A Dark Faerie Tale Series Omnibus Edition (47 page)

“Let’s hope she doesn’t find out anytime soon,” Shade whispered, shivering under the frozen breeze.

Chapter Three

“I GOT IT!”
Shade hissed as she pulled away from the Teleen changeling, frustrated that she was still being assisted by Soap. He babied her too much, and it was irritating her to no end. She immediately felt bad afterward, but what could she say? She was still weak; the wounds on her legs had healed, but still seared with pain with any movement, especially in this unrelentingly cold ocean air.

So this is what it feels like to get old and tired
, she thought.

She was feeling useless and so utterly human again; nothing made it better. Nothing replaced the exhilaration she had felt when she’d had her magic abound. Now, only feelings of being used up like a snotty tissue tossed into the garbage to rot circled her mind like an endless torment.

No, can’t think that way….

“As you wish, Madame,” Soap’s snarky voice sounded in her head as he stepped back, throwing his arms up. She watched him back away, a sadness flashing through his dark, green eyes. Pressing her lips together, she turned back the way she was headed and kept on. Her legs were stiff, but she could move.
Slow and steady wins the race
.

Yeah, sure, whatever.

She regretted her small loss of patience, knowing it wore Soap thin. He was incredibly calm and waited on her every whim, but she could see his frustration spilling out now. He’d spent weeks helping her rehabilitate. She was stubborn for sure, and he took what she dished out, every little insult, whine and complaint. He’d take it. Some part of her wanted to drive him away, hoping he’d walk away before he realized what a mess she was. Shame bled through her thoughts that she’d let him see her this way. A weak human. Powerless. Why would he still want her?

“Prince Lotinar said he knows how to find Corb.”

Dylan’s voice echoed across the air, making her stop in her tracks. Had she heard that right? She leaned on a large rock, sliding down to sink into the soft sand below her.
Tired, so tired….

“What do you mean?” Shade muttered, her head leaning back on the cold boulder, her breath ragged from the effort.

“I mean,
Ursad
knows someone who can find Corb. We have to head to the Glass Castle as soon as you can make the journey. We can call Camulus to pick us up with this.” He held out a small blue marble that seemed to flash a bright sapphire even without the benefit of sunlight leaking through the dark cloud cover. It always rained here. It was always gloomy and sunless. Why they had picked this particular beach was beyond her. She ached for sunnier weather with vibrant, green trees and a cloudless sky. This God-forsaken place was more of a gloomy prison than a hospital psych ward would be. Apparently it was well guarded by wards and far from the Unseelie kingdom.

“What do you do with it?” She closed her eyes, seemingly uninterested in the shining blue orb in Dylan’s hands. He pressed his lips together at her apathy and glanced up to find Soap shrugging at him. They were at a loss about how to bring her out of her gloom. He’d hoped this would be the answer to all her problems.

“It’s a locator. When you rub it in your hands, it turns white. That signals to its twin, which Camulus has, that we are ready to be picked up, and he can locate us quickly.” His gleaming white teeth flashed at the small orb before he pocketed it away. “Get ready. We’re going to be leaving soon.”

“Awesome.”

Shade relished the rest. After all she’d been through—losing her grandmother Lana, getting abducted and tortured, her family constantly being threatened by the Unseelie army—she wanted to just sit there and float away. If only she could give up and hide in some dark, stony place where no one could ever find or hurt her again.

“Shade?” Soap’s voice interrupted her peace. She counted to ten in her head to calm the rage before snapping at him for interrupting her solace.
What is wrong with me?
she thought.
I can’t stand this. I’m crawling in my skin!

“Yes, Rylan?”

Soap flinched at her use of his given name. It was cold and felt unnatural since she’d been calling him “Soap” for so long. It stung and made his heart lurch from the iciness seeping from her voice.

“We’ll get through this. You have to help us, though. All we want to do is help you get your powers back. You know that.”

“I know, it’s just….” Shade sat up, frustrated with herself more than anything else. “I’m sorry, I—I don’t know what to do. I can’t handle this.” She slammed a hand into the sand, and the cool grains dug into her skin. “I’m tired of being strong and taking responsibility for the Land of Faerie. Now I can’t even do that, or do any magic at all. I have nothing left to give. I….”

“Stop. You know that’s not true.” Soap rubbed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, pulling her closer against his chest. She let him linger, but the sadness was overwhelming. After a moment, she pulled slightly away.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Soap gave her a final squeeze and headed toward the cave to gather more of their things before the journey. As she watched him walk away, a soft aching jolt shifted in her chest. How could she still feel so conflicted about him after all this time? Soap was dedicated to her in a way she couldn’t understand. He’d professed his love for her, for goodness sake! But her heart was cold, broken and shattered.

Shade shook off her thoughts, knowing it was useless. Instead, she laid her eyes on Dylan, who was also prepping some bags to leave. She let them hover over his serious but uniquely handsome features, furrowed as he concentrated on his tasks. The same warm fluid feeling swished inside her belly at the sight of him, something that never occurred when she glanced at Soap.

“Dylan?”

“Yes?”

“What do you fear the most?”

Dylan hesitated, turning to face her and contemplating whether Shade was really asking what she had, or if there was something else lingering on her lips, suppressed.

“Um, I guess I don’t fear what I don’t know or haven’t seen. So I fear what I do know and have laid my eyes upon.”

Shade studied his face as his eyes drifted down to the sand where his shoes had dug into it, creating a small pile of the grainy earth which piled up around the depressions. He understood her more than she knew. That much she could feel, like a faintly-glowing ember growing slightly with his proximity. She reached out to touch his arm, and a sudden longing overtook her senses. Somehow, she knew it would feel better if she touched him at this moment, yet she didn’t know why that was.

“Ready to go?” Soap had returned sooner than she’d expected, making her drop her arm to her side. The funny look on his face made her turn scarlet as he continued to observe her. She gave him a stilted nod and waited for either of them to direct her to the next step in the plan. Her mind was exhausted, and she preferred nothing more than letting the others do the brainwork for her right now.

Soap handed her one of the packs. Slipping it on, she thanked him and tried to put on a genuine smile. Soap lit up at the gesture and grinned right back. Dylan pulled out the locator orb and balanced it on his palm. Shade wondered if Camulus would be happy to see her. He was a strange one. Working for Prince Lotinar had its quirks, she guessed. She’d be happy to see her old elven-pixie friend again.

“Alright, here, Shade. You can summon Camulus. Grip the orb and whisper out to him that we’re ready,” Dylan reassured her, tilting his head as she glimpsed down at the orb. Shade plucked it from his hand and brought it toward her lips, cupping its soothing warmth and rubbing it in her frozen hands. The sapphire color morphed into a brilliant white, swirling as it came alive under its hardened surface, faintly glowing.

“Camulus, come get us.”

Chapter Four

THE GLASS CASTLE
stood brilliant, glorious and unchanging as they entered through the high iron gates which surrounded the property. The gates were glamourized when visitors approached. This would allow entrance without inflicting the ill effects of iron on any visiting faery. If an unknown or an enemy approached, the iron was not glamoured, and the toxic fumes from the metal kept most deviants away. It had no effect on Shade. She could touch the cold iron and never feel any adverse reaction to it. Unlike Camulus, who patiently stood behind them as the gates opened and resumed their casing of glamour, the three of them—Soap, Dylan and Shade—were not affected by its poisonous stench.

Walking through the lush green grounds of the castle brought vivid memories crashing back to Shade. Stephen, one of the warriors from Guildrin who had joined the entourage to take her safely to the Santiran Fountains, had died here. Sary, his chosen, had been left devastated after his death. Faeries were mostly immortal, but could still expire from severe injuries. Shade had watched the life force drain from his body, his light diminishing to nothing before her eyes. Her heart had gone out to Sary; her pain had been unbearable to watch, and it had eaten at her like nothing else aside from the torture. So much loss, so much still to lose. She prayed her friend Sary was okay, now home in the Vyn Tribe of the south.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Shade.” Camulus caught up with her and gave her a toothy grin. He wasn’t wearing his city glamour, leaving his smooth, light green skin and fiery orange eyes to catch her attention. He was a bit of a trickster, though lately she had not seen this side of him. It warmed her soul a bit to see it once more, a much needed change.

“Hey, Camulus, it’s awesome to see you again, too.” He pulled her in for a hug but let go quickly when he noticed the daggered looks he was getting from Soap and Dylan.

“Well, you’re always welcomed here, you know that, right? The locator orb is yours to keep, so you may always have entrance to the Glass Castle.” His eyebrows wiggled as his eyes glinted mischievously. He knew he was irritating the others, but he didn’t seem to give a care in the world. Somehow, Shade knew the orb was definitely from Ursad, but knowing that Camulus also wanted her to visit was reassuring. His humor was refreshing.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Dylan cleared his throat. “Camulus, we need to get going right away. Can we meet with the prince, urgently?” His voice came out tight, and from the glance Shade threw him, she could see he was trying to control his temper just as much as Soap was. It made her smile to herself; maybe this was what she needed, to get away from the gloomy beach and mingle with old friends. It was amusing to say the least.

“Yes, of course. He’s waiting to see you as we speak.” Camulus shrugged, giving a slight eye roll that only Shade could see. She giggled but stopped when she noticed Soap frowning at their exchange.

“It’ll be nice to see Ursad again, too,” she added.

“He’s most elated to have you here once more. It’s been far too long.” Camulus led them through the doors to the castle and swiftly down the hall to the prince’s meeting rooms. The paintings lining this hall had caught Shade’s attention before, but this time one painting meant more than anything else to her.

She stopped at the painting Dylan had explained to her. “Ash and Embers” occupied the same spot as before, still glorious in its vibrant colors and anguish. She studied the smears of paint that illustrated a great fire blazing in the skyline of the forest, lava pouring through the trees on the slope of a hill tumbling down toward the girl who stood near a tree. She was turning back toward the fire, anguish and pain filled her delicate features as she observed the turmoil approaching her.

The girl was Shade. It had always been her in that painting. She wondered how the painter, an oracle, had seen this vision. These were the fires which had signaled the death of her grandmother, Lana. Tears burned in Shade’s eyes as she stared at the minute details in the canvas. It was so real, so like that night of terror that seemed lifetimes ago. If only Shade could’ve saved her. If only she’d been stronger and had destroyed the prison that had held her grandmother within its grasp for so long.

Her tears broke their restraint and they poured down her cheeks like hot, searing rain. Despair flared into anger as her fingers itched to tear the painting down and rip it to shreds. Her legs felt like they had disappeared from beneath her, liquefying as they shook with her fury. The tears continued on, etching their path down her face, searing hot and reminding her of the rain that she so longed to summon to drown her sorrows away.

Before she reached out to rip the canvas to shreds, a rush of calm filled her as Soap slipped his fingers over her shoulders. His touch was soothing, and her anger slipped away as it calmed the heartache inside. It’d been the one thing that had gotten her through so many nights of torturous sleep and tumultuous darkness. Even now, his reassurance and small gesture made the rage recede until the last wisp of it retreated. Turning to the Teleen warrior and his face full of knowledge, Shade was reminded that Soap had been there that night and had fought alongside her through the inferno filled with wretched sluagh and unholy things.

They had nearly died, yet here they were. If it had not been for her grandmother’s alliances with the flying Raven Queen Aluse, they would’ve perished with the legions of Unseelie who had them cornered. Corb had been there. He’d even ordered their deaths. Still, that night remained burned in her memory.

Shade pulled away from Soap and steadied her pace as she resumed following Camulus, swiftly wiping the wetness from her cheeks. The painting disappeared behind them, and she willed thoughts of it from her mind. The past was done. Now was her future; it was all she had to live or die for. For this, she let the pain slip away. For herself and her family, she would keep on until death embraced her and she was finally returned to her grandmother’s embrace.

Prince Lotinar, also known as Ursad, turned to greet them with his brilliant smile and mercury hair swaying like rippling metal as he moved. His green eyes flashed to Shade immediately as he ran to her, lifted her up in his arms and swung her around. It was definitely hard to stay sad after that. His joy permeated the room, and her mood elevated with it.

“Shade! How have you been?” Ursad set her down and paused, taking in the narrowed gazes he was receiving from Dylan and Soap. He countered them with a brilliant smile and turned back to Shade. “How was the trip? Fast and free of dizziness, I hope?” He held his hand out toward the soft chairs surrounding the fireplace. The room was an array of colors. Nothing was white here, only his pearly white formal outfit lacked the color spectrum splashed across the place.

Pillows of satin and velvet lined each chair and couch. Soft shawls and blankets draped across the sides of them for cool, winter nights. The fireplace was crackling with flames as the logs snapped with warmth and light. It was the coziest room she’d ever been in, and she happily slid into one of the couches, relieved to be able to relax after being so long on the rugged beaches in the northwest territory of the Land of Faerie.

“I’ve been better.” She sank into the sea of pillows, closing her eyes as she tried to shake the slight headache forming behind her temples. “Dylan says you can help us find a way to locate Corb, the Ice King.” Crushing one of the pillows under her chin, she hugged it tightly, her weariness seeping through her body as she watched the Northern Realm’s prince beam at her.

Ursad sat nearby in a bold chair made of royal blue and black velvet with a cable of encrusted rubies strung along the edges as trim. It was fit for a king. Was he not royalty? Shade wondered when he would be king of the castle here. If he wasn’t yet the king, then who was the king? She didn’t recall ever meeting the king or queen of the Northern Realm.

“Yes, indeed I do. Camulus will take you to an old, old friend I met in exile, a brownie named Stanis. He lives within the boundaries of New York City, so it will be quite a distance to travel. But….” He paused, signaling one of the servants who lined the room for something. Shade glanced around, suddenly aware of the many faery servants standing perfectly still and unnoticed in the chamber. They blended into the background, assuming the colors of the décor to hide their appearance. “He’s quite skittish and a bit eccentric,” Ursad continued. “Not to mention, he does have a nasty habit of favoring intoxication in one way or another.  He won’t be easy to convince to help, but he will if you give him something of great value in exchange for the information.”

Shade listened intently while keeping her eyes on the servant returning from wherever she had gone. The servant’s clothing color was now of the grey stone of the hallway walls and slowly morphed back into the color scheme of the room. Shade’s eyes widened, watching the change, for she’d never seen faeries do this before. Her surprise must’ve been quite noticeable because now everyone was staring at her.

“How do they do that?” She felt bad for the interruption but was too shocked to really pay attention anymore. Ursad chuckled, but Dylan was the one who offered her the explanation.

“It’s a glamour charm, a chameleon cloak. It changes depending on your environment. Servants use it often to conceal themselves when they might or might not be needed. It makes it seem less oppressive with many of them in the room. Not many castles use it, but some still do. It is one of the oldest glamour charms of Faerie.” Dylan took a goblet of drink from the servant as she made her pass around the room.

As she approached Shade, her eyes twinkled with excitement, and a small smile played on her lips as Shade took the offered drink. Once the servant was done, she exited the room swiftly and silently, as if she didn’t even exist.

Shade glanced down at the goblet. It was filled with bright lavender fluid and smelled of sweet fruit.

“I do hope they didn’t startle you, Shade. I have many servants, and I do not want my rooms to seem cluttered when they are on duty. The chameleon glamour suits this purpose very well. I have more servants now than ever before; it’s practically impossible to run this place full time without them.” He lifted his goblet, saluting her. “Ingleberry juice. Quite rare, and I’ve saved it just for you, Shade.” He waited as she saluted him back with her goblet, careful not to slosh the precious berry juice over the sides of the cup. At that, everyone saluted the prince and Shade sipped the juice quietly.

Shade brought it slowly to her lips, wondering if it would intoxicate her like the faery honey wine had, not long ago at this very castle. The sweet fluid slipped past her lips and down her throat, coating her tongue with its smooth taste. It made her stomach tingle, bringing a smile to her face as a yummy euphoria swept through her. She eagerly drank the rest and licked her lips. It was the best drink she’d ever tasted.

“That was amazing.” Everyone agreed, nodding their heads and grunting their praises of the delectable juice. The servants quickly skittered around to collect the empty goblets, returning to the edges of the room and disappearing into the walls. Or so it seemed.

“So… New York City. Has anyone been there?” Shade scanned the room, but no one answered.

“I have,” Dylan offered, “but it was over a century ago. Much has changed.”

The room seemed to stand still as Shade’s thoughts ran over the possibilities of the situation. She knew of one person who’d been there recently. Almost every year since birth, this person had returned to the Big Apple.

“I know someone who knows the city pretty well.” She straightened, elated to have the chance to see her oldest and closest friend in the world, Brisa. “Brisa’s gone there since she was an infant. She knows it better than anyone. She could come, take us around and show us where this Stanis lives….”

“Absolutely not!” Ursad’s calm face had morphed into horror and suspicion.
What the heck is wrong with him?
Shade thought.

“Wh—what? Why not?” Shade stammered. His reaction was confusing, and her stomach sank at what he said next.

“Because she’s
human
. She shouldn’t know about us.” His face tensed at the mention of Brisa. It threw Shade off her train of thought and sent rage surging through her once more. He had never been opposed to mingling with humans before. Why the sudden change?

Shade stood up and glared at the prince. Her temper was so volatile since she’d returned from the inferno of the Unseelie Queen’s grasp. It threatened to send her into a stampede if she didn’t rein it in now. “
So am I
, Your Majesty.”

Ursad flinched at her words as she spat them out. Shade’s fingers were turning white, clenched tightly at her sides. The room was even quieter than before, if that was even possible. Wild eyes flew from her to the prince and back. No one wanted to interrupt the thickened air that hovered around them now, electrified with fury. Even some of the glamoured servants had their eyes wide open and mouths agape at her outburst.

“She comes with us, or I will not pacify this Stanis creep you’re sending us to. He sounds like a nut, anyway.” Shade flew out of her chair and out of the room, spilling into the hallway where the air was easier to breathe. Why would Ursad treat her so? He knew she was human. How had he forgotten so quickly?

Something felt wrong, misaligned in some way or another. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she was sure that the prince was not acting the same as he had the last time she’d been at his castle. What had happened in all the time she was trapped at the Unseelie castle and the weeks on the isolated beach? She wasn’t the same either; she felt it in every cell, every expanse of her skin—in the hollow inside where her magic had resided. She knew the reasons for that, though. She’d have to question Ursad alone later, when she’d taken a break from it all and could think without seeing red.