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The Beginning
So in time, the Court of Rivers and Rushes and the Court of Snow and Ice rose once again. Their beginning was bathed in blood…The blood of the innocent, the blood of the guilty. The blood of the holy and the blood of the damned. The old ways were passing, as new traditions and alliances emerged. Enemies became allies, and the Lost Ones came in out of the Wild to dance at the feet of the new Queen of Snow and Ice. It is thought that by joining with the civilized world, the Courts of Fae became more feral and primal than ever. But still, Myst, the Usurper, lingered, regrouping her forces, for the final battle yet to come…
—From The Return of the Summer and Winter:
A Historical Study of the New Courts of Fae
Chapter 1
As I stepped out from the forest, under the open stars, the dark silhouette of the Veil House warmed my heart, but it was a bittersweet moment. The house stood silent against the night sky, but signs abounded that it was slowly returning to life. The walls had been rebuilt, the roof repaired, and it was beginning to look like a house again rather than the bombed-out shelter that it had been. But it would never again be my home. After too many years on the road as a child, I’d returned to New Forest, Washington. I’d come home to my aunt Heather and the Veil House, only to lose both of them for good.
So much had changed over the past few weeks since I’d rolled into town. And so much was still in flux. Literally caught up by a whirlwind, I barely recognized myself now. Everything I’d ever thought about my childhood and heritage had been turned upside down.
A light flurry of snow fell softly, drifting flakes clinging to my shoulders like frozen butterflies. My breath hovered, a pale fog in front of me. Over the past weeks, I’d learned to hate the snow. Myst had destroyed my love for the icy months of the year.
“You’d better learn to love the cold,” I whispered to myself. “Soon enough, winter will be your permanent home.”
Standing on the precipice of a transformation, I would soon enter the realm of snow and ice forever. Today…today I was still Cicely Waters, Wind Witch and owl shifter. But soon, I’d be…
Who am I becoming, Ulean?
Are you afraid? Do not worry. The initiation will change you—make you stronger.
Again, I shivered. That’s what I’m afraid of. Will I still be me afterward?
Ulean’s laughter surrounded me, a gentle breeze that swept by, almost warm in its touch. The Wind Elemental had been with me since I was six years old. We were bound, and she guarded my back.
You will always be who you are. You’ll just know more about yourself. You’ll learn to control your emerging powers better. You’ll be you, but you’ll also be a queen. And I will always be with you. Lainule bound me to your service before you ever knew who or what you were to become. Her visions guided her. I will not leave you.
And then she fell silent, leaving me with my thoughts again.
I kicked a pile of snow, wishing for spring. Wishing for any season that involved green growing things. Myst, Queen of the Indigo Court—the Vampiric Fae, upstart winter queen—had brought the eternal twilight to town, determined to spread her ice and chill across the land. Her Shadow Hunters fed on bone and gristle and marrow and life force. Once we finally defeated Myst, the seasons would return to their normal ebb and flow. Until then, we were caught in her unwavering grasp, even though we’d driven her into hiding.
“Any sign of Shadow Hunters?” Rhiannon, my cousin, emerged from the wood to stand beside me. “I’m sorry I’m late—the Summer Court has been keeping me busy.” She didn’t sound exactly thrilled about the whole thing, but I knew that it was just her nerves.
I shook my head. “I don’t see any. But they’re out there. Somewhere. I doubt if they’ll show themselves until Myst regroups her forces. Who knows how many of them managed to escape? And there were plenty of others scattered around the country. They’ll come to her aid when she calls. She’s just biding her time until she rebuilds her army.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Rhiannon glanced over her shoulders. “I wish I felt it was safe to go out alone. Do you think we should bring a couple of the guards?”
I glanced back at the trees. They were there, hidden in the woods, ready to join us if we required. But I’d managed to convince Lainule that—with Myst currently out of the picture—we really didn’t need them. Especially since we were headed to the Emissary’s mansion. Myst couldn’t get through the vampires’ defenses—not when she was at the peak of her power, and not now.
“I think we’ll be fine. We’re just going to Regina’s…” I paused. “But soon enough, we won’t be able to travel alone. Although, Lainule does. So maybe…maybe…they won’t be on our tail every place we go.” The thought of being watched everywhere we went didn’t sit well with me.
As the dusk fell across the snowbound evening, Ulean whipped around me. She seemed agitated.
Trouble. There is trouble in the Veil House.
Fuck. Maybe we did need the guards. Shadow Hunters?
No, not Shadow Hunters. Vampires, and they have Luna with them. She’s afraid—I can feel her fear.
I turned to Rhiannon. “Luna’s in the house and Ulean says there are vampires in there with her.” I rushed forward, wondering if the guards would follow. I had no idea if they could see us from where they were in the forest.
Rhiannon plunged through the snow after me. “Damn it. Lannan promised allegiance—”
I raced through the snow, slipping on the icy crust a couple of times. “I don’t think it’s Lannan.”
A sense of dread seeped through me. We’d been cocky. We’d driven Myst back and, even though we knew she was regrouping, the town had felt safe enough to wander around. We’d grown careless the past couple of days. So, when Luna had gone to the market alone, assuring us she would be fine, we let her go. Apparently, she was wrong, and so were we.
