8
Keltania
It isn’t until I climb through Zana’s window for our nightly session that I see Valen again.
Zana’s not here yet. It’s just me and him. There are bags under his eyes, and his posture is slouched. The tension rolls off him in waves, and I have to brace myself against the windowsill to keep from swaying. The closer we are, physically, the stronger the sensations.
“Where did you disappear to after we left the catacombs?” He glances back to make sure Zana hasn’t come in. She’s stealthy and has the tendency to pop up when you least expect her to. “I thought you were coming with me to get Kopic settled.”
“I thought it was a bad idea, considering the scrutiny we’ve been getting.”
“Tania—”
“Valen, we need to talk about something. I think, under the circumstances, we should—”
“It is possible.” Zana breezes into the room with a pile of books barely balanced in her arms. Valen rushes over and takes them from her so they don’t topple to the ground. “But it’s going to be tricky.”
“Will a magic transfer affect our link?” Valen sets the books down on the small table beside the bed, then opens the one at the top of the pile. He skims the page, and his lips twist into a disgusted scowl. “This says something about removing skin—”
“That doesn’t pertain to this.” Zana slaps his hand away and closes the book. “Everything I can find on the process deems it safe for the individual offering the magic. Unfortunately, your situation is…unique. There’s no way to know for sure what it will do to your bond. Probably nothing. But there’s always a chance it could strengthen it. Or…sever it.”
Valen pales. The anxiety radiating from him wells in my own gut, making me a little queasy. I hope he can see the risk is worth it. This very well might be the only way to lure the other courts out of hiding.
Zana offers an encouraging smile. “I still have some digging to do. I want to be certain this is as safe as it can be—for both of you—while doing my best to ensure it actually works.”
“And you’re positive it’s different from panashere?” Valen asks.
I doubt Zana detects the note of fear in his voice, but to me it’s the loudest thing in the room.
Zana’s expression darkens. “Panashere is barbaric . It’s done with a needle and draws out a Fae’s very essence.” She breathes in deep, then blows out slowly, her shoulders sagging a bit. “Panashere is also temporary. I doubt the power would manifest in the others as hereditary magic. More than likely, they’d simply have access to Winter magic for a short time, then later, nothing. Plus, that would cause issues on another level. Court magics should never intermingle. It’s dangerous.”
“And this process?” I prod. “How is it not dangerous?”
“This is a ritual done with focus stones and gathered energy. It draws on the magic within a Fae’s blood rather than drawing out the blood itself.”
“Are we sure it will be permanent?” Valen sinks into the chair beside the desk. He goes to open the book again, but Zana snatches it off the table.
“I am—which is why you need to be absolutely certain of this. The long-term implications are huge.” She levels a stare at Valen, then tosses the book onto the bed. “Do you want to go through with it?”
Valen quirks a brow. “If it’s safe, then why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, as Celpin said, you’d be giving the other courts an advantage they might use against us.”
“I don’t see it that way.” Valen stands and moves to settle on the edge of her bed. He grins and starts to reach for the book, but Zana shakes her head, and he stops.
What is with you and that book?
“Obviously I find it appealing because she doesn’t want me touching it.” He grins and glances at the book. “Do you think there are naughty bits in there?”
Valen…
He sighs. “The Great Drain should never have happened. If the courts hadn’t gone to war with one another, we would never have lost the magic in the first place. The Winter Court retained power because of what Servis did to Aphelian. We had the means to help the others, and we didn’t. The way I see it, we owe them. This is long overdue.”
Zana’s expression hardens. Like Delkin, she predates the Great Drain, but I have no idea how much of the war she saw firsthand. “History tells us the courts were never on good terms…”
Valen meets her gaze—not angry but stern. Resolute. “And it’s time for that to change.”
A spike of determination floods our connection, followed by a rush of pride. Valen swore he’d never be anything like his uncle, like his aunt. Power and oppressive tactics are a thing of the past. I always believed him, but seeing him try so hard to change things, to be so willing to allow everyone the same solid ground and advantage, only makes him more appealing.
That’s the last thing I need.
I tear my gaze from Valen and force myself to look at Zana. “We should get to work.”
Zana cuts our lesson short, saying she’s tired and needs her rest so she can research tomorrow with a clear head.
Normally Valen goes back to his room afterward, and I to mine, but tonight he asked to talk to me. I swing onto Zana’s window ledge and wait a few minutes, until I’m sure Valen is settled in his room, then carefully scale the jagged rocks of the estate wall over to his window.
When I climb into his room, I expect a quip about it taking me so long, but he says nothing.
I lift my leg over the ledge and lean back against the sill. “What’s this all about?”
“That’s what I want to know. You’d started to say something when Zana came in.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets and falls back onto the bed.
“I did…” I push off the sill but don’t settle in one of the chairs. I’ve warded both Zana’s room and his, so we’re able to speak freely, but staying too long would be a mistake. I can’t stop someone from coming into the room.
“I’m not going to like it, am I?” he says.
“Probably not.” I don’t like it, either, but I can’t let him know that.
He stands and starts to pace, his anxiety spiking.
“We need to do something about the link.”
He stops mid-stride. “I don’t understand. Isn’t that what we’re doing by meeting with Zana?”
“Yes…” I say. “And no.” I didn’t come to this decision lightly, and I knew he’d be resistant. Shit, I’m resistant. But I have to be the strong one here. I have to make the hard choice. I breathe deep, calming myself in order to keep my own emotions in check. There’s nowhere I belong anymore. Not in Lunal, with the druids. Not here, with the Fae. Valen is my home, my only tether, and to distance myself from that guts me. “It’s not enough anymore, Valen. There are too many eyes on us.”
There’s a swell of panic mixed with irritation, and his entire body stiffens. “What are you getting at?”
“I think I can dull the connection between us. But I didn’t want to do it without telling you.” I swallow the lump forming in my throat. I can dull the connection, but only my end of it. I can control what he feels from me—but not what I feel from him. And it’s limited. Any physical damage either of us receives will still transfer to the other. But it’s something… “I know you depend on it—”
His irritation hits me like a brick. “Of course I depend on it. We can’t be seen together, we can’t talk to each other—I can’t have you.” His voice cracks. “That link is all I get, and you want to take it away?”
“Not take it away. Just…mute it a little. Dull the emotions between us. Numb the sensations… Like this.” I pinch a small section of skin on my arm, concentrating hard.
Valen glances at his own arm like he’s waiting for the pain. A small red mark appears, but there’s no indication he feels it. “That’s—” He lifts his gaze up to meet mine. “No. This isn’t necessary.”
“Yes, it is.” I’d insisted learning to dull the link was for emergency scenarios— just in case —but it was a lie. One I told him and myself.
He shakes his head. “There has to be another way.”
“We’ll still be able to talk in our minds,” I assure him. I don’t think I’d be able to block that even if I wanted to. “And if anything comes up where we need to feel each other completely again, I’ll—”
“Please…” There’s a whisper of sadness tinted with fear. He must sense the loss of it on his end, because he blinks, confused, before his expression darkens. “Tania—”
There’s a knock on the door.
“Shit!” Valen grabs my hand and gives me a light shove toward the closet. “Just give me a moment to get rid of them. We need to talk about this.”
He snaps the closet closed, and I hear footsteps hurrying toward the bedroom door. A moment later, it opens.
“Valen.” Kopic’s voice booms through the space, followed by thundering footsteps. He’s not alone. “You need to come with us.”
“Do you have someplace specific in mind?” Valen says lightly. “Or does everyone just miss me terribly tonight?”
“Come on.” The urgency in Kopic’s voice worries me. Damnit. Coming here was a bad idea—now I’m stuck until they all leave.
“Well, if it’s that important…” There’s some shuffling and hushed chatter, then the door closes and several sets of footsteps scamper down the hall.
Let me know when you’re clear .
A few tense moments pass.
“We’re almost to the courtyard. You should be clear. But be careful.”
I count to twenty, then slowly creep from his closet and open the door. He’s right. The hallway is clear, so I hurry to catch up. They’re moving fast, and by the time I reach them, they’ve made it to the edge of the courtyard. Four Winter Guards, Kopic, and Valen.
“What’s going on?” I ask. “I saw everyone rushing off.”
“Some of the men alerted me that there were odd sounds coming from the area just outside the main gate.” Kopic points beyond the long, hilpberry-lined path. At first, the horizon looks clear. Trees, lots of snow… Then, after several seconds, something moves at the tree line.
“What is that?” I push past the gate and drop to the ground. There’s a small vine beneath one of the bushes closest to us. It’s…twitching. Which is strange, for sure, but why the urgency? “Kopic, I think—”
The small vine emits an otherworldly shriek and convulses. It’s unsettling, and a pit gnaws at my gut as I cover my ears.
Stumbling back, I scramble to my feet. The plant shakes violently. There’s an odd sound—like coughing—and lumps form along the length of the vine. Getting bigger and bigger. They grow until they take the shape of deep-blue bulbs. Hundreds of them.
Shit…
Kopic, Valen, and the guards join me on the other side of the gate. My heart pounds, and the hairs at the back of my neck jump to attention. We need to be ready for anything.
A single vine shoots past us. It wraps around both sections of the gate, then yanks hard, slamming it closed. Trapping us.
“That’s not good…” Valen pulls on the gate, but the vines hold tight, and it doesn’t budge. He curses and positions himself between the small group of us and the plant.
The tip of the vine explodes in a small cloud of purple dust. I cough and wave my hand in an attempt to disperse it. I manage to shoo it away, but it drifts over the rest of the plant, absorbing into it.
Several of the bulbs shudder, then drop from the vine, twitching and growing. With a collective sound that mimics the first shriek—only a hundred times louder—several burst into smaller green stems with creeping, limb-like vines and night-dark flowers. Their pointed leaves have an odd sheen to them, and as they start to move, the petals slice through everything they come in contact with.
No…
Kopic kicks at the one nearest to him. One of the black petals grazes his boot, cutting a nasty slice through the leather. A moment later, blood oozes from the cut, and he winces. “Stay away from the flowers!”
It’s too late. We’re surrounded.