Page 34 of Wings of Starlight

Clarion smiled as encouragingly as she could. If she had to lie to Petra going forward, she might as well practice. “Of course I do. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

Minutes before sunset, Clarion stood at the border, draped in her new coat. She stared hard at the other side: the dwindling light glittering on the snow, the shadows pooled beneath the firs, the dense swirl of flurries. Her fingers trembled as she did up the delicate buttons of her coat, and she couldn’t entirely tell if it was excitement or nerves that had her so rattled.

“A very practical solution you’ve found.”

Clarion startled at the sound of Milori’s voice. The snowshoes slung over her shoulder clattered together at the sudden movement. “Please don’t sneak up on me like that!”

Milori landed on the bridge with the faintest glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “My apologies,” he said, although he really didn’t sound all that sorry.

She was beginning to suspect he reallydidappear with the wind. She laid a hand over her chest and confirmed that her heart was indeed still beating. “It’s all right.”

In truth, she found it rather difficult to muster a glare when he was looking at her like this. The mirth had faded from his expression, and he studied her now with a curious mixture of hope and trepidation. A gust of wind brushed the loose snowfall from the branches and swept his white hair over his shoulder. “Are you ready?”

Wasshe ready?

The prospect of crossing frightened her more than she cared to admit. The sensible part of her, smothered as it was beneath her excitement and determination, worried about the dangers. She trusted Petra, but not even she could make a coat impervious to things like tears or water. One careless mistake could cost Clarion her wings. But deeper down, she worried what it would feel like to finally cross the border. Would Winter still hold its allure once she set foot in it?

“Just a moment.” Clarion hastily tugged on her boots and mittens, then strapped on her snowshoes. When she finished, Milori took a step back to give her clearance. She stared down at the border, where the very tips of her boots grazed the lacy line of frost. She willed herself to cross, and yet, she felt rooted to the spot.

“I can’t do it with you staring,” she blurted out.

“Would you like me to turn around?”

She scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

She closed her eyes and did her best to ignore him. She stood close enough to the border that the faintest sensation of cold washed over the tip of her nose. All she had to do was take a single step forward. She would befine.Clarion drew a deep breath and sighed it out—then realized a moment too late that she probably looked extraordinarily foolish. When she opened her eyes, Milori was watching her with another one of those curiously teasing looks.

“What?” she demanded.

“Nothing at all.” His eyes glittered, and her treasonous heart fluttered at the sight of his smile. “Do you need help?”

“No, sir.” She tried her best not to sound offended. “I do not need your help.”

“Perhaps a pull is the better word?”

That did not sound any better, but she refrained from comment. Milori extended a hand to her. Clarion could do nothing but stare at it for a few moments. “What is this?”

He held her gaze. “Just trust me.”

Very tentatively, she took it—and was surprised to find that his skin was pleasantly cool. She didn’t know what she was expecting. That he would be carved from ice, too? That his very touch would freeze her, even through her mittens? No, he was just like her: flesh and bone. Both of them lingered, their hands a bridge between worlds.

Then, with a gentle tug, he guided her through.

As Clarion passed through the veil of snow, she bit down a gasp; the temperature plummeted as Winter enfolded her. When she opened her eyes again, she had left everything she knew behind. Despite herself, she let out a breathless laugh and looked up at Milori. This close, she was struck by the true color of his eyes: a stormy gray, with the faintest touch of glacial blue. She could see his expression softening as he gazed back at her, and—

She was still holding his hand.

Heat flooded her face. Clarion all but snatched her hand back. “Sorry—and, um…thank you?”

“It’s not worth mentioning.” He flexed his fingers as if working out a cramp, then took a single step back from her. The snow crunched beneath his weight.

Snow.She was really in the Winter Woods.

Some of her embarrassment forgotten, Clarion tipped her head back to the sky and spun in a slow circle. Clouds drifted overhead in a thick gray sheet, limned by the fiery light of sunset. She opened her mouth to catch the falling snowflakes, and they melted on her tongue almost instantly. She was so strangely delighted with it all; she didn’t know that she’d ever felt so…giddy.

“Is it what you expected?” There was a touch of surprise in his voice.

Her breath plumed in the air, and even that was wondrous. “It’s beautiful.”