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Another image floating through my mind struck me cold, putting a stop to my train of thought. The heartstone. I’d rescued Lainule’s heartstone.
I forced my lips to form a breath of air, barely enough to send it on the slipstream.
Ulean, are you there?
You are supposed to meditate in silence. But what is it? Are you all right?
I picked at the blanket hanging off the bed next to me. Lainule had a heartstone. Tabera had a heartstone. Will…Rhiannon and I…how…will we…
Will you have heartstones? Yes. Every Fae Queen from time immemorial has undergone the initiation.
Is that what happens? Does it hurt? How do they…I paused, realizing that of all the things I had feared, it was the creation of the heartstone. I’d seen Lainule’s heartstone melt back into her, but how…how did they get it out of her in the first place?
I cannot tell you anything about the procedure, Cicely. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait. You’ll have to walk through the ice without my help. And now, I have to leave you for the night. And she was gone.
The night passed slowly. I thought about disrobing, but they hadn’t said we could and I didn’t want to get into trouble, so I tried to sleep without ruining my gown. But my mind kept returning to the message. There was no backing out now. The Great Courts of Seelie and Unseelie knew what was going on. They had ordered our ascension to the throne.>He bowed, and when I held out my hand, he stared at it for a moment.
“Your Majesty should not shake hands with those beneath her,” was his abrupt reply.
Taken aback and mildly annoyed, I frowned. Before I could help myself, I snapped, “That’s how they do things where I come from.”
The words didn’t even faze him. Strict shrugged. “Your Majesty is no longer in the world outside. I’m here to advise you, and that is what I will do. You must act like a queen to inspire the respect for a queen. Incline your head gracefully if you wish to show favor upon meeting someone. Do not, or look away, if you wish to show disfavor.”
Struck by how rude he was, I let out a little huff, but my father stepped in before I could say anything more.
“He speaks the truth, Cicely. You must learn to compromise, and in this case, it does not mean you win more than fifty percent of the argument. You have chosen to take the queenship on your shoulders. You must act the part.”
Part of me wanted to rail—to say I chose by default, without realizing—but we were long past that point. Maybe I hadn’t known, when I went to rescue Lainule’s heartstone, what the result would be. But I knew that it would be life-changing and I’d agreed to follow through, without finding out what the consequences were. I had no one but myself to blame, and when thinking about the option—seeing Lainule fade and die or go out like a light when Myst found her heartstone—there was no question about it. I’d make the same choice again, if given a do-over.
Strict was waiting for my response. He wasn’t afraid of me, and though he’d no doubt treat me with the respect accorded to the Queen, I had the feeling that he’d been matched to the job with a perfect fit. The advisor had to be someone who could point out the hard truths.
Slowly, I withdrew my hand and gave him a soft nod. “Pleasure to meet you. What do I call you? What’s your title? I should know these things before we ever appear in public together.”
“Call me Lord Strict. And for the Queen of Summer, my sister will be your advisor. We were born to a pair, much like you and your cousin, only we truly are twins. I came to the Winter Court to be fostered when I was barely off my mother’s breast. The nature of this land suits me, and so I stayed.”
Rhiannon, having watched the dressing down I’d gotten, inclined her head. “And your sister’s name?”
“My sister’s name is Lady Edge. She will be waiting for you back in the Marburry Barrow.” And with that, Strict turned and left, not waiting for a dismissal.
I glanced at my father. “Intimidating.”
“Good. You will need firm counsel. Both of you. There are so many things you do not know about our culture—your culture. And you must learn as much as you can in the next few weeks. But now, Lainule awaits. She insists you must return to the Marburry Barrow to rest.”
He turned and slipped out of the room. I glanced at Rhiannon but she shook her head, and so we followed him, in silent formation, into the chill winter that waited outside the Barrow. Lainule had already gone ahead by the time we reached the portals, and so we slipped out of the realm of Winter into the hell of winter on earth. As we exited the Twin Hollies, I could smell blood on the horizon, and smoke, and an ill wind racing through. Old leather, black roses, and skeletons dancing on the graves of those who were long dead. Myst was out here, that she was—waiting. And Leo and Geoffrey, white snow-serpents hiding in the drifts.
We headed back to the Marburry Barrow, and I realized we were trapped in a frozen ocean of blood and pain. The austere beauty and coldness of the Eldburry Barrow beckoned to me. It had gone from being an unknown to being home. And I wanted to go home and hide my head under the covers.
Shivering, I pulled closer to Grieve as we began to slog our way through the drifts.
Chapter 6
There was no word the rest of the day from the Crimson Court about Crawl, but then, since most of the vampires were sleeping, we didn’t expect any. Lainule had ordered steaming baths prepared for Rhiannon and me, and—mystified—we bathed in a large dressing chamber.
“I think there’s something in the water,” Rhia said. “Can you smell it?”
I inhaled deeply. “Yes…some herb or oil, but I can’t place it. What do you think Lainule wants?”
“It could be anything, but I have a feeling…Cicely, will you be all right in the realm of Winter? It’s cold there, and stark, and it frightened me.” She shivered. “I could never live there. I don’t think I have the stamina it takes.”
