by Jocelyn Fox
“All right, now that we have some khal, it’s time to talk seriously,” said Vell. Tess poured her own cup of khal after Calliea. She moved to help Haze with the kettle – it was as tall as he was – but the Glasidhe courteously waved away her attempt to pour for him. He hooked his cup onto a little line as gossamer as a spider’s thread, pushed aside the lid of the kettle and adroitly dipped his thimble-sized mug into the khal. The line and hook disappeared into his miniscule belt pouch. Tess smiled at the ingenuity of the Small Folk – she still had much to learn about the everyday details of life at peace in the Fae world.
Vell looked at the Glasidhe. “Haze, if you would speak to what you know, whenever you’re ready.”
Haze stepped delicately over the lip of the tray, his mug of khal in hand, and bowed to Vell before turning to Tess. “As you wish, my lady. Lady Bearer, while I was running messages for Queen Vell to the Unseelie Court, I happened to overhear some conversations that may be of use to you.”
“Happened to overhear, eh?” Tess raised an eyebrow at Vell. Vell shrugged innocently.
“Yes,” answered Haze seriously. “My cousin is very conspicuous now with his hawk, but most of us can still move about unnoticed.” He took a sip of his khal. “The attempts to heal the Unseelie crown princess are not progressing well.”
“So I’ve gathered.” Tess frowned and took a sip of her khal as well, the fragrant steam caressing her face as she raised the mug to her lips.
“Queen Mab has come to believe that there is a solution to her sister’s madness,” Haze continued in a somber voice. “It is an object that she believes was in Malravenar’s possession, an instrument which he used to twist the minds of his captives and bend them to his will.”
Tess shifted uneasily on her cushion. She might have imagined it, but she thought she felt a strange little tug in her belt pouch, as though the river stone holding a piece of Malravenar’s fractured spirit had jumped at the mention of his name. “Another magical object. Sounds familiar.”
“Our world isn’t like yours, Tess,” Vell said. “My people had many relics and objects of power, and so did both the Courts. They are heirlooms to us, just like beautiful paintings or jewelry are passed down through families in your world.”
“I’ve never heard of a painting that could help control a captive’s mind,” Tess said, raising an eyebrow. “But I see your point.”
“There are still a few items in the mortal world that bear traces of sorcery,” said Haze seriously. He looked at Vell, who nodded for him to continue. “In any case, Lady Bearer, Queen Mab believes that this object could be turned to her will and used to…cure…her sister. In a sense.”
Tess frowned and glanced at Vell. “What does this object do?”
Calliea handed Vell a small but well-worn book. Vell opened the little volume and quickly found the right page, handing it in turn to Tess. Her hands dwarfed the tiny tome, and she held it gingerly, estimating that it looked like the oldest book she’d ever seen in the Fae world. The page was yellowed with age despite the preservation runes inked at the borders, and it took Tess a moment to translate the Sidhe tongue. “This is like reading Old English,” she muttered, squinting at one word in particular. She peered at the illustration that took up the entire right page. She read aloud the caption, “The Lethe Stone.”
“A Lethe Stone,” corrected Vell, “but most likely the only surviving one. For a few centuries, they were banned. Most were destroyed.”
“I can understand why,” said Tess as she finished translating the text in her head. “An instrument to erase memory…that sounds like it could very easily be used for dark purposes. As it was, I suppose.”
“Luca actually mentioned this as a possibility,” said Vell, her voice almost gentle as she said the ulfdrengr’s name.
Tess swallowed, feeling the familiar jolt in her chest that she felt at each harsh reminder that Luca was gone, that he and Merrick and Duke had been thrown defenseless into the mortal world, the portal slamming shut behind them. Victory, but at what cost?
“He didn’t say anything to me about it,” she said finally, her voice steady. “But we didn’t talk much about the time he’d spent as a prisoner.”
“One of Malravenar’s sorcerers became particularly adept at using the Lethe Stone on prisoners,” said Vell. “He would take their happiest memories so they could not escape their despair in their minds.”
Tess shook her head, a sickening pit opening in her stomach at the thought of losing all her joyful recollections. “And Mab wants to possess this object? How do we know that she won’t use it for her own purposes?” She stopped short of saying like Malravenar, but the silent comparison pressed down on them all.
“Because at the end of all things, I must believe that she is not evil,” replied Vell quietly. Calliea sighed, one hand on her coiled whip as she stared into the glowing embers of the fire. Haze looked somberly into his mug of khal.
“That’s the bargaining chip we need to convince her to help open a Gate,” Tess said softly. Her voice hardened. “If that’s the price, I’ll pay it.”
“It’s not a price that will come easily,” said Vell.
“Binding and breaking Malravenar did not come easily, and we do our men a disservice if we do not fight just as hard to bring them home,” said Calliea in a low, fierce voice.
“And I need something to keep me busy anyway, now that we’ve corralled the Big Bad.” Tess hoped that her face didn’t betray the sudden surge of hope in her chest at the possibility of finding Luca, now suddenly tangible for the first time since the battle. She thought for a moment. “So what, we have to find where this sorcerer was standing when Malravenar bit the dust? Find where he dropped the Lethe Stone?”
“Not all of Malravenar’s creatures imploded when he was bound and broken,” said Vell darkly. “Especially these sorcerers. Some of them existed before he came to power, and they were drawn to him like moths to a darkly burning flame. But they didn’t draw their power only from him. They became stronger through their alliance, yes, but they didn’t depend on him for their existence.”
“As long as there is light, there will be darkness,” Calliea said quietly, her fingers caressing the coil of her whip.
“The Unseelie Court is not our enemy.” Vell’s voice matched Calliea’s volume. As Tess watched her old friend, it looked as though the sparks of a fire leapt in Vell’s golden eyes, kindled by the glow of the embers in the hearth. “We must remember that. There is too much hatred, too much division. The Seelie groom us to be their allies, but perhaps only to build their strength against the Unseelie.”
Tess blinked. She felt as though she was standing on the cliff at the Darinwel again, staring down into the raging river with the wind plucking at her hair. “The enmity between the Seelie and Unseelie is truly that deep? We just fought a war, all as one.”
“It was an uneasy truce between them. You know that as well as me, Tess,” replied Vell, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I thought the whole source of the enmity between them was the kidnapping of the crown princess and the rise of Malravenar.” Tess looked sharply at Calliea as the Valkyrie commander gave a mirthless chuckle.
“We have been enemies for so long that the source of it all has been lost in the depths of time,” Calliea said musingly. “Under the extraordinary circumstances of the past few centuries, some of us have looked past our mutual dislike to work together against the Shadow.” She shook her head. “But most of us who held no malice toward the other Court belong to a different Court entirely now.”
Tess sat back in her chair, the small ancient book still held carefully in her hands. She glanced down at the sketch of the Lethe Stone.
“It was not my choice to be crowned,” said Vell in a soft, serious voice. “But a Queen must choose her Court. A wolf must have her pack.” She touched the silver marks on her neck where the teeth of the White Wolf had baptized her as the key to her people’s survival, even before she had been
crowned the High Queen in a wash of fire and power in the trembling throne room of Brightvale.
“You’re the High Queen,” Tess said slowly, still staring down thoughtfully at the illustration. “Can’t you…mediate?”
Vell snorted. “I will not play nursemaid to the Sidhe Queens, or their Courts.” She pressed her lips into a hard line. “If it comes to blood, perhaps. But I have my own people to tend, my own Court to build.” Her hard expression softened slightly. “I must find a home for us.”
Calliea smiled slightly. “For a Northern mercenary, you suddenly sound very soft-hearted, my lady.”
One dark eyebrow rose infinitesimally, but the barest hint of a smile touched Vell’s lips. “Watch your tongue, Laedrek, else you’ll be answering for your words with your blades.”
“If you wish to match skills with me, my Queen, you have only to ask,” replied Calliea, the Fae-spark flashing through her eyes and an answering smile on her lips.
“Soft-hearted,” muttered Vell, shaking her head. She narrowed her eyes at Calliea. “Is that truly what is being said of me?”
“Since when have you cared what others thought of you?” asked Tess as Calliea bit her lip, hedging, though amusement still glimmered in her eyes.
“Since there is no more war to fight and I must learn the intrigues of politics,” growled Vell.
“All think you are most fierce, my lady,” said Haze gallantly, punctuating his statement with a regal bow. Vell glanced at Calliea suspiciously once more, and then nodded to Haze.
“Thank you for your forthrightness, Haze,” she said, her voice now more of a purr than a growl. “It is good to know I may rely upon you to tell me true.”
“Always, my Queen,” said the Glasidhe graciously. “Now I must beg my leave of you, to deliver the midnight message to the watch without and within.”
“You have my leave, and my thanks,” replied Vell. She settled back against her seat as Haze bowed to Tess, who gave him a nod. He inclined his head courteously to Calliea, and then leapt from the table and was gone in a silver blur.
“The midnight message?” Tess finally closed the small, old book and offered it back to Vell.
“A polite name for my orders to all my Glasidhe spies,” replied Vell with a little grin. “I have a handful now, you know. Lumina professed that she could not deny me the Glasidhe who wished to serve me, since both Mab and Titania have Small Folk in their service as well.”
“But neither Mab nor Titania command the same loyalty that you do among your Glasidhe messengers,” said Calliea, a hint of pride coloring her voice.
“We shall see if Lumina allows them to truly join the Vyldgard.” Vell drew up one leg, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand.
“With your leave, my lady, I’ll ensure the watches are set as well and then take my rest.” Calliea stood and moved to gather the empty khal cups and the still-warm kettle, but Vell waved her away.
“I’ll get it,” the Vyldretning said, the slim golden circlet almost hidden amidst her dark hair suddenly catching the low light of the flickering embers. “And yes, by all means. Ensure our watchstanders aren’t becoming comfortable.” She paused and then added, “Vigilance is the eternal price of safety.”
Calliea bowed slightly from the waist and silently padded from the room, leaving Tess and Vell alone by the hearth.
“Liam taught you that saying.” It was more of a question than a statement. Tess smiled slightly as she said it.
Vell chuckled. “You still don’t want details, do you?”
Tess made a face. “Well, if I have to hear it from one of you, I’d rather it be you, I suppose. I love my brother, but we’ve never been the type of siblings who share the sordid details of our romantic conquests.”
“Well, if it was a conquest, he was not the one who conquered me,” replied Vell with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“Good for you,” Tess said mildly. “He’s never found a woman who was tougher than him…until now, I guess.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m tougher than him,” Vell said musingly. She tilted her head and looked at Tess, her queenly mask falling away. They were two old friends talking about the latest happenings of their lives, oddly comforting to Tess, just as seeing Bren’s handwriting had felt comforting. “I think it’s very much like what you and Luca have,” continued Vell in a quieter voice. “We’re equals.”
“You’re the High Queen and he’s one of your Three. I don’t think that makes you quite equals,” commented Tess.
Vell waved a hand as though brushing the sound of Tess’s words away like smoke in the air. “Do you and Luca love each other any differently because you’re the Bearer?”
“No. I love him more because he doesn’t look at me with that…that awe and bit of fear.” Tess smiled even as she felt her throat tighten. “So I suppose I just refuted my own statement there.”
“I suppose you did.” Vell grinned.
“Thank you,” Tess said quietly.
“For what?”
“For talking about Luca. For not avoiding him. For not talking about him like he’s dead.” Tess swallowed hard, feeling pressure building within her chest, like a dam about to burst. “Even Robin slipped this morning. He said, when Luca was here to teach us.” Her voice wavered, balancing on the hard knot of sadness and anger and longing in her throat. “And I know he probably just meant that…Luca isn’t here now. He was here when we were traveling across the Deadlands. I get that. But every time someone talks about him in the past tense, I feel like they’re saying he’s dead.”
Vell shook her head. “I don’t believe he’s dead.” She looked keenly at Tess. “I’m not saying it isn’t a possibility, but they were alive when they were thrown through the portal, as best we know. A Gate, even a Gate made by a broken Seal, usually doesn’t kill those who pass through it.”
“I’ll face that if it’s a reality, not if it’s a possibility,” Tess said firmly, ignoring the aching emptiness within her chest. The knot in her throat loosened slightly. “I have to think that he’s alive.” She drew a sharp breath. “I’m not ready to face what my world would be without him.” And just when she thought she’d reined in all her traitorous emotions, they burst through the dam and tears sprang into her eyes. She pressed her lips together and looked away from Vell, cursing under her breath.
“It’s all right, Tess.” Vell’s voice sounded a little uneven. “You’re the Bearer, and I’m the High Queen, but before that we were just an outcast Northern mercenary and a slightly awkward mortal girl.” Her voice softened even further. “These past weeks have not been easy, and I have not been there for you as a friend. Let me be here for you now.”
The gentleness in Vell’s words, the emotion from the tough Northwoman, undid Tess. She felt her face crumple, hot tears streaming down her cheeks, a great shuddering sob shaking her shoulders. No sound of movement betrayed Vell, but somehow the Northwoman was there beside Tess, smelling of snow and pine and the sharp scent of sorcery as Tess let Vell gather her head onto her shoulder. It was not a tight embrace, but to Tess it said more than words ever could. For the first time since the battle at the Dark Keep, she let her tears flow unchecked in front of another person. She tossed aside the mask of tough endurance and, for a few moments, let the swift current of grief sweep her away.
Finally, she sniffed and scrubbed at her face with her shirtsleeve pulled over one palm, her eyes swollen and scratchy. “I’m not crying because I think he’s dead,” she clarified, her watery voice still defiant.
“I know.” Vell nodded.
“It just…it feels so unfair. It feels wrong that he’s not here.” Tess gave a hiccupping sigh. “I miss him. All the time. Every minute of every day, it’s a constant ache. And I hate that it reminds me of how I’ve missed people I’ve loved after they died.” She swallowed and wiped at her nose again. “And I’m frustrated that I’ll have to strike a deal with Mab to open a Gate.”
“I love Luca too,” Vell reminded
her, the gentleness gone but her voice far from brusque. “He’s one of my brothers in the pack. He is an ulfdrengr, a loyal warrior, and for that alone I owe him my best effort to bring him home.”
Tess nodded, blinking.
“Calliea will ask to go with you,” continued Vell. “She has already spoken of it to me. As long as you wish it, she has my blessing.”
“Of course,” Tess said. “How is she? I didn’t want to…bring it up.” She smiled in self-deprecation and spread her hands. “Which I know makes no sense since I just thanked you for talking about Luca.”
“Everyone handles it differently. The Laedrek is a bit withdrawn. I think she is still grieving the loss of her Valkyrie who fell in the battle, and she sits at the bedsides of those who are still fighting to remain on this side of the veil.”
Tess pressed her lips together, thinking of Maire and her twin, still clinging to life. “How is Niamh?”
“No better and no worse. Liam brings food to Quinn sometimes; otherwise I don’t think he would remember to eat. The healers have given up on trying to get him to leave her side for the night.”
“I hope she pulls through.”
“As do I.” Vell looked into the glowing embers in the hearth and twirled a finger idly, sending a molten stream of sparks flaring from the remnants of the fire.
“Moira volunteered to go,” Tess said.
Vell said nothing for a moment, staring into the hearth. Finally she sighed. “I cannot give leave to everyone who merely wants an adventure in the mortal world.” She smiled a little wryly. “I don’t think I’d have a Court left if I did that.”
“Moira was a good friend to me during our ride through the Deadlands, and she helped rescue the men in the Northern wilds,” Tess pointed out.
“I understand.” Vell’s eyes, when she turned her gaze to Tess, looked more wolf than woman; a slight shiver ran through Tess. “But what I also know is that I cannot give you the entirety of the Vyldgard’s young and strong fighters. I know Moira is just one, but it will open the floodgates.” She shook her head. “I will allow Calliea to go, because she has a stake in the outcome. Just as I could not let all go with you to the Northern mountains, it is the same now.” With a deep breath, she visibly set aside the topic, her face smoothing again into the visage of the Northern woman rather than the Wild Queen. “And other than what we’ve already discussed, how are you, Tess? I wasn’t surprised when Haze reported that you aren’t sleeping much.”