Page 74 of Stolen
Magic reborn.
The words replay over and over in my brain.
And all I can think is—was I stolen from my home for that reason?
Did he see me and thinkpowerinstead ofperson?
Shade says nothing more, only tugs me toward a vendor offering candied nuts wrapped in gold-dusted parchment.
But my appetite has dulled.
And for the first time since arriving in Nightfall, I feel a chill creep up my spine that has nothing to do with the weather.
The path that leads to the meeting place winds through the village and up a small hill, where sunlight pierces the clouds that have risen suddenly.
It’s just enough to bathe everything in a golden haze.
I walk beside Shade, trying to focus on the beauty around me and not the whirring in my head.
Was I stolen because Alaric truly wanted me? Or am I being used in his power play?
Shade hums a little as we approach the central green, where the villagers have gathered in a wide circle.
At the center, elevated on a platform of stone and twisted silver roots, I seehim.
Alaric.
The sight of him steals the breath from my lungs.
He’s perched on something that looks like a throne, though I’m not sure it was built so much asgrownfrom the magic that is Nightfall.
Intricate glyphs glow across his bare forearms and along the V of his chest, where his shirt hangs open.
His wings—those impossible black-and-silver things—are relaxed, but even at rest, they seem powerful enough to stir storms.
A Lord in every sense of the word.
And something more.
There’s a quiet reverence in the crowd as he speaks to the last of the day's petitioners.
It’s a young woman with a child tucked into her skirts, nervously wringing her hands. I can’t hear their words, but I see how he leans forward, how intently he listens.
Then, with a gesture of his hand, the woman gasps, bows low, and backs away.
Alaric speaks again—this time to an attendant who quickly disappears with a nod.
He looks up then.
Looksright at me.
And for a second, everything else disappears.
The people, the village, even Shade at my side.
It’s just him.
And me.
