by Jarica James
“Dormouse, you mean? He has a name," Jacob reminds him, walking over and making kissing noises at our tiny companion. The fact his snark was this on point this early was a testament to Andras, he’s clearly transforming my bestie into a morning person. Hell must have frozen over. “I packed your food too, little dude. I knew you wouldn’t let her leave you behind.”
“That was my next worry. Thanks, my prince!” I give him a quick kiss on the cheek in appreciation. “Alright men, what’s the plan?” I use my best fierce warrior, queen voice. Sadly, nobody seems impressed.
“What’s with the voice?” Bowen teases and I scowl at him.
“That’s my badass warrior queen voice," I huff at him. He lets out a laugh that says he thinks I’m adorable, not badass.
“Come on, it was an obvious badass, let’s do this kind of voice," Jacob replies with an eye roll.
“Will they ever truly understand us, Jacob?” I ask in a dramatic voice and give a fake melancholy sigh.
“Not likely," Emrick says with a chuckle. “But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“It would be much more boring without them,” Gerwyn agrees. His violet eyes shine with amusement and I can’t help but smile back. We all get along so well and despite our dramatics, they’re really starting to understand our sarcasm and our own brand of crazy. Not only that, but laugh along with it now. What more could I want?
“Let’s head out, we don’t want to get caught in the wilds of Winter after nightfall,” Maddox says, bringing us all back to the task at hand. He starts handing out supplies and bags until we’re all holding gear of some kind and nothing is left behind. Of course I’m given only a backpack, but if I’m trekking through snow, I can’t really complain. Thankfully I’d brought winter boots, I just hope they hold up to the frigid wasteland that I picture the court to be.
Gerwyn jumps into his teacher mode, giving us a rundown of what we might encounter. “It’s not the same as Spring’s layout. Essentially the entire land revolved around the conceited king. There is one village and it is the castle city, though it is quite a bit larger than the other villages you’ve seen so far. Most of what lies on the outside of the castle is the snow-covered lands and the typical border mountains. We honestly don’t need much planning for the journey, since it is essentially a straight walk from the border gates," he explains, looking at each of us, ensuring we understood.
“Won’t that walk be covered in snow now?” Andras inquires. He seems concerned, which makes me wonder just how bad this will be.
“How deep is the snow?” I ask before he can answer.
“It’ll hit your knees at least,” Gerwyn answers sympathetically. “And yes, I expect us to have to forge a path through the untouched snow. Our road out of town to here used to be spelled to repel it, but most charms in Faerie were broken in the war.”
“Great,” I mutter, but try to keep my tone light. I’m not going to get discouraged before we even start, but internally I’m freaking out a little. Becoming fae had given me a few inches, but I’m still short enough that knee to thigh deep snow will be a workout to conquer.
“We’ll be fine, I’ll pull you out of the snow if you disappear,” Jacob teases as he links arms with Andras and walks past me. I flip him off but his sarcasm does the trick, lightening the mood enough for us to start moving.
“You might want to say goodbye to your people,” Bowen says. When I look at him confused, he raises an eyebrow and points behind me. My chest clenches at the sight of a large crowd, all here to see us off.
“Our journey begins, when we come back, half of Faerie will be ours again,” I call out. My voice is full of determination and confidence, a deafening cheer following the statement. We all wave before turning to the bridge and starting across.
The moment we step across the bridge, it’s like a switch is flipped. The temperature drops from high seventies right down to frigid levels. My winter coat isn’t enough to keep the chill out and I pick up my pace in hopes that body heat will help keep me warm enough.
Snow falls as we step further into the lands, wind swirling it in our faces. Dormy scurries off of my shoulder and into my coat, settling inside the warmth.
It takes several minutes for my body to adjust to the temperature change, that or I’m already numb, either way the steps get a bit easier as we head toward the parted trees. They’re the only sign that a road once stood here.
Pine and fir trees block the rest of the land from view. From here I can’t even tell if we have to go through a gate to enter the rest of the lands or if the trees act as that barrier.
Without warning, I stop and press my hand to the ground, wanting to check on the status of the lands. My magic barely graces the surface when I feel an intense anger slam into me. Unlike the strong pain I felt from Spring, this feels… wrong. It’s tainted by something, though I can’t tell what. There are no flashes, but shades of red and shadows fill my vision. They’re way too blurry to make sense of, but I can make out the clash of swords, angry yells, and psychotic babbling.
Well, that’s unsettling.
“Something’s wrong here,” I mutter as I pull back like the ground shocked me. The others all stare at me, waiting for more of an explanation but I’m not even sure how to put it into words. “It's angry. And the visions didn’t make any sense.” Frustration drips from my tone. I hate that we’re going in blind. How can I protect my group if Faerie isn’t going to work with me?
“Faerie?” Maddox asks. He glances around like something is about to jump out at us, but we haven’t exactly run into any dangerous creatures yet. And since no fae could have survived the cursed lands, we’re safe.
Are we though?
The thought surprises me, but I can’t shake the thick, volatile feel of the darkness in the court. Spring was corrupt, but docile, it told its story. Then again, I’ve seen that there’s more to Faerie than meets the eyes and I can’t expect each court to be the same. But this unnerves me in a way I can’t describe.
Can the land fight back? I sure as fuck hope not.
“Earth to Bella,” Jacob urges when I don’t respond to Maddox’s question.
“Yes. It’s strong and doesn’t feel anything like Spring did. I don’t know what’s going on, but be ready for anything.”
“We always are,” Emrick promises. His answer calms my nerves. Having them all on our side is the only thing keeping me from going into a full-blown panic. I’ve got training under my belt, but the violence the connection promised has me freaking out.
Beyond the trees is another stone wall. It rises high above us and a large gate rests in the middle. Just like Allwyn did in Spring, I walk up and place my hand on the door, pushing magic into it until the gate gives way, allowing us to push it open.
“Here we go,” Gerwyn says excitedly, ready to see his home again despite the warnings I just gave him. I couldn’t blame him. The fae had thought they’d never see this land again.
The realm beyond the gates is breathtaking. The fluffy white snow stretches out across the land, glittering in the shining sun. It’s almost blinding but I can’t look away.
The pine trees scattered throughout the snow have layers of powder on their branches, making it downright picturesque. Unlike the snow on Earth, the white powder has an almost iridescent glow to it. There’s an ethereal beauty that I’ve never witnessed before.
My mind can’t make sense of the contrast between the land in front of me and the magic I’d witnessed from its grounds. How can something so beautiful be so terrifying? That uneasiness had settled in my gut and now it won’t loosen its hold, tainting the moment for me.
Marring the beautiful bright lands, is a tall stone castle and military-like compound right in the middle. It looks more like a large prison than a land fit for families and honestly, I’m not even surprised. That fits the images I got from Faerie much more than a beautiful stone castle would have.
“Am I the only one getting Azkaban vibes?” Jacob mutters. I don
’t bother to turn to him but let out a hum of agreement.
“Didn’t someone say that the king of winter had instigated the war?” I ask Gerwyn and Andras. I’ve tried to absorb everything they’ve taught me, but it’s been a huge information overload since we’ve arrived. Hell, even before then.
“I just hope the inside is more inviting than the outside,” I say with a sigh. Though I don’t exactly have high hopes.
The stone structure looks as cold as the frigid air feels, all sharp angles and smooth dark stone. It lacks the ornate beauty and bright colors of the carved stone castle in Spring. They’d made that look like a home and this feels exactly like Jacob joked… a dark prison.
The wind is now whipping through our group so roughly that I have to squint. Even my lungs feel like they’ve frozen over and I can’t tell how far we are from town, but I hope it’s not much further. This is brutal. I take everything I thought about it being beautiful back, this is literal frozen hell.
“We’re in the barrens now, once we pass this and are closer to the walls, it’ll calm,” Gerwyn promises. His voice sounds detached and distant as he screams into the wind, but we hear him nonetheless.
Each step is slow and harsh, but after what feels like hours, the wind dies down to a soft breeze. It’s so abrupt it leaves me reeling, but I’m not about to complain. I haven’t been able to feel my nose for a while.
“What are these?” I gasp as colorful balls of light dance in front of us. They weren't visible when we first walked, but now they’re everywhere, hugging the outskirts of the castle as they flit in the wind. They remind me of glowing fairies, though the center is just a concentrated ball of light.
“Are they ghosts? They’re hardly scary.” Jacob’s laugh is relieved, and I can’t blame him. I thought we would enter the land and find a horde of angry fae spirits, straight from a nightmare. These are simply beautiful little wisps of light.
“They’re unreal," I agree, scanning my eyes over the glowing orbs. My hand starts to drift toward one before Emrick snatches it back and grunts in annoyance at my lack of self-preservation.
Gerwyn gives a shaky sigh. “They’re not the ghosts I warned you about. These are the spirits of the animals who have passed in Faerie. There’s no rhyme or reason to the colors, but they’ve become protectors of the land. They won’t bother you so there’s no need to worry, Emrick. They are rather beautiful,” he says. His voice is almost surprised, like he’s seeing them in a brand new light now. Maybe time away from the court has given him a chance to appreciate the little things he hadn’t realized he’d miss.
“You missed your home, didn’t you?” I ask quietly, giving him a moment to gather himself and trying not to draw the attention of the others. My hand wraps instinctively around his and he smiles softly down at me. There’s a sadness in his eyes, but it’s being quickly replaced by anticipation.
“I never thought I’d see it again. Our king was terrible, sadistic, and selfish, but it was still my home. It had its own beauty and culture, despite his efforts to rule over it and squash anything with real joy. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to see it again," he says reverently, giving me a look of pure awe and adoration. Me being the socially awkward person that I am, just gives a nervous laugh as I wave off his attention. He simply smiles and kisses my cheek, accepting my dorky ways without hesitation.
“Alright, while you guys are being all adorable, I’m freezing my balls off. Can we go now?” Jacob whines. Snorting at his crude comment, I take Gerwyn’s hand and we continue toward the uninviting, castle town. The foreboding feeling in my stomach that the visions gave me still linger and glancing up at the castle they only get worse.
The entire compound looked so small when we first spotted it, but as we approach I can see how wrong I was. The town is huge and looks like it takes up about a fourth of the Court of Winter. With such an unforgiving landscape, I couldn’t blame them for the design. I mean, they could have tried to make it look a bit less cold, but it got the job done and likely kept the danger out.
The stone walls of the town are high, only giving a partial view of the ridiculously large castle. It’s easily twice as large as the one in Spring. The stone is darker, and the spires jut into the cloudy sky in a display that rivals any movie villain’s I’ve ever seen.
“They no longer look like just stone walls," Maddox points out when we’re close enough to see the finer details. After a second glance, I realize he’s right. The walls have windows dotting them and there’s a sloped roof on top to ward off the snow.
“Sorry, I was distracted by Maleficent's castle,” Jacob deadpans.
“He was much worse,” Emrick says darkly, glaring up at the offending castle. I couldn’t blame him for his anger, the man contributed to the downfall of their entire realm.
“Sounds like a real peach,” Jacob sighs. “But now we get to go take over his castle. Poetic justice? I think so.”
“How far to the front gates?” I ask as another sharp wind cuts through my clothes. My body has gone from numb to painful and I’m ready to be inside. I’ll light the whole town on fire if I have to, just to get warm again.
“It’s this way,” Gerwyn offers, though it avoids my actual question of how much longer we had to go. We follow dutifully as he goes into tour guide mode. “The walls are actually homes. The castle stands at the rear of the town obviously; but the walls are made up of one giant stone structure that loops through the castle itself. But that area wasn’t accessible to the people, just the guards. The barracks flanked the castle to prevent any mishaps. The soldiers were just as vicious as their leader, it would have been a suicide mission to try and sneak by.”
“His army couldn't have been that big if they shared the space with the entire population of Winter, right?”
“Quite the opposite. The entire bottom floor to the castle held the rest of the soldiers, those were the higher ranking ones who got a bit more privacy,” he explains. “There was also a smaller guard quarters near the gate.”
“Damn,” I curse as I stumble in a deep patch of snow. Bowen and Gerwyn both catch me, helping me stay upright.
The walk to the gates is more treacherous than we thought. The wind had blown the snow into a huge slope, with a thick layer of ice on top that extended out far enough that we did more sliding than walking. Emrick’s weight crunches right through it, but most of us aren’t heavy enough to do the same. It will be a miracle if I make it without breaking my neck or taking someone down with me, though Bo and Gerwyn are giving keeping me upright a hell of a shot.
After my fifth near-fall and my second scolding of squeaks from Dormy, Emrick takes me from them and picks me up, swinging me effortlessly over his back into a piggyback ride. It’s a big step up from being carried like a small child, so I won’t complain. Now I have the best view of the others’ misery, and I cackle evilly from my perch.
“Look at prince Jacob, Dormy. He’s as graceful as I am," I chuckle as Jacob glares up at me.
“I haven’t fallen down yet, you jerk," he huffs, gripping poor Andras’ arm like his life depends on it. Andras doesn't complain, instead he whispers encouragement and tries to keep both of them balanced. “Emrick, carry me too?” Emrick simply chuckles once and picks up the pace, leaving them all behind. The prospect of being behind the walls and out of the cold is too enticing to protest, though having them out of my sight worries me a bit.
We finally make it to the metal and stone gate. Emrick plops me down on my feet, not letting go until I’m stable. He starts pushing on the gate, and eventually when Andras, Maddox and Bowen pitched in, it opens with a protesting creak and an awful grinding of rusty metal hinges. I wince against the painful sound and move to take a step forward as they cross the threshold, but a roar of magic bursts outward, stopping me in my tracks.
My eyes barely have time to adjust from the blinding wave of magic when Jacob lets out a scream. The horror behind it has me turning, but his eyes are on the gate. It takes a half a se
cond of looking back at our men to notice that they’re no longer moving. Freaking out, I start running toward them but Gerwyn manages to yank me back.
“They’re magically frozen, if you touch them, you will be too. Someone warded the town against intruders,” he says solemnly. “But it feels oddly strong, not faded like a normal remnant of magic that was left over from the war." Gerwyn’s alarmed tone increases my own anxiety and I have to clench my fists to not reach out for my cursed knights. He crouches down a bit and looks around for the source of the spell, eyes scanning the stone and even the metal under their feet.
“How do we unfreeze them?” Jacob demands. He wobbles in his spot like he’s barely holding himself back from running to Andras. Gerwyn notices too, reaching out and clenching his jacket as well.
“Don’t!” He orders, more severe than I’ve ever heard him sound. His command calms my anxiety enough that I’m not hysterical. “Do you want to become an ice statue as well? Because I can’t fucking save them alone.”
“How do we save them?” we both ask at the same time. Jacob’s hand wraps around mine, squeezing almost painfully as he tries to hold himself together.
“We have to find the person responsible, they’re clearly still alive.”
I freeze. “What? How?”
“I thought that was impossible?” Jacob asks.
“It should be,” he confirms darkly. “I doubt someone came back through, and our neutral lands are the only place with viable food and water. I think your bad feelings have some merit. This person can’t have survived off of the land without repercussions.”
“That’s lovely,” I say with a shudder. I’m imagining the worst in my mind, images of demented feral fae running at us on repeat, freaking me out more.
“Magic like this can’t be reversed by anyone else. If they were dead, it would have dissipated by now.” Gerwyn’s words are saying so much more than he said out loud.
“Meaning we have to kill them to save our men?” Jacob confirms my own suspicions.
“Yes,” Gerwyn says quietly. “Because I doubt they’re reasonable.”