by L. P. Dover
I huffed. “Fine! I’ll speak to him before we leave. How did you learn to be so calm about things?”
Oren tilted his lip in a half-smile. “It took years and years of practice, Princess. Finish up and I’ll meet you out front,” he said softly.
“Okay, just give me a few minutes to say my good-byes.”
First, I needed to tell Kalen and Meliantha farewell, and then find Drake to get everything out in the open. Rolling up the letter, I secured it with a tiny blue ribbon, and placed it inside the small pouch on my belt that was connected to my armor. Now that I’d been trained in combat, I always wore my warrior gear when I travelled, Brayden’s orders. It wasn’t very comfortable, but it sure as hell would protect me from unwanted arrows flying through the air or a swipe of a sword. Grabbing my spear, I attached it to the harness on my back and headed for the door. The palace was quiet as I made my way through the corridors, breathing in the delicious aromas of roses that were in vases lined up and down the hallways.
When I reached Kalen and Meliantha’s room, I knocked lightly on the door, hoping I wouldn’t wake the little ones if they were asleep. Kalen answered the door carrying his wide-awake little boy in his arms. Kale’s bright red hair reminded me so much of Drake, but the eyes …
“What the …” I started, staring in awe at my nephew and then back up to Kalen. “He has purple eyes,” I whispered, eyes wide open in surprise.
Kalen smiled, but Meliantha was the one who spoke. “They both do,” she announced, elated.
I trailed past Kalen to Meliantha’s side where sure enough my niece, Lia, had purple eyes as well. “This is amazing,” I murmured, not taking my eyes off the little girl. “I guess you’re not the only one now.”
Meliantha laughed. “No, and thank the heavens for that. I was tired of being the only one. Hopefully, when these two get older and have children of their own, there will be more faeries with amethyst eyes.”
“I sure hope so. I know what it’s like to be the odd one out.”
It didn’t bother me to be the odd one out. I kind of liked being my own person and not blending in with the norm. No one has ever had green eyes in the Winter Court, and most of the time my people just overlooked it. They all knew it had to be because of the Prophecy and me being one of the Four.
“I’m sure when you have kids one of them will have your beautiful green eyes,” Meliantha added, looking thoughtful.
Shrugging noncommittally, I turned to my brother. “Yeah, kids are nowhere near in my future. I just wanted to come by and say farewell, and to say thank you for letting me visit.”
Kalen came up to me and kissed me on the cheek. “Anytime. It was great seeing you. I’ve missed giving you hell,” he teased.
I laughed. “I’ve missed you, too. Things just aren’t the same with you and Ryder gone. Brayden is about as fun as an ice shard stuck up the ass.”
Kalen doubled over laughing. “I am definitely going to tell him that! What’s bad is that you’re right. Hopefully, one of these days he’ll open up and have some fun. Goodness knows Ryder and I’ve tried to get him to loosen up.” He paused and wiped the tears from under his eyes. “I do hope you come back to see us soon. Mel and I would both love to have you. It would definitely keep things interesting around here.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I smiled at them both, and kissed the little ones, before leaving their room. Now it was time to suck it up and find Drake.
After searching through the palace, and knocking on the door to the room he stayed in, I was met with silence. Where was everyone? I wondered. When I walked out of the palace, our Winter warriors were on their horses ready to go, except Sarette. She and Ariella were on the steps, talking.
“Hey,” I said, catching their attention while descending the steps.
“It’s about time,” Sarette teased. “I was starting to think you wanted to stay here.”
“No,” I expressed quickly, shaking my head. “I just wanted to say bye to my brother and Meliantha.”
Someone whistling caught my attention from behind me, and I turned to see that it was Brayden riding up on his horse. “Sorcha, are you ready to go? We need to get going!” he called out. He gave me an impatient glare, but then his gaze lingered on Ariella just a tad bit longer than normal.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ariella pretending not to notice. When I faced her, she cleared her throat and bowed her head, averting her eyes. “Be safe going back home, Sorcha.”
When she lifted her head, I narrowed my eyes at her, but all she did was smile innocently. She wasn’t fooling me. “I’ll be safe. I always am,” I drawled out. “When are you going back to Summer?” I really wanted to know where Drake was, but I didn’t want to ask outright.
Ariella grinned excitedly. “I’m actually staying here for a few more days. I’ll be travelling back with my parents once they come and leave. Not only do I get to spend more time with the babies, but there are a lot of handsome warriors here that I’d like to get to know.”
I loved her flippant attitude, and found myself smiling at her flirtatiousness. Ariella was not a bashful female by any means, and if she ever came to the Winter Court again I was sure she’d give my warriors something to talk about, maybe even my brother, Brayden.
Changing the subject, I casually asked, “What about Drake? When is he leaving?”
“Oh, he already left not too long ago. I don’t know why he was in such a hurry,” she admitted curiously. “He just said he had to leave and didn’t want to be here anymore.”
My heart felt like it sunk in my chest, and was about to explode. He didn’t want me in his dreams, and now he was gone. How was I going to talk to him?
“I’m sure he had his reasons,” I replied smoothly. “Take care, Ariella. Hopefully, we’ll see each other again soon.”
She nodded her head and smiled. Oren and Alston were both waiting by my horse when I approached. Once I settled onto my horse, Alston winked and patted my leg, but I just couldn’t bring myself to smile. Too many emotions were warring in my body, and I had no clue how to feel. Mainly I was angry, but mostly at myself if I was being honest.
“Are you going to be okay?” Oren asked silently.
Taking a deep breath, I sat up straighter on my horse. “Of course, Oren,” I replied, keeping my face devoid of the turmoil going on inside my body. When I glanced his way, his raised eyebrows and pursed lips informed me he didn’t believe my lie for a second. Hell, I would’ve done anything to believe it.
“I can’t wait to get home,” Sarette sighed, riding beside me.
“Me too,” I mumbled. “But it was great seeing my brother and his family.”
Sarette was on my left side while Alston was on my right, riding close to me. Oren trailed behind me, keeping his ever watchful eye on the forest surrounding us. He looked preoccupied with something, but before I could ask, Alston began to speak.
“Do you mind if we talk tonight?” Alston asked, sneaking a glance back at Oren before whispering, “Alone.”
Immediately, I glanced at Sarette, who of course had a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. I silently groaned and bit my cheek before turning back to Alston.
“That’ll be fine,” I answered him with faux enthusiasm. “Just give me some time to get settled, and then I’m all yours.”
The smile he gave me was alluring and sexy, and I tried to ignore the hidden meaning behind it. He was going to try and lure himself back into my bed, but I wasn’t falling for it. In a way, I wanted to release my frustration by doing something foolish like that without my heart getting in the way, but I knew it wouldn’t let me. Or at least I hoped it wouldn’t let me do anything foolish.
My wayward thoughts were put on hold when Oren spoke in my mind. “Sorcha, something’s not right.” Instantly, I jerked my head in his direction. I could feel his concern and worry floating across the bond … danger was coming, and it was coming fast.
At that moment, I could see Brayden up fr
ont, circling around and headed straight for me. When he approached, he looked dangerous and in full control. His demanding words were directed to me and Sarette. “I want you both to back up and take cover. If we begin to lose ground I want you to run as fast as you can back to the Spring Court and get help. Whatever happens, I don’t want you trying to help. I need you two to run, do you understand?”
“No!” I hissed, reaching for my spear. “I’ve been training for years, and I know how to fight. The dark sorcerer is going to find me no matter what we do. Pretending otherwise is just being naïve. You can’t make me run, Brayden. I might as well fight my way through it.”
“Me too,” Sarette snapped, pulling out her sword. “If you haven’t noticed, Sorcha and I aren’t little girls anymore. We’re ready to do this!”
I smiled at my friend and she smiled back triumphantly, knowing Brayden wouldn’t want to waste his breath in arguing. Infuriated with me, Brayden snarled and was about to yell at me, but he didn’t get the chance because out of nowhere the evil began to strike. The dark sorcerer’s army was coming straight for us.
“Attack!” Brayden yelled, drawing his sword.
The earth below me trembled with the footsteps of the mighty army coming toward us. We were outnumbered, but it didn’t stop us from fighting. Swords clashed as the army made contact with ours. Magic permeated the air, but I was ready, ready to fight.
“Stay close to me, ai dulin,” Oren growled.
“I will!”
Alston bounded off into the fight, drawing a scream from Sarette who wanted him close to her. I lost sight of him in the fray. Momentarily I was shocked; all I could focus on were the traitors of my land coming for blood with their eyes fixed on me and Sarette. My friend appeared ready and hungry for a fight.
“Get ready, Sarette!”
She gave me an evil grin. “Oh, I am! These idiots will regret the day they messed with the two baddest bitches of the Winter Court!”
We both smiled at each other before taking off screaming, and wielding our weapons at the enemy. I’d never killed anyone, but I’d do anything necessary to protect my people. With my spear in hand, I fought. Using my earth abilities, I trapped the enemy in the earth and impaled them one by one with my spear.
My first kill was an elf, and the moment I thrust my spear through his heart I could’ve sworn I saw a smile pass over his face. He wanted to die. My gut clenched with the thought that some of them might’ve been forced to do this, to turn traitor to their people, but there was nothing I could do about it at that moment except protect my people.
When the army began losing numbers, more would come to take their place. It all seemed endless, and we were clearly losing hope of winning, especially when we heard thunder rumble in the distance behind us. Had they tricked us by trapping us in the middle? When I turned my head to look at our doom, it wasn’t the dark sorcerer’s army trapping us in place, but the shiny gold armor of the Summer Court coming to our rescue.
When Drake approached, his eyes were fixed on me when he yelled, “We have to get you out of here!”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Don’t you think I know that, you idiot!” I screamed back.
Oren came to my side. “We can’t make it all the way back to the Winter Court with them coming after us. We need a plan.”
“You’re right,” Drake replied, looking straight at me. I was furious at him, but the concern in his eyes gave me pause so I decided that for the time being I needed to be cooperative.
Quickly, I asked, “What should we do?”
Instead of responding to me, he turned to Oren and spoke to him. “We need a diversion. The dark sorcerer knows that you’re her guardian. Wherever she is, you’ll be there.”
“And your point?” Oren asked impatiently.
“Sorcha comes with me and Sarette with you. She looks exactly like the princess so it should work. Head back fast to the Spring Court, it’s much closer. Sorcha will come with me to Summer.”
“What! No!” I demanded, cutting him off. “I’m not leaving my people!”
Oren looked torn, but reluctantly nodded at Drake. He turned to me and sighed. “It’s the only way, ai dulin. You have a better chance of getting out of here, and he’ll keep you safe.”
Sarette grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Go! We’ll be fine!”
“Switch weapons,” Drake commanded, interrupting us. “They’ll know your spear. If your friend has it they’ll definitely think she’s you.”
I turned to him and growled. I hated being told what to do when I was going to do it in the first place. Sarette and I quickly switched weapons and began to move apart. Her sword felt odd in my hands, but I stashed it in my belt and bolted in the opposite direction from my friend and guardian.
“We need to hurry!” Drake exclaimed. “My people can’t hold them off for much longer.”
As the distance grew, I sent a silent prayer to Oren. “Protect Sarette, and stay safe. Be careful, Oren.”
“Same to you, Princess. Get to the Summer Court safely.”
My horse flew like the speed of light across the land, keeping up easily with Drake and his brown mare. The rumble of hooves on the ground signaled the advancement of the other Summer Fae warriors catching up to us. They surrounded me and Drake while we trekked the last few miles to the Summer Court. The air was hot and humid the moment we crossed into their territory, and it almost made me struggle to breathe it was so thick.
“Oren, I made it to Summer. Where are you?” I waited to hear him come through the connection, but I was only met with silence.
Drake stopped in front of the palace and climbed off his horse, looking relieved and worn out. I never knew he could look like that. Even in our dreams he was always calm and collected, never showing raw emotions. Climbing off my horse, I decided to try Oren again, desperate to hear his voice.
“Oren? Oren, where are you?”
Panic started to engulf me, and I struggled to breathe, gasping for air. Drake rushed over to me. “Are you hurt? What’s wrong?” he asked, surprisingly gentle.
He looked unsure of what to do and genuinely concerned, and in that moment I wanted to fall into his arms, but I couldn’t. Instead, I fell to the ground screaming. The pain exploded in my mind, and I knew that it was Oren’s pain coming through to me. He was hurt, and he was in distress. Tears streamed down my face as the pain intensified, bringing a whole new agony to the forefront. I felt like I was going to die.
“Something’s wrong,” I choked out, shocked that my body was losing control. Never before had I felt a tear, never before have I cried for someone, but in that moment … I cried.
Never in my life had I ever felt so helpless. Watching Sorcha scream in agony was the worst pain I thought I’d ever had to endure. My heart literally was ripped to shreds in that moment, and what was worse was that I had no clue how to help her. One of our healers had to use a sleeping spell on her to get her to calm down, and even then, her will was so strong that I thought the spell wouldn’t work. She fought it for as long as she could, but eventually it became too much. I ended up watching her sleep for the rest of the afternoon. I never even took my eyes off of her when I heard someone enter the room through the door behind me.
“You need to get some rest, my Prince,” the voice recommended. The healer who had cast the sleeping spell on Sorcha stood behind me. His name was Grayce, and he was one of the oldest faeries in our court.
“I’m not tired,” I replied back, even though I felt and looked exhausted.
“She’s going to be asleep for a while, probably until tomorrow afternoon.”
Wide-eyed, I peered back at the healer. “That long?” I asked hesitantly.
The healer looked thoughtful. “Unfortunately, yes, but she needed it.”
Groaning, I put my head in my hands. “She may have needed it, but when she wakes up, all hell is going to break loose.”
“What does that mean?” Grayce asked, looking confused.
Sta
nding up, I ran my hands through my hair. “It means, master healer, that we’re going to have a very angry Winter Fae woman on our hands.”
My night was filled with a dreamless sleep. I assumed my subconscious listened to me when I said I didn’t want to dream about Sorcha ever again. For the whole morning, I spent it with her at her bedside. Her warrior gear had been stripped, and she was cleaned and dressed in a beautiful blue robe. She always looked amazing in blue in my dreams, and even in real life she looked astonishing.
Sorcha looked like an angel lying there all peaceful and asleep, but I knew she was anything but one. The sleeping spell was probably about to wear off, so I decided that not being there would probably be best. I didn’t want to be the source of her wrath. I was half tempted to lock the door to keep her from taking out her anger on an innocent passerby. I decided against it, but made sure to inform everyone to stay away from that part of the palace until she woke up.
I met my father in the throne room, along with the warriors that fought with me the day before. The grim expression on my father’s face was answer enough. I was about to hear bad news.
“What news from the Spring Court? Did everyone make it there?” I asked, knowing very well that they didn’t.
My father, King Oberon, shook his head and sighed. “Over half made it there, including Sorcha’s brother, Brayden. He was badly injured, but Ariella is taking care of him while Meliantha makes her rounds to the wounded.”
Closing my eyes, I asked the one question that I dreaded to hear the answer to. I had a feeling from Sorcha’s episode earlier, her guardian and friend were in some serious trouble. “What about Sorcha’s guardian and her friend?”
My father shook his head, and lowered his gaze. “They didn’t make it, son. We don’t know if they’re alive or dead.”
Hanging my head, I groaned and ran my hands through my hair, frustrated. “How am I going to explain this to Sorcha? The minute she finds out she’s going to want to leave here to find them, and I can’t let her do that.”