Crown of Shadows

Prologue

"Laila and I have decided that we are going to be Time Emissaries," I announced.

"What? Raven, you can't be serious," my mother exclaimed.

"We are," Laila said firmly. "We want to go to the school and train to be Time Emissaries."

"But you have to be chosen, and go through all that paperwork-" My father began, but I grinned.

"We've been chosen," I said.

"And we've already gone through all of the paperwork," Laila added. "All we need is your signature."

"But it's so dangerous," my father protested. "There's so many things that could go wrong. One wrong jump could get you killed, and you'll be messing with time, which can also be very, very confusing and dangerous-"

"We know," I said. "But we'll be trained! We'll go to the school, and they'll teach us everything. They wouldn't have chosen us if they didn't think we could do it."

"We'll take care of each other and be careful," Laila promised. "And we won't go on any missions without consulting you first." I eyed Laila warily, skepticism written across my forehead. Laila nodded at me, and I knew she was right. They wouldn't agree otherwise. Besides, Laila was always right.

"I don't know..." My father glanced at my mother. Laila spread her wing and wrapped it around me, pulling me in closer. I smiled. I loved it when she did that. Her wings were white as a doves', and softer than anything else in the world. In the sunlight, sometimes, they even seemed to glow.

"We'll be safe," Laila said. "We'll stay by each other at all times. You trust us, don't you? We're grown, now. We can take care of ourselves. This has been our dream since we were little! We've talked about it for years!" I nodded. Laila folded her wings against her back, anxious for their answer. My own wings fluttered nervously, trying to keep my excitement contained. My mother and father stared at each other for a few moments, before finally shrugging.

"I suppose," my mother sighed. I felt a smile grow on my lips and I spread my wings, unable to hide my excitement any longer. I glanced over at Laila, who was grinning broadly. I felt my feet lift from the ground and I realized my wings were carrying me upward. A few papers went flying, but I was too excited to notice. Laila grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down to the ground.

"We're going to be time travelers," she said, her eyes glowing. My heart swelled inside my chest. That was the best moment of my entire life. I only wish it could have lasted longer.