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)
Despite the kelpie’s skin being a trap, the beast is otherwise obliging, and didn’t flinch when I scrambled onto its massive back, then promptly slid off the other side. Kyran’s shadow was there to break my fall.
I was surprised by the two-person saddle at first, but then realized I don’t have horse-riding experience, so it’s for the better that I have Kyran behind me.
I wonder if we’ll get some sort of escort after all, but there are no guards at our side as we ride through the main gate and onto the bridge, heading away from the sea. I don’t know if that means we’re safe here, or if Kyran is just that confident in his shadowcraft.
The moon looks like a cookie someone’s nibbled on already, but it still provides enough light to guide us on the empty road. The sky is dotted with bright stars, but I also spot a pale cloud resembling a distant galaxy, or nebula.
I wonder if this world and mine share the same planet, or if stepping past the veil transported me to another place in the universe. But unless the elves have a space program that doesn’t depend on electricity and fossil fuels, Kyran can’t possibly answer that question.
The castle is imposing with the moon creating a backdrop for its tallest tower. Kyran told me it’s (very creatively) called the Moon Tower, and it serves as the place for detaining important prisoners, particularly those proficient at shadowcraft, as the tower is warded against that kind of magic. Kyran claims being kept there is a kindness in comparison to spending weeks in the dungeon, but a prison is a prison. I was relieved to hear no one resides there at the moment.
To our right is a forest, which we must have passed on the way from my world, but as Kyran nudges our mount with his heels, Crab moves uphill, climbing a path marked with green lanterns mounted on wooden poles.
I feel like a dainty princess with Kyran’s arms around me and holding the reins. If a princess wore black latex that is. I’ve always been somewhere between slutty and self-conscious when it comes to my body, but after almost two weeks with Kyran, I feel like maybe I am as hot as he says. I don’t know if it’s the shadow bond muddling his perception, or if I’m just exactly his type, but does it matter? Why not take the compliments at face value? Especially from a hunk like him.
So yeah, I’ll be wearing skin-tight leather when we get to the village, and since Kyran has no objections, then it must be socially acceptable.
I’m wearing my glasses to see everything, as elves have much better vision in the dark than humans. I’m glad I’ve brought them with me, because what they consider daylight here is just a bright night in my book. The glasses have a frame made of what Kyran called ‘moonshard’ and no lenses, but the glow of the stone rims affects everything I see. He couldn’t explain how that works but offered to take me to the craftsman who made them so I can ask all the questions I might have.
I’m glad he’s not tired of my constant questions, because I’ve got so much to learn.
“So only the royals have access to kelpies?” I ask, stroking Crab’s slippery mane. I’ve got no idea how seaweed can grow out of his body, but it’s clear the Nightmare Realm doesn’t operate the same way my world does.
“Only the royals, yes. And servants who have permission to train them,” Kyran answers, resting his chin on my shoulder as we reach the top of the hill.
The first thing I see is a flood of lights in the valley at our feet, but then my gaze meets a grouping of bright red dots glowing at us from a nearby pasture. I initially take them for lightning bugs, but then notice the sharp contours surrounding the dots, and realize they are in fact eyes.
Big red eyes belonging to creatures the size of elephants that stand on the way to the village.
I lean into Kyran with my whole back, frozen in fear even though he’s acting as if we aren’t about to confront a dozen massive beasts.
“Wh-what the hell are those?” I ask, pointing to the horned creatures. As if I could offend them by staring. If they wanted to, they could probably trample us, but Kyran continues to ride toward them as I push deeper into his chest.
What. The actual. Fuck.
“Oh, you don’t have cows in your world?” Kyran asks just as one of the monsters gives a moo so low it hurts my ears. Were they to make this sound at once, the walls of the castle might crack!
I shudder, unable to tear my eyes away from the absolute unit of a cow walking down the slope alongside us.