Fear promised the Shadow would return for her sister next.
Dyna looked down at Lyra, and a tear spilled down her cheek.
“Nothing will happen to Lyra,” Grandmother Leyla reassured her, wiping it away. “The village council is preparing for the next coming. They have not stopped attempting to replicate your father’s cloaking amulets, though the reeds he used are native to Magos. Who knows how he found them? The council hopes the leaves of the Glass Tree will be of some use. And there is talk of bringing demon hunters.”
Dyna sat up straight. “They will allow outsiders to come here?”
Their secluded village rested within the Zafiro mountain range on the southern edge of the Azure Kingdom. Centuries ago, the Mages of Old perpetually spelled North Star to remain hidden. The village paid no taxes to lords nor did they pay fealty to the Azure King. No one knew they were there, and it was for a reason.
“Well, the decision is being debated, but I believe they will see reason. North Star needs help or we will not survive the Fourth Shadow Winter next year.”
But demon hunters would be useless.
Of all the books Dyna had read on Netherworld lore, she found little on shadow demons. There were no documented weaknesses or methods to fight them. The Shadow was an intangible wraith, transient like smoke. Neither traps nor weapons would be effective against it.
Not that the village council would grant her the audience to tell them so. When her father said the Shadow would return, he was ridiculed and removed from the council. It took the deaths of children to convince them he wasn’t raving mad about the Netherworld Gate opening every decade. What hope did she have of convincing them?
It didn’t matter. This time she would not stand by helpless again.
“My dear,” Grandmother Leyla frowned at her. “I found the pack you hid in the barn. It had enough clothing and food for a week’s travel.”
Dyna stuttered in reply, unsure of how to explain herself.
“Did you plan to leave without saying a word? Did you think I would allow it?” Her grandmother’s mouth thinned in a stern line. “You will not go to Magos. I forbid it.”
Magos?
Her grandmother looked to the desk where an open tome rested. The encyclopedia listed the flora found in the Magos Empire—the territory of the mages.
“You were thinking of going in search of the Luna Reeds, weren’t you?”
Dyna lowered her gaze and nodded. She hated lying. She had planned a journey but notthere.
“Please, stop reading those books. It’s time to let it be and trust the council to keep the village safe.”
“The council knows nothing,” Dyna said, echoing her father.
Her grandmother pursed her lips. “Dynalya Astron, I’ll not have you fret over this any longer, you hear?”
She dropped her head in her hands. Nine years ago, she had been too young to understand her father’s anguish and paranoia, but they now clung to her like the sweat on her skin. This curse had to end. “It won’t work. None of it will work. Even if the council replicates the Luna Reeds, it is not a permanent solution. The amulets will only cloak them under the moonlight. It does not banish the Shadow.”
“The Glass Tree—”
She shook her head in exasperation. “The light of theHyalusleaves only appear at night. We need an absolute solution or the Shadow will continue to return.”
“I know you are worried, blossom. I am as well.” Grandmother Leyla tucked a lock of Dyna’s hair behind an ear. “There is a village council meeting at midday. You can voice your concerns there.”
“No one will listen to me.”
“Lady Samira may listen. She is the least arrogant of them. Occasionally.”
Dyna stiffened at the mention of that name and tried to ignore the sour twist in her stomach. “Why is there a meeting today?”
“Lady Samira is stepping down and is to announce her replacement.”
Dyna watched her grandmother, reading the touch of resignation on her face. “Is she unwell?”
“She needs all of her strength now. There is not much of it left.”
