by Jaymin Eve
I swallowed hard, trying my best to ignore that I now had pointy ears, and some new fae magic was swirling inside me, its heat filling me with a life and vibrancy I had never felt before.
Holy crap … I was fae.
Chapter Seven
The wheels of time are often jagged.
Kade was already moving and I stayed right on his heels. Violet must have passed out, because she was limp over his shoulder, but her breathing sounded calm and rhythmic, which was a small relief. The path through the cells was clear, but that part was always going to be easy. It was the part where we had to get past the guards, through the castle, out of royal territory, and then out of the Winter Court, which was going to be a problem.
A problem which was starting in three … two … one. Showtime.
Two guards popped into view, one on either side of the stone entranceway. They held huge swords, but with the narrow confines of the corridor, it was going to be hard for them to use that style of weapon effectively. Without missing a beat, Kade slid Violet to me. I took her weight with ease, and then he attacked, rushing straight in, his own sword out in front.
Now, I had seen Kade fight a few times, and most of those times had been against fae, but I had never seen him fight this close up. Usually I was fighting as well, so my attention was divided. Not now though. Now I got to watch it without distraction.
He was a thing of beauty. Kade was a huge guy but you’d never know it with the way he ducked the first attack from Guard One, then straightened to deliver a knockout blow to Guard Two, who definitely had not been prepared for his speed, grace, and brawn rolled into one package. Guard One then spun, also reacting far too slowly, and ended up with an elbow in his throat. He dropped, grasping at his neck, struggling to breathe, and Kade finished him off with a kick to the temple.
Holding Violet as gently as I could, her weight was not a problem for me. It was more about maneuvering her length without smashing her head into things. I leapt over the fallen guards and we were up the stairs and out of the cells, back out on the ramped path. As we dashed toward the cart, which was still sitting there, Kade lifted Violet from me, allowing me time to grab the furs and our elven swords that had been resting underneath.
We didn’t stop moving. Besides a few servants who didn’t look our way, the path remained surprisingly unoccupied. We’d definitely chosen the right way to enter the castle. This ramp did not seem to be used by any highborn fae. I was pretty sure it had been unlucky that we’d run into that one guard on the way down – unlucky for him that was.
As we were emerging out of the castle, into the icy outside, Kade blocked my view for a second. I tried to see our surroundings as best as I could. Kind of looked like everything was free from guards here too.
Ambush? I asked him mentally, before sending a quick message to Finn. We’re out. Looks clear so far. Should we be expecting anything?
Kade answered me first, out loud. “I can’t sense anything, Ari, but that in itself makes me suspicious. We know they felt Violet when you touched her, so they know we’re here. So why have they let us get this far?”
Unfortunately that was not a question I had an answer to. “Well, we have no choice but to head for the others. Hopefully luck is on our side today.”
We started moving. Finn’s reply of We’re waiting here, had an image attached to it. They were at a small hut just off to the side of the main gate. Merchant cart. Lots of silk and material to hide beneath.
Why is no one chasing us? Where are the magic born? I asked him.
Nikoli took one down, and I disabled the other. So far no more have shown themselves. Hurry, Ari, we have a clear run right now, but the gates will be more heavily armed once word reaches that their magic born have been disabled.
Be there soon.
I shut him out of my mind so I could focus. Kade and I moved side by side. Violet was still over his shoulder, I had draped his extra furs over her for both warmth and to hide her. Both of us sheathed our swords and then hurried out into the bustling world of the Winter Court. We made it through those palace gates and over the small bridge without a problem. We slowed through the marketplace, which was thankfully far less busy than earlier. It looked like most of the merchants were packing up, which was probably why Finn thought this was a good time to bail. If we left in the silks cart with all the other merchants, there was less chance of discovery.
I found myself looking at the faces we passed. For some reason, the man I had seen when we were entering, the one tying the little boy’s shoe, was still bothering me. I knew him … or he knew me. There was a spark of recognition there, and now that I was mostly fae, I wondered if he was family … or something else.
I was fae! I had almost forgotten that. Had more changed than just my ears? Hopefully, If we lived through this, I’d be able to find a mirror and check out my new look. As Kade turned toward the old pipe entrance we had used to get in here, I realized he didn’t know the new plan. I grabbed his arm to slow his steps, before sending him mental pictures of our new rendezvous point. He gave me a nod, swiveling and heading in the opposite direction. We walked fast, but not fast enough to draw attention. My eyes were constantly on the move, trying to determine where the guards and possible ambush might come from.
The large, double-gated stone entrance came into view. The path widened, and there were fewer houses scattered around us. The building Finn had shown me also came into view, and I was relieved to duck in and get away from the open, striding under some brightly colored shade awnings and into another alley, this one large and well lit.
The cart was sitting there with two horse-like creatures tethered to the front. The canvas that looped up and over the back of the structure covering it was bright and silky, the color a mix of purples and blues. Blaine popped into view; he’d been crouched down beside one of the horses.
His face lit up when he saw me. He took two huge strides to scoop me up into his arms. “Thank the gods you’re safe. And perfect timing. The merchants are leaving for the night.”
I hugged him back just as tightly, so relieved that everyone was okay. So far.
By the time I had pulled back, Kade had disappeared, already around the back of the cart to stow Violet inside. My eyes met Blaine’s, and I could see his surprise as he looked me over and settled on my ears.
My smile felt wonky. “I’ll explain everything later. For now we need to get going.”
Monica was close by, and even though her eyes were wide too as they ran across me, she didn’t say anything. I wasn’t the only one with a new look. She was dressed like a mystic, bracelets up her arms, beads and a yellow silk scarf woven into her hair.
“Whoa,” I said, a more genuine smile ripping across my face. “You look gorgeous.”
She gave me a wink. “I’m the silk merchant, don’t you know? Time now to get us out of here.”
“I’ll sit with you,” I offered. “Since, you know … I’m now very fae-like.”
I could see the million questions in her gaze, but she didn’t ask. Blaine didn’t either, clasping a hand on my shoulder, before taking his place in the back of the cart too.
All good in there? I asked Kade and Finn.
Yep, was the reply from both, and I scrambled up onto the bench seat with Monica. She took the reins in her hands, and now it was time to get these fae-spec horses on the road. We had rescued my friend, and the Summer Court would heal her, but only if we could make it outside of these walls.
Monica clicked her tongue and the horses began to walk. At first it was a very tight fit, trying to maneuver along the path between the houses. Monica was skilled at pulling the reins and aligning the horses on the perfect path. We finally emerged onto the main road, about a hundred yards from the gate.
My palms were clammy as I clutched the small side rail. I don’t think I’d ever been this nervous. The clip clopping of the horses’ hooves fell into the same rhythm as the hammering of my heart as we closed in on the gate. There looked to be
a lot of guards there now, checking out the long line of carts exiting. Had there been that many when we entered? I hadn’t paid that much attention.
Monica and I shared a look. This could quite possibly go south, but Violet was near death and I wouldn’t let my best friend die.
“Monica, do you still consider me your queen?” I asked her in a low voice.
She paled. “Yes, of course.”
I let my wolf peer out of my eyes when I gave the command: “Then it’s my order that if things go bad, you ride this cart as hard and fast as you can to get Violet healed. You find Dalia, you get to the Summer Court, and you do not stop for anything or anyone. Including me. Can you do that for me?”
She gritted her teeth, her body shaking, her wolf peering out through her eyes. “But—”
There was no time for her hesitation. “Monica, she’s hurt really bad. Like may not make it through the night bad.”
Monica nodded, her spine straightening as she took the weight of the burden I had dropped on her. She understood, and I was confident she would follow my orders.
We were close enough to hear the guards now. “Move along!” one of them shouted to a cart in front of us.
I fixed a pleasant expression on my face as they moved on to us. A giant of a fae stepped forward, his heavy furs making him look unnaturally large. His eyes roamed over Monica and I, then he walked to the back of the cart. My body tensed. I was ready. If there was a struggle I would jump off and fight.
Nikoli must have spelled an illusion though, because after a few minutes poking around in there, the guard strode back to my side and nodded. “Move along!”
The way in front of the cart was clear, and Monica kicked the horses into gear. I smiled at the guard, keeping up the illusion, but a sliver of hope was thrumming inside of me. We were almost in the clear. Now we just had to get to Dalia before Violet got any worse. Hopefully Nikoli was doing something back there to help her while we traveled, although I had no doubt he was completely spent from fighting off the other magic born.
Any speck of hope I had dissipated when a shout was let out close by. “It’s her!”
The voice had been female, and following it was a blast of magic that hit me in the back of the neck, knocking me from the cart.
I tumbled to the rough ground, my neck burning from whatever had hit me. I was stunned but not incapacitated as I jumped to my feet. “GO!” I shouted to Monica as I unsheathed my sword.
A woman in long, dark furs, her hair midnight black, offsetting bluer-than-blue eyes, lifted both hands and flung magic at the cart to stop it. Holy crap. She was magic born, but there was no lack of pigmentation going on with her. She was a wash of both dark and light.
Her first shot missed the cart, and as she geared up for the second one, I was readying a shield.
Finn reacted then. I felt him connect to me and I knew he was about to jump out and help. Finn! I need you to stay with them, to make sure Violet is okay. Promise me. I’ll keep this magic user busy and then find a way to get out.
He howled in our bond, his pain tangible, but he didn’t fight me. He trusted me to look after myself, and that belief in me was like a burst of energy.
I will go with them, Ari, and make sure Violet is safe. But if you’re not out after that, I’m coming for you. I will kill them all.
I love you. Stay safe.
I missed his reply as the woman threw a second mecca ball of magic toward the retreating cart, and that’s when I dove to intercept it, shield up.
It crashed against my energy shield and dissipated. Hah! If I wasn’t fighting for my life, I would have been excited to have finally mastered that technique Kade had taught me.
Crap, Kade! In my rush of adrenalin I had stopped shielding my mind from him, which meant…
Nix’s cry rang out from the sky and suddenly a warm familiar presence was at my back. I should have known he would not leave my side, never leave me in the enemy’s hands. Guards were closing in on us, and one quick peek over my shoulder told me that Monica was past them and out the gates. They would make the rendezvous point with the summer fae no problem. Violet would get the help she needed.
Turning back to my enemy, the magic born was sizing up Kade and I. In a flash we were surrounded by at least twenty guards, all armed to fight. The dark-haired fae spoke to the closest one. “Inform the queen that we have her. Put the female in the dungeons and sell the male at the market tonight. He will make someone very, very happy. Big and muscled, a perfect workhorse.” Her grin was broad and creepy, with teeth that were slightly pointy, like they had been filed.
Don’t reveal your power. They will kill you if they think you’re a threat, I said to Kade. Go with them now. We’ll figure out how to escape and meet up.
If this magic born knew he could manipulate mecca, he was done for.
A rumble sounded in his chest. I’m not leaving your side.
Kade!
I heard the ripping of muscles and knew he was shifting into his bear form. He was going to try to take them all out. Dammit. Maybe he could. If I could take on the magic born, he could get the guards.
Just as I was feeling hopeful, a chill rose up and a fog rolled in. Riding on a sparkling white horse was the most beautiful and terrifying woman I had ever seen. Long white hair floating behind her like a silk sheet, huge eyes that were so dark they looked black. She was thin but muscled as she gripped her horse, riding bareback, no need for a saddle.
Kade was nearly in his bear form now; his shifts were getting faster every time. One of the guards advanced on him. I stepped forward and sliced the guard’s arm, then his chest, and he fell back. Spinning around, I prepared myself to fight the white-haired demon woman. She was almost to us, and a hush fell over the entire area as every single guard went to one knee, including the magic born.
Kade, as a bear, roared so loud it made my eardrums shake. The woman, who I assumed to be the queen, raised her left hand and pointed it at Kade.
“Freeze,” she whispered, icy fog misting from her blue-tinged lips. Kade’s roar was cut off mid-bellow; he stopped moving as his dark fur was slowly covered in a film of ice.
My next move wasn’t my brightest, but I was a hotheaded woman and she’d just frozen my mate. I gave a battle cry and lunged for her and her horse, sword raised, mecca crackling along my skin.
“Brista,” the Queen said, and thick blue magical bands wrapped around my arms and legs, shutting my mecca power off like a light switch. I went down, hard, my legs pulled out from under me. My face hit the ground with a solid thud, sending a shooting pain through my skull. The world went a little dark around the edges as I fought to remain conscious.
The queen came closer, her voice still breathy, like it was made from flurries of ice and snow. “A bear shifter … he will fetch me a fortune at auction. Take him away and then put her in the same cell her friend was in.”
As the magic born snapped her fingers, I was lifted magically into the air, and I saw that man again, the one I had sort of recognized earlier. He was in a crowd of fae onlookers, his face etched with lines of worry as he watched Kade and me.
Holy … what the hell? It hit me hard then, the reason his face had been bothering me. He looked like Kade and Annette, Kade’s mother. So either they had some very close fae relatives that none of us knew about or that was his brother. Living in the Winter Court … with a child.
A guard hoisted me up and my head smashed into his hard shoulder. That blow was enough for me to lose the last of my consciousness, and before I could cry out or fight, the world went dark.
Chapter Eight
Daddy dearest.
Clanking noises roused me, the metallic sharpness reverberating through my aching head. I was face down with a musty bedding of straw beneath me – pretty much the only thing keeping me from lying against icy stone. Remembering that I had been taken by the winter queen, I tried to get my eyes open and head up, but the moment I moved, my stomach lurched and I let myself slump forw
ard again as I fought to control my gag reflex.
My wolf stirred lazily within me, which was my first indication that there was something wrong with her. Normally she would be fighting to change, to heal whatever was ailing me, but it was almost like she was barely conscious. And my mecca was the same.
A strange energy caught my attention. It was the only thing within my center of energy that didn’t seem to be under the influence of the queen’s magic right now. I’m fae. Whatever had been in the glass jar, whatever essence had been stolen from me as a child, was strong. And the winter queen wanted it.
I needed to shift. I tried to coax my wolf forward, but she only whined at me, which hurt my heart in ways I couldn’t understand. What had the queen done to us? As if she felt my desperation and sorrow, my wolf spirit started clawing toward me. I could almost see her in my mind’s eye. I needed to touch her. The fae energy inside me burst to life then – it was warm and yet somehow icy at the same time – as if it were reacting to my thoughts. Barrels of energy smashed into my beast, freeing her. The shift washed over me and in a flash I was a wolf. No pain. No messy breaking of bones or minutes of panting. Just the simple thought and I could change.
Shaking off the last of my aches and fatigue with ease, I was up on all fours, my white coat reflecting the dim prison lighting. For the first time since waking I was warm all the way through, and my energy was slowly returning. The pit of fae power deep inside of me flooded across my body. It was like it had been contained until now, but the moment I used it, freed it, an icy fire had spread across my chest and through my limbs, morphing me, changing the essence of who I was.
Winter magic.
Clanking sounded again, and a figure appeared in front of the barred door of my cell. It was the queen, accompanied by two guards, forming a massive wall of muscle on either side of her.
“Nice to see you’re awake, Granddaughter.”
She sneered on that last word, and it was very clear she did not welcome our familial bonds. That makes two of us, bitch. My wolf dropped lower, snarls ripping free, fangs bared. The queen waved her hand at me, then ice seeped through the bars and my body was frozen again. Well, sort of. It wasn’t as all-encompassing as last time. It almost felt like if I used enough energy I could break free from it, but I wouldn’t waste my juice until a good opportunity to escape presented itself. I needed to be smart about this. Best to let her think I had no defenses against her.