Brock chews the inside of his lip as we mount our horses again. I shoot a look to the carriage. The changeling is hidden inside, though her taste is still on my tongue.
Brock gives the signal to start our march toward the sun, and we keep tighter ranks as the woods crowd endlessly around us.
“I’ll send a messenger to King Sigrid as soon as we return to the Shard of Day. This attack can’t be overlooked, not when we were promised safe passage.”
“He’ll say that he had no idea the seekers were prowling around.” I sigh. “He’s good at dissembling, just like my father was.”
“Even so, this can’t go unanswered.”
“You’re right. I’ll consider my options.” I look back again, my gaze drawn unerringly to the changeling.
“I know exactly what option you’re considering,” Brock grumbles and rides ahead, his eyes combing the road for any more threats.
I don’t deny it. The saucy changeling—Emma she said her name is—has whet my appetite for more. She survived the seekers, but I’m quite interested to see how she fares at the day court. The danger there is just as potent, but far more difficult to spot.
7
Emma
Idoze off on the fluffy pillows, the song of the night and the rocking of the carriage putting me to sleep despite the danger. Something tells me King Solano’s healing powers may have soothed me into a deep slumber, because I dream about him. His golden eyes and big hands, the way he smiles, and the way he makes my insides do a funny somersault when he touches me.
Plenty of males have tried to make time with me over the years. All of them failed. My mother pushed me into the arms of the local tavern master’s son. “We could have free ale for life, Emma!” She’d pouted for a month after I turned him down. I’m just not the marrying sort, not when I can spend my free time doing as I please. Darning socks is an endless chore, but I managed to live a grand life all the same. Dancing with fireflies, cackling with the dark witches, and warming myself by crackling fires—being single in the night realm suited me just fine.
I yawn and open my eyes, then close them again just as quickly. They sting. I sit up. Why do my eyes sting?
The carriage is still creaking along, the horses around me snuffling in the night. I open my eyes again just a crack. They still sting, but they’re adjusting to … light. Bright, burning light. Not the gentle glow of a fire or the wick of a candle. This is light like I’ve never known. Are we in the Daylands already?
I scoot to the side of the carriage and peer out the window. Using my hand as a shade, I look ahead. We aren’t in the Daylands yet, but the barrier flickers in the distance, and beyond it is a glow. Muted, perhaps, for the Daylanders, but it roars with bright light for me. I wince away from it and close my eyes again.
“You’ll get used to it.” King Solano’s voice comes from the other side of the carriage. “And we have a shadow witch waiting for us in Nightsbane.”
I peek at him. He rides beside me, his golden gaze on me. Nightsbane—the fabled village at the border crossing between night and day. Mother would never let us travel here. The moon is our guide, and we’re taught from a young age to shun the shining sun. It’s not for us. More particularly, it’s dangerous. No hiding in the day, no escape from enemies and no whispering comfort of gloom. Worst of all, it burns.
“A shadow witch?” I’ve known plenty of dark witches, their midnight hair and emerald green eyes a gift of their master, but I’m not sure what he means by ‘shadow witch.’
“She’s a Dayland creature who can pass between the realms with no trouble.”
“How?” I close my eyes again, the glare giving me a headache.
“She casts a shadow over herself. You can’t see it, but she’s always protected from the sun and from the wiles of the nighttime moon.”
“She’s invisible?” I press the heels of my palms against my eyelids and relish the darkness.
“No.” He laughs, and though I can’t see him, I can feel him leaning closer. “The spell is invisible, not the witch.”
“You make no sense.” I wrinkle my nose.
I jump a little when he brushes his hand against mine, then pulls it from my face.
“She’ll do the same for you. Give you a spell and a charm that will allow you to pass into my realm without any negative effects.”
“My eyes burn,” I admit.
“The sun is powerful.” He strokes my palm with his index finger. “But I think you’ll find the day realm to be a beautiful place.”
“Do you find the night realm beautiful?” I peek at him with one eye.
He stares at me, his golden gaze so direct that I feel myself blushing. A smile breaks across his face. “Exceedingly beautiful, to be sure.” He drops a kiss on my palm, lingering there with his soft lips before releasing me and retreating out the window. Straightening on his horse, he speeds his pace and disappears in front of the carriage.
