Page 26 of Prisoner of Darkness and Dreams (Fated to the Sun and Stars #3)

Morgana

T he forest remains quiet all through the rest of the night, and as dawn arrives, I think the trees seem a little less hostile.

Perhaps the Miravow has gotten more used to us and is realizing we don’t mean any harm.

I want to ask Etusca about it, but I hold back.

I’m not ready to bridge the gap between us.

I don’t even know if we can. Instead, I listen as she speaks to Leon and the others.

“It’s only a day’s more travel before we reach Starfall,” she explains. “We’ll meet my brother there. I think he can help you.”

Starfall, the capital of Agathyre and the seat of the dryad high council.

Unlike Filusia and Trova, the dryad nation has never had a monarchy.

They elect their leaders to a committee that settles matters through majority vote.

It’s all very dryad, and I’m curious to see the place Etusca talked about so much over the years as well as to meet the brother she’s only mentioned in passing.

We’re talking about finding a place to stop and break our fast when we reach one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever seen.

The forest suddenly opens up around us to reveal a dozen large pools of fresh water.

Their still surfaces glint in the newly risen sun, its beams filtering through the tree cover to dance across the water .

“Thank the gods,” Alastor sighs, dismounting and dropping his pack to the ground. “I’ve been desperate for a chance to wash for three days.”

He starts to shuck off his boots, then stops, eyeing Etusca. “Is it safe? The water isn’t going to suddenly start drowning me for sullying it or something?”

Etusca raises an eyebrow. “I’ve never heard of something like that happening.”

I can tell that it’s not the complete reassurance he was looking for, but the trees are quiet. I look to our korigos friend.

“What do you think, Dots? Is this a good place to stop and relax?” His tongue lolls, and he drops down onto the mossy ground, curling up in a patch of sunlight.

“That’s good enough for me,” Alastor says and walks down to the water’s edge.

We eat and watch Alastor wash his shirt and cool his feet in the pool without incident. Inspired by his bravery, some of the others use the opportunity to freshen up too. Then, when Tira yawns, Phaia suggests we take this moment of peace to try to get some sleep.

With the trees still and Dots happy, our exhausted group easily agree, and most of us settle down to nap. I close my eyes, letting the warm sunshine and gentle breeze carry me off to sleep.

But soon I find myself trapped in a place far from the pretty pools of the Miravow.

Blades slice into my flesh, setting my nerves on fire. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t in pain, when my body felt anything other than this agony.

A scream rips through my ears, and I look over to see Kit convulsing on the white marble floor. Blood pours from his nose. From his eyes. I can’t look away, unable to move as he begs me to save him.

Then I’m standing over him, plunging a bloody knife into his chest over and over again. I want to stop, but I can’t, and then when I look into his face, I suddenly see it’s not Kit lying there, but Tira, her eyes empty and lifeless .

I open my mouth to scream, but I’m startled by a set of strong arms wrapping around me.

“Shhh, Ana. It’s just a dream…”

By now, Leon is quick to make the nightmares fade, pulling me from the horrific images into a cool, neutral darkness.

It’s not enough to settle me though, and I’m not able to fall back into a peaceful sleep.

Instead, my mind claws its way back to consciousness until I’m staring up at the sun shining through the leaves above me.

I rise, wanting to shake the dream off, only to hear Leon’s breathing change behind me as he too wakes.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” I murmur, trying not to rouse the others around us. Phaia’s on watch now, but she’s seated with her back against a tree a few yards away and pays us no mind.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replies. “I can fix nightmares in my sleep.” He offers me a wry smile. “And then when I sensed you’d woken up, of course I was going to come find you.”

“I wish I was like you,” I say, clenching my fist and letting out a shaky breath.

Even with Leon’s help, the panic of the dream still lingers in my body.

“I wish I was able to go to sleep and wake myself up whenever I choose, getting to pick what plays through my head—what memories I want to relive, or never visit again.”

“It’s not the panacea you might think. It just means the unwanted memories come for me harder when I’m awake,” he says.

I guess that’s the trade-off I get. I’m working so hard to keep from remembering those days in Qimorna, to shield my mind when I can, that of course the horror of it comes for me when I’m asleep and vulnerable.

But I can’t change what I’m doing. Not when I have the Temple and the throne to worry about, and maybe even a war.

If I let it all in, I don’t know if I’d survive.

Leon rises too, reaching out and brushing a hand along the small of my back.

“It will get better, Ana. I know that feels empty to say right now. But those dreams won’t haunt you forever. And until they leave you alone, I’ll be there to rescue you from them.”

I know he’s trying to help, but the nightmare is still too fresh for me to feel reassured, and I find myself turning away from him, unable to really hear his words.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I say, and it’s true. I can’t even say the reality of what happened out loud to my best friend. I can’t bring myself to tell Tira that it was me who killed Kit.

Looking to escape my own thoughts, I wander down to the pools, skirting the edges of them as my reflection warps and ripples.

I can sense Leon following slowly behind even though he makes almost no noise.

He’s doing what he always does. Keeping watch.

Making sure I’m safe. But he can’t protect me from myself.

I’m managing to go through the motions each day.

I’m giving orders and making plans, sending friends on missions as if I really believe we can build a better future.

But there seem to be a million tiny triggers—whether I’m asleep or awake—that send me right back to my lowest points, reminding me of my weakness.

“You don’t know how terrible it was last night,” I say to Leon, still looking out over the water. “Watching Tira being taken from me, knowing there was nothing I could do to stop it without my powers.”

I feel Leon’s warmth behind me, his chest against my shoulder.

“You did do something,” he says. “It was quick thinking to tell me to move the earth. That bought us enough time for her to get free.”

“I don’t know why the idea came to me as fast as it did,” I say, remembering the blinding panic of the moment and yet the clear certainty of my thoughts. “I just knew you’d go for your sword and start hacking at that tree before you thought to try your terrial power.”

Leon tenses a little behind me. “That was going to be my approach, yes.”

“It makes sense,” I say. “That’s the response I’d expect from a soldier. Or maybe I guessed it because I just know you too well now.”

“Is there such a thing as too well?” Leon asks. On the surface, his tone seems joking, but I sense the seriousness underneath .

“I don’t think so. Not with you,” I answer softly.

We’ve stopped by one of the furthest pools, the trees obscuring us from the rest of the group. Phaia knows where we’ve gone, but with Leon with me, I know she won’t worry about us. Hidden from the others as we are, it feels as if we’re all alone in this forest.

Quickly, I unfasten my belt, letting it drop to the ground with my sheath and blade.

“What are you doing?” Leon asks.

“I didn’t get a chance to wash up yet,” I say, pulling my tunic up over my head. “And I stink from traveling.”

In truth, I want to wash away more than the grime of our journey. I want to banish the darkness of my nightmares and what happened to Tira. Maybe the cool freshness of the water will help.

“Besides,” I say, pulling off the last of my clothes and descending into the water. “I’ll need to look presentable if we’re going to meet the dryad council soon.”

I sigh with relief as the water embraces me, soothing my aching muscles as well as my soul.

“I happen to think you look very alluring in your week-old traveling clothes.” Leon says it lightly, making me laugh, but I don’t miss the undertone of genuine desire in his voice as he watches me swim out deeper into the pool.

“Hmm,” I say. “I think the rugged wanderer look suits some people much more than others. I know a certain prince, for example, who can really pull it off.”

I lift my face to the sunshine and close my eyes, enjoying my weightlessness in the water.

I hear a gentle splash, and ripples chase me across the lake.

I open my eyes to see Leon, shirtless and chest-deep in the water.

I lose focus at the sight of him. Of course it’s nothing I haven’t seen before, but it’s a view that never gets old—the sculpted lines of his chest, the smattering of dark hair across it that I know trails down across his toned abdominals and between the deep V of his hips .

He moves through the water gracefully, gliding toward me, until he reaches out and pulls me against him. He’s fully naked, and I gasp in pleased surprise at the feel of his erection, hard and ready, against my hip.

“Did you think you could strip like that in front of me and get away with it?” he asks, his voice a dangerous growl. He dips his mouth to mine, sliding his tongue along my lower lip, making my breath hitch.

I pull back and tilt my head at him. “Oh, I think I could get away with a lot more than that,” I say teasingly.

“And I think I’ll take what’s mine,” he says, slipping a hand into the water and between my legs.