MIRAGE OF SAND AND GLASS: Book One by Mercedes M. Taylor

Author:Mercedes M. Taylor [Taylor, Mercedes M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Their song was sweet and yet full of sorrow. The spirits swayed back and forth to end their last dance.

They stopped and waved goodbyes and blew sweet kisses before tilting their heads back to the sky. An invisible force lifted the spirits in the air before one by one disappeared in a flash of dazzling light, shooting at the sky.

My eyes darted between the night sky and the spirits still among us. With each spirit that rose, a new star appeared in the black mass above.

“They’re stars,” I whispered to Hale without diverting my gaze.

“Yes, these are the spirits that have moved on to the next chapter in their lives. While we can see them returning to the night sky, no one knows what their next chapter holds.”

“It’s magnificent. I wonder if they can talk to each other up there.”

I turned to look at him but noticed his gaze had never been on the spirits. A blush heated across my face when I realized he’d watched me the entire time.

Loud music began playing in the background.

“What’s happening next?” I asked.

“They are about to begin celebrations for the children. Each child will visit the vendor stalls for either a trick or treat, their choice. The children love it, and it’s a way to extend the offering to everyone. In the end, each child can choose to give one of their treats to the offering.”

“Everyone seems so well taken care of and happy here. I have seen no one begging or suffering.”

“That’s because we take care of our people. There are some cities in other realms that do not take the extra efforts we have to ensure everyone’s happiness.”

“I wish there had been people like you in charge at the Colony.”

I looked through the crowds until I spotted the children, giddy for their games. A pang of jealousy ran through me. Living in such contentment without fear of starvation or suffering was all I had ever wanted as a child. It’s all I still want for all the children. It hurt to know I would never change what happened in my childhood, and I had been helpless to change the others. Maybe finding the amethyst was the best thing. It brought Hale to our doorstep, and he took the children out of poverty, something I’d failed at doing repeatedly.

The beautiful man on my arm looked at me with such compassion on his face. He was someone I could see myself loving quickly and without restraint. Despite his pretty words in the maze, I still felt a bit guarded over my heart. It would take time for him to break down all the walls I’d built. But for now, the intimacy he offered felt unlike anything beforehand. My body felt the need straight to my core every time he was around. I wanted him in ways I’d wanted no one else. My heart may have walls built around it, but my body needed to partake in the pleasure it so desperately craved at a single touch.

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