Page 13 of Cursed Dreams (Shadow and Dreams #1)

As Vaelith swung up behind her, she tried to focus on anything except how close he was. Roina’s gaze met hers, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips.

Thalia groaned internally. This is going to be a long ride

Thalia sat stiffly in the saddle, acutely aware of every shift and movement of the powerful horse beneath her. More than that, she was aware of Vaelith behind her, too close, too warm, and entirely too composed for someone who had just pulled her into a situation she desperately wanted to avoid.

"Relax," Vaelith murmured against her ear, his tone dry. "You're as tense as a board."

She stiffened even more in response, gripping the saddle horn with white-knuckled determination. "I am relaxed," she lied.

Vaelith exhaled, the barest hint of amusement in the sound. "If you say so."

The others rode ahead, chatting amongst themselves. Nyla seemed at ease, speaking with Roina and Lina about the upcoming transition to life in Vertrose, while Cellen, riding slightly behind them, was already lamenting the loss of his comfortable carriage seat.

"People are mad for riding these things for fun," Cellen grumbled, shifting awkwardly in his saddle. "If I fall to my death, just know I’d like a grand funeral."

Thalia almost laughed but bit her tongue. Instead, she turned her attention to the scenery passing by. The fields were starting to give way to denser woodlands, the trees stretching higher, their leaves rustling gently in the afternoon breeze.

She let herself focus on the landscape, trying to find some semblance of calm. It helped, somewhat, until she realized how quickly they were approaching the border between the Fae and human lands.

An uneasy feeling crept into her stomach.

"Are you nervous?" Vaelith’s voice broke through her thoughts. "Do humans make you uneasy?"

Thalia hesitated before answering. "Not exactly," she said slowly. "I’ve just never met that many."

"Not many, or none at all?"

She pressed her lips together before admitting, "None, really."

Vaelith was quiet for a moment. "You heard what Cellen said earlier. About the rebellion."

It wasn’t a question.

Thalia nodded slowly. "Why didn’t I know about it? Why wasn’t it spoken of back home?"

"Because it was a failure." His tone was measured, but there was something unreadable in it. "It ended before it could become something worse. There was no war. No great battle to sing about."

"But people died," she said quietly.

"Yes."

She swallowed hard.

"You're nervous," Vaelith observed.

She turned slightly, enough to meet his gaze from the corner of her eye. "Shouldn’t I be?"

His silver eyes studied her for a long moment before he finally said, "No. You’re not walking into enemy territory, Thalia. You’ll be at the temple, surrounded by scholars and healers. Most humans in the city live alongside Fae without issue. They have for generations."

She wanted to believe him.

The steady rhythm of the horse’s movements should have lulled her into some kind of ease, but Thalia’s mind was restless.

She had been determined to avoid Vaelith, to keep a polite but firm distance after all the speculation earlier. Yet, here she was, sitting in front of him, practically on top of him, as they rode together toward the human lands. It was not how she had envisioned this journey going.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she startled when Vaelith finally spoke. His voice gently caressing the tip of her ear.

"So, Thalia Evermore what do you do for fun?" his tone as neutral as ever, but the question caught her off guard.

Thalia blinked. “I, umm. I like to read “

He seemed to nod at this, as though he expected that answer, “What do you like to read?”

"Oh," she said, straightening slightly. "All sorts, really. But mostly histories, especially the old wars and myths, my father would tell me stories when I was a child, and I guess as I got older the fascination never left."

His voice remained as smooth and unreadable as ever. "Which ones?"

"The war between the Dragons and the High Fae," she answered without hesitation. "It’s the most fascinating to me."

There was a small beat of silence before he asked, "And why is that?"

Thalia leaned forward slightly, enthusiasm creeping into her voice. "Because it shaped the world as we know it! Without that war, magic might have disappeared entirely."

Vaelith made a quiet hum, but it was impossible to tell if he was interested or merely being polite.

Thalia continued anyway. "The dragons were greedy," she explained.

"They hoarded magic, drained it from the world for themselves. And they weren’t content with just having it—they destroyed artifacts, even those gifted by the gods, just so no one else could use them.

" She shook her head, her frustration at the thought clear.

"If the High Fae hadn’t intervened, magic would have been lost completely. "

There was another silence, longer this time. Thalia glanced up at him, expecting some kind of response, but he only watched her with that unreadable expression of his.

"You admire them," he finally said.

"Of course," she answered easily. "The High Fae were the greatest protectors of this world.

They fought with everything they had, made the ultimate sacrifice to stop the dragons.

" Her voice softened slightly. "They gave their lives to save magic, to protect humanity.

And in the end, they prevailed, wiping out the dragons completely, or at least, most of them.

No one has seen a dragon in centuries, and many believe they died off in the magic, barren Dead lands they retreated to. "

Vaelith’s hands on the reins tensed slightly, but his voice remained smooth. "And you believe the dragons did all this out of greed?"

Thalia frowned slightly. "Of course. What else would it be?"

"What else, indeed," he murmured, though it was hard to tell if he was agreeing with her or simply musing aloud.

She turned more fully in the saddle to get a better look at him. "Why do you ask?"

One silver brow arched slightly. "Curiosity."

Thalia narrowed her eyes at him. "You sound like you don’t believe it."

"Did I say that?" There was a hint of something in his voice—amusement?

"You implied it," she countered.

Vaelith gave a small shrug, his expression unreadable. "I just find it... interesting."

Thalia huffed in frustration. "Oh, and what do you find interesting, then?"

"The idea that there are humans who worshipping dragons now," he said, his lips twitching slightly.

Thalia scoffed. "It’s ridiculous. Misguided. The dragons nearly destroyed everything, and now there are people who practically revere them like gods. It makes no sense."

Vaelith tilted his head slightly. "Perhaps they see something you don’t."

She gave him a flat look. "Or perhaps they’re just wrong. History doesn't lie "

To her surprise, that earned a quiet chuckle.

"Spoken like a true scholar," he mused.

Thalia crossed her arms as best as she could while sitting on a horse. "Is that an insult?"

"A compliment," he said smoothly.

She eyed him suspiciously, but he only looked vaguely amused. It was rare to see anything other than boredom or sharp calculation on his face, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Despite herself, she smiled.

Their conversation lingered in her mind as she turned her gaze back to the road ahead. She had no idea why Vaelith seemed so interested in her thoughts or opinions, but she refused to let herself dwell on it too much. He was most likely trying to ease the awkwardness of riding together.

As they rode on, she found herself sneaking another glance at him, watching the way the sunlight caught in his white hair, how his expression remained composed, but his gaze held something deeper, something she couldn’t quite name. He looked sad almost haunted, lonely.

She shook her head, forcing herself to focus ahead.

She was being ridiculous, clearly projecting her own feelings onto him.

Thalia could not wait to get off this horse.

It wasn’t just that she was sore, though every muscle in her legs and back ached from hours in the saddle, but the fact that she was far too aware of Vaelith.

Every movement of the horse jostled her against him, pressing her back against the hard lines of his chest, the solid strength of his arms bracketing her as he held the reins.

She had known he was strong, but feeling it was an entirely different matter.

His body was unyielding, muscles firm beneath his clothing, his presence commanding in a way that made her stomach flip.

And the heat.

He was warm . Not the mild kind of warmth one might expect, but radiant , as if he carried the very essence of fire beneath his skin. It seeped into her back, through the thin fabric of her healer’s robes and riding cloak, making her uncomfortably aware of just how close they were.

Her mind wandered dangerously.

What would it be like to be the object of his affection? To have that hard body above her instead of behind her, all sharp angles and sculpted strength caging her in?

Heat rushed to her face and poled deep in her core as she imagined the way his silver hair might fall into his eyes as he leaned over her, his usual unreadable expression melting into something more, that hard lines of his body pressing into...

Vaelith suddenly coughed.

Not just a polite clearing of the throat, but a sharp, almost choking sound.

Thalia stiffened, mortified. Her thoughts had wandered off on her again.

He shifted slightly behind her, his grip tightening briefly on the reins before he exhaled a long, suffering breath. "We're nearly at our stop for the night," he said, his voice far from the carefully even tone it normally was.

Thalia’s face burned. Could he tell what she was thinking?

She swallowed hard, refusing to turn and look at him, lest she make this even worse.

Vaelith muttered something under his breath, something that sounded suspiciously like "personal torment", before adding dryly, "I need a cold bath."

Thalia’s entire body went rigid.

She just wanted to curl up and hide.

Desperate to escape this utterly humiliating situation, she quickly focused on the horizon, willing the final stop to appear sooner.

Tomorrow, they would arrive in Vertrose.

And she was definitely avoiding Vaelith forever once they got there.

They arrived at another small temple just as dusk was settling over the landscape, the last rays of sunlight bathing the stone walls in gold.

Thalia was exhausted—physically from the long day in the saddle, and mentally from everything else.

She had avoided Vaelith’s eyes as he had lifted her from the saddle, mummering a quiet thank you before hurrying away from him, her humiliation still burning across her face .

The temple, perched right on the border between the Fae and human lands, was a place of quiet reverence.

The priestesses welcomed them warmly, offering a simple but hearty meal before showing them to their sleeping quarters.

For once, sleep came easily, and this time, there were no strange dreams to unsettle her.