A wrinkle formed in his brow. “All I know is that they’re talented with a bow and arrow. Your mentor has a daughter? I thought she lived with you on the island? Does that mean you have a sister?”
I looked out the window. “No, she had a separate family in Dewwick Village. She didn’t spend much time on the island this last year. I was her apprentice, nothing more.”
He searched my face. “That sounds quite lonely.”
“It has been,” I replied. “Except now I have Nix and you around—” I blushed at the admission.
“I’ve been feeling less alone lately too,” Corvin murmured back. “I’m glad.”
“You don’t have a lot of people around you either?” I asked.
“I do. But sometimes I find it difficult to fully be myself around them.”
The mood in the carriage remained serious as we discussed our upcoming plans in greater detail. If Rogam never offered to show us his wares, we needed a backup plan. The first contingency was leaving a window open somewhere in the mansion. That would allow Corvin to shift and enter again in his raven form and open a door for me later. Though we both agreed it would be better to avoid sneaking around Rogam’s manor, if at all possible. No, offering to purchase the phoenix directly was the best plan, our most desired outcome.
The morning passed by in a blur of tantalizingwhat ifsas we talked through a dozen different scenarios we might encounter. When they started to turn increasingly fantastical, we took a break from our planning. I dozed fitfully for a few hours, the slow rocking of the carriage lulling me to sleep. I awoke to find Corvin staring at the scenery, his eyes continuously drawn back to the window. To the sky. Had he ever been forced to travel by carriage before? Perhaps he would prefer to be flying, even now.
His attention drifted back to me. “You’re awake again.” He shifted his position, sitting cross-legged on one side of his bench. “You should come here.” He pointed to the spot he cleared, reaching into his bag and withdrawing a deck of cards. “So we can pass the time.” I was extremely grateful we hadn’t lost our packs amidst the chaos of our sudden escape.
Hunching, I shifted across the carriage, taking a seat next to Corvin on the same bench. “You carry a deck of cards with you?” I asked, showing my teeth in a wolfish grin. “Then I have another guess—regarding your identity. Since youstillwon’t tell me. You’re a professional gambler.” The space was small, our faces mere inches from one another as we shared his bench.
Corvin looked mildly offended. “Are all of your guesses types of criminals? First, a thief. Now a gambler? Aren’t you worriedyou’ll hurt my feelings?” I held my hands up with mock remorse. “Tell me who you are and I’ll stop guessing.”
“I wish I could—”
I pointed to the cards since he wasn’t going to answer me. “I have to warn you—I usually win.”
He leaned forward. “So, you’re competitive.”
“No,” I said sweetly. “Just accustomed to winning.”
A devilish gleam entered his eyes. “We’ll see about that.”
We went round for round, cards lain on the bench between us. We found ourselves to be evenly matched, each winning several times throughout the afternoon in an exhilarating back and forth that made our long day of travel pass by surprisingly quickly. As evening approached, I returned to my side of the carriage.
Corvin ran a hand through his hair, turning to face the window. “Do you think the Fae targeting you are the ones that showed up to Kaylin’s funeral?”
“It could be.” I frowned, processing his words. “Wait, how do you know about that?”
I had complained at length to the mirror about how the Fae had come and not greeted me…How it brought back bad memories of visitation days at the orphanage when parents would show up at our doorstep and inevitably choose somebody else to take home. How it made me feel insignificant, like I was still unworthy of their time or attention.
“Youwerelistening to me in the mirror!”
I took the pillow on my side of the carriage and threw it at him.
“I may have heard more than I originally let on.” He caught it easily in his hands. “In my defense—it only works if you want to be heard.” His words hit home.Because I did want somebody to hear me.I had started to use the mirror as a diary after Kaylin left me alone. But what I really wanted…no, craved…was to notfeel completely alone. “You listened to me spill my guts overseveralweeks.”
Corvin smiled weakly. “It wasn’t my intention to spy on you in the mirror. You seemed overwhelmed to be alone. With responsibility soon to be thrust upon you. I could relate. That’s all.” His soft admission dampened my mock outrage.
“Then I forgive you for not telling me sooner. Are you going to give me my pillow back?”
He pretended to think about it. “Mmm, you know what— No. It’s mine now. Unless…you plan to come and get it?” I could tell by the way his eyes sparkled with mischief that he didn’t plan on making it easy for me. Should I rise to the bait? He grinned lazily at me, his entire demeanor exuding casual arrogance. When that didn’t get the desired reaction, he fluffed my pillow in his hands, tilting his eyebrow ever so slightly in my direction and shooting me a look thatjust daredme to try and grab it back from him.
I looked out my window, planning my next move. It was almost a full moon. I could tell because the moon was already rising in the sky, even though the sun was yet to fully set. If Fiere was right and my powers were tied to the cycles of the moon, then they should be easier to use than before. Even if it had been a while since I’d tried to call upon them.
But I felt stronger lately. Ever since Terani’s moonstone offering. I thought back to my dreams of late. Dreams in which a previous Midnight Sovereign shaped moonlight to her will, summoned a shield to protect herself. What else might I be able to do? Could I command it with any finesse, despite my lack of training? I reached for my moonstone necklace. I visualized Moira’s fierce confidence, her absolute belief in herself.
Moonlight poured into the carriage—
