The thing I noticed above all else when unconsciousness released me from its talons of darkness, was that for the first time in my life, I found myself gazing at the night sky.
The second, just as enchanting, yet infinitely more unbelievable, was that the world around me was no longer mine.
A raspy laugh escaped my lips.
I should have been scared, terrified of this impossibility. But I didn’t have the strength to do anything more than roll over onto my back and drink it all in.
Above me, a spill of flickering, pale golden light scattered across the canvas, painting a breathtaking blend of black, violet, and deep blue. My breath hitched as a thought wormed its way in. I blinked, refusing to acknowledge that hopeful voice in case this smattering of illuminated specs was a consequence of my…fall?
Given my undignified position and the sting that crawled across my palms, I had to have fallen. Yet those lights remained unmoving. A product not of my impaired vision, but my surroundings, however odd they were.
I dared to utter it out loud.
“Stars.”
They were stars. The mysterious luminescence I had only ever read about in fairy tales my parents kept hidden under lock and key in the dusty crates, believing that indulging in that kind of nonsense didn’t become a High Master’s daughter.
Gingerly, I pushed myself up from the hard ground and tucked my legs beneath me. My face, however, remained tilted towards the sky.
In my sunlit world, there was no room for dreaming of the surreal. Yet here, wherever here was, it took shape, answering the question I was never supposed to ask, yet thought of time and time again as I observed the High Masters or their heirs command the fabric of reality.
If they could open portals between chambers, lands, even regions, why couldn’t they reach farther?
It was absurd, but the conviction that my childish, inappropriate thoughts had touched the truth was anchored in the very core of my being. I was as certain of kneeling in an unfamiliar, faraway world as I was of the necessity to draw breath.
Still, a small part of me—that rational, cultivated voice that sounded unnervingly similar to my father’s—argued that it must have been the wine I’d drunk to mark my eighteenth birthday toying with my vision. That I must have fallen asleep, plummeted into another one of my dreams, and gave life to the fragments of stories I had stolen as a child. And yet the landscape refused to bend to my will.
A light breeze chilled my cheeks, bringing with it not the scents of greenery or blooming flowers, but a quality that was foreign to my lungs.
Latching on to the sensation, I allowed it to ground me before I lowered my gaze and shoved away the whispers of doubt.
“It’s real,” I muttered.
My fingers brushed the stones and rocks, exploring their rough texture. A corner of my mouth curled up in a smile.
“It’s real.”
From what I could discern under the starlight that broke up the violet and blue hues, this world was strangely barren, nothing but lifeless gray rock stretching endlessly into the distance. Only far to my right did the landscape change.
A copse of trees stood sentry before a ridge of hulking mountains, the jagged caps dipped in shadows so dark, it made them nearly indistinguishable from the night rising above.
There wasn’t a single stretch of land in Soltzen this harsh. This cold.
I brought my hands to my arms to ward off the chill but stopped as I felt an odd sense of kinship burn within me. Reaching up, I entwined a strand of hair that had come undone from my braid around my finger.
Silver. The mark of a girl devoid of color, living in a world of flare.
It appeared I’d finally found a place where I fitted in.
Only I didn’t know where it was. Or how I even got here.
Portals were wielded by High Masters, not their wives or daughters. Could it be that someone at the party had gotten carried away? That I had somehow tumbled through the rip in the fabric of reality, the portal knitting shut behind me before anyone could follow?
I bit my lip and looked down. I was still in the same burgundy dress I’d worn at the feast, although the velvet fabric now bore some tears in the bodice, as well as a few along the long, skintight sleeves, and appeared to be a touch ragged at the hem. I certainly wouldn’t have dreamed that detail up. Or the scrapes across my palms, the edges still bearing flakes of dried blood.
No, it had to have been a portal, cutting across more space than any had ever succeeded before.
Just as I let out a laugh, unease reared its head and subdued the rush of exhilaration until it was nothing more than a trickle still warming my veins.
Because if it were true, then that left me stranded in a foreign world with no means of getting back home.
The taste of copper spread across my tongue as I worried on my lower lip a little too hard. I stopped, but the metallic tang was as resilient as the grating discomfort.
I’d never even seen much of my world beyond the Norcross estate walls, so how was I supposed to find my way around this one?
Maybe if I waited here, someone would—
A rapid thud of paws exploded from behind. I jumped to my feet and twisted around, scanning the darkness for any sign of the animal. But my eyes, unaccustomed to this somber hue, blurred together the details. There was only the persistent sound that was growing louder. Nearer.
And still, I had no idea what it belonged to.
Quickly, I snatched one of the sharper pieces of rock, although with it fitting comfortably in the palm of my hand, only a harsh tip protruding, the crude weapon was pitiful at best. The odds of me inflicting any serious damage before I lost my arm weren’t in my favor.
Sweat broke down the length of my back.
I considered chancing a mad dash across the flat expanse of rock, but before I could take a single step towards the mountain range and the trees I could use for cover, an excited yelp froze me in place. A yelp, followed by the faint press of paws against my left leg.
Remembering that animals reacted to fear, I breathed deeply and focused on calming my frantic heartbeat, but my efforts shattered the instant my gaze fell on the slender muzzle jutting up into the air.
A dog.
Or, at least I hoped it was a dog.
Its body was smooth obsidian and completely devoid of fur. Only peculiar, white hair-like strands adorned the top of its head and coated the lower part of its legs, the tip of its tail, and the edge of its wide, triangular ears. The pure, blinding color contrasted wildly with its sleek, dark skin, giving the animal an even more unusual look. Stinging pain lanced through me where the dog’s tiny claws dug into the fabric of my dress, but from the way it continued to wag its tail and look at me with those black eyes that seemed to reflect the starlight, it wasn’t trying to harm me.
If anything, it—no, she—seemed happy to have found me here.
I looked around, but with the touch of clouds that crept across the horizon and fed the already prevalent shadows, I could see even less.
Seconds stretched.
Nothing stirred.
Exhaling, I loosened my grip on the rock.
I was still staring into the distance when the dog smacked me with her paw. Then once more, when I failed to react.
“Hi,” I whispered, suppressing a chuckle.
Her tail wagged furiously, urging me on. I leaned over a little, then lowered my free hand down by my side where she could sniff at it.
“What are you doing out here alone?”
The strange dog didn’t answer—at least something appeared to be the same in both worlds—but she did give another yelp before nudging at my palm with her wet nose as if…
“Oh, you want me to pet you?”
The dog simply repeated the motion, staring up with excitement and expectancy brimming in her eyes.
“All right, then.”
I touched the mane of her white hair first. I kept the touch light since I didn’t want to risk any sudden moves in case I misread her intentions. Or she mine. But when the animal leaned into my caress and let out a small rumble of pleasure, I relaxed. My fingers trailed the long strands down the nape of her neck, all the way to the middle of her back, and I was surprised by how warm her skin was. How smooth it felt, gliding beneath my fingers like silk.
“Lyra!” a melodic female voice called out.
The dog tore away from me and broke into a sprint. I swore as my heel caught on the tattered hem of my dress, but I quickly regained my balance, my gaze already seeking out the animal…
I found her.
As well as the girl she was now circling around.
Lyra’s tail lashed from side to side even as she launched herself up to nip at her owner’s elbow.
“Lyra, that’s enou—”
Our eyes met.
A staccato of thuds announced Lyra’s return. She ran between the girl and me, then settled by my side when the stranger walked over.
She looked about my age, maybe a little older, dressed in a gray tunic and black pants, with riding boots reaching up to her knees. There were no gemstones or gold ornaments adorning the garments, as was the fashion at home. Instead, the clothes, while tailored, were functional. If it weren’t for the spill of hair reaching past her chest, the strands gradually lightening from dark into a vivid, fiery red, it would have been impossible to distinguish her from the backdrop of the night.
It struck me that that was precisely her intention.
“It’s you,” she whispered, then as if snapping out of a dream, she rushed forward and placed a tentative hand on my shoulder.
I flinched, but the girl didn’t seem to notice.
“I told Mother the spell wouldn’t last…”
Only distantly, I sensed the dog nuzzle at my palm. My attention was on the girl, on the bewilderment and recognition alight in the striking jade of her irises as her words echoed in my head, causing numerous questions to clash.
Yet one was louder than the rest.
“Spell? What spell?”
The girl looked at me, eyes wide as if I’d asked something fundamental knowledge should cover. Her full lips parted, then closed, and she shook her head before gesturing towards me.
“The one that was supposed to keep you from coming here, of course.”
“Where is here?” I pressed, but the girl was focused on scanning the barren surroundings, her feet carrying her forward.
As I followed her gaze, I saw a faint outline of a town I’d missed earlier, tucked closely to the foot of the mountain. It was nothing more than a blob, but by the way the girl was studying it, she clearly saw something more.
The light breeze with just a hint of petrichor entwined in the currents brought over her audible sigh. It was laced with relief—and no small amount of tension. With one last glance, she backtracked to my side.
“The celebrations haven’t started yet, so there’s still time to get you to safety.” She grabbed my hand, the dog—Lyra—already running in the direction of the town. “We’ll have to move fast, though. You can’t be out here when he comes.”
“Wait, wait,” I cried out as she dragged me behind her.
I twisted my arm until my wrist came free from her grip, nearly stumbling over some protruding rocks—and losing the one I’d been holding on to.
“What are you talking about?” I snapped, then moved farther back so she couldn’t grab me again. “I’m not even from here, and I’m certainly not going anywhere with someone I know nothing about, not even their name.”
“Stars,” she whispered, and there was something so honest in that one word that I stopped retreating. “Of course you wouldn’t. I’m sorry. I got carried away. It’s just that we’ve been waiting for you for so long, and—”
She sucked in a breath, an apology in the green of her eyes. I focused on that instead of the implications written in her ramblings.
“I’m Ada Aldane, and we’re just outside Nysa, the capital of Somraque.”
“Ember Norcross,” I offered. “From Soltzen.”
“Ember.” She flashed me a smile that lit up her entire face. But the expression was brief, fleeting, and all too soon gave way to something graver. “I’ll explain everything as soon as we get to my house. The Winter Solstice celebrations are about to start, and the Crescent Prince will come. He always does. He searches for you, Ember, every year. My mother sacrificed so much to keep you safe, and if he got to you now…”
It was in that moment that I first questioned my sanity.
Accepting that I somehow landed in another world was easy. After all, it was an idea I’d entertained since I first saw a portal and what it created. But what Ada was implying…
Impossible. Aside from my father’s high rank in society, I was no one. Not in any way that truly mattered, at least.
And yet the way she looked at me, as if I were someone important, someone cherished, instead of just a prize to be married off to the highest bidder… It made no sense. And I told her as much.
“You, ah…” A light furrow appeared on her brow as she grappled for words.
“Ada, I’m sorry, but my people will come looking for me once they realize I’m gone. Someone will open a portal to the last location, and if I’m not here…”
My words died in my throat as a flash of light erupted in the distance behind Ada.
The shadowed settlement. Only it wasn’t shadowed any longer.
Clear, pale light engulfed the buildings, the town gleaming like a jewel beneath the mountains.
“No,” Ada rasped. She turned to me and sliced a dagger I hadn’t even seen her draw across her palm. The wound instantly welled with crimson. “It won’t be long now. I’ll—”
My fingers wrapped around the silver pendant hanging from my neck before she could finish. The magic within it responded to my touch—only a trickle, a faint echo of the power I felt back at home, but it was enough.
The world around me slowed, the ever-shifting slices of time coming to a crawl, and I ran through the stillness, leaving the dark, as well as the girl with her delusions, behind.