And, of course, the seats were empty. Mounds upon mounds of flowers had been placed at the foot of them, and several Summers hovered nearby, sniffling into handkerchiefs. The deaths of the Royals had only just happened several days ago. Their people would still be mourning. And they would still be angry.
One faerie stood out from the rest. He was not sniffling, and he was not tossing flowers onto the pile. He wore the same cloak as the Hunters, and he strode toward us with flashing red eyes. The anger in his face was barely contained, and it made me pull on my reins without thinking. My horse stumbled back, a move that caught me off guard, and I went tumbling onto the grassy carpet with a sharp cry.
Liam was by my side within an instant. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist and pulled me to my feet. My knees were throbbing, as well as my face, though for entirely different reasons. This was embarrassing as hell.
The male fae who had come to greet us merely sniffed in my direction and narrowed his eyes. “This cannot be the changeling I asked you to bring.”
“I understand how unlikely it seems, but this is the one you asked for,” Alastar said, his voice dripping with derision. My face flamed even more, but I lifted my chin and dusted off my cloak. Before I’d come to Otherworld, I would have cowered away and let this male’s words get to me, just like how I’d reacted every time my step-dad turned his anger on me. But I wasn’t that girl anymore. I’d changed, in more ways than one.
“I came here because you apparently need my help,” I said, my voice clear and sharp. “But I can just as easily walk away.”
Liam chuckled, but the male fae before me didn’t find it quite as amusing. He sneered and stepped forward, his eyes flashing with that barely-contained rage. “You’re in my Court now. You can’t leave unless I say you can leave.”
“You can try to stop me if you like,” I said, smiling sweetly at him.
He scowled, and his eyes cut to one of the Hunters who had accompanied me. “She better be able to do what you say she can do. Otherwise, this has been a complete waste of my time.”
“I saw it with my own eyes, Phelan,” the Hunter said.
I frowned. “Saw what?”
Did this have something to do with the battle against the Autumn fae all those months ago? None of these Summer Hunters had been there at the time, and all of the changelings had been sworn to secrecy. And not all of them had even seen what I did.
But the answers I sought were cut short when the courtyard was plunged into sudden darkness. One moment, the brilliant summer sun beat down on my skin. The next? It was as if day had turned to night. I tipped back my head to stare up at the sky. The entire horizon was obscured by bulbous black clouds. And then a flash ripped through the sky, blinding me with the brilliant intensity of it.
“Sound the alarm,” Phelan said, the anger and irritation in his voice replaced by something more akin to panic. “It’s another one of those Autumn storms. Get everyone inside.”
“Wait. Another storm?” Liam dismounted from his horse in a blur. One thing about the fae that I and the other changelings had yet to master was how quickly they could move when they really wanted to. “I didn’t think they’d moved that far into the Summer lands.”
“Unfortunately, they very much have.” Phelan whistled at the two guards manning the gates and motioned at a bell atop the tower. “Now that the Autumn fae cannot penetrate our lands physically, they have taken to sending these storms to attack us.”
Another crack of lightning split the sky, a brilliant white rod that slammed into the ground only twenty feet away from where we stood. The horses around us bucked and neighed, their trembling hooves tumbling onto the ground.
“Hurry. We need to get inside where it’s safe. The last time one of these storms hit, a dozen faeries died.” Phelan spun on his feet and began to run toward the nearest building: a large expansive hall held up by thick white pillars. Several of the Hunters jumped to the ground and began to race after him, leaving their horses abandoned in the middle of the courtyard.
Frowning, I glanced at Liam who still held tight to his horse’s reins. “Go on, Norah. Get inside where it’s safe.”
“We can’t just leave the horses out here alone like this. They could get killed.”
“I’ll take care of the horses,” he said. “You go on inside.”
“And leave you to get all of them to safety by yourself? No.” I shook my head and grabbed a horse’s reins, including my own. “It’ll be faster if we work together.”
Liam’s jaw rippled as he clenched his teeth. “I swear to the forest, Norah, I won’t have you out here risking your neck.”
“Too bad.” I’d already spotted the stables halfway across the courtyard, alongside the wall nearest to the front gates. I had two horses inside by the time the next wave of lightning hit. This time, it slammed down hard only inches from the front gates. I didn’t have to look to know that one of the guards had fallen. Fear gripped my heart, and I began to move faster, upping my speed to match Liam. I could feel the fear cascading off the horses as I led them to safety, but somehow, I was able to keep them calm enough to follow us inside.
Soon, we had all the horses inside the stables. Lightning came quicker now. Instead of moments between attacks, the frequency increased to seconds. One after another after another. Shivering, I leaned against Liam and breathed in the comforting scent of him. Across the courtyard, I could see the Summer Hunters glowering at us from inside the safety of their marble hall, but I didn’t care.
“You risked your life to save some horses.” I pulled back to look up into Liam’s eyes, the brilliant lightning reflecting across his golden irises.
“So did you.” He glanced around the stables, eyes lighting on each of the horses we’d packed inside the small space. “And normally, they would be terrified in a storm like this. You’re keeping them calm, aren’t you?”
I nodded.
“That’s my girl,” he murmured. “Your powers are growing stronger. Unfortunately, when the storm passes, we’ll have another fight to face. The Summer fae won’t be very thrilled to find a changeling with Autumn powers in their midst.”
Chapter Six
It took hours for the storm to pass. When we finally stepped out from the stables, we found the courtyard in ruins. The ground was pockmarked from round after round of brutal lightning, and the flowers that had been presented to the demolished thrones were nothing more than burnt embers.
Phelan strode out from the hall, his fisted hands shaking by his sides. He spit at the ground before he spoke. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Watch it, Phelan.” Liam shifted in front of me, his arm thrown out to block me from the wrath of the Summer fae. “We came all the way out here to help you. Are you really going to thank Norah for that by spitting at her feet?”
“She’s an Autumn. You brought an Autumn faerie into our realm. After they just murdered all of our Royals.”
I took Liam’s hand in mine and gently pressed it back to his side so that I could step up beside him and meet the Summer’s fiery gaze. “I’m not an Autumn fae, but even if I was, you can’t lump them all in with the murderous assholes who assassinated your Royals.”
Liam’s hand whispered across my back. A comforting gesture. A sign of approval. That only made me lift my chin even more, the confidence of my words growing in my gut.
Phelan sniffed. “What the hell are you then? I thought I scented Winter on you earlier, along with a bit of Summer, but I thought that might just be him.” He jerked his head toward Liam. “But now you practically reek of Autumn.”
“I’m...” I glanced at Liam, who gave me a nod to continue. “Different. Sometimes, I can use gifts from different Courts. I guess I’m a bit of everything.”
Phelan’s gaze was piercing as he studied me, cocking his head as he scanned my body from head to toe. The confidence I’d felt before began to falter under the scrutiny. Why was he looking at me like that? As if I were some kind of
insect he wanted to pluck apart? I shifted uncomfortably on my feet, moving just the slightest bit closer to Liam.
“So, you are like our good Queen Marin. How has this happened? Why have we not heard of a changeling who possesses gifts of all four courts?” That last bit was directed at Liam.
Liam had stiffened as I’d let the truth about myself become known, despite the fact he’d given me the nod of approval for doing so.
Liam sucked a deep breath in through his nose, and then blew it out just as heavily. “Alwyn Adair, our Head Instructor, wanted to keep this information hidden. She is of the opinion that the Autumn Court will make attempts on Norah’s life if they hear about her powers. They’d consider her a threat. If the other courts found out another Greater Fae existed, they might rally behind her. I’m inclined to agree.”
“A Greater Fae?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “What the hell is that?”
“It’s the name of what you are, Norah. A fae who can control the magic of all four seasons.”
Phelan scoffed. “It’s a nice little vision you have, Liam. I can’t fault you for that. A united realm, back under the rule of another Greater Fae. But Norah is no Marin. She doesn’t have that same royal blood running through her veins. She’s a changeling. She barely knows anything about our realm, and her powers are yet to be refined. I cannot imagine the realm uniting behind her the way you think. Truth is, she’s nothing.”
“Hey.” My voice was sharp. “I’m standing right here. If I were you, I’d stop insulting the ‘nothing’ changeling who came all this way to help you.”
My heart beat hard as I glared at him, but his words hit hard. Mostly because I knew he was right.
He merely rolled his eyes. “Fine. Come inside out of this mess. I’ll tell you what it is we need you to do.”
We strode into a large expansive hall with vaulted ceilings painted in a kaleidoscope of the colors of summer: greens, yellows, violets, and oranges. Thick green vines were painted up the sides to match the exterior walls. Our footsteps echoed on the marble floors, highlighting the emptiness of the place.
The Hunters were waiting for us, clustered around a dining table that had been transformed into a war planning table. A parchment map of Otherworld was spread across it, and miniature wooden pieces were being pushed around, this way and that, as if the Hunters couldn’t find the perfect location for them.
They glanced up when Liam and I joined them.
“I see the changeling made it out of that insanity alive,” Alastar said before turning his eyes on me. “Do you have any idea how idiotic that was? You could have ruined our entire plan if you’d gotten yourself killed saving some damn horses.”
I bristled at his words. “They’re innocent creatures who didn’t deserve to die just because we couldn’t be bothered to get them to safety.”
“I can’t believe this is what we’re dealing with,” one of the other Hunters muttered.
“Maybe if you’d taken them to safety yourselves, instead of abandoning them, I wouldn’t have had to risk my life.”
The Hunters fell silent. An eerie, uncomfortable kind of silence that made me shift on my feet. Finally, Phelan plucked a wooden square piece from the map and held it before my eyes.
“Do you know what this is?” he asked. When I shook my head, he continued. “This is you. Doesn’t look like much, right? Just a boring old little wooden block. Well, somehow, this one pesky little block is pretty much all we have right now. The future of the Summer Court depends on this stupid little block. Hell, the future of the entire realm could depend on this block. Do you understand me?”
My heart thundered in my chest, but I couldn’t stop the next words from popping out of my mouth. “Are you calling me a stupid wooden block?”
“For the love of the forest.” Phelan threw up his hands and stalked away, shoving his hands into his thick red hair. The truth was, his words had terrified me, though I couldn’t let him see that. How could the future of the realm depend on me? Like he’d said, I was only a first-year changeling who had only just begun to grasp her powers. What the hell could I do against an entire court of devious fae?
“What Norah means is that of course she wants to help.” Liam cut his eyes toward me. “Right, Norah?”
“Of course I’ll help. Just don’t expect me to keep my mouth shut when you insult me.”
“Fine. Whatever.” Phelan stalked back toward the map and slammed the ‘stupid wooden block’ down into the center of the Autumn woods. “This here is the perimeter of the Autumn woods.”
I nodded. “Yes, I’ve been there before.”
He arched his eyebrow. “Good. Then, you’ll know that these woods are often patrolled by two opposing factions. Queen Viola’s guards, and her own personal collection of Hunters.”
“And the rebels,” I said.
He looked surprised that I could actually offer up some insight into the Autumn woods. For a second—the teensiest, tiniest of seconds—he didn’t look as though the very sight of me repulsed him. “That’s correct. According to our sources, the rebels have been keeping their heads low the past few weeks. They directly oppose Viola, but they are very calculating, and they won’t make a move unless they think it’s the right time. So, I doubt they’ll pose much of a threat during your cross into the forest. The fae you’re going to have to watch out for are the Autumn Hunters.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I held my hands up and took a step back from the map. “I think you skipped over some important information here. Like the fact you expect me to go into the Autumn realm? And…what exactly? Try to attack the Queen? I’m all for helping. I want to do everything I can. But there’s no way I’m going to go on some kind of revenge assassination mission.”
I glanced at Liam, whose scowl was the deepest I’d ever seen it. He stared hard at the map, his eyes flicking from my wooden square to the pair of crowns that were splayed on their sides, as if someone had knocked them over, as if someone were proclaiming them as fallen.
“Is that what this is, Phelan?” Liam’s voice was a growl. “Because it’s not happening. Norah is not walking into that castle and murdering the Queen of the Autumns. You’ll have to kill me before I’ll let that happen.”
“No one is killing anyone,” Phelan countered, narrowing his eyes. “Yet.”
“So, then what is the point of all this?” I gestured at the map, at the fallen crowns. “Why do you want me to go into the Autumn woods?”
“We want you to be our spy.”
“Your spy.” I repeated the words, as if that would make them make more sense. “Wouldn’t it be better to find an Autumn fae who could do that? I highly doubt I’m going to be able to walk around in there without getting noticed.”
“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong.” Phelan turned to Alastar and gestured for him to take over the conversation.
Alastar gave a nod and pointed to a circular clearing in the midst of the free territory. “At the Feast of the Fae, you were kidnapped, were you not?”
I frowned, wrinkling my forehead. “Yes, but I don’t know what that has to do with anything.”
“I saw you.” He looked up, his eyes glittering. “I thought I was imagining things at first, but I saw you. The Autumn fae who were trying to get to you and your friend. They couldn’t, could they?”
I thought back to that night. It had all been so hazy. Fear had been pouring through my veins like molten lava, and my head had been so full of screams. I was there with Liam one instant, and then I wasn’t. The Autumn fae had shifted me halfway across the grounds. Bree was by my side, her back arched, her fingers curled into claws. Her body began to shift and change, black hairs sprouting along her arms. The Autumn fae stared at her, glanced around the clearing, and then shifted into thin air.
“They couldn’t because Bree is a Redcap. Well, kind of. She’s a cured one, so she has complete control over her body now. She only changes when she wants to. It scared them off.”
Alastar exchanged a
glance with Phelan, and then met my eyes again. “I had a feeling you had no idea what you were doing. It’s often the case when it comes to these kinds of powers. Norah, the Autumn fae fled because they could no longer see you anymore. They couldn’t see Bree either. They thought you’d vanished.”
I blinked. “What?”
Liam leaned forward and braced his fist on the war table “You mean she shadowed?”
Alastar gave a nod. “For a moment, I thought she’d shifted, but there was something about the way she melted into the night that looked familiar. I saw Marin do it a few times, when I was serving in her Court. It meant she was still there in the room, quietly watching, no one the wiser. Not very many fae knew she could do that.” Suddenly, his voice went soft. “Only her mates and her closest advisors.”
“So, you’re saying those Autumn fae couldn’t see me?” I pressed my hand to my neck and swallowed hard. It had taken a long time for me to get accustomed to the fact that I could transport myself from one location to another, but this was something far beyond that, at least to me.
I could make myself invisible.
No wonder the Summer fae wanted me to be a spy.
“No one could see you,” Alastar said, dragging his stubby finger from the free territory to the castle set atop of Esari, the glittering city of the Autumn Court. “Which means you can sneak into the Autumn Court, find out as much information about their plans as you can, and then report it all back to us. Then, we would know exactly what to do in order to beat them. You’d be in and out without a single Autumn soul realizing you were ever there.”
I nodded and gazed down at the map. I could see now why they’d been so insistent about my part in this, why they’d said it could affect the future of the realm. If we knew what they were going to do ahead of time, we could prevent the Autumn Court from winning their next attack and from taking out another batch of Royals. But it was also a massive mission, one I wasn’t entirely sure I could pull off.
A Song of Shadows Page 5