by Tasha Black
Not just one someone, several, and they were taking no pains to hide the sounds of their approach.
Varik sucked in another breath of the cold morning air and tasted them on it. There were three of them, two men and a woman. The bright scent of magic clung to them.
They moved into view, their figures silhouetted against the dark-blue sky.
They approached openly, and the woman even began to sing as they got closer. It took him a precious second too long to realize the song for what it was.
An attack.
Before he could react, Velvet black darkness emerged from between the palms of one of the men and swirled through the air toward Varik.
His hackles rose as he snapped at the roiling cloud of midnight, but his teeth went through it as it enveloped him.
The woman’s singing grew louder, but Varik couldn’t focus on the words with this oppressive darkness overwhelming him.
He glanced down at Ronan, somehow still asleep and pale in the blue predawn light. The spell paid him no attention.
They intended to separate him from the little one.
He roared and fought against the cloud, trying to escape it long enough to attack the man who had created it.
But somehow, he was unable to move.
Midnight was not especially vicious magic, and Varik was strong. He should have been able to shrug off its effects.
But this was strong, far too strong.
He braced himself, and tried again.
But it was like nothing he’d ever encountered before. Fae were not known for their teamwork, but his three attackers were working together somehow. The woman’s song aided the shadowy attack, and the third man lent a silent harmony that felt benevolent even as it bound Varik’s own magic.
It was hopeless.
Desperate, Varik fought anyway. He would not surrender Ronan willingly. He would not let these three take Ashe away without a fight.
If he summoned all his reserves, he might have enough energy for one vicious counter attack. Of course, it might kill him in the process. But at least it would protect his loved ones.
He wondered if Ashe and Ronan would be happy together as the magic swelled inside him, ready for release.
He thought they would be.
“Stop,” the third man yelled out suddenly.
His voice was strangely familiar.
The woman broke off her song and the other man allowed the clouds of midnight to lift. Varik let his own building magic fade back into himself.
“I know him,” the third man said, striding over. “We were not wrong to suspect him of kidnapping. I’ve hired him to complete…unsavory tasks in the past.”
He stepped closer and the light from the street lamp illuminated his profile.
Cullen Ward, the King of Pain.
He had been trapped in the mortal world so long it had driven him half-mad. His cruelty was legendary. The tasks he had hired Varik for were more than unsavory. Varik had turned him down once or twice. And that was saying something.
He hoped his past working relationship with the mad king would pay off now.
“Show yourself, Varik,” Cullen demanded.
Varik glanced between the other two, but they flanked Ward, ready to act immediately if Varik didn’t comply.
At least he would have a chance to explain himself.
Varik lowered his head and slid upward into his fae form.
Below him, the sleeping babe transformed into a wolf cub as his eyelids fluttered open. Varik scooped him up, holding him close to his chest, and the pup snuggled in contentedly.
“What are you doing here?” Cullen asked. “I heard you were working for the Winter Court these days.”
“I’m here to retrieve their missing princess,” Varik agreed.
“And the, uh, child?” the woman asked in a bell-like voice.
“He is mine,” Varik said. It was the truth, though he hadn’t fathered the child in the usual way.
“We protect this town and the woods beyond,” the man who wasn’t Cullen Ward said. “We will allow no harm to come to the citizens of Rosethorn Valley, neither human nor Fae.”
It took a long moment for Varik to place him.
Killian. The King of Midnight. That tracked. What was he doing out of his midnight prison? He was sure there was quite a story behind that. Probably not one they would be willing to share with the likes of him. Fugitives usually had a healthy mistrust of bounty hunters.
“There are fae citizens of Rosethorn Valley?” Varik asked instead.
The woman visibly stiffened.
“You’re not sticking around here long enough for it to matter, are you?” Cullen asked.
Something about the man had changed since the last time they’d crossed paths. That desperate edge was gone from his voice. And since when did the King of Pain concern himself with the well-being of mortals - or anyone who wasn’t him, for that matter?
“You have nothing to worry about from me,” Varik said, pushing the thoughts aside to worry about what truly mattered here. “I have no interest in this town, or anyone in it, but Ashe of the Winter Court. I’ll be gone tomorrow - with or without her. You have my word.”
“We’ll be back to check on that,” Cullen told him. “You have my word.”
There was a sound from behind him, and Varik spun back to see Ashe emerging from the building. She must have heard the commotion.
He hoped Cullen and the other Fae wouldn’t disbelieve his story at the sight of her. He had told them he was here to find and retrieve the princess, yet here she stood, ripe for the taking.
But by the time he turned around, they were gone.
“Varik,” Ashe called.
He turned back to her, waiting for her to join him under the trees.
The enchanted orb of ice he’d given her was so small that it was almost invisible. She would need to make her choice soon, and what he was about to tell her wouldn’t make it any easier.
But he’d made himself a promise last night, and he intended to keep it.
It felt better to come clean to her out here in the first rays of dawn. At least she wouldn’t have to be close to him if she didn’t want to after she knew the truth.
16
Ashe
Ashe’s heart leapt at the sight of Varik and Ronan.
She hadn’t realized how much she missed them both until she could see them waiting for her.
But Varik looked so serious.
“Good morning,” she said, stopping short a few feet away instead of throwing herself in his arms like she wanted to. “I made a coffee cake last night. We can have it for breakfast.”
He gazed down at her, his beautiful eyes so solemn.
“Ashe, we have to talk.”
Her heart sank. No one ever warned you when they were preparing to talk about something good.
“There’s something you don’t know,” he said. “It’s about me, and it’s also about you.”
But she did know. He was Fae, and she was not. Her lack of magic had defined her life so far. It had impacted her relationship with her family, her subjects, and with the world at large.
And now, with the man she loved.
She’d thought, hoped, he’d be able to see past all that. But it was out of her hands. And it hurt so much to see everything ripped away again and again over something she couldn’t help.
Powerless was exactly the right word for her.
“Twenty-seven years ago, a handmaiden called me to your mother’s bedside,” he said slowly. “I came at once. A commission from the crown is a prized opportunity.”
Ashe blinked at him. This was not what she had expected, and she had no idea what he was getting at.
“She motioned me to sit close by her side,” he went on. “And she whispered in my ear. She told me to switch the child she had just borne for a mortal changeling. The baby was secretly called Willow, for the trees that weep by the river, in mourning for the fae life the child would never have.
She told me to go far from Faerie, and bring back another babe for her to raise in its stead.”
Ashe felt the blood rushing to her head.
Varik is the one who made me a changeling…
“I foolishly thought to impress her,” he went on. “Just on the other side of the veil, here in Rosethorn Valley, I found a family with a baby girl called Willow. I thought the Queen would be happy, knowing the daughter she bore was being raised under the name her fae mother had anointed her with. So the fae baby got to keep the name Willow, and when I brought the mortal babe back, the Queen decided she would be called Ashe, because the child would need to be as strong as the wood of the ash tree to survive in Faerie with no magic.”
He was talking about her life. And the weight of his words hit her like a blow. Her vision narrowed and her pulse raced in her ears.
“I have been filled with regret since the day I left her here, and stole you away to Faerie to live a life you never asked for,” Varik said, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry, Ashe.”
“You lied to me,” Ashe said in a voice so cold she almost didn’t recognize it.
She knew that wasn’t exactly right. He hadn’t lied to her, he wasn’t capable of that, but he had not shared all he knew. He had kept the most important thing from her.
“I…I wasn’t sure how to tell you,” he said. “At first, I thought it didn’t matter. I had a job to do.”
“And then you wanted to sleep with me,” Ashe said bitterly.
“And then I grew to care for you, Ashe,” he countered.
Her heart felt like it was being torn to pieces.
Her whole existence had been stolen away from her, and she was face-to-face with man who was responsible.
He’d taken her life, her family, even her name from her.
She was filled with rage and sorrow all at once.
She didn’t speak. Couldn’t, for fear her voice would betray her.
Her phone buzzed, breaking the spell, and she took it out of her pocket, grateful for the distraction.
A written message appeared on the screen.
Delilah Swan:
Hey girl. Just wondering if you’re up yet. I’m going to the library to pick up books for the Backpack project. Want to come? My husband will pick us up afterward and drop you at home. Can’t wait for you to meet him!
Relief flooded her chest.
She had a friend here. Maybe even two - Cressida was harder to read.
And even better, she now had something to do besides sit here in mourning for her life, hating the man she was beginning to love.
She had children to help.
“I have to go,” she said, turning on her heel.
“Ashe,” he called to her.
“I’m going to the library to help Delilah pick out books for the kids,” she told him, still unable to ignore him. “I don’t want you to come.”
She didn’t turn back, but she could feel him behind her, his sadness like a black hole. But she wasn’t going to feel sorry for him. Monsters like Varik were better off alone.
She searched for the Tarker’s Hollow Library on her phone and pulled up walking directions.
Say what you would about the mortal realm, there was a wealth of information open to anyone who had one of these devices. It was even better than magic. It worked for anyone.
She set off determinedly in the right direction.
The cold morning air felt good in her lungs, and the sun was rising behind her, glowing in the leaves of the trees ahead. Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing her mood.
She walked on, hoping to beat the rain, and thinking about what life would have been like if she had stayed here.
Maybe she would already be friends with Cressida and Delilah.
Maybe she would have a mortal boyfriend.
The idea made her stomach twist. It felt wrong.
Could she be so set on Varik already?
Ashe had never shared her body with a man before. Perhaps she was feeling these pangs because he was her first.
But she could not imagine another man taking his place - not now, not ever.
“I don’t need a boyfriend,” she reminded herself out loud. “I have a friend. I have a job, and good things to do with my life. I have my freedom.”
Though she wondered what Cressida would do if she tried to keep Willow’s job and apartment.
Technically, they still belonged to Willow, but given where she had gone, Ashe was pretty sure Willow would never want to come back. Unlike Ashe, she had a true place in Faerie.
Ashe walked on, watching the leaves drift down in the soft light, creating abstract paintings on the street.
After a few more scenic blocks, she reached the library and saw Delilah standing outside, with baby Noah in his sling around her neck, as usual.
She was already feeling more relaxed.
“Hi, Ashe,” Delilah said, waving her down.
“Hey,” Ashe replied. “I’m glad you sent me the message. This will be fun.”
“The borough manager lent me the keys. I’ve never been at the library when it wasn’t open before,” Delilah confided. “To tell you the truth, the idea is a little spooky. I’m really glad you came.”
Noah yelled out some baby talk.
“I agree, Noah,” Ashe told him in a funny voice.
He chuckled at her.
Delilah opened the front door to the library, and they stepped into the dim lobby.
A big board was mounted next to the door into the library itself. Ashe read some of the posts while Delilah fumbled with the keys, trying to find the right one for the main door.
One post invited neighbors to volunteer to drive visually impaired residents to their appointments. Another offered free tutoring. A third sign simply said Library Fundraiser Book Donation with a down-facing arrow.
Below the board was a box filled to the brim with books.
“Amazing,” Ashe said to herself.
“What?” Delilah asked, stopping to turn to her.
“Oh, it’s just where I’m from, people don’t help each other so much,” Ashe said, indicating the board and box.
“Not where I come from either,” Delilah said, nodding. “Rich people in most places lord it over everyone else. Or else they just give money and they don’t want to mingle with regular people in any way.”
Her words struck a familiar chord.
Ashe recalled a moment in the carriage visiting the Summer Kingdom. Her sister Wynter had hung out the window, dropping coins and laughing while the peasant children chased the flashes of glitter in the dusty street.
They had stopped at a farm house and the people there had offered them a meal.
The food was plain, and Ashe had thoughtlessly thrown most of hers away, still weary from the long journey. Looking back now, Ashe didn’t doubt that it had been the best food the people had, maybe their only food. She had probably tossed aside as much as one of them ate in a week.
There was so much she had taken for granted. Cruelty and excess had defined her life in Faerie, whether she had chosen it or not. She was only beginning to realize how much.
“That’s part of why I love this place,” Delilah went on, oblivious to Ashe’s awakening. “There are people like Eva Cortez who recognize how lucky they are, and want to give back personally, not just with money.”
The door opened at last to reveal an enormous space.
A row of computer desks was on one side wall and a round desk took up a bit of space in the center.
The rest of the space was made up of seemingly endless rows of bookshelves.
Ashe had never seen so many books in one place outside of the palace. It was dizzying.
A huge window made up the whole front wall of the library. Soft morning light from the overcast sky filtered in, bathing an interior window box of ferns that separated the window from the wooden floor in front of it.
“The Horticultural Society donated the ferns,” Delilah said cheerfully. “Aren�
��t they beautiful?”
Ashe nodded and admired the other details.
“Some of the woodwork and the antique radiators were salvaged from the old building,” Delilah said.
Ashe looked at the radiators, they were cast iron, with ornate swirls and vines. Even the functional items in this mortal space were made with such love.
This library might rival its equal in Faerie.
And this place was open to all, not owned privately by royalty or hoarded by a wealthy member of the court.
Delilah flipped a switch on the wall and frowned when nothing happened.
“I think the lights might be on a timer,” she offered. “They must be set to come on during regular hours. I’m not sure how to override that.”
“It’s fine,” Ashe told her. “We should have enough light to do what we need to do.”
A sudden flash of lighting punctuated her remark, and both women started a little, then giggled.
“Okay,” Delilah said. “There’s an empty cart. Let’s take it over to the children’s section and see what we can find.”
Ashe followed her, excited to choose wonderful books for the children. And to pour herself into a task that would take her mind off everything else for a while.
17
Varik
Varik paced the secluded space between the backyard and the surrounding woods.
Ashe didn’t want him to follow her. She wanted him to let her go.
Yet the need to protect her overpowered him.
How was he supposed to let her go, knowing what might be coming?
Cullen Ward’s words came back to him:
We protect this town and the woods beyond. We will allow no harm to come to the citizens of Rosethorn Valley…
Ashe counted as a citizen of Rosethorn Valley. She had been rightfully born to a couple here, she had a home, and even a job in the tiny town.
Surely, she could claim the protection of the Fae in the woods.
He called to Ronan, who was chasing a tiny butterfly out on the lawn.
The pup galloped toward him, his back legs going a little faster than the front so that he wound up making slightly sideways progress, his floppy ear moving like he was about to take flight, pink tongue lolling from his happy mouth.