First Light (29 page)

Cristian fell to his knees, hands to his head as the knowledge of who she was and all she had been through pierced his heart and humbled and overwhelmed him.
Love her. Protect her. Keep her secret a little longer.

He would. He would lay down his life for her if it came to that.

The kitchen door banged open, startling me. Maggie and I looked up from our work as Mason burst through the doorway, his face flushed, his breathing heavy.

“You’ve been summoned to the castle,” he got out.

Maggie’s face paled. She sent a glance my direction then reached behind for her apron strings. “Summoned.” She spoke the word in a half whisper, as if someone had died. “Who was it sent you? Did they say
why
they want to see me?”

“Not you.” Mason shook his mop of unkempt hair. “The king and queen want to see Adrielle. They know she’s been doing the baking and want to meet her to discuss the wedding cake.”

Maggie took a step backward, tripped over the nearest stool, and fell to the floor. A second later her fingers reappeared, gripping the table edge as she steadied herself. “We’re in trouble now. They’ll have both our heads.”

“I’ve done nothing wrong,” I protested, feeling rather alarmed at the way both Mason and Maggie were reacting to news that thrilled me. I’d wanted to get inside the castle for weeks.

And now?
This might be my last chance to talk with Cristian, or to discover anything about my sister.

“Off with you. A royal summons is not to be ignored.” Maggie shooed me out the door. “Mind ye don’t blame
me
for your being here. I had naught to do with it— you just showed up, and me needing help, what was I to do?”

I waved away her concerns and strode toward the castle, realizing— the moment she slammed the kitchen door behind me— that I hadn’t grabbed my cloak. The cold seeped through the fabric of my dress, and I shoved my fingers deep into my apron pockets to keep them warm on the short walk. It was good I’d kept the apron on. With a little luck, after my interview with the king and queen, I’d be able to sneak off and explore. An apron might help with the ruse that I was a servant who belonged there.

I treaded the well-worn path that led from the kitchen to the castle’s side entrance. More than a time or two I’d followed it and tried to gain entrance with a tray of bread or pastries as my excuse. It had never worked; all doors were closely guarded. But I supposed they’d let me in now.

I was nearly there when the sound of voices stopped me. I paused, watching as a couple in rich clothing emerged from beneath an arbor that led to one of the gardens. The young man was tall and handsome, a boyish smile on his face. The girl was stunningly beautiful, with petite features and long, dark hair that trailed down to her waist. They walked side by side, her hand linked easily through his arm.

I stared mesmerized, overwhelmed,
stung
by their easy camaraderie. The same camaraderie I’d felt with this same young man— with Cristian.

They continued their stroll, oblivious to my presence. And though I wished to turn back or disappear, I stood rooted to the spot, unable to tear my eyes away.

Look at me. Remember me. Remember what we accomplished together,
I longed to call out but could not find my voice.

“Hello, Adrielle,” Henrie said, coming up beside me.

“Hello,” I said, forcing my attention to him.

“Ten days more, and they will be married.” His gaze followed Cristian and Princess Cecilia as they left our sight.

“Yes, I know.” I spoke quietly, looking down at my clasped hands
,
my eyes stinging.

“Everyone is very pleased that Cristian has finally accepted his duty.”

Everyone but me.
“When you see him next, please express my congratulations.”

Henrie touched my arm. “You should know— it has been hard for him.”

“Thank you for that, at least,” I said. “And what of me? Should I pretend that I never knew him, that we were never friends?”

“That would probably be best,” Henrie said. “It is what will be required of him.”

“I see.” The future stretched before me as bleak and lonely as Maggie’s.

I turned quickly away from the castle and Henrie before he could see the tears spilling down my cheeks.

In a sort of pained stupor I wandered among the empty trees of the orchard, wanting to be in the place Cristian and I had spent so much time together. Royal summons or not, I could not risk going to the castle, seeing him, and making an utter fool of myself in front of all. Instead, I attempted to form a plan, to figure out where I should go and what I should do next, but the same things kept going around and around in my mind. My sister Cecilia—
whoever and wherever she is.
The fairies—
why had they sent a carriage for me in the first place? And then given me the charmed bracelet?
And mostly… Cristian—
how am I ever supposed to live without him?
My chest hurt so much when I thought of it, that it seemed I could hardly breathe.

The sunset came on quickly, and it was full dark before I reached the end of the row and the edge of the orchard. As I stepped out from between the trees, a fierce wind gusted, nearly knocking me backward. I grabbed the nearest tree and clung to it as thunder rumbled overhead. A deep, evil sort of laugh seemed to echo around me, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. No lightning had lit the sky before the thunder, and no rain fell from the sky following it. The wind picked up, and a deep cold penetrated the orchard. My hair whipped back behind me, exposing my ears to the bitter chill. In a matter of minutes they burned with pain, but I dared not let go of the tree trunk to cover them.

Another clap of thunder shook the sky, and the very earth beneath me. Trembling with cold and fear, I sank to the ground, careful to keep my hands locked around the tree. I tried valiantly to pull my feet in beneath me, but the wicked wind ripped off one of my shoes, and shards of debris pelted my bare leg and foot. Bending my head against the trunk, I bit back a terrified scream.

What kind of storm is this?
Back home the wind never blew so fiercely, and the cold was never so bitter. Even stranger— and worse— was the total darkness smothering the orchard. I couldn’t see the lights from the castle or outbuildings; the stars and moon appeared obliterated. I couldn’t see the tree in front of me, though my nose brushed against it.

The pearls must have been warm against my skin, but I was so frozen I couldn’t feel them— couldn’t feel much of anything after a few minutes more. My lips had turned to ice, so that I could not even voice a wish. Only iron resolve from the deepest part of my soul and a terror of where I might be swept away to kept my fingers entwined against the frozen trunk. Each moment was agony. What I wouldn’t have given for the warmth of the kitchen. I’d stand on my feet and bake buns for six months straight, if only I could survive this. But Maggie wouldn’t come looking for me. No one would venture out in this weather, and if I didn’t return in the morning, she’d probably assume the worst— that after being summoned to the castle I had, like other outsiders, simply vanished, never to return.

Is this how they vanish?
I wondered. Had the king and queen discovered my intrusion and were now, through some magical force, sweeping me away?

Stubbornly, I refused to be swept, clinging to the tree trunk, long after my fingers should have been too frozen to do so.

“Adrielle!” Merry Anne’s voice sounded distant
.

Merry Anne!
My thoughts replied.
She’ll use her magic. She’ll find me.
I hung onto that hope and continued to fight for my life. My eyelids closed, and I found I could not open them again. They were frozen shut. Though no rain or snow came with the wicked wind, I’d never felt colder. Beneath my fingers the tree trunk seemed to have turned to ice. I felt my hands slipping against its smooth, polished surface.

Sleep beckoned temptingly. I stayed awake as long as I could but felt myself losing the battle. A few minutes longer and I could endure no more but slipped blissfully away to the dark.

The world came slowly into focus. I lay on my back in an unfamiliar bed and room— both far more lavish than any I’d resided in previously. Heavy brocade curtains lined the canopy bed, beyond which, blurred shapes indicated ornate furnishings and a large fireplace.

It seemed I’d finally made it inside the castle.

Every part of my body ached, and I felt chilled through, though a thick quilt covered me. My teeth chattered, and I hadn’t the strength to stop them. Finding the effort of keeping my eyes open too tiresome, I closed them once more.

“Still not awake. Poor dear.” Merry Anne’s voice.

But I am,
I thought and waited for her to read my thoughts. When she didn’t I felt perplexed but decided to pretend sleep anyway. Perhaps the fairies would speak more freely if they thought me unaware.

“'Tis better she sleeps for now.” I recognized Kindra’s voice as well. “We’d best get to work on her feet at once. Or there will be no dancing at the ball.”

“No dancing ever,” Florence murmured, then drew in her breath sharply at the precise moment I felt the coverlet lifted from my feet. “Oh dear. I’m not certain the herbs can fix that.”

Fix what?
I wondered and dared to peek. All four fairy sisters hovered, their backs to me, near the end of the bed. Though human-sized at the moment, their wings were out, fluttering as rapidly as they did when tiny. My gaze followed Zipporah as she flew away and sat herself on the edge of an armchair, hands over her face as she wept.

“We have failed her.”

“Nonsense,” Kindra said. I looked back to her and the other fairies and witnessed a most revolting site. My toes, no longer flesh-colored, were black and swollen. Swallowing a sob, I squeezed my eyes shut once more.

“I’ve never seen such a terrible case,” Merry Anne said. “Can you mend them?”

“Ye— es,” Kindra said, not sounding completely confident. “Wands out, please. Merry Anne and Florence, take her left foot. Zipporah and I shall work on the right. Ready?” Kindra paused at the sound of more sobbing. “For heaven’s sake, pull yourself together, Zipporah.”

“But her feet,” Zipporah wailed. “And she so loves to run.”

“And she shall again.” Kindra’s voice was firmer this time. “But
speed
is of the essence. You understand.”

I heard the faint fluttering of fairy wings, and a moment later Kindra began.

“Body chilled and soul so cold, do thou now as thou art told.”

Four pinpricks of heat stabbed my big toes.

“Warm thee from the inside out, Return to a state whereabouts

Adrielle shall run once more and be whole as she was before.”

More pinpricks spattered across the tops of my toes. I took it as a good sign that I could feel them, but a few minutes later when I chanced another look, I still saw only grotesque black, along with Kindra staring pensively at my feet.

“The spell isn’t working, is it?” Florence asked gently.

Kindra shook her head. “I fear her feet may yet require the axe."

No!
I wanted to cry but could not seem to form the simple word. My heart raced in panic, and tears leaked from my eyes and slid down the sides of my face.