Page 16 of Veil of Night & Flames

“I thought we were going to dance.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” she said, and that simple response shattered the last of the fragile doubts that had been dancing in his mind.

He led her through the castle’s back passages—past the kitchens where staff were ferrying trays to the reception, past a courtyard where a few of the guests now mingled, then through an archway that opened onto a stone bridge spanning the gap between the main castle and a secondary tower. The bridge was ancient—older than the castle itself—and guarded on both sides by carved sentinels of black stone, their faces worn smooth by centuries of sand and wind. But their silver eyes tracked the passage of anyone who crossed.

“What are those?” Cora asked, pointing.

“Soldiers,” he said in response to Cora’s questioning glance. “They’ve guarded this bridge since before my imprisonment. No one but me crosses without their permission. Not even Kali.”

“And they’re giving me permission?”

“You’re wearing my blood.” He stroked her cheek, relishing the softness of her skin. “So long as you do, my love, you can open any door you wish.”

“Oh.” She reached up, her fingers gently brushing the vial. And though he knew it was only his imagination, he felt the echoing warmth of her touch rushing through his being.

Beyond the bridge, the path descended through terraced gardens that had been Kali’s project centuries ago—flowering plants that had no business surviving in desert air, but grew robust here, sustained by old magic woven into the irrigation channels. Blooms in brilliant colors that contrasted the orange darkness of this realm.

The path wound downward through the gardens, and Cora’s pace slowed as she took it in.

“I didn’t see any of this when we arrived,” she said.

“You came in through the front. And you had other things on your mind.”

“I had a lot of things on my mind.”

His brother, he thought, and let the silence hang until they reached the point where the gardens ended abruptly. One moment, manicured paths and impossible flowers. The next, raw desert.

Before them, sand stretched to the horizon, broken only by the dark shapes of rock formations, the distant shimmer of heat, and the magic that was woven throughout all of the realm.

“Why are we stopping?” she asked as he took her elbow and drew her to a halt beside him

“Because this is where the castle grounds end on this side of the castle.” He gestured at the sand beyond. “Everything from here forward is pure Nightmare Realm. Unprotected. Uncultivated. The things that live out there…well, most of what’s out there cannot survive in here, and most of what’s in here wouldn’t last a night out there.”

He watched the way her face changed as understanding came over her. Her eyes went to the desert, to the vast emptiness where the wolves ran and worse things hunted. She and Chase had survived. Their companion had not.

“I’m sorry about your friend.”

She looked at him sharply. “Whistler?”

He inclined his head. “The wolves had no way of knowing that you and your companions would have been welcomed as guests.”

“Kali knew.”

“She did,” he said, working to keep the fury out of his voice. “I have dealt with her. As for the wolves, most are either wild or have been trained by Kali. You would be wise, my love, not to wander the realm unescorted.”

“That’s not exactly comforting.”

“It wasn’t meant as comfort. This is your home now, but it is also hers. And Kali has a streak of jealousy within her that is very unappealing. She knows the consequences she will face if she harms you or yours. But even so, this is a realm of shadows and fears. Mind your back, my love, and trust that I have eyes on Kali.”

She nodded, then turned in a circle, as if purposefully moving the conversation forward. “So, you really rule all of this?”

“I do.”

“But how? You haven’t been able to move through the realm in ages. What do you even know of it?”

“I have not set foot beyond the castle grounds in longer than you could possibly comprehend. But Kali acts as my foot soldier. Plus, I have always had my scrying pool. And with every hundredth moonset, representatives from the villages come to the castle to update their king.”