Dark Light

1. Through Space and Time

Eigengrau, also called Eigenlicht, dark light, or brain gray, is the uniform dark gray background that many people report seeing in the absence of light.

— From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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"What the hell is she wearing?"

Whack!

"She's still sleeping, Cassian. Lower your voice."

Slowly, carefully, you shifted through several layers of consciousness.

Another female voice said, "Let's use our words, Nesta."

"I did."

"Yeah, after you hit me."

Even though you were still waking up, you snorted. The talk around you died down as your mouth twitched. You were about to laugh, but when you inhaled, you felt . . . blades of grass against your lips.

"What the . . ?" You opened your eyes. When you realized you were prone on the ground, you furrowed your brow, confused. "Uh . . ."

Pushing yourself up, you groaned softly.

The warm grass under your palms made the back of your neck prickle. The sun must've been out, must've been beating down on you for a while now.

A balmy, foreign breeze kissed your cheek as you sat on your side, rubbing your eyes. And when you could finally see past the phosphenes, you saw three people standing in front of you.

The first thing you noticed was the male's bat-like wings.

And the second? The females' pointed ears.

Your stomach dropped as you moved to your knees and then stood, narrowing your eyes.

"Who are you?" you asked, hands shaking as you raised them.

You were, at the very least, comforted by the weather. Because it was bright and sunny, you could use as much light as you needed to defend yourself.

"Please, relax," the female in front said. She raised her paint-smeared hands to let you know that she was harmless, but you knew she wasn't.

"Nice gesture," you said, glancing over your shoulder. Just more garden. Fuck. "But I can sense your powers. Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying," the same female said, pleading with her eyes. "Please, we're just as confused as you are."

The male gave the other female a sidelong look.

You turned your attention to her. "So you did this? You brought me here?"

"I didn't do anything," she said, grabbing her face. "Cassian, if you could control your facial expressions for, like, five seconds, that'd be great."

The female in front shushed her friends and then smiled apologetically. "Sorry about them. We're all just . . . confused. About what happened."

You backed up. "So am I. This doesn't feel like a dream."

"That's because it's not," the same female said, wringing her hands. "Please, let us explain what we think might've happened. My name's Feyre. What's yours?"

You glanced down at your pajamas, debating whether or not your nightgown was appropriate for fighting.

"You said you sensed my powers," Feyre said tentatively, trying to regain your attention. "Do you have some of your own?"