Chapter 29
L ord Sunshard tosses a stone into the stream, his mind clearly on other things. It makes a plopping sound as the water swallows it up. I feel a bit like that stone, with the cold water rising up over it, dragging it downwards. Looking away, I focus on where General Sunshard sits beside me on the riverbank, as we discuss what we’ve learned.
“What you’re saying is that she doesn’t need either of you anymore?” the General asks, her hand permanently glued to the pommel of her sword.
“She wanted to use us to gain control of the founding stone.” Ruskin says flatly. While he seems to have recovered from his powers being removed with no lasting damage, I can tell that mentally this blow has hit him hard. “Now she’s lifted the protections Eleanor laid on it, and has used her new power from Interra to pass its tests, nothing is standing in her way.”
“So now we need even more in our arsenal than we did before,” General Sunshard says.
Ruskin rises, taking a leaf out of Lord Sunshard’s book and kicking at a stone. It’s as big as my head, and flies straight across the water to smash against a boulder on the other side. It splits in two with a loud crack.
“Yes,” he says, staring at the boulder like it’s personally wronged him. “We couldn’t best her even when I was High King. Now she has the power of the Seelie Realm on her side and we…” He trails off, and the edge of despair in his words makes me stand too.
“She isn’t the only one who gained things from Interra. We have powers she doesn’t have, and allies too.”
Ruskin’s expression softens, though he doesn’t look any more hopeful.
“You really think that will be enough?” he asks.
“I think it doesn’t matter either way,” I say. “No offense, my love, but you’ve never been here before.”
“And where is here, exactly?” he asks. His voice is sharp, and I can tell he’s in pain. Not physical agony like he just went through, but pain that goes deeper. His world is about to burn because of a woman he spent centuries fighting for. But I won’t let him give up yet.
“At the bottom of a hole when it feels like you have no cards left to play. In a situation where it seems like everyone else is stronger and better positioned than you and there’s absolutely no way you can survive. Except it doesn’t matter if you think you can or not. You have to try, because the only other option is to lie down and die,” I say bluntly. “Those have been my only options time and time again. So the way I see it, we don’t really have a choice whether to fight for Seelie. We’re already in this, to whatever end waits for us.”
“ You have a choice,” Ruskin says quietly, staring at me. “You could go home, with your father,” he gestures to Dad, who’s been watching us talk from his seat on the riverbank. He’s silent, but I can tell he’s absorbing all this.
“And you could go back to your uncle and forget about your kingdom,” I point out. “But we both already decided long ago that some things are worth more than our lives—our homes, our friends, and family.” I look at the rest of the group, before turning my gaze back to Ruskin. “And each other.”
General Sunshard finally releases her hand from her weapon and stands. “She’s right. I didn’t live through the Great Divide to let that woman destroy the kingdom I fought for. Halima will be avenged.”
I nod, appreciating her support.
“We woke her up, Ruskin,” I say. “Both of us. Now let’s put that wrong right.”
Ruskin’s jaw tightens, his yellow-green eyes burning with new fervor.
“Very well. Then I think it’s time we take Lisinder up on his offer.”
The earthy smell of the resistance safe house is comforting, much more so than the many hostile faces of the Low Fae staring back at us. I’d have a sense of déjà vu, except now there are definitely a handful of humans mixed in among the Low Fae, wearing servants’ uniforms from the palace. And somehow things are worse than the last time we all met here.
Lisinder was more than willing to ready his army when Ruskin contacted him via portal, but beyond asking him to march on the Seelie Kingdom, we have no plan. If we don’t come up with one soon, we’re looking at bloodbath—and worse, a pointless bloodbath, since we have no guarantee it would do anything to stop Evanthe’s plans. If anything, distracting the Seelie with a war would probably aid her in destroying her court.
“What happened to Kaline?” demands the fae with the mossy beard—one of the resistance leaders, I’ve come to realize—as I find Dad a seat. Dad sinks into it gratefully, eyeing the petal-skinned fae beside him with interest rather than fear. It gives me some hope.
“Yesterday you said you could stop Evanthe, and then the next thing we hear you have left the palace again, and Kaline is dead,” barks the bearded fae.
I feel my face crumple, surprising myself. The grief is fresh, but I thought I had been hardened to it by now. It seems that my silly, human heart still can’t keep up with the pace of loss in Faerie.
“I’m sorry about Kaline,” I say. “She was one of my first true friends in this realm.”
“So why did you leave her to die?” the fae demands.
“She didn’t,” Ruskin interjects, and the bearded fae stands straighter. Despite himself, he’s aware of being addressed by royalty. “Kaline was leaving with us after our plan to weaken the queen failed. But she got distracted and fell behind. She saw Lord Vanis and went after him. My mother’s dark magic caught up to her, and that’s how she died.”
“I still don’t see how?—”
“That’s enough, Ecistan,” says a voice among the gathered Low Fae. The crowd parts slightly, and I see, seated in a chair with a blanket over his legs, a fae with hair like coral.
“Falstir,” I say, recognizing Kaline’s brother.
“I’m sorry I was not here yesterday to greet you, Your Highness,” Falstir says, nodding to Ruskin, and then to the others. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t bow.”
“Your sister told us about what happened to you,” I say. “Evanthe’s followers will pay for their crimes.”
“That’s what Kaline thought, and she went and got herself killed because she was trying to avenge me.” He shakes his head, his eyes bright with sadness and anger. “She was always stubborn and hot-headed.”
I feel a fresh jab of pain at Falstir’s words, because they make me realize how much I had yet to learn about Kaline. I barely knew her, and yet I can see the hole she’s leaving here is a raw, jagged one.
“Tell them, Gapir,” Falstir prompts the imp. “They need to know.”
Gapir steps forward, looking shifty. “There’s been developments at the palace.”
“What kind?” General Sunshard demands. “Why didn’t you lead with this?”
“More humans have arrived. Soldiers. A hundred, at least. They’re carrying weapons made of cold iron and they’ve herded the High Fae and some of their servants into the palace. According to our spies, they’re holding them inside, though they’re not sure where exactly.”
The presence of the human servants here at the safe house suddenly makes sense; they must’ve escaped during the attack on the palace.
“What about Evanthe?” I ask.
“We don’t know. No one can find her.”
Our group exchange alarmed looks.
“It has to be Albrecht’s men, working on Evanthe’s orders,” I say. “He told Gawain there was a battle coming, didn’t he?”
Destan frowns. “But if she’s happy to risk revealing her alliance with the humans to the court, then that means…”
“That she no longer cares about keeping them on her side,” Ruskin says darkly. “The founding stone was just another step in her plan, but if she’s willing to show her true nature now, she must be reaching the final stages.”
“Which is?” Ecistan interrupts, clearly annoyed that he can’t follow what we’re talking about.
“The end of everything,” I say, addressing them all. “She wants to punish Seelie, to turn everything in this kingdom to ash.”
“That’s insane,” Gapir protests, clearly struggling to believe it.
“It’s true,” Ruskin says, with such finality that no one argues. There’s a pause as the resistance seem to absorb this.
“But how will she do it?” one of the other fae asks. “Even as High Queen, you can’t just wipe out a whole kingdom. Can you?”
“We don’t yet know her exact plans,” Ruskin admits.
“But we could find out,” says General Sunshard. “We could rescue the court from their captors, and turn them to our cause. I imagine most of them will see the error of their ways now Evanthe’s turned on them.”
“And they’re sure to have some clues as to what she’s planning,” says Destan excitedly. “Whether they realize what they know or not.”
“Are you kidding me?” Ecistan spits. “Some of those fae have terrorized us for weeks, tormented us .” He points to Falstir. “And you want us to go back to helping them? You’re on your own. The Low Fae will have no part of this.” There are murmurs of assent from the others, and I look for Ruskin’s reaction. He just raises an eyebrow.
“Very well, do as you wish. I am no longer your ruler, after all, and I will not compel you.”
I approve of the words, knowing how sickening it must feel to be asked to help the very people who treated you so poorly. If anyone ever came to me asking me to help Albrecht out, you can bet I’d send them packing. And yet, my gut tells me trying to do this alone again will be a mistake. The Unseelie are still at least a day’s travel away, as they are unable to portal directly into Seelie, and Evanthe is already gone—meaning her plan to poison the kingdom could be in motion as we speak.
“May I talk with you alone for a moment?” I ask Ruskin.
We step outside, and I pull Ruskin close, not wanting the Low Fae to hear us. In truth, even now, despite everything going on around us, the chance to be close to him just for the sake of it calls to me. I breathe in, taking strength from the way my body fits against his, made for each other.
“We should convince them to join us,” I say. “We need all the help we can get.”
Ruskin’s brow furrows. “ How would we convince them? You heard them—they’re done with the High Fae. I would’ve thought you of all people would understand I shouldn’t force them to help us. Even if it would save their own kingdom,” he adds, and I can see him straining against the new boundaries he’s set for himself. The old him is whispering that it would be justifiable, necessary, but I can see that he knows better now.
“You have to offer something. They’re not withholding help to be petty. They’re hurt and afraid. They don’t want to give power back to people who abuse it.”
He touches my chin, gently turning my face as if examining me. We haven’t been alone for days, and just this intimate gesture makes my heart stutter and heat pool in my stomach.
“You have a way of making things seem so obvious,” he says. “Just when I think a situation is too complicated to navigate, you come and simplify it for me.”
“Remember my experiments?” I smile. “I’m used to simplifying things for people.”
He smirks at my gentle sarcasm. “All right, then, Lady Know-it-all. Let us—what is it that you say? ‘Test your hypothesis.’”
His tone may be teasing, but I’m warmed by how easily he accepts my suggestion. There was a time when I had to fight tooth and nail to get him to treat me like a true partner, to let me in so I could help him make decisions. He leans down to kiss me, and I don’t bother hiding my want for him, leaning in, opening my mouth to his. He nips at my bottom lip, and I moan quietly. He hums a noise of approval, pulling back to fix me with his darkened gaze.
“Soon, when this is all over, I want a week with you alone. Then I’ll pull that noise from you again and again.”
I grin at him mischievously. “Just a week?”
Back inside the house, Ruskin addresses the fae.
“I realize that it would be asking a lot, to expect you to walk back into that palace and free some of the High Fae who showed no concern for your freedom, your health, or your dignity. But if we can remove my mother from power, I promise you now, you will see justice. As king, I will punish any fae who committed a crime against their fellow Seelie.”
The resistance begin to talk among themselves, and I catch snatches of the discussions—many pointing out that life was never bad like this under Ruskin’s rule, and that Evanthe is to blame for how things have changed. I can feel the mood shifting in our favor, and I look up at Ruskin with triumph.
He sighs and whispers to me. “I’ll never hear the end of this, will I?”
The corridors of the palace are eerily empty once more. The resistance told us that when the human soldiers arrived, most of the servants got out and fled to the town. According to their spies, some stayed to try to defend the palace, and then probably got caught up with the rest of the court—we just don’t know where they, or the Styrland soldiers, are exactly.
As we creep down the corridors with thirty Low Fae either side of us, we pass the occasional Styrlander lying dead, a weapon made of cold iron in their hand. It seems some of the High Fae, at least, put up a fight while they were being captured.
“Why do you think she didn’t just have Albrecht’s men kill them all?” I murmur to Ruskin. It’s a horrible question, but one I can’t help asking.
His expression is grim. “Because it’s not enough punishment, I suppose. However she’s going to ruin this kingdom, she wants them to witness it.”
I think of the dying world I saw in Jorna’s vision, and shudder, focusing on sending my magic outwards, probing the palace for large quantities of metal where it shouldn’t be, particularly cold iron.
At least I know Dad’s okay now. That’s one good thing to come out of the mess of the last twenty-four hours. Falstir assured me he would be safe with him and some of the other Low Fae who stayed behind at the resistance house. I hinted to Kaline’s brother some of what Dad has been through, worried about leaving him alone, and I saw understanding in the fae’s expression. Both of them know what it’s like to be at the mercy of someone powerful and cruel. After that, I felt confident leaving Dad there, knowing he’d be looked after.
I expected Dad to be harder to sway, but he argued even less than he did when we left Styrland. It worried me, how readily he accepted that I would be going back to the palace without him. I was afraid this was a sign he was slipping deeper into himself, losing himself to the horror of what Albrecht made him witness. But he simply patted my hand, the gesture turning into a squeeze to emphasize his words.
“I don’t pretend to understand everything that is happening, Nora. But I can see how important you are. It sounds like Blackcoat’s mother is another Albrecht, and if you’ve made friends in this place…” He glances around, and I’m encouraged by the hint of wonder in his expression. “Then I’m inclined to think it’s worth fighting for.”
“Guards!” General Sunshard shouts as we turn a corner in the palace. Three fae are positioned across the corridor, their weapons drawn. I’ve been using my magic to explore deeper in the palace, which is why I didn’t sense them so close. It takes me a moment to pull my power back to me, enough time to wonder how the guards think this will work out for them, given they’re outnumbered twenty to one.
Both groups stand, weapons raised, watching each other. But General Sunshard doesn’t give the order to charge, and neither does the leader of the trio. His uniform gives his captain’s rank away, but even without that he seems familiar. I’ve seen him around the palace, I’m sure, but now I study his face, looking for some sign that this hesitation is a trick. I can feel the resistance beside us, tense as coiled springs, and I wonder who will snap first.
The captain throws up his hand.
“Sheathe your weapons,” he orders his companions, and the voice seems even more familiar.
The tension in the fae around me eases a notch.
“Identify yourself, soldier,” General Sunshard demands.
The guard looks almost sad as he meets her gaze.
“Captain Kellspring, General.”
“You know who I am?” she asks.
“I trained under your daughter.” His expression makes sense now, and the familiarity of his voice too. I never interacted with the guards much, mostly because Halima handled everything so seamlessly, but I overheard her speaking with Kellspring once.
“I will be honest, Captain,” Ruskin says. “We’re here to take the court back from the queen as much as from the humans. Do you have any objections to this?”
Kellspring looks between the members of our group, taking in the Sunshards, Destan, the Low Fae, and me. A mixed band for certain, and I have no idea what he’ll make of it.
“Commander Sunshard always taught us that our loyalty should be to our kingdom, rather than to a single monarch. We have followed the queen’s orders, as long as the palace was hers to occupy, but now the court has fallen to invaders, and she is nowhere to be found.”
He eyes Ruskin, and I think he’s remembering Halima’s respect for the prince, because he nods as if deciding something. “We are at your disposal, my Lord.”
“Good. Have you identified where the invaders are holding the court?”
“We were not killed or captured in the initial attack like the other guards, partly because we were already searching for the queen in remote parts of the palace. Since then, the humans have been sweeping the castle for those of us they missed in the initial charge—but on their own or in pairs they’re easier targets, and we have been picking them off as we find them.”
That explains the dead Styrlanders we’ve passed.
“But we suspect they’ve taken the court to the orchard,” Kellspring continues. “Strategically, it is central, and it’s one of the few palace rooms large enough to hold the entire court and more.”
“Very well,” says General Sunshard. “Then let us proceed there.”
“Their weapons are cold iron,” one of the other guards warns us.
“Oh, we know,” I say, with a grim smile.
Kellspring’s guess was right. As the orchard comes into view, Gapir goes ahead as a scout—as the smallest among us, he’s also the quietest—he returns confirming that Albrecht’s men, who are clearly identifiable by the crest on their armor, have the High Fae and the remaining servants crowded inside, forming a tight perimeter around it.
“The fae in there outnumber the humans five to one,” he whispers. “But the humans have their iron weapons trained on them.” He shudders. “The place stinks of it.”
“Not for long,” I say.
I lead the way, concentration pulled taut as the humans and their captives come into view. I need to make sure my magic is ready at my fingertips, but even with my focus, I notice how tired and pale many of the fae look.
“Drop your weapons, please,” I say, making the Styrlanders jump and whirl around to face me. “Or I’ll have to do it for you.” One man, wearing an insignia that indicates he’s of higher rank than the others, takes a step forward. His eyes widen a fraction as he takes us in, yet he doesn’t waver when he points his sword towards me.
“Your magic will not work on our weapons, fae,” he glowers before signaling to a soldier. The man grabs the fae nearest him—a young High Fae lady—and holds his sword to her throat.
Tears spring from her terrified eyes, and her face drains of any remaining color as she tries to scrabble at the soldier’s arm, but the iron has made her weak.
“Please,” she begs, her throat choked by a rising sob, but I hold my ground. An off note in the commander’s voice tells me this might be running on bravado rather than true conviction. I suspect it even more when he launches into a series of threats.
“Our king has uncovered your secrets. We know your weakness, and you will bow to His Majesty when he takes your kingdom, or you will feel the bite of our iron. If you beg, perhaps King Albrecht will let you unnatural creatures live as our slaves.” His face is twisted in an ugly snarl, but I think he’s just trying to intimidate us because he already feels at a disadvantage. I see the other soldiers fidgeting nervously, not sure whether they should be focused on the fae they’re guarding or us newcomers. It’s clear that they’re strangers in a strange land, and they don’t feel like they have control of the situation.
“Ah, but you see, that’s the problem,” I say, yanking the sword out of the commander’s hand with my magic and slowly levitate it towards me. The Styrlanders watch, frozen, as I reach my fingers out, wrapping them around the cold iron, before smiling at them all.
“I’m not fae.”