Confusion flashed across his features. “A while. Since I was old enough to hold a knife.”
But of course. They induct their kids into the army at a young age.
“And how long have you been able to use magic?”
Still looking confused, he said, “Since I was a child. Why?”
“Cedar, you’re half-Sidhe, for crying out loud—descended from one of the most powerful Sidhe in the border families. But until you threw the iron away, all you could do was move trees around. Since then, you’ve used glamour to fool Sidhe, sneaked us in and out of a noble’s house without getting caught, and I don’t want to know what else you can do with these killer plants. Wouldn’t you have more ability, as Lady Hornbeam’s son?”
“Not necessarily,” he said. “Magic can be related to ancestry, but not always. Nothing I’ve done is exceptional for a Sidhe.”
I poked him in the chest. “Cedar Hornbeam, you’re so dense sometimes. You’re the one who told me iron stops my magic working as effectively. Wouldn’t the Hornbeams have reason to suppress the abilities of someone strong enough to depose them from their position of power?”
He shook his head. “I was never as powerful as Aspen, and he never managed to unseat her.”
“You were a threat,” I told him. “Your magic is off the charts for a half-faerie. Face it, your mother never wanted you to think you were a contender. You were more useful to her as a thief. She felt threatened by your very existence. And so did Lord Hornbeam, in the end. And you know, from what I’ve seen, the others respect you. The soldiers. What if you offer them a better deal than the Grey Vale?”
“They will never accept me as heir,” he said firmly. “I’m a thief, Sidhe or none.”
I folded my arms. “Give them more credit. They rejected Aspen and Lady Whitefall. Risked their lives to do so. I reckon they’ll follow us. This realm is in dire need of an overhaul, starting here. Half-bloods run to her because they have nowhere else to go. So we’ll give them somewhere.”
Cedar frowned. “That might work if we weren’t wanted for murder.”
“Just ask them. I guarantee nobody else will step forward. They’re used to following orders.”
“Maybe, but I never had any interest in becoming leader, and without a talisman, the family is vulnerable to being taken over by another. Or falling to her.”
“Well, claim temporary leadership, then. Don’t you want it? Your own talisman?”
“Do I want it?” He gave me a grim smile. “What I want is irrelevant. If I wanted to conquer and take Lady Hornbeam’s place, I’d already have done it. I’d be in Aspen’s place, prepared to usurp the Seelie throne.”
“Cedar.” I didn’t like that tone coming from him. At all. “Claiming this house—your home, and your bloodline—isn’t the same as world domination, for crying out loud.”
“My bloodline?” He raised an eyebrow. “Half the others here might claim as much. Besides, there are no talismans. Lord Hornbeam saw to it. The closest I’ve been to a talisman is yours, and if I’d had ambitions to power, I’d have tried to claim it. As it is, Aspen holds two. That suggests he has more of a claim to leadership than I do.”
“Not necessarily,” I said. “I think it’s more about compatibility. The sword rejected me and chose my sister. The sceptre picked me instead of the others. Because those particular talismans were right for us. I don’t know. Don’t forget Lord Hornbeam managed to get rejected by all of his wife’s talismans, and he was pure Sidhe. You’re more powerful than a talisman.”
“I’m not sure if I should take it as a compliment that you’re comparing me to an inanimate object.” His gaze darted to the sword in the corner. “Have you heard from your sister yet?”
“Of course not. I’d have told you. She’s supposed to give me a heads-up if Lady Whitefall launches another attack. I don’t think I left a loophole in the vow, but…”
His jaw tightened. “I don’t think Lady Whitefall is resting on her laurels.”
“No, that’d be too much like a normal parent,” I muttered. “Who raised you, anyway?”
He blinked. “Me? They have nurses to raise children. Any reason?”
“I haven’t seen any children here, except those teenage soldiers,” I said. “Seems weird.”
“Neither Lord nor Lady Hornbeam had any children for a while,” Cedar said. “Most are raised in the mortal realm. I can’t say I know who’s related to me or not… it’s not seen as important. We’re one family. All heirs, however, are potential rivals. They made that clear.”
“Hmm.” My gaze drifted to the talisman again. “I was wondering… is it uncommon for Sidhe from Winter to take a Summer faerie’s talisman, or vice versa? Would it change your Court? It didn’t for Lady Hornbeam.”
“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “Perhaps it would for someone with no magic at all. Otherwise the talisman’s magic would add to your natural inherited magic as a separate kind.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I thought so. Summer and Winter magic can be wielded by the same person. It’s not like we’re polar opposites. If it’s possible to change Courts…”
And combine our magic into an impossible force…
“Any reason?”
“I think you know why.” I took his hand, without warning, and a spark of magic jumped between us. “It has to do with why you’ve been avoiding me all week.”
Behind us, the door creaked open. I dropped his hand, turning around.
“There you two are,” said Viola. “I’ve been looking everywhere.”
“Should have figured we’d find you cuddling somewhere,” added Rose, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“What’s going on?” I looked from her to Viola, irrationally annoyed at the interruption, and conscious of the talisman sword behind me.
“We found out what Lady Whitefall stole from Winter,” Viola said.
“What—the cause of the explosion?” I glanced at Cedar, who didn’t catch my eye.
“A conduit,” Rose said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“A specific type of talisman designed to hold magic to use later,” explained Viola. “Not like a regular talisman, because the conduit works best when it doesn’t have just one owner. Anyone’s magic could be put inside it. Somehow volatile magic ended up inside it, and when it reacted—”
“It blew up the house?” Cedar finished.
“We’re ninety percent sure,” said Rose.
“Yeah,” said Viola. “The conduit can store anyone’s magic—even if it belongs to someone else. It’s like a giant storage device. She can use magic on someone without being near them at all.”
“Shit,” I said. Her hypnotic magic—or Aspen’s—would be deadly in anyone’s hands. “What if they put a Summer faerie’s magic in there and used it to sneak into Summer’s Court? Or the same for Winter?”
“Exactly,” said Viola. “But Winter are furious. They’re preparing for a potential war.”
“It gets worse,” said Rose. “Summer’s Sidhe think Winter should take responsibility for their own outcast, and things are getting pretty heated out there.”
There was a shout from downstairs. I jumped, as did Viola and Rose. “What was that?”
“No clue.” Viola paled. “Shit, not another attack.”
We left the weapons room behind, heading downstairs as swiftly as possible. Outside, a number of soldiers had gathered around the gate. Blue light flared in a circle, drawing my eye. My heart plummeted. Winter magic—I’d know that glow anywhere.
The crowd parted to let me through, to see the piece of parchment lying on the ground just inside the gate. In elaborate font were the following words: “I would very much like to speak to you, daughter. Come to the palace today, and nobody else will need to die.”
Chapter 15
“What does it say?” Viola looked at me expectantly.
“She invited me to my own palace.” I dropped the note, which disintegrated into glitter. “To tal
k to her.”
Viola made a sceptical noise. “What, to negotiate? Or play head games?”
“Maybe she wants to win me over.” It seemed more likely. “If it’s a meeting she wants, maybe I can talk her out of going to war. Or lock her in the dungeon. The palace’s magic is as much mine as hers. It won’t act against me.”
“But it might be a trap,” said Viola.
“True,” I acknowledged, “but don’t forget Lord Lyle is compelled to help me on Winter territory. That includes the palace. If she brings her army through, she’ll run right into an ambush. And there’s no way she actually knows about our agreement.”
“Then don’t go alone,” Cedar said. “Even on the off-chance that the Unseelie forces manage to corner her, she’s too unpredictable.”
“She’s in my house,” I said. “Besides, she has a thing for turning us against one another. I won’t put you in danger—you neither, Viola.”
“I never said I was coming inside,” said Cedar. “But I’m not letting you face her alone.”
I folded my arms. “She wants me on her side. She’d kill you without a second thought. I guarantee I’m part of her plans, and I’d rather be forewarned than blindsided again. And I’d definitely prefer to confront her on my territory rather than hers.”
“I can turf her people out. I’m housekeeper,” said Viola. “The palace can’t act against me, either.”
“All right, but you’ll have to stay out of her sight. You know what her magic does, and you’re not immune.”
“No,” said Viola. “But she thinks I am.”
Cedar frowned at her. “You’re not?”
“She gave me her transforming magic, not the hypnosis. Technicality.”
“A technicality I hope she doesn’t exploit,” Cedar said. “She has more than enough allies, and I don’t think she’s ruled out taking the Hornbeam palace yet.”
“Still doesn’t mean she’s strong enough to take the Court,” I said. “I’d like to know what she’s been doing for the last week. And Aspen. If he’s there, I’ll kill him, peaceful meeting or none. We shouldn’t waste any time.”
I looked down at my clothes. I didn’t know if she expected me to dress for the occasion, but I turned them to armour, anyway. Viola already wore hers, as did Cedar.
Rose stepped forwards and briefly embraced Viola. “I’ll be on guard,” she said.
“Better be,” said Viola. “We don’t know if she’s planning another attack. Have the army ready just in case. Wait for my signal.”
Several other soldiers had begun to gather. As we made for the gate, they followed behind me, remarkably quiet for people wearing heavily armoured clothes. I turned around, letting the others walk ahead. “Yes?”
I expected one of them to stop me, but they fell silent, watching me warily. Much like they’d watched me when I had them under hypnosis.
“I’m not hypnotising you,” I clarified, in case there was any confusion on that front.
“You’re leaving. To meet with her.” The silver-haired soldier who’d confronted me in the weapons room glared at me.
“To see if I can get her to stop attacking us without any more deaths,” I said. “If not…”
“How do we know you won’t join her and take over our palace?” asked another.
“Because I’ve no interest in ruling over your territory. Cedar has more of a claim to it than I do.”
“But you want us to fight for you?” asked the crossbow-carrying guard who’d initially let Cedar and me into the palace.
“I want you to do what you did in the Grey Vale,” I told them. “Defend your territory. Fight the Vale invaders. You’ve done it more than once already.”
Most looked frightened, but they weren’t cowards. The true cowards had betrayed their family for Lady Whitefall, and let her seduce them even knowing what she was like. These soldiers were a different story. They just needed an incentive.
“You want to do something useful?” I said. “Take off your iron weapons and replace them with non-iron ones. Then use the iron to make a defensive barrier around your territory. Even she won’t be able to cross it.”
“But we can’t use it to fight,” said a confused-looking teenage male.
“That’s the idea. You might as well put it to use as a shield. Iron stops your own magic from working, so it’ll stop hers. Did you see what she did to the fence, using her soldiers’ magic?”
Several of the soldiers exchanged whispers, but nobody looked like they disagreed with me. They’d seen, all right.
“The iron won’t drain your magic if you aren’t touching it,” I explained. “Lady Hornbeam wanted you to be weaker than she was. Not capable of challenging her.”
“But iron kills,” said the silver-haired soldier. “Wouldn’t it work on Lady Whitefall?”
“As far as I know, yes,” I said, “but how many people have died from iron poisoning since she started forcing you to carry it? Besides, don’t forget she can hypnotise anyone who gets within range of her. No iron weapon would counter it. All it does is stop your own magic working. If you want to stay alive, then do what I say—or what Cedar or Viola says. Got it?”
Several murmurs of assent followed. That’s done, then. Quickly, I left their territory to catch up with the others.
As we neared the palace, I motioned for Viola and Cedar to stay back. If Lady Whitefall knew I was accompanied, she might unleash her army. I walked calmly to the doors, which opened as though operated by an invisible hand. She wasn’t waiting inside. Weird. Had she hidden somewhere and left a trap, or was she expecting me to play hide-and-seek in the palace? I was fairly sure I had foggy memories of doing so as a kid. Maybe the real reason she wanted to meet here was to use my past against me. I just hoped she was as clueless as me about where Dad really was.
I turned on the spot in the vast entrance hall. “Where are you?” I called, my voice echoing. “I think I’m a little old for hide-and-seek.”
“In here, daughter,” said a soft voice.
A door appeared in the wall beside me, and opened before I could touch it. On the other side was the absurdly over-sized living room. Lady Whitefall sat elegantly on the sofa, dressed in one of her usual sharp ice-white outfits—a mix of beauty and danger, a force of nature contained inside the semblance of a person. Her pointed ears, impossibly beautiful face, and above all, the magic pouring off every inch of her, were as far from human as possible. The bright blue eyes were mine. So was the white hair, an elegant sweeping curtain down to her waist. A silver and blue circlet glinted in the centre of her forehead, reminiscent of the sceptre’s design. She looked every inch the queen she thought she was. The mortal part of me froze in terror. The faerie part wanted to strike her down.
I tensed when she finally looked at me. I’d turned half her army against her the last time we’d met, and she’d responded by having her soldier fatally stab me. I doubted she’d be in an amiable mood, yet she neither smiled at me nor frowned, her expression carefully neutral.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” said my mother. Her tone was just as measured as her expression. What reaction did she expect from me? Did she think we had a fresh start, or was this some new game?
I shrugged. “You left it to me. Which technically means you’re trespassing, but we both know you don’t give a shit about rules. What do you want with me, then?”
“I merely came to return this.” She held out the sceptre.
I didn’t take it. “I thought you worked out it’s a prop.”
My mother laid the sceptre on the table. “Perhaps, but it’s a beautiful creation, whoever made it.”
She really does think it’s the fake one? She’d ripped the magic out of someone, but she didn’t know it could be removed from a talisman? It made no sense. I’d be a fool not to press my advantage, and yet… her being here seemed wrong. She knew magic intimately in a way I, as a half-blood, never would. Or so I’d thought.
“Rather like the one you
r thief created,” she added.
Oh hell. She knew Cedar had faked the other talisman, at least.
I kept my expression blank. “The thief isn’t mine.”
“You haven’t used your magic on him? It’s quite easy. You inherited more of the gift than I expected. You can make him do whatever you want him to.”
“Is there any part of this where I’m not meant to think you’re deranged? Or insulting me?”
“I thought you took pride in being partly human, and mortal,” she said.
“Yeah,” I said. “I do.” Was she trying to goad me into bringing up Dad? He wasn’t here. Surely she’d have paraded him in front of me if she’d had him captive. “Cut the charade. Where are your people hiding in here?”
“Nowhere,” she said calmly. “I’m sure your thief isn’t here. Though he could leave if he wanted to, since you failed to bind him.”
“Why are you so interested in whether I’ve hypnotised people?”
She laughed. “So you’re human still. No faerie queen would rule a Court with anything less than absolute obedience… unless you don’t have a Court but merely a collection of outcasts.”
“I’m pretty sure Summer and Winter don’t hypnotise every single one of their subjects. They don’t need to.” I looked her pointedly in the eyes.
She got my meaning and her eyes narrowed a touch. “Well, daughter, I think you’ll find ensuring loyalty is trickier than it seems. The Courts assume too much. That’s how people slip through their fingers. The will of the Sidhe is not immutable.”
“Speak for yourself.” I lifted the sceptre from the table. “I’ll take this back, if you tell me what you really want.”
“To know how you removed its magic.” Her hand reached out and brushed the sceptre. “It’s the real thing, as beautiful as the day I found it. The talisman’s power was locked inside the sceptre, and only I could remove it. Even if you managed to win the talisman over, taking the power out of the sceptre would only have been possible if you somehow found its opposite—that is, another talisman which syncs with yours.”
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