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We plowed through the knee-deep snow, slogging our way under the shadow of the trees. It was going to be a long march and I doubted that we’d get out before dark. For one thing, when we entered the Court of Dreams, we had no clue what to expect.
The forest was silent, except for the kiss of snow on snow. The fir and cedar were bundled in their white coats and reminded me of a Christmas card, but the lack of noise was disturbing. No birds twittered, no sound of animals came breaking through the undergrowth; in fact, there was no sign that any living thing walked the back paths of this woodland.
Our breath came in thick clouds, and my face was already raw with the chill. Chatter walked lightly on top of the snow, barely leaving any footprints behind, but Peyton and I weren’t so fortunate.
“It would be so much easier to fly there, but then I wouldn’t have any clothes once I changed back,” I said, keeping my voice low. Never knew who might be listening behind what bush.>Shivering, I tried to block out the images, but I could see them—it was as if I had connected into Lainule’s memories. The Cambyra Fae, running, screaming, trying to escape as the Shadow Hunters broke through and began to rip them to shreds. The monsters raged that night.
Pushing aside my nausea, I asked, “Heartstone? I’ve never heard of it. What’s a heartstone?”
Lainule reached out and tipped my chin up. “I tell you what few outside of my realm know, but since your father . . . since he’s one of my people, I will tell you. And perhaps it will help you against Myst, though I do not want you running off half-cocked. Do you understand?”
I opened my mouth and then stopped. My tongue felt thick.
“I am placing you under a Binding Oath on this one, child. Whatever you promise to me on this matter will hold you to your word.” Her voice was solemn, and I realized that my assent would, indeed, give her power over me.
“I promise, I won’t do anything rash,” I whispered.
“A heartstone is part of a Faerie Queen’s heart. When we take the throne, a part of our heart emerges from our body during the ritual and is encapsulated in a gem. The gem is hidden within the depths of our realm. This keeps our land safe; it allows us to shift our lands in and out of the realm of mortals. It is what keeps my realm forever summer . . . it is what helps keep the realm of the Queen of Oceans forever submerged. All Faerie Queens have one.”
All Faerie Queens? I knew there were several, but I had no clue how many. “Even Myst?”
Lainule shrugged. “That I do not know. I should think she has to, in order to bring her winter with her, but the ritual may have been tainted, for she did not take the throne until she had been changed by Geoffrey. She was not a Faerie Queen before he got to her.”
“And if you lose your heartstone?”
Looking half-sick, she shuddered. “If we ever should lose our heartstone, or if we are driven out of our realm and cannot take it with us, we will fade and become a spirit, doomed to wander the earth like a ghost, and our heartstone will crack. Or . . . if someone finds it, they can destroy it and thus we will die. If Myst finds my heartstone, she can obliterate me.”
“And it’s still within the Golden Wood.” I breathed out a long, slow breath. Lainule was fading, slipping into the realm of spirit because Myst had taken over her land. “So she hasn’t found it yet?”
“I guarantee you, if she had, I’d be dead. No, the Alissanya is well hidden still, but it’s in the heart of the wood and there is no chance of reaching it without attracting her notice. As it is, reaching the Court of Dreams is going to be dangerous enough because you must go into the Golden Wood to find your way there.”
She took her place on the makeshift throne, and I sat cross-legged on the grass next to her, enjoying the warmth from the sun.
“She looks to cover the world in a new ice age, doesn’t she?” I asked.
Lainule hung her head. “Perhaps not the world, but her territory, yes. Winter’s banging at the door, and unless we can stop her, there will be no summer to balance out the world. Do you understand why Geoffrey and I had to try? Why we hoped this plague would stop her?”
Biting my lip, I nodded. “I do, but . . . Grieve. Please don’t tell me to forget him, because I can’t promise you. Not like I did to keep silent about the heartstone. I love him, Lainule—he is a part of me and there’s nothing I can do to change that. But I will be cautious.”
I picked a blade of grass and chewed on it for a moment. “How do I enter the Court of Dreams? How do I save Kaylin?”
Lainule smiled then, and once again the sun emerged from behind a lazy cloud. Summer’s tattered robes were still brilliant and beautiful, and not yet fully stripped away. And whatever I could do to keep Myst from destroying the joy of summer, I would willingly do.
“There is a portal in my realm that leads to the Court of Dreams. It is not near the barrow, so if you are cautious, you should be able to reach it. I would not allow you to journey into Myst’s territory without good reason, but Kaylin . . . he will be needed before this war is over. Once you find the portal, you can enter the Court of Dreams and seek out the Bat People. Ask their shaman for help—explain what happened.”
“Are they dangerous—the Bat People?”
Lainule pressed her lips together for a moment, then took my hand. “Child, everyone in your world is dangerous, including your own self. Get used to it—no matter whom you are talking to, they will be a danger. The Bat People are . . . unpredictable. They can be intimidating and they can be terrifying. But they are not unjust. Use caution, use diplomacy, watch your temper.”
“Can I take someone with me? I can’t do it alone,” I whispered. The thought of facing the journey by myself frightened me. Not only the Shadow Hunters, but also Myst’s spiders and the goblin dogs and tillynoks and other creatures pledged to the Ice Queen haunted the woods.
“Take Chatter with you. He knows where the portal is.”
As I jerked my head up, she laughed.
“Yes—I know you have him with you. I am grateful you were able to save him. He was always a good servant and playmate for Grieve. And take your friend Peyton. She can help you through the woods. Do not take your cousin or the vampire lackey. I do not fully trust him, and your cousin is too unpredictable in her powers yet. Chatter can run camouflage, you and Peyton can shift into animal form . . . both factors may save your lives.”
“I suppose I’d better be quick about it. When should we leave? If we wait till tomorrow morning when the Shadow Hunters are sleeping off their pain, will it be too long for Kaylin?” I didn’t want to go into the woodland at night. I really didn’t want to face Myst’s people when they were awake and hunting.
