“That’s horrible,” I said, wondering how twisted her relatives could be.
“My parents took my title and gave it to Genissa, who was now marked by Faerie. She took everything from me, her own sister. After all this happened, I decided I didn’t want to be here any longer. So I packed a small bundle and snuck into the human world. My plan was to run off with Leonardo. But when I got to our spot, I found him with another woman—a human woman. This was my breaking point. Hatred burned through me, and I turned the girl into a tree on his property so he could watch her and suffer as she died slowly. This is why I came to hate human women and the Faerie court. The elders and my parents wouldn’t allow me to be with the person I loved; my sister stole everything from me. When I realized that I wouldn’t get my happy ending, I went to the darkest caves at the edge of the Forbidden Swells—a place where dark magic flows. I’d studied enough in my lessons to know how to delve into it. It was here that I embraced my darkness and let it consume me. I had a new plan—to get even with my sister and the royals for all that they’d done and taken from me. No one in Faerie, not one person from any of the courts came to my aid against those that chose to strip me of everything. They could’ve saved me, but instead, they helped in my demise. That was their biggest mistake—they underestimated just how powerful I was and what I could now do, thanks to the black magic. I was just so tired of giving everything of myself, only to have those around me not appreciate me or understand everything I sacrificed for them. I was at my breaking point, and this was my only defense—to take back what should’ve been mine.”
“I’m sorry that they did that to you. It was wrong.” Jeez, she was more fucked up than I was. But now, I understood better why she’d done what she’d done. And after all she’d given up to train and study to become their queen? She’d sacrificed her whole childhood for them—is that what I’d done for Salome?
“Thank you for your kindness. Very few would be so compassionate. We truly are kindred, Kadie. I felt it the moment I met you.” She gave me a shy glance, then picked up her handheld mirror.
The queen went still; her fingers gripped the sides of the vanity. Her face twisted, in anger. “No! This can’t be.” She slammed her palm against the mirror, and it cracked beneath the force of the blow. Blood dripped down the jagged, broken pieces onto the furniture and floor.
But she didn’t seem to notice the wound as she squeezed her eyes shut and took several deep breaths before turning toward the door way. “Teodor! Etienne!” Her voice carried like the sound of someone scraping a fork across a blackboard—as if magic carried it down the stairs, echoing throughout the castle.
“Your Highness, you called for us?” Etienne rushed into the room, Teodor close behind. Both were breathless, glancing at me, then back to her, with almost confused looks upon their faces.
“They’ve escaped—they’re all gone.”
Teodor crossed his arms. “Who’s gone?”
“The Autumn Courts’ ghosts. They’re no longer tethered to the Ruined Court. That means I no longer control them.”
She stormed across the room. Her hands swept the glass figures and bottles from her vanity. They crashed to the floor, sending a spray of broken glass everywhere. Her once cool demeanor shattered like the pieces lying on the floor.
“Someone has undermined my plans—I want to know who,” Griselle snapped, visibly trying to regain her composure. “You will find out for me.” She raised a finger and pointed at Teodor. “You’ve spent too much time bedding humans and very little helping to preserve our kingdom.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He bowed.
“Go—now!”
Teodor rushed from the room like the flames of hell licked at his ass.
Etienne hurried to my side, grabbed my hand, and jerked me to the stairs. We hurried down.
“Something big is about to happen in Faerie. Light magic is returning.” Etienne squeezed my fingers.
I glanced at him. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I was sure it might not be good for anyone on Grisselle’s bad side—which cemented my choice to do everything in my power to keep her happy. I wouldn’t make the same mistake that had cost Demetria her life. I would stay strong. I would survive.
A part of me wondered if Grisselle really was a woman scorned—a woman who had given everything to others and been burned in return. Was she just misunderstood? Not that I agreed with all the girls she’d killed, but I could see why she’d done it—why she’d decided to get back at her family, her sister, Leonardo, and Faerie. They’d done her wrong first, or so she said.
Hadn’t I been in the same position? I’d made sacrifices for Zac, all to keep him happy and keep us together, but he had screwed me over, and I’d wanted nothing more than to rip his balls off and shove them down his throat. And what about Salome? I’d taken stupid risks to help her, and look where it had gotten me. I wasn’t saying I’d never help anyone again, but from now on, I had to ask myself what was in it for me. This could be the fine line between life and death and I damn sure preferred to live.
Now it was my turn to get what I desired—what I deserved. In turn, it’d help Grisselle out, too. Maybe I could convince her to quit killing people. She might just need a friend: someone to listen to her, someone she could trust, someone who understood where she was coming from. Why couldn’t that person be me?
“Etienne, I need to go back and talk to Grisselle.”
His eyes met mine, and his jaw tightened. “I don’t think now is a good time to be around her.”
“Look, it’s really important that I speak with her, now.”
“Kadie, I—”
“You can stop worrying about keeping me safe. After tonight, I won’t need your protection any longer.” I stopped and looked him up and down. “But maybe there’s something else you can be for me besides my protector.” I trailed my fingers down his cheek, until they brushed against his lips. “She promised that I could have any Fae lord I want…”
He grabbed my hands and pulled them away from him. “Look, let’s talk about this before you make a decision you might live to regret—or worse, get killed over.”
“I’ve spent my whole life worried about how actions would affect other people. I’m done with it. Today and every day from here on out, I’m looking out for me. And since you don’t seem interested in me, I’m going to talk to someone who is. Now will you bring me to Grisselle? Or do I have to go myself?”
“Very well, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. And don’t expect me to come to your rescue again. This—what you’re doing here,” he waved his arms around, “is foolish and asinine. You’re just begging to find yourself in a bone pile in the Bone Yard.” He reached out, clutched me by the shoulders, and gave me a shake. “Are you really going to honor Demetria’s memory by siding with the enemy?”
I jerked free from him. “Well, if Demetria had been smart, she would’ve tried whatever she could’ve to get out of here. I’m not going to sit back and be subjected to the same fate as her. I’m doing what I can to survive—and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
He snorted, his mouth turning down into a frown, eyes hard as the stone walls. “Nothing wrong? Try condemning yourself to a lifetime of hell.” He shook his head. “There are worse things than death, Kadie. Believe me. But if that’s what you want, then go on, run to Grisselle. But mark my words, you will regret it, and it’ll be too late by the time you realize it.”
Ugh. What an asshole. He was such a fucking hypocrite. He’d done the same thing that I was about to do. There was no dishonor in trying to stay alive…and I wanted to live to see my next birthday. Tonight, I’d be something—somebody. I’d be Kadie Byers, Winter Princess.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Salome
Unnerved by everything that’d happened, I decided to head back to my room. Maybe in there, I could let things digest a little more. Was there any way to con Nevin into sending for my grandmother? I had a feeling she knew exactly what was goi
ng on.
It seemed like I was in the dark about so many things. I needed answers—about the Blade of the Four Kingdoms, why I suddenly had magic, and why Faerie had marked me as the next Summer Queen.
As I turned the corner to enter the hallway to my room, a door appeared out of nowhere, blocking my way. I jumped back, startled. What the heck was going on? The air around me buzzed with what felt like static. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. A low humming sounded, and all of a sudden the door whipped open and I was sucked toward the entrance.
I let out a low scream, attempting to dig my feet in and grip my fingers tightly to the doorjamb. It was useless, though, and once I was sucked all the way in, the wooden barrier slammed shut behind me and disappeared.
Oh God. Where was I? I spun in a circle as candles lit themselves around the room. Shelves of what looked like ancient books lined the stonewalls. There was a lone table at the center of it—with two books already flipped open, as if someone had been studying and left abruptly.
The ceiling reminded me of a night sky—complete with blinking stars. I gazed at it for long moments until I saw a star shoot across it. Was it magic? Whatever it was, it was beautiful.
My eyes continued to take everything in, from the ancient relics that were displayed on shelves and hung on the walls to the strange crystal boxes that sat in a glass case that stretched from the floor to the ceiling.
“Answers are here, if you know where to look…” A low whisper echoed around me.
I twisted around and around, searching for the source of the voice. “Hello? Who’s there? Can you tell me where I am?”
“You are in the Room of the Past. What has already happened is here, and what has yet to happen will find its way here… Time is precious. Seek and you shall find. Remember what you see and recognize what you don’t see. But be swift, for time cannot stand still for long, even for those who are marked as a sister of Faerie. When the stars align, you must go…”
Okay, what the hell did that mean? But as I peered up at the ceiling once more, I saw the slow movement of the stars in the sky. Was that my timer?
Not exactly sure what it was I was supposed to be looking for, I moved toward the table. As I got closer to it, the pages in the book began to turn on their own, until it opened to a section with a crudely drawn picture of the Blade of the Four Kingdoms. The text below it was faded, but still legible. It read:
The blade of the Four Kingdoms is imbued with the essence of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. This weapon was wielded by the first Queen of Faerie, Diana. She battled against the Fomorians, saving Faerie Kind. She was selfless. Her love for Faerie and humanity was greater than the love she had for herself. Some say that is why the blade worked for her then disappeared after her reign. The queens who followed her were self-indulgent and did not have the true markings of Faerie. The four courts began choosing their own queen based on votes and not the will of Faerie. Because the weapon was created to protect and not serve, it is said it disappeared and will return only when…
The weapon would reappear when what? The page had been torn off. However, that didn’t stop the involuntary shiver that ran through my body. What were the chances that a sword missing for centuries had just happened to fall into my hands?
More pages on the book flipped like an old movie projector. It stopped once more on a painting of the crystal boxes I’d seen in the case.
Memory Boxes house all the important memories and events of Faerie. From the first Faerie Queen to the most recent, these dream-like visions replay when the boxes are opened. They cannot be destroyed by magic or weapons, for memories are never truly lost. They are pieces of our past. They are warnings for our future.
The boxes. My gaze slid over them. I wondered if this was what I was supposed to find. I swallowed hard and ambled across the room until I stood in front of the crystal boxes. I didn’t see any latches to open the case, but as I slid my hand against the glass, it opened of its own accord.
Whisperings surrounded me. At first, I thought people had entered the room with me until I realized the noise was coming from the boxes themselves. My hand hovered over each of them, unsure which to choose. But as my fingers trailed over each lid, I felt a tingling sensation run up my arm, and when I came to the last box in the last row, the vibrations grew stronger.
Cautious, I picked it up and brought it over to the table, where I sat down. My stomach knotted, wondering what would happen when I opened it. I prayed I wouldn’t unleash something.
Body quaking, I gripped a hold of the top and pushed it up. A tiny cloud pushed out and spread above the table until it looked like a movie screen. Then the images began to appear. There was a horse carriage, transporting what appeared to be a glass coffin through Faerie. Mourners stood on the sides of the roads and paths, tossing flowers and leaves at the feet of the horses. I leaned closer, making out the body of a woman—Genissa, the Queen of Faerie. Her auburn hair spread out on the white pillow her head rested on; a white gown made her appear angelic. She held a bouquet of violets in her hands. But as the carriage rounded the bend, I noticed there wasn’t a body in the coffin any longer.
“Whoa, wait a second.” I wondered if there was a rewind button on this thing. The carriage disappeared around the corner. Then the memory replayed again. This time, I paid closer attention. Right when the horse drawn contraption got close to the bend, I saw the slight flicker—almost like a glitch or something. And then, again, the body wasn’t there.
What the hell did this mean? I sat there for long moments. Where was the body? Unless the body had never been in the carriage to begin with…Maybe someone had used magic or glamour to make it look like Genissa was there. And if she wasn’t, then where the heck was she—or rather, her body? Wariness crept in. Someone or something had wanted me to see this particular memory box, but why?
“Time to go…you must seek out the Matron of Faerie—the archivist must remember…she holds the key. The warden holds the map. The sister holds the doorway open. The other is made of darkness. Beware of the girl who calls herself friend.”
“Wait, what does that even mean?” But before I could get any more answers, a light burst into the room, revealing the door once more. It swung open, and I was thrown back out into the hallway where I’d started.
In a matter of seconds the door and the room were both gone. I leaned against the wall for long moments, wondering if I’d imagined the whole thing. Crap. Whatever this was, I knew it was important. But did I have all the pieces to put the puzzle together? The thing was, I didn’t know who might be able to answer some questions for me. Darach? Nevin? Maybe I was on my own for this one.
Nevin pulled my chair out for me as we sat down to dinner. Tonight, we were dining outside beneath the moonlight. Blue, yellow, and green paper lanterns floated in the air above, their soft lights glittering off the river.
“Don’t worry, I only invited nice people tonight,” Nevin said.
I smiled, but my mind was on anything but dinner. “Well, I can definitely do without Rowena for a while.”
His brow knit. “Trust me, I’m looking into things where she’s concerned. The only problem is Gwenn isn’t a viable witness, at least not according to the Council.”
“Why? She’s a noble lady and one of the royal guards.”
He leaned closer. “Because she was kicked out of Council. Let’s just say they don’t see eye to eye. And she and Rowena have a long history of clashing. Gwenn believed we should train like our soldiers so we could better defend ourselves. However, most of the nobles disagreed, especially when she tried pushing it into law.”
My gaze shifted to my guard, trying to picture her in a dress and sitting around like the others, but I couldn’t.
Laughter filled the room, and I turned to see Fae children weaving in and out of the tables. Some peeked at me from behind their parents, while others inched closer to us. People glanced at me, curious looks on their faces. For once, I sensed no animosity simply
because I was human.
“So who are all these people?”
“These are guests from the kingdom. Only two nobles amongst the group.”
A young man poured pomegranate wine into my goblet. He briefly glanced in my direction before returning back to his post.
“Why are they all staring at me?”
Nevin chuckled. “Because they want to meet the woman who freed us from Winter’s clutches. You’re a legend amongst the masses.”
My brows raised. “You’re teasing me.”
“No. I promise.”
An elven boy wandered through the crowd. When he saw me, he grinned and pushed through the people until he stood beside my chair.
“The others bet me I wouldn’t come talk to you,” he said. “But I wanted to know if you really broke the king’s curse.”
Nevin leaned across me. “Yes, she did. She killed the witch and freed me and my troupe.”
“Ha, I told them it was true.” He glanced over his shoulder at his friends who seemed overly enthralled with me. “Just so you know, I think you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.” His ears turned pink.
I touched his cheek. “Thank you, I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
With that, he bowed and rushed back to his buddies.
“Looks like you have yourself a fan,” Nevin said. “Soon all the boys in the kingdom will be lining up to get a glimpse of you.”
I laughed, catching Gwenn’s eye across the yard. She acknowledged me with a quick nod, then went back to scouring the area. Did she ever take a break and just have fun?
In the distance, the sound of horns broke through the festivities.
I faced Nevin. “What’s going on?”
His gaze searched the darkness as men on horses galloped to the edge of our eating area. “I’m not sure.” He stood.
I recognized some of the soldiers from Gareth’s scouting party. Dust clung to their wrinkled uniforms, and fatigue showed on their faces.
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