by Kristie Cook
“Sadie, it’s okay,” I soothed. “You’re okay. That was all Maeve. Not me. Not Brielle. Not you. Shh . . .”
She barely calmed down, her body trembling as I scooped her into my arms and stood, Brielle rising next to me. Just as I was about to launch into the air, Saoirse caught my eye. Damn it.
I didn’t know what to think about her. Or Tor. Or any of it. And again, I didn’t have time to sort through my feelings.
“Just go,” she called out. “Her power is released from me. I can heal now. Go!”
I nodded, swallowed, then launched into the air, holding Sadie’s limp body close to my chest.
“Any idea where we are?” Brielle asked in my mind, our twin bond returned, as she followed me into the air.
While fighting Maeve, I hadn’t really paid attention to the landscape, so I circled the area. A snowy field surrounded by forest on all but one side, where a mountain rose. A little ways in the distance I could see the deep chasm between this mountain and the next, and I knew exactly where we were. I’d stared out the window at that ravine with the beautiful waterfalls for weeks, possibly months.
“This way to the Winter Court castle. Let’s get our parents!” With strong flaps of my wings, I soared toward the palace.
“Elli, our parents aren’t there.”
“Maeve said—Fuck. Maeve lied.” Though I supposed she hadn’t technically lied. She’d said my family was there, and, indeed, Brielle had been. “So where are they?”
“They’re in our own world, not at all in Faery. And Elli, they’re in danger. Charleigh . . . Charleigh is, too, and Skylar . . . Everyone is in trouble.”
I glanced down at Sadie, glad she’d passed out. I hated bringing her to our dangerous realm, but I couldn’t leave her here, either. Not when I wasn’t sure if anybody could be trusted. Fucking fae. I’d have to bring her with us. At least we could be together. She would keep me balanced, and I would . . . Well, I didn’t know what I had to offer her, but we were mates, so some greater mind must have seen something there.
“This way still. I know how to get home.” Sort of. I did know that just a ways beyond the castle—not far now that we could fly—was the Circle of Knowing.
Home. I was finally going home. I had my girl. I was reunited with my twin. Soon we’d be with our parents. Not long ago, I thought I might not see any of them ever again. I knew we had a lot of danger to still face—not the least of which was the Shadow king because even though Tor might have released me, I was pretty sure Caellach wouldn’t. But for now, maybe I could disappear from his reaches again, long enough for Tor to do whatever it was he had planned to get us both out of the deal. In the meantime, I knew that as long as Sadie and I were together, we could face any challenge that came our way. Because love always wins.
“Wait,” Brielle said, slowing as she gazed down at the ground.
A crowd of fae was gathered below, mounted on various creatures, not far from the castle, which we’d already passed, off to our left. My heart stuttered when I thought at first that it was the Winter Court army below—after all, I had no idea where Maeve’s brother, the Winter king, had been throughout all of this. But then I realized it was Tor and the rest of the Skaelach. He was directing some of his troops to head back toward the battlefield, and a handful in the opposite direction, toward the stones, the Circle of Knowing. Shit. Had he changed his mind about releasing me? He must have realized he’d been tricked by Maeve.
At that moment, Tor glanced up at the sky, spotting us.
“Go!” I mentally shouted at Brielle as I continued forward, picking up speed.
I glanced over my shoulder, watching as Brielle followed, though not flying as fast as I wished she would. Tor’s beast took off in a gallop, much faster than Moonbutt had been, managing to keep up with us although he stayed on the ground, which I found odd, but whatever. Maybe he was letting us go without it appearing so? I didn’t know. I didn’t care. I just wanted to reach those damned stones and go home.
“Come on, Brielle,” I urged. “Hurry!”
We flew over the forest, the trees slowing Tor down, though only slightly. Good. It was enough that now we could beat him to the Circle of Knowing and figure out how to use the stones to go home before he tried to stop us.
Not grasping my sense of urgency, Brielle slowed even more.
“Brie, what are you doing? We’re almost there!” In fact, I thought I could see the ridge from here, tiny objects floating above it.
“I . . . I can’t, Elli.” She felt farther away, and I whirled in the air, staring at her as she beat her dark wings slowly, hovering in place. Her brows pinched together as she looked at me with bewilderment.
“What do you mean you can’t?” I demanded out loud, but I noticed what I hadn’t before—how bruised and bloody she still was. She should have fully healed by now, but she looked tired and weak. “Are you okay?”
“I . . . I don’t know.” She looked down at the ground, her gaze coming to rest directly below us. Tor had caught up again, staring up at us from a clearing in the woods. Brielle tilted her head, and when she lifted her eyes back to me, some kind of realization dawned in their brown depths. “I have to stay here.”
“What are you talking about? We have to get home, Brie! You just said our parents need us. Charleigh and everyone else!”
“I know, but—” She started dropping downward.
“But what? Let’s get the hell out of here!” I spun away, toward the mountain, toward the floating stones with their purple glow. I knew for sure those were them. So close. We were so fucking close.
“He’ll help us,” Brie said.
“I doubt that,” I muttered, turning back toward her. “We don’t need him, though. Stop being a pain, and let’s go.”
She landed in the snow only feet from Tor, studying him for a long moment before looking up at me, a new expression in her face that I couldn’t place. “I really can’t, Elli. I have to stay with Toridhan.”
Wait. What? How did she even know him or his name? I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was for her to become wrapped up with the Shadows. Yes, I still had my own problems with them I’d have to figure out at some point. And I supposed Sadie probably did, too. I’d made the deal with King Caellach to save Brielle in the first place, though. I’d be damned if she fell into his sights again.
“No, you don’t. Our parents need us. Our family does. And I won’t leave you again. Until the end, Brielle.”
“Until the end.” Brielle nodded. “But I do have to stay here,” she said firmly, glancing again at Tor, then back up at me. “I made a deal.”
Epilogue
I sat by the window in Sadie’s room back at the Court of Souls, staring out it but seeing nothing. I wouldn’t let Brielle come here on her own. I hadn’t decided yet if I could trust Tor or not—especially when he’d never bothered to tell me about his deal with my twin. That he even knew my twin. Two days later and I still fumed about that.
He said that was between him and her, but she would tell me if she wanted to. She still hadn’t explained, although she’d only been awake for a few hours since we’d returned, exhaustion overcoming her when we arrived. We didn’t normally need so much time for our cells to regenerate, so I figured I could give her a little bit longer and let her eat breakfast and bathe before pouncing on her. I just hoped she was all right.
What kind of deal she’d made—and when—had been niggling at me so hard, I could barely sleep myself. That and the fact that Sadie still hadn’t truly awoken. Tor’s healers had been coming in every few hours to work on her. When she did arouse some, she’d thrash in her bed, see me and grow hysterical, then pass out again. Maeve had really done a number on her.
I hoped I’d done the same to Maeve. We still didn’t know if I’d killed her or not. Tor said it was smart to come back here with him, where we’d all be safer from whatever ramifications came about. Whether Maeve died or not, I could be tried for attempted assassination at best. She was hi
gh court royalty, after all. I didn’t know if self-defense was a mitigating factor here in Faery.
Of course, one ramification was inevitable, already brewing for years and now coming to a head: war.
I was sure now that was what I’d seen in the mirrors—a war of all the factions tearing our worlds apart. Destroying them both once and for all.
“Elli?” Sadie’s voice was barely a whisper, but I sprang from the chair and crossed the room to the bed. She looked up at me with those electric blues, clearer than I’d seen them in days. Sunken, but clear. Her usually light golden skin was so pale, it was practically translucent.
When she didn’t freak out upon seeing me, I gingerly sat on the edge of the bed next to her and took her hand between mine. “How are you feeling?”
“Um . . . weak. Thirsty.” I reached over to the bedside table for the glass of water and held it to her lips. She smiled after swallowing. “Thank you.”
“I’d do anything for you, Sadie.” I brushed away a lock of blond hair matted to her forehead. “I was so worried about you.”
She smiled thinly. “Fighting a Knight twin—I give it one star. Do not recommend.”
My own mouth curved upward. “I’m pretty sure Brielle felt the same about fighting an elf princess. She’s slept for days and awoke with a killer headache.”
“She’s okay?” I nodded, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re okay?”
“I am if you are.”
Now she nodded. “I think I will be. I love you, my dark angel.”
“I love you, too, my warrior princess.”
Her smile broadened as her eyes drifted closed, and her hand in mine went limp. I thought she’d gone back to sleep, but then her eyes popped open, wide and full of fear as she stared at me. Then she began screaming. “Don’t make me do this, Elli! Please! No!”
I jumped away from the bed, hands in the air, but then she fell silent, completely unconscious again. Tears stung my eyes as I watched her, my heart breaking for her pain.
“Elliana?” Tor stood in the doorway. “We need to talk.”
I rolled my shoulders, blinking away the tears, then turned and strode out after him. “Are you finally going to share details with me?”
“Did Brielle?”
I scowled. “No.”
“Then I will wait for her on that matter.” He led me to his study, closing the door behind us.
“And other matters?”
“Maeve is not dead.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t what I’d expected to hear at this moment. I didn’t know what to make of it.
“But she appears to be psychologically . . . broken.”
“Broken?”
“Her mind is, yes.”
My brows pinched. “You think Sadie . . . ? But she was already a mess herself.”
Sitting behind his desk, he leaned forward, templing his long fingers on the wood surface. “I think it’s possible you could have a touch of your mate’s magic. Or it’s possible Sadie had already tried before we even arrived on the scene. From what Saoirse has reported, Maeve was especially . . . neurotic the other night.”
“That’s an understatement,” I muttered. “By the way, how did you arrive on the scene? How did you even know where to go?”
He slid his hand under the lapel of his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. “I found this in Sadie’s room.”
When he held it out, I stared at it for a moment before taking it.
Sadie, we’re leaving. Tor is setting us up. Meet me at the Mistwood outpost. ~ E
“I didn’t write this,” I said, looking him in the eye as I did. “I swear.”
He nodded. “I know. I figured you had been fished out of the Court of Souls in some other way, possibly with a promise of where to find your parents. The information I had just been about to share with you was to tell you they were at Winter Court.”
“So you just went straight there.”
He nodded.
“But they weren’t there.”
He shook his head. “No. They’d thoroughly set up all of us.”
I tilted my head. “Why were you so interested in saving my parents? Or was this an excuse to attack Winter Court?”
“I attacked Winter Court because Maeve took my sister,” he growled, his eyes flashing. “I initially went to see if I could negotiate the release of your family.”
“But why?”
“Because that’s what we do for those we love. Their family becomes our family.”
I pondered this and wondered if he’d say the same thing if the elves turned on the Shadows. Would he consider Sadie’s other family his? It seemed too many politics was involved in that, which made me not fully trust that answer. But I let it go. And completely ignored the statement about those he loved. I could not at all go there right now.
“How is Brielle?” he asked, though I sensed in his voice that he already knew. He hadn’t wandered too far from her room until she’d awoken earlier today.
“I don’t know. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“I imagine you do. Just know that I will keep her safe. I will keep all of you safe to the best of my ability.”
My eyes narrowed as I heard the “but” in his tone. “Except . . . ?”
He sighed, averting his eyes to stare at his folded hands. “Except that Maeve managed to send word to the Court of Shadows about both Saoirse and Sadie.”
I gasped as my stomach clenched, feeling like I’d been punched.
“Your father knows about them,” I breathed as the horror washed fully over me.
“Indeed, he does,” Tor said quietly.
I could barely see as I stumbled out of the room, my mind whirling over this news. What were we going to do? How I could save Sadie from the Shadow king?
I’d brought this on her. If it weren’t for me, Maeve would have never paid her any attention. Instead, my love for Sadie was the spark of a new war between Winter Court and the elves. Who else would be drawn in? Likely the Shadows, though on which side would remain to be seen. Though who would lead the Shadows in the near future might remain to be seen as well, if Tor was ramping up his plans against his father now.
So much destruction . . . and I couldn’t help but feel responsible for it.
As I started for Sadie’s room, I passed the open doors to one of the balconies and saw Brielle standing out there, a mug in her hand as she leaned against the balustrade.
“It’s so much prettier here than I expected it to be,” she said, sensing my presence.
I walked out to join her. “What did you expect?”
She shrugged as she turned toward me, my mirror reflection. “Darkness. Lots of shadows.” She chuckled. “I know. Sounds cliché.”
“Well, you’d be right, in the rest of the Shadow Lands, anyway. The Court of Souls is definitely different.”
“You’ve been . . . you’ve been to the Court of Shadows?”
I nodded. “And I will do everything possible to keep you out of there.”
Not that I was doing a good job so far. She was closer than ever to the Shadow king. If he learned about Brielle being here like he had Sadie and Saoirse . . . I swallowed the lump in my throat, blinking as I realized Brielle had said something.
“Come on. Tell me all of it. Because I’m still really pissed at you for going back to Misery’s Edge that night,” she said.
More guilt pierced my heart. Where would we both be if I hadn’t snuck away from her to try to save Dani? Definitely not here. Of course, then I wouldn’t have found Sadie again. On the flip side to that, Sadie might not be a broken mess at the moment . . .
“Elli! Tell me your story!” Brielle took my hand, leading me over to the seating area.
We settled in, and I told her the truncated version of everything that had happened since I left her in that camp back in our own world. She listened intently, and I could see her mentally taking notes for topics we’d discuss later. There was so much to discuss. Bu
t I wasn’t sure what she remembered yet, and I didn’t want to push that topic at the moment. It took so long that by the time I finished, we were starving and went on the hunt for food. I wanted to take her to our favorite café on the plaza, but I also didn’t want to wander that far from Sadie. So we found some snacks in the kitchen and returned to the balcony overlooking the plaza and all of the evening hustle and bustle.
“I guess I’m not surprised about the Court of Souls being so beautiful,” Brielle said as we stood at the railing again. “Not if it was created by Toridhan.”
“So how exactly do you know him? When and how did you make a deal with him? And where are our parents?”
She sighed. “That’s a long story, too. All of it.”
“So? It’s your turn now.”
“I guess it is.” We went back to the chairs, poured ourselves some faerie wine, and settled in again. “I suppose it begins at Shadow Vault Citadel and when you and I died in the Pits.”
My stomach sank, forming its own pit. I hated that she’d remembered our time there. Our deaths. I hated that she’d been there in the first place. Another thing I felt responsible for.
There was no denying it—I was a danger to the people I loved. Maybe it was time to start rethinking my role in their lives. Perhaps they really would be better off without me. For a moment, I had a glimpse of understanding of Dorian and why he stayed away from us. Perhaps he truly did care but knew he would only hurt us. My brother and I might have more in common than I ever thought. Something to keep in mind as I made my future plans to keep Sadie, Brielle, and the rest of the people I loved safe.
“No, actually, before then,” Brielle continued, bringing my attention back to the present. “I’d met Tor sometime before then, and I knew immediately.”
“Knew what immediately?”
“That it was safe to make a deal with him. I’ll tell you all of it, starting from the beginning. And then, when I’m done, we have to figure out how to kill our brother. He has our parents.”
Glossary & Cast