Reign of Light (The Dawnlin Trilogy #3)
Prologue
Time is constant, as reliable as the surety of death.
Time had never concerned the man before, not when he knew there was nothing he could do to change it.
It would pass whether he wanted it to or not.
He had learned early on that time did not matter as long as he surrounded himself with those he loved.
Time was of no importance.
Until he saw her lying there, and knew deep in his soul that her time was running out.
Suddenly, time was the most important and precious thing in the world.
Walking away from her was the hardest thing he’d ever done. This woman was the light that brightened his life, but if he did nothing, if he stayed, her light would be snuffed out for eternity.
He had to try.
The man traipsed through the dark streets, the fog and gloom particularly thick tonight, mimicking the despair and helplessness he felt as he stood over her almost lifeless body.
The roads were empty at the late hour, and he thanked the gods for that small blessing amid what felt like the biggest curse.
Not a soul would be around to see what he was doing, to follow him, and possibly destroy his chances of saving her.
Dawnlin.
He’d heard the stories, passed along in the whispers of childhood, shirked as a folly and fantasy in the beginnings of adulthood. But he never forgot it. A land said to hold a cure, one that would bring her back to him, exactly where she belongs.
He would not lose his love, no matter what trials this life had thrown at them, trying to keep them apart. He would fight it, and he would cure her. He wouldn’t let his hope die.
If only he could find it.
The man’s boots pounded on the pavement, a metronome signaling his race against time, when something caught his eye, just as he passed the dark entrance to an abandoned alley.
His body jerked to a halt, and as if it was calling out to him, he turned to find something he knew deep in his soul was the answer.
White stone glowing against the gloomy, dim light, water flowing freely and musically, this beacon called to him, and he knew this was it. The way to call the Guardian.
The man stepped into the alley, a welcome calm coming over him as he gazed upon the sight that would change his life, that gave him hope.
The fountain.