12. Wait, This Isn’t A Trashy Vampire Movie, Is It?
“Tell me more about this world.”
The sun had risen, melting the chill from my bones. Breakfast had been eaten, and the camp packed away. The witches and I traipsed once more through the woods. Though my eyes ached with the intensity with which I stared between the trees, I saw no sign of Jacques. Then again, it was daylight. Would the sun scorch him into a little pile of ashes? Or would he sparkle like a diamond? My laugh died in my throat.
Pansy, walking at my side, lifted her brown eyes to me. “What do you want to know?”
“Tell me about the people who live here. I know about witches and fae, and obviously, humans used to live here too. Is there anything else? I—I’ve seen the fairies.”
Only a few days ago, I would sooner have died than admit to such a thing, but maybe those old fairytales and folk stories were more than just pretty little lies. Maybe modern humans had forgotten the truth they’d once known.
“Oh, I adore fairies.” Pansy beamed. “They can be quite shy, but they’re so pretty, aren’t they? I love the colours. They come into the castle grounds from time to time, but mostly they keep to themselves. Children would try to catch them in nets and keep them in jars, and that’s enough to put anyone off visiting.”
Indeed.
“The fae are actually a closer relative of the fairies than they are of elves, though you wouldn’t know it to look at them.”
It was the second time I’d heard elves mentioned. Sage had said they had healing magic.
“What are elves?” I couldn’t decide whether I was picturing Santa’s elves or Lord Elrond.
Pansy met my eyes in the mirror. Was it my imagination, or did she look a little fearful? “They’re woodland creatures. They keep to themselves. Most people never see one, and nobody knows much about their ways, but I learnt a bit about them in my lessons. They look a lot like the fae, only they have hair that changes colour with the seasons, like the leaves, for camouflage. They’d probably love your hair. They’re supposedly very good at healing magics, and there are stories of desperate people venturing into the forest to seek out the elves. Most never return, according to the tales.”
“That explains the camouflage, I can see why I’d want to hide from them.” Were there elves in these woods? I smoothed my hands over my colourful hair. Would it make them more or less inclined to murder me if we came across them? “What about the fae? Tell me about them.”
“Oh, that’s easier. They’re very… human, apart from the ears, and the magic. There are a few things you should know, though. Most importantly, they love bargains and bonds, but they’re also mischievous. Never make a bargain with one. They’re almost always worded in a way that will hide their true meaning. They’ll trick you into something awful. That’s actually how the curse came about. Their first queen, Claudia, created a deal with her children. None of her descendants are able to harm a blood relative, which meant Maelgwyn had to get creative.”
“I can see why we’re so keen to save them,” I drawled, rolling my eyes. It was just my luck to get roped into a mission to rescue a pair of would-be murderous tricksters.
“Unfortunately, they’re the most powerfully magical of all the people in Neath, which puts them in charge, and some are worse than others. Putting a slightly less awful fae on the throne benefits us all. The good news is, they love hospitality. They’ll almost never harm a guest who has been invited to dine.”
I stored that little tidbit away for later. As I was heading to a fae kingdom, I was keen to learn more about them, but not now. There was only one creature on my mind today.
“Is there anything else?”
Vampires, I wanted to say. Tell me about the vampires.
“Nymphs. Another shy species. They guard nature. You’d only really see one if you were causing harm, and by then it’d be too late. Same with the vampires. With them, it’s always too late.”
Finally.
“Vampires?” I tried to sound only mildly interested, and not at all as though a vampire had kissed me in the woods a few hours ago.
Pansy shuddered. “Horrible things. They’re not really even alive. They hunt by night. Humans used to be their prey of choice,” she gave me a serious nod, “but these days they’ll go for anything. Witches, animals, even fae if they find a weak one. When the curse was cast, we hoped the silver lining might be that the vampires starved. But of course, they’re already dead, so we had no such luck, and they adapted. They’re much weaker than they once were, though. That’s something.”
I thought of the way Jacques had looked at me, as though he’d wanted to bleed me dry, right then and there. It was true that he was thin. The bones in his face were all too sharp. Was he starving? Was he waiting for me to break the curse before he ate me? Was he lurking overhead, listening to every word?
It all made sense. The curse had closed the rifts, and no rifts meant no humans. No decent food. Except the strong, magical sort that could fight back. My heart sank. When the rifts opened, would my world be flooded with magical creatures? Isobel would be pleased to know her fairytales were real, at least at first. Would she be as giddy when our world became as much of a shit show as this one?
“We have stories of all these things back in the human world,” I mused at length. “Do you think they came from the humans who used to come here?”
“Most likely. All of these creatures used to visit the human world too. The elves rarely bothered, of course, and the fairies and fae never lingered. It’s said they grow weaker the longer they spend there. But witches used to go back and forth all the time. I’ve never been,” Pansy finished sadly.
I offered her a smile. “I’ll take you. When all this is over, you can come and visit, and I’ll show you around.”
Did I actually want to break the curse and open the rifts if it meant unleashing bloodsuckers into my world? Could I put my friends and family in danger, just so I could see them again? My parents would be in bits without me, but if they were given a choice, would they want me back if I brought a plague of vampires with me? Maybe it would be better for the princes to stay sleeping, and me to stay lost. Only, if I announced that I had no intention of breaking the curse, the witches would drop me. They’d done so much for me, but only because they knew what I could do for them. I was under no illusions. I’d be trapped, alone and friendless, in a world where I had no place. No home. Nothing to my name. If that was my future, I’d be better off dead.
“Mother above, would you really?” Pansy fizzed with excitement at my side, distracting me from my bleak choices. “Please don’t say you’re lying, or my heart might break. I’ve always wanted to see the human world!”
I smiled. “You might be disappointed, but yeah, of course, I’ll take you.”
“Can I have hair like yours when I come?”
I blinked in surprise. “You want colourful hair?” I pursed my lips as I eyed her dark coils. There was no hope of bleaching it light enough to reach a pastel shade, not if she still wanted hair on her head, but a darker shade could work.
“Purple,” she said at once, as though she’d been thinking about it for a lot longer than our chat warranted. “It suits me best, and it’s my favourite colour. Can I have purple hair?”
My lips curved into a smile. She’d clearly put thought into this. “Yeah, why not? I’ll do it for you.”
Pansy slipped into a fast-paced monologue of all the reasons she wanted to visit my world, and all the things she was going to do while she was there. I smiled blandly, agreeing now and again, but my thoughts were far away. Everything rested on my breaking the curse. On me being the human to survive what my countless predecessors had not. All these hopes, all these dreams. They settled on my shoulders, heavier than they should have been. The witches and I worked for a brighter future.
From where I was standing, it looked horribly bleak.
As the day went on, the shadows lengthened, and the pleasant morning warmth began to fade. The sun was still shining when I was forced to adjust my wrap, tucking it snugly into my belt to ward off the chill.
Sage, noticing my fussing, said, “We’re approaching Tir o Gaeaf. It is a land of snow and ice.”
Ice? But we were in the midst of summer. Not that anyone would believe it, judging by the growing cold.
“This might seem like a stupid question, but is it cold there?”
Sage’s lips twitched. Was that a smile?
“I have been to the human world, girl. I remember your seasons well. One after another, on an endless rotation. Things are different here.” No shit. “Tir o Gaeaf is blanketed in permanent snow.”
“Because of the curse?” I whispered.
It was the last kingdom standing against King Maelgwyn, and we all knew how he liked to deal with his problems. Kidnap and torture and death.
“No. It’s just the way of it. Each kingdom has its own climate. Gaeaf is a land of everlasting winter.”
Sure enough, the further we walked, the colder it became, until I was forced to pull my wrap over my head and retrieve my gloves from my pack. The trees we passed had fewer leaves, and then none at all, just arthritic, dark limbs tangling overhead. Even the fairies dwindled, and the few that remained glowed in shades of blue and green. My breath grew white, puffing out before me like dragon smoke. As the light failed, glittering frost coated the ground, crunching underfoot as the woodland turned to firs and evergreens. I began to think longingly of my favourite coat, stuffed in my crowded wardrobe back home, but the cold couldn’t stop me from staring around in wonder. It seemed that no matter how long I spent in this world, no matter how much magic and danger I encountered, there would always be a new surprise waiting just around the corner. I didn’t bother to question how we’d gone from midsummer to winter in just a few short hours, but when the first patches of snow appeared between the trees, I did wonder how much further we had to go.
When the trees grew sparse, with wider glimpses of the darkening sky above them, I spotted the edge of the forest. A snow-covered hill sloped away from us, leading into a wide, white valley encircled by low mountains. We paused at the treeline, and I took a moment to catch my breath and admire the ethereal beauty of Tir o Gaeaf.
In the valley basin sat a great frozen lake. It was a dull, flat shade of iron grey at that moment, but my heart swelled against my ribs at the sight of it. Beyond the lake, hundreds of glowing lights twinkled, and past those, a breathtaking structure rose, pale and ghostly, against the dark mountains. A palace. Not an ugly little castle like Nairsgarth, but a proper fairytale castle, with all the spires and towers and spikes I could have asked for. Unless I was much mistaken, it was made of ice.
“Aliza,” Sage said at my shoulder. “Welcome to Tir o Gaeaf.”
Something whistled past my head, close enough to ruffle my hair, and a thud sounded at my back.
I spun in time to see a shower of snow falling from the fir tree behind me, set loose by the arrow protruding from the trunk.
Panicked voices rose around me, but Sage held up a gloved hand, her voice rising over the din. “Quiet! Stay calm. It was only a warning.”
“A warning?” I snapped, my near-death experience getting the better of my temper. “It almost killed me!”
“Exactly.” Sage levelled a flat glare at me. “If it had been fired in earnest, there would be no almost about it.”
My mouth fell open, but a hand closed around my upper arm, gripping tight enough to hurt. Pansy stood at my side, the brown of her skin giving way to a greenish pallor. I followed her terrified gaze.
Two men approached, their eyes and loaded bows trained on us as they stomped up the snowy hill.
“Border guards,” Sage muttered, before raising both her hands into the air and stepping forward. “Friends. We come from Ymyl Cefnfor on the business of the High Priestess of Nairsgarth. We mean no harm.”
“Then drop your weapons. All of them,” barked one of the men.
They were both unnervingly handsome, tall and broad, though as they were wrapped in leather and fur, it was impossible to guess how much of their bulk was owed to muscle. Not that I was interested in that. Not beyond sizing up my newest enemy, anyway.
Sage unbuckled the short sword she carried at her hip, tossing it into the snow several feet ahead of her. The other witches hesitated before following her lead. I fumbled with my own daggers, wondering how wise this course of action was, but my numb fingers made slow work, and one of the guards fixed his attention on me.
Maybe it was something to do with all the snow and ice, but his irises were almost painfully blue.
Damn me to hell, but I couldn’t hold that beautiful gaze. I lowered my eyes hurriedly and dropped my daggers at my feet. Snow crunched, and leather boots came into view, too big to belong to any witch. I lifted my eyes. A leather breastplate, and a fancy buckle holding a fur capped cloak. I swallowed down my unease, almost choking on it, and looked up.
Even with the fae guard standing slightly further down the slope, he was taller than me. My lips parted in surprise. It was a rare thing to meet anyone, even a man, who forced me to look up. And fuck me, he was gorgeous. Rugged but pretty, his eyes threatening to skewer my soul if only he met my own, but he was, predictably, looking at my hair. My fishtail plait fell over my left shoulder, and a few strands of candy floss pink had come loose around my face.
“What are you?” the guard asked, and God damn him, I wanted to fall to my knees there and then. There was certainly nobody like this on the hookup apps back home.
“This is Aliza with an A,” Sage answered his question with a note of smug victory in her voice. “A human.”
Human was a magic word around these parts, it seemed, capable of melting away the hostility of even the sexiest of fae. As it happened, it wasn’t me who fell to my knees at all. At Sage’s words, both guards had dropped to kneel in the snow at my feet, leaving me blushing furiously and trying not to imagine the things they might do while they were down there.
Before long, I was escorted down the hill at the head of my group, a guard at each side, and the witches hurrying along behind us, struggling to keep up on their little legs. A girl could get used to such power, but I checked my pace. They might all be using me for their own gain, but without the witches, I wouldn’t have made it this far. My new fae friends slowed their steps to match mine, and I fought a silent battle with my smirk.
When we reached the bottom of the hill, we came to a road of packed snow. There, the guards halted, and we all waited in a huddle, dithering. I tried stamping my feet to keep warm, but it was hopeless. The wrap the witches had given me was no match for the climate of Gaeaf. Hopefully, our stay would be short, and we’d arrive in Tir o Haf before long. Never mind that my life would be in danger from the second I set foot in the king’s territory, at least I’d die warm.
A faint jingle interrupted my thoughts, and I squinted through the haze of frosty air. Something was whizzing along the road in our direction. The guards showed no sign of worry, however, so I contented myself with watching the shape grow closer until…
I gasped, clapping my gloves to my mouth in delight.
It was a sleigh, pulled by a team of tiny, hairy ponies with bells attached to their harnesses. Beside me, Pansy let out a stifled squeal.
The sleigh whooshed to a halt before us in a wave of snow, and a guard offered his hand to help me aboard. I was quite sure I could manage it alone, but I wasn’t going to let a small matter like that ruin my fun. I smiled, accepting his offer, and clambered onto the fur-covered bench of the sleigh. Sage took a seat next to me, along with a guard, and three witches squashed themselves into the row behind.
“Another will be along shortly,” the guard told the remaining witches, who all sported matching grim faces. I couldn’t blame them, not as I arranged a thick, knitted blanket over my lap.
“Put your hood up,” Sage hissed in my ear as the sleigh began to move. “We don’t want to draw unnecessary attention, even here.”
I obeyed gladly. The rush of cold air as we sped past the lake made my ears feel like they might fall off, but I couldn’t resist peering around the edge of the fabric and admiring the thick layer of opaque ice. As we neared the city, I huddled in, tugging the fabric lower to hide my hair, but still I caught glimpses of grand townhouses, their frosted railings hung with icicles, and their marble pillars carved with intricate designs that I couldn’t quite catch. I spotted a tall, beautiful woman–female–who looked fresh from the runway, wrapped in fur, walking along with a little white fox trotting at her heels. She glanced at the sleigh as it passed, and I quickly lowered my head and kept it there for the remainder of our ride.
By the time the sleigh slowed to a stop, I was frozen solid and shivering violently. My hopes of warming up were quickly dashed when I lifted my eyes and saw that we’d arrived at an enormous set of double doors, made of the same dark ice as the lake. My gaze wandered, falling upon walls of glowing blue, towering high overhead. The same strange light shone through facets and windows, throwing a ghostly tinge over everything and everyone.
Beautiful. There was no doubt about it, the castle was breathtaking beyond belief, but how practical could it be? I’d have much preferred the squat, ugly walls of Nairsgarth. At least a roaring fire wouldn’t melt stone. Such a necessity would undoubtedly be denied in case I set the palace walls dripping and warping, but I wasn’t sure I’d survive the night without one.
Shivering and stewing over sleeping arrangements, I clambered from the sleigh on stiff legs. Sage followed, stepping slightly beyond me as she stared up at the palace, frosty breath clouding her face. We were at the head of a sweeping driveway. Blankets of snow covered what I presumed were lawns to either side, and tall evergreens stood like silent sentinels, spaced with precision beside the road. Between the trees, old-fashioned lamp posts burnt with a strange blue flame, lighting the way, but even with their eerie glow, the gate and walls were lost to the night.
Would the shades be able to find me here? I pressed closer to the light pooling around the palace, courtesy of its many frosted windows.
“This way,” the guard said, gesturing away from the main entrance.
We followed him as he passed into the shadow of the wall, leading us away from the glowing lights. A path along the base of the building had been cleared of snow, and my boots crunched in the grit scattered over the ground.
Where was this beautiful fae creature taking us? Were we to be ushered in through a secret side door, far from prying eyes? Or maybe we weren’t allowed in the palace at all. Maybe we were expected to sleep in the garden shed. As long as it wasn’t made of ice, I didn’t care.
Unsure of whether or not I was still supposed to be inconspicuous, I kept my head down, resisting the urge to gawk at my surroundings. My eyes stayed trained on my frozen toes as we rounded a corner and slipped through a narrow, metal gate cut into the ice. A small yard surrounded by tall walls greeted us. Crates stood in a precarious stack against one wall, and stone steps fell away to several basement doors. The guard made a beeline for one of those steep, narrow flights.
Perfect. The dank little side entrance it was, then. So much for being the chosen one.
We passed through a door of black metal, and at once, warmth poured over me, despite the corridor of ice stretching ahead. I stared around, searching for the source of the heat, but bar a few blue glowing lamps fitted to the walls, I found nothing. Our silent guard led us deeper into the castle before finally opening a door and spreading an arm in welcome.
Sage led the way, with me on her heels. The room we found ourselves in wasn’t small by any means, but it certainly wasn’t of palace proportions. The comfortable chairs lining the windowless walls gave it the distinct air of a waiting room, especially when the other three witches trooped in. Pansy shot me an excited smile from over her mother’s shoulder.
“Please, take a seat. Lady Celyn will be along shortly.” The guard departed without another word, and Sage lapped the room at a stroll, pausing to prod one of the chairs with an expression of immense distaste.
Not sharing her snobbery after days of walking, I sank into the nearest one with a sigh and tugged off my gloves. This room was warm too, and yet, the ice walls showed no signs of melting. I trailed a fingertip over the one behind my chair. Beneath a fine, powdery layer of frost, it was as smooth and hard as glass.
“Is it really made of ice?” I asked the room at large.
“Mother above,” Sage muttered, giving no further answer.
“Yes, Aliza, it is.” Hyacinth gave me a motherly smile. “Ignore Sister Sage, you will learn to trust your senses with practice.”
There was nothing wrong with my senses. It was this world I didn’t trust. “Then why is it warm?”
“There is fae magic at work here,” Hyacinth said simply, as though that was all the explanation anyone could ask for.
Reluctant to give Sage any more reasons to question my intelligence, I lapsed into silence. The witches muttered amongst themselves. After a few minutes, the rest of our party arrived, pink-cheeked, and filled the remaining seats.
Silent minutes trailed by, and to my awe, I began to sweat gently beneath my layers. It hurt my head, to have my body telling me one thing and my brain telling me the opposite. I was surrounded by ice, and yet, I was boiling. It made no sense, but then, nothing did anymore. Before long, I unbuckled the belt holding my wrap in place and tugged the garment free of my shoulders.
My aching foot began to jiggle. As much as I appreciated a chair after days of hiking and sitting on rocks and logs, I was bored. I wanted a meal and a proper bed with immediate effect.
Warmth and comfort combined to tug at my eyelids. I propped my head on my hand and gave in, letting my eyes drift shut. Just a short rest, while we waited…
“It’s true?”
The door burst open, and I startled awake with a jolt and an ungainly snort. A willowy fae female was silhouetted in the doorway, surrounded by a glossy mane of waist-length russet hair. Round eyes, as icy blue as the palace walls, fixed on me. Her pale, heart-shaped face broke into a smile, but her eyes flooded with emotion moments before a hand flew to her mouth, stifling a small sound that might have been a laugh or a sob.
“Forgive my outburst.” She lowered her hand, taking a deep breath as she continued to stare. “We thought you would never come.”
Lady Celyn’s quarters were far more luxurious than the room we’d originally been shown to. My sleep-heavy eyes widened in wonder as I examined every inch of the decadent, frozen sitting room. Frosty white icicles, large enough to skewer an elephant, hung from the high ceiling. Nestled amongst them was an enormous chandelier that looked like falling rain, casting a haunting light over the room. I couldn’t decide if it was hung with crystals, glass or yet more ice. Whatever it was, motes of light danced on the blue-white walls, drawing my attention from where I sat on a plush sofa scattered with cushions and blankets. Pansy sat beside me, her hands clasped tightly between her knees. I smirked. A plate crammed with delicate cakes rested on the nearby coffee table, but nobody had yet moved to take one.
Sage’s haughty voice washed over me as she relayed her plan to a grim-faced Lady Celyn. The fae’s impossibly smooth brow now bore a tiny crease between her perfect, upswept eyebrows as she listened to the witch.
I’d heard it all before, and my attention drifted.
A mesmerising fire burnt in the marble grate. Flames of every shade of blue danced and flickered, warming the room without making the ice weep. It had to be enchanted, there was no other explanation. Were the cakes enchanted too?
They’ll almost never harm a guest who has been invited to dine.
Pansy’s words crash-landed in my head, and my hand lurched for the cakes, snatching one up and stuffing it into my mouth whole. Pansy threw an incredulous glance in my direction before selecting a cake of her own with a daintiness I hadn’t managed. I didn’t care. My drowsiness had lulled me into complacency. The fae may be beautiful and even appear kind, but Pansy had made it quite clear that they couldn’t be trusted. If I was to spend the night in a palace full of tricksters, I had to take precautions. Eating the cake was a necessary evil.
Lady Celyn’s eyes snagged on me as I plucked up a second cake, but she turned her attention back to Sage. “I will have a team of my best warriors made ready to escort you.”
“No, thank you.” Sage shook her head. “Too large a group will draw unwanted attention.”
Was she mad? A few burly fae soldiers were just what we needed as we headed into enemy territory. Monsters lurked around every corner, and as no human had survived the quest before, I’d take any help that was offered.
Never make a bargain with one.
Did this count as a bargain? Was that why Sage refused? Pansy should have been more specific because her warnings paled in comparison to the temptation of the fae’s offer. Maybe that was the whole point. Maybe they made offers that seemed too good to be true, only to trick poor, unsuspecting souls into eternal servitude.
“I would request teleportation to Tir o Gaeaf, though,” Sage continued. “I have coordinates.”
“Of course,” Lady Celyn replied without hesitation. I waited for the catch to come, but she only said, “I’m certain there are some amongst us who have travelled to the area you require. As soon as you are ready, we will deliver you. Though, perhaps a meal and a bed for the night would be in order.”
“That would be welcome, thank you. We leave at dawn.”
I stifled my groan, turning it into a yawn. Lady Celyn noticed and gave me a sympathetic smile. “Rooms are being prepared as we speak, Aliza. What is your favourite dish? I’ll have the kitchens prepare it for you.”
Don’t make bargains, but do accept hospitality. My instincts warred against each other, but Pansy had definitely mentioned food offering protection. Besides, I was famished.
“I guess fajitas are too much to hope for?” At Lady Celyn’s blank expression, I pressed on. “Madras? Thai green?” There wasn’t as much as a flicker of recognition at any of the meals I mentioned, so I sighed, fixing a smile onto my face. “Whatever the kitchens have will be fine, but I don’t eat any meat or fish.”
Sage gave a tiny roll of her eyes, looking away as though I was something shameful, but Celyn smiled. “That can be arranged. Now, come, I shall show you to your rooms.”
My room turned out to be another sprawling suite, grander even than Lady Celyn’s. The style was the same, but it was larger, located on the top floor of the palace. The newly lit blue fire had yet to drive the lingering chill from the air, but huddled in a blanket before the enormous windows, I didn’t care. Not when my room offered an unobstructed view of the wisps of green and purple light weaving across the black sky like an ethereal ribbon.
In only a few hours’ time, I’d arrive in Tir o Haf, the kingdom where no free fae, witch or elf dared to wander. Only those trapped by Maelgwyn’s wards, and those loyal to him, dwelt there. The last human to venture there had been Georgina, and I didn’t need to know the details of her death to understand how slim my own chances of survival were.
That I’d made it this far was a miracle. In all honesty, I should have died in the caves. I should have cracked my skull on a rock or drowned in the river. I should have had my essence sucked out by a shade, or my blood drained by a vampire. I was no survivor. I was an indoor girl, a city girl, but against all odds, here I was. It was almost as though something wanted me to be here. Like I’d been protected and guided this far by something more than witches and vampires. Something mysterious and powerful. Fate, maybe. As terrifying yet comforting as that thought was, I couldn’t bring myself to hope that I might really be the chosen one. That I might survive tomorrow.
What if I never made it home? Was this it? Were these the last hours and days of my life? Had everything been for nothing?
I would become just another name in history. Another ill-fated attempt. Two hundred years from now, would the witches assess a new woman while muttering ‘at least this one has normal hair, not like Aliza with an A’? I’d be just another failure.
The weight of all my hopes and dreams settled on me, as though they knew they’d soon be scattered to the wind, lost in the ether. As though they wanted to be close to me, this near to the end. I clung to them, needing to pretend there was a future for me beyond whatever lurked in Tir o Haf.
Beyond the princes and their curse.