The main castle was on top of a hill. There were others spread throughout the land. Holdings several weeks away by horseback, but this was his home and where the court had always been.
He passed cottages and workshops, finding them abandoned. As if they had been empty forever. Once upon a time there had been tens of thousands of Fey. Ones that appeared human. Ones that looked like monsters. Some were impish. Some were small and yet others were large. As many varieties of Fey as one could imagine.
But the decline had started thousands of years ago. The rise of other gods had taken its toll, left him weaker and weaker as fewer people believed in the fierce dreadedness of
Him.
By the time Lucas had come along, his own world looked as though it had been struck by the plague. People abandoned their homes to move closer to his court. Fields were empty, forests deserted.
The drawbridge was down. Cer frowned, looked up at the portcullis and was shocked to see that no one was present. Was there a feast? Would he take them all unawares? The most peculiar thought went through him—what if they knew he was back and were all here to curse his name? Awaiting him in order to ambush him, again?
Try.
Let them. He did not cower and would not retreat.
Not again
.
He had fled Lucas.
He had been patient with Virginia.
He had allowed his Queen to live out of sentimentality.
And in the end he had learned a terrible and priceless lesson— Kindness is a fatal mistake. He should have been ruthless.
He was King.
He was a God.
And he was vengeful.
He walked up the drawbridge and the the silence heavy. Despair was thick and cloying in the air. It clung to everything. The keep was dark. No torches to light his way. Not that he needed the light. He walked confidently into the pitch black castle, knowing every step and uneven stone.
To him, even the castle had a pulse. At least it had. Once upon a time. Now he felt disconnected. As though everything around him was a vision he had seen a hundred times before but had never experienced in reality. Cer went into the great hall.
And stopped dead.
The table was set with crystal and gold plates. Food was on the table, and his people were seated, ready to partake of a meal that had never begun. In the dark he could see them covered in gray dust. His Queen sat at the head, her bright blond hair and elfin features—so beautiful that mortals had gasped in adoration when she appeared—were shriveled and old.
Her hair looked like someone had shaken flour over it, no luster but brittle and pale. She was slumped back in her seat, lips open, eyes wide and sunken, dried up in the sockets like plums. Fifty of his followers sat at the table. The velvet and satin of their clothes decaying upon their halted forms.
He walked around the table, heard his boots echo on the floor, saw the wolves transformed in front of the fire—as though they were idle and waiting for their master to come home. They were still as death.
Were they dead? He went up to his Queen, peering at her, feeling slightly anxious. As if she might lean forward suddenly and scream at him. A nightmare fairytale come to life.
Was he scared of her? No. But he could not allow himself to touch her or he would kill her in his fury. Cerdewellyn backed away. He went to the other end of the table and touched Verica, one of his lovers, instead.
A spark of life was still there. It was as though they had all sat down for a meal and then, for some reason, they had never gotten up again. Cer laughed miserably. There was only him. Trapped in a world of his making. Alone in an empty realm.
But not for long.
Chapter
32
Valerie awoke with a gasp. She jerked up, taking a deep breath and looking around her. Jack, Rachel and Lucas were standing. Lucas threw the gun he’d taken from Jack back to him. Jack caught it, looking confused. Lucas pointed at the front door and said harshly, “
That
is more dangerous than me. You must be armed to defend yourself and Valerie.”
There was a terrible howling sound outside and it was growing louder, closer. So sinister that it raised every hair on her body and made her throat go dry. “I feel like I’m in the Blair Witch Project. What the hell is that?” Val asked.
“
It is the Wild Hunt,” Lucas said coolly.
“
And that means
what
? Christ, just tell us the damned information,” Jack said angrily, taking a step towards Lucas.
“
Legend says that when the Wild Hunt rides by, all must be in their beds, must close their eyes tight, for even to catch a glimpse of the Fey as they pass by is to put oneself in the greatest peril. One must not draw their attention.”
“
Are they looking for us?” Jack asked.
Lucas said nothing for a moment. “I have seen no one else to look for, but we shall know soon enough.”
“
Stay inside,” Lucas said and picked up his sword, going to the door.
“
Wait! Why are you going outside? You said we were supposed to stay hidden,” Val said, reaching out to him.
He looked at her, an almost fond look on his face. “No, I said it was legend that one would be harmed. I did not say it was fact. This is nothing but a parlor trick, simple Fey Glamour. I’ll meet them, discuss terms and then, when I tell you, you may come out.”
He turned away from her, took a step towards the door and stopped. There was only silence outside. She strained to listen and heard nothing. “Maybe it’s gone,” Val whispered.
“
No. It is here. He has come to us,” Lucas said.
And then there was a knock at the door.
Chapter
33
The door swung open, the hinges squeaking from rust and sounding ominous—just like it always did in the horror movies.
Crap.
The man from her dream stood at the threshold. Beyond him was sunshine and, in the quiet, she could hear the dripping sound of melting snow splashing onto the ground.
“
Cerdewellyn. Well met,” Lucas said gravely.
Cerdewellyn’s gaze slid over Lucas briefly and then beyond him, to Valerie. “And there is the woman who set me free. You have done me a great service.” He looked back at Lucas. “I intend to return the favor.”
Lucas stepped in front of her, blocking Cer’s view. “She is under my protection. We sought you of our own volition and wish to put the past behind us.”
Cer laughed darkly, looking at Rachel and Jack in turn. “You have unusual travelling companions, Lucas. You come traipsing around my lands with your horde nowhere in sight?”
“
Most of those you knew are gone.”
Cer raised a brow, almost mockingly. “A changing of the guard, is that it? Or has a smattering of justice finally reached out and wiped out your own kind, just as you slew mine?” He turned back to Valerie, apparently dismissing Lucas.
“
Welcome to the Land of the Fey,” he said evenly. Then he shook his head slowly. “You were always so careful, Lucas. After all this time, all the tricks and traps, we never managed to get you to our land, where the odds were even. And now, here you are. I look forward to extending you the same courtesy you have given me and mine. You are more than welcome to join us at the castle, as soon as you may.”
Something grabbed Val around the ankle, and she stumbled backwards. Vines twined around her legs, sliding upwards towards her waist, binding her legs together and cinching them tight.
The dense green vines consumed her, covered her ears and her eyes, so she could hear nothing,
see
nothing, consumed so fast she couldn’t even draw breath to scream. The green bands tightened across her stomach, forcing the air from her lungs, strangling her tight from head to toe.
She felt tugging, as though someone was trying to rip the vines away from her, even as they coiled more tightly. She was nothing but a spider’s meal, wrapped up and ready to be devoured.
Chapter
34
As the vines twined around Valerie, Lucas burst into action, charging Cerdewellyn—and running straight through him. Cer laughed. “Really, Lucas? You are getting old. It is an illusion. I would not stay around here, waiting for you to take my head off as I free your victim.”
Lucas was back to Valerie, ripping vines off of her body, before Cer had even finished speaking. The vines multiplied, grew sharper, so that each one he touched pierced his hands, shredded them. Jack swore and rushed forward, standing beside Lucas as they tried to get Val free. The vines were alive. Twisting and shifting away from their grasp. When one was pulled free, another grew back, stronger and more resilient. In seconds, the vines went slack, dropped to the ground, dried and blackened, then decayed. And where Valerie had been was only a small pile of earth.
“
Where is she?” Jack asked, gasping.
Lucas was already up, strapping his sword across his back, looking at Rachel. “The castle is to the West. Go there as soon as you may, and I will meet you.”
Rachel looked outside. “What about the snow?”
“
It is melting. He has no purpose for it any longer. As soon as you can travel, come find us.”
“
Lucas, you should wait. He’s not going to hurt her,” Rachel said, coming forward and taking his arm.
Lucas stepped close to Rachel. “You do not know anything about him or what he might do. Come to the castle and, when you get there, we leave this accursed land. There is a way out at the castle.”
“
Wait. How do you know there is a way out?” Jack asked.
Lucas didn’t spare him a glance. “Everyone knows.” And then he was gone, disappearing in a blink.
Jack stared at Rachel sightlessly, thoughts whirling through his mind. Valerie was gone. They were trapped here. He and Val were nothing but food.
Assuming she is still alive.
His fault.
I failed.
Rachel turned, watched him. “Let’s go. We’ll follow his trail. It’ll get us there eventually.” She walked to the door, and Jack took a step, tried to follow, heard the blood pounding in his ears, beating out accusations and blame. He’d pushed Val into this. She was here because of him.
Wasn’t that always a price you were willing to pay? You knew it was dangerous and that she might die, but you wanted her here anyway.
“
Let’s go, Jack. We have to move.”
He stumbled after her, almost falling out of the cottage and into the snow. Lucas was right—the snow had begun to melt and was now hard and frozen, half the height it had been the night before. At this pace, it might be completely gone in an hour or two.
Impossible.
Jack trudged along behind Rachel, lost to his own thoughts. Rachel stepped carefully, filling Lucas’ tracks in the snow. Lucas was nowhere to be seen, using his super-speed to hurry ahead of them.
The ground was flat enough, but trudging through the snow was awkward and slowed them down. Every now and again, they passed through sections of forest. But there were no more cottages or dwellings, no other footsteps in the snow beyond Lucas’ and theirs. Not even animal tracks.
One foot in front of the other
. And so he did it. Stepped and stepped as his mind sluggishly rehashed everything that had happened in recent memory.
Nate. Hawaii. The fights.
Eventually, Rachel stopped and so did he. She turned and looked at him, head to foot and then back, stopping at his eyes. “You’re still back there, huh? I wasn’t sure. It’s been hours since you’ve said a word.”
Jack licked his lips. God, he was thirsty. “What is there to say?”
She shrugged. “Fair enough.”
She looked around, rubbed her arms like she was cold.
“
Where is everyone?” Jack asked.
“
I don’t know. I’ve only seen pictures of Fey in books. And I’ve heard stories. Forests teeming with animals and creatures of all kinds. Monsters that live in lakes and in the skies. But this…I think…it feels like it’s just us. It’s like walking through an apocalypse. Let’s keep going. Hopefully, we’ll see it soon.”
Jack looked at Rachel like he’d never seen her before. Had only just seen himself. “Do you know”—he took a breath and it was ragged, like he was breathing in grief, exhaling despair—“I have now failed everyone I’ve ever loved. When Marion came to my family’s hotel, Nate said to hide. But I was afraid. I didn’t listen to Nate. I had the right course of action in front of me, and I couldn’t do it. I told my dad and he walked straight up to Marion and she killed him. If I had listened to Nate, listened to Val, she wouldn’t be here.” He rubbed his eyes. “It’s all my fault. All of it.”
She was very quiet. “You were really young, Jack. What? 10? 12? Don’t rewrite history. You did the best you could.” Snow crunched underfoot as she moved closer to him.
“
My best is worthless.”
“
Oh for Pete’s sake. What? Did you cause Cancer too? It’s not your fault. And, I hate to tell you, but you were
never
going to be enough for Val. She wanted things from you that you could not do. You’re a hero, Jack. A
hero
. How could you give that up? And how could she be so selfish as to ask you to?” she said, voice filled with scorn.