Wilde's Meadow (Darkness Falls #3) by Krystal Wade Read Free Book Online Page A

the magic, casting occasional glances at the men and women crowded around each other. His pace is slow, and when people catch him watching, he nods as if he doesn’t care they’ve noticed.
    “You don’t think more of those things could be here, do you?” Brit asks, eyes boring a hole in the back of Cadman’s head.
    I walk toward the stream where Kent and Muriel tied up the other horses, tugging Mirain behind me. “Why not? Gavin said they encountered coscarthas; a shifter could have easily taken control of someone here. We can’t let what happened to—”
    “I get it.” Brit shudders and chases after me. “I really want to go home, Kate. This place isn’t where I want to be.”
    I understand her desire to go home, but Encardia is our true home. No matter where we were raised. Even in the Darkness I feel right here, solid. But I wonder if I would feel this way without Arland? Would I still want to save all these people if I wasn’t also part of him? Maybe I wouldn’t. Maybe I’m selfish and doing this all for the wrong reasons … but is love really wrong? If Arland and I weren’t together, Encardia would have no chance for survival, no chance of seeing the sun again.
    What I’m doing isn’t for the wrong reasons, and maybe Brit’s desire to go home isn’t wrong either. She doesn’t want to fit in. She makes no attempt to lead. Knowing her heart lies with Brad tells me she doesn’t care to meet anyone new.
    “I’ll miss you.”
    Brit snorts, mouth twisting up into a sly smile. “What kind of sister would I be if I left you?”
    “What kind of sister would I be if I didn’t let you go?” My boot sinks into the earth; mud slurps under my sole.
    We’ve reached the stream. Kent and Muriel are busy tying up the horses to trees close to the water’s edge, while a few of the animals stand in the water, taking drinks.
    “I’ll lead Mirain. Go wash your boot,” Brit says.
    I hand off Mirain to my sister then grab onto a nearby trunk, using it as support while I lift my boot from the sticky mud. She tosses some fallen timber my way. I spread it on the ground to serve as a mat, so I don’t get any dirtier.
    “Do you need help?” Kent asks, one arm outstretched, the other wrapped around the tree, avoiding stepping in the same mess as me.
    “No, thank you. Just stay back so you don’t get covered in muck, too.”
    The three of them stand around in a cluster, the golden light from the protective wall of magic making them glow like angels—rotten angels who laugh and whisper while I’m left muttering under my breath. I don’t mind being dirty, but having one shoe wet and covered in gunk while we’re exposed to the cold chill of Encardia’s forests isn’t exactly comfortable. I bend and sink my hand under the shallow, frigid water, splashing my boot until most of the mud is off, rinse my hands, then dry them on my pants.
    “K-Kate?” Brit stumbles over my name as though she has a severe case of the shivers.
    I glance over my shoulder; Kent, Muriel and Brit stare open-mouthed across the stream. Following their gaze, I see Brad standing a few feet away from me. His eyes lock with mine, flashing between the bright baby-blues I know and love so well to the narrowed, black slits of Dughbal. My knees tremble, and I fall on my butt. Water and mud soak into my leather pants; the cold only raises my awareness of the situation. Why is he here? How is he here when Arland is protecting me? This is impossible … .
    Brad smiles, warm and enchanting—so familiar—but then it grows too wide for him, too excited. “Nothing is impossible, dearest Katriona. I am a god, and this boy’s soul yearns to be near you.”
    “ Arland, he’s here. ” Goose bumps raise the hairs on my arms. I’m going to have to drive my sword through his chest. He’s who I’m seeking, and he’s a mere few feet from me. I should cross through the protective magic and get the killing over with now. Many lives will be spared if I