my lord.”
I peered at the base of his hood, below where his long snout protruded.
I didn’t want to even have a chance of accidentally peering into the darkness of his shroud.
There were as many stories about the effects of meeting his gaze as there were soldiers to tell them.
Some swore it turned you to stone.
Others that you fell into a dark tunnel that never ended, like drifting into space for eternity.
Others said you lost your mind and slit your own throat right then and there.
Some of the other stories were too far-fetched to believe.
No one agreed on the effects but everyone accepted nothing good ever happened if you met his gleaming red eyes.
“You recently took part in the fated mate hunt, is that correct?”
I nodded my head.
“Speak up.”
“Yes, my lord. I did, but I failed. I apologize.”
“There’s no need to apologize. You will serve out your duty and achieve your honor in other ways. After all, fifty percent of all those who head out to capture their fated mate fail.”
He paused, and the silence stretched for an unbearable length of time.
Was he waiting for me to respond?
“Uh, yes, my lord.”
“Tell me, did anything… unusual happen during your mission?”
Unusual?
How about traveling back in time?
How about seeing my parents again?
How about falling in love, which was supposed to be impossible for a Shadow?
You should never lie to a Grand Elder, they said.
He can tell when you’re lying and he’ll rip out your tongue if you do.
Maybe that was true, maybe it wasn’t.
I decided to play it conservatively and only evade the truth rather than outright lie.
“Unusual, my lord?”
“I’ve received word your ship was badly damaged during your mission. How did it come to be in such a state of disrepair?”
So, it was about the ship…
Had the engineers picked up on the static charge that sent us hurtling into the past?
Was there some way of tracing us to my parents’ farm?
Surely that couldn’t be possible.
I decided to include some of the elements in my response.
“I came under attack from the
