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Before I could move, the bushes parted and a doglike creature broke through, jaw unhinging as it lunged for me. As I screamed, startled, Check pushed me out of the way. The Shadow Hunter snapped air, his jaws clenching on nothing, and then I saw behind him a great creature, pale white and looming like a mountain of flesh, with glaring eyes the color of dawn and features that were bulbous and fat.
“What the fuck is that?” I stared up at the creature as it lumbered toward us. I stumbled away, trying to get out of its path.
“Ice troll!” Fearless jumped forward, his sword out.
“Where did Myst find an ice troll?” Check grabbed him by the arm. “We can’t engage. Our first duty—ensure the safety of the Queen. Walk away and live to fight another day, brother.”
A look of frustration washed over Fearless’s expression, but he immediately turned and grabbed me up, unceremoniously holding me by the waist. As we raced toward the portal, Check guarded our back.
I wanted to go fight—wanted to send them running. I could do it, too. I could summon up a hurricane if I wanted to, but the guards weren’t giving me a chance. When we were at the portal, though, Fearless had to put me down.
Whirling, I saw the troll and the Shadow Hunter hot on our heels. I closed my eyes and summoned the winds.
No, Cicely—let it be, just go through the portal!
But I wasn’t listening to Ulean. A swell of fury welled up. I was sick of the whole fucking war. Sick of Myst and her army. Of Geoffrey and Leo. I was stick-a-fork-in-me done with everybody who was trying to kill us.
“Gale Force…” My whisper echoed through the air, and the next moment, the wind caught me up. The whirl of air grew within me, raising me tall against the night sky, and I was no longer myself, but now queen of the winds, queen of the air—the heart of the storm.
I grabbed control of the swirl of wind and snow and set it to spin, driving the falling flakes that whitened the sky into a frenzied dance. The vortex caught me up and I rode the crest of the energy, the ripples and currents widening to form a train in my wake, as I pushed the growing storm before me. The fog and mist rose at my feet to buoy me up, and I towered over the forest, my arms wide, gathering the winds.
In case she was listening, I whispered, sending my voice spiraling into the slipstream. “You want to play with the cold, Myst? I’ll show you what it means to truly be the Queen of Winter.”
The ice troll and the Shadow Hunter stopped, staring up at me as I loomed over them, dark and beautiful and feeling my power.
Rein it in, Cicely. Rein it in—you know the storm can take over. Bring the winds back. Ulean was frantic, and her voice finally penetrated my thoughts, which were a swirl of power and energy.
But I couldn’t. Not yet. I had vengeance to pay. I swept down, bent at the waist from my place in the treetops, as a whirling twister sprang up between my fingers. I set it on the ground, in front of the ice troll and the Shadow Hunter, and watched impassively as it thundered toward them, a terrifying tornado filled with ice shards and biting snow.
The Shadow Hunter screamed and the troll just looked confused as the icy twister rolled over them, ripping them up and into the center of the maelstrom. A shout of glee echoed from my lips as I watched the vortex rip them from limb to limb.
As Ulean pleaded with me, I thought—for just a moment—how easy it would be to give in to the power and allow it to carry me away. To become the heart of the storm and forget everything else.
But then Grieve’s face flashed before my eyes. My wolf howled with worry. Placing my hand against my tattoo, I remembered why I had to remain Cicely Waters—magic-born, and Uwilahsidhe. Tentatively, and then with a firm hand, I reined in the storm, pulled the winds back inside me, and returned to my body.
I turned to find Fearless and Check staring at me. They said nothing as we returned to the Barrow, but I had the sense that they’d never look at me the same way again. They seemed almost…afraid. And I didn’t much care for that feeling.
Chapter 3
Grieve was right inside the portal. Lainule stood directly behind him. Her eyes flashed as she gave me a look that made me feel two inches tall. She was pissed. She’d been concerned enough when the power over the winds had first transferred from a magical fan into my soul. And she’d already warned me against using the storms.
“Every time you use the power of the winds like that, you come closer to permanently shifting yourself into the Elemental plane of Air. And there, you would go mad. Yes, you’d be Queen of the Winds, but Cicely…I am not joking when I tell you that should that happen, no longer would you control your own mind or your destiny. You would belong to the wind itself.” Lainule’s voice echoed like thunder and I dropped to my knees, cowering at my feet from the force of her words.
“I’m sorry—I was so angry…”
Lainule let out a deep sigh. “Get up, girl, and listen to me.”
I stood, hanging my head, too embarrassed to look at Grieve or the guards.
Lainule crossed her arms, watching me intently. “Cicely…anger unchecked leads to the forces that created Myst. If she hadn’t been so jealous, she wouldn’t have ever agreed to Geoffrey’s plans. But she was furious at the world. Furious at her lot in life. She wanted to be the Winter Queen so badly that she was willing to put her soul on the line for her desires.”
I’d never heard this part of the story. Cautiously, I looked up at her impassive face. “I didn’t know that.”
“Myst would have changed, yes, had Geoffrey turned her unwillingly. She might have been driven to madness. But…I do not think she would have become so ruthless. There is no way of knowing for certain, of course, but look at Grieve—he has found a way to harness the Shadow Hunter within. He wanted to harness it. Myst’s fury, her jealousy and her anger drove her to become the monster she is.” Lainule was more agitated than I’d ever seen her.
Angry with myself that I was the cause, I slowly knelt in front of her. “Lady, please, forgive me. You warned me about the powers of the wind, but I didn’t think. I acted on impulse.” I bit my lip, feeling like a chastised child who’d been caught with her hand in the candy jar after she’d been told No.
Lainule paused, taking a deep breath. She let it out slowly. “Child, understand. I am not scolding you to be contrary. I am trying to save your life and your sanity. The last thing we need is a crazed queen of the winds on our hands. It’s bad enough with one monster out there. We need you as the Queen of Winter. You have obligations and responsibilities now, and if you ignore them, you put everyone in danger. I’m fading. I’ll be leaving soon, and then…only you and your cousin will remain to cope with Myst and her Shadow Hunters.”
