AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’d been suspecting something for some time, and now I looked directly at Wrath. “You were born to the Court of Snow and Ice, weren’t you?”
He paused a beat, then nodded. “Yes. I moved to the Court of Rushes and Rivers when I met your mother. I fell in love with her, before she was Queen. I switched sides for her. But yes, the Winter…it is my true home.”
I met his gaze. “You and Lainule, you crossed courts like Grieve and I did in our life long ago. Perhaps not quite the same—Summer and Winter do not battle, generally. But you defied tradition.”
He winked at me then, his smile broadening. “That we did.”
And then Strict dismissed me for the day. “You must prepare for your coronation tonight.”
“Will Rhiannon and I take the thrones together?” I was hoping for a yes, but I already knew the answer.
“No. You will ascend to the throne in the Court of Snow and Ice at one hour before midnight. She will take the throne in the Court of Rivers and Rushes at one hour after midnight—when the year has begun to wax again. You will be moving to the Eldburry Barrow today.”
“Today…” And then it hit me—this was it. Today was my last day as just Cicely Waters. Tonight, by midnight, I would be Queen of a strange land. And a strange people. I sucked in a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed. “I can’t do this…”
“You can, and you will. You’ve passed through the hardest part. If you were not meant to take the throne, you and Rhiannon, you would have died when your heartstones were being extracted from you. There is no turning back, my daughter. You’re just afraid. Go now…spend some time outside the Barrow, but do not stray far. Get a breath of fresh air and take your cousin with you.” Wrath motioned to Grieve. “Attend them, and keep them safe.”
Grieve bowed to my father, then took my arm, and we headed back toward the common room. Rhia was just sitting down to lunch with Chatter. Peyton, Luna, and Kaylin were nowhere in sight.
“Cicely!” Rhia jumped up and grabbed me. She had a look of panic on her face, one I recognized only too well. “I’m…”
“I know. Me, too. Let’s eat lunch and then go for a walk. Grieve and Chatter can come with us, but we need to talk.” I glanced around. “Where are the others?”
“Today’s moving day. They’re up at the house, putting things to rights.”
“I want to go there. To help them. It will take our minds off tonight.” I turned to Grieve. “You will go with us?”
He shrugged, and—with a sideways smile at Chatter—said, “Do we have a choice?”
“No.” Feeling a little better, I sat down and dug into my beef and mashed potatoes.
As we emerged from the portal, with Check and Fearless behind the four of us, I shaded my eyes. The winter was still raging, and it felt like it had when Myst had controlled the Golden Wood. She must be near.
As we started along the path, I gasped. “Rhia—look at you. And me!”
Instead of sinking deep, we were walking on top of the snow, like Grieve and the others. Marveling at the ease with which we were able to travel, I danced around, jumping up and down. My leaps made little mark on the surface, and—to my delight—barely scuffed the top layer of snow and ice.
“I can’t believe this!” Rhia laughed. “But…can we run as fast as you guys?”
“I don’t know, my love. Why don’t you find out?” Chatter’s eyes were glimmering as he teased her.
She took off, with me on her heels. Our speeds had increased, though we still weren’t nearly as quick as the full-blooded Fae, but we’d definitely picked up steam. Grieve and Chatter were laughing at us, but we didn’t care. We were like kids in a candy shop. We jogged through the woods, eager to try out our changing abilities. We reached the house in less than a quarter of the time that it would have taken before the change and ran laughing up the steps.
As we burst through the doors, giddy, an odd smell caught my attention—one I was all too familiar with. I looked around, nervous now, motioning for Rhia to wait behind me. Grieve and Chatter came through the door, and I turned to them.
“Get the guards in here, now. Something’s wrong. I can smell it.” What I smelled was blood. And I’d smelled too much blood lately to be wrong.
Rhia’s eyes narrowed. “I can smell it, too,” she whispered.
Praying that we were wrong, that whatever it was we were smelling was throwing us off the mark, I moved toward the door leading into the dining room. Grieve grabbed my arm, shaking his head. Chatter had already darted out back, and now he returned with Check and Fearless.
The guards took the lead, motioning for us to stay behind until they’d checked things out. I didn’t bother arguing. I knew it would be futile.
A moment later, Check shouted for us and I rushed through the half-open door, followed by the others. There, in the middle of the room, Peyton and Luna were huddled near Kaylin. The girls were tied up but conscious, and duct tape was strapped across their mouths. Kaylin, unbound, was sprawled on the floor, covered with blood, and he wasn’t moving.
“Kaylin!” I pushed past Grieve, dropping to his side.
“I found a body over here!” Check called from the living room.
