She could see nothing but darkness.

Was this how the world began? Was it always dark? Where was the Light the monks chanted about during the Festival of Light?

A cool breeze blew through the trees. Selene ignored the chill as she clenched her hands to her chest.

Sleep began to tug at her. Selene curled into a ball, her hands pressed against her chest, the ground beneath her.

So tired.

The darkness of sleep beckoned her. Finally, she closed her eyes.

And for the first time in weeks, she dreamed.

39

Where are you going?”

Amara turned around and found Breven standing outside the door to the inn where they were both staying. The sun was setting over the city, leaving the area in twilight. A warm wind blew through the streets, and the sound of voices carried along the back alleys.

Her cloak rippled in the wind. She quickly pulled the edges together, hiding both her dark clothing and sword. “I’m heading to the palace to pay my respects to Lord Luceras.” It was a lie; she had already visited yesterday.

“I visited this morning, before spending the rest of the day in the Temple of Splendor,” Breven replied. “But if you would like company, I would be happy to go again.”

There was such an earnestness in his face that for one moment Amara wavered. The other pilgrims continued to annoy her to no end with their piousness. But not Breven. He was different. She had found him—and his belief in the Light—intriguing, and a strange fondness for him was growing inside of her. He had brought her a bread roll that morning and showed her where to retrieve water at one of the city wells when they had first arrived.

Was it possible there were actually good people like him in this world?

Remember the mission.

Amara hardened her features. “I wish to go alone.”

He seemed taken aback by her abrupt answer.

Dart’an! She could have answered him in a softer manner. But what was the purpose? If her mission was successful—and it would be—she would never see him again.

“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can go to the temple together?”

Amara smiled, although her heart twisted inside. “That would be nice.” Another lie, this one like a noose around her neck.

The noose tightened as that familiar—and incredible—smile broke out across his face. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yes. Now I must be off.” She hurried down the street, keeping her cloak around her body, hiding her true purpose for that evening.

As she made her way to the palace, a thought struck her. Did Breven like her? For a split second, she imagined a different life, one she had never thought of before. One where her mother did not exist. One where she could make her own choices. One in which this handsome young man with rich dark skin and a gleaming smile was her consort.

Maybe this was why Selene had left. Perhaps she had grown tired of the lies, the demands of their house, and the shadows across their future.