Page 107 of Kiss of Light

“A death sentence will do that.”

“By rights I should imprison you immediately for the sentence to be carried out.”

“You should. But I believe I am also entitled to beg for leniency from the Prince. Who happens to be my father. So let’s go see him before any heads start flying, shall we?”

The captain gestured at Tala.

“What about her?”

“Excuse me.” Tala was bored of being talked about as if she wasn’t even there. “I’m an envoy of Lord Shadeed of the Jinn, ruler of Nurhan and soon-to-be-emperor of Nush’aldaam. I’m here on diplomatic business.”

The Vetali reluctantly sheathed his sword.

“Very well. This way.” He led them to the tall wrought iron gates in the wall. Lemar spoke in a low voice to Tala.

“You may be disorientated when you enter Palissandra. It’s quite normal. Try not to throw up.”

“Huh?”

And then they were being ushered through the gates.

There was a moment or two of dizziness. Tala swayed, her stomach churning as if she was mid-ocean. She’d never been travel sick in her life but she imagined it felt a lot like this. As if the ground beneath her feet was moving.

And then it was over and she was standing in Palissandra. She blinked. It was daylight.

She glanced back through the gates and saw no-man’s land still shrouded in darkness. But over here, it was daylight. Yet the Vetali weren’t burning to a crisp.

Squinting, she glanced up at the sun. It looked real. She frowned at Lemar.

“How?”

“A combination of science and magic. You’ll see a lot of it in Palissandra. It’s artificial, of course. And our days are only half the length of yours. But we can walk in the light without burning or feeling fatigue.”

He closed his eyes and turned his face towards the sun. Tala watched, amused.

“Feel good?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. It’s been a long time since I felt the sun on my skin.”

Tala had never seen him in daylight. She followed the line of his jaw, the strong column of his throat, the way his hair curled against his neck.

She realised she was staring and dragged her gaze away.

“So this is Palissandra.”

To be honest, it didn’t look like much. There were a few shops and stores dotted along narrow streets. It all looked a bit tired and rundown. Lemar seemed to sense her disappointment.

“This is just the border town,” he said. “The capital’s north of here. Palis City. I promise you, it’s a lot more impressive.”

The captain cleared his throat, keen to get moving.

“This way. Our transport is over here.”

They crossed the street towards a box-like van painted in the same colours that adorned the soldiers’ uniforms. It didn’t appear to have any sort of engine so Tala assumed it was another example of Palissandra’s magical engineering.

She glanced through shop windows as they passed, curious to know what kind of stores Vetali frequented. Most seemed to sell books or clothing. One offered cosmetics, another advertised a hairstylist. She could have been in a backstreet anywhere in the world.

She passed a shop resembling a café, with tables set out in rows. Her eye was caught by a wan-looking female sitting at one of them. A long tube protruded from a needle in her arm.

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