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She shoved the bottle into her pocket and scooped the water into her hand, sipping it slowly. Everyone froze, waiting for a reaction, but Ember shrugged and drank some more. “It’s delicious. And in a strange way, I feel… new.”
I scooped the water into my hand, and contrary to my belief, it wasn’t steam hovering over the pond. The water wasn’t hot, it was cool. Though it wasn’t icy, it left a cool sensation as it traveled down my throat. Like Ember said, I felt new. Refreshed. Happy.
Even before taking her sip, Emily looked at peace with this world—so serene among the elements and nature—as if she belonged there. Maybe a little fae was waiting to sneak out among her wolf and witch genes. Why else would she be so connected with the earth?
“When you’re finished, I can take us to Noble Quill’s palace. With any luck, we can get an appointment today.”
Emily pulled out an empty vial and quickly gathered the dirt from the base of the tree, collecting the Earth we needed for the Maledictio Propagator.
We followed Rohan back out of the woods, and he led us around the festival and down a road to a palace nestled comfortably within the forest. I laughed to myself, waiting for Ember to mention the forest again.
We stepped up to a large mansion, and two guards stood outside the main entrance. After explaining our situation and that we needed to speak with Noble Quill, the guards escorted us inside.
Fortunately, they directed us to someone who scored us a meeting with Quill right then and there. We’d managed to arrive at the perfect time when Quill had no meetings or anything else to attend to. Even said it was fated from the Divine—whatever that meant.
Because only Emily and I were considered nobility—as we were the alpha and luna of the pack—Griffin, Ember, and Rohan were forced to wait in the common areas. The word was said with distaste by the skinny little twerp that looked down on my friends for not being “noble.” But being in their realm meant working with their customs.
Emily and I waited in what looked like a small library or den. Neither of us spoke much. I think we were both grounding ourselves for the meeting.
The door opened, and in walked a man with a plump belly and a dark-purple handlebar mustache over his yellow-green skin.
“Oh, hello,” he said, taking a seat in the chair across from our couch. “You must be the alpha and luna from the human realm.”
“We are,” I said, extending a hand to shake. “Alpha Cassian Knox, of the Knox Pack. And this is Luna Emily.”
“Pleasure,” he said, staring at my hand with disgust but taking it anyway. His handshake was feeble, and when he pulled away, he wiped his hand against his dark-purple pant leg. “Now, from what Niko told me, you’d like to discuss the matter of an army?”
We told him about Samara, her plans to return and take over the world, and how we needed an army to defeat her. Though our points were well thought out, they weren’t enough to sway him. Nearly an hour had passed, and we were still trying to persuade him.
“Yes, but have you spoken with the Queen?” he asked for the fifth time. “Until you’re granted her approval, I am unable to assist.”
The Queen.I’d heard about her. Although the fae are ruled in smaller divisions, similar to the wolf packs, they are still under the Queen’s reign and answer to her—and boy, do they not want to be on the receiving end of her wrath. I’d heard about how stern she was with her people. I believe the correct term is bitch, though you’d never hear them call her that.
“I apologize, but there is nothing further to discuss. I’d love to help you, I really would, but until you convince Queen Amaranth, this discussion is over. Please, do see yourselves out.”
He motioned to the door, and that was our cue to leave. Emily and I picked up our remaining hope and shuffled our way to the door.
When we left the room, a small servant boy was waiting to escort us back to our friends. The walk back felt endless, yet there still wasn’t enough time for me to figure out how to tell them that we’d failed. I felt hopelessly deflated.
Just as we reached our friends, the servant boy whispered in a hushed tone, “There is a group that works against the queen. They were banished long ago but have a smaller army of their own. If you travel to the end of the village, make a left through the field and keep going straight, you’ll eventually see Newt. He may help you, though there is a cost for his loyalty. If you choose to go, be discreet. Even being associated with him will mark you as a traitor, and you’ll be thrown in the dungeon.”
“Thank you,” Emily whispered. She grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze. The boy nodded and disappeared down the hall, leaving us to decide.
With no other options, we followed the path that the boy had told us. We hadn’t encountered anyone, and there was nothing in sight except a slight glow in the distance. But before we could go any further, a hooded figure emerged with a scythe, holding it out, ready to strike at any moment.
“Who are you?”
