The Shattered Land: The Dreaming Dark - Book 2 Read Free Page B

many things you should be concerned about, but ghosts are not one of them.” It was a woman’s voice, low and warm—certainly not Lei.
    Daine’s sword was hanging on the handle of the door, and the door was still barred.

D aine rolled across the bed, snatching his breeches as he hit the worn mattress. He came up with his back to the wall and quickly covered himself.
    The woman was standing in the far corner of the room, half-hidden in the dim light of the evening. She was wrapped in a dark cloak that clung to her slender frame like a shadow, and a deep hood concealed her face. Daine couldn’t see any weapons, but in a world of wizards and sorcerers an unarmed man could be the deadliest enemy of all, and Daine crouched, preparing to leap for his sword.
    Before he could move, the woman spoke again. Her words were soft but clear; though she was across the room, it seemed as though she was whispering into his ear.
    “I have no intention of harming you, Daine. You wouldn’t be here today if you hadn’t sought my help.” Slowly, she freed her hands from her cloak and pulled back her hood. A flood of inky black surrounded perfect features that could have been sculpted from marble, but it was the eyes that he remembered: slightly too large, with just a hint of an elven slant. Her irises were emerald pools that a man could get lost in, and they seemed to draw all the light in the room. “I do hope you remember.”
    If she was disturbed by Daine’s state of undress, she didn’t show it. Perhaps that was what pushed him over the edge. Tearing his eyes away from her, Daine walked over to the door andpulled his sword from its sheath, continuing to shield himself with his breeches.
    “Lakashtai. I owe you. I’m not one to forget a debt, but let’s get something straight. If you want to talk to me, you can knock on the front door like everyone else. You can wait in the common room, but I’ve had it with surprises. If you’ve got something to say, I want it now. No riddles or mysteries.”
    The hint of a smile played about her lips. “My apologies, Daine. I know that it was rude to invade your privacy in this way, but I assumed that this situation called for discretion.”
    “I’m still not hearing an explanation.”
    For all his frustration, Daine found it hard to hold onto his anger. Lakashtai’s voice was rough music, with a slight accent that was impossible to place; though he’d only seen her once before, Daine felt as if he’d heard that voice as a child. He felt like a fool for raising a weapon against an unarmed woman—worse yet, one who had saved his life.
    “You’ve been having visions, haven’t you?”
    Daine paused in the midst of returning his sword to its sheath. “What do you know about that?”
    “They pose a threat, and I intend to deal with it.”
    “I don’t remember asking for help this time.”
    “Did I say you had a choice?” Lakashtai’s eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.
    “It’s my mind.”
    He wasn’t sure why he was arguing. The visions had nearly gotten him killed, and they seemed to be getting worse. He found he had a morbid desire to know more about that night—and a strange reluctance to let the kalashtar woman touch his thoughts.
    “For now. That could change.”
    “I haven’t seen a crazy changeling in my dreams lately.”
    Daine turned away for a moment, just long enough to pull on his breeches, but even as he tightened the drawstring he felt a hand on his shoulder, warm breath against his neck. All his training demanded that he react, spin around, push her away, but he found that he simply couldn’t move. Her scent was intoxicating, filled with strange spices and hints of unknown lands. Now she was whispering directly into hisear—or were her words entirely in his mind?
    “I am sorry, Daine, but it’s time to sleep.”
    And he did.

    Daine looked down from the barricade, staring into the Keldan valley. The light of the burning skyship cast long shadows across