by Linsey Hall
That made no sense to me, but the man’s eyes rolled back in his head a moment later.
Tarron withdrew his hands. “That was the best I could do.”
I nodded, sitting back on my heels. “We have some idea of where to go, at least.”
“And some idea of what your new power is.”
“Yeah.” Apparently I could reflect magic back at people. Somehow. The magic had ignited inside me now that I was here in the Unseelie Court.
I’d just have to get control of it.
9
Tarron used his magic to bury the body of the fallen guard in a deep pit, then we set off toward the Unseelie Court. The forest was unusually quiet, with no sound of animals or insects. Birds with midnight blue feathers fluttered between the trees, but they moved like silent ghosts.
It was an eerie quiet that crawled over my skin, raising the hairs on the backs of my arms. It took everything I had to keep my footsteps silent on the fallen leaves. We stayed just off the main path in case anyone was coming, considering that our disguises might not hold up if we were forced to make conversation.
“We might look like Unseelie, but I don’t think we act like it,” I murmured to Tarron.
“Agreed. We need to avoid their kind.”
The forest was smaller than the one in the Seelie realm, and we reached the edge quickly. A huge town sprawled out in front of us, accessible by a path through a meadow. The town itself rose tall into the air, the darkly fanciful buildings constructed on top of each other like an extremely decorative cake. Arched bridges soared through the night sky, connecting different structures.
Bright stars sparkled in a navy blue sky overhead, and the whole place was really quite beautiful. Though dark magic rolled out from it, the effect wasn’t terrible.
“How do we tell which side of town is west?” I asked, recalling what the guard had said about the location of the seer. “There’s no sun to navigate by. And those stars don’t look like the ones on earth.”
“They’d have a way to determine that. But I’ve no idea what it is.”
“Let’s circle the town, then. There looks to be a road on the outside edge. The guard said it was on the perimeter. I don’t see many—or any—lavender houses.”
“Good plan.”
We set off through the meadow, the tall grasses waving in the faint breeze around us. The town grew ever closer, soaring high in the sky. Was my mother really in there somewhere? Could she sense me? Did she ever think about me?
She’d been a distant threat until now, but I couldn’t help but want to meet her.
Even if she was evil.
A silly part of me hoped I’d find it was all a big misunderstanding. But it would never happen.
We reached the edge of town, and some of the tension in my shoulders receded. “No guards or gatehouse.”
“Like my realm. We don’t really expect people to make it this far.”
“They never saw me coming.”
He gave me a wry smile. “No one ever does, I imagine.”
I took that to be a compliment, and headed to the right, sticking to the perimeter road that bordered the town. To my left, the buildings soared high into the sky, each little structure connected by stairs and bridges. The trim work around the houses was elaborately scrolled, and the windows glowed like golden jewels. I could sense the hustle and bustle of life in the city, but we didn’t see many people standing on the little balconies that jutted out from the houses.
Again, I was struck by the fact that the place wasn’t totally evil. Just a bit dark.
What was the deal?
We were about a quarter of the way around the town when I spotted the little purple house halfway up. It was a pale lavender color—the only one of its kind—and magic swirled around the exterior.
I pointed. “There’s our seer.”
“Strange that her magic is lavender when most everything here is dark.”
“It allows her to stand out, at least. Maybe it’s a calling card, meant to draw people to her.” Seers were usually good business people, selling their ability to tell the future or the past.
“This way.” Tarron moved toward a narrow flight that curled upward through the houses. It twisted left and right, weaving around protruding buildings and arching as a bridge over a sharply steepled roof.
I followed, hurrying past doorways and windows without looking in. The last thing we needed to do was draw attention here. I’d speak to the seer because I had to, but I was prepared to use my magic to make her cooperate. If a ton of these Unseelie figured out we were intruders…
We couldn’t take them all.
Finally, we reached the door of the purple house. The magic that swirled around the facade was a faint lavender smoke, and I worked hard not to draw it in.
Tentatively, I knocked on the lavishly carved door.
It swung open immediately, revealing a wall of a man. The Unseelie Fae who stood before us was easily the biggest I’d ever seen. He was even bigger than Tarron, but he didn’t look half as lethal. His face was blunt and squashed, not possessing an ounce of the scary beauty of the Fae.
Still…
Those meat hammer hands could definitely crush my skull.
I stepped back. “We’re here to see the seer.”
“Not without an appointment,” the Fae grumbled. “And you don’t have one.”
Damn. I wasn’t in the mood to fight. I glanced at Tarron, who looked ready to take on the guard.
“Stop it, Eotorn,” a creaky voice whispered from within. “I want to see this one.”
“What?” Eotorn sounded confused.
“I’ve been expecting her!”
What?
There was more at play here than I’d realized.
“Let her in!” the old woman demanded. I couldn’t see her, but it was easy to assume she was older, given the creakiness of her voice.
Eotorn grumbled but moved aside, and I stepped into the apartment, my skin chilling as I entered the seer’s lair. The walls were covered entirely in living black vines. They moved like snakes, and for a moment, I thought they were.
I flinched back from one that reached out to touch my shoulder.
“They won’t hurt you.” The voice came from the shadows.
I turned to look, spotting the older woman sitting by the fire. She wore a lavender gown, and her skin glowed pale white. Black hair flowed down her shoulders without a hint of gray, but her face was so deeply lined that she couldn’t be a day under a hundred. Delicate antlers extended from her head. I hadn’t noticed the other Unseelie having animal characteristics besides wings, but her guard didn’t have antlers. Maybe it was just some of them.
“Are you the Evil Eye?” I asked, wishing she was called anything else.
“Indeed, Heir of the Fae.”
I twitched. “What did you call me?”
“Come closer.”
“What did you call me?”
“Come closer.” The demand was so strong in her voice that I obeyed.
I walked to her and stopped in front of her. “How do you know me?”
“We all do, though many might not recognize you.” She tilted her head to study me, her dark eyes glinting. “I’ve been expecting you for a while now.”
“Why?”
“You have questions, do you not? About your heritage and your magic.”
“You’d answer them?”
“For a price.”
A woman after my own heart. “What do you want?”
“A bit of Blood Sorcery. You have magic that I do not.”
That was true enough. “What kind of Blood Sorcery? I’m not going to do anything dark.”
The woman cackled. “No, not your style, is it?”
I shrugged.
“I want a potion that will increase my powers. My ability to see wanes with time, but you can make me something to restore it.”
“Probably, yes. Depending on what ingredients you have.”
Sh
e gestured to her right, and I turned enough to see the vines retreat from the wall and reveal shelves full of potion-making ingredients.
“Impressive,” I mused. “Probably something I can use there.”
“And in return, I’ll tell you what you want to know. Most of it, at least.”
“Do you already know what I want to know?”
“Of course.” Her smile was all knowing, and suddenly, I was irritated with her. Seers… They could really get on your nerves.
I wanted to get this over with.
Quickly, I moved to the shelves. I’d have to do this fast, and the potion wouldn’t be terribly strong. I couldn’t see any harm in making her vision powers a bit stronger, and there was no doubt I needed her help.
“The King of the Seelie is unwise to come here,” she said.
“I want to know why your kind invaded my realm,” he said.
I glanced at the seer in time to see her shrug. “That was the decision of the queen. I’m not privy to her thoughts, even if I tried to see them.”
“Queen?” I asked. “Is there a king?”
“No. Long dead.” She gave a dismissive snort.
“Didn’t like him?”
“Never met him.”
“Hmmmm.” I focused on the task at hand, mixing ingredients in a silver bowl. It smoked and fizzed, smelling of honeysuckle and tree sap.
When it came time to add my black blood, I gave it only a drop. Just enough to improve the old seer’s magic for a short while, but not forever. I didn’t trust her, so no reason to make her more powerful than necessary.
Once my blood was mixed into the potion, I walked to the old seer and held the bowl out to her. “You’ll have to add a drop of your blood.”
She nodded and sliced her fingertip with one gnarled claw. I shuddered, vowing to take good care of my nails in old age. That was not a look I was interested in.
Her black blood dripped into the potion, and I nearly jumped at the sight. I’d known that Unseelie Fae blood was black, but seeing it from someone else was a whole different matter. I’d never seen anyone with blood like mine.
Fates, this was weird. A homeland I’d never imagined. A freaking creepy one.
I shook away the thought and stirred the potion, then decanted it into an empty vial.
“All done.” I handed the potion to the seer, who smiled and took it. Then she slugged it down.
Her grin widened. “Excellent.”
I was glad I’d made her the real deal if she was going to test it.
“Now I need to know how to harness the magic inside me. I can’t get ahold of it.”
“That’s because you haven’t completed the ritual that all Unseelie go through. Until you do, your magic will never be useful.”
“What is the ritual?”
“You must go to the palace and enter the Sacred Pool of the Unseelie. Only there will you find the answer to your uncontrollable magic.”
“In the palace?”
She nodded.
Damn it. “Where, precisely?”
“At the very bottom level. Submerge yourself entirely and pass the tests.”
That sounded super fun.
“Do you really know nothing about the Unseelie attack on the Seelie kingdom?” I asked.
She shook her head, and I believed her. I could try to use my magic to force her to tell me, but she’d probably stop me before I could.
“Why did you call me Heir of the Fae?”
“That, I will not say.” She spoke so firmly that I believed her. And it was something I could figure out later.
“Do you have any directions for exactly how to reach the pool or to get past castle guards?” Tarron asked.
“There is a grand ball tonight. If you are dressed appropriately and have an invitation, then you will be able to enter at will.”
Dressed appropriately? Shit. “We don’t know how the Unseelie Fae dress for a ball.”
“I will help you, if you will make me another potion.”
“Deal.”
Twenty minutes later, I’d made a potion, and Tarron and I were outfitted in spectacular Unseelie finery. They might be evil bastards, but they knew how to dress.
Tarron wore a sleek black suit with fine midnight embroidery on the cuffs. The high collars complemented his new sharpened cheekbones, and though he was as handsome as the devil, I preferred the normal version of him.
As for me, I looked spectacular.
I hated that I liked it so much, but the ball gown that the seer had helped Tarron conjure for me was magnificent. Midnight black and made of fine lace, it plunged deep at the chest and rose as a high-pointed collar around my throat. Tight lace sleeves ended at points over my hands, and the skirt was ephemeral, almost made of smoke, and danced on the air as I moved. An obsidian dagger was tied to a decorative belt at my waist. I looked both severe and gorgeous, which was my style.
Tarron had had to conjure it because the Evil Eye had explained glamours would not work in the palace. The potions we’d taken to make us look Unseelie would keep working because they’d changed our faces. But a simple glamour was blocked by the castle’s magic so it was harder to sneak in.
“The final touch.” The seer handed me an invitation. “Make sure they don’t look at the name, for you certainly don’t look like me.”
Crap. That wouldn’t be easy. I took the invitation. “Thank you for the help.”
She inclined her head. “Best of luck.”
We left, heading quickly down the stairs. Tarron carried a bag with our old clothes, and I longed for my boots. This wouldn’t be easy in heels, and I was a pro.
As we descended to the ground, there was more hustle and bustle behind the windows of the apartments, as if dinner were being put on or people were preparing for the ball.
It was oddly normal.
We reached the bottom of the stairs and arrived on the main road, which was still empty.
I turned to Tarron, catching his gaze on me. Heat flickered in his eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“You look magnificent.” His voice was rough.
Warmth flowed through me.
He shifted closer, and I couldn’t help but mimic his actions, drifting toward him until my chest was nearly pressed to his.
Despite the danger that hovered all around—perhaps because of it—desire spiked in my chest. There was something about him that drew me, even when I was unsure of him.
It was a heady magnetism that drew us together. He pulled me toward him, his lips swooping down toward mine. I leaned up on my toes and met his kiss dead-on, crushing my lips to his. Heat surged through me as his lips moved expertly on mine. His strong hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me toward him.
I moaned as my chest pressed full against his. Hard muscles cradled my softer curves, and I fell into the kiss. It was impossible to resist him. The attraction that sizzled between us was epic on a scale that I couldn’t comprehend.
A faint sound of clattering hooves sounded in the distance, tearing me from the haze of want.
I pulled away from Tarron and turned, spotting an elaborate carriage coming our way.
A terrifying black horse with a gleaming coat and red eyes trotted toward us, pulling a sumptuous black carriage that was decorated with delicate carvings and gleaming midnight paint.
Swiftly, Tarron stepped around me and into the road, stopping the carriage in its tracks. The horse pulled up short, neighing, and I realized there was no driver.
Weird.
With the carriage stopped, Tarron stepped around to the side door of the carriage. Curtains were pulled so that we couldn’t see inside, and he pulled open the door and climbed in.
There was a rustle of movement, and I spotted his fist flying.
Heck yeah, he was getting us a ride.
I climbed in after him, spotting two unconscious male Fae slumped on one of the bench seats. A golden lantern glowed on their slack faces as Tarron bound their hands and wrists
with strips of their shirts that he’d torn off.
“Nice work. We needed a ride. No one just walks up to a fab ball in stilettos.” I shut the carriage door behind me and rapped on the ceiling of the carriage. I had no idea if that would work, but it was what they’d done in a few historical romance novels I’d read.
The carriage rumbled forward as the horse picked up the pace.
We both ignored the fact that we’d just kissed as if we were a normal couple.
We were anything but a normal couple.
Not that the fated mate bond knew that.
“Do you think he knows to go to the ball?” I asked.
“I think so, given their attire.” Tarron finished binding them and sat back on the bench seat next to me.
I tried not to focus on the heat of his thigh pressed to mine and turned to the window, drawing back the curtain to look out. It wasn’t long before the carriage turned into the main city, rolling down long avenues paved in black stone. The buildings soared just as high here, fanciful structures out of a dark dream.
Overhead, the stars glinted ever brighter, and on the streets, people in finery spilled out of their houses. We reached the castle ten minutes later, passing by a guard house that looked more ceremonial than active.
“They aren’t big on security here,” I murmured.
“No, and the ease with which we’ve infiltrated makes me think that maybe we should increase security in our court.”
“The Fae are known for their cockiness.”
He inclined his head. “True enough. We’re confident in the protected nature of our realms. Who would dare invade?”
“Me.”
He huffed a slight laugh.
The carriage rolled to a stop, and we both stiffened.
Tarron moved to the door before it could be opened for us, pushing it open into the night and climbing out. I followed, careful to shut the door behind me so no one could see the bodies inside. I left the bag of clothes, hoping we could find it later. I loved those boots.
Tarron tapped the side of the carriage, and the horse dragged it forward, off to wherever he would wait for his owners.
We stood in an elaborate courtyard at the front of the palace. The enormous structure was built of sparkling black stone that gleamed like diamonds. Huge windows glowed cold, crystal blue from lanterns within, and the building was ornate and delicate. I hated to admit that I really liked it.