Crown of Moonlight (Court of Midnight and Deception #2) - K.M. Shea Page 0,53

line of the concession stand.” Indigo marched up to us and pointed back at the concession stands. “One of the lords is attempting to pay for his popcorn in gold coins.”

Leila frowned. “Like, real gold?”

“Yes.”

Leila rubbed her forehead. “Maybe I should just make all the nobles hand in a fieldtrip fee next time. They seem the least capable—none of the others had any problems with purchasing concessions!”

“I’ll handle it.” Skye gently touched Leila’s elbow, then hurried off in the direction of the concession stand.

“I guess I’m chopped liver,” Dion laughed.

“You should follow her,” I said.

“And leave you here alone? What kind of friend would I be?” Dion gave me a friendly slap on the back. “Besides, even I’m not so pesky to venture where I’m not wanted. Perhaps I’ll be able to catch her in the next movie.”

Leila checked her cellphone. “She mentioned she wanted to see the last movie in theater three—it’s starting in an hour, one of the Star Wars movies I think.”

“Thank you, Queen Leila. You are a true friend.” The way Dion slapped my back again clearly communicated that he was aware I wasn’t setting him up for success.

Leila saluted him. “Good luck! I hope you succeed—she needs to take more breaks.”

“I shall certainly try. But I must tell you how greatly impressed I am with your social functions. I think these have been the most well attended socials in years, and that’s impressive considering everyone was scared to death of Nyte and was terrified to miss a party.”

Leila’s features softened into something warmer. “I’m glad to hear that.” Her usual bright, “monarch” voice was gone. She was talking how she sometimes talked to Skye and Indigo—or the night mares, glooms, and shades.

“I was hoping to take everyone out kayaking sometime before it gets really cold. But the lake by the mansion is way too small. The lake in the Night Realm is plenty big, though,” she said.

Dion shook his head. “Even you would have trouble getting us out on that lake, Queen Leila. Tradition has it that there’s a sea monster in those waters.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that before. Maybe we can just rent kayaks in downtown Magiford, then. Their lakes are plenty big for a decent sized party.” Leila tilted her head back and appeared to stare at the ceiling as she thought.

There was something about her voice when it was like this that was intoxicating. It wasn’t sultry, but listening to it made one feel…

A scream ripped through the theater.

Two creatures made of shadows streaked across the lobby. They were serpentine in appearance, but their bodies were made of black, insubstantial shadows.

They weren’t attacking anyone, probably because they hadn’t seen their target, Leila. They had to be after her; these monsters had the same feeling as the creatures that attacked in the parking lot.

Leila turned toward the noise just as the creatures spotted her.

The shadow monsters hissed, then slithered across the carpet, their glowing eyes locked on her.

As I thought.

I yanked my hidden knife from my boot and activated it. “Austero!” Tapping into the wild magic around us, the knife transformed in a glowing sword.

Humans screamed and ran from the theater. Some of the fae did as well—the pixie emerged from the bathroom and shot off to the theaters. Others, like Dusk and Dawn, dropped their popcorn tubs and soda drinks and fumbled to grab their artifacts.

I stepped backwards, intending to sink into the shadows, but Leila’s reaction was almost as fast as mine. She activated her prism with a shout and threw down a ward that bloomed into one of the biggest personal magic barriers I’d seen as it covered herself, Indigo, Dion, and me.

I edged my way out of the barrier—I couldn’t attack the two creatures from within it, at least not the way I liked to fight.

The two snake-like monsters crashed into the barrier. It shook, but held strong—all of her practice was paying off.

I cloaked myself in shadows, and magic spilled over from the sword as I tapped my natural magic.

Shadows flickered across my eyes, and in a heartbeat I was standing in the shadow of one of the creatures.

I tried slicing through the monster’s tail, but the blade only made the monster’s shadowy innards swirl as it passed through it as if it were a smoke cloud.

That’s going to make things more difficult.

“Look at me,” Dion commanded the monster. Even through the purple haze of Leila’s barrier, his magic was strong enough that the second snake creature actually turned