Page 23 of Sun, Moon & Shadow (Fate of Aemoria #1)

Callan wove his way through the folk gathered in the hall, drinking and swapping stories as they awaited the evening meal.

Nova had returned to their shared room to bathe after a day spent touring the Estate and the fishing village along the sandy shoreline.

Callan had been away for so long, it felt as if he was seeing everything for the first time alongside her.

He’d forgotten how the morning mist gathered around the tops of the rocky cliffs that guarded the inlet, the musical quality of the language spoken by the folk who fished the frigid waters and traded their catches on the docks each day.

Callan approached an area sectioned off with heavy woven curtains in the far corner of the hall.

The guard posted at the entrance stared at him for a beat before bowing deferentially and granting him access to his uncle’s private sitting area.

Thorn lounged on a low sofa on one side.

Pelts of varying shades and sizes lined the floor, and a low fire crackled in a brazier in the center.

“Callan, sit.” Thorn straightened in his seat and motioned to the chair across from him. As Callan sat, he realized Thorn wasn’t alone.

A slender female stood at the fringe of the firelight.

A flowing robe of dark blue velvet accentuated her long flaxen hair, which hung loose down her back, silver beads and small white shells woven into several braided sections.

The sharp, icy blue of her eyes and the evenly spaced diagonal lines below her ears identified her as one of the fisher folk whose gills allowed them to dive deep under water to fish with spears.

“Callan, meet Liv, a very important member of my Court.”

Liv sauntered out from the edge of the shadows, stepping around the fire.

Callan rose from his seat, and she dangled her hand before him as if she expected him to kiss it.

He glanced down, and his intuition flared, cautioning him not to touch her.

He bowed instead, and she dropped her hand to her side, an impish smile stretching across her full lips.

“Pleased to meet you, Your Grace,” she said, her words carrying the accent of her people.

Callan only nodded, holding her icy gaze as he returned to his seat.

“Liv was just leaving.” Thorn stood and guided her to the exit, placing a soft kiss on her lips before showing her out. “I’ll join you later,” he said, watching through the gap in the curtains as she slipped into the crowd and out of view.

“Is she your consort?” Callan asked once they were alone. His uncle returned to his spot on the sofa, lounging with one of his long legs stretched out across the cushions.

“Liv is my lover, yes,” Thorn said. “And a gifted seer. Had you taken her hand, she might have glimpsed something of your future.”

“Perhaps you should simply ask her what my future holds, since the subject interests you so greatly.” Callan leaned back and stared down at the well-worn creases on his boots.

“It doesn’t work like that, and you know it.” Thorn sighed, rubbing a hand over the bristly hairs on the side of his scalp. “Perhaps you should get on with it and ask what you’ve come to ask.”

“I need one of your boats and some of your sailors to work the oars.” Callan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“For your friend’s journey north,” Thorn said, words sticky with skepticism.

“Yes. The journey should only take a few days if the weather is favorable.”

Callan waited as Thorn dragged his hand down the length of his beard, twisting the ends between his thumb and forefinger.

“It’s a dangerous journey to make.” Thorn leaned forward, mirroring Callan’s pose. “Tell me, why are you risking yourself to help her?”

“She is ... important to me.” Callan didn’t fully understand his feelings for Nova, and he wasn’t eager to discuss them with his uncle.

“If you want to bed her, there are far less perilous ways to get between her thighs.” Thorn flashed his teeth in a lustful grin.

“That’s not what this is about,” Callan growled.

Thorn retracted his smile. “Of course not. But how much do you really know about her? She clearly has the look of a Silvergardian.” Thorn flashed his teeth again, his lip curling disdainfully.

He spat into the fire, eliciting a hiss from the coals.

“You know more than most what those beasts in the North are capable of. Even now she could be poisoning your thoughts. Controlling you. Please tell me the notion has at least crossed your mind.”

Callan gritted his teeth. He had been acting out of character since he’d met Nova. But his mind wasn’t dulled. Quite the opposite. He felt awake for the first time in a long while.

“Her mother hails from Sonnend,” Callan offered, hoping to ease some of Thorn’s distaste. “I suppose it’s possible her father had Lunar blood, but she has no connection to him.”

“Blood is everything, Callan. Does it not spark your intuition that a female who looks as she does has entwined herself with the rightful Noble Lord of Nivali?”

“Nova knew nothing of my obligations until I told her on our arrival here. She has no ulterior motives, I assure you.”

“Forgive me. As the regent, I have a duty to my subjects to be suspicious.” Thorn lifted his hands. His loose sleeves were rolled to the elbows, displaying the solid black cuffs inking both of his wrists.

“Will you loan me the boat or not?” Callan groaned, rising from his seat and looking down on his uncle. At this rate, he’d be better off renting a vessel from one of the fisher folk. Callan stood unflinching under his uncle’s appraising stare.

“I’ll loan you the boat since you seem so convinced.” Thorn threw up his hands in a show of surrender. “But I have one condition.”

“Which is?”

Thorn stood before him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

“When you return, you must remain in Nivali for one year. Get to know your subjects, Callan. Allow them to get to know you. It’s what your parents always wanted. You’ve been away for far too long.”

“If memory serves, you voted in favor of my proposal along with the rest of the Council.”

“Because I thought it was what you needed at the time. I figured once you got it out of your system, you’d return home where you belong. Had I known you’d stay away this long, I never would have agreed.” He regarded Callan expectantly, for once abandoning his posturing. “Please, Callan.”

Callan stared into the fire, considering his uncle’s proposal for a moment before countering.

“Six months if you’ll part with the charcoal mare in the stables. Nova has taken a liking to her.”

“We have a bargain.” Thorn grinned, gripping Callan’s hand firmly.

An icy sensation slithered along the markings on his wrists, magic binding him to the terms of the agreement.

His uncle clapped him roughly on the back. “Join the feast tonight—both of you—as my guests.”

“Of course, my Lord.” Callan bowed and took his leave, winding his way through the smoky hall and back to Nova.

Nova’s travel dress needed washing. Bits of straw and sand clung to the sodden hem after her day spent grooming Shade in the stables and wandering along the shore.

She wrinkled her nose and tossed the garment into the corner before rummaging through Callan’s saddlebag for a fresh gown.

A member of the household staff had drawn her a steaming bath as soon as she’d returned from touring the village.

The scenery was breathtaking, but nearly every resident she encountered throughout the day shied away from her.

Their obvious unease stirred up a familiar anxiety in the pit of her stomach, like a layer of silt disturbed at the bottom of a pond.

Finally finding her olive day dress, she shook out the wrinkles as much as she could.

It wasn’t the most practical gown for the weather, but it would have to do.

Nova tightened the laces of her stays before gathering the skirt and stepping into the dress, easing the straps up over her shoulders.

The doorknob twisted behind her, and Callan entered, averting his eyes when he realized she was dressing.

“Apologies—I’ll wait outside.”

“No.” She held up a hand to stall him. “I could use your help.” She turned her back to him, her stays peeking out from between the row of tiny buttons waiting to be done up along her spine.

Callan closed the door before coming up behind her. Nova held her breath, listening to the soft thud of his boots on the fur carpet as he approached. He made quick work of fastening the delicate buttons, with a tenderness out of character for a trained warrior.

Her breath caught at the brush of his knuckles against her skin.

She wondered if the touch had been intentional.

Callan lifted her hair over her shoulder, smoothing the strands down her upper back.

Neither had spoken of their kiss during the many hours they’d spent together earlier.

But an attraction that had perhaps always passed unseen between them now felt awake and alive, a forceful pull drawing them close to one another repeatedly throughout the day.

“Nova?” His voice was hushed.

“Yes?” She turned to him, steeling herself for him to broach the subject.

“I ... made the arrangements with my uncle.” Callan retreated. The change was almost imperceptible, but Nova felt as if a curtain had been drawn between them. “He’s agreed to lend us a boat and a crew of sailors.”

“That’s wonderful news,” she said, at once relieved and disappointed. She looped the silver earrings Fawn had gifted her through her ears and slid her mother’s ring back onto her finger.

“You’re welcome to have Shade, as well. And all for the price of six months of my life.”

“What do you mean?”

“I agreed to remain in Nivali for six months after we return.” He shrugged. “Perhaps it’s time.”

“Your uncle must be pleased.”

“He’s invited us to join the feast tonight as his guests. If you’d like, of course.”