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“Lord Payne,” I answer. “It was his way of marking me as his betrothed.”
Death’s grip tightens slightly around my arm as his shadows swell around him.
“Your betrothed,” he says, sounding slightly confused by this. “Tell me, little one, does thisLord Paynereside in your town?”
“Yes, well, just a few miles south of it, but please don’t allow what he did to spoil our day. He means nothing to me. He never meant anything to me.”
It takes a moment for his grip on my arm to ease. Stepping back, he clears his throat once before offering his hand to me again.
“Very well, let us put this matter aside for the time being.”
“Thank you,” I say, slipping my hand into his.
“Now, hold on tight.”
Turning, he leads me out of his palace, and I cling to him, taking unabashed pleasure in being able to do so. Together, we step forward as one.
The mist immediately wraps around us, obscuring everything else and leaving me wondering if the world has simply fallen away. If not for the solid form of Death at my side, I’d be terrified that the mist might sweep me away as it crashes around us.
Another step, and I’m unable to see anything other than the wild swirling of the mist as it dances around us. It would be so easy to be lost forever amidst this ocean of mist. My grip tightens on Death’s hand at this thought, and he pulls me closer to him as we continue our descent.
I quickly lose track of time, unable to see anything, even Death at my side. By the time we finally step out of the mist, it feels like an eternity has passed, though I’m sure it couldn’t have been more than a few moments.
I have to squint, blinded by the brightness of the light here after becoming so accustomed to darkness. One glance over my shoulder confirms that the mist still looms there, waiting for us to take a step back so it can reclaim us. A shiver works its way through me at the thought of having to traverse it again before I turn away.
My eyes still adjusting, my breath catches in my throat as I take the scene before me. I can feel my eyes widen, and the way my lips part in awe as I stare out at the golden plain that stretches as far as I can see. Bright white flowers in full bloom are speckled about, dancing lazily with a soft breeze.
“Where are we?” I ask, my eyes catching on distant trees far off on the horizon and colors that I don’t even have a name for.
Death says nothing as we stand, hand in hand looking out over the land.
A soft, warm breeze sweeps through, causing the golden grass before us to sway, and I let out a contented sigh as it washes over my skin. Closing my eyes, I tilt my head back for a moment, inhaling the sweet, floral-scented air.
Releasing my hand, Death takes a step forward. He is still close enough that I can feel the chill of his shadow lingering on me, but it’s offset by whatever this magical place is.
Opening my eyes, I look up to find Death watching me, the inky darkness of his eyes somehow even more unsettling here. Something makes me want to reach for him, to gently lift his mask to give light to whatever darkness lies beneath.
But I don’t.
Tearing his eyes from me, he turns his back to me and lets out a whistle so loud and sharp that it causes me to flinch. The sound echoes into the distance before it’s suddenly replaced by the thunder of approaching hooves.
Peering out into the field, my heart skips a beat in my chest as I watch the most magnificent stallion I’ve ever seen race toward us. His white coat shines in the sun, his mane billowing out behind him as the light seems to cast a golden halo around him.
The stallion comes to a thundering stop before us, tossing his mane and rearing up into the sky, and Death takes my hand, startling my attention back to him as his touch sends an icy jolt through my body.
Glancing between him and the massive stallion, I can almost imagine him smiling behind his mask.
“Welcome, Hazel,” he says, pulling me closer, “to the Valley of Death, and my horse.”
25
Death
Hazel brightens, her soul singing to me as she smiles up at me before turning back to the valley.
There is so much I would like to tell her about this place. So much I would like to show her, but I hesitate. I have never shared this place with anyone before, mortal or otherwise, and seeing her here now … terrifies me.
Her presence amplifies the power and beauty of this place in a way I have never felt before, and yet, she is oblivious to it.
