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To make the soul ever young.
To free the heart, to build the stone,
To mark the flesh, to brand the bone.
To sear the path forever more,
Destiny closes all other doors.
Her voice echoing in the background, I drank. The mist rose out of the chalice to surround me, and suddenly, I couldn’t see Rhiannon anymore—or anyone. I was alone, and the sweet nectar slid down my throat like the strongest of liqueurs, flaming through with a frozen brand.
It sent me sweeping out of my body, into the mists, into the winds, into the cold of ice and snow, and I realized I was blind. I could not see, could only hear the howling of winds in the blackness. There were no words in my throat, no screams, no tears, no voice of any kind. Too startled to panic, I followed the ride as it coiled me round, swept me this way and that, and then, after a slow descent, I felt myself settle again back into my body. My vision began to clear. I let out a gasp but still could not speak. My tongue was frozen, my vocal cords unable to respond.
I wanted to glance at Rhiannon, but something inside said, Don’t, and so I kept my gaze on Lainule, who was still standing there over us. I realized someone had taken the chalice from my hand.
“The initiation has begun.” Lainule leaned down, looking first at Rhiannon, then at me. “You will meditate in silence until we come to get you.”
And with that, two guards lifted us to our feet and led us out of the chamber before we could say a word or even look at each other. They separated us, keeping us at a distance, and Rhiannon was taken down a corridor to the right, while I was led down a passage to the left.
We stopped in front of a locked room, and the guard unlocked it, then escorted me in, glanced around, and left again.
The light was dim—emanating from the walls. I could see through the shadows enough to note that there was a bed, and a vanity, and a chamber pot.
As he shut the door softly behind me, I turned to find Druise waiting in the shadows. She curtseyed and pointed to a tray on the vanity, then quickly, silently, exited the room. I opened my lips, but nothing came out, so I crossed to the vanity. A sheet of paper—delicate and crackling—lay rolled in a scroll, tied with a blue ribbon. I picked it up, holding it for a moment before I pulled one end of the ribbon. The bow fell away, and I gently put the tie on the table, then unrolled the scroll.
A fine handwriting, delicate and yet at the same time strong, sloped across the page. As I began to read, the lights fluttered—the Fire Elementals flickering as if they were trying to escape.
By the order of the Royal Court of Unseelie, the Supreme Court of Winter, it is decreed that upon the tide of Midwinter, at one hour before the striking of midnight, Cicely Waters, Cambyra Fae and Magic-Born Witch, shall ascend to the throne of the Court of Snow and Ice, in the northwest territory of the Northern Continent, where she shall reign until her death.
By the order of the Royal Court of Seelie, the Supreme Court of Summer, it is decreed that upon the tide following Midwinter, at one hour after the striking of midnight, Rhiannon Roland, Cambyra Fae and Magic-Born Witch, shall ascend to the throne of the Court of Rivers and Rushes, in the northwest territory of the Northern Continent, where she shall reign until her death.
Let nothing interfere with the fulfillment of this decree, upon pain of death.
Evanshide, Queen of Unseelie
Lyanshide, Queen of Seelie
The words blurred slightly as I stared at the scroll. Midwinter was…tomorrow. Tomorrow. The suddenness once again struck home and I slid to the floor, leaning back against the bed, shaking. What had seemed like a strangely distant future had now become immediate. When we’d visited the Eldburry Barrow, I’d logically understood it was going to be my home, but I hadn’t thought of myself as Queen. As…
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.
At around two in the morning, I tossed the blanket back and restlessly crawled out of bed. It was useless to sleep. I wanted to talk to someone, to verbalize everything that was going on inside, but there were no words. No sounds. Out of curiosity, I tried the chamber door and found it locked. Feeling a little claustrophobic, I retired to the bed again. I wanted to take another bath, but the maids had to fill the tubs with steaming water.
