Read Online Dark Flight (The Shadow Slayers) by Cassi Carver - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cassi Carver
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not its inhabitants.
Gavin set them down on the dry earth. Unlike the stormy gray firmament in the Land of Desolation, Raleon’s kingdom was crowned with clear blue skies stretching as far as Kara could see. The sun beat down on her head, as though the black-wing had cranked up the thermostat on his kingdom. “I can’t believe this is made of will. It looks so real. And the heat definitely feels real.”
“It is real here.”
“Can he sense us?”
“If Raleon were expecting us, no doubt he could sense our presence here, but as it is, his power is stretched thin. Our footsteps shouldn’t amount to more than a passing niggle on his consciousness.”
Kara tripped over a small rock, and it jammed between her toes. “Ouch, hold on.” She pulled the pebble out and regarded it. “Yep. It’s real. My toes think so too.”
Gavin shook his head. “Of all the times to wear flimsy pink sandals.”
“How would I know Raleon had invested so much time into his scenery? Besides, these sandals match my shirt.” She held her foot up. “And look, they have little pink jewels across the top. On my income, that’s pretty fancy. Not all of us can create stuff with our mind. We have to work for it.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, princess. I’ve worked for every million I’ve accumulated over the years. And there was a time when a million dollars wasn’t so easy to make.”
“There was a time? What time am I living in then?” She watched the toe of her sandal as it pressed into the rocky brown earth. “It’s weird, you know. Being in the Shadowland is like stepping into someone else’s dream. I can’t get over the power of the Aniliáre.”
Her mind went to Julian, wondering suddenly if he would rethink his decision if all went well with Mazeki and he started feeling better about his own position in the Shadowland. But as soon as the stupid thought popped up, Kara shoved it back down with a vengeance.
What was Julian to her anyway? An ex-lover. Nothing more. He’d never made promises of forever to her. He’d never asked her to give up her life on the surface to spend it by his side. Their physical chemistry was off the chart, but that was probably because she’d bonded to him when he was still silver-wing-Julian, and that bond had carried over somehow.
She sniffed and rubbed her index finger under her nose, not slowing her steps as she unfolded the map. Bondmates… Who the hell cared? There was no destiny with her kind. She’d formed a physical bond and over time, it would fade. She would bond again…if that was even what she wanted anymore.
“Are you all right, princess?”
She looked up, startled. “What? Why are you asking me that?”
“Your eyes…” He took her upper arm to bring her to a stop and gently wiped his thumb under her lower lashes. “They’re watering.”
“Yeah, well…” She pulled away and strode toward the fawn. “Maybe I’m allergic to rock animals.”
Gee whiz… She needed to pull herself together. It’d been three flippin’ weeks since the break-up and here she was, acting like Julian had just smashed his heel into her instep. If she’d known that gallivanting across the Shadowland would make her such a mess, she might have stayed home…
No. She could handle this. She just needed to stay focused. On Gavin. On Brakken. On the baby. There was too much at stake to allow emotion to slow her down.
Up close, the young deer looked at least twenty feet high. Kara plopped down on her backside and smoothed the map over her knees. “Okay, we made it to the first stop. Now even if we have to go back to rest, you can bring us straight here next time, right?”
He didn’t immediately sit, but she saw his boots move in closer. “Yes. As long as I’ve been there, it’s not a problem.”
“So now we need to find something on this fawn that will complete the first step on the map, right? What exactly are we looking for?”
Gavin smoothed his hand over the boulder.
Gavin set them down on the dry earth. Unlike the stormy gray firmament in the Land of Desolation, Raleon’s kingdom was crowned with clear blue skies stretching as far as Kara could see. The sun beat down on her head, as though the black-wing had cranked up the thermostat on his kingdom. “I can’t believe this is made of will. It looks so real. And the heat definitely feels real.”
“It is real here.”
“Can he sense us?”
“If Raleon were expecting us, no doubt he could sense our presence here, but as it is, his power is stretched thin. Our footsteps shouldn’t amount to more than a passing niggle on his consciousness.”
Kara tripped over a small rock, and it jammed between her toes. “Ouch, hold on.” She pulled the pebble out and regarded it. “Yep. It’s real. My toes think so too.”
Gavin shook his head. “Of all the times to wear flimsy pink sandals.”
“How would I know Raleon had invested so much time into his scenery? Besides, these sandals match my shirt.” She held her foot up. “And look, they have little pink jewels across the top. On my income, that’s pretty fancy. Not all of us can create stuff with our mind. We have to work for it.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, princess. I’ve worked for every million I’ve accumulated over the years. And there was a time when a million dollars wasn’t so easy to make.”
“There was a time? What time am I living in then?” She watched the toe of her sandal as it pressed into the rocky brown earth. “It’s weird, you know. Being in the Shadowland is like stepping into someone else’s dream. I can’t get over the power of the Aniliáre.”
Her mind went to Julian, wondering suddenly if he would rethink his decision if all went well with Mazeki and he started feeling better about his own position in the Shadowland. But as soon as the stupid thought popped up, Kara shoved it back down with a vengeance.
What was Julian to her anyway? An ex-lover. Nothing more. He’d never made promises of forever to her. He’d never asked her to give up her life on the surface to spend it by his side. Their physical chemistry was off the chart, but that was probably because she’d bonded to him when he was still silver-wing-Julian, and that bond had carried over somehow.
She sniffed and rubbed her index finger under her nose, not slowing her steps as she unfolded the map. Bondmates… Who the hell cared? There was no destiny with her kind. She’d formed a physical bond and over time, it would fade. She would bond again…if that was even what she wanted anymore.
“Are you all right, princess?”
She looked up, startled. “What? Why are you asking me that?”
“Your eyes…” He took her upper arm to bring her to a stop and gently wiped his thumb under her lower lashes. “They’re watering.”
“Yeah, well…” She pulled away and strode toward the fawn. “Maybe I’m allergic to rock animals.”
Gee whiz… She needed to pull herself together. It’d been three flippin’ weeks since the break-up and here she was, acting like Julian had just smashed his heel into her instep. If she’d known that gallivanting across the Shadowland would make her such a mess, she might have stayed home…
No. She could handle this. She just needed to stay focused. On Gavin. On Brakken. On the baby. There was too much at stake to allow emotion to slow her down.
Up close, the young deer looked at least twenty feet high. Kara plopped down on her backside and smoothed the map over her knees. “Okay, we made it to the first stop. Now even if we have to go back to rest, you can bring us straight here next time, right?”
He didn’t immediately sit, but she saw his boots move in closer. “Yes. As long as I’ve been there, it’s not a problem.”
“So now we need to find something on this fawn that will complete the first step on the map, right? What exactly are we looking for?”
Gavin smoothed his hand over the boulder.
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