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Long fingers clamp onto my arm before they yank me up. I stumble but manage to get upright. “Behave,” she hisses in my ear, “and I will consider letting your Summer Fae live.”
* * *
I do everything she asks.There is not an ounce of fight left in me. Not when Nathaniel’s life is in jeopardy.
She nods at me, her mouth set in a straight line, and I give Nathaniel a hand up. I squeeze, trying to get him to look at me.
His eyes are hooded with deep shame and sadness when he finally does.
I want to cry, to scream, to yell.
I do none of these things except to motion for him to follow us.
He keeps glancing at me. There are so many questions swirling around in his eyes.
I’m sorry.I scream inside, pleading for him to hear me.I need you to stay alive.
We follow my mother down the spiral staircase, through long icy hallways, past hoards of whispering servants, and into the bowels of the palace.
“Come,” she says.
Like a dog on a leash, I do. Nathaniel stumbles behind me, slipping on the icy floor. I grab his arm and help him up.
This time, he doesn’t even look at me. I can see his face burning with the fire in his veins, but he doesn’t say a word.
We walk for nearly an hour, our path lit by sconces, down through the darkest part of the Ice City. My mother’s heels clack on the ice that gives way to stone, their rhythm accentuated by a terrifying symphony of screams and wails that seem to grow louder by the second.
Terror floods through me, but still, I walk.
Eventually, we come to a stop.
In front of us lies a cell made entirely of stone. A singular window is at the top of the space. It has a small cot, and a chamber pot sits in the corner. It reeks of death.
A large iron door stands guard in front of it.
I start shaking as I look at the cell, memories of my recent abduction rushing through my mind. It takes everything in my being not to whimper at the sight of something so terrible.
Beside me, Nathaniel takes in a sharp breath.
“Get in,” the Winter Court Queen says sharply, inclining her head towards the cell.
“What?” I reply, stupefied. Every inch of my body screams at me to run, move, act.
One look at the male beside me convinces me to remain still.
I love you.
“Get in,” she repeats, her eyes narrowing. “I won’t ask a third time.”
Tears push at my eyes, threatening to overwhelm me, but Nathaniel grabs my hand and squeezes. He sends a flicker of fire through my palm, caressing me.
I swallow, putting one foot in front of the other. A matching pair of footfalls accompanies me.
Soon, too soon, I’m in another cell.
With a gust of wind, a clang echoes through the stone dungeon as the iron door in front of us slams shut. My mother pulls out a key from her pocket, and the sound of the lock tumbling into place nearly undoes me. Only Nathaniel’s quiet presence beside me keeps me steady.
“Did you think I’d let you roam free after the way you mocked me, Elva? Running around the world, doing gods-know what with whomever? I hope you enjoy your new home, child because you won’t leave for a long time.”
