by Jaymin Eve
Tyson found me in the sands; his presence thawed the ice around my chest, and my heart beat again, for my mate, for the bond that anchored me to life. Now it was time to purge the darkness and corruption in the diamond lands, up to me to end their reign of terror. I stepped onto the snow, and the cool breezes washed over me. I had never felt so free and alive … odd considering I’d died a minute ago.
Icy magic swirled in my veins. Something connected between me and this land. Something which felt like a beating heart, sending out warm caressing thumps.
Welcome home, Princess. A powerful voice filled my mind and I dropped my head back. I am the heart of Freyell, the land of ice, and I am here at your bidding.
Apparently I was still a princess … I briefly wondered if Justice, Cam, and Gretley were okay, if they had ended up in their lands. I hadn’t noticed them before, but I had been pretty preoccupied with kissing the hell out of Tyson. I’d find them as soon as I dealt with my gran.
“Bring her to me!” It was time to figure out where my gran was, and what she had done with my mom.
As you wish.
Light beamed right before me, and an older sorceress tumbled out at my feet. I couldn’t believe that had actually worked, but I wasn’t going to complain. Using my command of this world, I jerked her up to her feet.
“Hello, Grandma,” I said. “I think we need to have a little chat.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
She lunged forward, the blade she’d stabbed me with clasped in her hand. I sent out an icy burst of energy that froze her feet to the ground, and then used the winds to knock the knife out of her grasp.
Her eyes got very wide as she stared at me. “Your eyes…” she started, shaking her head.
I turned to Tyson. “What happened to my eyes?” I would have mentally asked, but our bond was off again.
He caressed my cheek; he had not stopped touching me. Maybe I had died, because this was my version of heaven. Minus my evil gran. “They’re now a beautiful icy blue color.” He leaned in very closer. “You’re free from the darkness.”
I could have cried in that moment, the rush of relief almost knocked me to my knees. It was like a reward I didn’t even know was possible. Before I could celebrate that, though, I needed to deal with the trash. Turning back to my gran, I let my expression harden.
“I didn’t know,” she started to plead, her eyes huge and wet as she held both hands up. “I just wanted to get back here. I have been locked on Earth for too long. I waited for you to come of age, expecting the spell would wear off as your power increased, but … it didn’t. So I helped it along.”
My expression didn’t change. I had no time or energy to pretend. She was a very good actress. For many years she had pretended to love me, but she didn’t. At my cold expression, some of her fake sadness disappeared. “Twenty five goddamn years I waited, bided my time in the human world. Living with those barbarians.”
“Where are Gramps and Dad?”
She shrugged. “Dead. I needed your father’s blood to get this knife. I figured it might kickstart your fey side, since it’s crafted in the land of ice. Your grandpa was only a supe I used so we could blend into that world. He lost all use to me when you came of age.”
The pain was intense, like someone cut my chest open and my internal parts were leaking out. My dad and gramps … gone. Tyson’s hand wrapped around mine, and he stepped into my right shoulder. I let myself lean against him, needing the support. Our mental bond might be a bit rocky, but I felt him in my soul the same as I always had.
“Where is my mom?” I braced myself for the next shot of agony.
Gran shrugged again. “I have no idea. She was gone by the time I got through to the jeweled meadows.”
Before I could ask anything else, another beam of light split the air in front of me and two fey stepped out of it. They were tall, the man a redhead with eyes of apple green. The woman had hair so white it blended into the snow behind her, falling in long waves to her mid-back. Her eyes were an icy blue. They both had crowns upon their head, just as I did, and their skin was covered in the glittering pigments.
Their tattoos were larger, bold and intricate as they ran across their hands and all the way up to disappear into the fur-lined hoods they wore. My grip tightened on Tyson, and I had a feeling that everything in my world was about to change. I was finally going to get the answers I had been denied my entire life.
The woman held her hands out to me, but I didn’t come any closer. I was wary, watching them carefully. “Gracelynn, you have finally returned to us.” Her voice was a tinkling chime, sweet, alluring, and … familiar.
“Do I know you?” I asked hesitantly.
The heart of the ice-land responded in my mind. They are your grandparents, King Lenard and Queen Penelope.
I swallowed roughly, taking a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
The king appealed to me this time: “Gracelynn, we can tell you everything, you just need to give us the time.” I found myself softening slightly.
“My name is Grace. And I want the truth. All of it.”
At my back, just off the snow, I could feel my family … and the other three princesses. Thank the gods they had not been hurt. When I turned I could see their faces, silently waiting to hear this story. I left Gran where she was, her legs completely iced so she couldn’t move. She would not go unpunished, but I hadn’t decided what I should do yet.
The king was the first to speak. “This is going to be a long story. Please have patience with us.”
Evie let out a little cry and I found myself scanning my family again, this time to specifically find her. She was with Braxton, looking healthy and whole. A surge of relief weakened my legs momentarily. She was okay, I had not left her to suffer alone. That was a huge worry I’d been holding on to.
“The shadows are originally from the demon world,” the king started, and I turned back to him. “They were once the strongest of demon souls, their leaders. They used the energy from their followers to become greater than simple demons. Shadow Walkers. Beings who take light and make it dark. Almost like a black hole. These advanced demonic beings can suck life from everything. After they had drained their world, they moved on to Faerie.”
The queen picked up the story from there. “The twelve of them escaped. They sacrificed hundreds of demon souls for the chance.”
Great freaking leaders.
“The portal dropped them right here, in the center of Faerie, in the center of our lands,” she continued. “They were unlike anything we had seen, powerful, unable to be contained. Only special magics could hurt them, and if it wasn’t for the dragons, we would have all been wiped out in their quest to suck all life from us.”
“Clearly you figured out a way to trap them,” Justice said from behind. I caught her eye, and she gave me a wink.
The royal couple nodded. “Yes,” the king said, “we lost many good fey, but we did end up trapping them where they could never escape. Using the magic in our jewels, we figured out a way to grind the stones down and form a prison. It tunnels right down into the center of the four jeweled meadows. We then cast a powerful spell, one that required blood from all four jeweled houses to activate the gems. It needs constant renewal.”
His eyes got very heavy, hooded as he stared down. “My grandfather died as part of the first sacrifices.” He turned to Justice. “You’re great-grandmother also.”
Justice didn’t say anything, but she looked pale, even with her rich, dark skin tone.
The queen’s voice was gentle. “All of the royal families lost someone, but in doing so we saved thousands of lives.”
I was enjoying the backstory, but I really wanted them to fast-forward to my part in it all. As if he’d heard me, the king turned in my direction. “Everything was good. We continually renewed the prison with blood and jewels, and there was no chance the shadows could escape. The spell is a one-way portal. Once you go in, it’s almost impossible to get out.”
“Then we were betrayed.”
My eyes immediately sought out my gran.
The king followed my line of sight. “We didn’t know, but there was one shadow left in the demon lands, and it was summoned to Faerie by her.” He pointed to Gran. “She is a very strong sorceress, and she allowed herself to become shadow-touched before falling pregnant with your father.”
My father had been born of shadow? I just couldn’t believe that. He … had been kind. He had loved my mother.
“He infiltrated himself into our lives, and eventually our daughter fell in love with him. He became a winter prince,” the queen said, her voice catching as she stumbled over the word daughter. “They had you and for the first time there was a royal blood who was also shadow. We didn’t know, of course, but the moment you were born, a spell which had been long ago placed by this rogue shadow initiated. When shadow and royal blood mixed, the jewels would turn against us. They covered our lands, trapping our magic, placing us all in a state hovering just above death.”
My head was throbbing as I tried to understand it all. I had gleaned bits and pieces of this when I died, and from the warnings in my head, which I now recognized as the heart of my ice kingdom. “How did the four of us end up in the human world, then?” I gestured to the other princesses.
A little smile of happiness broke through the queen’s sorrow. “Louis came to us many years ago, before your birth, and said he had foreseen something which might bring our kingdoms down. He set up a counter spell. If anything should happen to us, if we were unable to fight, he would ensure our bloodline lived on to always be able to renew the securities on the prisons.”
“You say we were hidden away, so how did I end up with my parents? With my gran? We were all living like one big happy, dysfunctional, shadow family?”
My voice was quite high by the end, anger hot and potent driving me.
The winter couple exchanged a quick look, before the queen turned soft eyes on me. “We think it is because you were too powerful. Louis’ spell did the only thing it could, it hid as much of your power as was possible, and it blocked your gran’s, father’s, and mother’s powers. It stripped away everything it could.”
“And it trapped us on that godforsaken world,” Gran shouted from her spot. “Twenty-five years I fought to return to my shadow. I waited for this stupid bitch to break through the spell holding all of us.”
I couldn’t hear anymore, the pain was too much. My entire life had been a lie, everything. Except Tyson. That I could feel to the depths of my soul, and it helped me focus again.
That, and the ice I slapped across my gran’s face, freezing her lips and silencing her venom.
“So the reason I was the one who had to break the shadow spell was because I was the one to initiate it … or my birth was?”
The queen’s slightly creased forehead relaxed as she nodded. “Yes, it’s also why you had to sacrifice. You chose a side. You chose the jewels, and that allowed them to come back to good. The jewels are controlled by the royal blood. When one blood was tainted by shadows, it tainted all.”
The king added, “Especially since the diamond lands are the strongest. We have an affinity for all four jewels.”
Justice and Gretley scoffed, like neither of them thought that was remotely possible. Cam remained silent, her brows drawn tightly together. It made sense to me, though. I had command in the ruby lands, despite being diamond.
Mostly, I was still stuck on the word “taint.” It sent a shiver down my spine. “Am I still tainted?”
The pair beamed at me, and I basked in the glow of that warmth. Their energy had a way of wrapping around you, and even though it was built of ice, it had a heart of fire. “No, you chose the jewels, the shadows are gone. Your eyes are the color of your mother’s now. You are perfect, and more wonderful than we could have imagined. We want you to stay with us, in the land of your birth.”
I was already shaking my head, my hand firmly in Tyson’s. I didn’t even have to think about it. “I belong with my mate. With our pack. I … I don’t think I can live in Faerie.”
The glamorous couple exchanged a quick look, but didn’t say anything more.
Tyson’s voice was cold when he asked, “So the darkness in Faerie, it started with the first infiltration of shadows, and continued on because of this one rogue shadow?”
They nodded. “This is how strong the shadows are. This is why they can never return. For many years that darkness was focused on freeing its brethren, which was why Faerie has not fallen. Now, though, that it has been contained – thanks to Grace – the energy of Faerie will renew. Our people can return.”
Beams of light appeared in front of the ruby lands then, and I was not at all surprised to see another glamorous couple emerge. They held scepters, and had the same dark ruby-glitter skin as Justice. She went wide-eyed, her mouth gaping. The ruby pair stared back, before crossing to stand before her.
“We have missed you.”
Pandemonium erupted then, everyone talking and asking questions and I felt like my head might explode.
“I need to get out of here…” I turned to Tyson, silently begging him to save me. I wasn’t sure I could handle any more revelations. Not today.
There was a beast in his voice when he rumbled out, “We’re leaving. We’ll go back to Earth and Grace will return when she feels able to deal with everything that has happened.”
The ice king didn’t say anything, he just lifted a hand and cupped my cheek. It was gentle, and I felt the magic in that touch. It called to me, to the icy energy in my veins. To my fey side.
“I will return,” I promised. “I’m sorry I can’t stay to help you rebuild, but I have … responsibilities at home.”
I had Tyson. I was not leaving him again.
The ice queen surprised me when she wrapped both arms around me, pulling me against her soft white fur coat. “You’ve done more than enough. You’ve saved us and the world of Faerie. Now that we are all free, the spells can be renewed.” As she pulled back, she kissed my cheek. “You’re our grandchild. We would be honored if you’d stay with us at the palace. When you’re ready.”
I had my doubts I’d ever be ready, but I did want to visit one day. A proper visit. My eyes flicked across to the land of white, a longing striking my heart.
“Is the sanctuary a Faerie design?” Braxton asked.
I’d been wondering the same thing; it was too much of a coincidence. The king and queen showed those beaming smiles again. They truly sparkled like diamonds. “Yes, it is. We created it for our people a long time ago. A sanctuary on Earth. We lost control of it when the shadows first came here. They drained us too much. It remained abandoned until the mystics claimed it.”
Bastards had pretended it was the dragon king’s all along.
I focused back to my shadow-touched grandmother, her face blank as she stared down into the ground. “What will you do with her?” I was not able to make this decision. I could already feel myself wavering.
For the first time there was a hard, formidable expression on the king’s face. “She will be punished for her involvement. We will have a trial and the people will decide her fate.”
That felt like the right move, so I didn’t argue. “My mom, she came through these lands somewhere … is she your daughter?” I wasn’t sure if the mom I knew was a fake mom, or the winter princess. I was still reeling about my father being shadow-touched. He had been a good dad, cold at times, but not mean in any way. He had loved my mom, I knew that for a fact.
A single tear slid down the queen’s cheek. “Yes, she was our daughter. I’m so sorry, Grace, but she’s gone. Her presence, it was always part of me, but … I can’t feel her any longer.”
I stumbled forward, my hands slamming into my thighs as I fought back a scream. It was too much. I had lost too much.
You still have me. Tyson’s rich voice was in my mind. It was still static-like, but it was there.
Heaving through my pain, I sucked
in deep breaths, trying not to fall apart. I stuttered over my next words: “Why is my bond with Tyson affected?”
The couple exchanged a glance, giving me a sad smile. “You need to cement the bond. Our royal line does this through … sex.”
Right. I should have guessed that. Tyson wrapped me up tight, rubbing his thumbs across my cheeks to clear the tears away. More followed, but he didn’t stop until I eventually pulled myself together.
“Come on, little witch. It’s time to go home.”
I adored him more than I could express. He was the last family I had left, and I would not have been able to deal with any of this without him. It doesn’t feel like my mom is … dead. I stumbled over the last word.
He reached down and scooped me up. Our words through the bond were low and strained, but they got through eventually. I love you more than anything in all of the worlds. We can keep looking for your mom. She might still be alive. You came back to me, after all.
Loud voices interrupted us. “I’m not staying here, I don’t know you.” Justice wore a cold, proud expression as she stared at the ruby couple.
I hadn’t noticed their arrival, but the emerald and sapphire royalty were here as well, all of them trying unsuccessfully to speak to the princesses. Wiggling to get down, I hurried over to my friends.
The four of us linked arms. “I think everyone just needs some time,” I said, speaking to the royal couples. “We promise we will come back, when we’ve dealt with everything.” I turned to Justice, Cam, and Gretley. “Would you guys like to come stay with me for a while?”
Three nods. None of them hesitated at all. And just like that, it was settled.
“I will return for answers,” Justice said to the ruby royals, then she turned and walked away. The other two girls followed, and I shot the royal couples a sad smile, following them over to join my pack.
“Anyone have a clue how to get home?” Jacob was relaxed, hands in pockets. He looked unruffled, always taking everything in his stride.
“I can do it.” I tapped into the heart of my city and let my ice magic connect to it. Can you send us home, please?