She was torn. If the note was from Clyde, she didn’t want to tell anyone about it and risk getting him in trouble, but if the note had been from the intruder, she should let someone know that he had left her a message. On the other hand, if he wanted to harm her, wouldn’t he have done so in the gardens when her guard was knocked out? She folded the note back up and placed it in her vanity. She needed time to think about what to do.
It was nearly dark when Darius arrived home. He must’ve been starving because he marched straight to the dinner table the second he walked through the doors. Eager to hear what had kept him out so late, Emily, Angie, and Luna followed him, each taking a seat at the table even though they had dined hours ago. In between mouthfuls of food, Darius explained that there had been an emergency council meeting after the palace had been declared safe. They’d discussed whether there was truly a need for additional security measures and if it was possible for something like that to happen again. “Oh!” he said, setting his fork down, his voice dropping to a whisper, “You wouldn’t believe who attended the meeting.”
“Who?” Angie prompted, tilting her head like a curious kitten.
“Nina.”
An audible gasp filled the room. Nina never attended meetings; in fact, she rarely attended any of the palace events. She usually kept to herself in one of the far wings of the palace. When she was spotted out and about, she was always surrounded by a swarm of guards, making it impossible to catch a view of her, let alone get close enough to talk.
“And the most unusual thing happened,” Darius continued, “at the very end of the meeting, Nina surprised the whole room by offering to perform another protection ceremony.”
Performed only once in spring and again in fall, there’d never been a third ceremony. Luna had never been allowed to attend either, but she had heard it was brutal to witness. It involved breaking off a sliver ofNina’s horn—a painful process—though the rest of the ceremony sounded simple: She’d say a few words, then it would rain, washing everything in Grythorn with magic. Afterward the kingdom would be protected from outsiders who wanted to cause harm and Nina would heal, with her horn a sliver shorter, then the ceremony would be repeated in six months. Since the ceremonies took quite a toll, having another one so soon to the last one, was unexpected. Darius informed them that the ceremony would be in three days, during the upcoming full moon, when Nina would be at optimal strength.
“Is that necessary?” Emily questioned. “Does the king think we’re actually in danger?”
Darius folded his arms and leaned back in the chair. “He’s being cautious.” His gaze flickered to Luna. “Oh, and before I forget, the king would like you to attend the ceremony this time.”
Luna’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Ifshehad been surprised by this news, her mother was more so. Angie shot to her feet, her chair toppling behind her. “What! Why?” she exclaimed, placing both hands on the table. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Darius.”
The king’s restrictions forbid Luna from leaving the palace grounds, even to attend the ceremony. People from all over Grythorn went and Luna could easily get hurt by being bumped into or knocked over. Her parents agreed with his ruling, insisting the risk was unnecessary, which led to the question: Why was the king allowing her to go now?
Darius shrugged and got up from the table. “It’s not our decision. The king wants her there, so she will be.”
Luna lay in bed waiting for sleep to come, but it was taking its sweet time. She stared at the ceiling, captivated by the flickering light from her bedside candle as it danced along the surface. A small knock sounded on her window, but there was only one person who ever knocked on her window at this time. Delighted, she sprang out of bed, grabbed her robe to wrap around herself, and opened her window. He was even more handsomein the glow of moonlight, if such a thing was even possible. She smiled and moved aside to allow room for Clyde to climb through.
He had only recently started sneaking away from his post to visit her. If he was caught, he’d be in so much trouble; Luna couldn’t imagine a more romantic gesture. Besides, why did she need a guard standing post outside of her house if he was only there to make sure she didn’t hurt herself? There had never been any worry of enemies before today so it always seemed so unnecessary. One look at Clyde told her this would be one of his last midnight visits now that an intruder had breached the palace walls.
“Why the sad face? Aren’t you happy to see me?” Clyde asked, moving towards her.
“Yes! Of course, I am,” she said, wiping the frown off her face and taking his hand to guide him to her bed. His late-night visits were rare, and she didn’t want to waste a second of it. Instead of following her, he spun her around, pulling her to his chest. She tilted her head upwards, and their lips crushed together, then he pulled away, whispering, “I can’t.”
Pouting, Luna bit her lip.
He sighed and delicately traced his fingers over the outline of her shoulder. “I had to check on you after everything. But now more than ever, you need protection, which is why I must get back to my post.”
That shadow unicorn ruined everything good. If she ever saw him again, she wouldn’t just stand there, she’d make sure she gave him a piece of her mind.
Clyde reached for her hands and intertwined their fingers. “I’m sorry.” His eyes trailed downwards, taking in her robe. “Are you wearing anything under that?”
With a cheeky grin, she replied, “Only one way to find out.”
His fingers slowly moved over her body, starting at her neck and dropping down her chest to slide underneath her robe. She sucked in a breath. His touch caused tingling sensations to spread across her skin like wildfire. “You are god sent,” he growled in her ear.
Her cheeks warmed. “And you’re too sweet.”
“I only tell the truth.” His touch moved lower, sliding over her waist. She moved even closer to him, her hands reaching to unbutton his shirt, but before she could, he groaned and stepped away from her grasp. With regret in his voice, he said, “I need to get back to my patrol.”
She pouted, but it did nothing to change his mind. He leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the cheek as he closed up her robe. “Sleep tight, m’dear.”
Chapter 3
Knowledge
Small birds chirping outside of her window roused Luna from slumber. All night, the events from yesterday replayed in her mind over and over. She yawned, stretching her arms overhead, and made her way to her wardrobe, where she selected a white linen dress. The soft fabric gathered at her waist and fell gracefully just below her ankles; the intricate lace on the bodice added a touch of elegance to the otherwise simple design.
She stood before the floor-to-ceiling vanity mirror and drew a comb through her long blonde hair, so bright it looked like sunlight. Her mother had said that once, smiling as she compared it to golden light in an evening sky. The memory lingered as she gathered the strands and plucked a pink ribbon from the drawer to tie it back. As she did, her fingers brushed against the unsigned note. Its words echoed in her mind, like a song whose rhythm she could not forget, try as she might. Still, she didn’t know what it meant or who had left it.
Probably Clyde.
