Once more, Etienne secured me to his side, his grip tighter than before. “Please. I don’t want this any more than you do. It’ll be over a lot faster if you just tell me everything I want to know.”
“Don’t count on it.” My jaw tightened. If I was going to survive, I had to put my big girl panties on now and be ready to fight.
After several turns down twisting hallways, we came to a stop in front of a pair of hulking wooden doors. Etienne produced a key, unlocked it, and shoved me inside. I whipped around, hoping to get out, but the door slammed shut, and I heard the bolt locking in place.
“Let me out!” My hands pounded on the door. I took a few steps back then ran forward in an attempt to ram my way out. But the wood didn’t budge, instead, I bounced off and skidded backward across the floor.
A sob lodged in my throat, panic setting in.
There has to be a way out.
I spun to get a look at the room then froze. Candles came to life, revealing the gruesome décor. Bones and skulls adorned nearly every inch of this place. Human heads hung above a fireplace mantle made of spines, displayed like trophies. The reddish-brown stains covered the walls as if someone had poured buckets of blood on them. Curtains made of skin and hair billowed back and forth as wind snuck through the windows.
I covered my mouth, but it was too late. I vomited, splattering the already stained floor. I heaved, again and again, until nothing was left in my stomach.
I have to get out of here. Now.
A pair of glass doors caught my eye and I ran forward. I fumbled with the handles, but was relieved when they swung open. Brisk air clawed at my bared skin, the cold taking my breath away. I glanced around the snow covered courtyard only to find it just as horrific as the scene inside.
Human skins hung like laundry set out to dry from gnarled tree limbs. A fountain made of bones sputtered bloodied water from its depths. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing this was just a nightmare. But when my lids came open once more, I was still there.
Tears blurred my vision as I found a wooden bench and collapsed on it.
“Help meeeee…” an agonizing cry sounded from beside me.
My fingers dug into the wooden bench and I shot an alarmed look around me. Then I saw it. The tree in front of me. Only this tree wasn’t normal. It twisted so that it faced me, revealing a human face embedded into the bark. My gaze followed the length of the trunk where two legs were rooted into the ground, blood seeping from them. What should’ve been branches on the tree, I soon realized were this person’s arms, covered in thorns and leaves.
“Please…”
As I stared at the tree, I realized I recognized that face.
Salome’s dad. “Mr. Montgomery?” I whispered.
“Help me…”
No matter how strong I was, I knew then I might not make it out alive.
Chapter Five
Salome
After we parted ways with the refugees, Gareth led me into the woods and off the road. When the others were out of sight, he came to a stop and spun to face me.
“What’s wrong?”
He grinned. “Nothing, I’m just proud of you.” Seeing the way you treated those elves back there…Salome, your kindness is truly one of your greatest gifts. I wish more of the Fae were like you. It’s just, these aren’t even your people, and yet you want to help them.”
“Well, they kind of are my people now. I gave up my human life to come here. With you. Which means I have to do my part to protect them and make sure they survive Grisselle. Besides, I apparently have a reputation to live up to since everybody and their brother seems to know about me breaking the curse. I think they’re probably surprised to see I’m just a normal girl.”
“You, my love, are anything but normal.” Gareth tugged me into his arms; his palm rested against the side of my face, his thumb rubbing the skin under my eye. “Do you not find it odd that things in Spring have started coming back to life the moment you walk through the kingdom?”
I went still, my gaze meeting his. “That wasn’t me. Like I told Nevin, I don’t have any powers, so if that’s what you’re getting at—”
“Why is it you don’t question all the fantastic things that have come into your life over the last several years, but you question the possibility of you possessing magic?”
“B-because, I’m just some human girl who happened to get lucky in guessing how to break a curse. I don’t want everyone thinking I might be able to save them. Believing I’m something I’m not.” My head rested against his chest. “Besides, if I had all this power, then how come you kept having to rescue me in the human world?”
“Probably because you liked it when I rescued you.” He smirked, his brown eyes boring into mine. “You loved me carrying you in my arms, like this.” He hefted me up, cradling me against him.
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yeah. But mostly, I think you hoped I’d do this.” He leaned his head down and kissed me.
Just as his tongue slipped into my mouth, a loud snort sounded behind my ear and I felt warm breathing on my neck. I jerked back only to see Adaba’s form looming over us. He used his head and butted it against Gareth’s.
“Ow, what the hell is his problem?” Gareth set me down, rubbing his forehead. “You, my feisty equine, are about to get on my last nerve.”
“You did call him a chastity belt—so now he thinks he has to live up to his new title.” I smoothed my dress down, pulse still pounding against my skin.
“This makes me all the more eager to get to Summer. At least then we can shut the bedroom door if we want some privacy,” Gareth said.
And for that, Adaba bit him in the arm. This would definitely be a long trip with those two. For the next hour or so we trekked farther into the woods, until we came to a small clearing nestled between some large boulders and thick trees.
“Why don’t we make camp here for the night? We can get the saddlebags off the horses, then gather some firewood,” Gareth said.
The air had grown chillier now that the sun had gone down some. While Gareth gathered kindling and logs for a fire, I set up our bedrolls. This would definitely be a first for me, sleeping outdoors, under the stars. I hoped nothing came in while we slept and tried to murder us. My imagination conjured all types of creatures that could do us in. I shook off the grizzly thoughts.
Gareth soon came back and set the wood down, then proceeded to work on getting our campfire going. It only took him a few tries to get the flames started. Adaba moved into the woods and posted guard along our outskirts.
I watched Gareth warm some of our meat over the fire. I loved watching the way the firelight played off his features, making his tanned skin more bronzed, his eyes more wild. His golden tattoos on his arm blazed like flames. My eyes followed his every movement. I remembered how many times he’d come to my rescue in the human world. How many nights I’d laid awake thinking about him.
Ever since coming to Faerie, we’d spent almost every waking moment together, either outdoors riding horses or taking walks or swimming. Sometimes we’d just sit in the library together and read. We seemed so far removed from the human world now—and the normal things we’d done back there. Like the waterpark, the carnival, going to prom together—rides on his motorcycle. A part of me missed that life. But I wouldn’t give up the one I had now. Wherever he was, I wanted to be.
“Where you are, I want to be also.” Gareth thought to me.
“Oh, sorry, sometimes I forget how much I project…”
He smiled. “I don’t mind—especially when you’re thinking of us and how hot I looked at prom.”
“Funny.” I took the bowl of venison he handed me.
“We should probably bed down, once we’re done eating. We’ll have another long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
A yawn escaped my lips. “Yeah, I can definitely use some sleep.”
I scarfed down my food, then rinsed out my bowl by dumping some water in it and swishing it around. I slid my b
oots off and crawled into my makeshift bed.
“Do you have your dagger on you?” Gareth glanced at me as he settled into the bedroll beside mine.
“Yeah, it’s right next to me.”
“Good.” He scooted closer to me, until our sleeping mats were right next to one another. He slid his arm across my waist, then leaned down to press a kiss to my lips. “I love you,” he said.
I laced my fingers into his hair and pulled him down again. “I love you, too.”
“Well, isn’t this touching,” came a voice from beside us. “Never thought I’d catch Gareth of Summer off guard.”
My eyes widened. Elfin bandits, four of them, all dressed in various shades of gray and green. All looking mean and ready to hurt us. Oh God. For long moments, I didn’t dare move, wondering what they might do to us.
“Salome, as careful and quietly as you can, slip me your dagger.” He was still perched above me.
My fingers inched down to the blanket and closed around the hilt of the dagger. Keeping it as close to my body as I could, I inched it up to Gareth. In one, quick movement, he leapt to his feet, throwing the dagger at one of the elfin bandits.
The blade sliced into the cloak of the elf and pinned him to a nearby tree.
“Maris Elkwood, you should know better than that,” Gareth said.
Somehow Gareth now had his sword in hand. I didn’t see where he’d grabbed it from. As slow as I could, I climbed up beside him—unfortunately the only weapon I had at the moment were my hands.
The one called Maris chuckled. “Looks like you’re not as easy to sneak up on as I thought. What say you, Gareth of Summer? Shall we call a truce?”
Gareth lowered his weapon. “Come sit at our fire and let me do a round of introductions.”
Maris jerked the dagger from his cloak and tossed it back to Gareth, who handed it over to me. I put it back in its small sheath and set it on my blanket.
“So you travel with humans now?” Maris watched me from his seat by the fire. His dark hair was at odds with his light green eyes. From here, I spotted several knives and a bow beneath his cloak. Whatever he was, he wasn’t an ordinary elf. An aura of danger seemed to roll right off him.
“This human is my betrothed, Salome. You might’ve heard that she broke Nevin’s curse? Salome, this is Maris, Caraval, Tulare, and Byron…” he pointed at each of the men in turn. “They are the last of the Spring Court’s soldiers.”
“And we’ve been keeping these woods free of Winter scum. Whenever they wander onto our land, we take care of them.” He gave a tight lipped smile as he fingered the blade at his side.
“Are you still camped in the same spot?” Gareth leaned closer to the fire.
“No, we try to move around every so often so Winter Scouts can’t track us. There’s also a small camp of civilians that we protect. Some of which are women and children.”
“I saw Lachlin earlier.”
“Yeah, he said as much. Told me your betrothed had a very important sword choose her today.”
I shot Gareth a startled look. “What does he mean, that the sword chose me?”
“A warrior’s weapon always chooses them. Just as mine did.”
“He speaks the truth; however, I would be lying if I didn’t say how surprised I was to learn that it was the Blade of the Four Kingdoms which called to you, Salome.”
Confusions swept through me. “The Blade of the Four Kingdoms?”
“Only one of the most powerful weapons in all Faerie. Don’t tell me Gareth hasn’t been telling you our lore and history?” Maris glanced at Gareth, who was giving him a warning look. “But perhaps, I should leave that story for him to tell you.” Maris grabbed a leather flask from his belt, unscrewed the lid, then took a swig. When he was done, he peered at me and Gareth once more. “I saw something strange in the woods today. Buds on the trees, even a few birds have returned. And I tell you, these things weren’t here yesterday.”
“It’s curious for sure,” Gareth said, eyeing me. “Only this afternoon, we noticed a rose blooming, where before dead plants had been. Isn’t that right, Salome?”
“Yes.” Where was he going with this? I hoped he wasn’t going to try and claim that this was my doing, too.
“I tell you, the courts are reawakening. I don’t know how or why, but I can feel it in my blood,” Maris said. “Our time is coming.”
Gareth cleared his throat. “Salome, you really should get some rest, or you’ll be asleep in the saddle tomorrow.”
He and Maris exchanged another look. Maris smiled and slid a wooden flute from beneath his cloak. “I think some music is in order.”
The light, airy sound of flute music filled the night air, swirling along the breeze as if dancing with it. The fire popped, sending a spray of sparks up toward the sky as if someone had lit off fireworks.
“Welcome hoooooooome…” a voice said on the wind.
I sat upright, my blanket falling from my shoulders. My gaze met Gareth’s. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“The voice. It said welcome home.”
“No, I didn’t hear anything.” A look of concern crossed his face. “But after what you hearing voices led to before, we ought to pay attention to any you hear now.”
He had a point. Last winter, me hearing voices had almost led to my death. I mean, in a way it had led to my death, but, well…it was complicated. And I knew better now than to dismiss something I couldn’t explain and hope it wasn’t real.
I swallowed. “What do we do?”
“Don’t worry love, you are safe among friends. We will keep guard. Just get some rest.”
Gareth scooted closer to me and stroked my hair, until my eyes became so heavy I could no longer keep them open. With him, I was safe. With him, we could face anything. That thought, his touch, and the music helped me fall into a sweet slumber.
The next morning, Maris and his men led us to the edge of the Spring border. “Gareth, if Summer raises an army to go against Winter, send word to us. I want to avenge my mother and our king.”
Gareth bowed his head. “Your mother Rena was a good woman. I know time does not heal all wounds, my friend. But know that if we go to war, you will be the first person I call on. We can always use more bowman.”
“Lady Salome.” Maris clutched my hand. “It was good to meet you. May Faerie smile upon you.” He leaned closer to me and whispered, “The sword is of importance—it has claimed you, Salome. No one has been able to wield it since the first Queen herself. Ask questions, you have a right to know our history—because soon enough, it might become yours.”
I sucked in a deep breath. What the hell did that even mean?
As I climbed onto Adaba’s back, I peered behind us only to find that Maris had disappeared. Our horses headed back across the northern border of Summer, and I dug my heels into Adaba’s sides to speed up so I could ride alongside Gareth.
“Are you going to tell me about the sword?”
Gareth sighed, his brow furrowed in annoyance. “I really wish Maris would’ve kept his mouth shut.”
“Why? Don’t you want me to know what’s going on?”
“Of course I do, however, I’m not sure yet of the significance of the sword appearing now, and to you. I wanted to do some research once we reached Summer, so I’d have a better understanding of what to tell you. What I do know from studying in the archives when I was a student is that this sword was created at the beginning of Faerie. It was imbued with the powers of all four kingdoms. Winter. Spring. Summer. Autumn. It was the weapon of our very first Faerie Queen Diana—many thought that it had been buried with her when she passed from this life into the Realm of Heroes. It’s been lost since her time, a mere myth until yesterday.”
“That makes no sense; how did it end up in Lachlin’s little shop? I mean, he had hardly any goods in there. Do you think it’s a replica?” I glanced at him, fingers tightening on the horse’s reins. Panic coursed through me. I didn’t want the ap
pearance of the weapon to mean anything to me. I just wanted to be Salome Montgomery. It was one thing to take on being a Faery and an immortal, but I’d come into this thinking I’d still basically be, well…me.
But what if I was meant for something more? Would I be ready? I mean, I had hardly any knowledge of anything Faerie—well, other than the tales Grandma had told me as a child. Gareth was teaching me about Summer and all things Faerie, but I still had so much to learn.
“It’s not a replica. I might not be able to wield it, but I felt the magic flowing through the blade. It’s genuine. And like I said, I’ll have to do some research on the history of it to learn more.” Gareth watched me intently. “Salome, everything will be okay. Let’s not jump to any conclusions until we have more information.”
“You’re right. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”
“Well, I didn’t say that. There’s obviously a reason it appeared now. But let’s not dwell on it right this moment. No need to fret until we know more about it.” He reached across the distance between our horses and clasped my hand in his.
Up ahead of us, a large, crumbling statue blocked part of the road. Gareth brought his horse to a stop, and Adaba halted as well. The face in the stone looked so familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen it before.
“Who is that stone figure of?” I let Gareth help me from my mount as we made our way over to it.
“This was our last Faerie Queen, Genissa.”
“Genissa?” Where had I heard that name before? Then I remembered. She’d been the woman from the story Grandma had told me. Chills grated across my skin, causing goosebumps. If this fairytale was real, how many other ones were? And that raised another question. How in the world had Grandma known?
It’s like she’d been aware of Faerie’s existence the whole time. I recalled her not wanting me to get involved with Nevin or Gareth. How she raced out of her house when Kassandra attacked me. She’d known about this magical world way before I’d come along…but how? What role did she play? And what role would I play? More than anything, I needed to talk to her—which likely wouldn’t happen for a while, at least not until I could convince Gareth or Nevin to allow me to go home for a visit.
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