Page 121 of Realm of Nightmares
Maeve swallowed down the knot of trepidation lodged in the back of her throat and let Rowan take her hands.
At once, the library transformed, morphed into a world of beauty. A land divided by the lushness of the seasons. Pink sand beaches collided with a secluded cove. Palms trees swayed in welcome, fanning out to reveal a palace and a city that seemed to float upon winding turquoise canals. Twin mountains stood in the distance, and between them, the rising sun illuminated the sky, turning it gold. A warm breeze cocooned her, beckoned to her, carrying the scent of the sea and fragrant florals she couldn’t quite place.
“Niahvess.” Rowan spoke the word with reverence, and it pierced her heart. “Now, Kyol.”
Colors bled into one another, fading from the deepest sapphire and gold to that of vibrant jewels. There was a smooth lake with a surface as black as obsidian. Trees of crimson, topaz, and citron shimmered in the decadent sunlight. Leaves swirled around her, lifting her hair, carrying her into this place of wonder. Waterfalls rained down from either side of a palace carved into the side of a mountain. Her blood stirred. Hummed. Wrapped her in longing. Answered her call.
Scenes played out before her like the pictures of a storybook.
Battles against dark fae and other creatures of the night. An empty cage swinging precariously over an angry ocean. Bonfires and puffs of pink smoke. A room filled with painted maps and delicate baubles. An underwater kingdom and a merrow queen.
A sword of sunlight.
He was showing her all she’d lost. Her memories. Glimpses in time that had been stolen from her.
Faces appeared, so many she could barely keep track. Indiscernible at first, then gradually coming into focus. Eyes she recognized. Smiles she kept close in her heart. Laughs as familiar to her as her own voice.
“Ceridwen, Lir, Merrick, Brynn,” Rowan murmured as they stood before her, cast by his illusion. So close, she could almost touch them, but fear kept her rooted in place. She didn’t dare move, worried that if she even so much as blinked, they would fade away and she’d be alone once more. “And Aran, your brother.”
Unbidden tears slid down her cheeks.
Maeve’s heart hammered.
Home.
The word reverberated in her mind. This was her home. This was her family. And yet…she wasn’t complete. Someone was missing. There was one more, another she yearned to see, the one for whom her soul ached.
“Show her,” Laurel whispered in quiet demand.
“Tiernan.” Rowan sounded strained, strangled as he said, “Yoursirra.”
The male stepped from the crowd of faces that faded into the background. Midnight hair, twilight eyes. He strode toward her, and a thousand memories slammed into her at once, stealing her breath.
Tiernan teaching her how to control her magic, how to save herself.
Tiernan kissing her, loving her, giving her the whole of his heart.
Tiernan holding her in a tub as she sobbed, wrecked by the loss and grief.
Tiernan vowing to rip open the realms for her.
“Mysirra.” Her voice cracked.
Soul mate.
Astora.
Pulse of my heart.
Maeve cried out, clutching her chest.
“Tiernan.” His name slipped from her lips on a wail, and she jolted upright, springing from the sofa. The illusion around her shattered. “I have to go.”
Rowan was on his feet a second later. “Where?”
“I must speak with Aed.” She had to go to the god of death immediately. She had to get back to Niahvess.
Tiernan.
