“Salome? Did you hear me?”
“I’m sorry, I was so caught up in my thoughts…”
“I know,” he teased. “I promise that when things settle down, we’ll get you home to see Doris. But for now, we need to keep you safe. How about we get some lunch? When we’re done eating, I can teach you a few fatal moves to do with a dagger, should you need to defend yourself.”
“Are you sure you want me waving a dagger around at you?” My teeth grazed my bottom lip as I stared up at him.
“I think we’ll start you off with a stick—”
“Are you saying you don’t trust me with a knife?” I threw my hands on my hips.
He chuckled, holding his palms toward the sky. “I never said that, but I do like all my limbs.”
We made our way off the path, this time heading toward a clearing in the wood-line. We ate a quick meal of apples, cheese, and bread. When we finished Gareth had me pull out my dagger so we could find a stick close in shape, weight, and length to use as a practice tool.
When we found the perfect one, Gareth had me stand in front of him.
“Because you’re small, most captors will be able to overpower you. So if someone were to come up behind you, like this…” Gareth wrapped his arms around me from the back. “You could feasibly just stab him in the leg or anywhere to get him to loosen his hold. Or if you can’t move your arms, then you need to stomp on his foot as hard as you can to get him to let you go.”
He had me do a couple practice runs on him, but I worried too much about hurting him to really try too hard to get away.
“You don’t have to be afraid to lash out, Salome, you’re not going to harm me.” Gareth touched my cheek.
“I know, it’s just hard to go at you full force. I mean, you’re not my enemy.”
“All right, why don’t we move onto something else then?”
Gareth went on to show me where I could cut someone if I needed a more lethal blow. He taught me how to cut across someone’s throat, or use my palm to strike a person and make their nose lodge into their brain. Not exactly self-defense maneuvers I ever wanted to have to use, but I was glad he took the time to show me just in case.
By the time we put the fake dagger down, I was sweating and out of breath. Who knew self-defense could be so much work?
With a sigh, I collapsed in the shade under a big oak tree and sprawled out. Gareth sat down beside me, then rolled over until he was propped above me. “Is this another self-defense lesson?” I laughed.
He gave me a cocky grin. “Hmm…it can be. Because what will you do if someone gets you pinned to the ground?”
My hands moved up his chest until my arms circled his neck. “Maybe something like this.”
I tugged him down on top of me, letting my mouth cover his. I parted his lips with mine, letting my tongue move against his. He groaned, pinning my arms above my head so he could trail kisses down my neck then back up again. Using my hips, I thrust him up enough for me to roll him over onto his back. I grabbed the stick we’d been using and held it to his neck.
“I do believe I’ve won, Gareth of Summer.”
His hands rested on my waist; my dress pushed up to my upper thighs. “And if this is the way I get to die, you can best me every time. However, may I ask that you not do this move on anyone but me?”
“Why? Jealous?” I dropped the stick, this time pinning his arms above his head.
“Yes.”
Right when we were about to kiss again, Adaba’s shadow loomed over us. He pawed at the ground, smashing his hoof down about a foot away from Gareth’s head.
“Adaba, in case you didn’t notice, she’s trying to seduce me, not the other way around,” Gareth said from beneath me.
The horse gripped the sleeve of my dress and tugged me off of Gareth. “Well, I suppose that’s the end of that then.”
I rolled my eyes and sat next to the tree instead, picking flowers from the grass. When I had a pile of them, I weaved them together, until I had a crown of daisies. With a grin, I set it on top of my head.
“So what do you think?” I asked.
Gareth’s eyes widened, and he bolted to his feet. “We should get moving so we can get to the border of Autumn before dark.”
“What’s wrong?” I let the crown slip from my hair.
“Nothing, just realized how late it was. Come on.” He offered me a hand up.
But I knew it was more than that. Why the heck had the flowers on my head freaked him out like that?
“Gareth, seriously, talk to me,” I said, my fingers brushing against his.
“When we get to Summer, I promise we’ll talk about everything, but right now, I just want to enjoy our time together. Because once we get to the palace, our time will be compromised. We won’t be able to be alone like we are now.” His eyes shifted to Adaba. “Well, as alone as we can be now.” His lips twitched.
I sighed. “Fine, but we will talk.”
When we arrived at the Autumn border, the scent of fall hung heavy in the crisp air. I’d always been scared of this season before; I loved the beauty of the trees changing colors and the smell of pumpkin pie, but I always knew Winter came after Autumn. For once, however, I could enjoy this—or what there was left of it. Withered vines clung to old buildings, while remnants of leaves blew about in the wind.
The gray overcast sky loomed above, with the threat of rain hanging onto the angry clouds.
“We should make camp on the outskirts. It’ll be safer for us to travel through the kingdom during daylight hours. We don’t want to chance any run-ins with red caps in the ruins.”
I’d read enough of Grandma’s stories to know I didn’t want to tangle with one of those. Just imagining their blood sopped caps made me queasy. We urged our horses closer to the riverbank, where an old cabin with a waterwheel sat. The windows were dark, and it looked as if it’d been a while since someone had lived there. Overgrown brown grass and weeds came up to the bottoms of the first floor windows, while the thatch on the roof appeared to have seen better times, ages ago.
Thunder sounded in the distance, and Gareth hopped off his horse. “Wait here while I go in and make sure it’s safe.” He unsheathed his sword and crept to the door. Quietly, he tried the handle, and the barrier swung right open.
I held my breath as he moved inside. My stomach knotted as I sat waiting for him to come back out. What was taking so long? My eyes scanned the darkening surroundings. I chewed my thumbnail, never taking my eyes off the front door.
A moment later, he stuck his head out. “It’s all clear. I was just trying to move a few things out of our way so we could get our bedrolls laid out. There won’t be any fires tonight, though. I’m not sure what state the fireplace is in.”
As a low howl sounded in the distance, I was glad to go inside—although I wasn’t sure how well the house would hold up. After a quick bite to eat, we bedded down, and night set in. The darkness swallowing us up.
Even though I couldn’t see him, I felt Gareth beside me, and that was all the comfort I needed. As long as he was here, I knew I’d always be safe. The wind roared against the cabin, letting cold air sneak in through tiny crevices.
“Welcome hoooooooome…” The same voice from the other night drifted in on the breeze, swimming around in my head.
“Gareth,” I whispered.
“What is it?”
“I-I heard that voice again, just now.”
He sat upright, drawing his sword. “What did it say to you?”
My hand clenched his tunic. “It said, ‘welcome home’.”
He glanced down at me then stood, moving to the door. He opened it and looked around outside. After a moment, he shut it once more. “I don’t see anything.”
“Do you think whoever it is wants to hurt me?”
“I don’t know, but I’d assume if they did, they would’ve already made their move. They’ve had plenty of opportunities before now. But I’ll keep watch again tonight. Just get some rest.”
He sat back down beside me.
I snuggled closer to Gareth, too scared to sleep, hoping morning would come quickly.
Chapter Six
Salome
“Hey, time to get up.” Gareth shook me awake.
“It can’t be morning yet, I feel like I just fell asleep.” I groaned, wiping the sleep from my eyes.
“You know, you talk in your sleep.” He grinned, enjoying this far too much.
“Really? And what did I say?” I crawled from my blankets and began to roll them up.
“Well, I don’t want to brag, but you did mention how gorgeous I am, and how much you loved my kisses. And you might’ve mentioned something about Autumn.” He opened the front door and gasped, then turned to me, eyebrows raised. “You’re not going to believe this,” he said.
“What?” I grabbed my bundle from the floor and hurried outside after him. My breath caught in my throat. Last night when we’d come in, all the trees, leaves, and vines had been withered and brown. Today, the leaves were brightly colored in orange, yellow, and bright red hues reminding me of balls of fire. This is what Autumn was supposed to look like. But how did this happen?
“Holy crap…”
“This doesn’t seem possible without some sort of magic at work.” Gareth glanced around.
I wrapped my arms around my chest, as the chill of the morning air seeped through my dress. “This is crazy, right? I mean, have you ever seen anything like this happen?”
Gareth secured his bedroll to his horse. “Yes.”
“Seriously? When?”
“The seasons used to parade in like this at the Faerie Court when the Queen handed over reign for each kingdom when it was their quarter of the year to rule. But that hasn’t happened since Genissa died, hundreds of years ago. Other than Summer, all the other courts have been vacant and dead…their seasons never coming. But now—and yesterday, I can’t explain it.”
I climbed on top of Adaba, while Gareth shut the cottage up. My mind tried to grasp what was happening around us. Were the seasons truly coming back? Or was this just a trick? Maybe some ploy by Winter to call people back to their homes so they could attack them again?
Gareth chose a path that led further into Autumn. The trees were like torches against the gray-blue sky. All around us colors seemed to burst. We went up a slight incline, and there, standing taller than all the other landscape, was the ruins of a castle. As we passed by the gates, I noticed the maple leaves etched into the stone. In the distance, I caught the distinct sound of waves crashing against the shore.
Our horses followed an overgrown trail, which came out next to what looked like an old watchtower. The rocks were crumbling and covered in moss, but it was the view beyond that that took my breath away. There, below us, was the sea. Salt hung heavy in the air, and the sun and trees’ reflections cast a rainbow of color on top of the water.
Empty docks made of stone and rotting wood told the story of a time when many great ships came to this harbor. Even from here, I saw the remains of what must’ve been a huge fleet, now shattered to pieces against the rocks.
Stone stairs carved out of the side of the cliffs led down to the shoreline, but with the waves thrashing about, I knew it wouldn’t be safe. I shivered, tugging my cloak tighter against my body.
We rode away from the steep slope and through what looked like old training grounds. Medieval looking pells still stood, waiting for a soldier to come practice his sword or battle axe maneuvers. The more areas we went through, the sadder I became. So many people lost. And for what? Grisselle to increase her stronghold?
Even though Autumn was falling apart, I saw no signs of battle. Not that I wanted to see bones or blood or anything like that; it just felt as if everyone had up and left. A heaviness hung about my shoulders until we rode out of the kingdom into the outskirts.
“I don’t know how you spent the last couple hundred years dealing with stuff like this,” I said to Gareth as he came up alongside me.
“Trust me, it wasn’t easy. I had close friends at both the Spring and Autumn Courts. And I want to keep Summer from suffering a similar fate. But not a day goes by that I don’t remember their fall…” His shoulders slumped and he stared off at some unseen thing.
We traveled in silence for the next couple hours, both of us lost in our thoughts. At last, Gareth found a grassy area for us to stop. I fumbled off the back of Adaba and stretched my limbs. After all this horseback stuff, I might need a masseuse.
Gareth opened his mouth as if to speak then shut it as a loud crash sounded in the brush. He drew his sword and whipped around to face the forest. Adaba positioned himself next to me, his ears perked up.
“Wait here,” Gareth whispered.
“What’s wrong?”
He put a finger to his lips. My pulse thundered as I scanned the thicket. Branches snapped and the birds and wildlife went quiet. The ground quaked beneath me as if the earth had shivered.
“Mwwhoooa.” A loud growl broke the silence.
“Salome, back up.” Gareth took a stance next to a nearby oak tree.
Before I could move, a large creature the size of a small car barreled into the clearing. Its rock like skin was dingy and gray. Its mouth twisted, revealing pointed teeth. Orange eyes glowed when they came to rest on me. The creature stood at least seven or eight feet tall and wore only a loincloth made of fur, which was secured in place with a belt made of bones. Every time he moved, the bones clanked together like eerie chimes.
“Oh God.” My fingers tangled in Adaba’s mane.
“Get away from the troll, Salome.” Gareth rushed forward. He swung his blade in an arc, aiming for its knees. But the monster blocked him with a giant wooden club that could’ve easily been mistaken for a tree.
I took several steps toward the tree line. The troll charged at Gareth, knocking him down. Its mammoth-sized feet stomped at the ground, but Gareth managed to roll out of the way.
“Gareth,” I shrieked. Panic coursed through me like a rushing river. All I kept picturing was blood and him dying, which freaked me out even more.
Gareth kicked himself back onto his feet. The silver of his blade glinted as he swung it once more. This time the weapon connected with the backs of the troll’s legs, severing the tendons. The troll yelped in pain and collapsed into the ferns.
“Turn your head,” Gareth told me.
My throat thickened, and I buried my face against the horse’s side. Two more loud howls erupted, then all went silent.
“It’s okay, he’s dead now.”
I pulled away from Adaba and stared in horror at the giant head lying in the leaves, its lifeless eyes still glowed even in death. Thick black blood dripped from the foliage. I covered my mouth as nausea overtook me.
Gareth wiped his sword off and hurried to my side. He clutched me tight to his chest. “Shh…just close your eyes and count to ten.”
“I feel sick.”
“I know. Just don’t look at the body, okay? I need you to stay right next to Adaba while I scout out the woods.”
“Wait—you’re leaving me alone?” My voice quivered. I so didn’t want to be left with the severed body. Hell to the flipping no.
“Only for a moment.” He disappeared into the undergrowth, not giving me the chance to argue.
Several minutes passed before he reappeared, breathless.
“Are you all right?” I caught his arm. His skin was slick with sweat.
“Get on your horse.”
“What?”
“Salome, you have to go.”
I swallowed the rock-like lump in my throat. “By myself?”
“Yes—this troll was only a scout. The others aren’t too far out.”
No. This isn’t happening.
“Others? But you’ll be killed. I-I can’t leave you.”
Gareth turned to Adaba. “Take her to the Ruined Court and hide. If I’m not there in two days’ time, get her to Summer.”
Adaba whinnied and shook his mane as if
he understood.
Gareth sheathed his sword and picked me up, his arms tightening around me. His lips crushed mine with urgency, as if he was taking his last breath. And I clung to him, absorbing his heat and his woodsy scent. When he pulled back, he set me atop my mount.
“Gareth, please…” Tears streamed down my cheeks. I reached for him, as if that’d really keep him from going anywhere.
He slid a dagger from beneath his tunic and slipped it into the belt of my gown. “Don’t be afraid to use this.”
“Please.”
“I love you, Salome.” He swatted Adaba’s flank, and the horse carried me into the woods.
As we rode away, I heard the distinct sound of heavy footsteps tromping through the brambles.
I jerked on Adaba’s reins. “Turn back. We can’t leave him.”
But the horse ignored my feeble attempts and galloped deeper into the forest. A sob raked through me as I realized that I might never see Gareth alive again.
Chapter Seven
Kadie
Seeing Mr. Montgomery here, in this horrific place, shook me—if this was truly him. I mean, how could I be sure this wasn’t someone else using glamour?
Look at his eyes. It’s him. You just don’t want to admit it because then that will make this more real.
But I refused to forget what he’d done to Salome last winter. I remembered how she’d sobbed over the phone after he’d treated her so badly then left her mom. The guy was a total asshat.
“I won’t feel sorry for you—not after what you did to Salome,” I said.
Pain filled his gaze, his bark covered cheeks tightened. “What I’ve done to Salome? I don’t understand.”
I glared at him. “Don’t understand? You got drunk and shoved her around.”
His mouth turned into an “O” of surprise, but it looked more like a knot in the tree than his lips. “But I haven’t seen Salome in over a year—well before Christmas.”
“That’s not true. You came home…”
“No. I didn’t.” He coughed, splattering blood across the fresh snow. “My wife called to tell me Salome was in an accident. I dropped my last tr-truck load and headed straight for Michigan. The snow—it was coming down so hard. And there was a car that had gone off the road. The woman flagged me down. I stopped to help her. Everything went black. I never made it home; instead, I woke up here…Sssooo. Much. Pain.” His eyes glazed over.
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