“Actually, Your Highness, we’ve received word from some of our border patrols that Winter kidnapped more humans.”
Nevin’s eyes darkened. “Tell the Council I’ll be along shortly.”
My mouth went dry. “What does he mean, Winter kidnapped more humans?”
He glanced at me. “Grisselle has been doing it for centuries. We’ve been able to shut down some of her trafficking points, but she always finds new routes. Trust me, Salome, I’m not happy about this. When she does things like this, it makes people question what’s going on. And if enough people pay attention to what’s going on around them, then eventually they find the answers they seek—which could lead to the discovery of Faerie.”
“So Winter’s filtering into the human world? Grisselle is taking my people?” This hit closer to home. Not that I didn’t care about Faerie—I mean, of course I did. I cared about the children who’d been displaced by this war. About the refugees who had to keep moving in order to outrun Winter’s soldiers. About the kingdoms that’d been destroyed—whole lines wiped out. The thing was, my family was in the human world, which meant they, too, were in danger.
“Don’t panic; we’ll figure this out. I promise.” He tilted my chin so I looked at him, then bent forward. His lips brushed my forehead. A strange tingle pulsed across my brow, like tiny ants marched on my skin. Nevin took a step back, eyes wide.
“What?”
“If you ever had any doubt about being my queen, this should prove you’re meant to be.” He guided me to a shallow pool of water and pointed down. “Look at your reflection.”
There, on my forehead, was a golden tattoo of a crown. “Um—okay, what is that?”
He rested his hands on my shoulders. “All royals or Fae nobility are branded by magical tattoos. They only appear when a noble is born or before a coronation to indicate who should rule.”
“Holy crap. You’re not serious.” I touched my face, tracing over the tattoo.
“Yes, I’m very serious.”
“H-how do I know you didn’t just put a spell on me or something?” Freaked out, I took a step back. This couldn’t be true. I was supposed to be with Gareth. It had to be a lie.
“Salome, I can’t do spells like this. I’m speaking the truth. You’ve been marked by Summer. I had no hand in this.”
“But you’ve been bugging me since I got here about being your queen.”
“Because I sensed magic in you. Strong power that could save our people, Salome. I wanted you for my queen, but that didn’t mean you’d necessarily have been marked. But you have been, and that means something, something greater than I think you realize. You’re the first human to ever be accepted by Faerie—to be chosen as one of her court.”
“S-so the land chooses?”
“I guess you could say that.”
If that was true, then fate didn’t care about love. Summer wanted me to be with Nevin for the good of the kingdom.
What was I going to do? If Gareth was here, he’d tell me whether to trust Nevin or not. Gareth. Oh god, what would I say to him? Would he be mad? Did this mean I couldn’t be with him? So many questions swarmed my mind.
Anxiety seeped in, and I took several deep breaths. Okay, I just had to calm down. I peeked at my reflection once more and even went as far as getting my hand wet and trying to rub it off. But it only sparkled more, glinting in the sun as if it were a real crown. Holy shit. It looked pretty real to me. I just needed to be rational and not freak out.
When I’d calmed myself some, I turned to Nevin. “Do you have one? A tattoo I mean?”
“Yes. I was born with it.”
“But it’s not on your face.”
“No.”
“Then where is it?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to see it?”
“Well as long as it’s not on your butt cheek or something.”
“Definitely not on my backside.” He unlaced his tunic and pulled the sky blue material open. There, on his chest, was a golden tattoo of a crown. Golden vines spiraled down his chest and navel. Intricate spirals; in the sunlight, it almost looked like golden armor.
“I should probably go see the council before they send the troops for me,” he said. “I’m not going to mention this to them yet, but they’ll see it or hear about it soon enough.” He gazed around his garden then back to me. “You can stay out here if you’d like. I can leave one of my guards with you.”
“No. It’s okay. I’d actually like to check out the library.” I dodged away from him. My foot caught on a clump of grass, and I went sailing forward.
Nevin grabbed my arm, steadying me before I face planted on the ground. “That last step is a bastard.”
“So I noticed.” I laughed, shoving my hair over my face to hide the tattoo. I didn’t want the attention, not until I figured what was going on and how the hell I’d explain this to Gareth when he came back.
We made our way down the hill and into the palace, at which point we went our separate ways. I followed the rose shaped tiles to a ginormous archway, which opened into the biggest library I’d ever seen in my life.
It was four stories, floor to ceiling filled with books. Mahogany spiral staircases wound upward to the top level. Tables occupied several areas, along with wicker hanging chairs.
“May I help you?” A short bald man appeared in front of me.
“Um—I wondered if you had any books on the Ruined Court?” I covered my forehead with my hand, hoping he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
His mouth fell open in a surprised “O,” and his beady eyes narrowed. “And what would you like it for?”
Hmmm…touchy subject?
“I traveled through there on my way here. I was just curious about it.” I gave a noncommittal shrug.
“I’m afraid the only information I have is a book on the Great Betrayal. When Winter destroyed Autumn and Spring.”
Okay, so in a library this big, they didn’t have one article, tome, or book on the Ruined Court? He had to be lying. But I gave him a smile. “Sure, I’ll take a look at that instead.”
He scampered away like a mouse being chased by a cat. His small form disappeared behind the stacks only to reemerge a moment later with a tome almost as big as he was. “Where would you like to sit?”
“Near the windows, please.” I gestured to the back of library, hoping for some privacy.
When we got to the furthest table, he dropped the book with a loud thud. “If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
When he left, I settled into the high-backed chair and flipped through a few pages. Illustrations of Grisselle popped off the paper. Even from this depiction, she pulsed with evilness.
Darach zapped in beside me. “I see you’re feeling much better after last night.”
“Holy shit!” I jumped, covering my chest with my hand. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry. I thought you saw me.” Darach leaned closer.
I glanced at him. “I’m glad you’re here. I-I’ve got to ask you a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Have you ever seen anything like this?” I pulled my hair away from my head to show him my tattoo.
His eyes widened. “Yes. You’ve been marked. This is unbelievable.” He leaned closer, his ghostly hand swiping over the gold etching. “When did this happen?”
“In the garden when I was with Nevin.” I took a deep breath, fingers trembling. “So what does this mean?”
“It means that the Kingdom of Summer has claimed you as their queen. I knew when I first met you that there was something special about you, Salome.” Sadness seemed to wash over his features.
“But I can’t be queen, I don’t love Nevin. Maybe Summer got it wrong—like maybe Faerie is breaking down and accidentally marked me.”
“Markings are not accidental. Faerie knows your heart. And it chose you.”
“What about Gareth? I can’t just not be with him? We ar
e Blood Bound.”
“You don’t have to choose anything right now. But at least consider what’s at stake—”
At least I knew Nevin wasn’t lying to me when he’d said I’d been marked. A part of me wished he had been. I didn’t want the weight of the kingdom’s well-being on my shoulders—or the thought of losing Gareth.
Darach glanced over my shoulder. “What are you reading?”
I held it up so he could see the title. His smile slipped away.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded and slid into the chair next to mine. Even though he was a ghost, I could see the sorrow etched on his face. “Yes. It’s just hard to see the life of my people summed up in an ancient volume and tucked away on a shelf somewhere. Like we’re only a history lesson, nothing more.”
My chest tightened, and I reached for his ghost-like hand. When my fingers touched his, warmth shot through me. “You’re not a history lesson. Besides, I thought I might be able to find some way to help you.”
“Help me?”
“Well, when we first met, you mentioned being stuck here. I—I thought maybe I might find a way to free you.”
“Do you think you’ll find information here?” He quirked an eyebrow.
“Probably not, but it’s worth a try. I mean, I did accidentally find a way to break your tether to the Ruined Court.”
“That you did.” His eyes shifted to the window, where a red rose pressed against the glass. “Salome, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Last night, something happened to you…”
I fiddled with the leather binding on the book. “Um—yeah, I had a nightmare.”
“No. It was more than that. I think you’re coming into power. That dream you had might’ve been a vision.”
Startled, I sat up straighter. “How could that be? Kadie’s not in Faerie. She’s in Texas. Besides, Nevin would’ve told me.” Right, the same way he’d told me what my grandma had said.
Wasn’t he the first one to suggest I had powers? That I’d somehow conjured a shield in the forest outside Gareth’s? All this time, I’d hoped those coincidences had been just that, but what if I did harbor magic? That would mean Nevin had been right and he wasn’t hiding secrets from me again. Didn’t that mean he would have told me if Kadie was somehow in Faerie?
Darach sighed, his body shimmering as sunlight hit him. He clasped hold of my hand. “Would he tell you?”
“I—yes. I think so.”
“You don’t sound so sure.”
“Listen, I’m not sure what’s going on with me—I mean, I am standing here talking to a ghost—but wouldn’t I have sensed something, I don’t know…bigger? More earth shattering than a few tingles on my skin or whatnot?”
“Not necessarily. It might not work the same for you since you weren’t born in Faerie. Just be careful. Nevin seems to withhold a lot from you. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” He gave my fingers a squeeze.
“Would there be any way for you to know for sure if I had powers?”
He stared at me for long moments. “If you breaking my tether to the Ruined Court isn’t a sure indication, then I don’t know what is. But perhaps we could try a few spells to see for sure.”
“When?” The need to know the truth burned throughout me. I needed a purpose, something else to focus on while Gareth was away. And if it was true that I had magic, I wanted to know how to use it.
“We could try to test you now. It’s been centuries since I’ve been able to wield magic—but I think I can explain to you how to embrace it and use it.”
“Okay, just tell me what I need to do.”
Darach moved closer to me. “I want you to focus on this book. Visualize the air around it. Now, I want you to use the air to lift the book. Imagine the air blowing in from beneath it and carrying it.”
I concentrated on the leather bound book. In my mind, I willed the air to sweep under it, like Darach said. At first, nothing happened. Then all at once, the tome went flying through the air, crashing into the wall, and falling to the floor.
My throat nearly closed off as I choked back a scream. Holy crap. Had I done that?
Darach watched me. “Well I’d say we’ve confirmed you have power. But just how strong, we will have to see.”
A dark haired noble woman turned to glance at me and picked up the book I’d sent flying into the wall. “Yours?”
I took it back from her, hoping she hadn’t seen too much. “Yes. Thanks.”
She nodded and started to turn away, then stopped and said, “Who are you talking to?”
Right. No one could see the ghost. “Sorry, I was reading aloud to myself and dropped my book. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Her lips curled up in a sneer as she turned away.
Great. Now the whole castle would definitely think me crazy. But more than that, Darach’s words made me doubt whether Nevin knew more than he’d let on about my nightmare.
I hoped for both our sakes he didn’t, because I damn sure didn’t want that bad dream to come true. However, I was kind of scared to have figured out what everyone else said was true: that I’d come into magic. Would this now make me a bigger target for Grisselle? And should I tell Nevin and Gareth, or just keep it a secret? I mean, they already had an idea that I might have some abilities, but now I wasn’t sure if I wanted to confirm them. What was I capable of, and how would these powers change everything?
I cradled my head in my hands. Damn. I didn’t know what to do about any of this. The magic. The marking. The nightmare. Everything just kept getting more complicated.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kadie
I stood in a long green gown. The top of it fit snug against my chest, covered in white and emerald pearls. The silken skirt swished at my ankles as I walked.
“Hold still,” Rena ordered as she twisted my hair atop my head. “Otherwise your hair will look like a pine cone.”
“Sorry,” I muttered.
At last, she finished. Not meaning to, I glanced at Etienne. His eyes sparkled.
“You look beautiful.”
My face flushed, the heat rushing up my neck. No matter how real it felt, the attraction between us was just a means to an end now. I had to get out of here. I had to escape before something else terrible happened.
“Thank you,” I said.
“It’s time we go see the queen. Whatever you do, stick close to me. Or at least try to.”
I chewed my bottom lip. The last place I wanted to be was with the queen tonight. She might’ve let me live after the escape, but that didn’t mean I was off her radar. Who was to say she didn’t have something horrific planned for me over dinner?
Sweat beaded my brow, and I fought to keep composed—to show no emotion.
Etienne led me down a hidden hallway that I’d never been through before. There seemed to be more light here; the décor was less gruesome. There were tapestries of sunshine beaming down on glittering snow; deer and antelope were drinking from a nearly frozen spring. Crystal snowflakes seemed to float in the air above our heads, glittering and glistening beneath the light.
Tiny windows let in the drab daylight, but it was better than the constant darkness I was used to seeing in the castle. At last we came to a pair of ornate golden doors with snowflakes and holly etched into them.
Two troll guards swung them open. The scent of turkey, potatoes, fresh baked bread, and pine wafted in the air around us. I gasped when we stepped inside. Instead of the macabre blood and bones I was used to seeing, there was a large white marble fireplace, with strands of pine boughs hanging above it. The ceiling had pictures of sleighs and bonfires and dancing couples. The walls were draped in white and red and gold. A chandelier with crystal snowflakes hung above a long table, which was filled with all my favorite foods.
The queen stood, wearing a long blue silky dress, sapphires fastened at her throat. She smiled. And not the menacing one she nor
mally gave me. I noticed the only other people present were a few of her winter princes, minus Teodor.
“Kadie, come, have a seat next to me at the table. I’ve had a feast made in your honor.” She gestured to the two ornate chairs near the head of the table.
I glanced at Etienne. What the hell was going on? Maybe she’d poisoned the food and wanted to watch me die a slow, painful death. Or maybe this was like my last meal. My legs trembled beneath me as I looked around the room.
Etienne gave my hand a squeeze, but I had no idea if it was meant to be encouraging or if he was warning me of something. Either way I had my guard up because the Winter Queen didn’t do nice, at least not that I’d witnessed.
Etienne led me to the place beside the queen, where a servant pulled my chair out for me. Hesitant, I sat down, trying to ignore the uneasiness in my stomach. I gazed about the room once more, searching for any hidden weapons or torture devices—something that might tell me my fate. I didn’t spot anything, but then maybe that was the point. She didn’t want me to see it coming.
A satyr dished food onto my plate, then poured me a glass of wine. When he finished, he took a step back and went down the line, getting stuff for everyone else.
Etienne nudged my leg, nodding for me to eat. I picked up my silverware and dipped it into the steaming pile of potatoes.
Well, here goes nothing.
“My dear Kadie, I think you and I got off to a bad start,” the queen said, watching me eat.
No shit. That was an understatement. I’d seen the victims in the Bone Yard and in the castle. What the hell was she playing at?
“You see, I can be very nice when I want to be. It’s only when my patience is tested that I get angry. And lately with the things going on in Faerie, I’ve been doubly stressed. I’ve got a kingdom to maintain and take care of, but there are others in these lands who mean to take that from me. So I must defend what’s mine, which means I have to show my strength. Make people fear me.”
“But how does this concern me? I didn’t want to come to Winter. I just want to go home,” I said, setting my fork down on my plate.
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