CHAPTER ONE #3
On my way, a flash of black fur caught the periphery of my eyeline, and I swung my lantern through the dark to try and get a better look, but there was nothing there.
That’s odd. The only animals living on the island were birds.
Shrugging it off, I resumed walking. Soon, the terrain underfoot transitioned from spongy grass to cobbled stone as I stepped onto the long walkway leading up to my cottage.
On either side of the path, evenly spaced, stood a series of towering lampposts.
But they were unlit, providing no guiding light. For as long as I could remember, that had been the case.
No wonder we never have visitors. No one wanted to trek miles to an elusive cottage on an island, only to find nobody home or a do not disturb sign on the door.
In the past, the Midnight Sovereign used to help people.
Make deals at midnight. I knew that much.
But the specifics were fuzzy, lost to the past.
Still, it seemed to me that nobody would ever come if the lampposts remained unlit. Darkness could be gloomy and foreboding. Light, on the other hand, was welcoming. It beckoned visitors onward, with the promise of warmth and hospitality ahead.
I made it into the foyer of the cottage.
An ornamental pedestal stand was located in the room’s center, atop which perched a large circular basin.
Another facet of the cottage that Kaylin had never been able to explain.
I swiped a finger along the rim of the bowl, puzzling over the glittery residue that always came off, coating my fingertips.
I headed to the study for one last act of disobedience.
It served an interesting conglomeration of functions—one part library, one part artifact display.
All of it disorganized. Clothing, jewelry, ancient tomes, musical instruments.
All manner of idiosyncrasies, strewn across the floor and its many bookshelves.
From where I stood, I could see two separate flutes, one wooden and delicately painted, the other crafted from shiny black obsidian.
A half dozen golden rings lay within a nearby velvet display case.
None of it had ever been used since I’d lived on the island.
It also contained a large oak desk, where I’d completed much of my education.
Whatever failings Kaylin might have had as a mentor, she taught me to read and write after adopting me.
I would always be grateful to her for that gift.
To me, the books of the study were sacred objects.
But I hadn’t read them all yet. There was a single bookshelf Kaylin had forbidden me from touching.
That was about to change.
Reverently, I pulled a book down off the forbidden shelf. It was bound in beautiful aged leather. I cracked it open at a random page and began to scan its contents. The pages were handwritten, penned with ink. Not a book after all—a diary.
Frowning, I narrowed my eyes at the penmanship, inexplicably jumbled on the page.
I was an avid reader, but this diary, previously forbidden to me, was unreadable.
I recognized the language fair enough, but my mind couldn’t seem to focus properly on its arrangement, its words swimming before my eyes in a stubborn, undecipherable mess.
I slammed the diary closed and quickly grabbed another.
The same trend ensued. I could see the words, but not understand their meaning.
If the diaries did contain any valuable secrets—they weren’t willing to give them up to me.
Would that change after I attended the inauguration?
Or would I never be deemed worthy of the island’s approval? How much more would it take…
For some reason, this setback was the final straw.
I sank to my knees in front of an old full-length mirror set up in the study.
It was a true antique, its glass so cloudy it no longer functioned at all.
Lately, I had picked up the habit of confessing my innermost thoughts, sitting meditatively in its presence.
Maybe because it stood as one of the most prominent artifacts in the room, reaching an impressive height and ornately decorated, its solid gold frame embellished with metallic feathers.
Or maybe, somehow, I believed I could pour all of my hurt and my loneliness into it and the mirror would be forced to take it all away, the fogged glass incapable of reflecting anything back.
A sob threatened to escape, and I shuddered to think about how utterly alone I was now that Kaylin was gone.
Despite all of my earlier self-restraint at the funeral, heavy tears began to stream down my face.
All I could think about was how pointless my life now seemed.
How utterly wasted, upholding a position whose purpose had faded with time, if it had ever really been meaningful to start.
“What if I am capable of more?” I asked the mirror in a soft, defiant whisper.
Taking me by surprise, a faint image began to materialize within the glass, casting away the haze.
It was a man dressed in a resplendent, feathered cloak.
My breath caught in my throat as the image sharpened and gained clarity.
He was strikingly beautiful. The mirror’s metallic frame drew forth the warm golden undertones of his fair sun-kissed skin.
His medium-length hair, wild and ruffled, was a lovely midnight-black shade, which accentuated his dark brown eyes.
There was an intensity in his gaze, a gentle attentiveness, that captivated me.
I studied the image in the mirror. Must be the likeness of a previous Midnight Sovereign. While my impression was that most of my predecessors had been women, to my knowledge there were no restrictions on who could hold the position.
Instinctively, I reached out to touch the mirror, laying my palm gently against its surface, fingers slightly splayed.
I blinked, and the image of the man disappeared.
Here one moment, then gone the next. The mirror returned to its default state so quickly, glass foggy and opaque, that I could almost believe I had imagined the whole thing.
I dug my fingers into my temples, letting out a loud sigh.
Another mystery that I am too ignorant to understand.
Then, shaking off the self-criticism, I squared my shoulders.
It was another mystery I didn’t yet understand.
Someday, I intended to learn all of the island’s secrets.
Uncover the truth of its history. There was nobody else I could rely on.
If I were to be condemned to a life sentence alone on this island, I would settle for nothing less. Eventually, I would help people again.
If only I could figure out how to light those cursed lampposts…