Page 106 of Fallen Nocturne

The little wyvern shifts her weight and the brace moves with her, the joints flexing smoothly. She extends her wings and the brace locks them into position, held at the perfect angle for flight.

Coral makes a surprised sound, looking back at her own wings like she’s seeing them for the first time. I keep one hand beneath Coral’s jaw while she tests the unfamiliar weight.

“Can she move freely?” I ask.

Arescaine’s hands linger on the metal framework, checking each connection. “She should be able to walk, run, and even jump. The braces are articulated. They only lock into flight position when weight is applied from above. The real test is whether they’ll actually support her in the air.”

He stands, wiping his hands on his breeches before stepping back. I see the tension in his shoulders and the tightness around his eyes.

Arescaine is nervous. This vampire who faces down danger without flinching is nervous.

“I guess there is only one way to find out,” I say.

Something moves in the shadows behind Arescaine’s back. I tense before I see what it is.

The darkness at his feet rises. It stretches upward into the shape of a tall man, though its body is woven entirely from shadow.

I stare.

“What are you?” I breathe.

The creature bows to me. Before I can retreat, it takes my hand with surprising gentleness and presses a kiss against my knuckles.

A strange familiarity moves through me.

For one dizzying moment, the field vanishes. I have stood like this beneath another sky in this exact arrangement, with Coral, Arescaine, this shadow and me. My brain strains toward the memory before losing it like smoke through fingers.

Something tugs at the edges of my mind. This creature, this impossible dark thing, feels known.

Coral has no such confusion. The little wyvern clearly knows the creature. She trots straight up to the shadow, sniffs it once, and allows it to settle a small wreath of pale flowers onto her head. She wears them like a crown between her horns, completely unbothered.

A second shape emerges from the dark. An enormous wolf, formed from dense black shadow with eyes like molten gold.

“Coinneach and Fenrir are my familiars,” Arescaine says, watching my face. “They will catch Coral if she falls.”

Coinneach places one hand over his chest and bows again, solemnly promising what words cannot. Fenrir approaches Coral and presses his massive head against her side. She nuzzles his dark muzzle without the slightest fear.

Their confidence should reassure me, but I look toward the drop beyond the cliff. “If she falls from that height, will they truly be able to reach her in time?”

“Yes.” Arescaine’s answer comes without hesitation. “They’ve caught heavier things than a wyvern, and they move through shadow. Distance means very little to them.”

Somehow I believe him. I believe in them.

Arescaine looks at Coral. “Ready?”

Coral walks to the cliff edge. The braces move with her naturally without hindering her stride. She looks back at us once, seeking permission or reassurance.

“Go on, sweetling,” I whisper. “Try.”

Coral turns back to the open air and takes three running steps.

Then she leaps.

My heart stops.

She’s falling just like every failed attempt. The braces don’t work. This was a foolish hope and now she’s going to—

Her wings lock.