Page 56 of First Light
The Shadowlands are everywhere, my lady. Wherever your world exists, our world does too. We are the hidden and the magical in every place human imagination has lived.
“Big,” Duncan said. “Very big. It’s everywhere.”
“Are they connected?” She turned to Duncan. “Like, could I take a boat to Shadowlands France?”
Duncan shrugged. “If you want to brave the leviathans.”
“Sea monsters,” she whispered. “Of course there are sea monsters.”
“The sea holds more monsters than any on land.” Duncan walked to a grey stone jutting from the grass and stretched out, his back to the rock. “You won’t catch me on a boat in this place.”
The monsters of the sea are frightening, but some are kind. Dragons have a good relationship with the selkies and the whales.
Selkies, dragons, kelpies, unicorns. It was a lot to take in, but as she ran her hand over Cadell’s warm body, she felt safe in a way that she hadn’t since she’d walked through the fae gate. “Are all dragons as beautiful as you?”
You flatter me, Nêrys. Dragons are built for survival and battle, not for beauty like a one-horned horse.
She smiled. “Do you not like the unicorns?”
Duncan chuckled. “It’s an old rivalry but a friendly one. Unicorns can be ferocious in battle when they’re roused.”
The cross human is correct.
“They saved me from a kelpie, you know.”
Then I must offer them a boon for protecting you before I could.
Carys turned to Duncan. “Why didn’t you tell me Seren was murdered?”
“I was trying to get you to go home,” he said roughly, “not pique your interest with a mystery.”
“Why?”
“Why should you have gone home?” He frowned. “You found Lachlan. You knew the truth. And because your sister wasmurdered.” He rolled hisr’s hard over the word, clearly angry. “And not a damn one of them in this place would seek out the truth. They all made excuses for it, and I knew something was dirty.”
“You don’t seem too concerned about me staying now.” She ran her hand over Cadell’s warm skin, scratching along the ridge of his spines the way he liked. “You were baiting Robb in the throne room. Why the change of heart?”
“Well, you have a dragon now, don’t you?” He stared at Cadell. “Which makes no sense at all, I might add. You shouldn’t be able to speak to him. He shouldn’t have been able to feel you.” Duncan narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like things I don’t understand.”
“Sounds like a personal problem to me,” she muttered.
Cadell laughed softly in her head.
She patted the dragon, walking around him, wanting to know every curve of his body and every ripple of his beautiful skin. He had a large scar on his side, as if a sword had slashed through his hide. “You said you’re built for battle, but you don’t like war.”
We like to be left alone. Our numbers are not great, and though we live a long natural life, that is shortened by human and fae wars.
“Do the humans and the fae battle here?”
The fae are the whisper of war.
Duncan added, “With few exceptions, the fae play humans against each other for amusement, Carys. You’ll very soon find that most conflict in the Shadowlands has a fae component.”
Seren’s mate comes.Cadell turned his head toward the castle.He has feelings for you.
“Does he?” Carys’s wonder turned to resignation when she realized Cadell was talking about Lachlan. “Or is it all for my sister?”
I am not a sentimental creature. I see what I see. Seren’s mate has an emotional attachment to you. It is evident, but you cannot trust him.