We will find out very soon, because I’m feeling weirdly protective of this man who could crush someone’s skull with his shadow tentacles.
As I approach, I start hearing what the commotion is about.
“…and what if the beast comes sooner? If the prince doesn’t get to make him his Dark Companion, their bond will not be strong enough to fight off Heartbreak. My daughter was bitten by a despair last week, and she barely survived. And she wasn’t even at the beach. The spawn crawled into our garden!”
It’s my fault we aren’t yet married, though I don’t think I can hold it against myself that I didn’t want to marry a stranger.
Kyran captures my gaze as I come closer. When he reaches for me between two bodies, I grab his hand and slide right into the middle of the gathering, putting myself between my prince and his subjects.
“There you are,” I say before facing the crying woman and stroking her arm. “Is everythingall right?”
She sobs once more. “I’m so sorry. I just worry I’ll be in labor when the beast attacks. What will happen then? Should we come to the palace? Or is it safer to travel farther from the shore?”
“And what about the palace guards? My son serves there,” a man says, clenching his jaw. “It’s been seven years, and no one has been able to take a Dark Companion. I understand the grief for your family, Your Highness, but every month of waiting is a month too long!”
I take a deep breath and force myself to recall every corporate apology I’ve ever heard. “We sincerely apologize and take full responsibility for the mistakes made during the first attempt at the shadow bond.” I squeeze Kyran’s hand tighter. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we failed to deliver on our promise to all of you, and as a member of the Nocturne Court, I will do everything in my power to amend that. The safety of those living in the Nightmare Realm is our priority, and we are dedicated to upholding the trust you have placed in us. I don’t know if Prince Kyranis has mentioned that already, but we have established an office ready to receive letters with both your worries and ideas, to ensure you are heard.” I smile up at Kyran. “We are here to listen. But the written form will be much easier to process, and lets us make sure no issue is forgotten. Every letter will be formally acknowledged and given the attention it deserves.”
When I glance at the stunned faces, I know I’ve succeeded. What an amazing way to say so much yet commit to so little. As I pull Kyran out of the gridlock, the first person I spot is Anatole, who stares at me with two cups of cherin. I offer him an apologetic smile, but Kyran spins me around, and his lips press to my ear.
“Thank you. I… didn’t know what to do,” he mumbles as if his tongue was a bit too big for his mouth. I pull away to do a double-take at his flushed features and drooping eyes.
“Are you drunk?” I whisper.
Kyran’s lips twist. “I… think so. It was so sweet. Like a dessert. I might have had too much after never having it ever…”
I pull him farther away from the disgruntled elves and back into the merry crowd. “You never had alcohol?” I stand on my toes to give him a kiss. “Who will drive the kelpie home?” I tease, even though he probably won’t understand the allusion to DUI.
“I’m still standing,” he argues. Were this a comedy, he would have tripped right after saying that, butreality is kinder.
Though only for so long.
“Your Highness, would you do us the honor and set the effigy on fire?” Wiser Ana asks, emerging out of nowhere with a pink torch in hand. Salty wind pulls her veil dangerously close to the flames, and I’m already imagining her turning into a bonfire in her own right.
“Yes,” Kyran says right away and swings his hand toward the torch she’s holding. I grab it before he can. I don’t want him handling fire right now.
“Wiser Ana, may we do it together?”
She stalls, giving us both a prolonged look, then nods.
As we approach the effigy, the rhythm of drums quickens in tandem with my heart. Could this be my future at his side? Yearly trips to the Ardournalia, helping him handle matters of the Court while also embracing these pockets of pure joy just for us, like when he saved me from having to eat that bird on a stick?
I frown at the massive drop of wetness hitting my forehead. I am mortified that in this pompous moment, with hundreds watching us, a bird has shat straight on my head.
But no, another drop of cold wetness spills onto my cheek, and a second later Kyran lifts his hand, palm up, as if the very existence of rain was shocking to him. The villagers, who all gathered closer to see the effigy burn, whisper among themselves, and I quickly move the pink flames of the torch to the wooden Heartbreak. The bits of seaweed catch fire, but the rain grows heavier, and Wiser Ana lifts her face toward the sky as the moonlight dims.
“A sign,” she mutters as people retreat under stalls, and trees.
Within moments, the rain extinguishes our torch and attacks the bonfire with ferocity. Kyran must have sobered up a little because of the cold, and he ushers me away from the effigy and toward Crab. Water streams down my face, and I frown when I taste it.
“It’s… salty,” I say to him.
“Saltwater. A warning from Heartbreak,” Kyran mumbles and reaches into the saddle. He stares at the single glove left there in confused silence.
I rub my face as my gaze drifts to the effigy. It won’t burn. Nor will Kyran’s glove. Is that an omen for my relationship with him?
“I… put it in there. Sorry,” I mumble, embarrassed.
Kyran opens his mouth, staring at me as the falling water transforms his wavy hair into a sleek mane similar to Crab’s. He’s only missing the seaweed. “That’s adorable,” he says, grinning, and pulls me close, as if the perspective of it not burning means nothing to him.Maybe he’s too drunk to realize what that would imply? Maybe he believes it to be just a superstition?
