A Touch of Moonlight (A Court of Moonlight Book 1) Read online

  “Because if you’re not learning, then what’s the point in living? Mom used to say that to me when I asked why she was teaching me to read when it clearly made Jake angry.”

  “Envy is a common cause of anger.” Fen slowed to a stop in front of a plainly carved door. “This is my room. I haven’t done much to it. It was Father’s room before he became a lord.”

  Fen held the door open for her. The first thing that greeted her was a set of wooden chairs with thinly padded cushions—a stark contrast to the fluffy couches and chairs at home. Home. Yes, the manor is home with all of them there. This place though... She looked over the tapestries hanging on the walls to disguise the bare stone. This room was cold and dark, the narrow slits of windows not letting in nearly enough light. “I can see why you wouldn’t want to live here.”

  “Yeah, well, if you have any ideas on how to make it cozier, feel free. I have a feeling we’ll be staying here for a while soon enough. This is one of the most secure fortresses out of all the courts.”

  Rina looked around the room again. “I guess we could steal some of Dorn’s pillows; that would, at least, be a start.”

  “Careful, Dorn is rather attached to his pillow collection—and his books. Well, I’ll go pick out a book. The bathroom is through there if you’d like to change in it.” Fen pointed to a door near the curved outer wall.

  Rina stared down at the dress she wore, thinking of how Dorn had tied the back. “Um, before you go, I need you to untie this.” She had no idea what sort of knot he used and didn’t want to make it worse by trying to undo it herself.

  “Oh, right. I’m not sure why so many dresses are designed so that you have to have help to get in and out of them. Ash and Amber complain about them every time they have to wear one.” Fen loosened the laces. “There you go.”

  She turned to thank him, but he was gone, his awkward nervousness trailing behind him. Left alone, she picked up the clothes Ash had left on one of the chairs, and went to the bathroom to change. She wondered what was inside the journal as she changed. Maybe it would explain her powers or give her advice on ruling. Both would be nice.

  56

  Fen

  Rina was staring out one of the narrow windows when he returned, her arms crossed. Fen could tell she was upset; he just wasn’t sure what about. He suspected it was either the coming war that troubled her or her brother’s death. He didn’t know the details about the latter, but she’d tell him when she was ready. For now, he wanted to pull her into a hug and just stand there looking out the window with her, but he wouldn’t. He knew she needed this, their relationship, to be her choice. She wouldn’t have a choice in much else, but she could in this. He knew what it was like to have someone push themselves on him, and he would never do that to anyone else.

  Coming up behind her, he said, “There’s a rooftop balcony that comes right out of the side of the mountain. I was thinking we could go up there to read. It has a beautiful view, and since you’re wanting to learn about strategy, it also overlooks the rest of the fortress.”

  Nodding, Rina turned away from the window, her gaze distant and withdrawn, her thoughts somewhere else. Something about being alone always seemed to get to her, except when she was in the forest. That’s where she seemed to find peace. Arlen had been the same way for a while after Rye had died, still was at times. And Fen knew his father didn’t go for a run right before bed just for the exercise.

  “Come on, the sooner we get up there, the sooner you can sit and not get up again for a while.”

  She blinked. “Do I really look that tired?”

  A glimmer of light returned to her eyes and he shrugged in an attempt to play off how relieved he was at the sight of it. “Maybe. I’d suggest you take a nap, but I know you won’t.”

  “You’re right.” She heaved a sigh. “So more stairs, I take it?”

  Fen searched her face, taking in the exhaustion lining her features. “Just two more flights. I can shadow walk us up there though.” He offered her his hand and she swayed slightly as she stared at it for a long moment. When she finally slid hers into his, it was cold to the touch and he wondered if he shouldn’t insist she lie down for a bit. Her gaze shot to his and her lips thinned. “Rooftop balcony?”

  Fen nodded. Summoning his power, darkness swirled to life in front of them. “Just close your eyes and take a step forward.”

  She leaned into him as she followed his instructions. When her foot hit the ground, they were on top of the second tallest tower. He sat with her on a sun warmed bench, staring out over the fortress and the city below. The mountains sat at their backs. Despite her exhaustion, Rina pulled the book from his hands, flipped it open, and slowly began reading the forward out loud.

  Fen straightened at the sight of her reading. It was slow and stumbling, but her progress was amazing. He waited until she flipped the page to ask, “Have you been following along over my shoulder while I read?”

  “Yep. Well, occasionally at least. Sometimes it’s nice to just listen. Just don’t ask me to write anything yet. Recognizing words and remembering how to spell them are two different things. Plus—” Rina grimaced, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “I need to work on my penmanship.”

  “As fast as you’re picking this up, I’m sure you’ll be writing in no time. But I can read to you if you like. There are some sections of this book that are a little more relevant than others.”

  Sighing, Rina handed him the book. Then her arm slipped around his and she leaned against him. Her eyes fluttered closed, erasing any question he had about her leaning against him so she could read over his shoulder. Some of her tension eased at the contact and she mumbled, “I’m not asleep.” Her eyes cracked open again, and she gave a pointed look at the book in his hands. Huffing a laugh, he began to read.

  They were halfway through the aftermath of a battle, reading what had worked and what had failed, when a ripple of power slammed into him. The shield over the castle shimmered. His gut twisted as the power of two more lords echoed off the stone.

  “Please tell me that’s not Trazar,” Rina whispered, her arm no longer curled around his shoulders.

  “I wish I could.” Dropping the book on the bench, he pulled Rina to her feet. “We need to get to Father. That’s not just Trazar, but Lord Xen as well.”

  “Lord Xen?”

  “Fire Court. Come on.” He led her down the stairs and into a hidden hall, one that servants used to move quickly from one floor to the next. They were dark and musty, but if they got them to his father and the other lords quicker, he wouldn’t have cared if they were covered in sewage. He couldn’t risk shadow walking without knowing who else Trazar had brought with him. While shadow walking was a gift of their court, there were shadow walkers enslaved and bred into other courts. They were few and far between, but it was a risk Fen wasn’t willing to take with Rina. Footsteps echoed behind them and he glanced back to find it was just Kender.

  Fen took one step out of the servant passage before Arlen plowed into him. It was Rina who caught Arlen and steadied him as he frantically looked each of them over. After a moment, he relaxed, his shoulders dropping the slightest bit at the realization they were both fine.

  “Come on, Trazar and Xen just punched a hole in the shield.”

  The courtyard was silent save for the wind blowing between the towering castle and the outer wall. Dorn and Gea met them at the doors and instinctually moved to box Rina and him in. When a trickle of panic rose in Rina, he wished he could hide her away from all of this, but she would be safest near his father.

  “It’s all right.” Fen gave her hand a light squeeze.

  Ahead of them, Lord Trazar stared Lord Engar and Lord Airin down. “You dare meet my granddaughter without me?”

  Airin waved off the accusation. “We wanted to see who she was for ourselves.”

  “And what lies did they feed you?” Lord Xen asked, a shield of fire glimmering around him.

  “Perhaps we should all take a step
back and breathe,” Lord Engar said. “This is something that should be settled in the next council meeting, not in a courtyard with little more than half of us present.”

  “I’m not leaving without my granddaughter. I won’t let them brainwash her any more than they already have.”

  “She has a name, Lord Trazar,” Farin said with an ease Fen envied. “If you’re so dead set on her being your queen, you should learn to use it.”

  In a flash of light, Trazar was in Farin’s face. Lord Engar’s and Airin’s combined shields kept him from lashing out, but the urge to do so was clear in his eyes. Lord Xen stayed back as fire grew up his arm.

  The gleam of metal in the corner of his vision snagged his attention. He turned toward it as all hell broke loose. Riker, Trazar’s chosen heir, sprung from behind a lower garden wall. Fen didn’t even get to shout a word of warning or summon a shield as the male slammed into Dorn.

  Arlen shot past him, plowing into Riker. Blood gushed from Dorn’s chest as he collapsed, his mouth open in a silent scream. Rina jerked against his hand, trying to go to him, but he stepped into her path as Gea threw herself beside Dorn and used the skirt of her dress to stem the bleeding.

  “Let me go. Let me help.”

  “Don’t fall into their plans.” Fen built a shield of soft shimmering light around them and battled against Rina’s rising panic. He couldn’t let her emotions consume him, he needed to be focused—ready for anything. Arlen was attacking Riker with a saveragry Fen had never seen before, only heard of.

  The familiar buzz of a portal made his hair stand on end. Then his shield shattered. Pain shot through him, the sundering of his shield like a slap to the face. He scrambled to erect another one as he turned, but Rina’s hand ripped from his. No! He whirled in time to see Rina drive a dagger, his dagger, into Lord Rishar’s arm as he dragged her back toward his portal.

  Rage boiled in Fen and he roared as he pounded on Lord Rishar’s shield with his magic. They couldn’t take her, not like this. They’d hurt her. They’d kill her. His dark magic melted away under the searing touch of the Lord of the Dawn Court’s shield, but he didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

  The shield cracked and buckled beneath his rage, but not soon enough as Rina disappeared. He froze. Her emotions, her fear and anger, snapped away from him. He stared at the place Rina had just been. Gone. She was gone. His rage roiled beneath his skin like a living thing that needed out. Rina hadn’t even screamed—just fought.

  His mind fell into a deafening silence as he turned toward Lord Trazar. Dead. He’s dead. Trazar backed away, one step, then another. Retreating with Lord Xen at his back. They’re all dead. Riker sprinted for the front gate as everyone stood frozen in shock, everyone but him.

  They’d taken her. Had hurt her and taken her. Hurt Dorn to do it. Had taken her. Taken her away from him. His mate.

  Fen launched himself at Trazar, darkness soaring to blot out the sun. Something hard slammed into him, stilled him. His father sucked the shadows out of the sky as Fen bucked against his hold.

  “Don’t, they’ll kill her,” Farin whispered in his ear, then turned toward Trazar.

  Trazar smiled like a cat with a mouse and disappeared into another portal that opened behind him. Rina’s presence washed back into him, her rage and anger burned even hotter than his own. He let it fill him—let it fuel him as he kicked and clawed his way out of his father’s grasp.

  He raced for the portal, only skid through empty space as the portal shut with a booming crack. Fen roared again as his connection to Rina snapped away into some distant thread.

  Alive, but gone. Gone. He fell to his knees. Not enough. He hadn’t done enough, been strong enough to save her. Behind him, someone yelled to get Sealar and Wafren, or any healer. They’ll break her, they’ll destroy that bit of spirit she’d held onto. They’ll break her, my mate.

  He closed his eyes against the burning emptiness in his chest, some part of his heart and soul ripped away with Rina. Gone. My mate.

  Pre-Order Book Two Now

  A Cage of Starlight

  (A Court of Moonlight, Book 2)

  You can find a link to it on your favorite retailer at:

  https://starcatcherpress.com/product/cage-of-starlight/

  Also by Zora Marie

  Cast in Fire

  first in the completed series

  A Phoenix of Hope

  You can find a link to it on your favorite retailer at:

  https://starcatcherpress.com/product/cast-in-fire/