“I’ll show you to your room, my lady,” he said. “These fools won’t trouble you at all.”
He nodded to the haggard-looking barkeep behind the counter, who sighed and abandoned her post to lead us up the stairs. Barion gave her more than a few coins, which brightened her mood. She unlocked the furthest door in the upstairs hall with a heavy brass key and motioned me inside.
Barion followed me in and set my trunk by the foot of the bed. There was already a hot bath steaming in the room, which I desperately needed after a long day on the dusty road.
“To your liking, my lady?” Barion asked.
“Of course,” I said. “We can have our dinner downstairs, if you’d like.”
“Oh, certainly not,” Barion said. “Those brutes are nothing but trouble. I’ll have dinner sent up to your room, and I’ll be right next door should you need anything.”
I nodded. “If that’s best.”
“We’ll leave just after dawn tomorrow,” Barion said, “to ensure we make it to the capital in time for the welcome dinner.” He glanced around the room like he half-wanted to check it for traps. Then he simply nodded and patted me on the shoulder. “Get some rest, Reyna.”
When the door closed, I wasted no time settling into the small room, stoking the fire in the hearth before I undressed and climbed into the waiting bath.
The heat immediately soothed my aching muscles. I sighed with pleasure and tipped my head back over the edge of the tub. Even at the far end of the hall, and an entire floor above the bar, I could still faintly hear the loud laughter of the men over the music. I had a feeling that Barion had locked my door and gone down to join them himself.
This place was already so different than the fine courts I was used to. I sank a little deeper into
the bath, until the hot water crept over my chin. Was this a preview of what my life would be like while I was in the Nightfall court?
I’d never traveled to Efra, and I’d only ever seen Nightfall wolves from a distance in the
Daybreak marketplace. But their reputation loomed large in Frasian history, and among the wolves of Daybreak in particular. Nightfall wolves were more wolf than human. They shifted whenever they liked—or whenever their wilder selves demanded it—sometimes spending more time in their wolf form than their human forms at all. They were an animalistic, savage pack, driven by instinct and violence, not diplomacy.
And the Bloody King Elias encouraged that behavior. He represented it. He ruled through violence, through domination. His father had taken the Frasian crown by force—and then Prince Elias had taken that crown by force, too.
The myth loomed large but silent like a shadow around Frasia: The king had killed his own father.
For as much as I knew about diplomacy and etiquette, I had no idea if that knowledge would serve me in Nightfall. The riotous drunken behavior downstairs was likely just a preview of what would happen there. I felt out of place here—it would only be worse in Efra.
It wasn’t forever, though. I had to keep telling myself that—this competition was temporary. It was a way out of Daybreak.
Unless I was chosen.
The thought was barely a whisper in my mind. I almost had to laugh. The other women participating in the King’s Choice would want to win, to earn the role of queen and bring their pack into power. Surely, I was the only one dreading that possibility. It’d be a challenging line to walk: bringing honor and recognition to my pack without gaining the king’s favor. I was not meant to be a queen, least of all queen to a brute like him.
The noise picked up under me: growing laughter and the clatter of something being dropped. I found part of me ached to be down there with them. Even if I didn’t want to participate—I was not a beer drinker, of course, and I had no interest in the bawdy games—I just wanted to witness it all. That was the real appeal of this journey. The chance to see new places, new people. I hated feeling like Barion wanted to keep me sequestered away, but once I was in Efra, I’d be on my own. No Barion to decide what was safe and what wasn’t.
I climbed out of the bath and dressed for bed, just in time to hear the brisk knock of the servant at the door. The meal Barion had sent up was nothing fancy, just stew and bread, but it sated my hunger and some of my nerves, too.
This time tomorrow I’d be in the Nightfall court. I tried to enjoy the peace while I still had it.
I slept fitfully, anxiety about the journey and the unknowns of Nightfall circling my mind until the moon was high in the sky. I felt like I’d barely slept an hour before Barion’s familiar heavy knock woke me. It was still cold and dark outside.
“My lady?” he asked through the door.
I rose and wrapped the quilt around my shoulders, padding across the cold floor. I opened the door a crack. Barion was grinning, his eyes red-rimmed, and I could smell the faint scent of beer on him. I wrinkled my nose disdainfully.
“The coach will be out front in a half hour,” he said. “I’ll be back to carry your trunk.”
The ride from the Peach Inn to Efra was even bumpier and dustier than the ride before. Barion snored in the seat across from me as I gazed out the window. The forest landscape became more barren, with skeletal trees and frost dusting the ground. My breath fogged the window. I curled my coat tighter around my shoulders and shivered against the sudden cold.
“Mmf,” Barion grunted as he eased into wakefulness in the afternoon. “Ah, we must be close.There’s that cold weather the Nightfall wolves love so much.”“It’s too cold,” I huffed. “This coat isn’t enough.”“I told you to put on the thicker socks this morning,” Barion said.I sucked my teeth. I was dressed to travel and also to make an entrance at Efra, somewhere between comfort and formality. The simple dark gown and heavy cotton skirt had been uncomfortable earlier in the day but now I was grateful for its warmth. I’d tucked the pendant Griffin had given me into my trunk this morning. I didn’t want anyone in Nightfall to ask about it. Instead, I’d worn my simple silver jewelry, a necklace and rings, just in case anyone doubted my status.“Here,” Barion said as he rummaged through his canvas bag. “I brought a pair for you.”I bit back a smile. “You think of everything, don’t you?”“It’s what your father pays me for,” Barion said with a wink. He handed me a pair of wool socks, and I q
“Lovely,” she said. “Don’t worry, Barion, if the wolves of Nightfall excel at anything, it’s ensuring our guests are well-fed.” She smiled at him, and then gestured at a handful of servants lingering near the front door. They hurried forward to the coach. “My staff will show you to your quarters, Barion. As for you, Lady Reyna, I’ll escort you to your quarters myself. The staff will bring your things.”“Thank you,” I said with another small curtsy.I followed Lady Glennis into the manor. The front hall was immense, with vaulted ceilings and polished stone floors; the low heels of her boots echoed through the space. The stained-glass windows were covered, but the room was well-lit with torches and a huge, roaring hearth, making it feel warm and cozy despite its size. She led me up the immense staircase in the center of the hall, then down a narrower path, to what I assumed must be the guest quarters.“I hope the journey was kind to you?” Lady Glennis asked.“Oh, it was lovely,” I said.
Breakfast, Rue revealed, was sausage, eggs, crusty bread, and hot coffee. I was almost relieved— part of me had been expecting a raw leg of deer or something. Maybe that was what the king had but wasn’t going to subject his guests to it quite yet. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and found a plush pair of slippers waiting. As soon as I’d slipped my feet inside, Rue hurried over with a fine robe and pulled it over my shoulders.“Good, good,” she said. “Eat first then we’ll help you prepare for the day. First impressions are the most important, you know.”I sat down at the table, and Rue briskly fixed my coffee with fresh milk and a touch of honey.“Thanks,” I murmured. “Just the way I like it.” After the first sip, my brain started to slowly rouse into wakefulness. “How did you know?”Rue just winked at me. “In two hours, Lady Glennis has requested your presence in the Solarium. You’ll be introduced to the other suitors of the Choice before all five of you are introduced to the
I tried not to scowl at my reflection and mostly succeeded. I hated the thought of the king looking at me and imagining my wolf—she was a private part of my soul, and I loathed to share her with the world at all.“That’s fine,” I said.To her credit, Amity seemed to understand I wasn’t interested in chatting. Hopefully, she’d just chalk it up to nerves. True to her word, she only put a small amount of makeup on me—a tint to my lips and a blush on my cheeks, making me look a little more doe-eyed and innocent than I wanted to. Then, from the drawer of the vanity, she pulled out a fine silver box.“You’ll be wearing this today,” she said. “Lady Glennis had them made for all the contestants of the Choice.” She opened the box and revealed a delicate tiara.It was silver, with delicate white stone cut in the shape of a semicircle, flanked by nine small diamonds. “This stone… Is it…?”“Moonstone, yes,” Amity confirmed.“It’s lovely,” I murmured. I’d seen jewelry made with moonstone at the ma
She liked having the wolves at her side, liked feeling protected, and knowing other wolves were close by. The itch to shift was at the base of my skull, but it was a small, familiar sensation, and one I easily ignored.We made our way to the solarium, which seemed to act like a central courtyard. It was like a gorgeous, domed greenhouse, with the sunlight falling in through the thick glass panels and snow gathered at the rivets where the panels connected, but the space inside was much warmer than the air outside. Still cool enough that my Daybreak-acclimated self needed my long sleeves, but certainly comfortable.The space was full of plants that seemed to be adequately taken care of. None of the ferns looked particularly happy and some of the flowers were drooping, but it was overall lush and a clear display of wealth and status. Not everyone had the capacity to keep such aesthetic greenery alive in these temperatures. I couldn’t help but wonder if these were plants my grandfather, C
We had a cup each and some vaguely awkward chitchat, carried mostly by Fina doing her best to get us all to open up. But the other contestants were either uninterested, or simply anxious, waiting for the official start of the competition.Luckily for Fina, we didn’t have to wait long. The door to the solarium opened. Lady Glennis strode in, her heels cracking on the fine stone floor. Her simple green gown was cinched at the waist, functional, but still elegant. She had a notebook open in her arm and a severe look on her face.My heart dropped. What could an expression like that mean? If the king was already in a bad mood, I certainly didn’t want to be the one to meet him. What happened to make the Lady Glennis look so openly upset?“Good morning, ladies,” Glennis said curtly. “I trust you’ve enjoyed making your introductions.” She peered at us, brows raised slightly. We all nodded and murmured our affirmatives.“Good,” she said. “Unfortunately, there’s been a change of schedules. The
My eyes widened as I peered at the map, drinking in the unfamiliar lines and words. It wasn’t Frasia—it was a region I’d never seen before. It looked mountainous, riddled with winding rivers and small lakes, with a jagged coastline. A few towns were illustrated and labeled, but I couldn’t read the language. Where was this? What kind of people lived here? Were they shifters? Mountainous —maybe dragon shifters? The thought thrilled me. I traced the path of the rivers, imagining I was there charting them myself. I saw it clear as day in my mind, myself in functional pants and heavy boots, standing on the bank of a freezing cold river as I gazed up at the crest of an unfamiliar mountain range. I imagined myself sketching the shapes of the mountains, adding detail to my maps.“What do you think you’re doing?” a rough, unfamiliar voice said behind me.It surprised me so much I nearly jumped out of my skin. I straightened up and whipped around, and found I was staring directly into a broad,
4The richly detailed Frasian maps made it easy to lose the hours. It wasn’t until my stomach rumbled demandingly that I finally was able to pull my attention away from the richly detailed representations of cities and coastlines I’d never seen. With some regret, I rolled the maps backup and slipped them into their leather tubes.Downstairs, I found Fina curled up in an overstuffed chair by the fire, entranced in a novel and already three-quarters of the way through it.“Hey,” I said.She jolted so hard she nearly toppled out of the chair. “Oh!” She blinked rapidly. “Wow! What time is it?”I bit back a laugh. “Looks like you’re enjoying the book,” I said.She brandished it at me. “It’s about a wolf who falls for a dragon shifter,” she said. “Very intense.”“Sounds like it.”“And I thought the king was intimidating,” she said. “Whew. At least he’s a wolf.”“I don’t know,” I said, “I think I might prefer a dragon. At least then you don’t have to deal with the rest of the pack.”“What?