Page 28 of Lady of the Nightmares

It wasn’t that I wanted to join him in whatever discussion he intended to have with Scion. Indeed, I felt my heart quicken in trepidation at the mere thought of the Prince of Ravens. Scion always provoked a dark thunderstorm of emotions in me—fear, loathing, and an unsettling pull that I could never explain, even to myself.

No, it was more that Bael had reminded me of how aimless my existence was within this palace. How I had no purpose, no daily tasks, but to be moved about by those around me as a pawn rather than a player in my own right.

In short, Bael could call me “mate” all he wished, but in truth, there was more than one curse that hung over us. As long as the hunting season loomed and we stayed in the castle, where I was treated as little more than a well-dressed prisoner, nothing would ever be real between us.

I turned to Bael again, thinking to perhaps voice this concern, but was distracted by the tension in his brow. “What is it?”

He shook his head ever so slightly. “I thought I heard someth—”

It was the only warning we had before chaos descended upon us.

A tremendous rumble sounded behind us, like the stampede of hundreds of tiny feet. Then, everything began to lurch and tumble over, the ground shaking.

Ahead, the procession stopped suddenly, and I blinked in confusion as one of the large carts wobbled as if shaken by invisible arms. Shouts and screams rang out as it tipped over, spilling baskets of food and what looked to be part of my bed frame out onto the road.

I squinted, horror and realization dawning. Looking wildly around at all the trees that might fall, the horses that would undoubtedly cause a stampede, terror shot through me. I knew that sound—that feeling—but had not encountered it in many years. Certainly not since moving to the capital.

Before I’d had a moment to fully process what was happening, the ground shifted and shook underfoot, and the trees trembled like their roots were twisting beneath the ground, struggling to emerge of their own accord. Loose dirt and bark rained down overhead, spraying painfully into my eyes and stinging my skin. Some men hung on to their animals while others abandoned them, stumbling as they tried to flee.

The horse beneath me bucked upward and sent me flying out of my saddle. A scream broke free from my throat, and I braced for impact.

Bael lunged forward and grabbed me before I could hit the ground. Plucking me out of the air and onto his horse, he pulled me against his chest protectively, shielding me from view with his body.

“Tremors,” I gasped, struggling to catch my breath. “I’ve never seen anything like this in this area.”

I hadn’t seen anything like this in years. Not since…

Bael cursed fluidly. “We need to go now.”

I wholeheartedly agreed. Tremors—when the ground shook, like thunder incarnate—weren’t an uncommon occurrence while living in the valley near the Source. We had to get out of the way of the trees, except…

“What about them?” I yelled back, looking around wildly at the fleeing courtiers.We can’t just leave them.

Many were already out of sight, and those who could travel through the shadows had clearly done so at the first sign of trouble. But others were still here, struggling to pull themselves free of the fallen carriages or tripping, unable to run as the ground shuddered underfoot.

I knew they would not give me a second thought in my position, that most of them would see me dead in an instant, but there was at least one face I needed to make sure made it home. “I need to find Enid.”

“And I need to get you out of here,” Bael replied, already turning his horse around.

“No!”

He either wasn’t listening or pretended not to be as he dug his heels into the flank of his horse. “Hold on to me. I don’t want to take you through the shadows, but I will if I have to.”

I didn’t care why he would want to avoid that; I only cared that he was leaving my friend behind. “Stop right now! They’ll die.”

He craned his neck around to look at me, and the savage look in his eyes stopped my breath. “Let them,” he said coldly, finally turning his horse around. “And let their bodies block the path between you and anyone who means you harm.”

11

LONNIE

THE ROAD TO EVERLAST CITY

With a quick urging from Bael’s heels, we took off into the forest, racing away from the scene as fast as we could possibly go.

As we rode, it felt as if the tremors followed us, trees falling and rocks shifting in our wake. Bael controlled the reins with one hand and held his other out to the side, palm up. I watched, astonished, as trees so tall they had to be hundreds of years old crumbled in our wake.

“What are you doing?” I hissed.

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