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“We could not. We only knew she was here, not where she was hiding. Geoffrey thought it was the vampire court she was after, but that was only a part of her plan. He was shortsighted and arrogant. And the prophecy of the Blood Oracle is partially true—she is out to diminish their control.”
Ysandra moved forward. “We knew all of this, but the Court of Rivers and Rushes turned their back on our help. But we’ve been working on our own, in other towns where the Indigo Court has been making inroads. There have been battles waged that no one will ever hear of—behind the scenes, bloody and costly to the Consortium but also costly to Myst’s domain. You have no clue of how powerful she is and how vast an empire the Vampiric Fae have bred over the years.”
“We chose not to ask for your help because we believed this to be a matter for the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. We were mistaken.” Wrath looked pained, as if he’d swallowed something bitter.
“All well and good, but look at the cost your isolationism has caused. And it’s not just here, it’s in other small towns like this, around the world. But it is not just you…the vampires were of no help, either, believing the war was theirs alone.” Ysandra shrugged. “Arguing is useless now. There is no blame any longer. We must work together. Join forces against our common enemy.”
Lainule nodded. “She speaks the truth. And this is why you must take reign as the Queen of Snow and Ice, with Grieve as your consort. Once Myst is routed, the Indigo Court will seek another queen. You will have to hold the winter against them, until our combined forces have managed to destroy them all.” She smiled softly. “I can hold my position only awhile longer. Through the coming war. Then Wrath and I must leave the Golden Wood. Rhiannon and Chatter will take our places as Lord and Lady of Summer.”
“But why? What happened?” I didn’t understand. Losing them seemed a huge blow and I still hadn’t managed to grasp the significance of what they were saying. It was too overwhelming.
“When Myst neared my heartstone, you saved my life. Do you remember when I told you that by doing so, you would set into motion something that would forever change the future for you and Rhiannon?”
I nodded, still not understanding the exact nature of how things had shifted. “Yes.”
“When a Fae Queen reabsorbs her heartstone, when the energy returns to her body, she forfeits her crown. The heartstone, once hidden and separate from the Queen, will forever hold her realm until it is either destroyed or returned to her. By saving my life, you destroyed my reign. But it was my choice to make. I could have died a queen, but I chose to live, to battle Myst and fade into history.”
Tears clogged my throat and I wasn’t sure why I was crying. “I don’t understand…”
Chatter stepped up to Wrath. “You will go with your Lady, then?”
Wrath nodded. “It is the way. Once we have routed Myst and reclaimed the Golden Wood, Lainule and I will turn over the reign to the four of you. The Golden Wood will be divided between you. Summer will reign over it during the waxing year, then retreat to her realm for the winter. And Winter will guard it during the waning year.”
I gasped. “My dream…we met on the solstices…but then that means…”
“Yes…you will be divided, at odds and yet in alliance. Summer and Winter can only mingle on the days they make the exchange. You and your cousin will forever live separate. This is your sacrifice. This is the way it’s always been.”
Rhiannon burst into tears. “I’m not ready for that.”
“This is your destiny. There is no turning away.” Lainule stepped forward and embraced her. “Long have I wished to welcome you into the family, to tell you who you were, but like Wrath and Cicely, I could not do so until the right time. I wish we could have prepared you both for this, but there was no way. War does not give us an easy route, nor does it make allowance for fear.”
A knock at the door startled all of us. I stepped forward, my mind reeling. The changes over the past few weeks had been intense and confusing. Now to find out that Rhia and I had been born to a destiny neither of us had dared even dream of sent me reeling. I had so many questions, but as I opened the door, I knew they’d have to wait.
A group of magic-born from the Consortium waited. Ysandra stepped forward. “Reinforcements are here.” She turned to Rhiannon, Grieve, Chatter, and me. “Do you see now why you cannot chance being killed in this battle? Why you must lead the battle and yet, let others take on the brunt of the fighting? You are the heirs to the thrones. You cannot let yourselves be hurt.”
I bit my lip. Once again, we were pawns of destiny, but I had the feeling that would shift once we took the reins of power. Then we would be forming the future rather than reacting to it. We weren’t ready for this, but then…would we ever be? We were being tested, and fate had a way of shoving people into situations in order to strengthen them.
“We’re being tempered. Fire and Ice.” I turned to Lainule. “When do we march against Myst? Your warriors are here. The witches and mages are here.” And then—a whisper caught my attention.
We are here, outside the gates. It is time for two witches to lead their people into battle.
I turned to Wrath. “I just received a message from the snow hag. The Wilding Fae are ready. We cannot wait for the vampires to wake—when they rise, so will the Indigo Court.”
“Then we will go to battle. We will do what Myst did to us, and once again, the barrows will run red with blood, but not from the Cambyra Fae this time.” He stood, then added, “Do you understand why you cannot carry the obsidian blade?”
I licked my lips. As much as I wanted it in my hand—it gave me comfort—I nodded. “I’m too impulsive when in the grips of its energy. It forces me to act rashly. I have the dagger you gave me, I will content myself with that and with the force of the wind.”
And so we instructed Lannan’s servants to sweep up the ring of salt and sulfur and silver—no use having him pissed at us because of the mess and the metal barrier—and prepared for battle. Lainule and Ysandra instructed their brigades to meet us in front of the Veil House—four dozen Fae warriors, and two dozen magic-born, including three healers.
As for the Wilding Fae, I sent a message through the slipstream for them to meet us at the Veil House. I received a riddle in return that told me they would.
We drove through the streets, taking Lannan’s limousine. Along the way, we saw scattered remnants of the bloody battle from the night before. The streets were filled with cars making their way out of town, frightened faces pressed against the windows. I felt a sense of loss, gazing over the exodus. With hope, we could make it safe for them to return—but would they? Would they brave coming back to a town that was so full of blood and bones?
As we pulled into the driveway, the warriors were there, along with the members of the Consortium. The Wilding Fae appeared as we spilled out of the car and cast our gazes over the assembled army.
“Be cautious.” Wrath’s voice echoed over the yard as we gathered in front of the burned shell of the Veil House. “While Myst and the Vampiric Fae will be asleep, you can rest assured they will wake when we attack, and the light-rage will make them strong and deadly. We go in with the element of surprise, but do not be complacent. We will not retain that edge for long. Kill all of the Vampiric Fae you see—but do not mistake and harm Prince Grieve, whatever you do. Are you ready?”
The warriors let out a loud cry and turned to the Golden Wood.
