“That’s probably for the best as well.” Mavek stood, taking in her pale complexion and the way her hands shook even though she tried to hide it. “Perhaps you should rethink going out tonight.”
The Fall Festival started tonight and she’d promised Tabby she’d go with her. It wasn’t her best friend’s fault Arden had gotten sucked up in the Unseelie’s nightmare world.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Nothing a shower and a gallon of coffee can’t cure.”
Neither of them brought up the kiss again.
In a tiny town like Thornbrooke, not many exciting events took place. This was the reason why the Fall Festival had always been one of Arden’s favorite occasions. As a kid, she’d looked forward to the carnival rides and the fair foods, and the pumpkin carving competitions that happened earlier in the day. It was one of the few times that Arden dragged Tabby around instead of the other way around, forcing her friend to visit every booth, to try every sweet and salty treat, topping everything off by drinking a bucket-full of spiced cider.
Arden was looking forward to doing something normal, something traditional that was shared just between the two of them. Which was why she was so annoyed when Tabby didn’t show up on time outside the fair grounds. After twenty minutes of trying to call with no luck, Arden’s annoyance morphed into worry.
Tabby was the type of person who had her cell phone attached to her hip. She never went anywhere without it—even the shower. She left it nearby with the volume turned up and always responded back within ten minutes at most.
Neither of them had been working today, so Arden hadn’t seen her friend earlier either. But surely if something had happened she would have been made aware, right? Tabby’s parents at least would have called her if it’d been anything serious.
Arden was debating whether or not she should head over to Tabby’s house to check up on her, when she spotted a flash of white-blond hair.
Eskel had just entered the festival, moving on the other side with assured steps like he knew exactly where he was going. He was dressed all in black and maroon, with his hands in his pockets and a blank expression on his face.
Before Arden knew it, she was following him, a mixture of anger and curiosity warring within her. He’d lied to her about being able to see the Unseelie, but maybe there was a good reason. Not one that she could think of, but there was always the chance, albeit slim. He had to be aware of having the sight, because while most of the fae were humanoid and could pass as human to regular people, many other visuals attested to what they really were.
Booths had been set up all over the place in rows upon rows, making it hard to spot Eskel whenever he turned a corner. She had to pick up the pace and practically sprint around in order to find him again, weaving through the other patrons as she did so.
She passed by the booth selling tangy spiced apple cider and her mouth watered even as she ground her teeth in frustration. She was missing out on her favorite event because of Eskel and his damn secrets.
The sky was just starting to darken, meaning most of the younger kids were being herded home. Nighttime was for the teens and the college students and so the crowd thickened, making it even harder for Arden to track her target. Machines whirled and neon lights flashed from all sides, slightly disorienting her as she searched.
He’d been heading toward the balloon darts seconds ago, but she’d lost him when a group of six teens, each holding massive stuffed animals, walked by.
She spun in a slow circle, eyes brushing over everything quickly. Just as she was turning back she caught sight of him, the light shade of his hair impossible to miss and luminescent in the lighting. She headed toward the House of Mirrors and saw him slip between the crimson curtains.
Reflections was a large metal set-up that the town pulled out every year for both the autumn and spring festivals. On the outside, it was painted with swirls of silver against a black and navy background, with stretched and twisted faces portrayed beneath the logo.
Inside was a maze of mirror walls, always on either side, but sometimes on the ceiling and the floor as well. Every year, they changed the inside so that it was impossible for anyone from the year before to memorize the way through. From all directions her reflection greeted her, warped and stretched and squished in various places.
Ignoring her distorted images as best she could, Arden cautiously moved through the winding rows. She passed by a few people as she went, some laughing children running in the opposite direction, a couple strolling hand in hand. Where Eskel had gone, she didn’t know. He’d evaded her, losing himself in the maze of mirrors.
A shot of red from a dark corner had her spinning, but there was nothing there when she looked. Chucking it up to a trick of the light, she continued, fingers idly playing with her heart necklace.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard it, the first deep notes. The sound of a piano echoed throughout the reflective halls, playing a dirge full of such woe and desperation. She found herself seeking it out.
The chamber she entered was round, defined by floor-to-ceiling mirrors arrayed in a circle with four entrances sporadically placed. She entered through a gap on the lower left. When she stepped into the chamber, her reflection was shot back at her from below and above as well as all around.
Across the room sat a massive white piano with Eskel perched on the bench, his hands shooting across the keys. What had started as a depressed song had turned angry, almost violent.
As she approached, Arden felt like the music might be about revenge more than woe. That sharp kind that could drive a person to do unspeakable things in the name of justice. She vaguely wondered how she was able to gather so much from a string of notes, then his fingers slowed and she was brought back to the present.
“That was intense,” she whispered, once he’d stilled completely.
He was slightly out of breath, and he blinked a few times at her as if processing she was there. When he stood, twenty more of him stood simultaneously so that she was suddenly surrounded by a throng of blond boys with sharp blue eyes.
“I just found it,” he said, motioning toward the piano. “Odd that they have it in here.”
“There are always a few rooms in here with instruments,” she explained. “So that people can discover them and fill the place with sound. It was an addition made a few years ago by the high school music teacher. People liked it and it stuck.”
“Hmm.” He nodded his head like that made all the sense in the world, and slowly slipped his hands into the front pockets of his dark gray jeans.
“I know you lied to me,” she blurted, and felt a stab in her chest when Eskel flinched tellingly. A part of her had hoped she’d been wrong, that what Cato and she had seen wasn’t what they suspected. That they’d merely jumped to conclusions.
But apparently, she wasn’t suspicious enough.
“I didn’t know if I could trust you,” he admitted, recovering quickly. “Surely you can understand that. You have a sibling.”
Yes, one she’d do anything for. The tops of his fingers could be seen poking out of his pockets and she watched the pewter ring flash in the florescent lighting. Another snippet from last night came to her then, of dancing in the courtyard, her head spinning and her flesh seemingly on fire.
Arden held very still, afraid that if she moved she’d chase the memory away. Mavek had said she’d danced with the Erlking and she couldn’t remember, but now… She saw the Erlking’s face hovering over hers, his smile, sharp and predatory, the curve of the antlers around his neck at her eye-level as he spun her fast enough to make her stomach lurch.
And she saw the symbol pinned to his breast, the crest made of old graying metal in the shape of a diamond. Within, two antlers were etched on either side of a single, wide-open eye. She couldn’t make it out before at the pizza place, but now she saw it clear as day.
The ring Eskel was wearing bore the Erlking’s symbol.
Her hand absently went to her necklace
, clutching at the crystal heart with the blood red rose at its center. She thought back to her encounter with Victor, and how he’d asked her where her emblem was. Now she understood. The red rose was Mavek’s symbol in the same way antlers were the Erlking’s.
Eskel was the Erlking’s Heartless knight. It was the only explanation.
“What exactly did you hope to gain?” she asked, voice coming out strong despite the twisting of her gut. “Spying on me doesn’t exactly give you any real advantage.”
They didn’t even know what the challenge on All Saints’ Eve would entail. Unless Mavek had lied to her as well and the Erlking had told his knight even though the Midnight Prince refused to inform his own.
No, Mavek wouldn’t do that to her. But Cato would, because clearly the Unseelie had known all along who Eskel really was. He’d even mentioned Eskel’s ring, the bastard. Cato’s claim to want to help keep her in line to protect them all had been nothing more than an elaborate ruse. A game.
Arden clenched her hands at her sides, barely resisting the urge to punch Eskel in his pretty mouth. She hated that she still found him attractive, and hated even more that he’d likely used that against her from the get-go.
“I needed to know how involved you were,” Eskel said, a note of panic in his voice. “I couldn’t just outright trust you, Arden. Please, you have to understand what’s at stake if—”
“Of course I understand,” she stepped back, needing space between them to keep her anger at bay. “I’ve been involved in this for over a year now. I know how important this all is.”
His brows momentarily furrowed, and he was in the process of shaking his head when her phone interrupted them.
Recognizing the ringtone as belonging to Tabby, Arden yanked it out and accepted, all while keeping her gaze pinned to him. There was no telling what he’d do now that he’d been ousted. Technically, they weren’t allowed to hurt one another, at least not until the actual Tithe. They weren’t supposed to unofficially meet either though and look how well he’d followed that little rule.
“Where are you?” Arden said into the phone, glad for the distraction because it allowed her to try to calm her nerves.
“Something’s wrong,” Tabby sounded like she’d been run over by a freight truck, her voice was so raspy and crackling. “Arden, I think I made a mistake. I didn’t know. I just thought… Please. Please can you come over? I did something and now I can’t get a hold of Cole. You’re the only other person who will believe me.”
“Believe you?” Arden did not like the sound of that. Forgetting about Eskel and their conversation, she spun on her heels and began backtracking through the mirror maze. “I’m on my way now. Are you hurt? Should I call 911?”
“No!” Her panic was immediate. “Don’t. Please.”
“I’m coming, Tabitha. I’ll be there in ten minutes. I’m coming.” The line went dead and she swore. Arden picked up the pace, practically running through the rest of the maze and out into the throng. The festival was in full nighttime swing now, swarming with people.
She barely saw any of them as she ran, weaving and dodging bodies right and left, though from the corners of her eyes she caught the glimmering eyes that were distinctly fae. The Unseelie were here.
Slowed by the crowd, it took longer for Arden to reach her bike, and her hands shook as she attempted to unlock the chain. She swore a few times when the heavy metal slipped through her hold. She squeezed her eyes shut, taking a steadying breath. She opened them again in time to see a yellow Jeep Wrangler pulling up beside her.
The passenger side window rolled down and Eskel leaned across.
“Get in,” he said, and when she didn’t move, lifted a brow. “It sounded like your friend needs serious help. What’s faster, Arden, a bike or a car? Just get in. For Tabby. I swear that’s where I’m going to take you.”
She still hesitated, but ultimately decided that believing him was worth the risk. Abandoning her bike, she swung up into the jeep and directed him to Tabby’s house. The drive took less than five minutes.
She jumped out and charged up the porch without thanking him, not even realizing until she was already halfway through the front door that he was hot on her heels. She turned to tell him to leave but he stopped her, already guessing her argument.
“You might need me. You have no idea what’s wrong.”
Grinding her teeth Arden led him in.
“Tabby!” She took the steps to the second floor two at a time, quickly checking each room as she ran down the hallway. She’d visited this house thousands of times before, and she could never recall it being so quiet.
Tabby had three younger siblings and a stay-at-home dad. Her mom worked at a tech company in a neighboring town, keeping regular nine-to-five hours. Someone was always home. Now it was empty and silent.
A breath eased out of Arden when she reached her friend’s bedroom door and opened it to find Tabby lying in bed.
Until she stepped closer and got a better look. Then she gasped.
Tabitha was curled into a tight ball and clutching at her middle like she had a bad stomachache. Her head was bent forward and her eyes were shut but she was covered in sweat, causing thin strands of hair to stick to her cheeks and her neck.
Hair the color of sable and silver. Silver, like she was three times her age. The wrinkles on her hands and the bags under her eyes added to her withered look.
“Oh my god—” it slipped out before Arden could help it.
Eskel entered the room and came to an abrupt stop. His mouth hung open slightly and he seemed just as confused and shocked as Arden. “What happened?”
Tabby tried opening her eyes but it was like the light in the room was too bright for her to handle. She moaned and clutched tighter at her stomach, pressing her face against the silky material of her bubblegum-pink pillow.
“I didn’t know,” she said, soft sobs rendering her words difficult to make out. “I just thought it was part of the festival, like an earlier part. I didn’t want Cole to know because he seemed so strange and I just… I shouldn’t have gone. It was so stupid. I should have realized something was wrong.” She glanced at Arden, tears in her eyes. “Something’s wrong.”
Arden dropped to her knees at her bedside, hesitating for a second before touching her. She didn’t want to hurt her friend, and she couldn’t really tell where the actual pain was coming from other than her stomach. The rest of Tabby didn’t look too good either.
“What does Cole have to do with this?” she insisted. “Where did you follow him to?”
“He’s not picking up,” Tabby went on as if she hadn’t heard Arden. “I tried and I tried. What if this is happening to him too? I saw him. He ate it. He ate it and I ate it and now… You have to help him, Arden. Please. You have to help us.”
“I’m trying to,” she swallowed. “You’re not making any sense, Tab. I need to know where you went. What did you eat?”
Tabitha’s phone on her nightstand lit up, flashing her cousin’s name across the screen. Just as Eskel snatched it up, the sound of the front door slamming downstairs reached them, followed by pounding footsteps.
Cole ran into the room a second later, practically mowing Eskel down in the process. His eyes were wild and when he spotted Tabby he visibly deflated. He moved to his cousin, shoving Arden aside so that he could rest his hands on Tabby’s shaking shoulders.
“What did you do?” he snapped, but his panic was palpable. “Damn it, Tabitha, what did you do?!”
Arden yanked him away, stepping between the two of them. “What did you do? What is going on here?”
“This has nothing to do with you, Arden,” he stated, trying to move past.
Eskel stopped him, tugging on Cole’s collar. When Cole turned and swung at him, he ducked out of the way with ease.
“Stop it,” Arden hissed. “Cole, where were the two of you last night? What is she talking about? Eating?”
“And why is she under the assumption that you shou
ld be sick as well?” Eskel added.
Cole glanced at the two of them and then dropped his head in his hands, moving to pace back and forth along the other side of the room. When he finally stopped and focused on them, tear tracks stained his red cheeks.
“I didn’t know she was following me. I would never bring her there, Arden. You have to believe me,” he said.
“Where?” Her voice softened at the guilt in his eyes.
He took a breath. “The night market.”
“The what?” Eskel asked, just as lost as Arden was.
“It’s also known as the goblin market,” Cole explained, rolling his eyes when Arden’s mouth fell open. “Yes, I know about the Unseelie. I know they’re real.”
“How—”
“I’m a Heartless, Arden,” he cut her off, at least having the decency to glance away in shame. “I’m one of the knights.”
Arden felt the floor shift beneath her and moved back to sit on the nightstand before she fell over. Her mind raced back over their past, trying to make sense of what he was telling her. None of the pieces fit. They’d known each other for years, she would have realized if he had the sight like she did.
“That doesn’t matter right now,” Cole was still speaking, “what matters is my cousin. If we don’t hurry, she won’t make it.”
“You’re saying she’s going to die?” Eskel asked incredulously. “What the hell did she eat at this market?”
“Something she shouldn’t have,” he replied. “Anything, for that matter. Regular humans can’t eat Unseelie food, especially not food offered up at the night market.”
“Goblin food.” Arden squeezed her eyes shut.
“Exactly.”
“What’s so bad about goblin food?” Eskel frowned.
“It’s got crazy magical properties that mess with mortal DNA,” Cole said. “If we don’t get her more, and soon, her body will reach eighty years old by midnight, and come morning…”
Arden shot to her feet. At some point, Tabby had passed out, possibly from the pain. After checking to make sure she was still breathing, Arden turned toward them. “Where’s the market? We’re going, now.”
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