AERYN'S POV

Just as my eyes were drifting shut and sleep was dragging me under, a faint knock sounded at the door. The ring heated around my thumb, and I held my breath as I listened to Shade's deep snores. I picked my head up and peered in the darkness. 

The inconspicuous movements I took to slip off the bed were painstakingly slow. I did not want the bed to creak, and I tried not to shuffle around in the sheets. Even though a knock hadn't awoken the beast, it didn't mean I was stealthy enough to keep him asleep. 

My toes touched the floor, and I sucked in a breath, taking a single step in the direction of the door. Shade stirred and my heart lurched as he rolled onto his side. I released the breath and took another step as I strained to see in the thick darkness. 

My foot smacked into Shade's back, and I went sprawling across the floor, crashing into the wire frame of the fireplace. The gate rattled and my heart played a tune just as loud. 

Shade groaned and started to sit up. 

Go back to sleep, I compelled, stuffing my glowing red hand in my borrowed shirt. 

Shade dropped with a thud and his snores resumed. 

I took a few more breaths to steady my racing heart and crawled to the door. I stayed on my hands and knees as I listened to Shade's even breaths, and stood, twisting the doorknob. I opened the door and stepped into the bright hallway, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the burst of light. 

A sudden hand clamped over my mouth, and I was hauled against a boney chest. 

"Be quiet, Aer. It's me," Bastion hushed, leading me down the hall. "We need to be quick." 

Now that the haze of sleep had cleared my foggy mind, I realized how risky it had been to open the door to an unknown visitor in the Ravos Kingdom. I cursed myself for being so reckless. 

Bastion peeled his hand away and released me once we dipped into a room at the end of the corridor. He flicked on the lights and shut the door, twisting the lock on the doorknob as he scooped a huge bag overflowing with clothes from the floor and shoved it at me. 

"Here are your things. I...bribed the escort tasked with bringing your things to you with a generous reward if he'd let me take them to you instead. We don't have much time," he rambled, smoke drifting out of his hand, "but you need to trust Shade. King Kristos is as evil as they come, but his son is different." 

I choked on the influx of smoke and took my possessions from Bastion as I coughed. "You're one of them, Bastion. I can't even believe a word you say." 

Hurt flickered across his pale, sunken features. Just the tips of his hair were strawberry blonde now while the rest was growing out the same shade as all the Ravos demons. The dark veins on his body were more pronounced and half his face was dominated in bone. 

"Aeryn, you need to listen to me," he pleaded, glancing at the door. "Trust Shade. My powers were taken from me by Emperor Nepheus." 

"I know – wait, powers? Plural?" 

Bastion nodded in earnest. "Yes, I had the ability to tell when someone was lying. My second power was to read the truth behind that lie." 

"I thought that was one power." 

"No, I tried to play it off as such since my Insignia incorporated both powers. Not all of us are fortunate enough to have one Insignia for two powers. It's more difficult to hide your dual power abilities when you have an Insignia on both hands," he said, showing me his palm with the scarred "X' striking through his Insignia.

I examined Bastion's Insignia, awe-stricken by the combined powers he once had.

Interrupting my reverie, Bastion prompted, "And you know who else has two powers?"

Zoran. 

Bastion answered his question without giving me the chance. "Every Ravos citizen." 

The lock burst and the door busted open, rattling on its hinges as an enraged prince filled the entrance. 

"Speak of the demon," I muttered, trying to process Bastion's shocking words at the same time as taking in Shade's fury. 

"You are not allowed to be here," the demon prince growled. 

Bastion backed into the wall and lifted his hands in mock surrender, displaying the Insignia that had been crossed out as well as a new one on his other palm depicting a finger of bone over a pair of pursed lips. 

"I was just carrying out my duty. I've given Princess Aeryn her belongings and I was about to be on my way," he said, skirting around Shade as he parted, giving me a serious look. 

The door clicked and Shade turned his menacing glare on me. "The next time you try to induce sleep on me, make sure it's permanent." 

I hitched the bag over my shoulder and strode past him, placing my hand on the doorknob. "The next time I mess with your mind, I'll concentrate all my effort on making you a bit more pleasant and bearable." 

I opened the door and stormed out into the hall, only stopping once I was back at Shade's room. He'd left the door open in his haste to find me, so I slipped inside and dropped the bag, collapsing on the bed as Shade entered and flicked on the lights.  

"What did he tell you?" he asked, taking a defensive stance in front of the fireplace after pulling the door closed.

I stared at the ceiling with my hands bound together atop my stomach as I realized we'd also never been taught about the Ravos demons possessing two powers. "All he said was that every demon has two powers which explains why he was able to discern a lie and extract the truth." 

When Shade didn't respond, I sat up to find him staring at the floor deep in thought. The silence was uncomfortable, and I had to fill it.  

"What are your powers?" I wondered.  

Shade fixed his eyes on me and held out his palms. I recognized the skeleton hand holding a wilted rose on one of his hands, but the hunched figure with strings attached to its back on his other was one I'd never seen before. 

Pointing at the first Insignia, he explained, "Rot and decay. It kills those foolish enough to get too close to me by weakening their essences until I can completely drain their powers to the point of death. Everything I touch, dies, Aeryn Glastos."

The usage my entire name and finality of his words troubled me, and I swallowed, rubbing my arms. "Is that how you knew I didn't have a power when you first met me?" 

Smoke streamed from his Insignia and formed into a hand, tilting my chin up at him. 

"Yes. I couldn't sense your essence, but now I feel...more than one power." 

The smoke dissipated and I nodded, looking down at the faded outline of Zoran's Insignia. "Yeah, I'm a bonded Champion. I have the essence of my Champion mingling with mine. I was able to wield ice, but now I'm too far from him to use his power." 

Shade looked like he was about to say something, then made his hands into fists and grumbled, "You need to sleep for tomorrow." 

"But what about your second power?" I pushed as Shade laid on his improvised bed, facing the wall. 

"I command the dead like puppets. I bring death...and I control it." 

Shade's perilous powers disturbed me. It was no wonder he was such a ruthless demon with no qualms for killing; with powers like those, he had no humanity or remorse. 

I didn't know what to say as panic clogged my throat. He hadn't taken the floor to be considerate; he'd done it so he wouldn't kill me in my sleep. 

Figuring I had nothing to lose, I interrogated, "Then why haven't you just killed me yet?" 

"Go to sleep, Glastos." 

I clamped my mouth shut and scooted to the side of the bed furthest from Shade and curled up against the wall. His response did not give me any reassurance. 

How was I supposed to kill him without touching him? 

I wished I could control my own mind to put myself to sleep. Instead, I stayed awake until the sun rose, smacking me in the face with its rays beaming in from the window. I stilled as Shade got up and stretched his arms above his head, shirt riding up with the movement to show the defined V-shape dipping beneath his low-riding sweatpants. He opened the dresser and stood back, showing me the contents. 

"You're going to need these for today," he said, gesturing at the bottom shelf where my dagger, knives, and throwing stars laid. 

I sat up with a frown. My weapons had been just a few feet away the entire time and I hadn't had a clue. Bunching the loose t-shirt in my hands as I asked, "What's going on today?"

"You will see. There is an armored vest made from the spines and ribcages of our deceased summons in here, and you are permitted to use any of the items you received in the middle of the night. You are to be an observer, not a participant. Yet, there is no telling how a Nyrial Draconian will be treated in the scrutiny of the Ravos public," he explained, stepping aside. "You may need to defend yourself." 

I grabbed the bag Bastion had given me and pulled it onto the bed, digging through the bulk of clothes. I took out a pair of thick pants and a leather shirt and took them to the bathroom. I switched Shade's oversized clothes for my more fitted ones and pleated my hair in two neat braids. Satisfied, I returned to the bedroom and put on the bone armor vest. I strapped my weapons to my body and placed my crown on my head, assessing Shade's attire. 

The prince wore his standard black robe with no visible weapons – not that he needed any when he was the epitome of death – and his crown. He'd fixed his hair into another loose bun with most of his hair left out of it to frame his face and slip around his shoulders. 

"Let's go," he commanded, striding out the door. 

I lagged behind him, fatigue making my footsteps slow and heavy as a headache spiked behind my eyes. Having both Armaeda and Zoran so far was draining me. 

Shade didn't wait for me to catch up as he glided down the winding halls, snuffing out the torches as he passed by them. He stopped at what I assumed to be the back of the castle where we met a massive gate melded in wrought iron that blocked a set of double doors. 

"Prepare yourself. Survive this, and you'll be accepted as the Ravos princess. Die, and you give my kingdom what it wants."

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