Page 28 of A Touch of Shadows
She bedded down on the soft earth wrapped in a blanket and tried not to let her mind spiral with thoughts, hard as that was. Between Thirbridge, the blazing tower, the dead horse, the man leading the witchhunters, and all of Elodie’s secrets…
How had her life fallen apart so quickly?
She was aware all the time of Finn, of his eyes watching her in the night. But listening to him, his watchful stillness, the in and out of his breath, lulled her to rest. She matched her breathing with his and felt her heart slow, her mind quieten, and before she realised it sleep claimed her.
But so did her dreams.
Wren’s footsteps echoed around her, a hollow sound that reverberated back through her. The ground beneath her feet was hard, like ice, but it was only when she stopped that she realised it was marble, highly polished so that she could see her own reflection beneath her.
Except it didn’t look like her reflection, not really.
Her hair rolled in midnight waves down her back, longer than she or Elodie had ever allowed it to grow, and beneath it her skin was pale as moonlight. She wore a gown like gossamer that clung to her curves and glittered with a touch of frost at the edges, but she was barefoot against ice-cold stone. Everything felt brittle and dangerous in that liminal space, unreal and yet frighteningly real to her.
She tried telling herself it was a dream but it didn’t work. Not this time. It was something else. Something more. Not a dream, nor yet a memory. She’d never been here, she’d never been like this.
The hall she wandered through was vast, with lines of pillars reaching high overhead and the far-off ceiling seemed to be painted to reflect the night’s sky. But even as she raised her eyes to it, the clouds moved over the moon, and the stars swirled overhead. Not painted, but enchanted, an illusion, or… or transparent. Could it be made of glass?
Or maybe it was just a dream, she reminded herself again. It had to be. There was no place like this in the waking world.
But it felt so real. Far too real.
The breeze that stirred the air was cold. It brought up goosebumps on her bare arms and shoulders. She couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through her.
And somewhere else, someone laughed. A low, deep chuckle, masculine and knowing. It made her spin around, looking for the source, while at the same time heat rushed through her, replacing the cold. Not the warmth of fire or comfort. A rush of desire she couldn’t control.
‘Who are you?’ she shouted, annoyed with her reaction. ‘What do you want?’
He laughed again. Definitely a he.
‘Your heart flutters like a little bird,’ the voice murmured. ‘But you are stronger than that.’
Something touched the back of her neck, a gentle caress but with an undercurrent of something far darker. Wren gave a sob of alarm but her treacherous body reacted again, leaning into the sensation. This couldn’t be right. It couldn’t be real.
Ghostly hands slid up her arms, and Wren shivered at the touch, helpless.
‘Show me, beloved,’ the voice murmured, as if he leaned down over her shoulder to whisper in her ear, making her tremble. ‘Show me what you can do.’
All around them flames leaped into life, fire so bright and blinding that she flinched back, covering her face. They rose like a barrier, reflecting in the marble, as if the white stone was covered in blood.
Fire rushed towards her, like a living thing, and Wren tried to retreat. But something caught her feet, her bare and vulnerable feet, and sent her slamming down onto the icy stone. She heard laughter, mocking terrible laughter.
‘Show me.’ The voice thundered with command and she felt her body react, the need to obey it terrifying in its intensity.
A wall of flames bore down on her and Wren cried out, her hands flung out before her, as if to repel it. The column of fire stopped in its tracks, as if frozen, and then slowly, so slowly, the flames turned black.
‘Oh yes. It’s true. I knew you the moment I saw you, beloved.’
‘I… I’m not your beloved…’
‘But you will be. Oh you will be. My queen and my beloved, and everything in between. A goddess in waiting. I will give you this world and we will make it ours. I will show you such pleasures and you will give me such power. A fair exchange, I think you’ll find.’
The waves of need rippling through her increased and she fought against them. This wasn’t right. It wasn’t real. ‘I don’t want you.’
That laugh again, sultry and determined. The very sound seemed to call her a liar and part of her was afraid she was.
‘You will,’ he whispered, and his breath played along the side of her neck. ‘Shall I show you what awaits?’
She felt his lips on her neck, his teeth in her skin. Hands caressed her, pushed her back and a weight settled over her.