“True.” I paused. “I guess he thought if a Sidhe couldn’t claim a talisman, he wasn’t worthy to serve.”
“Aspen will change his mind when he finds out I’m commanding the army,” he said. “I suspect it’s a sore point, seeing as working for Lady Whitefall was supposedly meant to bring him control over that very army—on her orders. As it is, I think the only way to bring down Aspen is for him not to realise you’re there. Hide amongst the other soldiers, and I’ll have them distract him so he can’t use the vow to lure you out.”
“Are you sure?”
He bowed his head. “Of course.”
He didn’t say the words I read in his eyes—that he wanted to stop me from falling under Aspen’s control again. Even with my clothes altered to look the same as the other soldiers’, I stood out too much. Glamour did nothing. I’d walk into battle as Lady Whitefall, one way or another.
Cedar and I walked ahead of the rest of the army, with Viola and Rose not far behind. The former knew the army’s workings as well as Cedar did and had helped with putting the various groups into order. The archers were trained to fight in the forest with stealth, so the plan was for them to fan out into the woods near the palace and find a good vantage point to fire on Aspen’s forces.
I was so caught up in the rhythm of our beating footsteps on the forest floor, it took me completely by surprise when someone ran onto the path in front of us. Robin, dishevelled and gaunt, and entirely too late for a warning.
“Don’t even think about it,” I told him, glancing behind me. Cedar halted, but I ignored Robin and kept walking.
“Wait.” Robin stumbled after me, reaching for my arm. “Don’t go to Summer.”
I yanked my arm away, twisting to face him. “I’ve made my mind up.”
He shook his head urgently. “It’s a setup.”
“Obviously. I’ve been told the truth by someone who can’t lie, and my dad’s in danger from Faerie again. So stay out of this one.”
“I didn’t know about Winter, I swear,” he said. “I didn’t mean—”
“I didn’t mean to steal your fucking magic, Raine, it was an accident.” My words were acid, and the air froze as my magic ignited in my hands. It took everything I had to keep hold of it and not unleash my transforming power over the surrounding forest.
Robin went pale as a ghost. “Raine—”
“Robin,” I said. “I’d go away. Now.”
He did. Quickly. I breathed out, willing my magic to switch off. I didn’t really want to punish Robin anymore. It looked like my mother had discarded him already, and all the vengeance in my heart was trained on Aspen.
I looked back at Cedar. “Cedar, c’mon. We need to move.”
He shook his head. “This is—this is a hasty decision.”
“Please don’t tell me you believe him over me,” I said through gritted teeth. “If my dad’s not there—even if he isn’t, she’s trying to usurp a throne. We’ve been through the risks. I’ll hide out with your army in the forest for long enough to get near Aspen without him using the vow. Then…” I mimed cutting someone’s throat.
The vow was all that stood between me and getting the talismans away from him, away from her, before she destroyed the Courts.
Cedar’s mouth tightened. “That would be the ideal scenario, but merely being forewarned isn’t enough. There’s doubtless more we don’t know about the whole setup.”
“Then stay. I’m getting my dad out one way or another, Cedar. I thought you wanted me to reject her and actually give a toss about other people.”
A pained expression crossed his face. “There’s no chance of going in there without exposing ourselves to Summer. If we win, you’ll die or be exiled. If we lose—you’ll die, or be hers for the remainder of your days. Then it won’t matter if I survive. I’m next on her list.”
My throat closed up. You don’t know how true that is. I had no time to confide my suspicions, not when I didn’t see any way our combined magic could outdo the spell Aspen had me under.
My voice was steely when I spoke. “Then we’ll give them a battle they’ll never forget. Summer will owe me a life debt if we win. I don’t know if that’ll outdo the price on my head, but dammit, Cedar, I’m not giving up before we’ve started. It’s not me. If it was, I wouldn’t be here.”
The Sidhe thrived on forcing us into impossible choices. But I’d never regret standing up to Sidhe like my mother, in death or otherwise. She could call me a foolish mortal with a death wish all she liked, but words were meaningless now. Only action mattered. I might be on the losing team, but I’d rather die out there than spend a second on her side. And I’d tear the world down to rescue Dad.
Cedar met my eyes and nodded. “All right.”
“I can say I’m leading the army,” Viola put in. “I’m not wanted by either Court. Summer doesn’t know me. And I’m under no obligation to tell them the truth.”
She didn’t like to lie. That she’d do so for me… it meant more than words could say.
“Me neither,” said Rose. “We can protect your identity. You know, on the off chance you get through the battle without using Winter magic.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” I said. “But thank you. Come on. We need to move.”
Our steps quickened. An odd silence lay heavy in the air. Not an absence of noise, exactly… more like something very loud had obliterated it. The smell of burning magic came from the Summer Court.
My heart sank. We’re too late. She used the conduit again.
Chapter 17
I carried on walking towards the smell of burning. If she’d hit the Court’s centre, we’d be in real trouble, but from the sting of smoke in the air and the smell of burning magic making my eyes water, the explosion had taken place much closer. Before we’d reached the meadow at the end of the path, Cedar stopped dead.
A crater had opened in the meadow’s centre, and bodies were sprawled on the exposed earth and the remaining grass surrounding it. Fae of all kinds—and a few Sidhe, with their horses, too—lay burned with awful wounds. Magic circled their bodies, a web of green light already unravelling. Death had been brutal but swift, and even the flowers had shrivelled and died.
“The conduit,” said Cedar. “It has to be.”
“I take it she changed her mind about using it to break into the Courts.” I swallowed, hard. “This is—this is a meaningless attack. She wants us running scared.”
And Aspen wasn’t here. I didn’t feel the pull of the vow at all. Unless he’d gone into Lord Niall’s estate again. If so, he’d left a conspicuous trail behind him.
“June said the estate was the target, and she can’t lie.” I had to keep repeating that to myself. She couldn’t have lied. Didn’t mean there weren’t more ambushes lying in wait, but Aspen’s army had targeted the Sidhe first.
“This was a power play,” Cedar said softly. “He targeted the place where the Summer Court overlaps with the mortal realm, too.”
“Not subtle, is he?” I murmured. He couldn’t have possibly said more clearly that he intended to destroy all semblance of peace in the Courts.
Not if I can help it.
The forest remained intact, untouched by the blast. Sunbeams through the canopy made striped patterns on our path. Under the decaying magic and horrible aftershock of its impact, life thrived, the web of magic which kept the forest alive. Summer might look shaken, but the power and strength of their magic remained in every living thing. They’d strike back—hard. I just had to hope they’d hit the right target. Not Winter—and not me.
“Looks like Viola’s telling the other soldiers what happened,” I whispered, hearing voices further back. “I hope they don’t run away. The conduit’s magic is beyond what they’ve faced before, even in the Vale.”
“They won’t flee,” said Cedar. “If anything, they’ll be more determined now.”
“I hope you’re right.”
The lack of the Sidhe’s presence suggested they must be fig
hting the enemy. In the central Courts, the families weren’t rivals but allies. An attack on one of them was an attack on Summer itself. But my dad, caught in the middle of that—I had to get him out.
Cedar reached the huge tree first, using magic to part its roots and reveal the way into the tunnel we’d exited through last time. Behind, I heard Viola giving orders to the others to surround the palace and intercept any enemies who got out. The real danger was that the Hornbeam army might get mistaken for being with the enemy, too. After all, they hadn’t come to aid Summer in years.
A small group of soldiers followed us into the hidden passageway, which was more cramped and uncomfortable than I remembered. If we hadn’t used the passage before, we’d never have known the exit was here. I glanced around, my skin prickling. Summer’s magic overwhelmed mine, making it difficult to tell if my instincts were right. Had Aspen been in here?
Cedar hissed out a breath. “Something’s wrong with the magic in here.”
“You sure?”
He nodded. I backed up. “Guys, we need to get out.”
“Sidhe’s blood,” Cedar said in a low voice. “It’s below the earth. Move. Now.”
The soldiers obeyed without a word, faster than I’d have expected considering the tight space. We backed out of the tree’s shadow, and a whistling noise rang through the air.
Then a deafening blast went off. My ears rang as a torrent of earth rose up, trees torn from their foundations, crashing into one another. Cedar held out his hands, green light slowing down the crashing trees and preventing them from causing more damage. I sensed other Summer warriors doing the same. A current of green magic encased the forest, pushing the explosion back, away from the estate.
My stomach turned over. The palace’s entire left side was gone, burned black and unrecognisable. That included the tree at the back concealing the way out, and the place Aspen had forced me to dance. Bile rose in my throat. It was the smell of burning faeries I could smell, under the decaying magic. Had we stayed in the tunnel, it’d have been us.
“Soldiers,” Cedar said quietly. “The palace’s defences are down. You can take up position anywhere within easy reach of the surviving part of the entrance hall and grounds, but remember—if you sense anything like that magic, get out. Save your own lives first. Got it?”
An answering murmur went through the group. Amazing. He hadn’t used a vow, hardly a command until now. The Hornbeams were the definition of loyalty—and I’d never thought I’d even think that of the family who’d been the first to teach me the brutality of this realm.
Cedar and I crept around the palace, making for the gate. As I predicted, nobody guarded it. The few Sidhe nearby lay in the mud, knocked flat with the force of the blast. By trying to kill us, Aspen had inadvertently given us a cue to enter without being stopped by the guards.
The doors to the palace lay bare, hanging from their hinges, revealing the chaos within. Bolts of green magical energy filled the air, and the floor was a mass of writhing plants. Hobgoblins held up fragile shields against falling bits of the collapsed ceiling, while arrows criss-crossed the air, striking down faeries on both sides. Sidhe knights fought with blade and spear, clad in golden armour from helmet to gauntlets. The fountains had turned red with blood from the fallen Sidhe, and bodies were strewn beside the wrecked tree that had once dominated the room. Half-bloods lay dead, too. Other fae-kind fought on both sides of the battle. Redcaps were in their element, biting and tearing into anything that came near.
I kept my head down and my knife out, cutting down any enemy who strayed into my path. I could only assume the vow hadn’t activated yet because Aspen didn’t realise I was so close to the estate, or he thought I’d died in the explosion. The blast had destroyed any high vantage points, but it’d also shattered the windows. Archers from the Hornbeam family took aim and fired at the enemy, following Cedar’s instructions to circle the manor.
The conduit must be close, unless it could cause explosions from a distance. Smoke and decaying magic made my eyes sting and my lungs fill with the taste of ashes, but there were no signs of the source of the blast. Just burned bodies and magic that bristled against mine, raising goosebumps on my arms. Circling the fountain in the centre, its waters running red with blood, I spied an opening to a courtyard at the east of the estate. A wooden veranda stood at a crooked angle, and on top of the wreckage stood…
“Line up,” Aspen said with barely restrained glee.
I stopped dead, out of sight. The Sidhe stood before him in rows, covered in blood, stripped of their weapons.
“Line up and swear loyalty to me, you pathetic excuses for sentries,” he crowed.
“I will never yield to a half-blood,” snarled a male voice. “Never. You’ll die before your first command leaves your lips.”
I stealthily moved forwards, out of Aspen’s sight, but Cedar had other ideas. A twang, and an arrow left Cedar’s bow in the time it took to blink, burying itself in the back of Aspen’s neck—
Or, it should have. At the last second, the arrow veered slightly to the right, and exploded into a mass of wooden fragments.
“Iron,” said Aspen. “It seems you haven’t learned your lesson after all, brother.” He turned around to face Cedar with a brutal smile on his face. “You didn’t even bring a real army.”
You haven’t seen anything yet.
I kept very still. The slightest tug at my heart told me he knew I must be close. The blast had been designed to take me out… or bring me here. I’d need to get up close and personal to beat him, assuming I got past the vow—but how had he stopped Cedar’s arrow? Another talisman?
My hand tightened on my knife, and the grass rippled as a current of magic flowed from Cedar’s hands. Tree roots punctured the earth, aiming to strike Aspen down. Again, the attack bounced off an invisible shield, the roots shattering into pieces.
Aspen dusted himself off, looking bored. “Pitiful. I didn’t think you had it in you to bind your people to serve you as leader. They deserve better.”
“They deserve better than the likes of you,” Cedar snarled. “You’re an embarrassment to all of us. You know nothing about running a Court, much less inspiring loyalty.”
“I can command an army,” said Aspen. “It was my job, in fact. Did you think I wouldn’t recognise the formations of my own soldiers?”
“You mean the ones you tried to coerce into betraying the Courts?” he said loudly. “Because you wanted power so badly that you went to the Grey Vale of all places to form your own joke of an army on the orders of an exile? You’re pitiful. Lady Hornbeam would be ashamed of you.”
“Treason,” hissed a voice, and a murmur went through the crowd.
“I didn’t want to resort to this,” said Aspen, with a sigh. “Obedience is all well and good, but it’s boring when everyone does what you tell them to, all the time. I think I’ll give you some of your magic back.”
He held his hand high, and the air rippled as green light illuminated what appeared to be a glass rod. The conduit… he’d put all their magic into it—taken it away. That’s why they couldn’t fight him. But the Sidhe retained their will, to some extent, if they could argue with him. Perhaps those pan pipes weren’t as powerful when used on pure Sidhe.
Magic rose to my hands as I trod lightly around the fallen debris, giving myself a clear shot. Familiar steps coaxed out the hypnotic magic, which rippled over the crowd.
At the same time, the grass rose up, forming a barrier between the Sidhe messengers and him, breaking their eye contact with him. Thanks, Cedar. If I’d guessed right, Aspen was holding onto several vows at once, and it was a difficult feat, especially for a half-blood. Even with their power drained, the Sidhe’s wills were stronger. I raised my hand for a second attack—and this time, Aspen’s shield’s glow lit up a second person, standing in front of the stage, visible from this angle.
Dad.
He didn’t wear his ragged human clothes. He hardly looked like my dad at all.
I’d have pegged him for his brother or cousin if I didn’t know better. He was clean-shaven, his clothes were clean, too, and… faerie made. Plated armour, dark green to match the Summer Court.
The knife strapped to his side was what did it for me. My breath choked my lungs, and I didn’t react in time to block when Aspen threw a handful of pure Summer magic at me, blasting me off my feet.
I hit the wall, hard. I dropped to my knees, too stunned to check if I’d broken anything. My head hummed with white noise and the shock of the impact. Dad walked towards me, wavering in my blurred vision.
“I can explain, Raine,” he whispered.
My head throbbed, and my mouth tasted of ashes. “I don’t know you,” I spat. “Get away from me. Get out of my way.”
“I can’t do that, Raine. I’m sorry.”
His voice was clear, familiar from his lucid days. He stood tall where he never had before… except when he’d been looking at her. But she wasn’t here. I’d only seen him close to this way in the memory of our forgotten years, and even then he’d been entirely, utterly human. This man… was a stranger. A strange human in faerie clothing.
“Raine,” he said. “It’s really me.”
“Get. Away.” I held up my own hands in warning. “Don’t think I won’t use it on you, like her.” The words were cruel, designed to bite deep, because despite the leaden sensation in my chest telling me it was really my dad, I didn’t believe it was him. This Summer half-faerie was a stranger. My heart fractured with every second I looked at him. His expression crumpled, and he stepped back, green light connecting him… and Aspen.
It was his magic that protected Aspen.
“What did he do to you?” I croaked. “If it is you, prove you aren’t working for Aspen.”
“I can’t do that,” he whispered. “I swore a vow to her before you were ever born. I’m hers, and his by extension. When I got my magic back, it reawakened my vow. She took away my magic and erased all memory of my past. But I got it back, Raine. I found it in the witches’ forest.”
Exiled Queen (The Thief's Talisman Book 3) Page 14