They had arrived at the court of the seelie fae.
Chapter Nineteen
Memory picked a thorn from the back of her hand as she took in the landscape before her.
Neatly shaped trees of silver and gold were spotted in careful arrangements across a smooth, level ground, entirely paved in polished gold-streaked marble as far as Memory could see. The trees held no leaves, only blossoms studded along the bare branches. The flowers ranged from lilies to roses, all crystalline and glittering. Everything was too vivid, and the scent drifting down from the blossoms too strong, unnatural. A sprite zoomed through some of the branches, which tinkled and sang in its wake as it vanished again.
Up ahead, a palace loomed. A confection of milky quartz and twisting silver created a series of pointed dome shapes and towers which combined into a massive structure, reaching higher into the sky than Memory could see.
Although she couldn’t see a sun in the mauve tinted sky, everything shone brightly, casting flares of light off every surface. Memory shaded her eyes with a hand. “I guess there’s a reason they call this the Summer Court.”
Shonae was squinting, her eyes barely open. She hunched, cowering away from the light. “I will wait for you here,” she said. “I cannot go any further.”
Memory could see the fear held in her black eyes and hear it in the break of her voice. Even if Shonae had been allowed into the seelie court, she was terrified, and with good reason. Shonae had brought an interloper smelling of iron into her opposing realm.
“Stay safe. I’ll be back soon,” Memory promised, and began her march to the palace.
The paved ground felt slick under Memory’s boots, and the warmth of light around her dried the cuts on her skin, making them pucker and sting.
She kept a close eye on her surroundings, worried a troop of seelie soldiers would rush out and capture her. The trees she walked by really did seem not just silver and gold colored, but actually made of silver and gold. Just one branch would have been enough to retire on in the other world. But she knew enough now to know not to touch them. More than anything, the precious trees made her sad. There was nothing real here, nothing alive. No wonder the fae were so keen to trick the humans of Avall into sharing their land.
Memory reached the wavy glass walls of the palace and found the gate, formed from what looked like a single slice of a massive geode. It was open and she walked through into the grounds and there she started to see some life.
A range of seelie fae spotted the bright courtyard. Sprites, dryads, a couple of gnomes- Memory was starting to know the different types by name. She thought she even spotted what looked like a small horse shaped creature with a long curved horn on its forehead.
UNICORN! Memory gave herself a mental high five.
All the creatures kept their distance, watching her warily. Some even turned to flee, shocked by her presence. Memory watched them warily in return. They were all beautiful in her eyes, but she couldn’t help wondering now what they really meant.
The courtyard itself was also beautiful, filled with a forest of columns that opened at their tops into more artificial trees. The sweet sound of running water and birdsong filled the space, and Memory saw the pristine fountains and caged earth birds those sounds came from. Small staircases and raised pathways disappeared in all directions around the courtyard, leading up and down and off into tunnels filled with light.
Memory kept on, straight up the largest, main path into the palace. She knew where she had to go, she had to find Aine.
Eloryn had explained that was the way to get Will back. Through the seelie queen, Memory could challenge Mina for ownership of Will.
Memory was glad of that. The palace was huge, and Will might not even be in it. He could be anywhere, but a queen should be in a fairly obvious place.
Memory climbed the steps and headed into the walls of the castle. Crystals in the shape of flowers were set within the ceiling, lit from within and showering down fine sparkles of fairy dust. Silver, gold, and emerald streaks ran in rich veins down the stone walls. The light glittered and danced off those precious trails, and bounced back into her eyes, blinding her slightly.
“Where’s a pair of sunnies when you need them?” Her voice echoed back to her and she shivered. The bravado was lost in the echo and her voice sounded as frightened as she felt.
It struck her that she missed having Shonae at her side. No matter what the faun was, she was company. Now, Memory was truly alone.
Not for long.
Memory’s feet twitched, impatient, the countdown to her friends’ deaths filling them with panic. Walking was too hard. She broke into a jog.
Chambers flashed by, some filled with fae, some empty. Will was nowhere to be seen.
Huge double doors ahead of her were carved in swirling patterns, pulsing with magic that made Memory dizzy. They opened as she approached.
Memory skidded to a stop along the silky floor.
The room she’d reached put any of the ballrooms at Caermaellan to shame. The chamber’s ceiling was so high Memory couldn’t see it, or maybe it had no ceiling, opening up to the bare lilac sky above. But there must have been something there, because chandeliers of diamond dewdrops hung down from impossibly long golden threads. The room spun with pearly colors and iridescent metallic glows, caused by the swirl and dance of the fairy-kind who filled the space. Though no music played, they moved together like an ocean, a surging tide of giggling, glittering bodies.
Memory faced the members of the Seelie Court. They peered back at her and whispers broke out around the room and the waving motion stopped.
Moving slowly, Memory walked in, and the fae separated around her as though she were a ship breaking through sparkling ice.
In the center of the room, on a throne atop a high pillar, sat Aine.
Memory’s pulse thundered and her breathing was too fast. She took a long slow breath and held it, willing herself to be calm, and then approached.
Although Aine’s face was turned to the side, Memory could see the seelie queen’s eyes tracking her as she crossed the floor to stand below the throne. The fairy’s long hair tumbled like living bronze down from her high perch, all the way to the floor, and swished when she shifted position to address Memory. Her gown seemed to be made of the same type of cobwebs Shonae had been collecting, woven into a tight fitting, barely-there slip that dangled around her, the tattered tips ringing with small bells. She was impossibly beautiful.
Memory knew her own hair had been torn loose from its ties and fell in ragged, tangled clumps, and that her coat and plain pants were stained with bloods, unseelie black and human red, and the soot, slime and dirt of her journey.
She steadied her stance and raised her chin to meet the seelie queen’s gaze.
“The human…” Aine let her eyes roam up and down Memory’s appearance, “queen has come into my realm? What an honor this is. What, no gifts for your host?”
“I am sorry for coming unannounced, and the gift I will give you is my quick departure, after I have what I came for.”
The fae around the room gathered closer, all eager to watch how their monarch dealt with the strange new human queen.
Aine’s eyelids drifted closed and opened slowly as though bored. “And tell me, Your Majesty, what have you come for?”
“A fairy from your court has stolen what doesn’t belong to her, and I’ve come to claim him back.”
Aine settled into her throne, arching her back like a cat waking from a long nap. “I know the boy you mean. You speak nonsense. The human has long belonged to Mina. I saw her bring him here myself, long before you walked this world.”
“But I have owned him since before he came to this world.” The words tasted wrong on Memory’s mouth. But she had to say it. The only way to free Will was to claim ownership of him.
A buzz of gossip spread through the assembly of fae.
Aine straightened up into a formal position. “A challenge it is then. Mina? Would you b
ring your pet here?” Aine called sweetly, the grin on her face dripping with venom.
Memory straightened to attention as well. Will was already here, and Mina too, in this room? Her eyes darted through the crowd, trying to spot him. Some movement to her right caught her attention, and the other fae parted to allow Mina to come forward, Will at her side.
Memory bit her tongue to keep her expression neutral and hold back her gasp. Will wore barely any clothing, his skin covered with rich gold paint, smeared in finger-painted patterns across his chest and shoulders. His eyelids were low, hooded, and looked only at Mina with a warmth that made Memory shiver.
Mina flared when she saw Memory, lips curling cruelly.
“Why is she here?” Mina asked. Her wings jittered, sending rainbow colored splashes across the faces of the onlookers.
Memory stared at Will, daring him to look up at her, to see her and remember her. To remember himself. His face was slack and his eyes held no emotion. His mouth hung open slightly, lips glossy and an aching color of red like they had been kissed hard and long.
Memory turned her attention to Mina. “I have come for my possession.”
“Yours?” Mina’s eyebrow raised high. She ran a fingertip up Will’s thigh, smearing the gold paint there. Will’s shoulders rolled with pleasure. “Will is mine. He ate food from my hands and is pledged to me forever.”
“Too bad. He was mine before that, so any claim you have to him doesn’t count.” Seeing Will like this, so vacantly lustful, threw Memory. Her voice trembled and she realized she was close to tears.
Lock it down, girl.
Aine sounded greatly amused when she said, “If he is yours, it will be proved.”
“I have proof.” Memory began to speak, telling the court of the time that she and Will had shared in the other world, how she had saved his life and the promise he had made to her that day.
“Will owes me a life-debt, he is mine until I release him. I have proof Will promised to be mine—forever.”
Memory walked close to Will and lifted his arm. It was heavy and warm and he barely reacted to her touch. Memory held his arm high, to show his wrist and the tattoo that was on it to the crowd around them, putting her wrist and matching tattoo beside it.
The gossip and murmuring in the crowd quietened.
“A story and a marking. That means nothing,” Mina scoffed. She wiped her finger across Will’s lips, the paint she’d smeared off his thigh leaving them tinted gold. Then she swiped cross-hatched scratches along Will’s chest. “I have marked the boy too.”
Mina turned, her eyes daring Memory to respond. Memory almost responded with her fist.
Mina leaned back, purring softly as she nuzzled into Will’s chest. He brought his arms up around her, spreading his palms on her belly and dipping his face to her neck. “I think everyone here can see that this boy is mine.”
He. Is. Not. Yours! Memory screamed inside herself, but she knew she had run out of ideas.
“Will? Will, look at me. Please just look at me!” Memory yelled, starting to panic.
He lifted his eyes lazily, barely passing them over her before burying his head back into Mina’s fiery hair. Those eyes were cobalt blue, deep and rich and dark.
Memory blinked. Her lips curled. “You think you own him? You don’t even know what color his eyes are. Will’s eyes flash bright, like lightning in a snow storm.” Memory backed away from the man. “I don’t know who this is, but it isn’t my Will.”
Mina reared back, fairy dust shooting like sparks from her skin.
The fairy queen clapped slowly. “How entertaining! Seems you do own the boy, human queen.”
The glamour dropped like a curtain. Will, the imposter Will, vanished.
Memory looked around desperately. “It was a test? Where is he? Where is Will?”
Aine flicked a limp wrist toward the nearby wall, and there, Memory saw a cage that wasn’t there before. Or more like a box, with thick silver walls checkered with small clover-shaped holes. Those walls clattered and shook as though something struck them.
“Will?” Memory tried to push through but Mina blocked her way.
“Don’t even,” Memory spat. In a swift movement, Memory clutched a fistful of the sprite’s hair in one hand, yanking her down as she kicked out her feet from under her.
The seelie queen shrieked with laughter, clapping her hands faster.
Mina crumpled, her wings flashing and fluttering as she hit the floor and stayed there. When she looked up her face was devoid of expression but there was still rage in her voice. “You take him from me and you will pay!”
“Mina! Your ploy didn’t work. You’ve lost your pet. Let them free,” Aine said sharply. “We honor our laws, here.”
Mina argued back, but Memory wasn’t listening anymore. She ran to the cage as it thudded again from inside.
“Open it!” Memory screamed.
No longer amused by the proceedings, Aine’s voice was hard and deep, barely human. “Take him and go.”
The cage opened, and Will was there, his bloodied fists still pressed against the wall.
Memory reached in for him, and he growled at her touch. His shirt was shredded down the front, hanging in strips off his arms and shoulders. His eyes, the brilliant blue she knew so well, flickered and roamed, not settling on her.
“It’s me, Will. It’s Mem. Can’t you see me?”
He winced, shaking his head, gaze still not focused. “Mem?”
“Come on. You’re free.” Memory reached again for his hand, and took it in hers. His hand shook as she helped him up and out of the tight, dark space, and then tightened around hers.
“What have you done to him?” Memory yelled at Mina, who skulked below Aine’s throne.
Mina hissed, and with a flick of her chin, vanished away.
Memory turned to Aine for answers.
The look on the seelie queen’s face said she would get none. “I said take him and GO!”
The roar was so loud the floor shook beneath Memory.
Memory squeezed Will’s hand and he followed her blindly as she led him through the silent crowd of fae around them.
No matter what, I have him again. Memory’s heartbeat accelerated in relief but she dared not show it, or allow the smile that was tugging at her mouth to crease her face. She was seriously outnumbered and things could change at the queen’s whim.
Just as Memory and Will reached the doorway, a deep voice spoke softly. “Water from the well down the stairs in the courtyard will clear his eyes.”
Memory looked and saw Lugh standing before her; Aine’s human consort, said to have been with her for decades, maybe centuries. He was like a golden god of a man, strong, tall, with shimmering silver-blonde hair. His expression seemed almost bored, but his eyes glittered with sadness.
Memory stopped and looked up at him, her heart swallowing itself. “What about… what about you? Is there anything I can do?”
Lugh looked as though he could laugh, but his smile quickly became small and sad. “Child, strange as it may seem, I am here of my own choice. But thank you, and good luck.”
“Thank you,” Will said.
Out through the doors, Memory wanted to run. It was only Will’s blindness that kept her pace slow and steady down the long glimmering corridor and out into the courtyard.
Across to her side, Memory could see a wide section of steps leading down into the earth in a V-shape, starting wide and becoming narrower as they descended.
“This better not be like the briar path again,” she grumbled, and supported Will as she took him carefully a step at a time.
He said nothing, just let her guide him. The warmth of his chest leaning on Memory made her feel safe and sad at the same time.
Memory recognized the pants he wore as the same he had on when Mina stole him, but they were tattered and torn, worse than her own clothes. In a fit of self-consciousness, she suddenly remembered what she looked like, and what Will would see when his e
yes worked again.
He won’t care if I’m a mess. It’s one of the reasons I love him.
The steps were level and smooth, as were the walls beside them. Fist-sized gems of brilliant aqua, set into the walls, cast a fresh light into the stairwell as they reached a depth the brightness of the world above didn’t touch. There was no roof, just a cut in the earth that seemed to go forever, deeper and deeper into the earth.
Just when the sky above was nothing more than a thin ribbon, they finally reached the bottom. A small pool opened up before them, glowing with the same aqua light as the gemstones. Memory dipped her hands in to scoop up some water, and the scratches on her fingers washed away as though they were nothing but splashes of paint. She was desperate to wash her face in the magical pool, but reached her hands up to Will first.
“Tip your face back,” Memory said softly. “And maybe duck down a bit. You’re a freaking giant you know.”
Will did as instructed, kneeling down and turning his face up to the sky, and Memory dripped the water into his eyes.
He blinked three times fast, then one slow, then looked straight up into Memory’s eyes.
“You’re okay?” Memory’s voice was barely a breath.
“You saved me.” He looked at her with wonder. “I owe you all over again.”
Will got to his feet and reached for her.
Memory frowned, stepping away. There wasn’t much space, and her back hit the wall.
“You owe me nothing. Will, you are free, of Mina, and of me. I release you of any ownership or any debt. You don’t belong to me, or anyone, not ever again.”
The wavering light from the water lit aqua lines across Will’s face as his expression changed through shock, relief, confusion, and sadness.
He looked down at his bare feet. “Don’t you want… can I still be by your side?”
Memory drew a trembling breath. She felt all of her seventeen years old, staring up at the most beautiful boy in the world. “I do. I mean, if it’s what you want. Not for anything you feel you owe me. Only if you want to. Only if you want… me.”
Memory's Wake Omnibus: The Complete Illustrated YA Fantasy Series Page 68