Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
“It?” I whispered.
“Her. It was a woman. I thought she was a guest at first. She was solid. Or at least she appeared that way initially,” Tawny said as tiny bumps appeared along my skin. “I started to smile at her, but I realized that she didn’t…well, she didn’t look right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Her gown was old.” Her brow creased. “Like something I’d seen ladies wearing in paintings from hundreds of years ago. And she was pale. Not white. Pale. She stood so still, and I realized she looked almost…fuzzy, you know? Like her features weren’t clear. At first, I thought it was because of the sunlight coming in from the windows, but then I realized I could see through her lower half.”
My eyes went wide.
“I know.” Tawny let out a nervous laugh. “For a moment, I couldn’t move or think. I was just frozen. Time stopped. We just sort of stared at each other.”
“You weren’t afraid?”
“No.” She drew her fingers through the water. “But that wasn’t the strangest thing. I wasn’t afraid at that moment, but afterward, I was terrified. I wouldn’t stay in the atrium alone for months. But at that moment, I wasn’t scared. And she…”
I drifted closer to her. “What?”
“She…” Tawny looked away, shaking her head. “She just faded away. Disappeared.”
“And that was it?”
Tawny nodded. “Yeah.”
I had no doubt in my mind that she spoke the truth about what she’d seen, but as she floated away, I thought maybe that wasn’t all. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t told anyone.” She spun in the water. “It’s not that I thought you’d think I was out of my mind or something.”
“Well…” I teased.
She laughed. “It’s just that I really don’t know what I saw.”
“It sounds like you do.” I glanced around the lake, thinking of the weird feeling I’d had. “Maybe there is something to what Ian said about the woods.”
“You think—?”
The branches of one of the trees rattled loudly above us, jerking our heads back to peer up. Something large was up there. On reflex, my hand went to my thigh, but then I remembered I’d left my dagger with the cloak. Damn it. Several limbs shook again, this time hard enough to send leaves falling.
“My gods,” Tawny whispered as a bird took flight.
A huge bird with a silvery-white body and wings. Stunned silent, we watched it circle overhead. The bird’s wingspan had to be four feet or more. It must have been some sort of hawk or maybe an eagle, but I knew of none that size—at least not in these parts of Solis.
My heart thrummed as the bird silently moved out of view, disappearing over the Grove. I slowly lowered my chin and looked over at Tawny.
“I would like to change my earlier statement about the spirits of bunnies being the scariest,” she began. “A spirit of that thing would be.”
I laughed as I turned my gaze back to the sky. There was no hint of the silver hawk—at least I thought it was a hawk—and I couldn’t help but feel like Tawny had upon seeing that spirit in the castle. I had that distinct feeling of not knowing what I saw but knowing I’d definitely seen something.
NAILL LA’CROX
Click here to see a full-size image of Naill by Jemlin C.
Another core part of Poppy and Cas’s group, like Emil, Naill shows up nearly everywhere the Elemental Atlantian does in my visions and research.
Hair: Dark, close-cropped.
Eyes: Dark gold.
Body type: Tall.
Facial features: Rich, dark skin. High, sharp cheekbones. Striking smile.
Personality: Quiet and obedient.
Habits/Mannerisms/Strengths/Weaknesses: Rather skilled with a needle and thread. Seems to appear out of nowhere at times. Incredibly fast.
Background: Elemental Atlantian. Like Emil, has helped Casteel remember who he is and that he’s not a thing in the past when feelings grabbed him. Has known him longer than anyone but Kieran and the Contous.
Family: Father runs the mills that create electricity; he keeps the ancient wheels working.
NAILL’S JOURNEY TO DATE:
During the trip to the capital, when the guards are killed in the stables, and Poppy is placed in a cell for her safety—and their peace of mind—Naill goes with Delano to remove her and take her to more comfortable quarters. He immediately goes on alert when Jericho arrives in the dungeon. Six others come up behind him, and Naill tells them they’re all being incredibly foolish. When Mr. Tulis spews his vitriol, Naill reminds him that the Maiden didn’t take his son; the Ascended did. A fight inevitably breaks out, and Naill rips out a Descenter’s throat. Eventually, he gets knocked out.
When Poppy greets Alastir, Naill is lumped into the group the elder wolven says aren’t very well-mannered—I actually think Naill is incredibly polite. As Cas relays the story of how he didn’t plan the proposal and subsequently how Poppy said no at first, Naill fearlessly chimes in that she also told the Prince he was out of his mind and several other things.