Chapter 26
That night, I toss and turn, my mind racing.
Everything is in ruins. Hunter and Tristan are at each other’s throats.
My father wants to kill me. And the Fox Army is waiting for the first sign of spring to cross the Spires and take Gwyllion, the last remaining fortress in Annwyn.
If the Dead Queen loses this castle, they lose the entire war. Not to mention their home.
And somehow, I’m supposed to fix everything?
I rub my palms over my eyes. There’s no use in staying in bed with my mind a jumbled mess. I swing my legs to the ground and throw my red cloak over my shoulders.
I’m already at the door to the courtyard temple of the Tree God before I realize where my feet have carried me. Light streams through the crack in the door, illuminating the dark, dusty hallway. I push the door open and step inside.
The first thing I notice is the sacred tree bathed in muted moonlight.
Reflections bounce off the mirrors that hang from its branches.
They twist and sway, flashing like fireflies.
I glance up at the snow trapped against the skylight.
It’s a filter, keeping the Moon Goddess from fully reuniting with her beloved Tree God.
The second thing I notice is that I’m not alone.
Nalina kneels on the moss in front of one of the large carved stones. The etching on the boulder depicts a crescent moon with swirls emanating from it.
She must have heard my approach because she speaks first. “I’ve always wondered what this symbol meant.”
I step out of the shadows near the doorway. As I near, I sense her weariness. I’ve never seen Nalina like this, on her knees, her shoulders slumped. It’s unnerving to see someone so strong appear so broken.
For one horrible moment, I realize I might have interrupted her praying. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
She shakes her head slowly. “Everyone is welcome in the temple.” She draws her eyes away from the etching and squints toward me. “Even Foxes.” There’s a slight humorless smile in the corner of her mouth. She stands with a sigh and levels her gaze at me. “Just don’t get used to it.”
I nod, feeling like my presence here is sacrilege somehow.
Nalina turns toward the tree, and we both stand in silence.
The filtered moonlight dances between the slowly spinning mirrors.
There’s an ache in my chest, like a longing for something I never knew to begin with.
I wish I could see this place in its former glory.
I wish I understood why it still feels so holy, even centuries after it was abandoned.
Did the old gods feel pain when they lost the faith of their people?
“What are you doing here?” Nalina finally asks.
I shrug beneath my red cloak. “I’m not sure. I couldn’t sleep. My feet brought me here.” I pause, taking in the moonlit courtyard. “Maybe I was led here by old fae magic.”
I say it as a joke, to lighten the mood, but Nalina eyes me skeptically. “You know, the fae used to believe magic was sacred. That it made its hosts divine.”
I laugh lightly. “Funny to think of Tristan as holy.”
I expect this to bring a smile to her face. Tristan is, after all, her friend. But it doesn’t. A crease forms between her eyes and she frowns.
“He’s not what you think he is.”
I turn toward her. “How so?”
Nalina narrows her eyes at the tree as she thinks. “He used to be joyful. Sunshine incarnate.”
A laugh erupts from me. I can’t help it.
Nalina glowers.
“Sorry.” It takes a moment for me to regain control of my face. “That’s just hard to believe.”
“There are many things about us and our history that you don’t know.”
I nod slowly. “I’m sure that’s true. But I’ve spent so much time with Tristan these past few months. It’s hard to imagine him as ‘joyful’.”
She thinks for several moments before responding. “No one in Annwyn has escaped suffering at the hands of your family, Fox Heir. I thought you’d have figured that out by now.”
“Could you tell me?” I ask, deciding to be bold. “How have you suffered? I would like to understand.”
She chews her lip and crosses her arms over her chest. “My twin sister was taken from me.”
I blink over at her. “I didn’t know you had a family.”
“I don’t anymore. That’s the point.”
“I’m sorry.”
“She sacrificed herself for the safety of the kingdom.” Nalina’s voice is thick with pain. “She was the best person I ever knew. The strongest. The bravest. I should have known that she’d do anything to protect me.”
I nod. “I suppose that’s the thing about love. It makes us braver than we could ever imagine.”
Nalina turns to face me. “Tristan lost someone too.”
“I know. He told me. First his sister, then his parents.”
Nalina shakes her head, like I somehow got it all wrong. “You think you can waltz into Annwyn and understand everything about us.”
Her sudden sharpness stings. And here I thought we were making progress. “I know I don’t understand everything. I’m trying.”
“Hm.” She studies me, uncertain.
“Nalina, can I ask you something?”
She sighs. “That depends on what it is.”
“Why do you hate me so much?”
She raises an eyebrow in an isn’t-it-obvious expression.
I shake my head. “I know you hate my father. My ancestors. My entire kingdom. And I understand why. You lost the person you loved most in the world.”
Nalina’s expression doesn’t change.
I continue, “But you also hate me, specifically. I can see it in your eyes.”
Nalina’s face remains stony for several beats. She turns to face the sacred tree again, as if she can’t stand the sight of me. “It’s the way he looks at you.”
“Who?”
“Don’t play coy with me.”
I’m almost afraid to say his name. “Tristan?”
Her mouth draws into a thin line. “He’s betrayed his own people. With a Fox, no less.”
“He hasn’t betrayed you. He hasn’t betrayed anyone. He’s loyal to Annwyn.”
“And what would you know of loyalty?” Her words are cutting, bone deep. “You’re the one making promises to usurp the Fox Throne. The one who betrayed your Golden Boy. More than once, I hear.”
I steel my heart. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“So you said in the throne room.” She scoffs. “But how? Either you’re loyal to your country—to your people—or you’re not. Which is it?”
I throw my hands up in frustration. “Would you rather I sit back and watch while my father destroys what little is left of Annwyn?” I ask, my anger bubbling to the surface. “I’m trying to save your kingdom.”
“Save us?” Her eyes bulge. “You’re the reason we’re all in this damn mess. You and your power-hungry ancestors.”
“I am not my family!”
“And what would you know of family? Of the sacrifices someone makes for the people they love?” In her anger, her face grows red. Her long scar pales against the flush.
“I’ve made sacrifices too, Nalina.”
“Have you?” Nalina turns her body toward me, her voice low. “Have you walked your sister into the jaws of death? Did you watch her bleed so your people could be safe for just a little while longer? Until someone else had to make the same sacrifice all over again?”
I blink at her. “What are you talking about?”
“I know that you know about him.”
“Who?”
“The fae!”
My heart pounds in my chest as fear claws at my throat. Deep in my sternum, my power flares in warning, as if it’s afraid too.
Nalina’s hand clenches the hilt of her sword. “I followed you. Watched you go down into the dungeon, but you made it back out alive.”
“You know about him.” My voice sounds hollow to my ears.
She laughs humorlessly. “We all know about him.” She spits in disgust. “So many women have died because of him. That is what true loyalty and sacrifice look like.”
My ears hum as I try to put all the pieces together. “But why not kill him?”
She kicks at the gravel beneath our feet, scattering tiny chips of quartz. “Haven’t you wondered how the castle hasn’t toppled over yet? Or how the worst storms hover along the horizon?”
“Yes, but Tristan said it was ancient fae magic.”
“It is ancient fae magic.” Her voice is level. “Fae are territorial. After your father pushed us back to the brink of extinction, we had no choice but to trespass on this territory. This is his nest.”
I blink several times, trying to understand what she’s telling me.
Her expression grows tight. “He moved in after the castle was abandoned by humans. He wasn’t exactly keen to give it back.”
The fae in the dungeon, the disgusting creature who tortures blond women, is responsible for the ancient magic holding Gwyllion together.
“How can that be?” I ask. “The castle was abandoned centuries ago. If that’s true, the fae must be—”
“He’s older than any of us could fathom.”
I shake my head. “That’s not possible.”
She purses her lips. “Not for humans.”
In front of us, the mirrors sway in the draft, shining light into far corners of the courtyard.
My mind is whirling. “How long do fae live?”
“That depends,” she shrugs. “How powerful are they? A simple cellar fae might live a century. Two at most. But something like him? Or the fae kings and queens of old? Thousands of years.”
“And somehow, we’ve managed to kill them all off.”
She actually laughs. Her shoulders shake and her eyes grow bright. “You think they’re all dead?”
I sputter. “Well, obviously there are some still hanging around. The dungeon fae for one.”
She gives me a pitiful look. “They’re only sleeping, Fox.”
My power begins to hum in my sternum, like it’s listening.
Nalina studies me, her head tilted like I’m a curious creature. “Why do you think so many people still visit their old temples?” She gestures to the sacred tree and the carved stones that represent ancient fae families. “Or feed the fae that remain?”
“I don’t know.”
She leans toward me, her voice a rough whisper. “Because we’re afraid.”
I blink at her.
“The fae of Gwyllion are only a drop in the bucket. And if one ancient fae can keep the storms from tearing down this castle, what do you think the royals can do?”
“But they’re dead. They must be.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Why do you think your father wants to take our lands so, very much?” She lets out another hollow laugh.
“You’ve been here long enough to see we aren’t rich in resources.
” She holds out her arms, gesturing to the decrepit castle that surrounds us.
“We don’t have anything he wants. But that’s because he doesn’t want us. ” She gives me a meaningful look.
“He wants them?” I ask, my voice sounding thin. “The fae?”
She nods.
All this time, I just thought my father wanted to live up to the expectations of his ancestors. And then, once I found out about Grandmother, I thought he wanted revenge. Revenge against the Dead Queen. Revenge against me.
But it’s more than that. Of course, it is.
How did I not see it all along? Yes, my father is vengeful.
He is power-hungry and feels like he has something to prove.
He wants to be the mightiest Fox King that ever lived.
The Fox who finally ends the Dead Queen of Annwyn.
But my father always has an ulterior motive.
He has plans within plans. And humiliating the women who defied him is only the beginning.
“But why?” My voice sounds afraid. And I suppose I am. My father always had that effect on me.
“You tell me. What does any greedy despot want?” She stares at me for a long time, waiting for an answer, but I’m too afraid to give it.
“More power,” she answers. “And if he releases the ancient fae from their slumber …” Nalina shakes her head slowly. “Let’s just say, those fae kings and queens will be grateful to him.” She gives me a long, meaning-filled stare. “And very, very angry at the rest of us.”