Destiny Forgiven (Shadows of Destiny) by Leia Shaw

came in. Maddox took a moment to study his aging father. His hair was finally starting to gray. Wrinkles made grooves in his forehead and he had two frown lines on either side of his lips. Having lived in Caerwyn most of his life, his aging had slowed significantly. Caerwyn was the most valuable of treasures and the sorcerers owned it. They’d been protecting it from the filthy creatures of the Underworld for over five hundred years. The land was in high demand because it was enchanted. For the length of time a person spent in Caerwyn their lifespan increased by at least three times, they could not die from injury or disease, and any magical abilities were enhanced. It made for a very popular haven for supernaturals, but sorcerers didn’t like to share.
    His father cleared his throat and kept writing. He must’ve been over two hundred and fifty years old now. They didn’t keep track of birthdays. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever having celebrated one. Memories of his childhood had always been hazy – like they’d happened to someone else, not really to him. When he thought about his time before he was Inkman, it was as if someone were telling him a story. A story about a stranger. He accepted this because it wasn’t his job to question. But now… now that Felicity had planted little seeds of doubt in his head, he wondered what it meant.
    “How old am I?” he blurted then kicked himself. What the fuck are you doing, Maddox?
    His father finally looked up at him. If he was surprised at the sudden curiosity, he didn’t show it. “Does it matter?”
    “Of course not. I was just…”
    “Curious?” He arched a brow.
    Maddox shrugged in an attempt to appear nonchalant.
    “Honestly, I don’t remember the year. The month was June. I remember that because the irises were just starting to bloom when we buried your mother.” His father rarely talked about her death, and when he did it was with no more emotion than he would discuss the purchase of a toaster oven.
    “Have you heard of Adfer Falls?”
    Saith studied him a moment before answering. “No. But there are many places I haven’t heard of. Why?”
    “It came up in conversation. I was wondering if you knew anything about it.” Why did his hands feel sweaty? He’d never lied to his father before. It felt…wrong.
    Not many would’ve noticed the small shift in Saith’s position or the tightening of his lips, but Maddox knew him well enough to see the signs of displeasure. “Is there something going on that would compromise your job? Are you having a personal crisis?”
    “No.” Crisis was an understatement. “Of course not.”
    He gently slapped his hands on the oak table. “Good. We can’t afford any breaks in our system right now.”
    “I know.” There was no perfect time for an identity crisis but right now was especially bad. Were the gods sending him a message? Was this meant to test his devotion to his vows? No Soldier of the Light betrayed their oath – unless they wanted to die. Being relatively new to the ranks, there wasn’t much room for failure. And being the top councilman’s son meant he had a lot to live up to.
    Maddox wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and straightened his spine. “So what news of this new Underworld Queen?”
    Saith waved a hand dismissively. “She’s a child. No older than twenty-seven or some such. Lived in the human world most of her life. She’s a nuisance, that’s all.”
    “So you think she’ll surrender?”
    “I know she won’t. But what experience does she have in military strategy? It’ll be an easy win. The time to strike is now.”
    Despite his father’s easy dismissal of the battle ahead, something didn’t feel right. Working with the vilest of criminals had taught him one thing – never underestimate the enemy. “She took the throne from The Dark Lord. She must have some skill. We shouldn’t underestimate her.”
    “Of course not. We don’t know what kind of magic she has. In fact,