Page 6 of Fallen Nocturne

He grins again and draws breath to say something.

The words do not arrive.

A violent impact tears Arthur from where he stands. He slams against the stone wall and his head leaves his neck. The ash blooms outward in a slow, soft cloud. It drifts through the still air and settles on the cobblestones like gray snow.

Where Arthur stood there is nothing.

I turn.

A figure steps out from the shadow of the eastern tower. The voice that reaches me is musical and light. I have been hearing it in my worst memories for a thousand years.

“Hello, Sebastian.” She tilts her head and the fading moonlight catches her face. “Did you miss me?”

Chapter 1 Rhianelle

Völundr is quiet today, subdued by the arrival of guests its people do not yet trust. The valley opens before us in a sweep of green beneath a pale sky, its rolling hills stretching toward distant mountains.

Landon leads me toward the western garrison where his squadron has made camp. He is unfairly handsome, though I still cannot understand why he dyes his hair so dark. The sunlight catches the faint red showing at his roots, a glimpse of the true color hidden beneath the black. I wonder what made him decide it needed hiding.

He is my mate.

Fate has bonded me to a fae… The thought should frighten me, but my heart remains calm whenever Landon is near. It tells me I can trust him and I have always trusted my heart.

Rainer told me Landon saved my life. His jaw remained tight the entire time as he spoke. My uncle hates the fae. He has hated them longer than I have been alive. Yet he tolerates Landon’s presence here. Coming from Rainer, that is not a small thing. I trust his judgment almost as much as I trust my own heart.

My steps falter when I hear the distinctive rumble of wyvern calls. The sound is more resonant than anything I’ve heard before. It vibrates through my chest, making my ribs ache. Coral trots beside me, but her usual playful gait has stiffened into something more cautious. Her ears swivel forward, then back.

“They won’t harm you,” Landon says, glancing back at me. The mate bond between us pulses. I still know nothing about this golden thread that tethers us together despite being strangers.

“My legion are eager to meet you,” he murmurs. “But remember, they’re fae warriors.”

I nod, though my throat feels dry. I’ve faced death twice this week alone, once at the threat of the ocean’s wrath and once in the strange darkness of my dreams. Yet stepping toward the plaza where Landon’s legion awaits, my heart beats as if it will fail me again.

These are the same fae warriors who mere days ago were burning our western borders and capital to ash. Now they’re guests in my kingdom and I’m about to meet them face to face. Their commander saved my life. In return, I’ve given sanctuary to enemy soldiers.

It was the right thing to do. I know that with every part of me, yet I cannot stop wondering if I have made a terrible mistake.

My breath catches sharply in my throat. Wyverns fill the valley ahead. Some rest in hollows dug into the hillsides while others gather branches, stones and great swaths of grass to build nests along the warmer slopes. Their dark copper, silver, black and green scales gleam beneath the pale sunlight. Smoke curls from several of them as they settle into the refuge I have given them, turning the peaceful valley into something ancient and wild.

I knew they were here. I gave them permission to be here. But nothing prepared me for the sheer number of them.

Some lie with their heads resting upon their forelegs while their riders tend saddles and armor nearby. Others pace restlessly at the edge of the camp, their claws cutting deep furrows through the earth.

Landon guides me through them toward two riders waiting apart from the rest. Their wyverns are so immense that I have to crane my neck merely to see their heads.

Coral, who normally stands proudly at the height of a horse, suddenly seems like a hatchling beside these ancient beasts. The smallest of them is easily five times her size. Their vast wings remain folded against bodies that could crush entire buildings with one careless movement.

I feel small and insignificant.

Landon steps forward and addresses his legion. His voice carries across the valley. “This is Queen Rhianelle. It is by her grace alone that we stand here today. Völundr has offered us refuge.”

Silence greets his words.

The first wyvern is a creature of burnished copper, its scales gleaming like freshly forged metal in the morning light. Steam rises from its nostrils as it observes our approach, intelligent amber eyes tracking every movement. Its rider is a tall fae warrior with dark hair braided in the traditional style of their military elite.

He swings down from the saddle and lands lightly beside his wyvern.

“Commander.” He greets Landon with a crisp salute before his gaze shifts to me. Something flickers in his expression, not quite hostility but certainly not warmth. “Your Highness.”