by Nissa Leder
“What did I miss?” Poppy opened the door and entered.
After she was inside and the door was shut, Cade told her what the Fates told him.
“Do I tell Nevina?” Cade asked her.
He’d trusted her the day before, but as she tortured Laik, he’d realized she’d never listen to him. She’d been a queen too long and wouldn’t take someone as new or as young as Cade seriously. He was a pawn in her chess game, there to do the dirty work with his head under the guillotine should they get caught.
“She might already know,” Poppy said. “Would she tell you?”
“No. She would want the power for herself.”
The only person Cade could trust was Poppy. They’d search for the power themselves. But how did they find this other realm the Fates spoke of?
Chapter Fourteen
Back in the Unseelie Court, Kaelem reclined his chair as he caught up on his favorite soap opera. Distracting himself with silly mortal drama was just what he needed.
Just as he finished an episode, Lola entered the room. “A letter arrived for you.” She handed him a folded piece of paper.
When he opened it, he recognized his sister’s writing. Scarlett wouldn’t like what it said.
He considered keeping it to himself, but he’d been rebuilding Scarlett’s trust and he didn’t want to ruin the progress.
Kaelem found her in her room, reading a book.
As she read the note, tears pooled in her eyes. “She doesn’t want to come back? Doesn’t she realize how dangerous it is?”
“Aria will keep her safe,” Kaelem said.
“But Ashleigh is my sister! I should be the one keeping her safe.” Scarlett’s hands covered her face as she cried.
Kaelem felt like an ass, but he reached his mind out to find Scarlett’s shields down.
Fragments of the last few days flashed in her thoughts. Lust as Kaelem touched her at the ball. Hiding in a crammed area as she heard someone scream. Fear at Nevina’s voice. Healing a passed out Laik. Satisfaction as she pulled away from a naked Kaelem.
He held back a grin at the last part.
Without thinking, he placed his hand on Scarlett’s back. “Aria is tough. She’ll keep her safe for now. You need to focus on keeping her safe long term.”
Kaelem thought back to the meeting he took with Genevieve before leaving the Seelie Court.
“Looking lovely as ever.” Kaelem sat across from the Seelie Queen in the large sitting room.
“And you’re as smooth as ever,” she replied, her legs crossed and hands folded in her lap. “I wanted to personally thank you for attending the celebration.”
“There’s no need. I’m honored to be here.” Kaelem lifted his foot and rested his ankle on his knee.
Genevieve sipped a glass of tea. Always the essence of calm. Kaelem had only seen her lose her serene façade once. Unlike the Winter Queen who wore her coolness like a shield, the Seelie Queen appeared even and ever-cordial.
Until someone crossed her—like Kaelem’s father.
Her retaliation was always sly. She lacked the morbidity of most fae rulers, but was the most cunning of them all.
“How was your night with your date?” she asked.
“Interesting,” Kaelem replied. “I hope it isn’t envy I sense.”
“I suppose that would be an interesting plot twist. A Seelie Queen in love with an Unseelie King.” She pursed her lips in a sly grin. “Scarlett does seem interesting. Do I sense something deeper between the two of you?”
So many questions from the Seelie Queen. She wasn’t normally one to partake in small talk. This was the first time she’d called him to speak privately since the first celebration he’d attended as Unseelie King.
“You know me.” Kaelem shrugged. “Superficial to the core.”
“Enough pleasantry. We have more pressing issues, don’t we?” The Seelie Queen straightened her back. “I’ve been through one major fae war and it looks like another is coming.”
A quick subject change. “The Fates are sure making their way around, aren’t they?”
“It seems that way,” Genevieve said. “The Seelie court will protect itself above all, and demolish anyone who might try to bring us down.”
“Is that a threat?”
“No—a promise.”
Kaelem needed the power Laik spoke of, and he needed Scarlett to get it. Now more than ever, he was sure Scarlett was what the Fates had spoken of in their first prophecy to him.
He wanted Scarlett, but he couldn’t let his desire prevent him from protecting his court. The stronger he was, the better he’d be able to protect her, too.
Something in the Seelie Queen’s fascination with Scarlett as Kaelem’s date frightened him. Genevieve would use Scarlett against him if she could. Feelings were dangerous. Kaelem should have learned that lesson already.
Anger and fear trickled from Scarlett as her head remained buried in her hands. She’d grown stronger the more Kaelem worked with her, but whenever she got emotional, all her shields fell.
Kaelem stood awkwardly next to her, unsure to let her be or to try to comfort her more. He sat next to her and placed his hand on her back.
A few moments later, they were interrupted by Raith and Sage’s return to the Unseelie Court.
Kaelem sensed jealousy as Raith entered the room and saw his hand on Scarlett. And he sensed relief when Scarlett peered up with tear-filled eyes and met Raith’s gaze.
Kaelem swallowed the envy rising up his throat like vomit. He was Unseelie King and should be jealous of no one.
Raith’s affection for Scarlett could be used for Kaelem’s favor. Raith would help Scarlett and Sage would likely help Raith.
Kaelem wasn’t the only one who wanted the power for his court. The best chance to find it would be with help and the best way to get help was to pretend he wanted someone else to take it. Someone who had people to support her.
Scarlett.
Chapter Fifteen
Scarlett lifted her head from her hands to see Raith staring at her, his face full of concern. She pulled away from Kaelem’s touch and ran into Raith’s hug.
She should have felt his presence near, but she was too overwhelmed by Aria’s letter.
“You’re back!” Scarlett wrapped her arms around Raith and rested her head on his chest.
When she stepped back, she saw Kaelem’s solemn expression. They’d grown close. Closer than she’d ever expected. But the game between them was all in good fun. Wasn’t it?
She glanced back at Raith, jealousy booming from the bond between them.
“Did you find the woman who knew your mom?” Scarlett asked.
Raith nodded, his lips curving into a small smile. “Yes.”
“I’m sure Scarlett is excited to hear what you’ve learned,” Kaelem said. “Why don’t you both settle into your rooms again? I need just a moment with Scarlett.”
Raith looked at Scarlett, who nodded.
“I’ll find you in a minute,” she said.
After they’d left the room, Kaelem approached Scarlett. He wrapped his hands around her waist and teased her neck with his lips. “I know you feel what I do.”
“I…” Scarlett tried to focus on anything else. He was only doing this because Raith had returned. A tingle spread from where his lips met her skin.
“Don’t worry, darling.” Kaelem stepped back. “We have other things to worry about. For now.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I know what happened in the library. Nevina grows bolder all the time.”
“How?” Scarlett started, but then she stopped. He’d seen inside her head. Of course. He’d warned her to keep him out. She’d improved, but still let her shields slip now and again. “Do you think I should have told the Seelie Queen?”
“You wanted to protect Cade, and telling her would have been the quickest way to get him killed. You care for people more than most fae. More than most humans, actually.”
“And that doesn’t make me weak?
”
“I used to think it did, but you’ve proven me wrong.” Kaelem smirked. “I’m not so stubborn I can’t admit a mistake.”
Scarlett laughed. “The Unseelie King wrong about something? Amazing.”
“Caring for people doesn’t make you weak. But being weak makes it hard to care for people.”
Scarlett thought of her sister. She wanted to protect her from anyone who would harm her, but she still hadn’t mastered her power. And even when she did, she could only do as much as her magic would allow. “What are you saying?”
“We want the same thing—to keep the people we care about safe. If we join forces, we stand a much better chance of finding the power Laik spoke of than if we attempt it solo.”
They’d done well to save Aria from the Winter Queen. What if Nevina found this prophesied power? Or worse, Kassandra? Scarlett would never be safe again.
“And what, if we find it first, I only have to fight you?”
“We can share it. Or maybe I’ll let you have it. If we are allies, I have nothing to fear from you, do I?”
“No, you don’t.”
Would he actually let her take it? Scarlett doubted it. But Kaelem getting the power wouldn’t be the worst option.
“The more people we have, the better our chance,” Scarlett said. “I’ll go with you if Raith can come, too.”
Kaelem paused before answering, “Fine.”
Once again, they were allies. But they needed to find the entrance to this mysterious realm to be able to search for the power it held.
Raith waited impatiently in the room he'd been assigned when he first visited the Unseelie Court after losing the Battle of Heirs.
Now that he was so close to Scarlett, the bond between them blazed strong again. He could sense her proximity. And the level of comfort she had with Kaelem. Raith didn't like it—not one bit.
What had he expected? She'd sit alone in a room, anxiously awaiting his return? No, that wasn't practical. They shared a bond still, but neither was committed to the other, as it should be. But that didn’t make the thought of her with him pleasant.
The door cracked open.
“Can I come in?” Scarlett peeked her head through the opening.
“Of course.”
She told him what had happened to her when she visited the Seelie Court.
“You went there? That’s dangerous. What if the Seelie Queen sensed your Seelie gifts?”
Scarlett’s eyes widened, and Raith sensed her guilt. What had she done?
“I fed off of Kaelem’s emotion to mask my Seelie aura.” Her eyes avoided his.
He wanted to ask how she’d fed, but he didn’t. He already knew the answer.
She continued and explained the prophecy the Seelie advisor had shared.
“And you believe him?” Raith asked.
“Yes. I’m not sure why, but I sensed the truth in his words. And if he isn’t telling the truth, then there won’t be another realm to find.”
“What if that part is true, but the part about the power is a lie?” Raith hated to be an ass who questioned everything, but after learning about his mother and Kassandra’s likely involvement in her death, his suspicious nature grew.
Scarlett hesitated before responding. “Then I guess he’ll have played us as fools, but if there’s a chance I can better protect everyone I care about, I have to take it.”
Raith saw the change in Scarlett. No longer was she a weak human lost to the whims of the fae. She was fae now, and a strong one. The determination in her eyes told him she would be going with or without him.
He’d already left her twice. This time, he’d help her. But he didn’t trust Kaelem, and he knew that Scarlett wouldn’t see the Unseelie King clearly anymore.
“I’ll go with you, but I want Sage to come, too,” Raith said. “She’s the strongest fighter I’ve ever seen and we have no clue what we’ll have to face.”
Jealousy flickered in the bond. Was Scarlett jealous of Raith’s closeness to Sage? She was nothing more than a friend to him. There was no reason for envy.
And she had no room for any such feelings.
“Okay.”
If Raith could gain some of the power for himself, he’d be stronger when he faced Kassandra. She would die for what she’d done to his mother, or he would die trying to kill her.
Cade considered telling his mother what he was about to do, but decided against it. Not only did he not want her trying to talk him out of it, but he also didn’t want her or Nevina following him and taking the power for themselves.
He wanted to believe his mother would never attempt to take something he desired, but deep down, he knew she might.
But, he’d kept his plan to himself, only sharing it with Poppy, and now they would search for the door the Fates spoke of.
At first, Cade thought finding it would be impossible. The first part of their mysterious directions made sense: moon covering the sun equaled eclipse. And, in the mortal realm, today there would be one. But could it be anywhere? The three stars clue was vague at best.
“So, they told you some obscure location and not only do we have to find it, but we have to find it before the eclipse occurs?” Poppy groaned. “Lovely.”
Cade and Poppy sat in his room in the castle, a door in front of them, ready to lead him wherever he’d like to go. It couldn’t be that complicated. Why would the Fates bother giving him a hint if he had no real chance of finding it? They were known for their mystique, not for giving useless information.
Three stars? Cade hadn’t been many places in the mortal realm, so his knowledge was limited. He always found himself drawn to Silver Lake where he first saw Scarlett, full of fear, while he hovered above the graveyard.
And then it hit him. “Of course!”
Poppy lifted her arms, palms up. “Of course, what?”
Relief formed on Cade’s face. “There’s a reason I always found myself going to the same little, seemingly unimportant mortal town.”
Poppy circled her right wrist. “And that is…”
“Silver Lake has this unexplainable energy swimming through it. And right in the middle of the forest where the door leading me there will appear is a tree with three stars carved into its bark.”
Cade flung the small door in his hand to the ground and it grew into a full-sized door. They walked through it and into the Silver Lake Forest.
Trees towered above them, blocking their view of the sky. Cade scanned the area. Were others waiting for this portal to appear?
Poppy wore her fighting leather with daggers strapped to her back. She pulled out one of the daggers and held it in her hand. Cade’s sword remained in its scabbard, but he was ready to draw it if needed.
They were the only ones there. Strange.
The birds chirping throughout the forest grew silent. The temperature dropped, and, though Cade couldn’t see the sun above, he knew the eclipse was happening. The world around him darkened.
He approached the tree, running his fingers over the stars all perfectly vertically lined. Light snuck through the etched stars, illuminating the tree from inside.
Cade stepped back as the inside of the trunk opened, shifting into an archway. When Cade peered through, he didn’t see the other side of the dark Silver Lake forest. Instead, a bright world full of vivid colors appeared through the passage.
“Ready?” Cade asked Poppy as they stared through the door into the green area on the other side. Who knew how long it would remain open?
“Here goes nothing.” Poppy stepped through first and turned back toward Cade. “Coming?”
With a deep breath, he crossed the barrier.
The temperature was even cooler there, and when he shut the door behind himself, it disappeared. A fine mist drizzled in the air around them. Unlike the dry forest they’d come from, the trees now around them were coated in moss. Thick fog permeated ahead.
“Guess there’s no turning back.” Poppy scanned the area around them, slipping th
e dagger back into its holder.
According to the Fates, the power resided in the middle of the island. It was helpful information, except for the fact that Cade had no idea how big or small the island was.
Behind them, the trees weaved together to create an impenetrable wall.
“Let’s hope it’s not that way.” Poppy gestured to the wall.
She moved in the opposite direction, pushing branches aside as she moved through the thick jungle. Cade kept close behind, careful not to get hit with the branches snapping behind her.
Although the realm was cooler, the humidity in the air caused sweat to pool on Cade’s skin. The height and density of the trees closed in around him, sending a jolt of claustrophobia through him.
Even Poppy’s speed slowed as they pressed on.
Suddenly, Poppy froze.
“What’s going on?” Cade asked. But he didn’t need an answer.
Ahead, a tribe of people—fae-like in stature and beauty—blocked their path, spears pointed at them.
Poppy reached for her daggers as Cade drew his sword.
He started to step backward, but when he glanced behind him, he saw that they were trapped.
The pinks and purples and blues of the people’s brightly-colored outfits stood out against the green jungle.
Cade tried to pull the Summer magic from inside himself. They were sorely outnumbered and needed all the help they could get. He had no idea if these people had magic and if so, what type of power they possessed.
But when he searched for the magic inside himself, nothing was there.
Poppy must have realized it, too, because panic covered her face.
“Drop your weapons and we’ll let you live,” a woman said behind them.
Relief spread through Cade. At least they spoke the same language.
As much as he wanted to fight, he knew they stood no chance.
He tossed his sword to the ground.
Poppy chucked her daggers at the feet of the woman who spoke.
Anger radiated through Cade as the tribe tied their hands in front of their bodies and pulled them along with ropes.