THE QUEEN IN THE WOOD
The moment of truth came at dawn.
I approached The Veil, alone.
Breck had stayed back to round up what was left of Killian’s council and speak to them about what had happened.
With Killian gone, there were no patrols in the woods. Everything was still—the quiet, calm moments before the world would wake, and another day would begin.
Mist clung to the ground, wafting with each step I took toward the barrier between realms. For some strange reason, here, it felt more like a true wall that couldn’t be crossed.
Perhaps it was just the stigma of what it was made to do.
This was where the first section had been made, where the ancient human king had been denied for the final time.
Where humans first felt betrayed by the fae.
The forest seemed to harbor those memories—the fear, the animosity, the tension that stretched over thousands of years across both realms, all stemming from this magical barrier.
I focused on my senses, feeling for anything out of the ordinary, hoping to find the queen somewhere nearby.
Nothing. Silence.
I kept walking, skirting the faintly shimmering boundary, thinking back to when I had been pulled into these trees, lured by a force beyond my control . . . To find Auren, lying amongst the roots, nearly burnt out from using the power she didn’t even know she possessed.
The net I’d thrown over her wasn’t to hurt her, but to keep her from using her power again—from hurting herself.
She’d looked at me with terrified but resilient eyes, and I knew then that she was a fighter, that her spirit matched mine; she was not one to give up easily, and neither was I.
So I’d pursued her, alongside that magnetic link between us—the beginnings of the bond.
And now, here I was, waiting for the human queen to show her face so that I could give her an advantage she might need in the coming war. A war that Auren, the human woman I found on the forest floor, a woman with the gods’ blood in her veins, would end.
The slightest tick of a faltering branch brought me to an abrupt halt. It came from up ahead, to my right, across The Veil.
I waited, watching, listening, until I saw movement. A figure in a long, hooded, burgundy cloak swayed near the boundary, peering through the trees to the other side.
It was the queen.
I took a cautious step—careful not to startle her. When she marked my presence, she stilled, her face completely hidden beneath the dark hood. There were no guards with her—I didn’t sense a single soul, other than hers, as I neared. And she carried no weapon . . . that I could see.
Strange of her to be this trusting. I’d hoped she would come unaccompanied. But unaccompanied and unarmed . . .
Perhaps she did know something.
“Queen Corinne,” I said as I came to stand across from her, leaving only The Veil and a few feet on either side separating us.
Delicate, pale hands reached up and pushed back her hood, revealing a soft, gentle face and striking blue eyes, framed by long, black hair. There was no crown on her head, but she held herself with an air of regality and authority, even though her expression erred on the side of worry.
She eyed me with an uncertainty she had every right to have, given who I was. “You are the one who sent the missive?”
“I am. My name is Niall, High Lord of Calledan.”
If she knew anything about my court or territory, she didn’t show it. Pushing her shoulders back, she lifted her chin. “Do you know how long it has been since a fae has made contact with the humans?”
“It is not a human who I sought out,” I answered with a knowing smirk.
Her eyes narrowed. “So, Silas told you everything, did he?”
“He did.”
“And what of Auren? How is she?”
“More powerful than ever.”
She continued to survey me with hesitation. “Tell me, Niall, am I a fool for coming here?”
“No. I am not a threat to you. You have my word.”
She lifted a brow. “You compelled our guards.”
“That was not my doing.”
She exhaled sharply through her nose with a hint of amusement.
“But I will offer an apology on my messenger’s behalf. It was important that the missive went directly to you.”
“Your timing is a bit unsettling. I received your message yesterday evening, and not long afterward, I foresaw an encounter similar to this.”
“You . . . had another vision?”
“A dream this time. I saw a shadow, cloaked in black, standing at The Veil with an outstretched hand. I assume the shadow is you?”
“It’s part of the physical manifestation of my power, yes. Can I ask how often you have these ‘dreams’?”
“More than usual, as of late. Things are changing. Which is why you wanted to speak with me directly, and not the king, am I correct?”
“Yes. I was afraid the king would not have accepted a message from a fae lord so openly. And despite your ability to see things before they occur, I have it on good authority that there is something that has yet to happen, and it directly involves you.”
She tilted her head. “Something you have foreseen?”
“No. Someone I know and trust has seen it.”
“Go on,” she urged.
I began by telling her how I found Auren after she crossed The Veil.
How we were mates—fated and bonded before the gods—and that Silas had found his way to us and filled us in on all the missing pieces we didn’t already know, including the queen’s true nature.
Then I told her everything I knew about my own lineage and power.
I explained that somehow, it came from Erebus, and that Skadi was in The Wastelands with Lyceius, and that war was coming.
When it came to Fallon’s vision, I relayed it exactly the way it was told to me.
“He saw you standing above two bodies—one male, one female, both covered in blood. But he couldn’t make out their faces.
You handed something to someone, and the bodies beneath you began to heal.
He didn’t see what it was that you were holding, but he did see a pair of pale, feminine hands accept it. ”
She glanced down at her hands the same time I did. “Not too different from my own, from the sound of it,” she said, warily.
“Corinne, I’m going to ask you something, and I need you to answer me with full honesty . . . Are you in possession of Erebus’s amulet?”
She shook her head as confusion spread across her face. “No. Why would I have it?”
“I had to ask. I did not expect you to have it, but someone does, and Skadi is here looking for it. Which is why I needed to meet with you, face to face . . .”
Slowly, I reached into my pocket in space and retrieved the decoy from where it was stored right next to Lyceius’s talisman. “This is the reason I came. This is what I believe you handed to whoever else was in the vision. And if it wasn’t the real amulet, then it had to have been this one.”
The queen stared at the black stone that dangled from the silver chain, and to my surprise, she stepped forward, across The Veil. Her eyes flicked up to mine, her lips tilting up in a faint grin. “Witch blood has its advantages.”
Indeed, The Veil gave her no grief as she passed through to my side and reached an open palm for the amulet. “What is this?”
“A replica of the amulet Skadi is searching for. I commissioned it in the hope that it would serve as a bargaining chip for the war. But then Fallon had his vision. And something tells me you will need this more than any of us will.” I hesitated, then placed it into her hand, piling the chain atop it.
“If this is a replica . . . who has the real one?”
“We presume it’s still with Torin.”
“It has to be. She would not part with something like that so easily.” She examined the stone. “It feels . . . strange. It has your essence.”
“I’ve trapped a sliver of my power inside it, to make it believable.
No one knows it exists, except for my second-in-command, and the High Lord of the Arctic Court, and I’d like to see that it remains that way, in case it needs to be used to bargain with.
I want you to keep it close and keep it safe.
Do not tell anyone else about it. Not even the king. ”
She nodded, closing her hand around the necklace. “You have my word.”
“There will be another war soon. Now is the time to ready your army. I do not think Lyceius will strike this far east, but I also cannot guarantee that he won’t.
And now that Skadi is here, we’re not sure how this is all going to unfold.
When the time comes, we will handle the fighting and keep Lyceius’s army contained to the border between our lands and Salterra.
You should make sure those in the north get as far south as possible, just in case. ”
The queen inhaled a deep breath through her nose. “I will see to it that the necessary preparations are made.”
“We can station a battalion of soldiers here to help guard the boundary to the north, if necessary.”
“And send everyone in Belthria up in alarm? They would think the fae had arrived to attack. Thank you for the offer, but I believe it is best if we stick to our respective realms . . . for now.”
I nodded. “Then I will send an emissary that I trust to relay information to you while we prepare. If you are willing, I think it would be wise if you attended our war meetings when the time comes. It’s better to be in the know, especially since you now have that.” I nodded toward the decoy amulet.
“I would appreciate that. And yes, I am willing. But how, may I ask, will your emissary get in touch? He or she would need access to the castle if they are to gain an audience with me.”
“He is already quite familiar with your realm. He can reach you directly.”
She lifted a dark brow. “A spy?”
I didn’t deny it.
“I’ve had my suspicions over the years,” she said, suppressing a grin. “I do have a keen sense for those with power.”
“Then you should have no problem identifying him again when he arrives.”
She nodded, slipping the amulet into the pocket of her cloak.
“Thank you for coming here and for your concern. I’ve never really known what to think of your kind, given all that the humans say about you.
But after spending my entire life hiding what I am, out of fear of being rejected, I did not want to deny your request because of what you are. ”
I couldn’t help the breathy laugh that crept up my throat. “If you were a fae, some might consider you a fool for that statement.”
She squinted, focusing on me like she was trying to glean what was beneath the surface. “There is something different about you. But you don’t strike me as a threat. Whether or not that truly does make me a fool . . .”
“You are not my enemy, so, as I said before, I am no threat to you,” I assured her.
“Very well. I will keep watch for your emissary.” She bowed her head as she turned toward The Veil, but before she crossed through it, she looked back over her shoulder and said, “Niall? For what it’s worth .
. . The dream that I had, when I saw you greeting me .
. . there was a crown of darkness on your head. Does that have any meaning to you?”
A crown of . . . darkness?
I stared back at her, fighting against the spool of anxiety threatening to unravel in my gut.
The idea of a crown other than the one I already wore as High Lord was unsettling, to say the least. If her visions were anything like Vanir’s, vague and left to interpretation, it could mean she was only seeing a manifestation of my power and status.
But if they were as literal as Fallon’s visions were . . .
“Perhaps it was how your mind interpreted my power.” Just hearing myself say it, I knew I was wrong.
“Perhaps.”
She gave me a parting nod and crossed The Veil, leaving me standing amidst the trees, strangely plagued with the reminder of the cù-sìth’s appearance, and the unsettling feeling that somehow, the crown of darkness was connected to it.