Page 1 of Realm of Nightmares
ChapterOne
Ashimmering bubble encased Maeve, protecting her from the assault. She grasped for her magic, drawing it to her. She stole the swirl of fog crawling along her feet, twisted it, and shaped it into a sword of mist and rain. Arms lifted, she blocked as the tip of a blade the color of midnight arced overhead, dissolving her shield.
Charged metal clanged against her weapon, the force of the collision reverberating through her body. Ribbons of silver exploded from her sword, spiraling. It was as though she held the power of thunder, the rage of the heavens, in her hands. The strength of it was enough to shatter the stars.
Her heart lurched at the thought.
She raised the sword high as a wall of darkness slammed into her, knocking her off her feet.
Maeve landed hard on the stone ground in a puddle of rainwater and filth. It soaked through her clothes all the way to her skin, sloshing around her as she scrambled back. Fat rain drops drenched her hair so it clung to her face and neck. Chilled to the bone, she hoisted the sword, defending herself from another attack. But the magical weapon she’d created waned, then vanished completely.
Alarm ripped through her as she stared at the hand that now grasped only air.
Her magic had never failed her in battle before.
Shadows encircled her, reaching out like spindly fingers of death. Above her, a figure loomed.
“Get up,” Rowan growled.
She stared up at him from beneath damp lashes, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead, struggling to see him through the steady rain.
“You’ve beat me twice already,” she sputtered.
“What difference does that make?” He snared her by the elbow and hauled her to her feet. The scent of night jasmine, wooded moss, and mountain sage overwhelmed her. “Parisa would laugh if she saw your pathetic attempts at training. The infamous Dawnbringer, defeated by a common fae.”
Maeve wrenched herself free from him. “There’s something wrong with me.” She gazed down at her open palms. “You saw what happened with my sword. I’m not as powerful here. It’s like my magic is suddenly…declining.”
“Are you sure it’s your magic that’s the problem?” His teeth skated along his bottom lip as he sized her up. “Or is it because you don’t have Tiernan here to hold your hand?”
“Shut up,” she snapped, guilt gnawing at her as soon as the words were out of her mouth. His features hardened, and every muscle in his body grew taut as though she’d slapped him.
He stalked away from her, toward the other side of the training field. Water sluiced down his broad shoulders and back. There was no mistaking the tension building there.
It wasn’t his fault she couldn’t focus, or that she was seemingly losing her grip. He’d been training with her almost daily since her arrival in the Ether, and each time they paired up to fight, he bested her. He countered everything she threw at him and destroyed everything she created. It was frustrating beyond measure. She wasn’t used to losing.
To make matters worse, they hadn’t had a single worthwhile conversation. Every time they spoke, it ended in an argument. It was as though they were tiptoeing along opposite edges of a cavernous ravine. The longer they avoided the difficult issues burgeoning between them, the wider the chasm became. Distancing them. Separating them.
Maeve took a hesitant step forward. “Rowan, wait…”
He spun around to face her, his lavender eyes burning bright. “Again.”
She faltered. “What?”
He pointed the tip of his midnight sword at her. “I said, again.”
“I can’t, I told you—” She couldn’t finish explaining herself before his shadows set upon her. Darkness blinded her, engulfed her. She thrashed against them as they wound around her arms, legs, and waist. One curled around her neck and she swallowed her scream.
“Let go.” The words choked out of her.
“Fight back.” Rowan’s velvety voice sounded through the shadows, everywhere at once.
Maeve squeezed her eyes shut, summoning her magic. It swirled inside of her, a roar of barely contained fury. Sparks erupted from the tips of her fingers. Bolts of blazing red fire ignited against the shadows, causing the rain to sizzle and hiss. Straining against the dark bindings, she whipped around and hurled glowing fireballs through the dense mist, desperate to meet her mark. Rowan chuckled.
“Come on, Princess,” he taunted. “Show me what you’ve got.”
Vexation surged within her, enticed by his relentless provocation. Flames rose around her, scorching the ground, causing a rush of heat so intense that sweat slid down her neck. Fenced in a fiery ring, the shadows gradually withdrew. But Maeve wasn’t done. She refused to let him win again. The feral magic of Autumn roared to life inside of her, releasing in a torrent of cloying smoke as fire fell from the sky.
She was both wrath and flame incarnate.
