Nightbane (Lightlark, #2)(104)

She got ready in her bathroom, and, after an hour, there was a loud knock against her door. “Are you preparing for battle or for a foolish party, Hearteater?” he asked.

“Both, if you’re going to be so insufferable,” she said before she opened the door.

Grim went silent.

Her dress was tiny, sky blue, and strapless. She had glued little gems around the sides of her eyes. Glitter dusted her collarbones and shoulders. He had bought her each of these items—with very specific instructions—but he still looked surprised.

They were about as mismatched as possible. She was glittering, and saturated, and he wore his typical all black, cape and boots included.

“How do I look?” she asked, smiling, turning to see herself in the mirror.

Grim frowned. “You look like a Skyling.”

“Good. That’s exactly what I was going for.”


The sky was filled with balloons. Light-blue baubles floated close to the stars, looking like daytime sky peeking through the night.

“It’s beautiful,” Isla said, smiling.

She could feel Grim’s eyes on her. He was looking at her face, not the sky. “No,” he said. “It’s not.” She frowned and moved to turn his head toward what they were here to see, but he didn’t budge an inch. “When you’ve seen something truly beautiful, everything else starts to look painfully ordinary.”

Isla took his hand. His fingers immediately tensed, as if he was about to recoil. Then, after a moment, he gingerly cupped his hand around hers. “Come on,” she said. And he did.

Crowds were stopped, listening to something. A speech. She heard a rich, pleasant voice, moving airily through the crowd, as if his voice had grown wings. When they got closer, she saw a dark-skinned man dressed in a thousand glimmering jewels. He wore a crown.

“Azul?” she said, and Grim grunted in response.

She was suddenly grateful that he had formed an illusion around them, disguising them—even if she had spent an hour getting dressed. What would Azul, ruler of Skyling, think, seeing the ruler of Nightshade and the ruler of Wildling here, in his territory . . . holding hands?

Truly . . . what was she doing?

The thought made her drop his hand. Grim frowned and immediately grabbed it again, locking her fingers in his. The action made her inexplicably warm everywhere, made her remember how he had touched her—

Grim glanced at her, and she knew he could feel her emotions. She swallowed and quickly changed the subject. “What do you think of Azul?”

“He runs his realm as a democracy. Everyone has a say. It’s foolish.”

Isla’s brows came together. “That doesn’t sound foolish to me.”

Before Azul’s speech was over, he led them toward where the balloons were taking off. There was an entire field of them, all painted slightly differently. All magnificent.

“Choose,” he said.

Isla frowned. “I don’t think we can choose, and I think there’s a line—”

He followed her line of sight, to the one she thought was the prettiest. It looked like a light-blue egg, with a white swirl in the center.

In less than a moment, they were standing in its carriage. Somehow, he was starting it up. And then they were flying.

Isla gasped, watching the ground suddenly push away from them, and she stepped back. Right into Grim’s chest.

He looped an arm around her waist, tethering her. It made her feel safer. Grim—for as much as he had claimed he had no interest in riding in the hot-air balloon—was peering over the edge, watching the newland with interest. Isla looked too, but she suddenly felt afraid.

“I don’t think I like heights,” she said. Her stomach shifted uncomfortably. Her heart was in her throat.

Grim made a calming noise that couldn’t have possibly come from him. He leaned his head down, so his chin rested where her crown would have been if she had worn it. “I can portal us anywhere, remember?” he said.

It did make her feel better. She took a step toward the edge and leaned over, just a little. The world was beautiful. It was mountainous and wide, and she felt suddenly free. For nearly half an hour, they just watched the world in comfortable silence.

As she moved back again, her foot knocked against something she hadn’t noticed before. It must have been included in each of the carriages for the night. A bottle, with transparent liquid filled with bubbles. Water?

“Skyling wine,” he said, frowning. “Disgusting.”

Isla uncorked the bottle and tentatively sipped it. She grinned. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

Grim sighed.

It was sweet, and sparkling on her tongue, and—

Grim plucked the bottle out of her hands after her second sip. “You might want to wait a little while before drinking more,” he said. “Unless you don’t want to remember the night.” He offered her the bottle, letting it be her choice.

She shook her head. No. She didn’t want that at all. She wanted to remember all of this.

Isla turned to face Grim and tilted her head.

“Can I say something honest?”

He looked taken aback. Nodded.

“You are the most unpleasant person I’ve ever met.”

Grim raised an eyebrow at her. “And you are the bane of my existence.”