The Arrow of Midnight

Chapter 6

A male servant, dressed in riding gear, escorted me to the cove this time. One of the twins' most trusted servants who usually handles deliveries every few weeks. Damian, I believe, called him Finn. Finn informed me that we would be under a glamour to avoid prying eyes, so I had to avoid using my wings as much as possible to prevent the glamour from breaking. Most of the ride was quiet and under the cover of darkness. Finn tried to drum up a conversation every once in a while, but gave up when I only responded with nods and grunts. He only spoke to me again when we reached the base of the mountain to warn me about loose rocks and roots.

This time, we took a different path than the one I used with Lucien. By the time we came to a stop, we were just below the cave entrance. Finn dismounted and tied his horse to a large boulder with metal hooks embedded in it. I jumped down from my horse and steadied myself on the loose stones, with another sheer drop behind me, as he tied my horse as well. I stared up at the cave and frowned, unsure of how to get up there since I couldn't fly, and the mountain looked too steep to climb. Finn simply came to stand next to me, holding out his hand and waited for me to take it. I slipped my hand into his; his skin felt cold against mine since I was wearing more layers than he was.

"Brace yourself," was all he said. Before I could even register or blink, we were engulfed in shadows. It was pitch black all around us, with small images of the cave entrance and tunnels flying past us too fast for me to make out any detail. We emerged again inside the cove. Now standing on the same landing as last time, with the spelled wall at our backs. A shadow walker, the only other one I've ever seen besides my father. That would explain why he made the deliveries. He was the only one who could safely bring the carts of goods and ingredients into the cove, as I doubted they would fit down those narrow tunnels. Finn gave me a quick bow before the shadows rippled and swarmed around his body again. I blinked, and he was gone.

"Welcome home," Tanner drawled beside me as he casually leaned against the wall. I slowly turned to face him and waved sheepishly as a way of greeting. "Damian said you'd be arriving tonight, so we fixed up one of the larger alcoves for you." He pushed himself off the wall and gestured for me to follow before pushing off the landing. His wings were similar to mine, but almost twice as big to accommodate his large frame. Where my talons had a softer grey color, his were an off-white shade, reminiscent of dried bone. I pushed off, flapping my wings in time with his, as I followed him up to an alcove in the left wall of the cave, almost against the ceiling. The makeshift stars are now brighter than when I last saw them, mimicking the ones that graced the sky outside. A beautiful wooden door stood just deep enough into the alcove to leave ample space for us to land on.

He pushed the door open for me, allowing me to enter first. The room was larger than I expected. A large canopy bed was on the far side of the room, large enough to accommodate two chiropterans and their wings. The wood was a pale brown to match the grey of the alcove, along with two matching nightstands. To the far right wall, there was a hearth carved into the stone, but no chimney that led to the outside. Two large armchairs were positioned in front of it, designed to help fit our wings comfortably.

"The hearth is special; the flames will automatically spring to life when night falls outside the cave, but you just have to think it, and the flames will die," Tanner mused beside me before walking over to an off-white chaise lounge sofa against the right wall of the alcove. A small table stood beside with a stack of books, and Tanner picked one up to flip through it. "I heard you enjoyed reading, but sadly we didn't have many options, so I brought you some of mine." The book he held had an image of two swords crossed over each other as if in battle. I assume he enjoyed reading about war and strategies. "If they aren't to your liking, I will send a request with our next shipment to bring you something else." He dropped the book back onto a stack and gave me a dazzling smile before pointing to an archway in the far corner of the room. "You'll find a bathing room through there with some necessities. The servants from the palace already dropped off your belongings earlier, so you'll find them in there as well. I made reservations for us at a small coffee shop by the town square in an hour, so I suggest freshening up." He was already by the door before I could protest and pushed himself off the edge, shouting over his shoulder as he flew away, "See you there."