Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
My lips open, tingling in response to the sudden change of atmosphere in the carriage, but then we come to a halt, and I hear the coachman’s boots hit the cobbles outside.
Kyranis retreats, and in the glow of the green candle, I spot color on his cheeks.
The doors open, letting in the moonlight, and my abductor is gone. He goes down the steps provided by the coachman while I remain shadowed, intimidated by the flurry of voices outside.
He reaches his hand out to me with the grace of a… well, a prince. My damn heart won’t stop rattling, because how often do you get so much attention from a person like him? An elf at that.
Never. The answer is never, because elves shouldn’t exist outside fantasy novels and fairytales.
But he is here, touching me, and maybe I am seeking comfort in him, because I am still aching all over, especially where the thorns cut into my back.
The bratty thing to do would be to ignore him for all the elven nobility to see, but I’m far too frightened of what might happen if I do that. The kind of castle we’ve stopped in front of definitely has a dungeon.
I grab his hand, and he helps me out as I clutch the cloak, so it doesn’t fall off me.
The smooth melody of several instruments starts the moment I emerge from behind the curtains. I blink, taking in a large courtyard filled by an innumerable amount of people in elaborate outfits, and it becomes clear that a quintet of musicians has been waiting for our arrival for God-knows how long.
I’m so startled my heel misses one of the steps, but just as I’m about to tumble forward, embarrassing myself in front of all those fancy people, Kyranis grabs me gently by the waist and places me on the cobblestones, as if he meant to do that from the start.
The crowd claps. Cheers. And then, I’m guided toward a grand arched entrance at the top of the stairs ahead. The open gates are decorated with a theme of mermaids and seashells, but the creatures all wield daggers, which is unsettling to say the least.
The elves part, all bowing their heads, as if I were their master’s new queen, brought as spoils of war from abroad.
“Welcome to the Nocturne Court,” Kyranis tells me in a breathless voice that makes me blink.
Maybe I’m not the only one intimidated by this after all? I don’t know what his life is like, how old he is, or why he made the shadow pact with me in the first place. Gathering information will need to become my priority.
But I’m also a tiny bit shallow, so I’m glad that I have his cloak, because otherwise, I’d be showing off my Best Burger Bonanza uniform, with the name tag still on my chest. Changing wasn’t my priority when I fled the restaurant, and now I feel severely underdressed.
These elven royals, with their pointy ears decorated by jewels, create a sea of beauty, and I’m dazzled by it despite my better judgment. I don’t spot anyone in soft or pastel shades here. All the fabrics they wear are either dark, or in intense jewel colors like ruby-red and sapphire-blue. Lace and frills are everywhere I look, and some outfits shimmer in the moonlight, while others are so matte they seem dark as black holes.
Servants illuminate our way with bright lanterns on long carved poles.
I’m pretty sure I saw an elf with a massive raven on his shoulder, but he’s gone in the crowd before I can do a double take.
“It’s…” I don’t have the words for it despite wanting to communicate how overwhelming this all is. I stay close to Kyranis and let him lead me, because what else can I do?
“They don’t mind that I’m a man?”
Kyranis waves at his subjects, parading me down the well-lit passage between the courtiers, who all peek at us from under their bangs, hats, or from behind decorative fans.
“I don’t understand. Why would they?” he asks as we start climbing stairs made of a stone in a dark blue shade with swirls of white. The low, wide steps remind me of cascading water, yet my feet remain dry as we walk.
His question means I really am in my own, personal la-la land.
“You can marry a man?”
“I intend to, yes,” Kyranis confirms as he steps closer and lets go of my hand to place his arm over my shoulders in a gesture so protective I forget that my current goal is to find a way out of whatever’s coming. If he has ulterior motives, of course he’d be lying.
But also… he smells so good.
I bark out a nervous laugh as we stroll along the marble floor of the corridor where the wallpaper depicts a pattern of bats hanging from leafless black trees.