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“I see. I don’t think the prince would like cheap.”
“It will help you save on cost since I’m not going to be here for long. How about your most common material?”
“I don’t think sheer and transparent clothing will hide those hickeys you have everywhere.”
Emerald gaped at Elina, who had said it so casually and was jotting studiously on a notebook.
“Er…how about non-common material?”
Her cheeks burned, but the older Fae was unperturbed.
“We have those too. Not as cheap, but then again, nothing’s cheap here. Us Winter Fae spare no expense. Now, stretch your arms. I don’t know their length yet.”
Elina took measurements, never mentioning the hickeys again. Just as the measurements were jotted down, a bell sounded from a distance and cracked the ice on the walls. Emerald frowned, puzzled. Elina’s hands went slack, dropping the notebook.
“Elina?” Alarm coursed through Emerald when the woman’s face turned ashen. “What’s—”
“There’s another death in the court.”
Emerald did her best to sound neutral. “Death? Is it not common around here?”
Elina gave her a look as if she was asking the most senseless question.
“We are a strong court and death shouldn’t be a frequent occurrence here, accidental or not. Natural or not.” But the woman didn’t mention murder. “It means our system is failing and something must be done.”
“I’m sure the crown princess and the prince are on top of it.”
“Let’s hope so.”
But Emerald couldn’t just rely on the two royal figures, not when the death was fresh and best investigated now. When they were done discussing the dresses, Emerald went out into the halls, where the bell toll was fainter but the buzz in the gathered crowds grew louder. There was disbelief as they tried to identify the death, then some cries when a particular group discovered that it was one of their friend’s fathers. A few authoritative Fae folks calmed down the crowd while guards raced in and out of the castle, preoccupied. The Fae training the court’s army, Billicent, snapped out instructions while Bronco went to look for Erin and Rick.
She snuck out through the side, observing the direction the guards and army folks rushed toward, then deciding that she couldn’t barge in while they were still trying to figure things out. She needed Rick around for that. Emerald kept walking away from the castle, anyway, until she reached the first forest. Here, she had better access to her magic, albeit still with some restrictions. She kept walking, her energy slithering out of her fingers. It wasn’t long before she stumbled on droplets of blood, one leading to where the guards and army had gone and the fainter one leading in the opposite direction.
“Tricky,” she mumbled. If they spotted her around this scene, too, Erin might just be petty enough to pin the death on her. Emerald lowered her energy until it was nothing but a faint hum inside her, then raced to shadow the fainter blood tracks until it led her to an icy pond. It was empty except for… “Yu?”
The pixie was hovering over a mound of snow, lips pursed. Yu looked up at the mention of his name but didn’t light up as he gestured at her to keep quiet. She stepped on rocks to reach the area he was in, careful not to leave behind footsteps. She peered at the faint line of blood just barely hidden by the snow.
“I follow,” he whispered. “It ends here.”
Unconvinced, she brushed away some of the snow with her energy but found the soil clean. The rest of the area was untouched, confounding Yu who flew around in search of more blood. She checked the icy pond for impurities but found the top spotless.
“We have to get out of here before the Fae folks arrive,” she said urgently, then frowned when the pixie flew further away. “Yu, if they find us here…”
A hum caressed her shoulders, whisper soft. It could have just been her energy or the Winter Court’s lingering in the air, something she randomly felt wherever she went. But her heart pounded hard and her body went colder than ever, two instinctive warnings that had her running toward Yu.
“Don’t leave tracks—”
The pixie’s voice cut into a squeal as Emerald leaped to cover the distance, taking him down with her. Something grabbed her hair tight and yanked her upward, forcing her to let go of Yu so he wouldn’t get yanked too. Pain shot into her scalp and ballooned everywhere.
“Run!” she shouted, a choked gasp as she reached up and could feel nothing but air. She tried again, this time letting her energy out. It touched the energy she felt earlier, stronger than ever until she could smell it smothering her nose. But she kept the contact, pushing until she felt the grip on her hair loosen.
Emerald fell on the ground with a slam and glimpsed a figure approaching her, cloak in place and body underneath glowing. She scented him, too, the energy pulsing from his being and calling out to her with familiarity. But it was a sinister kind of familiarity, mocking her for being no match. She shot up and swayed on her feet, hands held out and frustration rising when the Winter Court’s energy grew agitated and blocked out most of it.
Keep him distracted. Get that confession.
“You’re the magic user,” she announced. “You’re the one who murdered that Fae and the one who’s conspiring with Merrell.”
Silence.
