CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I jolted awake at dawn, panting, clothes drenched in sweat—my body still alight with sensation.
Taking a few calming breaths, I peered over at Corvin, who was fast asleep in my bed.
It had seemed so real, having him there with me, in that meadow.
Just a dream then. A very vivid dream. Now best forgotten. Outside the realm of consequence.
Gently, I touched my lips. My heart started to beat faster, thinking about all the other places he’d touched me in my dream.
Because if I were honest, there was no touching him without consequence: the feel of his skin against mine, the brush of his lips, the stroke of his hands. All of it—consequential.
I rose from my makeshift bed, trying not to make any sound.
Slowly cracking the door open, I slipped softly out of the room.
After a refreshing soak in the lake, during which I washed away an embarrassing amount of dirt and grime from our travels, I felt like a brand-new person.
I rinsed the borrowed gown and set it out to dry—though I lacked the necessary tailoring skills to fix the long tear running through its side.
Or the scorch marks decorating its train.
I owed Farryn a new gown and an apology letter.
I figured I could draft it at the kitchen table after making breakfast. By the time Corvin made his appearance, I had food on the table and a sealed letter prepared, in which I expressed my appreciation to Farryn for loaning me the gown and my deep regret at having to return it in less than stellar condition.
I would have included a few coins, so she could buy a new one, but I was uncertain which currency would be appropriate, since I still didn’t know where Corvin, or his friend for that matter, actually called home.
Corvin whistled to himself as he entered the kitchen. “The food smells wonderful!”
“You’re awfully chipper.” I laughed. “You must have slept well then? Good dreams?”
His face flushed, crimson tinting his cheeks. “Very good dreams. Sorry I fell asleep so quickly.”
I smiled at him, taking a bite of food. “No need to apologize. I’m glad we made it home.”
He slid into the seat across from me at the table, filling his plate. “About that, if I’m not back soon, it will cause a commotion. I need to head out, probably after we finish breakfast. Thank you for cooking for us.”
My fork clattered onto my plate. “You’re leaving so soon?
But we kissed last night…and I thought…well, I thought that you might want to stay longer before leaving again.
” I fidgeted in my seat, pulling the neck of my tunic away from my throat, the fabric too restrictive.
I should have known; nobody ever wants to stay on this island with me for long.
He set his fork down, face softening. “I wish more than anything that I could stay here with you today. But if I’m not back soon, people will come looking for me.
I’ve never met someone like you before, Elvira.
As passionate. As kind-hearted. You’re a truly good person.
And I feel…I feel completely at peace in your company, like I’m exactly where I need to be.
Like together we could accomplish anything.
I should have waited to kiss you until after the—”
I stood up from the table, wrapping my arms protectively around myself. “You regret kissing me?”
He sprang to his feet. “No! Of course not; that’s not what I meant at all—”
“Then at least tell me where you’re going,” I pleaded, voice cracking.
His voice was strangled. “I can’t.”
My eyes pricked with tears. “You can’t? Or you won’t? After everything we just went through, you still don’t trust me? I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Why won’t you tell me who you are?”
He gripped the back of the chair. “You don’t understand.
The location of my home is a secret; one I’ve sworn to protect.
I can’t reveal it to anyone. I made that mistake before, and it cost me my mother’s life.
I won’t endanger anybody else. Won’t be the cause of anymore suffering.
Things will be different soon, I promise.
I’ll contact you in the mirror. We’ll be able to stay in touch that way. Until we’re together again.”
Together again. How long would that be? The question died on my lips, too cowardly to vocalize it.
We exited the cottage, neither of us speaking, standing awkwardly on the doorstep.
Corvin took a step closer to me, reaching out his arms, but I dodged him, retreating farther into the doorway instead. “You’ll contact me in the mirror?” I asked, my gaze downcast.
His arms dropped to his sides. “I will. Talk soon, Moonflower.”
He shifted into his raven form and flew gracefully away—to where, I didn’t know.
“You’re sulking again,” Nix observed from his spot on the study chair.
“Do you plan to sit there all day in front of that mirror, or do you plan to do something useful with yourself? Like preparing for your upcoming inauguration. The Winter Solstice is almost one moon away now. And there is still much to accomplish if you wish to see the office of the Midnight Sovereign restored to its former power. Do you know where the gateway appears? Did Kaylin teach you the secret words to ensure it lets you through?”
I dragged my eyes away, Nix’s words a welcome distraction from my fixation with the mirror and the fact Corvin hadn’t yet materialized within its fogged pane, even though it had been over a week since he left the island.
Normally, Nix was reticent to discuss the island or its office.
But I suspected he knew a lot more than he let on.
Was this my opening? I twisted around to face him.
“Yes, she did teach me. For you I walk the moonlit path at midnight.” I recited the words with reverence. “She never did tell me what happens once you step through the gateway though.” I hoped Nix might be willing to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge.
“That’s because she never stepped through it herself,” Nix informed me.
“Really?! She didn’t? Are you sure? But I thought…I mean, she told me about it.”
Nix’s expression turned grim. “I watched her grow ever more fearful after her mentor Juniper was murdered in front of her on Adrasean soil. There was one year I thought she might, but she turned around at the last moment. I would have encouraged her, but she banished me from the cottage quite early on in her tenure.”
I blanched. “In front of her?! I didn’t know that. How did I not know that? Wait, how do you know that?”
He twitched his whiskers, shoulders drooping. “I have witnessed many deaths, powerless to stop them since things started to decline.”
I didn’t know which I found more disturbing, that Kaylin witnessed Juniper’s death firsthand, or that Nix had too, forced to watch from the shadows.
How long had he been watching over the island before I found him in my garden?
How many women in my position had been targeted or killed in the preceding years?
A chill ran down my spine. The inauguration was a little over a moon away, but it was becoming increasingly clear that somebody didn’t want me to make it there alive.
“That’s horrifying,” I eventually responded. “I’m so sorry, Nix. For what you must have gone through all these years.”
“Do you plan to repay that sacrifice by gazing into an empty mirror like a lovestruck fool?”
I straightened my shoulders. “No, no, I do not. You’re right—I plan to keep moving forward.
I will step through the gateway on the Winter Solstice.
I will restore this office. I will continue to help the people of Olayra.
Nothing is going to stop me from serving this realm.
And in the meantime,” I continued, grinning at Nix, “I will try and resist staring into the study mirror for too long. I’m sure Corvin will contact me eventually. ”
I stood up, walking over to inspect Rogam’s stolen map, rolled out onto the study desk.
“I do have a plan, you know. I want to find more moonstones. They’re not just payment—they’re protection.
For the people who seek out my island. I need to make sure they’re accessible across the realm.
But I don’t want to clip the Green Man’s vines just yet until they’re more well established.
So, I need to find moonstones elsewhere—like in this abandoned dragon’s lair.
” I tapped the parchment with my finger.
“If it’s filled with ancient gems and treasures, I might just get lucky and find some moonstones too, don’t you think? ”
“If that’s your plan, I’ll go with you.”
“You’d leave the island with me?”
“It would be dangerous for you to go alone. And I know a shortcut through Uvrakar.”
“Really?” I questioned.
“Traveling through the Autumn Court can save you a lot of time. If you know the way. The Midnight Sovereign must learn to use all of the resources at their disposal. You should familiarize yourself with the Fae courts. You’ll have an easier time navigating them then Kaylin would have. You have Fae blood.”
I touched my pointed ears. “And unknown Fae enemies,” I reminded him.
“All the more reason to know what you’re dealing with.”
“Alright. I’ll begin the preparations. We’ll leave in a few days, traveling through the Autumn Court.”
As dusk fell, I wandered outside the cottage to watch the moonflowers bloom.
At moonrise, the delicate flowers predictably unfurled—a beautiful spectacle that had become part of my nighttime routine.
I plucked a single bloom, drawing it close to my nose so that I could inhale its sweet perfume.
The phantom sensation of Corvin tenderly tucking one behind my ear thrummed through me.