His voice, unexpectedly low and gentle, captivated her before fear cut through the chilling silence; he was as fascinating as he was terrifying.
Inky black shadows swirled around him like tendrils of mist, ready to strike her dead at any moment. Disbelief clouded her mind. The Kingdom of Grythorn had been free of enemies since before she was born—it wasn’t possible that one oftheir kindstood here now. A unicorn. They weren’t whimsical creatures from childhood tales, no. These terrifying beasts were known for the nightmares they made real, capable of evils far worse than most could imagine.
The air around her grew thick and heavy, pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. Her whole body thrummed, the garden shrinking around her.
This is my final moment. This is how it ends.
A quiet part of herself she had buried was in awe. No, that feeling couldn’t be right. She was supposed to be terrified—and she was—but something about him had her questioning everything she thought she knew. Before she could gather her wits, the mist of darkness that had revealed him began to darken, the shadows thickening, swallowing him.
She blinked twice, and he was gone.
With her jaw hanging open, she stared into the empty space he had occupied; no signs of him remained. No clopping of hooves against stone, no hoofprints, not even a scent to suggest the presence of an animal. Had she imagined him?
Then she remembered Clyde.
Please don’t let him be dead.Panic wrapped around every corner of her mind as she rushed to his side. His back rose and fell beneath her hand with each breath he took. “Thank the skies above.” At least he was alive. She gave his shoulder a small shake. “Clyde.”
He didn’t move. She shook him harder.
Still, he lay motionless.
Her throat bobbed. This couldn’t be happening. Hehadto be okay. Desperate, she leaned over him and yelled into his ear, “Clyde! Wake up!”
Again, he didn’t move.
Tears welled in her eyes. Her thoughts raced as she scrambled to think of some way to help him. She tried to roll him onto his back, but he was far too heavy. Under her breath, she cursed him for being built like a boulder.
She picked up her skirts and tore through the flowerbed, tiny thorns ripping the delicate fabric of her dress, but she did not care; saving Clyde was the only thought on her mind.
In between panting breaths, she called for help. The one time in her life she actually wanted there to be a guard or a servant, there were none to be found. Pain stabbed her ribs, and her legs trembled so violently she feared they’d buckle. Never having run a day in her privileged life was not servingher well now.
When she reached the steps of the palace, her shoulders sagged with relief upon seeing dark navy uniforms. William, her other personal guard, stood at attention by the door with another shorter guard whom she did not know.
“I need your help!”
William’s forehead wrinkled. “What happened? Where is your escort?”
She could barely breathe as she said, “There was a horned beast . . . of shadows. I don’t know where he went . . .” The words rushed out of her mouth, panic evident in her voice. “Clyde’s hurt. He needs help.”
They exchanged a knowing look, but their feet didn’t move.
They don’t believe me.As if she’d been punched in the gut, air whooshed out of her lungs.Fools.Was it so impossible to imagine that the protective magic surrounding the Kingdom of Grythorn had been breached and a dangerous creature was running around? Apparently, according to these two, itwas.
“If what you are saying is true,” the shorter guard drawled, rubbing his beard with his hand, “then Nina’s protective magic has failed, and the palace is in great danger.” He shook his head. “It’s simply not possible.”
Nina, a powerful woman within the king’s court, performed the protection ceremony twice a year, hiding the entire kingdom from anyone with the intention of causing harm. If enemy forces tried to enter Grythorn, they simply wouldn’t be able to find it; all they would see were vast empty lands. Nina’s magic was so powerful that even a violent thought against Grythorn would remove its location from the minds, and even maps, of their enemies.
William eyed her up and down, skepticism written all over his face. “What did you do to him?”
Luna’s mouth hung open. “What didIdo to him? Look at me.” She raised her pale, thin arm in the air as proof. “What could I possibly do to him?”
The shorter guard sneered, finalizing Luna’s decision to call him Shorty. “Obviously something, so you could roll around in the flowers.” He made a gesture to her torn dress with random petals and leaves clinging to it.
She stared at him incredulously, lips pressing into a thin line as she tried to process the absurdity of what she’d heard.
Her eyes swept over him, from his too-confident smirk to the way his hand casually rested on his belt as if he’d solved some grand mystery.This is who’s supposed to protect the palace?
She plucked a stray petal from her dress, flicking it to the ground before her gaze shifted to William, brows arching as if to silently ask:Are you seriously going along with this?
