Page 50 of Sun, Moon & Shadow

They’d managed to avoid the storm. The swirling mass of dark gray clouds lay to the south. But the rockbound coast of Silvergard loomed little more than a stone’s throw away.

“We tried to avoid it,” Arik said, defeated. “The storm moved too fast, and we got caught up.”

Callan twisted his neck, following Arik’s stare off the stern to the swift Silvergardian ship slicing through the water and gaining on them. It was more than double the size of his own vessel and with twice the speed. Callan growled, glancing around at the open water surrounding them. Outrunning the ship would be impossible. Grabbing the spyglass, he peered through the viewfinder at the approaching vessel. The tiered deck of the sleek, double-masted ship boasted at least thirty armed Silvergardian soldiers posted along the rails, many whose bows were already nocked with arrows.

Callan shouted a curse that was quickly carried away on the wind. He lowered the spyglass and gritted his teeth, unable to do anything but wait for the enemy ship to complete its approach.

Nova lay flat on her back on a bed of soft green moss. Strips of clear blue sky peeked through the canopy overhead. She stretched, gazing contentedly at the crowns of the trees, marveling at how they swayed in the breeze but never seemed to touch. Rays of dappled sunlight fell across her face, and her eyes drifted shut as the chirping of the birds began to lull her to sleep.

All at once, the birdsong ceased, and Nova’s eyes shot open. A churning, dark mist rippled over the roots and rocks, tendrils reaching out like long, slender fingers as it approached her.

Dread settled over her like a shroud as the darkness reached the toes of her boots. She willed herself to stand—to run—but she remained rooted to the forest floor. The mist crawled along her body, swallowing her up, an icy sensation creeping along her skin as if she were sinking bit by bit into a frigid pond. Her breathing grew frantic as the mist drifted to her chin and over her mouth. It was going to suffocate her. Before it could steal her breath, the ground crumbled away beneath her, and Nova plunged into darkness.

A series of jarring thuds ripped Nova from her fitful sleep. A moment passed before she realized someone was pounding on the hatch. She stood unsteadily, crouching to avoid striking her head on the low plank ceiling. Forcing the hatch open, she stepped out onto the deck, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight.

As her vision cleared, she saw Callan with the curved blade of a stranger’s dagger held against his throat. The entire Nivalian crew stood restrained by armed guards. The strangers wore black leather uniforms and silver metal breastplates embossed with the symbol of a crescent moon hooked around a six-pointed star. Black powder darkened their foreheads and the skin around their eyes.

An impressive ship bobbed directly beside theirs, the railing considerably higher than the vessel on which she stood and lined with nearly two dozen additional soldiers. Some had arrows trained on her and her companions, the arrow heads carved from luminous white stone. Others held swords, the steel blades slightly curved. Nova glanced at her own sword still in its sheath on the nearby bench but thought better of it. She was no warrior, and the strangers had every advantage.

The guards parted, and a male emerged from the center of the line, pinning Nova with a hard stare. He was tall and muscular, clad in the same uniform and breastplate as the others, with his sword sheathed at his hip. He was pale with jet-black hair cropped close to his scalp on the sides, wavy locks sweeping over the top. An unsettling glint shone in his eyes, the fair skin around them smudged with what looked like soot. He smirked at her, his lip curling back to reveal slightly elongated canines.

“Welcome to Silvergard.” He held his arms out wide at his sides. “It looks as though you ran into some bad weather, Miss . . .”

“My name is Nova,” she said, her voice mercifully flat as she willed her face into her practiced mask of detachment. “And you are?”

“Commander Lucan,” he said with a grin, flashing those teeth again. “Head of the Noble Lord’s private guard.”

“Perhaps your guards could lower their weapons, Commander. As you can see, I am at a disadvantage.” She held up her hands and gestured to her general lack of weapons.

He seemed to consider her request, an intense, faraway expression clouding his eyes for a moment, before signaling to his guards on the Silvergardian vessel. All sheathed their blades and lowered their bows on his command, but the Nivalian sailors remained held at knifepoint. The commander widened his stance and clasped his gloved hands together in front of him.

“The Noble Lord of Silvergard seeks an audience with you.”

“What could he possibly want with me?”

“He’s heard of you. He’d like to meet you. He asks you to join him at his Estate for a time. As his guest.”

“If this is truly an invitation, I’m afraid I must decline,” she said.

Callan shifted on his feet, and his captor tugged his head back by his hair, pressing the blade closer to his throat. A thin line of crimson bloomed against the warm brown skin just below the curve of his jaw.

“It’s a polite request.” The commander’s smirk faded a bit. “One I strongly suggest you accept.”

“Nova, don’t.” Callan's voice was at once desperate and commanding. The Silvergardian archers raised their bows once again, training their weapons on him.

Nova moved swiftly, placing her body between Callan and more than a dozen taut bowstrings. She held her palms up to the commander, indicating her submission, then shot a glance at Callan over her shoulder, silently pleading with him to keep still.

Be quiet.

Callan’s brows drew together, his eyes widening.

“And how long would I remain a guest of the Noble Lord?” she asked, turning back to the commander and mustering as much indifference as possible under the circumstances.

“Until the next new moon.”

Roughly one month.

Nova thought quickly, devising a bargain she hoped would see everyone out of the godsforsaken situation safely.