Storm of Shadows (Lumineers 1)

CHAPTER 36: CONVERGING DARKNESS

Tabby took a deep breath and lifted her hand, splaying her fingers then bringing them into a fist in a coaxing movement. She summoned the surrounding light within the workshop. Her focus sharpened. She spread her awareness to encompass Midnight beside her. Steiner sat at her workbench, observing—coaching. "Good," he said, rubbing his chin. "Needs work but this time was better."

Cloaking herself was easy, aside from the massive headache that usually set in within minutes, making it near impossible to maintain. Cloaking someone besides herself was more challenging, almost impossible. She'd have to work up to cloaking the three of them, though she still doubted her ability to do so without vomiting.

But...that was the plan. They would sneak into the palace by cover of darkness and using her black prism, she would get them as far as the interior. She wouldn't be able to hold out much longer than that. But they were Spects. Walking in the shadows was their nature.

Flint had been instrumental to their plans. Through his instruction, they'd drawn floor plans of each level—rudimentary maps. As head of the palace guard, Chester Bates was intimately aquatinted with the palace layout. He'd gone so far as to give up hidden servant passages...after proper motivation. She didn't need to think about what that motivation entailed.

Each of them spent hours pouring over every level, memorizing.

They'd set a time. With the coronation happening today, there would be many guests in the palace. A coronation ball was to follow, lasting late into the evening. And then everyone would leave and the palace staff would collapse, exhausted. It would be the perfect time to sneak in. It was now or wait—but there would be no waiting. They couldn't allow Ghost to gather strength.

With Hubert eliminated, King Edwin's reign would be weakened. The Spectrum eliminated. The balance back to what it ought to be.

Exhaling, she tried again. This time, light rushed toward her and Midnight more easily, as if muscle memory had taken over. She held for thirty seconds, a minute, two minutes, until click. Steiner stopped his pocket watch. "That was excellent."

Her head was spinning, throbbing. She swayed on her feet and lost her balance. Midnight's arms wrapped around her, holding her against him. "Light sickness. I think she needs a break, Steiner. Chamomile tea?" He asked her, still holding her against him. She nodded against his chest. "And maybe a nap? Then we try again. This time with Steiner too." She nodded again. Speaking was too much. Naps were a great way to combat the migraines that came with using too much light. After something like this, she'd probably sleep several hours.

"You going to manage?" Midnight's eyes darted to the stairs.

She followed his gaze and shook her head. "Maybe just a minute to rest," she breathed, leaning her weight against him. Instead, he scooped her up and carried her to the sofa in the loft, pulling off her boots to make her more comfortable. He peeled off her socks too. His thumb lingered over the small black ink tattooed to the inside arch of her foot, a place few would spot it. One-nine-eight-nine. Every Spect was given a number when they emerged from the box. Their identity while they were acolytes at the temple. They only earned their Spect name and their half mask if they succeeded with death.

A breathless huff escaped her lips and she pulled her foot away from Midnight. He stood without saying anything and moved to the kitchen area. Steiner lounged at the table, flipping back through the paper that sat there from the night before. Midnight prepared a pot of tea. She drank deeply. Her eyes were already heavy, but the tea relaxed her mind enough to make speaking possible. "Nap time," she managed, before padding barefooted into her room, closing the door behind her. She could hear them murmuring beyond, but didn't care to listen.