The glow from the ice crystals around the nectar flickered dark. Even when the light returned, it was dimmer than before. Cracks appeared on the ice around the giant tree. Half of the strings of magic pulsing from the tree to the rest of the palace went out.
Aeden cursed and glanced over his shoulder where the boom had come from. “We need to go.” He looked at the little bit of nectar in the vial. His brows wrinkled in uncertainty. Then his features set and he stood up.
I reached out for him. Instead of taking my hand, he handed me the vial and scooped me up in his arms. With a burst of speed, he flew across the room and out the door. I clung to the vial, making sure it didn’t tip and spill the precious liquid. As we flew through the halls, a strange sound reached my ears. I frowned and looked around. And nearly jumped out of my skin.
Though the large, open windows along the hall, I could see hundreds of Red Caps piling on each other, clawing at the magical barrier surrounding the Summer Palace. Just feet from the walls of the palace, the barrier sparkled and flashed as the Red Caps pressed and flung muddy green magic at it. They were chanting something in their garbled language. The only word I understood was ‘human.’
My stomach tightened until I felt sick. “Aeden,” I whispered and pointed, not sure I could voice the anxiety that threatened my breath.
He glanced over and his face tightened to a glare. The wings on his back flickered with fire.
We didn’t go directly back to Mama and King Helios. Instead, Aeden set me down outside his room. He ran in and came back moments later with a sword strapped around his waist.
Boom.
This time I physically felt it, as if someone hit a large drum right next to my ear. It vibrated through my head and chest. I flinched and looked out the window behind me.
The normally invisible barrier sparkled all at once. Cracks fractured over the barrier, webbing together and rising higher to the top.
A scream echoed from the direction of the entrance hall.
Chapter 16
I gasped. “Mama! Marabell!” I hiked up my dress and cloak and ran as fast as I could, Aeden at my side. We skidded to a halt at the end of the hall as it opened to the entrance. Breathing hard, I looked around.
Mama had remained in the middle of the room, kneeling over the king. He lay on the ground, his face ashen. Even the light of his wings seemed dim. From what I could see, there wasn’t anything threatening around them.
With a breath of relief, I hurried towards them.
A movement flickered to my left and I looked over. My mouth dropped open and I stumbled to a stop just feet from Mama. The front door across the wide room was open, Marabell fluttering ineffectively beside it.
Mama shot a glare over her shoulder behind her. “Marabell, shut the door!”
Marabell fluttered at the door, hiding behind the wood from whatever was out there. “I’m s-sorry! I just w-wanted to know what w-was making the noise!” She turned and pushed at the door, a sparrow to a tree.
Something moved on the other side of the door. A lot of somethings. Instinctively, my eyes were drawn to it. On the other side of the magical barrier, just feet from the threshold, amassed hundreds of Red Caps. In the front stood four Red Caps wearing what looked like thick necklaces made of bark and red leaves. Instead of the dark, rusty red hat that Red Caps usually wore, these four wore crowns made of red leaves and sticks, adding another half foot to their height. They held up short sticks, topped with bulbous ends that gave off a muddy green glow. Their mouths were moving in sync, but I couldn’t hear the words they said from this distance through all the other noise around them.
Behind them, the rest of the Red Caps peered inside, their beady, black eyes hungrily searching. All at once, dozens screamed and pointed at me. They clawed at the fractures in the barrier, yelping and screeching.
I froze, feeling like a trapped deer. We were surrounded in this Palace with nothing to defend ourselves with. Just two humans, a Bell Fae, a healthy Sun Fae and a sick Sun Fae. Against thousands of Red Caps who were hell-bent on getting me to perform who knows what evil act. And the protective barrier was about to collapse.
Aeden flew forward and slammed the door shut over Marabell.
She squealed, covered her ears, and bowed her head. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
Aeden took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I understand. Technically, as soon as the barrier breaks, it won’t matter if the door is shut or not.” He glanced around at the open hallways that lined the room. Each had huge windows along the passageways, perfect for letting in sunlight between the ice-coated trees, but also perfectly open to let the Red Caps in.
The serenity of the nectar room wore off, replaced with gut-wrenching fear. My hands started to tremble. I gripped the vial, trying to control my trembling. It was useless since my whole body was shaking. I took a deep breath and hurried the rest of the way to Mama. It wasn’t until I got to her that I finally let my knees liquify and I sank down. I held out the nectar to Mama. “What do we do?”
I looked down at King Helios. He could have been sleeping, for all the movement he gave, his chest barely rising and falling. Just like Papa, the day he died. Tears plucked my eyes, both from the memory of what was and for the possibility of what could be.
Aeden appeared over my shoulder. He gently took the vial from my shaking hands. “Hold his mouth open,” he instructed Mama. “Kyna, I need you to open the hole on his pants as much as you can.”
Mama hurried and did as he asked.
I shifted over and pulled at the hole, trying to force the Fae Silk wider. It was like pulling at metal. Inside, the edges of the wound were jagged and black, a nasty green tinge covered the skin. Veins had risen to the surface, tinted green.
Aeden tipped the bottle into the king’s mouth. One, two, three drops of the silvery liquid fell into his mouth. There wasn’t much left in the vial. Face tight, Aeden leaned over the wound on his father’s leg. He hissed out a breath at the sight and his face contorted in worry. Carefully, he tipped the vial and poured the rest over the arrow wound.
The skin hissed as the silvery nectar spread over it and leaked down the hole. The king moaned, but didn’t regain consciousness.
“Please work,” Aeden whispered, his voice barely audible over the noise of the Red Caps. He ignored the creatures’ chattering and watched the king’s face with bated breath.
I put my hand over his and squeezed hard.
The hissing slowly faded as the silvery sheen began to disappear. No, not disappear. It was absorbing into King Helios’s leg. What was left was smooth, pale skin, free of the horrible green taint. Even as I watched, the hole from the arrow grew smaller.
The King’s chest rose in a large breath. Slowly, he released it, the hard lines smoothing on his face.
My eyes widened, awed by the power of the Fae nectar. I’d heard that it could create miracles, but this far surpassed the tonics Mama and I made.
Aeden let out his breath in a rush of air, like he’d been holding it this whole time.
Mama swallowed hard, tears still brimming in her eyes. Her hand shook as she smoothed a lock of hair out of the king’s face. “I think it’s working.”
Color crept into his face, banishing the sickly paleness that haunted his features. Still he didn’t open his eyes.
BOOM!
A shock of strong, explosive magic vibrated through my body. My yell was muffled even to my own ears. I collapsed, barely catching myself with my hands. I stared at the ground, gasping for breath in my suddenly starving lungs. What was that?
I could feel hands on my shoulder. Slowly, the ringing in my ears faded and Mama’s voice finally came to focus.
“Kyna! Kyna!” She bent down, trying to see my face. “What’s wrong? Answer me!”
“I’m okay.” I blinked up at her then glanced around. Aeden was hunched over, holding his head in his hands and gasping for breath. Marabell sat in a daze at Mama’s side. The cracks in the barrier above
us were bigger than ever, letting in more of the Red Caps’ noise. But apparently not big enough, because we weren’t getting swarmed yet.
Mama grabbed my shoulders and hugged me tight, sobbing in full. “What do I do?” she whispered. “What have I done, to put you in this mess? I knew it could bite me someday, but I just couldn’t leave the Fae alone. I should have just married Seamus and forgotten everything I knew about Fae and my garden. They wouldn’t have found me if I had. And I dragged you into it too. The Red Caps, the Sun Fae, the Frost Fae. All my fault. It should be me to suffer, not my baby.” She shook her head, rubbing her tears into my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Kyna. I’m so sorry!”
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her just as tight. It broke my heart to see my strong mother falling to pieces like this. “I’m sorry too. It’s my fault you’re here. If I hadn’t run off without telling you, none of this would have happened.”
Mama smiled and ran her hand down the back of my hair. “No, if I hadn’t been too scared to tell you, I don’t think you would have done it.”
She was right. But I understood now why she never talked about her past. I glanced at the unconscious king at our side. If I was going to die now, there was one last question I needed to ask her. “Do you regret marrying Papa?”
Mama stilled for a second, as if shocked by the question. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit there are some things I wish never happened. But there are even more things that I’m grateful for, Kyna. Your Papa wasn’t my first love, but I truly did love him. And I was also blessed with you and Heath.” She brushed my hair behind my ear. “I’m grateful every day for that chance. That wouldn’t have happened if I’d stayed with Helios.”
I nodded, hearing the truth in her words. Tears came to my eyes, as a heavy sense of guilt I didn’t even fully realize I had was lifted from my shoulders. Her choice to leave the fairytale she had as a young woman gave me a chance at life. That wasn’t something I could have done. I glanced at Aeden just as he pushed to his feet, torn between running to him and holding Mama.
Aeden groaned and put a hand on his head, like he had a headache. He looked at me, visually checking to see if I was okay. When I nodded, he looked at the tiny Bell Fae beside us.
“Marabell,” Aeden called.
She blinked at him, coming out of her stupor.
He nodded at the sky peeking between the wooden arches above, where the magical barrier shimmered. “I think the cracks are big enough you should fit through.” He turned serious eyes to her. “Fly north to the Frost Fae city Friseailte and get help. It’s not too far away, it shouldn’t take you long.”
Marabell gasped and looked ready to faint. “Fly there alone?” She looked out the window where the Red Caps howled and chanted. She squealed and pressed her hands her face. “I can’t!”
“You have to,” Aeden stressed. “If you fly out at the top, the Red Caps won’t see you. They’re making too much noise down here.” He motioned outside. “We need help and you can get it. Or do you not want to help Kyna and Maira?”
“I do! They’re my family.” She took a breath and dropped her hands. She leapt into the air, little wings fluttering. She was pale and shaking like a bell on a string, but her face was set. “Okay. I’ll go.” She flew over to me and Mama. She hugged our necks as best as she could with her tiny arms and sniffled. “I feel like I should stay, in case I’m not in time.”
“You will be,” Mama said. How could she promise that? It was probably just to soothe Marabell. At least one of us would survive.
“I love you! Wait for me, I’ll be back!” Marabell wailed and flew up, disappearing between the branches of the treetop.
Through the noise of the Red Caps, I could make out a rhythmic chant in their foul language. It took me only a moment to realize it was the four Red Caps in the front. They were preparing to send out another magical explosion. I doubted the barrier could hold up against it.
Mama leaned back and locked eyes with me. “I wish you could go with her, Kyna. Fly away with Prince Aeden and escape.”
I scowled. “What about your life? Who knows what the Red Caps will do to you and the king if they get you! It would be a fate worse than death.”
Mama’s smile didn’t budge. “I know. It’s already been done to me. There is nothing they can do worse to me. Except do it to my child.” She reached out and put her hand on the king’s forehead, soothing her thumb over his brow. “I’m sure Helios would agree. He’d never want his son to face the same.”
Aeden’s wings flickered on fire and he scowled. “I’m just the spare. Inferior to my older brother and a lone Sun Fae in the Frost court. My life is nothing compared to that of the greatest Sun King in Fae history.” He stared hard at the ground.
My heart ached, hearing him talk about himself like that. I reached out and rested a hand on his arm, needing to comfort him.
He tried to smile at me but failed.
“Even so,” Mama went on. “You two should go.”
I shook my head. “No, Mama. I’m not leaving you.” I glanced up at Aeden and saw the set expression on his face. I didn’t have ask to know he was thinking the same thing. I turned back to Mama. “It doesn’t matter if it’s one life or a thousand, to me, yours is the most important one. And I’m going to protect you, like you have me for the last seventeen years.”
Without waiting for Mama to answer, I turned around and walked forward until I was between her and the door. They were big words and I had no way of backing them up. But I was going to try anyway.
This close, it was easier to hear the chanting of the four Red Caps and the horrible shrieks of the rest.
Aeden stopped when he was shoulder to shoulder with me. He untied his sword from his waist and drew the blade. He looked at the bright white metal, his handsome face reflecting back. “I don’t think there’s enough time to get another sword,” he muttered. He offered me the sheath. “But at least you could use this.”
I smiled and took it, heart aching. Would this be the last time I talked to Aeden? “I’m sure I’d just cut myself with a sword anyway.” I reached out and took hold of the sheath. For a moment, I stopped and stared into his eyes, feeling the heat of his fingers against mine.
“Aeden?” I licked my lips then laughed a little at how much my heart was suddenly fluttering with nerves. “If I die, I’d regret it if I didn’t tell you now.” I took a deep breath and took the sheath out of his hand. I gripped the metal and pressed it to my chest, still needing the support of something. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I … I like you. A lot. And not like just a friend.” My face was so hot, it hurt. I must sound like an idiot, but I at least wanted to die an honest idiot.
An unguarded blush exploded over his face as he stared at me in surprise. Then a slow, soft smile spread across his face, stealing my breath away. “I like you too, Kyna. A lot.”
BOOM!
Chapter 17
Magic, hard and sharp, vibrated through my body. The world around me vibrated in double vision as it felt like my head was splitting in two. My knees gave out and I dropped to the floor with a yell that I couldn’t hear over the ringing in my head.
Stop! I ordered my body desperately. Get up! They’re coming. I blinked, trying to get the double vision to go away.
Rainbow sparkles rained down around us, the remains of the barrier. They faded as they hit the floor and the barrier was absorbed back into the magical flow. The ringing in my ears diminished, giving way to the torrent of Red Cap noise. The front doors were ripped off their hinges and slammed onto the ground as dozens of the evil Fae shoved and climbed over each other to get in.
Somewhere behind me, Mama screamed.
Aeden surged to his feet. His arms opened wide, fingers taut. Flames ten feet high erupted from the ground, encircling us all.
Sweat poured over my body and I gulped in the hot air, trying to get enough to satisfy my burning lungs. Still, I would take the discomfort of the heat over the hell demons tha
t rushed us.
Red Caps ran straight into the fire, unable to stop from the pushing behind them. They caught on fire and jumped back, howling and screaming, lighting other Red Caps on fire. But some pressed forward, willingly burning themselves to a crisp.
I gagged, nauseated by the smell of burning flesh and smoky tree sap they gave off.
All the while, they chanted in their guttural chatter, “Human! Human! Human!”
Several of them made it through the fires alive. With quick slashes, Aeden killed them and pushed their corpses back into the flames.
I gripped my sword sheath and whacked the arm of a Red Cap that looked like it was actually going to make it through. The motion threw the creature backwards. Its squeals turned into shrill screams as it caught on fire and began to disintegrate. My stomach twisted painfully. I’d just killed something. And I was going to do it again, as long as I kept my loved ones safe.
I whacked another back in the fire. “How long can you keep this up?” I glanced at Aeden.
A massive amount of magic poured from him, seeping into the ground and out the circle of fire. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his face was strained. “As long as I have to,” he puffed out, his words barely audible over the chanting. He glanced behind him. “Back up by your mother. I need to make the circle smaller.”
I hurried back and stood by Mama.
She took a moment to check on me before leaning over King Helios, trying to wake him.
Aeden took several large steps back, shrinking the circle as we went while keeping the height. “If only I was strong like Father,” Aeden muttered, like he was talking to himself.
“I think you’re strong enough, Aeden,” I answered.
He paused and glanced at me, shocked by my words.
I smiled, encouraging him.
“Mine!” Screeched from above.
I gasped and looked up just as a handful of Red Caps leapt from the balcony at us. Three missed and landed right in the fire, immediately going up in flames with squeals of pain. The remaining two landed in our circle, barely missing Mama and King Helios.
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