Shadowbook

Chapter 22: Nightfall

Shadow life felt like a vacation. I had a hard time reminding myself that it actually was my life now. The sheer lavishness of Astor's life was mind-blowing. It wasn't just all the servants and constantly being waited on hand and foot ("You could have them wipe your butt for you on the toilet, and they would gladly do so, but I find that quite unnecessary," said Astor after I complained about a servant insisting on putting toothpaste on my toothbrush for me. "Yeah, I draw the line there," I responded). The dining hall was an enormous room full of long tables where all the servants (and anybody else) in the palace ate. Astor's family, Orphe, and I ate on a raised dais, at a table that was under a wooden canopy. I didn't know how else to describe it! It was an ornate ebony roof over the table with little black crystal Shadowlight chandeliers hanging from it, and velvet curtains on all sides to separate the table from the rest of the hall. The chairs had velvet seats, the table was made of polished black mahogany, the silverware was actually made of silver, and the plates and goblets were golden (the goblets were also set with jewels). I found myself eating things I never thought I would ever come into contact with, like the meat of wild beasts that lived in Nocturne Park and the mountains that clearly did not exist in the Conscious world. It was surprisingly good. There was never any shortage of sweet things, between many kinds of fruits (some also unusual) and dessert courses of cakes, pies, and huge sugar sculptures (I'm not kidding).

Apart from the chandeliers, and candles that were on the table, there was very little light. In fact, it was constantly dark just about everywhere. The Palace of Eternal Night was aptly named. The only sources of light were Shadowlights (those little blue lights that Shadows could conjure from thin air), fire (in candles, torches, and hearths), and the full moon shining through the windows. There were many windows. All had pointed arches, and thick curtains on either side that would block out the light when the sun came out.

One of my favorite rooms in the palace was the library. It was a bit more well lit than other rooms. It was enormous and full of more books than I would ever care to read. There was nothing better than sitting on Astor's lap, reading fairy tales by candlelight.

Astor quickly showed me secret passageways, little corners, and spaces behind paintings and tapestries where we could hide out and kiss. Astor basically took every opportunity he could to do this. He often asked me how I liked Umbragard and was disappointed by my lack of detail. This was the first time he had ever shared his home and lifestyle with anyone else before, and he wanted to know what I thought of it. "We'll just say that this beats any other foster home I've ever lived in," I said. Astor laughed.

I loved sleeping in my bed. That was my favorite part. In past homes I had slept in everything from real beds to cots and blow-up mattresses. Finding myself on the floor was always the giveaway that I was not a permanent fix in the family, as though I assumed I would be. But this bed... this was beyond comfortable. I felt very at home in my bedroom. I loved the decorations and the warm firelight, and filling my bookshelves with favorite books that I found in the library.

Astor was sooooooooooo cute in his sleep!

Jasmine was very happy to have another girl in the palace to talk to an interact with. She allowed me full access to and use of her bathroom and her garden. She told me everything she knew about Astor as his sister (she didn't hate him as much as she pretended to) and asked me what I knew about him that she didn't. She kept expressing her surprise that Astor had become "relatively monogamous".

"He will always be a playboy, Nyx," said Jasmine. "I say that is just about guaranteed. But he will certainly save his love and passion for you, and you alone. Know that he does not keep secrets, and he does not tell lies, either. But if he does not seduce his prey, he thinks that it is like wasting good food."