Page 4 of A Court of Ash and Midnight
Iawaken flailing asif I am falling through the sky, a strange feeling like waking abruptly from a dream. But I’m not falling. I’m lying on my back in deep grass, as I was before.
Except now the sun shines overhead through a hazy, sterling sky.
Jerking upright, I look for the jade-eyed man. But he’s not here. I’m alone. As my eyes scan my surroundings, my heart begins to race in my chest. This place…it’s not familiar. I am no longer fifty feet from the ocean a few miles outside of Kyrn. I am somewhere else entirely.
Mountains scrape the sky in the distance, and behind me, rolling hills shaded with vast forests stretch as far as I can see. There is only one mountain range in Tervanne, and this is not it. Those mountains are small and russet-shaded, rising from a sandy coastline area. These mountains are enormous, deep grayand snow-capped. That means wherever I am, I’m no longer in Tervanne. But that’s not even the most alarming part.
The thing that shocks me most is the stone wall rising a few hundred feet in front of me, and the huge castle sitting beyond it.
Where in the thirteen hells…
A horn blast cuts through the air and the giant portcullis in the fortress wall begins to rise. That gets me up in a hurry. But I’m barely to my feet, my legs shaky and weak beneath me, before a dozen riders on horseback come charging toward me. There’s no escaping, so I don’t even try. My head is fuzzy as if I’d had too much to drink the night before, my body sluggish and nonresponsive.
I remember the cloaked man touching a finger to my forehead…
Magic.Magic can be the only explanation for this. Ihatemagic.
As the riders surround me, I try to look as non-threatening as possible, which isn’t hard given my current state. My eyes take in their black armor, thick black cloaks, gleaming swords and the sigils on their chests. These are not the same people who have been hunting me. Their attire and their weapons are too nice. Plus, I recognize the sigil they’re wearing. Every citizen in Aureon would recognize it. Because it’s the sigil of the Shadow Guardians, Queen Sarielle’s personally appointed protectors of the realm.
My eyes widen.Is this the Queen’s castle?
The thought is banished a moment later. I’ve never been to the Court of Nightmares, but I’ve heard tale of it. A white castle set in a valley of great beauty. This place is far too formidable, too austere.
“State your name and your business!” booms one of the riders in a deep, commanding voice.
The riders have me enclosed in a tight circle, twelve swords drawn and pointed at me. It takes me a moment to find my voice, which seems reluctant to work, like the rest of me. As if I’d swallowed a bucket of sand.
“My name is Embyr,” I call. “I—I don’t know how I got here.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” the rider asks sharply.
All of them move another step closer to me. They’re already so close I can feel the hot breath from their horses, who stomp and prance as if they want to trample me. The flash of a blade hits my eyes.
“I’m… I got knocked unconscious and then I woke up here. There was a man…” I realize as I speak that I sound crazy.
“What man?” asks another rider, a woman. She glares at me as if I’m some sort of sorceress.
“I—I don’t know… I know this sounds odd, but I’m telling the truth!”
“Do you realize you’re trespassing on private property?”
I shake my head back and forth. “No. I told you, I—” A sudden horrifying thought pops into my head. This is far too reminiscent of that night, eight years ago, when I woke up in a similar fashion. “What year is it?” The question pops out of my mouth before I can stop it.
“You don’t know what year it is?” one of the Guardians asks, eyes wide with disbelief.
“She’s damaged in the head…” another mumbles loud enough to hear.
“It’s the year of the dragon, twenty-fifth century,” the first Guardian finally responds.
A sigh of reliefwhooshesfrom my lungs. No time has passed, then. And I still remember what happened last night, and before that. My heart calms slightly in its pounding.
“I didn’t mean to trespass,” I say. “If you point me in the right direction, I will gladly leave.” I have no idea what happened tome, but I’ll be more than happy to figure it out without so many gleaming swords pointed at my head.
“Not before you’re questioned by the Commander,” calls one of the Guardians.
I catch sidelong glances from a couple of the others; they’re surprised by this response. My heart drops to my ankles as my gaze travels up the enormous wall in front of me. Just about the last place I want to be is trapped inside a compound full of warriors. Even if Guardians are supposed to protect the citizens of Aureon. I’ve only ever seen them escorting rich merchants or other upper-class fae. They never seem to give two shits about humans, so I don’t exactly feel any safer.
It seems, however, that I don’t have much of a choice in the matter.
