Night's End (7 page)

“Nothing. . . . Just chatter from the Ice Elementals. There's snow on the way, and you can gather the energy and bring up a strong storm to cloak our path.” The latter was true, but in my heart, I knew that something had shifted. This was the first time I'd ever lied to my mother.

“Ah, then nothing to worry about. Come, my child. Food awaits. I saw a hunting party by the lake, and with any luck, they will still be there. Fresh sweet meat and blood.” And with that Myst held out her hand.

As I took it, a niggling doubt crept through the back of my mind. She believed me.
My mother didn't know I was lying.
And that—that was almost more unsettling than having told the lie.

I shook myself out of my thoughts. More and more, memories of my life as Cherish crept in. I didn't like it that they did, and the fact that they were coming in strong and clear lately scared the fuck out of me. How much of my time as the heir to the Indigo Court had stayed with me? How much of the Vampiric Fae nature did my soul still contain?

Grieve glanced over at our guards. “You know what this means for you, correct?”

Check nodded. “Yes, Your Lordship. We will be the Queen's constant companions. Even when the others are cleared, I think we should continue as her official escorts. Best to establish a core network, considering there are spies about. Too many with access to the inner Court can create an unintentional doorway for enemies to gain a foothold.”

Strict let out a shaky breath as he stood, leaning on the back of the chair for support. “Your Majesty, I understand why you couldn't tell me about this before testing me, but now—we must discuss this in a private council. With Myst moving again, and with the Shadow Hunters within the boundaries of our realm, we have no time to waste. You must contact the Summer Throne and let them know. And the Crimson Court.”

Silverweb leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, clasping her hands. “It's time for us to band together. We must not forget the Consortium. Your connection with Ysandra Petros may help there. Myst—”

Before she could continue, Thorn came rushing back into the room. “You must return to your throne room, Your Majesty. There is news. We can speed the way for your journey back, but you must leave now. Be cautious—evil deeds are in action, and there will be no turning back now. Here, we will rest in shifts and work our way through the rest of your guard as soon as possible. We will not fail you.”

And with that another one of the shamans—we did not know his name and he did not offer it—appeared and gestured for all of us to follow him.

I looked at Grieve, an apprehensive cloud settling over me. Ulean fluttered around me with gentle whisperings.

I'll go ahead and find out what I can. I will meet you there, Cicely.

Thank you—and, Ulean? Be cautious. I know there are Elementals out there who live for chaos and mayhem, just as Myst does. And she might control some of them.

Fear not. I will watch my back.
And then she was gone.

Thorn stopped us. “Van will lead you back. He will take you through the Dream Time in body so that you can be there in seconds. Be prepared for exhaustion on the other end. Eat as soon as you get there, even while you are in chambers discussing this matter. Eat protein and bread. You need the energy of both.”

I nodded and turned back to Van. “We're ready. What do we do?”

He looked tired but motioned for all of us to stand. “Join hands, please.”

We formed a circle. I held on to Van's hand on one side, Grieve's on the other. A moment later, I felt an icy chill begin to rise up into my feet, and from my feet into my legs. A lacework of energy, the frost networked its way through my body, paralyzing me as I stood there, unable to move.

Grieve's hand slipped away—or rather, it felt like it did, but it was hard to say because everything began to shift and move as a mist enveloped us. Van's fingers disappeared, and there was nothing between me and the swirl of ice and chill. This was different from when I called the winds and they swept me up. This didn't suck me in. I retained control of my senses even though my body wasn't able to respond. But the cold made me lethargic, and I fell into a light somnolence as the vortex worked its magic on me.

Time vanished. I had no idea how long I'd been dozing, but a quick jolt startled me, and I realized we were standing in the council chamber back in the Eldburry Barrow. As I tried to shake the fog out of my head, my knees gave way, and I tumbled to the ground before Grieve or Van could catch me.

I landed on the floor and the hard stone woke me up—or rather, made me all too aware of where I was. Groaning, I rolled to a seated position, and Grieve reached out a hand. He pulled me to my feet.

“So much for graceful.” Yawning, I managed to make it over to a chair. I turned to Van. “You said we'd be exhausted, but I had no idea to expect this.”

“That's why you must eat. Food won't wake you up, but it will give you stamina and replenish the energy from transferring through the Dream Time.” He stepped back. “I must return. Thorn will be in touch. We will begin testing the warriors en masse and work around the clock until we are done.” And with that he vanished.

The others weren't hit as hard as I was. Full Cambyra Fae were still more resilient than I, even though I was the Queen. But everybody looked like they'd been dragged home by the cat after a long night on the town. Druise headed for the door, but I stopped her.

“Druise, you're going to get food?”

She curtseyed. “Yes, Your Highness. With your permission.”

“That's fine—we all need it. But remember: No one must know what's going on or that the shamans are testing people. News will filter out soon enough; there's no help for that, but we want to keep it secret as long as possible.” The longer we were able to keep the matter quiet, the less chance there was the spy would be able to report back to Myst that we knew she was out and about.

Druise nodded. “Yes, my Lady.” And then she slipped out the door.

I leaned on the table, resting my chin on my elbows. The others looked as wiped out as I felt. “So . . . what do we do next? I'd send out a scouting party, but if the spy is among the guards . . .”

“You make a good point. And you cannot afford to risk Check or Fearless on the pursuit.” Strict frowned, tapping his fingers on the table. “We may have to wait on that. Unless . . .” He paused. “There is one possibility—the Wilding Fae? The Snow Hag seems to be firmly in your Court. Myst can trap them but not turn them, as far as I know.”

“Courting favors with them is a tricky business. What about my father's people? The Uwilahsidhe? Is there any there we might trust? They could fly in owl form, scout out from above.” I would have done it myself if I thought they'd let me get away with it, but I knew better than to even make the suggestion.

Strict frowned. “You might be onto something. There is”—he paused, as if searching for the right words—“I must walk softly on this one. There is someone we can trust, but . . .”

My advisor wasn't usually so reticent. In fact, he was downright bossy and domineering at times—but always in a respectful way. I wasn't sure what to make of his pussyfooting around. Rather than push, I decided to wait.

After a moment he shook his head. “I have an idea, and as soon as I determine whether it's viable or not, I will inform you. After I've eaten, I will feel it out.” And with that he pressed his lips together, and I realized we weren't going to get anything more out of him at this point.

Grieve cleared his throat. “We should talk to your cousin—the Court of Rivers and Rushes must know that Myst is back in the area. If she's infiltrating the realm of Winter, you know she'll be after Summer's heart, too.”

“We'll go after we've eaten. And, as much as it pains me to agree with Thorn, we do have to figure out how to make certain Peyton, Luna, and Kaylin are on our side. I believe I know a way. While the shaman's ritual won't work on the magic-born . . . Kaylin's night-veil demon can invade minds. He did that to me once.” It had been horrible, but he'd done it to help me.

“Yes, but who will vouch for Kaylin?” Grieve smiled softly. “There's the question.”

At that moment, Druise returned with food, and I insisted she sit down and join us. She was as tired as we were. As we broke bread and passed around the venison cooked with juniper berries, I couldn't help but feel the weight of the overwhelming odds we were facing. But this time, there would be no reprieve. We were headed to the final battle. I could feel it in my bones.

As we stood at the edge of the Twin Holly trees that sheltered the portal into the Golden Wood, I steeled myself. The bracing energies raging between the trees were buzzing like a hive of bees, a network of sparks that raced through the body. The energy jarred me, but I was getting used to it.

We'd sent word ahead to Rhiannon that we needed to meet at the Veil House. It seemed easiest to go there rather than face the risk that spies might also be in the Summer Court.

As Check and Fearless moved to flank my sides, Grieve took the front. We had to make it to the Veil House on our own. We didn't dare put our trust in the other guards until we knew they were safe. Though, it occurred to me that if they were out to assassinate me, they'd had plenty of time.

Maybe they aren't aiming for a simple assassination, Cicely. Remember, Myst has a long memory. She prefers to toy with her quarry before she swoops in for the kill. She might be saving you for herself because she considers you a traitor, even though it was several lifetimes ago that you turned your back on her.
Ulean was with us—she was sticking to my side like glue, for which I was extremely grateful.

The thought that Myst might be out for more than just my blood was almost more terrifying than the thought of actually fighting her. What she could—and probably would—do to me was more horrific than I wanted to think about.

“Come on, then. We'd best get a move on.” The Golden Wood was still covered in snow even though it was early February. Normally, New Forest, Washington, claimed some snow during the winter, especially out in the woodland areas, but nothing like this. This season had been like no other. Myst had rolled out her long night and blanketed the town with perpetual snow. But after spending a month in the realm of Winter, the weather felt almost balmy to me. While it was colder than normal in the forest, it was far colder in my new home.

We glided across the snows, running atop the four-foot-deep banks that filled the forest. The woods here were like most of those around western Washington. A playground for cedars and towering firs, the undergrowth grew so thick you needed a machete to get through the bracken and brambles, huckleberries, and waist-high ferns.

The ground beneath the snow was spongy during the spring and autumn, soft and filled with detritus from the long seasons gone past. Moss blanketed the sides of the trees and spread across the fallen logs and over the boulders that had tumbled through the valleys during the slow retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age.

But a new ice age was what Myst sought to bring about. Not content with the balance, she was looking to rule over the world, creating a snowy hunting ground for the Indigo Court. And the Golden Wood was her chosen place to make her stand. Home to both the Summer and Winter Courts of this region, the Twin Hollies led into my realm—the Court of Snow and Ice. Twin Oaks led into my cousin Rhiannon's realm—the Court of Rivers and Rushes.

We shared the wood, and the balance entailed handing over rule on the summer and winter solstices, with each of us guarding our half of the year. Mine was the waning half, hers was the waxing. But Myst had destroyed the balance before we came to power. She had managed to wrest it away from Lainule, the former Queen of Rivers and Rushes, and Tabera, the late Queen of Snow and Ice. She had destroyed Tabera's heartstone, killing the Winter Queen, and had managed to drive Lainule back to the Golden Isle.