Page 49 of Dawn of Hope
He still doesn’t know I’m the princess.
That is a secret I am not willing to tell at this point.
“Nice to meet you too,Guardian.”
His smile widens, and he becomes the carefree Dane that I had gotten to know over the past few weeks.
“This is real. This isn’t a joke or a lie. You’re taking me to Dawnlin.”
“It is very real.” He takes a step forward, closing the gap between us. “And yes, I’m taking you to Dawnlin, if you still wish to go.”
“Yes.” I can’t utter the word fast enough as the hope of saving my mother swells back into my veins. “Yes, I still want to go. When do we leave? How do we get there?”
I look around, trying to spot any horses he may have tied up, but find nothing. I glance back at the fountain, but the golden ripples have disappeared, and it is once again stagnant and old.
“Right now, and with this.” Dane reaches beneath his cloak and pulls out a large fabric pouch tied off with a golden rope.
He uses both hands to loosen the rope and open the pouch, and as he does, a golden glow similar to the ripples erupts from the contents and lights up his face.
I raise up on my toes, trying to peer inside, just as Dane lowers it so I can see. A flowery fragrance fills my nostrils, catching me off guard. The scent instantly calms my nerves and fills my body with happiness. Never in my life has something affected me this way.
Magic.
It is because I’d never seen magic before.
I peer farther into the bag toward the source of the glow and see a heap of fine sand-like granules that glow golden as the dawn.
“What is it?” I asked, inhaling the scent deeply into my chest again.
“That’s another story for another time. Let’s just get you to Dawnlin first.”
I lower back down on flat feet as Dane turns to walk down the alley. He checks every shadowed area, finally peering down the main road in both directions, checking behind any crates that could serve as a hiding place before coming back and standing directly in front of me.
“Just making sure no one is watching.”
“Has that happened before? Has someone seen something they weren’t supposed to?”
“Yes,” he says solemnly, “and I need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
He takes another step toward me, so our feet are almost touching. I look up at him, towering over me. He smirks as he reaches deep into the pouch, grabbing a small handful of glowing granules. He pulls the strings taut again before securing it back under his cloak.
“Are you ready?” His voice is low and gentle, like he was when I first met him.
“I still don’t know if I should trust you.”
“Well then, I guess we are going to have to work on that, aren’t we?”
I nod. I know I’ve jumped into trusting him too quickly, but there is something about him I can’t help but trust. If what Dane said was true and trust was a tenet of Dawnlin, if I didn’t trust him right now, would I even get there?
“Now?”
“Yes.”
His fingers lace through mine, and he gives my hand a quick squeeze.
“Hang on.”
I squeeze his hand back and shut my eyes as he sprinkles the granules over our heads. My skin tingles anywhere the dust touches, and it quickly spreads all over my body. Suddenly I’m weightless, like I am floating. I squeeze Dane’s hand harder, reminding me he is still there, and before I can say anything to him, my feet hit solid ground again.