{Hey readers! Quick little note. I made a Spotify playlist for this story and it's called "shadowsinger". I will be putting a song from this playlist into each chapter from here on out because I think it'll be fun hehe. I hope you are enjoying this story! Every view, comment, and vote mean the world to me ❤️😊
~Cora Knight xoxo}

Song- "Control" by Halsey

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The next day at noon, we arrived at the inn Galahad would be at. And I was going to get him to talk one way or another.

I barely slept the night before, but I was used to little sleep. Azriel stayed up with me despite my protests to get him to go to sleep. He instead sat behind me and pulled me back against him and just wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder, claiming he was only cold whenever I sat up on the side of the bed.

I walked into the bar with my puffy eyes and showy dress and sat down at a table and held a goblet of wine in my hands.

For the most part, I was ignored, but I knew from Lance how Galahad liked to find women- alone and sad- the sick bastard.

And I was very alone.

But I knew Azriel was nearby. Because the shadows he sent curled around my ankles under my dress and gently squeezed every now and then. If I didn't need my hands visible, the shadows would have been wrapped around my wrists and fingers, as if his hand was in mine to give it an encouraging squeeze every now and then.

He may have been a man of few words, but he showed me how much he loved me in more than just words. The shadows he sent to follow me everywhere when we were apart- even during training- laced around my wrists or ankles were a constant reminder of it.

And I clung to those shadows like a life line, because in a way they were.

I would have ended it decades ago if it weren't for him.

There weren't many people in the room, so I couldn't believe my luck when my target sat in front of me with his own tankard of ale. The Fae grinned at me, those perfect white teeth flashing. His red hair was cut now, closer to his head, but there was that long scar across his face, and there were those piercing brown eyes.

This was the Fae that showed up in my nightmares.

The shadows tightened around my ankles gently and I looked up at him and offered a small, shy smile, and made a show of wiping at my eyes with a napkin.

The glamour over me was strong. My wings and scars gone, I looked nothing like Adrianna Meridia.

"S-Sorry." I stumbled with my words.

"Tough day?" He asked and sipped from his tankard and watched me closely.

"Y-You could say that..." I said hoarsely. I moved my arms a bit more, and my forearms showed with the scars visible, these ones the only ones I would show. The glamour made them appear more red with spots of blood.

He frowned. "Who did that to you?" He reaches a hand out to me and I recoiled, bringing my arms around myself and I whispered,

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Then you don't have to." Galahad said. He paused and looked at me sadly. "Well, is that the reason you look so sad, lady?"

I merely shrugged and gave a little nod.

"Can I be of any assistance?"

My eyes flicked up to meet his under lowered eyelashes. "You could always help me get a divorce." My voice cracked but I gave a humorless laugh.

He frowned, the air between us becoming more tense, somehow. More serious. "Help you get a divorce, hm? How would I do that?"

"Sir, I came here for a reason. I need...I need him out of my life now, and I-I don't know what else to do, a-and he hits me all the time when I won't do what he wishes in bed, a-and I know this is terribly awkward and hardly fair of me to ask you this, but, I-I just...I have no other options other than suicide, and I can't do that. I want to live my life without fear." I let my voice come in a little stronger and wiped at my eyes again. "I want to travel. See all of Prythian. Maybe even the Continent or the Mortal Lands."

He looked at me and his eyebrows drew together. "May I know your name, lady? So that I might aid you? I can't let a monster continue to be in your life. I will help you."

I smiled and sighed in relief. "Oh, thank the Mother. Thank you so much." I stood and held my hands out to him. "My name is Anna."

He stood and laced his fingers through mine and said, "You can call me Gal."

I stepped in closer to him until our chests touched. "So," I whispered. "My room?" My hands moved to his chest and the shadows went even tighter and I lifted a leg to wiggle my foot as it became somewhat uncomfortable. But I knew how Azriel was feeling. I understood.

"If that would make you more comfortable, Anna." He whispered back and his lips pressed to my cheek and I had to keep from driving my dagger into his neck.

I lead him to the attic room and closed and locked the door.

He looked at me and I kicked off my shoes and turned and pushed him onto the closest chair and slid onto his lap. His hands planted firmly on my hips and his lips meet my cheek again.

"Slow down." I whispered, resting my hands on his cheeks and leaned closer to him, nuzzling my nose against his. The knife hidden in my sleeve was on the skin just below his jaw.

His eyes meet mine and I brushed my hands through his hair, then reached down and tugged his shirt from his belt.

He would bleed to death.

I began to slowly unbutton it, feather light touches making him grind his teeth. I shifted a little on his lap to lock my ankles around him behind the back of the chair.

He was tied down. And little did he know my magic had already worked to make a solid bubble air around the room. No one would hear his screams when I slit his throat.

I eased the shirt open and slipped it off of his shoulders. I ran my hands up and down his chest, fingers against the many scars on his abdomen and I looked at him in concern.

"What happened?" I whispered.

His hands slid slowly up my sides, thumbs just under my chest, and he said softly, "War. It takes a lot from you."

I nodded and reached up to pull my hair loose with what looked like a string, but was made of fibers that were impossible to break. My long red hair fell around my shoulders, the same way I wore my hair the day he kidnapped me.

I ran my hands down his arms and slid them behind the chair and kissed his neck as he went loose and let me tie his wrists together behind him.

"I-It seems you've done this before. You're rather confident." He said hoarsely. My eyes flicked up to his and I smirked as I leaned in closer to him, still holding him in place, and said,

"In a way, I'd say I've had too much practice when t comes to finding my revenge."

He frowned. "What?"

"Oh, you don't recognize me?" I asked and pouted. "So sad, Gal. I thought you remembered the girls you took. I mean, you killed my husband, then snuck into my house and kidnapped me and brought me to Amarantha."

I leveled my glare on him and he clenched his jaw.

"Who are you?"

"I am rather disappointed. My wings were clamped, then. But, my dear, they aren't now. And it seems you're a bit too tied up. And don't bother to scream. No one will hear you."

I grinned wickedly as my black scaled wings sprouted from behind me and the glamour dropped like a shroud and he sucked in a sharp breath as his face paled.

"You're the Illyrian from the Ring. I watched you-"

"Kill so many? Yes. And now I'm going to add you to that list, but first you will answer a few questions for me." A knife flashed into my hand from the compartment in my sleeve, Syphons flashing and shadows engulfed the room. "I can do this the easy way or the hard way, but I will get what I want from you, and then you will die, and whoever you were working for will die next."

"L-Look! Yes, ok, I killed that Commander twenty-two years ago. I kidnapped you and brought you to Amarantha, but the person who paid Lance and I to do it was-"

"Masked. I know. I already spoke to your friend. A pity, really. The people all think a rogue naga ripped him apart." I grinned and pressed the blade to the side of his neck, drawing blood. "Now talk."

"H-He said something about becoming Commander himself. That Haven was a traitor and that the Illyrian armies would be better lead by him. He wore a mask and bore some sort of magic that distorted his voice."

"Mhm." I said and drew another knife, slicing it into his side. Those shadows were curled tightly around my ankles. "Is this man an Illyrian?"

"Y-Yes. A big one. He was very muscled. Carried a giant sword on his back."

"Did he give a name?" I asked.

He gritted his teeth as I slide the blade across his chest. "N-No."

I glared at him. "I don't believe you." I sliced deeper and he cried out,

"F-Fine! Jace! He said his name was Jace!"

I froze. That was the Illyrian Haven had embarrassed that day he took me to his camp. The one who had insulted me.

"Good. Now, this is my revenge."

His eyes widened in horror as I drove the knife into his chest.