by Allison Rose
And the Telk stone he used to travel between worlds was gone from his neck.
Kelty’s heart nearly skipped a beat as joy spread through her.
He chose me.
Rowan gave her a small smile, but said nothing.
He’s hesitating, as if he is the one that was in the wrong.
Suddenly feeling a little awkward herself, Kelty gestured to the papers. “Did you take these from Nola?”
“Yes,” he said, as if that was a normal occurrence.
Kelty couldn’t help a smile. Nola always had drawing implements and papers in the pack she carried, and Rowan liked to take things from it. Though, now it was almost a test to see if she noticed rather than a mistrust like it was before. Rowan’s fondness for mischief, despite his usually stoic demeanor, was one of her favorite things about him.
“She will notice this much is missing,” Kelty warned. She stepped closer and peered at the contents of the papers. “What is this?” She picked up a sheet on top of one of the piles. It had the name of a faerie she didn’t recognize and various details about him, from coloring to power to life history.
“Everything I could learn about the faeries cast out of the Day Court in the past one hundred years,” Rowan answered a little absentmindedly as he put another note on the paper he was writing on.
Grateful tears pricked at Kelty’s eyes. Faeries I may come across in the Court of Outcasts. But she needed to hear him say the words.
She opened her mouth to ask what exactly this meant, but he spoke first, rising gracefully from the ground.
“I was wrong to suggest you not take the path that calls to you.” Rowan’s eyes pleaded with her for forgiveness, but she still saw a sort of hesitation there.
“I was wrong not to take your feelings into consideration as my potential,” she said by way of apology.
Rowan nodded as relief washed over his face, smoothing over the tight lines on his forehead. “I will stand with you whatever you choose, Kelty.”
The warmth spread all the way to her toes. Whatever happens, I will have him. She stepped forward to take his hands and spoke the fear that threatened to overwhelm her on a daily basis. “Even if I am cursed to forever remain in this world?”
Rowan nodded, the motion bringing his face closer to hers. “Even so, I will be beside you.”
A tear escaped Kelty’s eye as she tilted her lips up to meet his. There was something different about this kiss. It was comfort and joy, and in his arms right then it felt like home. But after a few moments, Kelty couldn’t ignore the fact that she didn’t feel them connecting on an even deeper level. She didn’t know how it was supposed to feel, but her mother always said, “You will know when it happens.”
One or both of them still hadn’t accepted the true partnership bond.
Kelty pulled back, though she remained in the circle of his arms. “Do you regret choosing me?”
He frowned. “Never,” he said immediately. Then his look grew sheepish. “Though, it seems we still have to work on our relationship.”
At least he acknowledges it, Kelty thought.
“Would you like to tell me about my court, then?” She flicked her gaze over the papers strewn about her clearing.
Rowan grinned in response.
They settled side by side on the ground. Kelty listened intently as Rowan told her of the outcasts that could be members of her court. And when she felt as if her brain couldn’t hold any more information, she rose and offered Rowan her hand.
“I think it’s time we met them.”
He peered up at her. “You’re sure?”
Kelty took a deep breath and nodded.
Rowan gathered the papers and stood, stowing them in her tree before joining her again. Together, they vaulted upward through the tree cover and headed to the woods that held the Court of Outcasts—or at least the throne.
Kelty tried to ignore the fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach.
What did I agree to? There may not even be a Court of Outcasts. And if there was, how would I rule it? I knew how to rule the Night, but this will be something else entirely.
Chapter 15
Nola burst into Kelty’s clearing just in time to see a flash of purple and green disappear into the sky.
She opened her mouth to call after Kelty and Rowan, but they were out of sight before she could make a sound.
Great. Why do they have to be so fast?
Nola sighed in frustration as she left the clearing, starting down the path to the front of the park.
What am I going to do now? I can’t go back there alone.
Her pace slowed as she realized there was one who could still help her: Briar.
A little risky, but I have no time. Who knows how long before something terrible happens to Lauren and Cameron?
She quickly made her way through the marshland toward her magical bubble, careful to stick to the trees in case anyone spotted her out during school hours.
Nola winced. My parents are not going to be too happy about that, but I may be the only one who can get my friends back. I am the only one who knows where they went, anyway.
When Nola came to the magical air bubble, she hesitated a moment. The hum of the power tickled a little as it felt like water was trickling over her skin.
Well, if it is a trap, she reasoned. I can’t think of a reason why Briar would want to keep me back here. He seemed genuine when he showed it to me.
Nola took a breath, closed her eyes, and stepped forward.
As before, she was enveloped in a sense of safety, all sounds muffled, like the outside world couldn’t get to her.
Nola let her breath out and took another deep one, trying to expel the tension from her body on the exhale.
Okay, Briar, please come help.
She closed her eyes, placed her hand in the wet soil, and thought of his snarky smile on that gorgeous face. How she flushed when he was near.
Then she opened her eyes.
Nothing.
Maybe it takes a few tries. Or maybe he is too far away? He didn’t explain how to do this very well.
Nola turned a few times, trying to see more than just the distorted images of the trees in the outside world. Lauren and Cameron could be—I don’t even know what faeries would do to humans for fun or what they were even doing around them if their magic was at risk. Maybe the outcasts don’t care.
Nola turned in a slow circle again. Still no sign of Briar. She let out a frustrated sigh.
Why did I ever think I could trust—
Suddenly a bird darted by very close to the surface of the bubble. Nola whipped around to track its movement. The small creature circled the edge of the magic. Once, then twice. And then flew off into the trees.
That was weird. But too weird to be a coincidence?
Nola recalled the faerie the color of a sunset that she almost ran into in the woods. She turned in a circle again, paranoia creeping through her. Am I being watched? Nola tried to ground herself and search for faeries like Kelty had taught her.
And then she felt a surge of magic behind her.
Nola’s heart rose into her throat as she whipped around, catching her ankle as she did so, and landed in Briar’s arms.
Looking into his face from only about an inch away did nothing to stop her racing heart.
“We must go,” he said, face oddly serious as he righted her.
Nola took a steadying breath. I was being watched. “That bird?”
Briar nodded.
“Whatever. I need your help. Come on.”
She took his hand, and, surprisingly, he let her without a word. They stepped out into the marshland. Nola almost winced at the cooler temperature that hit her as they left the bubble. She dropped his arm, aware of what that would look like to passerby that could not see her companion.
“Was it that faerie I saw earlier, the one you called Lark?” Nola asked quietly as she led him through the marshland and to the street.
“Yes,” Bri
ar answered distractedly. “She found my magic, but she would not have seen you. I will have to move it.”
“Oh, good.” Nola tried to sound a little nonchalant, as though she hadn’t been freaking out inside.
Briar cocked his head. “Is that why you were calling me?”
“Oh, uh, no.” Nola told him about meeting Mark, the human that glowed like a faerie, Lauren leaving with him, and Cameron following them into the field and disappearing. Briar’s frown grew deeper as she spoke.
When Nola stopped at the field, there was a brief pause. Then Briar said, “I had no idea he would go this far.”
“Fable?” Now that Nola looked closer, she could see a slight shimmer in the air. She glanced sidelong at Briar, not sure what to think of his silence.
“Well?” she prodded, trying to keep the note of impatience out of her voice and failing. “What is it? How do we get in?”
That seemed to startle him out of his trance. He looked at her with a frown. “We are not going in.” He started back in the direction they had come on the shady street. Still relatively quiet in the midmorning while school was in session.
“What? We have to! Lauren and Cameron are in there!” Nola followed at a trot as Briar swiftly ducked between two other houses a short distance away. She paused for a second as he gracefully hopped over a garden gate. His magic made him invisible to the human eye, but she could be seen.
Whatever. She made a snap decision. Whatever needs to be done to get them out of that place that has Briar speechless.
Nola grabbed the top of the wooden gate and awkwardly clambered over it. With annoyance, she realized Briar had not waited for her. He was halfway across the edge of the field when she caught up to him.
“A little info would be awesome right now,” she huffed as she slowed from her jog.
Briar turned his head to give her a curious look.
“Information,” she clarified.
“I’m not sure you will want to hear what I have to say.”
“It’ll be worse if I don’t know.”
Briar stopped so abruptly, Nola almost ran into one gorgeous blue-black wing. She stopped herself just in time with relief, remembering Kelty’s protectiveness about her own wings. He didn’t seem at all fazed by her close proximity, though, as he frowned once again at the expanse of field in front of him.
“Put your hand up flat,” he said.
Confused, Nola extended her hand palm up. Briar gently took it in his own and flipped it over while gently bending it at the wrist so that it made what was considered a ‘stop’ signal in the human world. The rest of Nola’s body remained frozen, her focus riveted to the warmth of his hands on hers.
“Do you feel that?” he asked.
What? Nola thought. Then she shook herself out of the funk his touch had caused and realized she felt a tingling in her hand. It fizzled a little, like static electricity, but it felt almost welcoming to Nola.
It’s magic. Magic that’s hiding something.
“What’s behind the magic?” she asked, turning her head to look squarely at him.
“Faerie,” he said simply.
“A faerie?”
“No. The Faerie.”
Nola’s mouth dropped open. “You’re joking.”
“I am not.” He looked a little offended.
Nola lowered her hand, and Briar’s hand slipped from hers. Touching a barrier to Faerie unnerved her. It was a place she dreamed of, putting together her own version in her head from the stories Kelty told her, but now that she stood mere inches from it, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to go there.
“If I stepped through this magical barrier thing, what would happen?” Another horrific thought occurred to her as she said it. “What happened to Lauren and Cameron?” she added, panic mounting.
“They are in Faerie,” Briar said calmly. “The outer edges of it.”
Nola relaxed slightly. “So they’re alive?”
“I do not know.”
“I thought the only ones who could travel between Faerie and Earth were the rulers,” Nola said quietly. “And Fable. Anyone who had access to the special stone.”
“That’s true. Or so we are told.”
“Then how did this get here? Is it some sort of portal?”
Briar threw her another confused look and began to fidget with the ends of his long hair. “I do not know who put this here, but it is beyond the capabilities of Fable. The Court must be involved somehow.”
“The Day Court?”
“Most likely.”
It became harder for Nola to breathe. My friends are in Faerie. And they are in the hands of the Day Court.
Kelty told tales of her efforts to save young faeries from the clutches of the Day Court and their ruler, The Glorious. Once a part of the court, these faeries would be at the mercy of a tyrant, having to obey all commands without fault and enduring harsh punishments. At least that was how Kelty spoke of it.
Nola glanced sidelong at the sun symbol on his temple. He had been a part of the Day Court, but she had never had the chance to ask him about it.
Well, now is definitely not the time for that conversation. I can only hope he will help me.
A lightheadedness took over at the thought. Nola was vaguely aware of Briar’s concerned expression before all went black.
* * *
Nola came to with a start. She squinted and shielded her eyes from the sun with a forearm. After another quick peek at the sky, she realized it was after noon.
No! How much time did I lose? She shot up to a sitting position, swaying only slightly, and started as she came face to face with Briar. He was kneeling and peering at her.
“How long has that been happening?” he asked.
Nola sighed and rubbed her eyes. No. I never wanted him to know.
“Nola,” he prodded. She opened her eyes again to see concern etched into his normally smooth features.
“Not long,” she said evasively.
“You’re lying.”
“And how do you know?” Nola scoffed at him.
He ignored her as she stood. “The human part of you is rejecting the faerie part.”
The words caused a spike of fear through her heart. It was something she never even allowed herself to think. No, no, no. She fought against the clawing panic.
“I’ll be fine,” she forced out as she brushed leaves from her hair. Looking down, she realized the leaves had been piled under her head as a sort of pillow. “Now, how do we get my friends back?” She gave Briar a challenging glare, one hand on her hip.
His brows quirked up in surprise. “You are seriously still considering this?”
“Yes.”
“You are some mixture of faerie and human. I do not know what will happen to you if you try to cross that barrier. I do not know what will happen to me, either.”
“I don’t care,” Nola said. “About me, I mean,” she added hastily.
“You are a special kind of stubborn,” he said, but she thought she saw a glint of approval in his eyes.
“Does that mean you will come with me?” Nola asked.
Briar was silent for a span of seconds, then he gave her a curt nod. “I am responsible for your condition. I will follow you into Faerie, but I urge you to reconsider.”
Nola winced as she remembered Kelty and Rowan didn’t know where she was or what was going on. But I can’t just leave my friends there. They are more defenseless than me. And every second they are in there may mean they are closer to death—if they are even still alive.
Besides, Kelty and Rowan will be dealing with Fable, whom I can’t even go near. This is something I can do.
She looked at the faerie who betrayed her. At least he feels guilty about his part in this. And he warned me away. Very un-Briar-like behavior.
“Let’s go.”
Nola forged forward, and Briar lunged to grab her hand. Nola stepped through first, squeezing Briar’s hand in a death grip as she did. Her skin sizzled as if burn
ing, yet it wasn’t unpleasant, exactly. It only lasted a second, and then they were on the other side—alive and whole.
The sight that greeted her made her jaw drop.
The sheer amount of color in the landscape—the hues of green in the surrounding vegetation were brighter and more brilliant than she had ever seen, even in Kelty’s woods. The lines of magic were more like pathways as they filled every living thing full to bursting with light and life. Nola’s eyes watered at the brightness, but she didn’t dare cover them and miss the sight. The sky was still blue, but it seemed to shimmer to Nola’s sight. And the sun, instead of being merely a glowing ball in the sky, had rays shooting off it in yellow, orange, and red. It was more like the artistic drawings of the sun humans drew than what they actually saw in the sky. Nola’s fingers twitched, craving a pencil and paper so she could draw this before the details left her memory.
And the air. It felt so pure, carrying with it a slight earthy scent, but was otherwise the freshest air Nola had ever breathed in. It was filled with magic; it wrapped around her, a tantalizing energy. As she breathed in, something in her seemed to settle. For a moment, she forgot all about why they were here. Faerie was beautiful. The landscape around her was both alien and home.
A stone castle like something out of medieval times loomed before them. The walls were covered in vines and it looked as if there was a garden on the roof. It reminded Nola of something she might see in the human world than Kelty’s descriptions of the Night Court—an impressive network of trees grown together into a massive structure. Though Kelty had also mentioned bitterly that the Day Court preferred stone over the life of the trees. Is this the Day Court?
Her gawking was interrupted by a not-so-gentle tug on her arm.
“What?” she mumbled dazedly as she mechanically stumbled after Briar, who still had her hand.
He pulled her into a denser part of the woods surrounding them. Nola instinctively put her fingertips up against a tree and gasped at the sheer life she felt vibrating from it. She studied the light brown color of the bark; it had the same texture she was used to, but it still looked as if it had been colored in with a pencil—the color was so rich.