indigo court 05.5 - night shivers

• INTRODUCTION
  
• The Beginning
  
• Chapter 1
  
• Chapter 2
  
• Chapter 3
  
• Chapter 4
  
• Chapter 5
  
• Chapter 6
  
• Character List
  
• First chapter of Night Mist
  
• Biography and Complete Book List
  

NIGHT SHIVERS

-An Indigo Court Novella-

YASMINE GALENORN

A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

Published by Yasmine Galenorn

PO Box 2037, Kirkland WA 98083-2037

NIGHT SHIVERS

An Indigo Court Novella

Copyright ©2015 by Yasmine Galenorn

First Chapter of NIGHT MYST published/posted by arrangement with Berkley Publishing Group, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Copyright © Yasmine Galenorn, 2010

First Electronic Printing: 2015 Nightqueen Enterprises LLC

Cover Art imagery licensed via Shutterstock.com

Cover Design by Yasmine Galenorn

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any format, be it print or electronic or audio, without permission. Please prevent piracy by purchasing only authorized versions of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, or places is entirely coincidental and not to be construed as representative or an endorsement of any living/existing group, person, place, or business.

A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

Published in the United States of America

INTRODUCTION

The Beginning

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Character List

First chapter of Night Mist

Biography and Complete Book List

INTRODUCTION

When I originally wrote NIGHT’S END—the last book in the Indigo Court Series—I truly believed that I was done with it. I really didn’t have any more stories to tell in the world. But after leaving it alone for a while, a few gremlins began to nudge my thoughts. Gremlins that started to become ideas. I tried to shake them off because I knew that my publisher really wasn’t looking for more Indigo Court books.

Then I decided to go hybrid (not only work within traditional publishing, but also self-publishing). At that moment, I realized that I didn’t
have
to stick to storylines that would have a broad-enough appeal to warrant a mass-market contract.

I could take Cicely’s world anywhere I wanted. As long as I wrote a good story and wrote true to my characters, I could explore all sorts of avenues. And
that
freedom opened up the proverbial creative floodgates.

So here we go—my first Indigo Court novella. I’m hoping this won’t be the last story. I plan on writing more in this world now that I know where I want to go with it, and I hope you enjoy the ride as much as you did the original series.

Thanks to the usual suspects: my husband Samwise who supports me in so many ways. I thank my assistants Andria Holley and Jenn Price. They keep me on track. A loving thank-you to my Galenorn Gang, who make writing a lot more fun with their purrs and meows. Most reverent devotion to Ukko—who rules over the wind and sky, Rauni—queen of the harvest, Tapio—the Hunter in the forest, and Mielikki—goddess of the Woodlands and Dark Fae Queen in her own right, my spiritual guardians. To Brighid, Goddess of poetry and inspiration. And to the Fae—both dark and light—who walk this world beside us, may we see you in the shadows, and in the shimmer of ice. My spiritual grounding keeps me centered and focused.

And thank you to my Moon Stalkers—my fans and my readers, for your support and enthusiasm. You can find me on the net at
Galenorn En/Visions
. To make certain you get all updates on new releases, please sign up for my
monthly newsletter
. If you write to me snail mail (see web site for address), please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like a reply. Lots of cool promo goodies are available—see web site.

~The Painted Panther

~Yasmine Galenorn

“The madman often tells the truth.”

Old Norse proverb

The Beginning

The new Courts had risen to power, the Queen of Snow and Ice on her frozen throne, and the Queen of Rivers and Rushes in her fiery realm. The time of the Vampiric Fae had passed, and what few were still alive hid themselves, cloaking against discovery. A time of truce between factions was growing—the true vampires of the Crimson Court, the Fae, and the Consortium. Together, the three powers negotiated peace, and looked to creating a world that all could enjoy—including the yummanii—the human-born. But there are always enemies, and there will always be war. And so, a year after Queen Cicely accepted the crown of Snow and Ice, there came to her door the first hint of a new threat—perhaps an even greater one than Myst had presented…

From:
The New Courts of Fae

Chapter 1

A storm was racing in off the distant ice fields. As I stood at the crest of the hill, I could feel it riding the winds, hard, like a Wind Elemental on an overdose of steroids. The gusts were strong with this one, and the blizzard would be harsh and fierce. I could almost feel a sentience to the storm, as though it were a creature. Hunger drove it. That, and the desire to cover the land in a cloak of white.

I brushed my hair from my face as the wind whipped through, catching up the strands that had strayed from my ponytail. My crown fit snuggly, but it could only do so much in keeping me presentable.
At least I don’t have helmet hair,
I thought.

But out here—on the Western Floes by the Crashing Sea—looks didn’t matter. Out here, where the ice stretched out over deep oceans of freezing water, survival was the name of the game. And stray hairs were the last thing I was worried about. I was dressed in a thick pair of black jeans. For this journey, I had refused Druise’s attempt to get me into my traditional corset top, insisting instead on a heavy layered sweatshirt. The cold wouldn’t bother me too much, but I needed to be able to move. Even though I was essentially immortal, if I fell into the azure depths, I could still drown.

Grieve was standing by the edge of the ice sheet we were on, his hand shading his eyes from the gleam of late afternoon light. The sky was silver, with strands of blue streaking through it. The sun never rose, nor shone down with its brilliant beams. The realm of Snow and Ice was illuminated by silver hues, accentuated with pale blue in the morning. At dusk, they faded into a velvety aubergine and then into deep black.

“Do you see anything?” I cautiously skirted the jutting blocks of ice that littered the floe, coming to stand by his side.

He shook his head. “Not yet. I know
The Wave Catcher
was supposed to be arriving at our harbor today.”

“Harbor” was a kind word for the makeshift piers we stood next to. The Crashing Sea was as violent as its name, and very few ships ever came over the horizon to dock by our shores. For one thing, most of the ships would have to launch from another realm, coming through a dangerous portal.

“Do you think…will
they
be on it?” I could barely breathe, hoping against hope, but my love softly turned and took my hands in his. His hair hung down his back, spun platinum against his olive skin. His eyes were the black of night, with a thousand stars circling in them.

My love. My Prince. My King. Grieve, my chosen consort.

“Cicely, you know they can’t return here. Wrath and Lainule are forever gone from these realms. The minute they crossed into the realm of Snow and Ice they would begin to age and die. They must remain on the Golden Isle, where they will live until they are ready to let go and walk into the mists.” He lifted one of my hands and kissed it gently, his razor-sharp teeth grazing my skin. I shivered at his touch.

“I know, but I keep hoping. I miss them.”
Miss
was putting it mildly. Every day, I thought about my father, and the former Queen of Rivers and Rushes. They had not only changed my life forever, but had been instrumental to my very existence.

“I know you do. But focus on the positive. The ship is bringing new members for our Court—and for the Court of Rivers and Rushes. New immigrants.”

Grieve seemed genuinely excited, and I tried to match his enthusiasm. But the thought of newcomers entering our halls scared the crap out of me. Would they accept me as their queen, given my heritage? I was only half Cambyra Fae—the rest of me was magic-born, regardless of the fact that I had been through a magical transformation.

I was still unsure of my place, and each day brought its own series of accomplishments and setbacks. At least I could speak Cambyra fairly well. I had immersed myself in it, forced Grieve to spend at least an hour a day talking to me in the dialect of the Winter Fae, and though I wasn’t entirely skilled, I finally had managed a rudimentary grasp of how the language worked.

An owl hovered overhead, then settled down near us. Shifting—like a blur on the ice—my grandfather straightened up. I flashed him a grateful smile. He knew how nervous I was.

“Hunter, I’m glad you made it.”

“To see new blood come to our land? I wouldn’t miss it, my girl.”

“There! I see the ship!” Check, one of my personal bodyguards, pointed out a dark shape riding the swells of the Crashing Sea. As it grew closer, the ship came into focus, ghostly in the mists that boiled along the water. A massive galleon with three masts, the sails were fully unfurled, the wind driving against them with a hard, steady breeze. The wood of
The Wave Catcher
gleamed in the late afternoon, carved from ancient white oaks back on the Golden Isle, the birthplace of the Sidhe.

I strained my eyes, trying to see anyone who might be watching over the railing, but could see no one. There were no figures rushing about, no shouts from the deck. In fact, the silence was downright eerie as the ship slowly approached the edge of the floe. I cocked my head, wondering why the ship was sparkling so brightly.

“Something’s wrong. Look at the ice.” Grieve leaned toward me, and pointed to the masts. I squinted, realizing he was right. The masts—the railings, the entire ship seemed encased in a layer of ice.

“Reminds me of when the men are out on the Bering Sea on
The
Deadliest Catch.
” I shook my head. “There’s something odd about that ice, but I can’t put my finger on what.”

“ ‘
Deadliest Catch’
? What are you talking about?”

“Television show. I used to watch it all the time. I can’t now that we live here.” But I remembered all too well what the ships had looked like, icing up during the freezing storms that hit them. The storms knocked them around like spinning tops, and the men had to get out on the decks and break the ice off before it overloaded the ships and sent them to the bottom of the sea.

“The ice should have capsized her by now, shouldn’t it?” I didn’t know much about ships, but I
did
know that this wasn’t normal.

Grieve shook his head. “No, it shouldn’t. The ship came through the mists into our realm. When you really think about it, I doubt if it’s been on the waters long enough to become so iced over. The crew should have taken care of it, even so.” He motioned to Check. “Take the Queen back a safe distance. The ship is traveling at a good clip and they are showing no signs of slowing down, even though they’re almost to the docks.”