Chapter 26 #3
Tristan stops the kelpie and whispers into my ear. “See that? It’s a jackalope. Stay very quiet.” Moments later, another horned rabbit follows, then another, then a whole herd of them rushes forward like the cutest avalanche.
“They travel together in the winter,” Tristan says, and I’m shivering, because what in the cryptozoology…?
“Oh shoot. Oh shoot. Oh shoot,” I whisper, shocked, elated, and utterly amazed. This is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. “They’re real! I was so sad and disillusioned, when Grandma told me they weren’t!”
“I imagine some might have wandered into your realm at times, but they don’t survive there long, I’m afraid.”
“Unless a Nightcloak finds them,” I say, twisting my head to look at him, and oh, his breath smells like oregano.
I look back right away, my heart racing as we push on, through the ruins of a massive gate with winged warriors sculpted into each of its pillars. Frost clings to the stone walls, and as we emerge on the other side, I see ravens shifting in the shadows, barely distinguishable from them.
Far ahead is a cluster of green lights. From a distance, the houses are only shapes buried in the snow, but each window in the village is a small lantern in the vastness of the Nightmare Realm. I point it out. “Is that where the servants live?”
“Some of them. Most of those whose duties are tied to the royal family and the running of the court have quarters at the palace. But here live those who farm, craft things, some guards, a few Nightcloaks, there’s a school, it’s a bustling little town, and its immediate safety is a responsibility I take very seriously.
“While I could live a more leisurely life, as Prince Bloodweed, if I wish to keep my privileges, it is my duty to take part in protecting our Realm. I cannot shirk from it at the risk of severe consequences. I do not mind, though, because I take pride in what I can do for others. Not all royals are expected to pick up swords, but it is expected to be of use. Just like Prince Sylvan Goldweed, who you corresponded with, has made incredible discoveries in the field of alchemy, even if his other achievements are questionable at best.”
I snort at the disdain in Tristan’s voice.
“You don’t like him.”
“He is not my favorite person, no. The Goldweeds have caused an awful lot of unpleasant turmoil in the recent years, and when a monster came to our shores, Sylvan fled. I understand a man of his stature and skill wasn’t equipped to take up arms, but the way he went about it all was especially distasteful.
And then he still weaseled his way back—No, Nate, I won’t bore you with it.
All you need to know is that while annoying, he is mostly harmless, and even saved my life once, so, begrudgingly, I’d rather let bygones be bygones. ”
I exhale, settling in the armchair of dreams aka Tristan’s chest. “So… Kurt said humans can live forever in this place?”
“Wait. Has that not come up before? My apologies. Why, yes. Does that excite you?”
I bark out a laugh. “Are you joking? Of course it excites me! Has… no human told you how incredible that is?”
“I was just so wrapped up in the research and making sure your quarters are comfortable, it didn’t feel like a priority to think about it. Does that mean… you’d like to stay?”
It’s a weighted question, and I stiffen, feeling like an animal herded into a pen it might never leave. “Are there… conditions?”
Will he hold it over me? A way for him to coerce me into being his Dark Companion?
It would make sense to lure me in with sweetness, just to then pull that rug from under me as soon as I make the vow.
Just because Kurt says it’s illegal to hurt a Dark Companion, doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
Murder is illegal, but that’s irrelevant when you’re dead.
“I’m not sure I understand,” he says, but as we ride on a country road next to a field, it’s hard to make plans about my future, because something the size of an elephant, dark, and with glowing red eyes is moving our way.
The low, rumbly noise it makes is like a pebble thrown into a lake, and the ripple causes more of these creatures to look up, their eyes alert and menacing.
“What… what the heck is that?” I utter as one of them releases a roar low enough to make the saddle under me tremble.
The shapes move like a wave of tar and sulphur, and I press my back harder against Tristan, terrified that we’ve walked into something we shouldn’t have, and eternity won’t matter anyway, because we’ll both be dead.
Tristan looks back, and I don’t like it one bit that he’s pulled out his sword.
“They’re just cows, but I have to say they’re agitated.
” He stands in the stirrups and waves as if to shoo them away.
“Be gone! No need for you to stand in the road!” he yells while my mind is stuck on ‘cows’ because these beasts are nothing like the peaceful farm animals I know.
To be fair, cows sometimes kill people, but that’s usually when there are young aro—
A huge shape emerges out of the herd, black as the deepest waves in the Sea of Sorrows. Its red eyes flash, smoke puffs up above its twisted horns, and then it charges.