by Dyan Chick
"Shut me out because I'm in love with someone who isn't you. You're the one who brought me here."
He chuckled. "You think I'm jealous?"
"Aren't you?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No, princess. They can have you."
My shoulders fell and a weight settled into the pit of my stomach. I'd been telling myself I had no interest in Tristan yet hearing him say those words shattered something inside me. I lifted my chin, feigning nonchalance as best I could.
I turned the handle of the door. "Good night, Tristan."
"Good night, princess," he said, turning away from me.
I lingered in front of the open door, watching him as he walked away. He never turned to look at me. Maybe he really wasn't jealous. Maybe he really didn't care about me. Not that I should care. Tristan wasn't good for me and I knew that. Why was it so hard for me to ignore him?
Feeling more confused than usual, I stepped into the room to find a familiar face waiting for me in the corner of the room. All thoughts of Tristan vanished as I squealed and ran toward Nani.
My old maid returned my eager embrace, the two of us holding on longer than necessary. It was as if she knew that I was afraid to let her go. Finally, I broke the embrace and stepped back to look at her. "You're here. Thank the gods you're alive."
Nani smiled. "Hush now, child. No reason to be so worked up. I'm here now and I'm not leaving you again."
"How are you here?" I asked.
Her brow furrowed. "I thought you sent for me?"
My eyes widened. "No, not that I didn't want you here, I just never knew I could."
"Don't worry, child," she said. "His Grace must have known you needed some company."
"His Grace - you mean Ethan or Cormac or Dane, right?" I asked.
"The Winter Prince," she said. "He sent word to the Queen that you were in need of a maid and thought you would benefit from a familiar face. He asked her to send you some company."
"Tristan sent for you?" I asked.
"Yes, he did," she said.
"What happened after my father took you away? How did you escape? Why didn't you tell me who I really was?" The questions poured out of me at rapid fire pace.
"All in good time," she said. "I will answer all of your questions, but not right now. You need rest. You've been through quite the ordeal."
I couldn't deny that and once the words left her mouth, I realized how tired I was. I did need rest. "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," she agreed.
I woke to the smell of something sweet and familiar, like the breakfast cakes I'd had on holidays as a child. My nose twitched and I squeezed my eyes shut harder, trying to decide if the smell was real. The sound of someone moving around the room forced me to open my eyes.
Sunlight poured in through the sheer curtains and I squinted against the surprisingly bright light. I hadn't seen sunshine that intense since coming to the Winter Court. As I adjusted to the light, I relaxed my grip on the bedding I'd been squeezing in my grasp. It was Nani moving around the room, humming gently as she set out plates and food on the small table in front of the windows.
I tossed back the blankets and padded over to her, careful not to disturb her routine. She looked happy and at ease as she moved things from a cart to the table. I glanced behind me to see that the bedroom door was still closed. How had she managed to get the cart and food in here without waking me?
"Good morning," Nani said without looking up at me.
"Good morning," I said, padding over to the small table near the window. The cold floor stung my bare feet but I ignored it, too eager to sit with Nani.
She pulled out a chair for me and inclined her head toward the waiting seat. Without a word I sat and waited as she took the chair opposite mine. She set sweet cakes on my plate, then propped her chin up with her hands as she had done when I was a child. How many mornings had she sat and listened to me talk while she watched me eat?
I set down the cake that was in my hand, my stomach twisting in guilt. In all that time, I'd never once asked her to eat with me. I'd thought myself kind and welcoming because she sat at the table with me, but I'd never once offered for her to join me.
I pushed the plate the extra cakes were on toward her and divided the food between the two of us. "Eat, please."
"I made them for you, child," she said.
"Please, don't make me have breakfast alone," I said.
She smiled and lifted a cake. "Only because we're in the Winter Court. Once we return, I'll have to abide by the rules of the Autumn Court."
"Why?" I asked.
"There is much you have to learn about the way things are done in Faerie," she said.
"Like the fact that I was hidden away?" I asked. "Nani, everything is so different here."
She set the cake down on her plate. "It is different, but you are not ill prepared. You grew up in a household where power was mistaken for wealth and wealth was an illusion. How you dressed, who you knew, and who you married your children to was how a man measured his worth. The Fae Courts aren't much different. They all claim to be above such human pettiness, but they aren't. Believe it or not, the things you witnessed growing up are going to benefit you in Queen's Trial more than you think."
"How is that possible?" I asked. "They have magic."
"So do you," she said.
"I don't know how to use it," I said.
"And they don't know how to live without it," she replied.
"Is that how you got away?" I asked. "Did you use magic?"
"Not magic, child, no. I got away because of kindness." She poured tea into a cup in front of me and steam swirled up from the cup, the scent of roses hanging in the air just as they had been in my bath.
Looking away from the cup, I returned my gaze to Nani. "What do you mean you escaped because of kindness?"
She held up the half eaten cake. "Every week, I made these for you when your father left for his trip to the markets. Every week, I made sure I made enough to send cakes to all the servants and guards in the house. The guard who was supposed to make sure I didn't get away, left the door unlocked for me. I slipped away quietly and went straight for the woods, hoping you had done the same."
"You didn't even have to use magic?" It wasn't really a question, but it came out like one.
"There is much you can do without magic," she said. "Now, eat. The servants are abuzz. The council sent out the first trial last night. Yours will arrive anytime now."
My stomach twisted into knots and the sweetness of the cake in my mouth turned dry and flavorless. I forced myself to swallow. Today Queen's Trial would officially begin. "What are the trials like?"
"It depends," she said. "The current council creates the challenges and sends them to each candidate. Not even the Queen herself knows what they are until they reach the candidates."
"How will I know what to do?" I asked. "Am I allowed to ask for help?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Nani said. "I was there when your mother went through her trials. She was just as nervous as you are and she flew through them. I have a feeling you'll do well, too."
"But she had years of training and grew up here," I said.
"She also could only channel magic from the Autumn Court. You, on the other hand, will be able to channel magic from multiple courts."
A lump settled in my throat. It was true that I had the magic of all four courts, but that wasn't easing my anxiety. If anything, I had a feeling it might make things more difficult for me. Aside from being seen as a threat by the other candidates, I wasn't sure how that was possible but the nagging sense of dread wouldn't subside.
A knock on the door made me jump and I dropped the uneaten pastry on my plate. My pulse raced as Nani gracefully walked to the door to allow entry to whoever was on the other side. Was it time for the trial already? I squeezed my hands together in my lap, noting how damp my palms were. I hoped the anticipation of what was coming was worse than the actual trial.
A guard st
ood at the door, a small wooden box in his hands. Wordlessly, he passed the box to Nani. Then, he turned and left.
Nani cradled the box in her hands as if it would shatter if she so much as breathed on it. Carefully, she set the box on the table in front of me and let out a breath. She seemed just as nervous as me in that moment.
I licked my lips and moved my plate to the side before gently moving the box in front of me. On the top of the box, in large looping letters was my name. Under my name were the words First Trial.
I held my breath as I carefully unclasped the lid.
Chapter Fourteen
The room was silent as I lifted the lid of the wooden box, allowing it to hang by its hinges. Inside was a bundle of light blue cloth that seemed to be covering something. Feeling both relieved and terrified that I had a moment longer before revealing the contents, I took a deep breath before lifting the fabric. Inside, I found a silver circle that looked like a bracelet.
Brow furrowed, I picked up the delicate metal ring and inspected it. There was no inscription. Frowning, I set the bracelet down and pulled the fabric out of the box. There was nothing more inside. No instructions, no other objects. Just a piece of blue fabric and a silver bangle. I stared at the bracelet as if it was going to come to life or give me a clue. It sat there, an innocent piece of metal on the table.
"I'll give you some time alone," Nani said.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked, picking up the circle.
"You'll figure something out," she said.
I slouched into the chair, feeling defeated before I'd even begun. Lazily, I spun the bracelet around my finger on the table top, wondering if I was missing something. Was there some kind of magic I was supposed to use to unlock this thing? Was it all just a trick to see how I'd react? I looked up toward the door, wondering if I should chase Nani down. Then, thinking better of it, I let out a sigh and slipped the bracelet over my hand.
An icy chill, so cold it nearly burned, spread up my arm causing me to gasp. I looked down to see that the metal of the bracelet was expanding, climbing up my arm like liquid silver. Panic surged through me and I clawed at the cold creeping up my arm, trying to pull it off. The metal continued to expand, slithering its way up my arm to my shoulder and spreading across my chest. I tugged on the place where the bracelet had been, trying to pull it free of my arm but I couldn't grab hold of anything. My hand slipped on the cold, hard silver that had encased my lower arm.
The silver liquid hardened as it climbed, but the rate of progress seemed to slow. I took a steadying breath and looked around the room, trying to find some way of appeasing the growth. When I glanced back at the molten silver, it was no farther across my chest than it had been. The act of maintaining my composure must have halted its progress.
Focusing all my mental energy on remaining calm, I walked to the wardrobe and found a robe. Carefully, I pulled the sleeve over my unmoving sliver coated arm, then tugged the rest of the robe on, tying it around my waist. While Nani had excused herself, there was no specific indication that I couldn't ask for help. I cringed at the thought of finding Tristan with this problem, already anticipating the laughter that would accompany his discovery of my blunder. However, the Queen herself had suggested I go to him for help. I didn't think this was what she had in mind, but I knew I didn't have any other options.
Keeping my breathing even and my chin high, I opened the door to my room and stepped into the hallway.
The guards flanking either side of my door glanced at me, but didn't break their positions of attention. I paused in front of them. "Excuse me. Do you know where I could find the prince?"
One of the guards turned to face me. "He's likely in his study. I can take you there if you like, my Lady."
"Thank you," I said.
Silently, I followed the guard down the long hall and down a flight of stairs. We passed a formal dining room and several closed doors before turning down a few more hallways. I was grateful for the guide through the maze that was the Winter Palace. The castle was a labyrinth of hallways and ballrooms and dining halls. Too many of them looked the same to me to ever find my way around on my own without a map.
Finally, we stopped in front of an unassuming door with a brass doorknob. The guard knocked.
Rustling on the other side of the door let me know that the guard's guess as to Tristan's whereabouts was likely correct. The door swung open and Tristan's face appeared. His hair hung loose around his face in unkempt strands and his eyes looked tired. I'd never seen him so weary before.
My brow furrowed in concern and I forgot for a moment why I was here. All I wanted to do was help Tristan. A sharp pain on my side quickly tore me away from my worry for him and I winced.
The weariness in his expression melted away as his eyes widened and he moved toward me. "What's wrong?"
Wrapping his arm around me, Tristan guided me into his study and closed the door behind us. He didn't let me explain before he tore the robe off of me. Then he laughed.
I frowned. That wasn't the reaction I hoped for. Glancing down at my arm I noticed that the pain had come from the metal spreading under my arm and down my side. I looked back up at Tristan. "It's not funny. It keeps getting worse."
"I can fix it for you if you like," he said, extending a hand toward me.
I flinched, and backed away. "It's the first trial. I don't think I should have you do it for me."
He lowered his hand. "As you wish."
The cold metal pinched the skin on my neck and another surge of panic shot through me. What if it covered my face? I wouldn't be able to breathe. Could this material kill me? Eyes pleading, I looked at Tristan. "I need help, but don't do it for me. Teach me."
Tristan shrugged. "I can if you like but it would be much faster if I do it for you. You do realize that sometimes it's okay to ask for help. Even Queens need help on occasion."
I shook my head. There had been no instructions, but this was my trial. How would it look if I got kicked out after the first one?
"Well, you're going to have to use Winter magic. That's sea silver. It responds to heat. The more you move and the more your emotions flair, the worse it’s going to get. You need cold to make it stop."
I didn't wait for any more instructions. I was in the Winter Court and I knew outside had to be colder than it was in here. I took off at a run down the hall and back the way the guard had taken me. Every step I took made my heart pound harder and with each step, the sea silver crept closer to my mouth, wrapping its way around my neck.
My throat felt tight and I wasn't sure if breathing was getting more difficult for real or if my fear was causing me to feel the constriction in my airway. Either way, I had to get to an exit.
I turned and found myself in a dead end. A hallway that went to nowhere. How was I supposed to find the exterior doors in this maze of a castle?
"Cassia," Tristan called. "Are you sure you don't need help?"
The sea silver was climbing up my chin. I touched my fingertips to it and realized it was going to be over my mouth before I could get outside. Asking Tristan for help might cost me the trial, but if I didn't get help, I might lose my life.
"Cassia?" Tristan called again.
I couldn't see him, but I turned toward the sound of his voice. "Tristan. I need help. Please make it stop."
I gasped one last breath as the cold metal slithered over my lower lip, knowing I was running out of time. "Tristan!"
Tristan turned the corner and rushed to my side. Gently he touched his fingers to the layer of silver that was covering my lips and the burning cold of the metal stung as if it were on fire beneath his touch.
He dragged his fingers down my chin, over my neck, and along my shoulder, leaving a stinging trail of sparks in his wake. A moment later, the metal began to recede and I took a deep breath as relief rushed through me.
Tristan dragged his fingertips down my arm and encircled my wrist with his large hand, making me feel frail by comparison. The
circle of sea silver slipped off of my wrist and landed with a ping on the floor.
My lower lip trembled as I stared at the object I'd thought of as harmless. I'd failed my first trial. How had I managed to mess things up so much in such a short time?
"I take it there's no such thing as sea silver in the human world?" Tristan asked.
I shook my head. "What am I going to do now?"
"You'll recount your experience and send the letter to the priests," Tristan said. "It's out of your hands. They make the final decision."
"Would it have worked if I made it outside in time?" I asked.
"No," Tristan said. "It has to be broken with internal cold. The kind of cold that only comes from magic. You weren't meant to pass this trial."
My stomach twisted into knots. "What do you mean?"
"Only a Winter Fae could have passed this trial," he said.
"Do you think they were trying to get rid of me?" I asked, not really wanting the answer.
"It's possible," he said. "Though I think it's unlikely that the priests would care enough to get that creative with their trial. If they want you gone, they'll call you back to the Autumn Court and let the other candidates take care of you for them."
I swallowed, not liking the sound of that. "So now I write a letter and wait?"
He nodded, then winked. "Why don't you let someone else escort you to your room, though? I hate to have you wandering these halls for hours."
"Good idea," I said. "And thank you. For saving me."
"You know you're of no use to me if you're dead."
"There's the Tristan I know," I said. "I was worried. For a minute there, I thought you actually cared about me."
Tristan pressed his lips together, but didn't respond. Instead, he turned away from me and looked at his guards. "Take her back to her room."
Chapter Fifteen
Feeling a little guilty for what I'd said to Tristan, I took advantage of his retreat to get away from him quickly. Some days, I wondered why I was so hard on him, but then I remember that he was the one who dragged me here to play a role in whatever game of politics he was currently engaged in.