Page 25 of House of Gilded Nightmares

“But it’s not impossible, even then?”

“No,” he says. “Not impossible. And if it is your will to find a way, I will accompany you.”

“Thank you,” I say softly as the fire flickers between us.

Silence falls as Zyren finishes preparing dinner, and shortly thereafter, we go to sleep in the soft grass on either side of the fire.

When I awaken a few hours later, I’m not sure at first why. The sky above is still black and glittering with stars. I see the moon, but only a sliver of it. With a trembling that has nothing to do with the cool night air, I realize I can only see part of it because the rest is covered with a dark orb.

The lunar eclipse.

Which means the barrier keeping the nightmares on the other side of the river has now been lowered.

There’s something else in the sky, too. Near the eclipsing moon, about two inches at this distance, is another dark circle. It’s a sphere of blacker black, a spot of midnight even deeper than the rest of the sky. I notice, too, that it has a slight glimmer to it, as if reflective. Not the same thick, velvety canvas as the rest of the sky.

A pulse of surprise and dread moves through me. It’s the Obsidian Moon. What does it mean that I can see it now?

Distracted by this new observation, I don’t notice that the last sliver of the other moon has gone dark, the moment of full eclipse. I don’t see it blink out of sight, but I feel a pulse through my body as it does. A flash of magic that jolts from my sternum to my toes.

And then, I feel something else. The Nightmares.

Though we must be more than a hundred miles from the river at this point, I feel them ripple through the barrier into this side of Valaron. A spike of power in my blood as each of them moves through, a quick heat like running your finger through a flame quickly. The sensation intensifies as more and more of them flood through. Where one at a time is only a mild discomfort, hundreds and thousands surging through all at once builds to a crescendo of agony.

A cry escapes my lips and just like that, Zyren is at my side, sword drawn, face fierce and deadly.

“What is it?” he growls, looking around our campsite with murderous intent.

I can barely speak through the pain. “The barrier…” I gasp. “The river…”

His eyes widen and he crouches down next to me. “You can feel the nightmares?”

I nod, my eyes closing as pain like I’ve never felt lances through my body. A moment later, it intensifies even more, my back arching off the ground and another cry rising from my throat. It feels like I’m being torn apart, ripped into a million tiny fragments. It feels like I am ending.

Zyren takes one of my hands in his, cupping the other over my forehead. A moment later, a warmth spreads through me as his magic flares. A silver-purple haze wraps around us. The nightmares continue to surge through the barrier, and I can still feel it, but the pain is cut substantially. It becomes bearable. He holds my hand for several minutes until it passes entirely.

My rigid body finally relaxes, and I let out a sigh, slumping in exhaustion. “They’re all through now.”

Zyren’s face searches mine as if worried the pain will return. He continues to grip my hand in his.

“How did you do that?” I ask, my voice soft and weary. “How did you lessen my pain?”

“Through our blood bond, I can…connect with you,” he says. “I can share what you’re feeling. So, I took some of the pain.”

Our eyes meet for several moments in silence. “You willingly subjected yourself to agony?”

“I did.” His voice is soft, his eyes flickering with an emotion I can’t read. “And I would do it again. I would even give my life for you. That’s what it means to be your guardian.”

My breath catches in my chest and we both look away at the same time. Zyren releases my hand and stands.

“What will the nightmares do now that they’re free?” I ask.

“They only have as long as the moon is eclipsed to roam,” he says. “And that will only last a few hours.”

“So, we are safe.”

“We are safe,” he responds.

He returns to his side of the fire. I turn toward the heat, unable to sleep any longer. Instead, I watch the last dying flames of the fire and wonder why the touch of Zyren’s skin to mine still lingers.

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