Page 28 of House of Gilded Nightmares

Zyren looks over at me and smiles, and I mirror the gesture. It’s clear he trusts these people enough to go with them, but not with our real names, for whatever reason.

We finish dressing and remount our horses, then cross the river and follow behind Tamhain and his companions. The others share their names as well, though I don’t remember them other than the jade-eyed woman, Jai. Tamhain keeps up conversation as we ride, and I gather from everything said that the Veyeni are nomads who roam the Forever Mountains, living beneath the stars.

The camp is only a few miles away, not too far out of our route to Selaye. It sits in a forested glen beside a sparkling lake, on the other side of which rises a rock bluff where a series of cave mouths can be seen. Tents are dotted throughout the trees, along with a couple of large, covered wagons. The horses in the camp all have the same golden coats, and I notice that most of the people have hair a similar shade of gold.

Our arrival causes quite the stir as people come out of their tents to greet us, and about a dozen children stampede us with excited squeals. Apparently, they don’t get visitors very often. By the time everyone has come to introduce themselves or stare at us from afar, the sun has begun a descent of hazy persimmon hues, dipping behind the distant mountain peaks.

Fires begin to pop up between the trees as different households prepare for dinner. Tamhain and Jai, who I discovered on the ride are married, invite us back to their camp. Their bright green tent is situated just beyond the fringe of trees along the shore of the lake. Soon a fire is flickering in a small circle of stones, and several fat fish caught earlier in the day are roasting over the flames, along with some sort of root vegetable that grows in the area. Tamhain leaves briefly to attend to some business on the other side of the camp, and when he returns, he holds a large glass jug and several pewter goblets.

“Tonight, we will feast to celebrate our guests!” A wide grin spreads over his face. “But first let us ease our hunger with a light meal and quench our thirst with this.”

He raises the bottle over his head and then uncorks it and begins to pour a vibrant red liquid into the goblets, which Jai passes to us. When we each have a goblet, Jai raises hers to the sky.

“We are grateful to meet new friends on the road,” she says. “May each day bring a new adventure, and may we never catch the horizon!”

We clink our goblets together and I follow the lead of our hosts as they take a big sip. The liquid is reminiscent of berries and flowers, with a strong, spicy aftertaste that makes my eyes water.

“It appears your wife has never tasted sunfire wine!” Tamhain says with a kind-hearted laugh, patting me on the back.

Zyren laughs and his eyes meet mine a moment over his goblet. There’s something in his gaze I can’t read, but it makes my stomach do a flip that has nothing to do with the fiery wine burning in my belly.

“It is made from flowering snowdrop vines and sun berries,” Jai says. “Fermented for two years in oak caskets. We bury the caskets and come back for them later.”

“It’s delicious,” I say, which is true, even if it is much stronger than any wine I ever tasted at the cathedral.

We pull the fish and vegetables off the fire and eat them while we sip our wine, sitting in the grass as the sun sets over the lake. Laughter and conversation flow back and forth, and I smile as I watch Tamhain take Jai’s hand and hold it or occasionally kiss her cheek. They seem very much in love, and I shove away the pain that lances me. I will never have what they have. But maybe I can still save Lilette and create a future where she can be with Dain as she’s always wanted. I can hold onto that hope, at least.

“It’s nearly time for the feast,” Tamhain says after an hour or so.

I look back and forth between him and Jai. “Didn’t we just have the feast?”

Jai laughs. “Oh, no! We will gather with the others to celebrate our guests properly. But first, I think you need a new set of clothes.”

I look down at myself, cheeks reddening. “Why?”

“For dancing, of course!”

Jai gets up and offers me a hand, pulling me to my feet. Next to me, Zyren grins, no doubt due to the absolute bewilderment on my face. Jai tugs me into her tent, which is just tall enough for us to stand inside, where she begins rummaging through a large leather pack at the rear. After several moments, she pulls out a dress made from black cloth. Hundreds of silver beads and tiny mirrors are sewn into the fabric.

“This one,” she says in a tone that brokers no argument.

She hands it to me and begins to strip off her own clothing. I remove my pants and tunic and tug the black dress over my head. Jai pulls on a red one with colorful threads woven into the fabric. When we’re both dressed, she reaches out and runs a hand through my silvery hair, swiping her finger along the thick black streak at the front.

“I’ve never met anyone with hair like yours,” she says. “It’s very pretty.”

My cheeks redden. I’d grown up being treated like a pariah for my strange hair, but here among the Veyeni, I’m accepted as I am. It’s a strange feeling.

When we emerge from the tent, Tamhain and Zyren turn to look at us. Zyren’s eyes widen slightly.

“We are both blessed to have beautiful wives, are we not?” Tamhain asks, slapping Zyren on the back.

“We are indeed,” Zyren says, his eyes meeting mine and holding them.

Jai links arms with Tamhain and they begin to walk along the edge of the lake toward a roaring bonfire in the distance. Zyren steps up alongside me as we follow them. He keeps darting little glances over at me as if he wants to say something. I feel warm and happy, and my head a bit fuzzy from the wine, not in an unpleasant way. When I take a misstep and almost trip over a clump of reeds, Zyren reaches out fast as lightning, which results in me falling against him.

“The wine is definitely strong,” he says, a chuckle in his voice.

The wine is strong, because as I lean up against Zyren’s chest, his arms wrapped around me to hold me steady, I don’t want to move. His eyes meet mine, and his heart beats against my chest. I still can’t believe he’s here after years of visiting me in my dreams. Very real, and right here beside me.

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