“Look out!” Gwenn shoved me aside, tugging me beneath one of the small bridges along the bank of the stream. She covered my body with her own, shielding my head.
All around us, I heard screams and rock falling. I buried my face against Gwenn’s shoulder, waiting for it to stop.
Soon it did. Patches of fog rolled in, followed by deathly silence.
“What was that?” I whispered.
“A dark entity.” Gwenn slowly climbed off of me, her gaze locked with mine. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, thank you.”
We both slid from beneath the bridge to find a pile of rubble and the top of one of the towers completely missing. Gwenn cursed under her breath.
“What’s wrong?”
“That tower was where your friend was imprisoned. Grisselle sprung her, which means she’s free and could come back after you.”
A shiver crawled over my body. Would Kadie make another attempt on my life? Or did Grisselle have some other use for her? Either way, this just proved that Winter would use any means necessary to destroy us. We needed to fight back—we needed a plan to reclaim Faerie and to right all the wrongs…
When daylight came, Nevin and I sat on a bench in the garden, watching the falls. There were still bits of stone lying about the courtyard, but most of the bigger stuff had been moved. Luckily there hadn’t been any serious injuries. A few people had gotten some scrapes and bruises trying to get out of the way of falling rock, but it could’ve been much worse. I was relieved to know Etienne had made his escape—that he was far from the Winter Queen’s wrath.
“Your Highness.” Lord Ballock rushed toward us. “The prisoner has escaped.”
“I know. Some of us were up late last night and heard the beast attack. Obviously you weren’t one of them. A search party has already been formed and is working the borders.”
“Your Highness, one of the parties has already checked in, they haven’t been able to find any trace of the human—although Lady Antellan swore she felt someone use one of the portals early this morning.” He gave me an accusatory glance.
“Are you sure?” Nevin asked.
“Yes. Should we see if we can pick up a trace of the human?”
No,” I said. “It isn’t necessary. We’ve got more pressing matters to worry about.”
Nevin glanced at me. “She’s right, we’ve got magical borders to rebuild so we don’t have any more attacks like we did last night. And we have an army to train.”
His mouth turned down in a frown. “But the human made an attempt on the queen’s life.”
“Lord Gareth and myself are well aware of that. Our queen’s safety is of utmost importance; however, the best way to protect her now is to keep her guarded and to reinforce our borders.”
“Very well. But I don’t think the council will approve of this measure.” He stormed away.
“That went well,” I said, waving my hand in the air.
Nevin’s eyes went wide. “Where did you get this from?” He pointed at my newest Faerie tattoo.
“It happened last night when Etienne was here.”
“That’s impossible. You’ve now been marked by three of the four kingdoms.” His eyes widened as he investigated my markings.
“Do you know what this means?”
“No, but I’ll have our archivist check into it. I haven’t seen this since…”
“Since what?”
He glanced at Gareth, who stood watching us. “Nothing, I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but let’s just say there’s more to you than I think any of us ever knew.”
“Gareth? What isn’t he telling me?”
Gareth met my eye over his shoulder then turned away. “I can’t say for sure. But he’s right, this is big.”
“Please don’t keep secrets.” My teeth grazed my bottom lip.
“I won’t. As soon as I find answers, I promise to tell you.”
I wouldn’t be much of a queen if I didn’t live up to what I’d asked him to do. Well, here went nothing. Time to tell them everything I knew, too.
“Okay, there’s something you should both know,” I said. “I didn’t want to say anything, but I feel that the more information we withhold from one another, the less likely we are to defeat Grisselle.”
“What do you mean?” Nevin asked.
“Before Gareth came back injured, I had something strange happen to me.” I chewed my bottom lip, hoping I didn’t sound crazy. “A door appeared in the hallway and I was led into a hidden room. Inside there were these things called Memory Boxes, and there was this voice, talking to me.”
Nevin’s eyes widened. “You were granted access to the Room of the Past? Before you were crowned queen?”
“Yes. But here’s the thing: there were specific things this room or whatever wanted me to know. For one, the Memory Box I saw showed the funeral procession of Genissa—and her body wasn’t in the casket.”
“It had to have been. We saw it with our own eyes,” Gareth said.
“Did you really? Or is it possible that someone was able to manipulate a glamour and make you think you saw it? Because I watched the vision play through several times and each time, the body disappeared right when it reached the bend in the road. And that’s not all, there was more information on the Blade of the Four Kingdoms.”
“What do you know of the blade?” Nevin stared at me.
“Gareth didn’t tell you?”
“I might’ve forgotten that detail when we got here.”
“The sword kind of appeared to me.” I paused. “It’s hidden in my room right now.”
He ran a hand through his hair, watching me closely. “You’re full of all kinds of surprises, aren’t you?”
“Maybe, but the thing I wanted to tell you is that this voice, it spoke a lot of riddles…and I think they might be some type of premonition or something. I mean, it predicted Kadie hurting me…”
“It what?” Gareth moved closer.
I took a deep breath. “The voice said: ‘Beware of the girl who calls herself friend’.”
Nevin cursed. “What else did it say?”
I shook my head. “More than I totally remember. Something about seeking the Matron of Faerie. The voice said the archivist holds the key. The warden holds the map. And the sister…I can’t remember that part.”
“The sister holds the doorway open,” Nevin finished. “That part’s from a legend. But the rest… What else did the voice say?”
“It said the other is made of darkness. Do you know what this means?”
Nevin’s jaw clenched. “Parts of it perhaps, but this sounds like something we’ll need to sit down and put our heads together for. The sooner the better.”
“You promise to tell me if you figure something out, right?”
“Yes,” Nevin said.
I hoped he would, because the sooner I could figure out my purpose in Faerie, the better. Grandma might have some answers, but I wasn’t sure when I’d see her again. Maybe I could convince Nevin to let me go back for a brief visit…But I didn’t hold my breath for that to happen. Sunshine warmed my skin as I closed my eyes, letting Summer wrap around me.
“Maybe we stand a chance against Grisselle now. With Etienne back in the picture, we might be able to take her down, if the three of us use our power,” Nevin said from beside me.
“I think we stand more than a chance.” I smiled, opening my eyes. “I think we might win.”
He chuckled. “Come with me. It’s time we strengthen the magic around our borders today.”
“Would you like me to ready the horses?” Gareth asked from beside me.
“Yes. And have Gwenn go get a few more guards to accompany us.” Nevin reached for my hand and placed it on his arm as we walked to the stables.
So much had changed, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it yet. A few weeks ago, I was just some human girl who happened to have a Fae boyfriend. Now I was a powerful queen, readying myself for war.
Once the horses were saddled
, we mounted them. Nevin slid into the saddle behind me, and we galloped from the safety of the palace walls. We traveled along the borders, where Nevin showed me how to set a magical shield. As one we cupped our hands together, prayed to the Goddess of Summer, and let the magic flow through our fingers.
We spent the entire day building up our barriers. When we finished, a green-blue glow swirled in the air around Summer. The breeze seemed warmer, the sky brighter, and the flowers more fragrant.
Nevin guided our horse beneath a willow tree. He helped me from the saddle, then turned to me. “Thank you for helping our kingdom. I know this isn’t the life you wanted. But I hope you’ll grow to love Summer, like you loved the human world.”
“I already adore Summer. Everything we’re doing, we’re doing for them and for Faerie. I touched his shoulder. “We will defeat Grisselle, together.”
He leaned forward to give me a hug. Beneath the willow, we could pretend just for a moment that we didn’t have a worry in the world.
When he pulled back, my eyes shifted to Gareth, who stood on the hill.
“I love you,” I said through the link.
“I know. But the kingdom needs you.”
With a sad smile, I fought the tears that threatened to spill out. “I understand now why you stayed here all those years, trying to run the kingdom while Nevin was gone. Summer means too much to both of us to not do the right thing.”
Darach’s ghost appeared on the hill next to Gareth, unbeknownst to him. Soon, I would need to tell Nevin about him. I meant what I’d said earlier. We couldn’t keep secrets from each other anymore. Not if we wanted to defeat Winter.
I watched them both. They were my strength, and I knew they’d be with me through everything. I might be Nevin’s queen now, but I was also theirs. No matter what happened, I knew I could trust them with my life.
But I also knew Gareth would be an obstacle for me. I wasn’t sure how great I’d be able to pretend that he meant nothing to me when we were in public. This was the part that would suck—keeping our love hidden. Not being able to go on dates or romantic walks or spend time dancing. Nope. Everything we said or did would have to be behind closed doors—another secret.
“Let’s go home now,” Nevin said.
As we made our way back, Gareth came up next to me, his gaze focused ahead of us so that anyone watching wouldn’t notice that his attention was on me.
“Our armies should be ready soon, and with Etienne’s information, we might be able to make this quick, with minimal casualties.”
“There’s nothing to figure out,” I teased. “We’re gonna defeat Winter, and then we’ll all live happily ever after.”
He chuckled. “Has anyone ever told you that you read way too many fairytales?”
“I don’t need to read them anymore—I’m living one.”
For now, things were calm, but I knew in the months to come we’d have to face our nightmares. We’d have to face Winter, Grisselle, and Kadie too. But now I was ready for it. Spring, Summer, and Autumn had marked me. But so had Winter. I was stronger for it. I belonged to Faerie now—and it belonged to me.
Epilogue
Etienne
Up ahead, I saw the glowing circle of stones—the portal. The fading moonlight cascaded through the canopy of trees as if it energized the portal.
I stepped into the circle. Bright light flashed all around me like thousands of pulsating strobes. I spun, falling down so fast that dizziness washed over me. My eyes squeezed shut as I traveled through heat and cold.
Wind whirred in my ears. There was so much pressure on my body and my head.
At last I slowed until my feet hit something solid.
My eyes whipped open, and I went still. Darkness shrouded me. Snow billowed against my legs. I shivered. Fear entangled me like a net. I was back in Winter.
My eyes adjusted to the blackness, and I saw a gazebo. I’d made it. This must be Salome’s grandparents’ house. As if sensing our arrival, an old woman hurried toward me, carrying a walking stick that glowed.
“Who’s there?” she called. When she got closer, she came up short. Her eyes widened to the size of oranges. “You’re alive.”
Confused, I stared at her. “Yes… The Winter Queen held me prisoner in her kingdom. But I bring news of your granddaughter. She lives, and she lives well as the Queen of Summer.”
Doris smiled. “So it has come to pass. She chose Nevin and Summer. And Kadie betrayed her.”
I nodded.
“Come along then—let’s get you out of the cold,” she said.
I followed Doris’ hunched form onto the deck and into the house. Heat warmed my cool skin the moment we stepped inside.
“Who’s this?” An older man, who I assumed was Salome’s grandpa, met us at the door.
“This is Etienne of Spring. He will be staying with us for a while,” she said, turning to stare at me. “And where are my manners? I’m Doris, and this is my husband Frank.”
Doris hung her thick gray coat up on a hook, and then she caught my arm and led me to a hidden room. She slipped into the cluttered office, complete with rollaway desk, large ledgers, books, and jars of herbs. She grabbed one of the sconces next to the desk, and the wall slid open.
She retrieved a candle from a shelf and lit it with a match. The light bounced off marble stairs that descended into the dark.
I came up short, staring at Doris. “I recognize you now. You’re the Grand Matron of Faerie, the Archivist to the Queen of Faerie. You disappeared hundreds of years ago.”
Doris smiled. “Because I was needed here. The queen foresaw it. I used to guard our antiquities and our borders against stray humans coming into Faerie. Now I guard the humans against our kind.”
“Then you knew this day would come? That your granddaughter would become Summer Queen?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m guessing there’s more to Salome than being Summer Queen.”
“Much more.” Doris ushered me down the curving stairs to a long, marble corridor.
Paintings of battles and gardens and the different seasons hung along the wall, while ancient statues lined the way beneath the house.
I gaped at the mahogany furniture and cases of jewels.
“These are things I saved from the Ruined Court.”
I stepped ahead of her into a well-lit room, where rows of swords, bows, and armor hung. “You’ve got weapons.”
“War’s coming, Your Highness. We must all be prepared. The queen told me this was to be my task.”
My pulse thundered in my ears. It’d all come down to this—a final battle. And whether I wanted to be or not, I was a part of it. Doris turned to me, then brought me into her arms and hugged me tight.
“I can guess what you endured to make it this far…The things you must have sacrificed to survive.”
“I could’ve done more,” I whispered.
She brushed hair from my face. “So could we all, Etienne of Spring. But we do the best we can with what we’re given. You did what you had to do to help keep your people safe, and now, you will have a chance to avenge those you couldn’t.”
I held tight to her. For the first time in months, I felt safe. And even though I knew this was far from over, I could breathe again. When I took the field of battle, Grisselle wouldn’t know what hit her. She would pay for all that she’d done to Faerie—for all the innocent lives she’d taken over the years from both my world and the human world.
When Doris let me go she said, “Everything will be okay, now.”
And somehow, I believed her. Trying times were ahead, but for this moment, I basked in the warmth of Doris’ house, of being free from Grisselle. Tonight I’d relax for the first time in years, and tomorrow, I’d wait for my people to arrive.
Grisselle
My mirror shimmered as I took in the scene before me. Nevin had taken the human girl as his queen. Etienne had betrayed me for Summer. Oh, he’d thought he could hide his betrayal from me, bu
t I’d felt him leave Faerie. He thought he was so clever, trying to sneak off. Just like a man to do something like that.
My fingers tingled with magic. They’d all pay for it, though. Darkness washed over me as I dipped my fingers into the black essence on my vanity.
“If I can’t win here then I’ll take this fight somewhere I can.” I spun to face the Nobles of Winter. My new sister Kadie stood by my side. “By week’s end, we march on the human world. Call up our armies, trolls, goblins, ghosts…I want all our people ready to go.”
Summer would regret the day they went against me. And the human girl Salome would be the first to go. Or maybe I’d save her for last—let her watch everyone she loved succumb to death. Succumb to me. Succumb to Winter.
Acknowledgments
Where to begin… Edits for this book hit right in the midst of a family emergency this year. There were moments when I wasn’t sure if I’d get it finished in time—so I thank my editor Liz for her understanding and allowing Summer Marked to be pushed back.
I want to also give a HUGE thank you and lots of hugs to my agents Jenn and Fran. I appreciate your support more than I can say or express. Thank you for the encouraging emails and phone calls during everything.
To my brother Phil, sister-in-law Jenn, sister Rachel, and soon to be brother-in-law Dan, I love you guys and feel blessed every day to have you as my family. Your love and support mean the world to me.
To my FABULOUS husband Tim, I love you more than words can say. To my kids Devin, Alyssa, Kris, Barrett, Erin, and Chase, I am SO proud of each of you. You all excel at everything you do and I love you. Thank you for ALWAYS believing in me, even when I doubt myself.
Ah, and where would I be without my FREAKING AWESOME crit group? Thank you for reading and critting EVERY story I write. You ladies make my words so much more than they started. Your love, friendship, and support over the last several years has been uplifting. You’re my second family.
And to my readers… I don’t even know what I’d do without you. Thank you SO much for your excitement and emails and messages. You guys are AWESOME.
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