Daughter of Dusk

I look between him and the stone in my hands with wide eyes. “Wait, this isn’t . . . this isn’t an amulet. It couldn’t be.”

He presses his lips together, hiding a smile.

“Soren, no, it – they were all destroyed in combat. The book just said if any survived they’d be in the mountains, and unless you just teleported there and back in the last five seconds, you didn’t get it from there.” I let out a shaky exhale. “How did you – why do you have this?”

“Mother gave it to me last night after you left. She said one of my ancestors fought in the Great War of Darkness, and that his amulet was one of the only ones to survive. It’s been passed down in my family for generations, according to her, from father to son when they come of age. But my father died when I was born, so my mother hung on to it for me until I turned eighteen a few days ago. But she got sick right before my birthday, so she couldn’t give it to me until yesterday. I didn’t know about it until after you left. Otherwise, I would have told you.”

My heart aches at the mention of his family tragedy. “No, that’s fine. I’m so sorry about your father.”

He shakes his head. “It’s okay. I trust that part of him is still here, however that might be. That’s what makes the amulet so special; it’s one of the few pieces I have of him left.”

I smile, but I can’t ignore the twisting pang of guilt within my chest at his words. Soren has a stronger bond with his father than I do to my own, and my father is alive. Is this how it’s supposed to be between parents and children?

“Soren . . .” I trail off, shaking my head as reality sets in. “Father – er – Darius doesn’t know you have this, does he?”

“No. I’m assuming we should keep it that way?”

I nod. “He’s always spoken about how he wants to go back to Enas one day and do what our ancestors couldn’t. This could lead to another war if he found it.”

He places his hands on top of mine, hiding the amulet from the outside world. “It will be our secret.”

I can’t help but smile as I gaze into his cloud-like eyes.

It’s as though there’s a force between us; an invisible string intent on pulling us closer together. It takes everything I have to resist it, to not fall into his arms. But I can’t help but enjoy the feeling of his cool touch on my hands.

But as I lose myself in the feeling, my mind continues whirring, connecting the pieces of the situation together.

I step back from Soren as my mind sparks with realization, staring down at the black stone.

“If this is an amulet, then that means . . .”

“You can safely go to Enas without losing your powers.” I catch a glance at his face, watching as a gentle reassurance envelops his features, a bright eagerness patiently waiting to come out.

I freeze. I should feel grateful for his generosity. I should be happy he’s offering this to me. And I am. But there’s something else lingering beneath the surface of all this. A twisting feeling in my throat that spirals down to my heart, one intent on convincing me I don’t deserve an ounce of his kindness.

I hold the amulet out toward him. “I’m sorry, I can’t accept this.”

Hurt flashes across his eyes as he frowns. “What do you mean? I want to help you. I can see how much all this means to you.”

“No, that’s – I know that. But . . . this is a family heirloom; it’d be selfish of me to use it. This piece of history belongs to you and your family.”

“That’s true. But it’s not selfish. At least, I don’t think so. It was passed on to me. And if it’s a way for you to safely get to Enas and back, then I’m okay with you using it for that. Though I think it goes without saying I’d want the amulet back at some point,” he says with a chuckle. He cups my hand in his as he pushes the amulet back toward me and runs a hand through my hair, just as he did last night.

I let out a shaky exhale. “Of course. I’ll use it to explore and make sure it’s what I want, and I’ll see what I can find about another amulet for when I move permanently. I just . . . thank you.” I clutch the stone close to my chest. “I promise it will return unscathed.”

“I know. I trust you’ll take good care of it.” He smiles that kind, gentle smile. “Here, I’ll help you with the clasp.”

I nod and turn around, pushing my hair over one shoulder as the stone falls just above my chest. It only takes him a moment to fasten it at the back of my neck, but it might as well be an eternity. All I can focus on is how close he is behind me, his fingertips brushing against the skin next to my hairline as my heart begins to race. I should feel uneasy, or scared, even. But those sentiments are overshadowed by his good energy, the sense of calm radiating from him.

“There. Perfect,” he says with a chuckle. Before I can turn back around, he gently readjusts my hair so it’s falling down my back once more. The sensation sends a tingling warmth down my spine, one that only makes my cheeks feel hotter in its presence.

What is going on with me?

I turn, letting one hand linger over the ridges of the stone, playing with it between my fingers.

“Hmm, it suits you.” Soren grins, before looking down at the book in my hands. “Still want me to see if there are any notes from my mother in there while you practice?”

I nod, too wrapped up in the previous moments to form words.

I hand him the collection of pages, watching as he flips through the book, scanning the words. I try the technique a few more times to no avail, but the warmth in my chest makes it impossible to focus on anything, let alone stop smiling. Not to mention the intense fluttering in my stomach, like a swarm of moths flying against the wind.

“Hmm, interesting.” His voice pulls me out of my daze.

“What is?”

“You have to be outside the Manor in order for it to work. Maybe that’s why you couldn’t get anything going.”

My jaw drops. “What? Let me see, where did you find that?”

“Handwritten in the back.”

He hands the book back to me, and sure enough, on the final pages, there’s a handwritten section of elegant ink. It’s hidden away just enough to be overlooked, to be passed over a first glance.

A note to the reader, if this ever sees the light of day. Due to an enchantment placed on the Manor walls when it was built, using a portal to travel either in or out of the Manor is impossible, for even the strongest Shadow Wielder.

My jaw drops. “Oh God, are you serious?”

I can’t help but let my mind wander. Could this be the reason Father never wanted me to leave this place? Because he knows I couldn’t portal to Kera if I stayed within these walls?

Is there something there he doesn’t want me to find?

“Hey, you okay?” Soren’s hand grazes my shoulder and I jump.

“Yes, sorry,” I look down with a shaky breath. “I’m probably overthinking this.”

“It’s okay,” he says, his tone softening. “I wonder why my mother even knew about the enchantment. But besides that, you don’t think this is why Darius prevented you from leaving, is it?”

“I think it might be.” I take a breath. “I have a feeling there’s something on Kera that he doesn’t want me to know about. Why else would he want to keep me trapped here?”

“I think the only way to find that out is to go to the island yourself.” He reaches for the stone hanging around my neck, running his fingers along the silvery metal. But part of me wonders if he can feel my pounding heart too.

I sigh. “Creating a portal outside of here is only going to draw attention, no matter where we are. I don’t want to risk anyone seeing it.”

He ever so gently moves his hand away from the stone, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. My lips part but I’m unable to make a sound as I meet his gaze. There’s a sort of silver flame flickering in his irises, dancing to a rhythm that I don’t pretend to know.

“I think I know a place. One where I can guarantee no one will see you. I can show you if you’d like.”

Reality breaks through my cloud of elation, just enough to bring me back to the present. “Wait – you mean right now? I don’t even know if I’m ready.”

“You won’t know until you try, right?” He pauses as he brings his fingers back to his side, but not before they graze my jawline, and the action nearly ignites my skin. “I hope you don’t feel pressured, we can do this another time if you’d like. I’m just excited for you is all.”

He’s right. I won’t know until I try.

Perhaps this is a good idea.

“No, I don’t feel pressured. If I seem hesitant, it’s purely from the novelty of all this. But. . . I think I want to give it a shot at the very least. I have nothing to lose.”

“Exactly,” he supports.

A smile stretches across my face. “Where is this place, by the way?”

“Can I surprise you?” He gives me a mischievous grin.

I can’t help but giggle. “You know, I think I’m up for a surprise today.”

He takes both my hands in his as he leads me toward the door. “Follow me.”