by Nissa Leder
To save Kaelem at the club, she’d killed some of the fae with Niko who meant to capture them. It was self-defense, but could she have gotten away without actually killing anyone? Maybe. Maybe not. She’d never know.
The darkness inside her had built a constant layer of rage. Sometimes, she didn’t notice it. But when she became angry, it threatened to explode. What if someday it caused her to do something she regretted?
“Don’t worry about any of that right now,” Avel said. “We have a fabulous dinner to feast on.”
On cue, a waiter brought food to the table. He carried a large tray with two plates of salad and a loaf of bread. “Your first course.” He balanced the tray with one hand and placed a plate in front of Scarlett then the other in front of Avel. Lastly, he set the bread in between them, then walked out through the door he came in from.
After he was gone, Scarlett asked, “Where do you get your food?”
She’d expected fish. Maybe some seaweed. Not something that looked like the first course at an Italian restaurant.
“Humans are easily persuaded to bring us the food we need.”
“Humans?”
They were in the Sidhe realm.
“Yes. Our ocean is connected to the other two realms.” Avel grabbed a piece of bread and took a bite.
“Through portals?” Scarlett shouldn’t have been so surprised. If the land was connected through portals, why wouldn’t the sea be?
“No portals are required. One must simply know where to go.” He picked up a fork and started on his salad. Scarlett started to ask another question, but Avel interrupted. “Eat. Enjoy your food. We can talk business later.”
The waiter brought out soup for the second course. The main course was an entire roasted duck with a sweet glaze brushed across it. Finally, for dessert, a chocolate mousse.
Not a single fish. When Scarlett tried to ask exactly how they’d been able to make so many mortal foods, Avel shushed her.
“Well, I’m thoroughly stuffed now.” He picked up the cloth napkin from his lap and set it on the table. “Now, time for part two of our evening.”
“But what about…” she started.
Avel raised his hand. “We’ll discuss anything you’d like after the event.”
“Event?”
“Come.” He held out his arm.
Scarlett stood and stepped to him, linking her arm through his as she swallowed her impatience as much as she could. People were counting on her to protect them, which was rather hard to do when she was in the middle of the ocean somewhere feasting on Italian food and going to some sort of show.
But coming back with the weapon was better than coming back with nothing, even if it took longer than she wanted.
They exited a room and walked down a hallway lit with sconces every few feet to a spiral staircase that looked like it was made of gold.
“After you.” Avel waited for Scarlett to begin her ascent up the staircase.
She lifted her dress as she walked up, her heels clinking with each step. At the top, she arrived at a small sitting room. A deep purple couch with rolled arms had been placed in the middle of the room. Bright paintings of fish and coral decorated the walls.
Scarlett waited at the top of the stairs for Avel.
When he stepped behind her, he gently placed his hand on her back. “We best hurry or we’ll miss the opening.”
Opening? Scarlett followed him through the door on the other side of the room. Once through it, they stepped onto a balcony, an auditorium beneath them. Nearly every seat was full. A navy curtain hung in front of the stage at the front of the room.
“You’ve come on opening night. Impeccable timing, I must say.” Avel moved to the edge of the balcony and sat in one of the two high-back seats.
Scarlett sat next to him.
Below, the seats were full of people in dress attire. Some had traditional hair colors like black, brown, and blond, but others had hair in bright shades of teal, fuchsia, and lavender. There were mostly adults, but a few older children were sprinkled throughout the auditorium.
Chatter ricocheted off of the walls as excitement permeated the air. Was this how it felt to attend a New York Broadway show? Clearly, this type of entertainment was popular in the Underwater City.
A waitress came and took their drink orders as the lights above dimmed.
Then the show began.
It told a story of a woman enticed by the sea witch to save the man she loved. He’d been bitten by a venomous snake and cursed to an eternity of sleep and without the cure, he would never wake from his slumber. In order to earn the potion, the woman had to complete three tasks. There were emotional scenes and humorous ones and, thanks to the aid of magic, spectacular set designs.
During one particularly deep scene, the woman contemplated her last task. She’d already climbed a dangerous mountain, nearly falling to her death, and stolen an apple from an overly cranky troll. But now she learned in order to wake up her love, she must take the life of an innocent.
She sat next to him on the bed where he lay sound asleep.
“I love you, but how can I end someone else’s life with my own hands?” She took his hand in between hers. “Who am I to destroy someone else for my own happiness?”
Scarlett felt the warmth of tears on her cheek. Having the ability to save someone while knowing the price wasn’t worth it would be so difficult, and she knew how the woman felt. She might not have a lover cursed to sleep, but she had an entire realm of people counting on her. She hoped there would be no need to kill needlessly, but she knew she would face difficult decisions ahead. She prayed she could do what needed to be done.
As she wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand, she caught Avel watching her. When her stare caught his, he turned back to the show.
Time was ticking. She needed to get the weapon and get back soon before Ankou hurt anyone else.
But what must she do to get Avel to give her the dagger?
Chapter Eighteen
Neither Cade, Nevina, nor Ajax dared say anything to the Fates after Morta’s decision to kill the Spring Queen, but all three caught each other’s horrified stares.
No one had expected the Spring Queen would die. If it weren’t for her pressed lips and shocked eyes, Cade might have thought Nevina had been aware of Morta’s plan. But her expression made it clear; she was surprised too.
Morta claimed she wanted to teach the Spring Queen a lesson. She’d been vocal about the desire. But she’d never mentioned killing her. She placed Nona in charge of the Spring Court, instructing her to remain behind to prepare them for war.
Perhaps the sickening feeling inside Cade was causing him to imagine things, but he swore even Nona seemed dismayed at the events that had occurred. But she didn’t argue and agreed to do as Morta wished.
Once they had returned to the Winter Court, Poppy pulled Cade close and whispered, “We need to talk. Privately.”
A few minutes later, he excused himself and Poppy to rest after the eventful day. They said nothing until they made it to the room they’d been given.
Inside, she grabbed a small bag under the pillow and sprinkled the herbs inside in front of the door. “I brought some willow powder just in case we needed a moment to ourselves.”
“Smart,” he said.
After she finished, she turned to him. “Now will you tell me what in the hell were you thinking by saving the girl?”
“I wasn’t thinking. I couldn’t let her die and I just reacted.” It was true. At that moment, he didn’t contemplate his actions. He just acted. But he’d been lying to Poppy. He’d never wanted to join the Fates. Considered it, sure, but he’d known for quite some time where his true loyalties lay. It was time he told her the truth.
“I’ve been pretending to ally with Nevina and the Fates,” he began. He didn’t think about what he said. He simply spilled the truth. Once it was all out, he added, “Kaelem gave me a necklace that keeps my thoughts from being ov
erheard by mind fae. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to put you in any more danger than I already had.”
Poppy raised her fist and punched Cade’s arm. “Never leave me out again. My loyalty is to you and you alone. I will do whatever you ask. But don’t lie to me.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry.”
After a breath, she said, “I’m glad you weren’t actually aligning with them. They’re all awful. Murdering innocents as they did today. If I wasn’t so set on protecting you, I would have turned on them and saved as many as I could before they killed me.”
“I had moments where I considered truly aligning with them.” Cade shuddered at the idea now. “I’ve never much cared for Kaelem and I’ve always believed the Summer Court deserved its full power. But I refuse to let the Summer Court be involved in the slaughter of innocents. Not anymore.”
He couldn’t take back anything he’d already done. There was no undoing his involvement in today’s attack or his murder of the Seelie fae whose throat he’d slit.
“We need to get out of here as soon as possible,” Poppy said. “We can return to the Summer Court and raise our defenses. The Spring Court wasn’t ready today. Taking them completely off guard made the attack easy. If they find out our allegiance is no longer theirs and attack us, we’ll be better prepared.”
“The sooner the better.”
Poppy cleaned up the powder in front of the door and slipped the bag into a pocket. As they were about to leave, a knock sounded at the door.
Their eyes met.
Cade had the necklace on. His thoughts were protected. Poppy, however, needed to keep her mind shield fortified. One slip up and they’d be killed. Their full power had been released, no longer needing the power of Summer to be their strongest, but the same was true for all the other seasonal courts as well. The Fates might not be there, but Cade and Poppy stood little hope against Nevina and the entire Winter Guard.
He swallowed as he opened the door.
The Winter Court advisor stood there will three guards behind her. “Our queen needs to speak with you both.”
Cade considered refusing, but that would only lead to more suspicion. “Of course.”
Why had the guards come? Surely, if it was nothing more than a friendly conversation, there was no need for an escort. Had Cade been wrong? Had someone else seen his moment of mercy?
If they needed to fight their way out, now was their chance. They could easily take out the advisor and three guards. But there would be no taking it back.
Poppy stepped forward and linked her arm with Cade’s. “Let’s go.”
As they headed to the throne room, he prepared every excuse he could think of. He needed to be ready to dull any doubt she had for just long enough to get back home to the Summer Court.
God, Raith hated being so fucking helpless.
As fae, he never expected to be so debilitated by an injury. Even the scar on his face had healed quickly when Cade had sliced him when they were children. This wound, however, still hurt like hell.
It was bad enough when he had to stay behind in the Otherworld while Scarlett went to the mortal world with Kaelem. It was his own fault the two had become close. His own desire to search for information on his mother had led Scarlett right into the Unseelie King’s arms.
But now, his mother had been taken by Ankou and he was utterly worthless.
Scarlett was still gone and Vida had made him give his word not to do anything stupid. If he thought he stood even the slightest chance, he would break that promise in a heartbeat. But he wasn’t that big of an idiot.
All he could do now was sit in his room and wait.
As he stared at the fireplace, someone entered the room.
It was most likely one of Vida’s tribe mates sent to check on him or the healer Galena there to put ointment on his wound again. She dressed it daily but nothing she did helped it heal any quicker.
“Don’t you look dashing,” a familiar voice said.
Raith, shirtless with hair that hadn’t been brushed in a couple of days, turned to see Sage grinning at him.
He rose, wincing at his stinging wound, and walked around the couch.
Sage reached out her arms and gently hugged him. “I’m so sorry about your mother.”
After they parted and sat on the couch, Sage told Raith about her trip. She’d gone to warn her old tribe about the Fates and their creatures lurking in Faerie. Although she’d mentioned her life in the Autumn Wood, she’d kept a lot of her past to herself. But today, she shared it all with him. Her time with the Woodland Tribe made her into the warrior she was today and it was there she’d first fallen in love.
“I should have been more careful. I’d left the tribe to keep Vienna safe, but by Tamara learning the truth, who knows what the repercussions will be.” Sage shook her head. “Put me in front of an army of soldiers and I’ll fight without nerves, but have me fall in love with someone and all my sense vanishes.”
Raith reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Everything will work out. You shouldn’t be ashamed of showing affection. Trust me, regret is far worse.”
“Scarlett?” she asked.
“I never thought I was capable of caring for someone, but our time together at the Summer Court changed me. We understood each other in a way that’s hard to explain. I’ve only grown fonder of her as time has passed.” Raith sighed. “But with so much of my attention focused on first finding information on my mother then giving myself to the Fates to save her, I fear I’ve lost Scarlett for good.”
With the back of her hand, Sage playfully smacked the side of his leg. “What kind of attitude is that? What happened to the confident and slightly arrogant Raith I met in the Faerie forest?”
He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her. There were few people Raith fully trusted, but she was one of them. She cared about him without expecting anything in return. There was no romance, only friendship, but he couldn’t have asked for a better friend.
“That Raith learned he isn’t quite as unbreakable as he thought,” he said. “Which is why I’m stuck here, unable to do anything to help find my mother.”
Sage frowned. “We’ll get her back.”
And he knew she would do anything she could to help him save her.
There was no guarantee, but it was the spark of hope he needed.
Chapter Nineteen
After the show, Scarlett followed Avel through the city. She wasn’t sure what to expect before the show had started, but she’d been nothing short of amazed. Despite needing to return to the Otherworld as soon as she could, she was glad to have seen the performance.
The city was calmer now than when she’d first entered. Based on a conversation she heard where a parent told her daughter she must go straight to bed, Scarlett deduced it was nighttime. With no view of the sun, it felt a lot like the Unseelie Court.
They walked down the streets until they arrived at the edge of the Underwater City. An invisible barrier separated the water outside from the city within.
He reached his hand out and, instead of running into the barrier as she’d expected, it passed right through it.
Curiously, Scarlett mimicked him. One second, her hand was dry and on the same side as she was; in the next, it crossed over and was met with the cool wetness beyond. She pulled it back in, and once again, it was dry.
“How?” she asked.
Avel rescinded his hand. “It’s the magic of the city.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you create a place that mimics a life on the land? Why not live in the sea?” Maybe it was a silly question, but she couldn’t help but wonder what led to the creation of this place.
“I’m from the land. The mortal world, in fact. Many years ago, I made a bargain for magic and it cost me.” Avel glanced to the outside ocean then to the city. “Much like in the show we just saw, I met a woman from the sea who I thought was a god. She was beautiful and had power
the likes of which I’d never seen. When I introduced others to her, they worshiped her as I did. She promised to share her power with us. Eagerly, we agreed. All I had to do was stab her with this.” He pulled out a dagger from inside his jacket.
Scarlett’s body instinctively tensed. That was it. The dagger she’d come for. The one that could kill not only Ankou, but also Scarlett.
“The magic inside of you knows this dagger can end you,” he said. “Your self-preservation instinct is warning you to run. But I have no intention of using it on you. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.”
Scarlett tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
This was supposed to be the answer to her problem. If it couldn’t kill Ankou, then this entire trip had been pointless.
“I can’t stab you, but someone else can.” Avel ran his finger over the blade. “The Sidhe world requires balance. There are three parts to make its whole. You rule the land of the living, Ankou rules the dead, and I now rule the sea as the Sea Goddess had before me.”
“When you stabbed her, you took her power?”
Avel nodded. “Those of us who surrendered ourselves to her performed a ritual. Each of us donated a drop of our blood for her to drink, giving our souls to the sea. After she drank the goblet of blood, I stabbed her. Only then did she tell me the cost of our choice.
“I would be king of the sea, and those who sacrificed themselves to her would join me. We would be neither living nor dead. My reign would be forever cursed, unable to die or to live with the rest of the world, unless I find someone willing to take my spot and use the dagger on me as the Sea Goddess did to me.” He reached out the hilt of the dagger to Scarlett. “There must always be a ruler of each of the three parts. Whoever kills Ankou will take his place as King of Death, forced to help the dead to pass on or hold them in the Darkland.”