Page 151 of Black Wing and Shadows
Children shrieked below, playing in the snow with each other. They briefly looked up before going back to their games. Most others on the ground hadn’t paid any mind to us, and we hadn’t been the only ones in the sky.
Zane’s mouth brushed my temple as he spoke low, guiding my gaze. “The south quarter is filled with tradesmen, workshops. The loudest place in the city is always awake. Beyond that, there is the train where boxcars are unloaded from dawn to dusk.”
We banked slightly, and the main square opened beneath us, a vast expanse of stone framed by tall, uniform facades. A frozen fountain glittered at its heart, icicles catching the late afternoon light. The smell of baking bread and coal smoke rose even this high.
And then I saw it.
The palace. His home. His family.
It sat on a rise at the far end of the square, not gleaming or delicate like a storybook. Heavy stone walls loomed, black and gray, built like a fortress. Guard towers bristled at the corners, each manned with knights, their halberds gleaming. The iron gates at the front stood tall and uncompromising, already flanked by knights who scanned the streets with sharp eyes.
My breath caught. “That looks… less like a palace and more like a fortress.”
“That’s because it is,” Zane said. His chin rested lightly against my hair. “My father doesn’t build for beauty. He builds for survival. What you see down there—that’s what keeps the Veil standing.”
The weight of it pressed on me, heavy as the stone itself. And yet, with his arms tight around me, the beat of his heart steady against my back, I breathed.
Because whatever waited beyond those walls, I wouldn’t face it alone.
The closer we swept toward the rise, the more the city noise dulled beneath the beat of Zane’s wings. The palace loomed larger with every second, a fortress of black stone and iron.
“Ready?” he murmured against my ear.
“No,” I whispered, clutching his arm tighter. “But go anyway.”
He laughed softly, the sound curling warm against my skin, and angled us down. His wings spread wide, catching the air as we descended past the outer towers, landing in the formal yard. The guards stationed there tracked us, halberds gleaming, but none moved to intercept.
Zane lifted one hand from my waist, casual as anything, and gave them a sharp, easy wave. Recognition flashed in their eyes. The tension eased instantly and they saluted back. One sheathed his sword again.
We stood in the large formal yard in front of the palace. It was stunning. Everything was covered in snow and ice, but it was clear that the groundskeepers had done a good job maintaining everything. Towers ringed the inner court, banners snapping from their heights—black cloth embroidered with a silver Drusearon, wings spread wide. Troops lined the yard, their eyes snapping to us. No one spoke. No one questioned. They only saluted.
Zane’s arm stayed firm at my back as he guided me forward. “Welcome to Ashwynd Palace, Auri,” he said low, his voice steady, even as the fortress seemed to swallow me whole.
My chest tightened, my nerves tangling. But I nodded, stepping forward with him.
And there was no turning back.
Figures started running toward us, toward him.
I certainly hoped they would like me.
“If not, I’ll be there to swoop you away, but they will.”Esme purred.
CHAPTER 48
“ZANE!”
Six figures broke from the far archway, their footsteps echoing on the stone as they moved closer. Aeliana reached him first, her golden-blonde hair whipping loose from her braid as she slammed into him with enough force to jostle me back a step.
“Finally!” She laughed, breathless. “Do you know how boring this place has been without you?”
Zane actually staggered, catching her with a grunt, smiling faintly. “Aeliana…” His eyes flicked toward me, steady, proud. “Meet Auri.”
Aeliana’s gaze cut sharply to me, and for a heartbeat, the world stilled. Her eyes were so much like Zane’s—they narrowed, then widened. The realization hit her who I was.
“It’s her.”
My mouth went dry. “Hi.”
