3. Enlo
Enlo found Revi in the library. Today, his cousin was a giant winter wolf, fur an ombre ripple of silver and white. He lay on the largest sofa, a wide book of the Court’s reports spread before him. No matter how Enlo was used to seeing Revi in beast form, there were some things he would never grow accustomed to—like seeing an animal reading a book with the sort of intensity and focus he attributed to Revi in years past.
The wolf didn’t look up at him as he used his nose to turn the page. Enlo sauntered across the room and settled into the arm chair nearest to Revi. His cousin read, and Enlo stared at him until Revi emitted a low rumble and fixed his gaze on Enlo.
“Did you have something to tell me, or did you just come to ogle?”
“You know,” Enlo said conversationally, leaning back and throwing one arm over the side of the chair, “I’m certain a talking, literate beast would make quite the spectacle in the human lands.”
Revi growled again. Enlo chuckled, but he quickly sobered, his mind too preoccupied to keep the levity going.
“I haven’t had a chance to look over those yet.” He gestured to the papers before Revi. “What news?”
Revi scanned the page. “The Master of the Hunt reports fewer prey in the northern forest.”
Enlo grimaced. “So soon?”
Revi grunted his affirmative.
“That’s…”
“Bad.”
“Yes.” Enlo tapped a finger on his knee. “What of the western slopes?”
Revi shook his head. “No better.”
Enlo swallowed. Despite the regular rain—for they still got a decent amount—the Winter Court was bleeding out. The animals could feel the land’s decay and were leaving on their own.
Enlo hesitated. After being cursed by the Summer Queen, Revi hated any mention of any of the other Courts, but… “Any luck changing the trade agreements with the other Courts? Have any of them agreed to send more food stores?”
Revi’s lips curled back in a silent snarl. “No.”
Enlo hadn’t expected any luck there either—the other Courts could only spare so much of their own crops—but the question had needed to be asked.
“I did hear from the steward,” Enlo said quickly; better to draw Revi’s attention from the other Courts before he was too riled to discuss anything else. “The farmers’ latest crop of summer squash did somewhat better. Half of it yielded produce instead of a third.”
Revi’s side-eye made it clear he saw through Enlo’s attempt at cheer on the topic. “And his other crops?”
Enlo shifted. “The same as before.” Which was very poorly. Even the summer crops refused to grow, thanks to the curse.
Revi’s silence tightened with his tension. When he spoke, his voice was low and broken. “My Court is dying.”
Enlo was out of his seat in an instant. He dropped to his knee beside Revi’s sofa. He dug a hand into his cousin’s shoulder, gripping the thick, soft fur there. “No. No, we won’t let it. There’s still the caves. Our scouts are exploring them, and their reports are promising. We can develop them into new homes for our people—”
“And how long will that take? And how long will that sanctuary last without a reliable food source?” Revi tilted his head away from Enlo, hiding his gaze. “The Winter Court is dying, Enlo. We can’t stop it. Eventually the land will wither away entirely.”
Enlo sat back on his heels. “We can slow it, though. Slow it until you win the human’s heart, and then the curse will break and the Court will be restored.”
Revi huffed, the sound too quiet for Enlo to discern Revi’s feelings from it.
“Is everything ready for her?” Enlo asked.
Revi’s muscles tightened under Enlo’s hand. “What is there to prepare? The rooms are clean. There’s food in the kitchens.”
Enlo frowned. It would be impossible to miss how reluctant Revi was about their impending guest, but Enlo wished he would try a little harder. The fate of the Winter Court depended on Revi getting this stranger to fall in love with him, and no one was going to fall in love with a surly beast.
“Are you ready?” Enlo tried again.
“There’s nothing to prepare,” Revi growled, baring deadly sharp fangs. “I will be here. She will be here. What more do you want, Enlo?”
“Something other than anger would be nice. A sign that you care.”
Revi’s claws dug into the cushion beneath him. “I care. You know I do.”
“I know you do.” Enlo leaned forward and let some of his frustration leak into his voice. He needed Revi to hear this. He needed Revi to set aside his pride for once. If Enlo were in his place... but he wasn’t. Revi was the prince of the Winter Court. Revi was the one who mattered, and all Enlo could do was try to get him to care like Enlo did.
“Give this girl a chance, Revi. Yes, she’s human, but there are legends of Elyri-human matches. They’re not mindless beasts.”
“No, that designation falls to me,” Revi agreed darkly. “Humans are just weak.”
Enlo rolled his eyes. “Of course they are. They hold nothing of power—they don’t have our beauty, their magic is sporadic, and their physical attributes are as weak as a child’s. But you don’t need her to be powerful. You need her affection. Just enough to say that vow and free us from this cursed summer.”
“I have already told you I will try, cousin.” There was an edge to Revi’s tone. Not anger, but rather pain of some sort.
Enlo sat back. That was probably the best he was going to get at the moment. “Just remember your promise.”
“How could I forget with a buzzing little fly in my ear?” Revi’s tail flicked back and forth.
Enlo grinned. “Someone has to buzz in your ear. All the other Elyri are too afraid to. I consider it my sacred duty.”
Revi barked a short laugh. “How many days left?” he asked after a lull.
“A week.”
The past few weeks had passed at a crawl slower than moss grew, an insistent itch at Enlo’s shoulders as he waited for this mysterious woman to arrive.
He had taken to haunting the library himself, poring over the scroll enshrined at the end, under the great window that overlooked Revi’s frostrose bush. Now more than ever, it seemed vital to understand every nuance of the Summer Queen’s curse. If Revi failed to secure the affection of this human, it was a very real possibility that their Court wouldn’t survive long enough for him to get a second chance.
Enlo pulled his gaze away from the scroll under the window. “I’ve already sent out orders to all the denizens of the Winter Court to let her party—if she is not alone—pass unharmed.”
“Your foresight, as always, cousin, is far better than mine.” Revi stretched and hopped from the sofa, brushing past Enlo. He nosed the book shut and sat back on his haunches. “Should we assign a maidservant to her?”
Enlo rose and settled on the sofa Revi had just vacated, withholding the smile that nearly sprang to his face. The question showed Revi was at least giving some consideration to the coming guest, despite his gruff words, and that gave Enlo hope.
“I’ll find someone, if you so wish.”
Revi’s head tilted as he considered. “Yes,” he finally said. “Yes, that’s wise. Our people may not know anything about caring for humans, but, at the very least, another woman will understand any feminine needs that arise.”
“I’ll have someone picked out by the end of the day.”
Revi shifted, pushing off his haunches and shuffling his front paws a bit. After a moment, he rested his large head on Enlo’s knee and closed his eyes. It was a rare moment of affection from his cousin, something Enlo had never seen him do with anyone else and only occasionally with Enlo himself.
Enlo released a sigh and slowly brought his hand to rest on Revi’s head. “I have faith in you, Revi. I know you can save us all.”
“With the help of a human,” Revi muttered. He gave a sigh of his own and turned his head away ever so slightly from Enlo. “You have always had far more faith in me than I deserve, cousin.”
“I have always had exactly the right amount of faith in you, my prince.” He let his hands curl into Revi’s fur. “Have you tried dreamwalking to see if they’re near?”
“I can’t walk her dreams when I have not even met her yet,” Revi said, his voice low and rumbly.
“The leader,” Enlo pointed out. “He said he would journey back with her. Have you searched for him?”
A huff escaped Revi. “No,” he admitted. “I haven’t. But if no one arrives by the end of the week, I most certainly will.”
Enlo grimaced. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Revi gave a low huff of noncommittal agreement.
“You know,” Enlo said after several minutes of silence. “If you can figure out what her favorite animal is and shift into that form, that would probably make your task that much easier.”
Revi slit one eye open to glare at Enlo. “I thought the goal was to get her to marry me, not adopt me as a pet.”
Enlo grinned. “Of course it is, but a pet is a good start. Just look at how well you’re fulfilling my dreams of having a loyal hound right now.” He gave an overexaggerated scratch behind Revi’s ears to emphasize his point.
Revi growled. “Do that again and I will show you exactly what sort of pet I can be.”
Enlo bit back a chuckle. “You protest, but you can’t say that you don’t enjoy it.” Revi growled again, this time lower, and Enlo laughed. “See?”
“Enlo,” Revi said. “Shut up.”