Exiled Queen (The Thief's Talisman Book 3)

by Emma L. Adams

  “I wasn’t in my right mind, not at first,” he said. “Something compelled me to walk into the witches’ forest. I came to half-blood territory myself to seek you out, after some disturbing dreams. I believe they were the result of the witch concoction wearing off…”

  “Shit.” I clapped a hand to my mouth. “I only used that because the memories were killing you. I guess the dosage must have worn off earlier than I thought.”

  “Don’t blame yourself for it, Raine. You couldn’t have known. I didn’t. But I saw… visions, in the woods. Those visions led me to remember enough that I knew I couldn’t stay in the mortal realm while Lady Whitefall was out there. I ordered the mercenaries watching the house to leave, and I set off for the half-blood territory’s forest again.” He drew in a breath. “I was told to find the faerie known as the memory-eater if I wanted my past back intact, so I did. And once I had, I made for the Summer Court. Lady Whitefall’s people ambushed me on the way.”

  So he’d been under Aspen’s control for only a short time when I’d run into him. That would probably have saved his life.

  “The memory-eater? You spoke to her?”

  “I did,” he said. “And my past is mine again.”

  “But… you’re not under Aspen’s control?”

  “I swore a vow to serve the Seelie Court,” he said. “There’s a reason Lady Whitefall can only get exiles and half-bloods to serve her.”

  I blinked. “I never thought of that. So you have a Court’s vow… but I don’t. I need to go and find her, right away. Without her magic, I can’t be used as a weapon against the Courts.”

  But I had a weapon of my own. In my blood, waiting to activate.

  “I want to keep you safe,” he said. “Raine… she’s too powerful. No Sidhe could beat her alone.”

  “This isn’t my Court,” I said. “Nor is Winter, nor the mortal realm. How long do we have to wait before the rest of the Courts decide the situation’s urgent enough to offer their help? Where’d Summer’s messengers go, anyway?”

  “To inform the Erlking that you’ve been taken care of.”

  I snorted. “At least they didn’t exile me. I was about fifty percent sure they would.”

  “You planned this,” he said. “Why?”

  “Because it was my magic she wanted, and as a bonus, I’m not bound to Aspen any longer.” I smiled. “Where’s the way out.”

  “Any direction. This is a pocket dimension near the borderlands. It belongs to my family.” He spoke with a quiet sense of resignation. “If you’re sure… I’ll be waiting for you, Raine. I want to be the person who should have taken care of you.” He leaned and hugged me. I stiffened, trying to quell the wariness like I was interacting with a distant relative, someone I only vaguely knew. Then familiarity settled over me, like a distant memory slowly coming back.

  “You’ll win this,” he said quietly. “My girl.”

  My breath hitched, and I let him go. “Bye, Dad,” I choked, and half-ran downhill before I broke down in tears.

  Within a few metres, the world went fuzzy, and the next thing I knew, I was on the path linking Summer and Winter territory. When I turned around, the meadow had vanished from sight. I hope he stays hidden. Because my dad wouldn’t be a victim of her again. I’d lost too many people already.

  I’m coming, Cedar, I promise.

  I nearly turned and walked into the Hornbeam family’s territory, but something held me back. With Viola and Cedar gone, their army wasn’t as powerful as usual. We needed more than one army.

  Time to call in my favour.

  I walked along the path, towards the edge of Winter territory where the conduit had exploded. Stopping beside the gutted house, I called out Lord Lyle’s name.

  He melted out from behind the nearest tree, his eyes narrowed. “You. I heard you’d been caught by Summer.”

  “They let me go, and I’m going to stop my mother invading this realm. But on the off-chance that things go horribly wrong, I think I’ll ask for that favour you owe me.”

  “That’s not how it works,” he growled. “Your favour was for us to protect you—and besides, it was your friend who made it, not you.”

  “Then we’ll make another deal. My mission is to get a dangerous instrument away from her, one she stole from your territory. Heard of the conduit?” I looked pointedly at the ruined house.

  His face paled, though he didn’t speak. So he did guess.

  “And the Morrigan?” I said. “Somehow she got the information on how to free her from the heart of your Court. Summer and I have a special arrangement. You wouldn’t want that information making it over there, would you?”

  He growled, “No. I will bring my forces to assist you in this fight. Assuming you survive the war, mortal, we’re equal.”

  And he vanished into the trees. He actually said yes. If I had to guess, he didn’t want to be indebted to me forever. Which was fine by me.

  I left the house behind and returned to the path, heading for the Hornbeam family’s territory this time. The whole forest seemed eerily quiet, and when I reached the palace gates, I stopped. Two bodies lay inside, unmoving. Dead? I’d ordered June not to attack anyone. Had someone else been here? The guards didn’t have any visible injuries, and appeared to still be breathing. Were they asleep, or drugged?

  “June!” I shouted. “Get out here.”

  “Sorry, sister,” she said, emerging from behind the fence. “Your vow forbade me from harming them, so I had to improvise. I don’t want to kill every half-blood in the borderlands, believe it or not.”

  “So you choose her. Pity. I gave you the chance to walk away.”

  Facing her without my magic wasn’t ideal, but I needed to get her out of the way before she realised she wasn’t bound to me any longer. From her lack of reaction, she hadn’t guessed. After all, there was no way to remove a vow, save death—or the removal of the caster’s magic.

  “She’s going to win, one way or another,” said June. “I don’t want to be here when she tramples the borderlands flat.”

  “Keep telling yourself that. I’m going to find her. She wasn’t lying about her hideout being underneath the palace, right?”

  She looked at me suspiciously. “There’s something different about you.”

  I shrugged and walked past her, through the gates to the Hornbeam territory. I half expected her to attack me, but she didn’t. The absence of a tugging sensation confirmed the vow binding us had collapsed when my magic had been ripped away from me. The same would be true of the one linking Aspen and me. But before I went to confront Lady Whitefall, I had one last stop to make.

  Several soldiers confronted me inside the palace. “Where’s Lord Hornbeam?” they asked as I passed by, thoroughly confusing me for a second before I remembered that was Cedar’s title.

  “With Lady Whitefall,” I told them. “Prepare for battle. I’m going to confront her alone.”

  Voices followed me, but I shut them out, running in the direction of Cedar’s rooms.

  I already wore my armoured coat. Without the talisman’s magic, I couldn’t transform my clothes nor disguise myself. But I didn’t need or want to play masquerades with her this time. I’d face her as me, and knock her off her damned throne.

  I retrieved the false sceptre, replaced the weapons I’d lost when the Summer Court had captured me, and stopped at Viola’s room to check on her.

  “Raine,” said Rose, on her feet the instant I entered the room. “I thought you went after her.”

  “I am now,” I said. “Is Viola—”

  “She hasn’t woken up yet. She’s still breathing, but…”

  It’s been over an hour, at least. Ivy said it wouldn’t take long. I hoped nothing had gone wrong. Ivy was the only person left with a talisman which might be powerful enough to beat Lady Whitefall. Taking her off the battlefield might hurt us, but letting Viola die wasn’t an option.

  “Ivy’s on the case,” I told her. “But we’re going to war with Lad
y Whitefall. I need to get Cedar away from her.”

  “Of course.” She dipped her head. “I’ll relay instructions to the soldiers on your behalf, if you like. You think she’ll attack through the palace, or the forest?”

  “Best prepare for both,” I said. “This place isn’t on her radar, so she’s more likely to attack the main Courts. Get the soldiers to stop her, in any way possible.”

  “Got it. I’m glad I spent so long hanging around army quarters with Viola.” She looked down at her body on the bed, her mouth pinched.

  “She’ll be okay. I need to go, anyway. Good luck.”

  “See you later,” she said.

  I retraced my steps out of the palace, finding June waiting outside the fence. She eyed the fake sceptre questioningly. The real thing was with Denzel—hopefully with Ivy soon, if she got Viola back. If not, and word reached Lady Whitefall of what I’d done… then we were screwed.

  “You’re not staying here,” I told June. “You’re coming with me, to find our mother.”

  For a split second, I thought the truth would dawn on her. But she followed me without speaking. I bit back a smile. Most likely, having magic so similar to mine herself made it impossible for her to tell if it was being used against her.

  The palace drew nearer, just as quiet as the Hornbeam family’s territory. The gates were open, an invitation. I strode ahead, expecting to find her waiting inside the grounds, but nobody seemed to be about. “Interesting.” I pulled out the key, hoping it’d still work though my magic was no longer bound to the palace. To my relief, it did.

  My footsteps echoed off the polished floor. Not only was my mother not here, but a door to her suite lay wide open. She’d made it easy for me, leaving the path into the Vale ready for me. Perhaps she really had thought I’d join her in the end.

  I walked into my mother’s suite, June at my heels. The wardrobe was open, too, but the tunnel no longer looked like a dingy hole in the ground. Instead, a gold-plated corridor waited ahead.

  I rolled my eyes at it. “Of course she redecorated.”

  There was a single door at the far end, identical to the one which had appeared in the old dungeon. That lay open, too, revealing a foggy path. Here we go.

  I led the way out into the Vale, and emptiness flooded in. Not as intense as before, but the muffled sensation was enough to remind me my magic still existed.

  Mist swam around a grim, square building. Not a palace, more like the Hornbeams’ old prison, minus the iron.

  “She’s not even making an effort anymore, is she?” I shook my head, eying the construction. The building seemed to have no defences, and a single door in front, which opened before we reached it.

  “Daughter.” Lady Whitefall strode out, looking me up and down. “I didn’t think you’d be self-centred enough to let your lover’s sacrifice go to waste. He came with me so you didn’t have to.”

  “I’m aware of that,” I said. “It’s his choice. And this is mine. You want my magic: it’s yours. And so am I.”

  Chapter 23

  Silence fell for a brief moment, as my mother and I looked at one another.

  “You’ve given up your chance already, daughter,” Lady Whitefall said. “You mistake me if you think I’ll invite you to join me again so easily.”

  “I’m not asking for an invitation. I’m asking you not to attack the Courts.” Where was the conduit? Surely Aspen didn’t have it, if it contained the key to her newly minted immortality. But she held no visible weapons. Of course, she might be hiding anything—and the Sidhe alone knew what other magic she possessed. The building had no windows, preventing me from seeing where Cedar might be. Or Aspen. June, at my side, didn’t speak a word.

  She tilted her head on one side. “Leave us, June. Raine, come with me. Leave all your weapons at the door. All of them.”

  Figures. I pulled the knives I’d grabbed from the palace out of my pockets. All I had left was the fake sceptre. “Want that, too?” I asked.

  She gestured to the corridor ahead, which was lined with tapestries depicting scenes of slaughter. “Bring that with you.”

  I followed her, unarmed and magic-less, into a small room hidden behind a tapestry.

  “So,” she said. “What have you come to mock me with this time?”

  “Nothing.” I held out the sceptre. “It’s yours, if you want it.” My hands shook, betraying the real fear lurking beneath the surface. Honesty was my new mask, and hope that she didn’t see through the cracks until it was too late.

  “You…” She paused for an instant, betraying no emotion. “There’s no magic left.”

  “That’s because the Seelie Court took it from me, in payment for killing Lady Hornbeam. They left me the talisman as a souvenir. Now you can see why I throw myself on your mercy. Even the palace isn’t mine anymore.”

  I held my breath. I didn’t need to will my magic not to give me away, because it was barely visible anyway.

  Fury brimmed in her eyes. “I see. In that case, you’re going to tell me exactly where the real sceptre is, and I’m going to assign my pet thief to steal it back.”

  I blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “You think I wouldn’t recognise this false one?”

  “Fine,” I said, having figured she wouldn’t fall for the ruse. “They took it. It’s no use to me now the power’s gone.”

  “And your lover’s army?”

  I flinched. “She took care of them. June. You still want her, even though her talisman is useless now?”

  “You certainly pulled a nasty trick,” she said. “That’s why I believe you’re lying to me.”

  “I’m not.” I held up my hands. “No magic. No weapons.”

  “If you do have anything up your sleeve, I’m beyond Death, so killing me will cause little harm. Except to your conscience, maybe.”

  I nearly snorted aloud. Conscience. She’d probably never had one.

  “Though I have to say, daughter…” She looked me up and down. “You certainly don’t act like someone who’s lost her magic.”

  I met her stare. “Want to know why? Because I spent most of my life believing I didn’t have any. It’s less of a shock when you never expected you’d ever have anything to lose. I’m glad I gave it up. I thought you never wanted me to have it anyway. I’m your daughter. Can’t I just be that? I’m not a little kid, but…” I broke eye contact, trying to look cowed. “My father’s gone. My friends are dead. This game’s not worth it. I’m off the playing field.”

  “You know, daughter, you need to work much harder at deceit if you want to fool me. Contempt is in your very countenance.”

  “You know where I got it from.” I shrugged. “If you won’t believe my words, make me a deal. Give Cedar back to me, and we’ll leave.”

  “Him,” she said, her mouth twisting with distaste. “Lady Hornbeam’s offspring. You might have chosen better.”

  “Aspen’s hers, too.”

  “Yes, but you know very well that I have need of Cedar’s magic. Would you want to put him through the same pain you experienced, stripped of his magic?”

  Ice trickled down my spine. I hadn’t even considered that option, and it repelled me. “No, because it should be his choice.”

  He’d do it. The fool would jump in boiling lava for my sake, or give up his magic to her. But why offer me an option at all? She must know that with my magic gone, he was no use to her. Not in her eyes, anyway.

  She raised an eyebrow. “I see. That’s where you stand?”

  “Yes, it is. Can I see him now?”

  “I would prefer to ask you to swear a vow to me,” she said. “In order to ensure you won’t make things difficult for me in the upcoming battle.”

  “I’d prefer not to. That wasn’t part of your conditions. You promised Cedar.”

  “I can always dispose of him.”

  My throat went dry. “Try it and I’ll rip out every shred of magic you possess with my bare hands.”

  “Well, now.” H
er eyes glittered. “It didn’t take long for you to show your true colours, daughter, did it? You truly gave up your magic to come after him. How disappointing.”

  “Actually, I gave it up so you can’t use me to annihilate the Courts. Whichever you’d prefer.”

  “So you guessed. As for your friend, I may have to revise my plans for that one. He’s a little too obedient.”

  My stomach twisted. What had she done to him? “You said you’d consider—”

  “I said nothing, daughter. Your army is pitiful, though I’ll see to it that it’s broken one way or another. I’d like to thank you, however, for taking another problem off my hands.” She smiled. “Your human friend, the one you so foolishly sent into the spirit realm on a pointless quest. Her talisman is the one thing that might have prevented me from winning this war.”

  My heart sank like a stone. It should have stood to reason that Ivy might have had a chance of challenging my mother with her talisman. But Lady Whitefall and the Morrigan had conspired together after all. Ivy was stuck in death, as was Viola, and it was too late for me to do anything about it.

  “And she had this,” said Aspen, from behind me.

  I spun around. Aspen grinned at me, holding the real sceptre.

  “Your friend was begging me to finish him off by the end,” he said. “I knew you’d sneak out of this realm, so I waited. Your attachment to the mortal realm will be the end of you.”

  “You killed Denzel?”

  “Naturally.”

  A sick taste rose at the back of my throat. “And Ivy?”

  He scowled. “No. She has some mages protecting her, but she’ll expire soon, if she doesn’t get out of Death. I did as you commanded, Lady.”

  Lady Whitefall stepped forwards. “Then hand over the talisman.”

  He walked past me and held the talisman out to Lady Whitefall. My hands itched to reach out and take the sceptre, to feel its magic once more. I knew beyond all shadow of a doubt it was the real thing. Even the echo of its power called me, demanded I take it back. I dug my nails into my palms hard enough to draw blood. But he shouldn’t have known about it. I’d covered my tracks. Either I’d seriously underestimated Aspen’s intelligence, or he’d forced Cedar to tell him all my potential plans. Even the ones I hadn’t admitted to myself.