Princess of Shadows and Starlight: (The Zheninghai Chronicles Book 3) by Anastasis Blythe

Author:Anastasis Blythe [Blythe, Anastasis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-01-24T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

With an exhilarated cry of relief, Meiling extricated her soul from those cursed bonds. She startled to find Fen staring at her sleeping face with a wild ferocity. She never could have fallen asleep if she’d known Fen stared at her like that.

Shang was in a much less comfortable position than she was. His back arched almost painfully as he was held up by his limbs, his stomach and hips overhanging the rocks below. His body was completely still, but his eyes darted through the foliage, ever focused and razor sharp.

Meiling searched as quickly as possible. A cursory glance over the entire area showed no stark glows. Perhaps it would be easier to see them at night?

She picked one vine and, placing one shadowy tendril of a hand on it, followed it around and around the tree branches. The further she followed it, the thicker the vine got, and the more vines converged. Finally, on the ground, by the base of one of the big trees they were suspended between, she found where the vines took root.

Still no glow.

She stared, stumped. How could a trap be magical if it didn’t glow to her sight? Or did only souls glow?

Then an idea struck her. She couldn’t dig, so she slid into the earth like she did with walls. The difference was immediate. It resisted her, only allowing persistent, sluggish movement as though she slogged through syrup. Nevertheless, she pushed onward against that resistance. She only had to go a foot or two—

There!

Just below the surface, in a tangle of roots, a massive green glow seeped through the dirt. It was an eerie, froggish-green color, so bright in its tiny space that it made Meiling wince. The moment she stopped forcing herself deeper, the ground promptly spat her back out, sending her reeling.

She tumbled through the air, head over heels, then wheeled and backed toward Shang and Fen. She hesitated just above his arched back, where his long hair had nearly come free of its neat queue. A sense of guilt and exposure crawled up her spine. Perhaps it would be better if she woke herself up to tell them.

Her heart beat faster at the thought of entering his mind when he knew she was there. But no, this was the quickest way for them to be free. Falling asleep once was miracle enough; she wasn’t foolish enough to believe it could happen again.

With a wince, she cautiously slid into Shang’s mind. When she should have found herself surrounded by bone and brain, she floated down through the gold-encrusted ceiling of a grand hall.

It had changed.

The floor was dusty, not as brightly polished as before. One of the columns started crumbling, as if under terrible pressure. Cracks ran up the spines of more columns, through dragon tails and wings and jaws. The hooks rattled on the curtain rod, making the crimson fabric flutter.

Thoughts flew in rapid succession through his mind.

Is the girl asleep? Is she in my mind yet? Will I feel a difference? If Fen dares to make a sound .

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