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“When did she kill Tabera?”
My father frowned. “Last year she came out of hiding, emerged and destroyed the Winter Court. Because we—and Tabera—kept to the traditions of having contact only during the Solstices when the reins of control change over, we did not know it had happened until Litha—the Summer Solstice.”
“So you had no clue?”
He shrugged, a dark look clouding his face. “In some ways, we gave her the perfect setup. Tabera could have called for help, if we had kept closer contact. So Myst threw her down—she found Tabera’s heartstone and destroyed it.”
I shivered. Destroying a queen’s heartstone was cold, deliberate execution. “And Shatter tried to avenge her?”
“Yes.” Wrath started walking again. “From what the remnants of the Winter Court tell us—those who managed to escape and were not turned—Shatter planned out an assassination. But a few of his guards fell under Myst’s spell, including his most loyal captain. Shatter’s plan was exposed. Before Myst could kill him, Shatter destroyed himself, taking a number of Myst’s new converts with him. He blew up part of the Winter palace. We’ve had a crew working on it nonstop since we routed her from the Barrow.”
A thought crossed my mind. “Is Myst…will she still have Shadow Hunters there?”
“No,” Grieve said. “When she routed Summer, she took up residence in the Court of Rivers and Rushes because it provided easier access to the town and their people.”
Wrath nodded. “The guards and tradesmen have been working hard, and there are no signs of Myst or her Shadow Hunters. The Winter Court is ready and waiting for you.”
I fell silent, thinking about everything he had told me, as we traversed the roughening terrain. Lainule, Grieve, Chatter, and Wrath had no problem, of course. They could walk on top of the snow if they wanted. Kaylin wasn’t far behind them—he moved with an ease that belied the demon within him. But Luna, Rhiannon, Peyton, and I weren’t faring quite as well. How the hell was I going to function once I actually moved into the realm of Winter if I couldn’t even get around?
“I’m going to have to get snowshoes, I think, once we move in.” I was grumbling and knew it, but the thought of a continual struggle to even get around in my own home was daunting.
Lainule glanced at Wrath. “I think we should tell her. I’ve hinted at it before, but I haven’t come out and told her clearly.”
“Tell me what?” Please, oh, please, let it be something good for a change.
Wrath gave her a nod. “When you and Rhiannon undergo official initiation, you will be able to move like full-blooded Fae. As we’ve said, the initiation will change both of you in ways you can only imagine. We can’t tell you everything, but that much, I assure you.”
I glanced at Rhiannon, a look of glee spreading across my face. She returned it with just as much enthusiasm. “That is awesome!”
Lainule laughed. “Oh, I wish I could stay to see what kind of courts you girls run. I know we can trust you, but in your hands—you and your cousin—Summer and Winter will never be the same.”
Rhiannon’s smile faded, as did mine. The reminder that Lainule and Wrath would be gone, forever, struck us yet once again. But then, Rhia hadn’t gotten to meet her father, and he was dead.
We slogged along for another quarter mile until Wrath stopped and pointed ahead. There, in the center of a clearing, were two incredibly tall holly trees. Like the Twin Oaks, they radiated with a network of sparkling light stretching between them. I stopped, gazing up at their looming silhouettes.
“The Twin Hollies are the entrance to Winter. You think Myst’s winter is cold—when we enter into this realm, you will understand the true nature of snow and ice.” Wrath spoke in a hushed voice, almost reverent. “And when you take the crown, you will feel it to the core.”
I took a deep breath and stepped forward, but the guards pushed in front of us.
Check held up his hand. “Your Highness, please, allow us to go first.”
I stood back as he and his men went through, vanishing in a sudden crackle of sparkling lights. A moment passed, then another as we stood silent, waiting. Then Check peeked back through and motioned to us.
Wrath and Lainule took the forefront, followed by Grieve and me, and then by the others. Chatter and Rhiannon brought up the rear. As we crossed through the portal, it felt vastly different from the doorway to Summer. The basic impulse was the same, but a steady wind howled past, echoing as we shifted and flickered, and while I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what made it so strange, there was a difference about it that felt colder, older, and harsh.
As we came out into the woodland, I gasped. I’d expected to just see the Golden Wood through winter, much like Myst had brought with her. But this…this was nowhere near anything I’d imagined.
The trees were coated with ice, and within the ice sparkled lights—radiant purple and blue and palest pink. They reminded me of Christmas trees, of ornaments that shimmered in the reflection of candlelight, and yet it was daylight here, like it was back in the Golden Wood.
The sky was overcast, a pale silver, and a faint dusting of snow lazily brushed our shoulders. The undergrowth peeked through mounds of snow, dark green against the stark white, and when I turned, the holly trees were also shrouded in show, their crimson berries brilliant against the blanket of endless winter.
A path stretched before us, but it was cloaked in a sheen of ice, shimmering with an internal light. Ahead, the trees thinned out, but the grove in which we found ourselves was silent, under a deep, unending layer of snow.
Up ahead, a barrow mound, similar to the Summer Palace, rose on stilts about fifteen feet above the ground. The support pillars barely showed beneath the cloak of snow, and the Barrow was swathed in white, and silent. Several of the guards were positioned around it, and a contingent of workers silently went about whatever they were doing: fixing doorways, patching holes that had been gouged into the side, all sorts of repair work.
As I stood there, it began to hit home that here, the snow never left. Here, it was always winter. Here, the trees never saw spring, summer, or fall.
“When you take up court here, Cicely and Grieve, the winter will truly return.” Lainule smiled at me, her expression unreadable.
