Page 35

T he sound of the battle raging on the streets of Nighthaven muffles when the heavy oak door of the Guardsmen Tower closes behind my back. A single wax candle, placed on a rough table, bathes the room in warm light. Guards’ rosters are drawn with chalk on the walls, and there’s another door at the far end of the room. It’s slightly ajar, and the shimmer of the halo filters through the gap. They’ve made the Beacon work again.

I quickly cross the room, massaging my numb wrists, feeling the weight of the past hours settle into my bones. I nearly stumble upon a backpack on the floor.

“For Talysse Nightglimmer,” a note placed on top of it says.

I hurriedly rummage through its contents: bread and dried meat, cheese enough to last a week. When my fingers close around the Candle and the Flint, my lips tremble. And there’s gold, lots of it, shiny Unseelie coins that can buy me and Tayna passage to wherever we wish. A hooded cloak of thin wool hangs on the door handle. As I pull the hood low over my face and lift the backpack, a sudden shuffle from the side pocket startles me.

“Can you please be more careful? My bones are very sensitive,” a tiny voice complains.

“Desmond? Why are you here?”

“Someone has to keep you safe, Talysse. You’re not an expert in traveling the Wastelands—” the rat declares, his paws smoothing his whiskers.

“Oh, and you are?”

“Aeidas took me on some of his expeditions, and he loved sharing his stories with me. They call him the Wildling, you know. He’s changed, Talysse.” His voice sounds troubled now. “And I’m not sure if I can stand by and watch this.”

“Are you comfortable there?” I ask, opening the door and stepping into the night. The idea of having an experienced companion in the long nights ahead starts becoming appealing.

“As comfortable as it gets. So where are we going to?” Desmond positions himself comfortably in the backpack pocket.

“Home. To get my sister and find a safe place for us somewhere.”

The night is quiet; the crickets have resumed their songs. No sign of Unseelie patrols or any Shadowfeeders, except for some Tainted corpses scattered in the field at the feet of the city walls.

“Fine. Let’s go see if those cats are really the size of lynxes,” the rodent agrees, and we head into the Wastelands.

The Halo of Nighthaven fades behind me. The stars chart their mysterious maps above us, guiding us to the unknown, and somewhere ahead, fireflies dance in the night.

End of Book 1

Talysse’s adventure continues in Book 2 of The Elders’ Hex Series: The Shadow and the Firefly