Chapter 27
The landscape changes as the afternoon wears on, casting shadows among the ferns and flowers. The forest isn’t as heavy here as we push closer to the mountains. It’s hard to believe that Frostacre is nestled in the unforgiving world of the tundra high above us. As we start on the trail into the foothills, I throw my cloak over my shoulders, feeling the chilling effects of the altitude and the setting sun.
“We don’t have to worry about other Supes up here.” Evie walks beside me, a red scarf tied loosely around her neck.
“Do you really think he knows we’re coming?” I look up at the snow-covered mountains, trying to make out where Frostacre is located.
“There’s no doubt he senses you. We deal with your magnetic attraction crap all the time.” She gives me a sideways glance and a smirk. “Grayson’s taken to spending the nights in my bed to deal with it. I’m surprised Bastian held off for so long. And Levi...?” She sighs, glancing behind us at the others. “I’m afraid that boy would do anything for you.”
“But if we can break the magnetic connection, everything will be better, right?” There’s nothing I want more than to know for sure what Bastian feels for me is real.
“It’s not something we can break, Mari.” She bends to pick a flower from the ground. “It’s like this flower. You can remove the flowering bud, but it will grow back. It’s part of the natural cycle. You need to pick the plant from the roots—or kill the savior—to break the connection.”
All my hopes of freeing myself from magical shackles are lost. It’s something I’ll have to live with until I die. I look over my shoulder at Bastian. He’s listening intently to Grayson talk as Levi moves silently beside them with a tall walking stick in his hand. From this distance, I can almost make out his fae features—his slender build, green eyes, and beautifully angled jaw. He wears a wide-brimmed hat, pitched to the side, and an oversized poncho-like coat.
He lifts his face and smiles, as if sensing my stare.
I don’t want him to suffer because of my stupid magnetism. If the fae king can tell me how to break it besides dying, I’ll find a way.
The higher we climb, more and more of the trees disappear, replaced by bushes. Every couple hundred feet, I stop to catch my breath. The air is not only cold but thinner, making it difficult for my struggling lungs to keep up. I rest my hands on my knees and draw in shallow breaths. “Are we almost there?”
“It’s not long now, Windsong.” Bastian taps me twice on the back as he passes. “We’ll separate at Fox Glove Crossing. An interception by Cirrus’s guards is imminent after that point.”
I hustle to keep up, though it all but kills me. “And how will you get in?”
“We have our ways.” He scans the landscape for a hidden enemy. “Ways I won’t tell you now. Spies for the king lie in wait everywhere. You go in and do your job and we’ll do ours.”
“Please be safe.” I speak low so the others won’t hear. “The thought of losing you makes my heart heavy. I can’t imagine losing my mother and my…”
He twists his lip and taps it with his finger. “And what do you call us, Mari? Care to define our relationship?”
Heat rises along my neck to my cheeks. I shouldn’t feel so self-conscious around him. “Friends?”
“Hardly.” Tendrils of his dark hair splay against his hood as he moves forward through this wind-swept world.
There are words I don’t want to say in case he doesn’t feel the same way. He tells me he loves me, says I’m more than a one-night stand, but do I dare speak my own feelings aloud?
“Lovers?” He keeps his eyes forward and a slight tinge of pink stains his cheeks.
The relationship conversation bothers him as much as it does me. I’m happy with our stolen moments and swollen kisses. The thought that I can make his heart nearly beat out of his chest causes my body to overheat—or is it the exhaustion from climbing this massive hill?
“Have you read my note?” He pinches the bridge of his nose, probably trying to hide the remaining pink on his cheeks from Evie, who looks back at us.
“No.” I trudge over the rock-laden path, each step a pure act of willpower. “It’s not like I’ve had any alone time. I don’t want the others to tease us relentlessly with unwanted jokes.”
“Do you think I care?” He lifts me over a large boulder, then skirts a mud puddle. “The way we feel about each other is written all over our faces. We don’t need to hide it anymore.”
Every reluctancy that weighs me down always stems back to Avren. An unmarried, intimate relationship is cause for expulsion. Deprogramming the marks carved deeply into my essence will take time.
He takes my hand, long fingers entwining with mine. “You’re worth waiting for. From the glimpses of the real you I’ve seen, I can’t imagine what it will be like when nothing holds you back from your true potential.”
I draw my hood close to my face to hide my smile.
The bushes grow smaller and eventually disappear as we cross the tundra dotted with arctic moss and tiny purple flowers turned inside out in the heavy winds. We follow the path down into a valley where a high mountain stream runs over a cliffside and into a pool below. The magic I felt when Levi and I were near Mafekadi fills the air in this secluded ravine. Mist pricks my exposed skin, having the opposite effect of what I expect. It warms my chilled bones.
Grayson and Evie stop, crouching to fill their canteens in the pool.
“This is where we must part.” Bastian grips the hilt of his sword, keeping his gaze on his boots shuffling in the dirt.
Levi stands beside me, his head held high as Grayson approaches us.
He adjusts each of our cloaks, brushing dirt from our shoulders. “I can’t believe we’re sending our two babies to confront the king of the Unseelie Court.”
Levi swats Grayson’s hand from his shoulder, narrows his eyes, and wrinkles his nose. “Baby” isn’t the word I’d use either.
“Kidding aside…” Grayson tugs on my earlobe and swats Levi’s bottom. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Keep it on the down-low. Let Cirrus do the talking because you know how much he loves to hear his own voice. The longer you can keep him talking, the more time we’ll have to complete our part of the mission.” He throws an arm around each of our shoulders. “Make sure you don’t get trapped. Seriously. I hear ten thousand years buried beneath the ground really does something to your complexion.”
Levi signs to Grayson without speaking, but I can tell by his face it’s probably a profanity.
“No need to use your potty hands with me.” Grayson takes a swig from his canteen, and his skin changes. Every imperfection—acne, redness, and fine lines—is smoothed over with one drink from the pool. Is it a fountain of youth? “I’m your favorite sibling.”
“Yeah, right,” Levi signs, turning his back on Grayson.
As much as Grayson is kidding around, I don’t want Levi going into the fae world hot-headed. I’m the one who’s supposed to be the savior. I need to take on my role, despite my “baby” status.
“We’re all on the same team.” I take Evie and Levi’s hands.
Bastian follows my lead, snatching Evie’s other hand and then Grayson’s.
Levi won’t look at Grayson as they complete the circle.
Standing here in Fox Glove Crossing, I believe together we have the power to accomplish any task thrown at us. The energy in our circle is palpable, as if the gods of the wilderness are looking down on us, intent on helping us succeed.
“We’ll meet you tomorrow morning in Tenny Rocks with the knowledge we need to take down Avren and the First City.” I hang my head, unsure if I should bring up the one thing that’s bothered me for a while. If the other savior is from the First City, will they really be on our side?
“If you’re not back there by ten, we’ll come to get you. Don’t think for a moment we’ll let you rot away in Cirrus’s prison.” Bastian looks from me to Levi.
“Don’t worry, Dad,” Levi drops his brothers’ hands to sign. “I’ll have her back by curfew.”
Bastian draws me into his arms, where his weapons impede our embrace. I wince when the hilt of a knife presses against my chest. He takes my chin between his fingers, so I focus my attention solely on him. “Don’t take any chances in there. Find out what Cirrus wants, keep him talking, and leave. Keep the radio in your pocket turned on so we can hear everything.” With a dip of his head, he kisses me, slow and sweet, showing me he doesn’t care what the others think.
And then they’re gone, leaving Levi and me in the ravine alone with the sound of the waterfall surrounding us.
“This way.” Levi taps my arm and motions to a trail running along the side of the pond.
We follow the narrow path, one behind the other and cling to the wall to prevent an accidental fall into the water. Behind the falls is the entrance to a darkened cave, which must be the way into Frostacre. Two pairs of glowing eyes confirm my suspicions.
The fae guards step out of the shadows and onto the path, blocking our entrance by crossing their spears. One has long blond hair like Quinn and the other, braided silver hair. Both are painstakingly beautiful, sure to lure in unsuspecting travelers.
“State your business,” the blond guard says, seemingly trying to keep a straight face.
The path is wider here, so I step in front of Levi, not wanting the guards to know about his deafness. “We’re here to gain an audience with King Cirrus.”
“Do you have an appointment?” As much as the blond guard looks amused, the silver one appears bored, loosely holding his spear. “The king sets his meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays, and the occasional Fridays. Today is Thursday, so you’ll have to come back with an appointment.”
This is worse than going to a healer in Avren.
I straighten my back, trying to bolster my self-confidence. “Can you tell King Cirrus that Maribel Windsong-Barellis is here to see him, and I only grant an audience with monarchs on Thursdays?” I wink at the silver-haired fae, and his eyes widen. “I also helped assassinate Quinn Malum.”
Levi’s heel slams down on my toe, but I miraculously keep from crying out, though it hurts like hell. He signs, “She means she saw him assassinated when thieves attacked them on their way back from Mafekadi.”
The blond, who can’t seem to keep from turning his lips up into a creepy smile, circles us. “You’re Levi Crassus, Bracken’s cursed nephew.” He lifts his spear and leans on it like he’s having a casual conversation with friends. “Best day of my life was when I helped escort your betrayer mother out of this place. You’re nothing but a symbol of her turning her back on our race.”
“Great.” I rub my hands together, feeling the damp cold of the waterfall. “We’re all friends.”
“Heard the Miscretes took care of Lilibeth when you were nothing but a snot-nosed kid.” The blond’s cruelty has hit a new level, making me want to remove a dagger from my boot.
Levi rests a hand on my arm, unfazed by the insults. “Maribel needs to see King Cirrus.” His level-headedness is amazing to me, but he understands the fae more than I ever will.
“The king will want to see the girl,” the silver fae says, holding his spear in front of him. “Looks like they come as a package deal.”
The guards each grab one of our arms and drag us into the cave beneath the falls.
I struggle against the silver one’s hand. “You don’t have to hold on so tight. We want to go. Remember?”
To my relief, he releases me completely.
I expect the cave to hold the moisture from mist, but it is dry. Torches every twenty feet or so help warm the tunnel as strange music echoes from the walls.
The blond fae rambles on about union benefits and the need for quicker transport from the outer reaches to the court. “I mean, I’m one hundred and ninety-eight years old. I shouldn’t have to walk a mile every time someone shows up who wants to see the king. No regard for the little fae.”
The silver-haired guard ignores him, never showing an ounce of amusement on his face. It makes me wish I could delve into the inner workings of his mind to see what is really going on in there. Probably a yes-man following his orders and not wanting any trouble. There are a lot of guards in Avren like this—wanting to please the Council and earn higher rankings. “Head back to the entrance. I’ll take it from here.”
A few minutes after the blond guard leaves, the tunnel opens into a massive cavern. Luminescent moss and glowing crystals line the walls of the cavern lighting Frostacre. Labyrinths of twisting tunnels branch in different directions from the massive four-story city. Twisted trees with branches that reach for an unseen sky dot the underground landscape, their roots intertwining with the dark earth. Unseelie fae flit through the shadows with ethereal grace, their eyes gleaming with otherworldly light.
I look at the guard beside me, shaking. Beneath the surface, his eyes glow, giving him an almost alien appearance. This is the person I need to trust to get me to King Cirrus, but will it bring him more delight to lead me astray through the twisting passages? The corner of his lip bends upward as if he suspects my mistrust.
Time seems to move differently here, and the boundaries between dreams and reality blur. Intricate illusions dance along the city’s edges, playing tricks on me. At the entrance of a tunnel, I see three guards holding Grayson, Evie, and Bastian bound and gagged, but when I shake my head, they’re gone. In the center of the cavern, by a fountain, I see my mother sitting by the cool water beckoning me to come take a sip. But Levi warned me about Frostacre’s food and drink. The tricks are intense, setting my body into a flurry of emotions, caught between wanting to give in to the dreams and keeping a foot firmly in reality.
To keep with the fluidity of the dreamlike atmosphere, my guard slips an arm around my waist, transfixing me with his eyes. “The king prepares a feast for you, Maribel. He invites you to his private dining quarters.”
Sharp nails dig into my arm, but someone swiftly removes them. I hear Levi’s voice like it’s miles away, drifting through the cloudiness in my brain. “Block him out. You can do it, Mari.”
I inhale sharply, trying to clear my head, and rip my eyes away from my guard. “I will go meet the king, but Levi goes with me.”
The silver-haired guard lifts a finely manicured eyebrow above his glowing eyes, seeming bored again. He must get a rise out of torturing humans in the dream world. “Very well.”
At the far end of the city, we face another cavern, its entrance covered in a material that moves like liquid filled with a sparkling life of its own. The guard holds up a palm, and it parts for us as we cross the threshold.
When I reach a finger to touch it, Levi snatches it away.
“Touch nothing,” he hisses.
Within the chamber, an elaborate dining table is set with piles of food, making my stomach grumble. Between the candelabras are piles of meats, fruits, breads, and cheeses. Towering chocolate cakes, strawberry cheesecake, and vanilla pudding make my sweet tooth cry out. These are some of my favorite foods I haven’t tasted since I was in Avren.
“He’s playing with you,” Levi whispers in my ear just before the guard hits him on the side of the head with his spear, knocking him to the ground.
I want to go to him but don’t have a chance as King Cirrus enters the room. He’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen, with long, flowing white hair and an almost equally pale skin. And he has the most perfect male face I’ve ever seen—almond-shaped eyes, chiseled jawline, prominent brow. Despite all the white, he’s shrouded in darkness and draped in black robes that move as if they have a life of their own. His piercing green eyes stare at me, not glowing like the others. “Welcome to Frostacre, Maribel Windsong. I’m glad you finally accepted my invitation. I’ve been dying to meet you.”