Chapter 2
I pace around my house with the sunrise while I anxiously wait for Ivan to arrive. Is he going to show up in a horse and carriage? A deer and carriage? How does this work?
The moment the sun peeks through the pine trees outside my window, a tall male with salt-and-pepper hair appears on the sidewalk in front of my house.
His trim figure dons a crisp, white button-down shirt tucked into tan, fitted trousers.
His ears are pointed like mine, but I don’t see any antlers.
Interesting that the Chief Advisor to the Deer Court isn’t from the deer line himself.
I step onto my front porch as he opens the white-picket gate and walks inside the fenced yard. He sees me, then pauses and waits for me to speak.
“Hi. Are you Ivan?” I ask him cautiously.
He gives me a soft smile and a slight bow. “Yes, yes, I am. And I take it you’re Mae?”
I stay rooted to the spot, feeling awkward and unsure how to act with a court official. “Yep, that’s me.”
His smile widens. “Well, good morning, Mae. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I take it you received my letter.”
“Yes…I did. I’m a little bit confused about why the High Court wants to speak with me.”
“Yes, I imagine you would be. We have much to discuss today.” He gestures toward the gate. “Shall we?”
I step toward him and look around, expecting him to lead me to whatever mode of transportation brought him to my home.
But he doesn’t move or lead me anywhere.
Instead, he stays in my front yard, muttering under his breath and moving his hands around.
With a quiet pop, a small portal appears in my front yard.
Well, that explains his sudden appearance on my sidewalk.
He gestures toward the portal, a black hole that reminds me of the night sky. It’s just big enough for one person to step inside comfortably, maybe two if they stand close to each other.
He sees me eying the portal. “Never traveled through a portal?”
I shake my head.
“No matter. It’s easy enough. It’s an odd feeling at first, but you get used to it. I know it looks small, but if we stand side-by-side, we can travel together if it makes you more comfortable.” I nod and step up to the portal. He links his arm with mine and says, “Off we go.”
He steps forward, pulling me with him. Everything turns black instantly and chills spread through my body. Wind whips around us in a torrent, then dies down as the darkness recedes. We now stand in a clearing in the middle of a forest with tall trees surrounding us, spreading in every direction.
Ivan notes the expression on my face and chuckles. “It takes a few trips to get used to.”
I shoot him a grateful smile. “Where are we?” I ask, not seeing any buildings or anything that might indicate we’ve arrived at the High Court.
“We’re at one of the approved portal locations.
I could have portaled us directly into my office, but I thought you might like to see the front of the castle.
” He leads us out of the clearing, revealing a cobblestone path that winds between the trees.
He steps onto it, and I follow, struggling to keep up with his pace.
“Am I in some sort of trouble?” I ask as I fall into step beside him.
“Oh, goodness no!” he exclaims. “Why would you think that?”
“Well, I’ve never been summoned by the High Court. I just assumed that could be the only reason.” I glance at him, but his gaze stays locked on the path ahead of us.
“No, no. Just some matters to discuss,” he says, but doesn’t elaborate further.
I frown at the vague answer. We walk in silence for a moment, the only sounds our footsteps and the rustle of the leaves as squirrels and chipmunks skitter over them.
“I heard that the royal family was found murdered in their private residence. Is that nearby?” I ask, but as soon as the question is out of my mouth, I want to kick myself for asking.
Although Ivan’s face falls at the mention of their deaths, he answers the question in stride. “You heard correctly, but no, it is not nearby. As shifters, they were able to funnel from their home to the court in a matter of seconds.”
“Funnel?” I ask. The term sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. I glance at Ivan as we walk, but again, he doesn’t look at me.
“Like portaling, but without the portal,” he says matter-of-factly.
“Why didn’t we just funnel to the court?”
Finally, he looks at me, albeit briefly. “Because only shifters possess the ability. I am not a shifter.”
Ah. That’s why Willa and I never funneled then. As High Fae, she might have the ability to create a portal, but she definitely can’t shift into an animal form.
“You’re not? What are you?” I ask.
He chuckles. “I’m a deer hybrid.”
I glance at him, again noting the lack of antlers. Every male deer hybrid I’ve met has had some form of antlers. I can’t think of anything to say to that without sounding rude, so I settle on, “So am I.”
“I know.” He glances pointedly at my antlers before turning his gaze back to the cobblestone path.
Sensing the conversation is over, I don’t ask any further questions. The path takes a turn and starts to ascend. Ivan comes to an abrupt stop and gestures in front of us.
“Welcome to the Court of the Deer,” he says proudly.
The path before us leads to a stone bridge that looks like it’s been here for centuries.
Beneath the bridge, a river flows lazily, the water splashing against the bridge as it floats underneath.
A cool breeze floats through the forest, sending crimson and orange leaves drifting over the bridge and into the river.
The leaves bob along the surface before disappearing with the river’s current as it flows through the mountain.
My eyes rove upward, taking in as much as I can.
The castle itself is built into the mountain, its walls covered in white limestone.
Ivy crawls along every surface, almost as if the forest has staked its claim on the castle.
Endless windows cover the face of the stone, overlooking the vibrant forest. A breeze brushes past me, almost seeming to caress me as I imagine myself in one of the rooms overlooking the forest.
“It’s certainly not the mountains that grace the western part of the continent, but it is a beauty of its own,” Ivan says.
“It is. It’s beautiful,” I agree.
Beautiful feels like too weak of a word to describe the setting before us. It’s…ethereal. The forest feels alive, and the magic in my veins perks up as if it’s awake and listening.
“It was originally built into the mountain when the First Deer Queen began her reign. Her goal was to create a home for her family and her court that stayed true to the Mother and all of Her creations.”
The lower levels of the castle are built into the mountain as if part of it was hollowed out to make space for the rooms inside. The top half of the castle extends past the summit. From each of the several turrets, forest-green flags fly at half-mast.
“Shall we?” Ivan says, gesturing toward the bridge.
Across the bridge, the path diverges. One path leads to a set of stairs built into the side of the mountain, marking the beginning of the straight ascent to the castle. The other path winds its way up and around the mountain.
Ivan leads the way, stepping onto the bridge and toward the castle. We approach the split in the path, and he veers right toward the stairs.
Fantastic.
We begin the climb, and I instantly realize that although I’m a runner, I’m not in the type of shape that Ivan is in.
He takes each step with ease while I feel like I’m stepping on stairs made of sand.
Finally, after what feels like an hour of climbing, we come to a landing with a set of massive mahogany doors.
It could easily fit several horses—or deer—through the door at the same time.
A singular image of a stag is etched into the edges of the doors, right where they meet in the center.
I instinctively move toward the image. Ivan steps aside while I reach my hand up to touch the image and trace the etching of the stag in the wood. The moment my hand makes contact with the door, the door clicks and cracks open.
I look at Ivan, hoping for an explanation. But he avoids my gaze and presses forward into the empty foyer. Two grand staircases mirror each other, leading to the second floor. Each staircase is blocked by a guard dressed in a forest-green uniform with gold trim.
Ivan passes them and heads down a long hallway. “Come along now. Like I said, we have much to discuss.”
I follow him, trying to take in as much as I can as we go.
The floors are a deep brown wood with wide, worn planks.
The walls are covered in a light cream color with a crisp white trim that meets the floor and ceiling.
The large windows fill the space with natural light, allowing for the perfect contrast of light and dark.
Intricate flower arrangements of black roses, peonies, and pansies are spaced throughout the hallways. Another sign of respect for the dead. The hallways are so quiet that my footsteps echo as they hurry after Ivan.
We continue moving down the long hallway, passing large wooden archways that allow me glimpses of the rooms within.
We pass a grand formal living room and the throne room as we walk down the corridor.
We don’t pass anyone on the way, and I wonder if like the rest of the region, the people of the castle are grieving the loss of the royal family.
Ivan stops at a door at the end of the hall before placing his palm on the center of the door.
It unlocks with a click, and he nudges the door open with his hand.
A large wooden desk resides between two walls lined with bookshelves.
Behind the desk is an oversized window overlooking a small mossy clearing within the mountain’s forest. A small of herd of deer stands in the clearing, lazily grazing on small tufts of grass.
Mother, what I would give to have this as my office. Unfortunately, any window in my office at Bound would only offer a view of the dank back alleyway behind the building.
“Please, have a seat,” he says, pointing to an oversized, worn leather chair facing his desk.
I sink into it. “I’m sorry, I was under the impression that I’d be appearing in front of the High Court.”
He clears his throat before responding, “I suppose my wording was misleading. You will not be appearing in front of the High Court today. You’ll meet the High Court but later.”
He pauses and places his hands on his desk before continuing. “I’m going to be upfront with you, Mae. I’ve brought you here to give you some…well, life-changing news.”
I don’t say anything for a minute, my mind reeling at what the news could possibly be. “What’s going on?”
“Before we talk about why you’re here, I want to tell you who I am.”
I refrain from ordering him to just tell me the news already. My stomach churns at all the possibilities. Life-changing news? I must do a good job at hiding my irritation at the cliffhanger because he continues without pause.
His expression is now somber as he stares at me across from the desk.
“I have held the position of Chief Advisor for the last twenty-five years and therefore, I was able to serve King Silas for his entire reign. It has been my duty and honor to serve the royal family during their reign. Although I knew King Silas in an official capacity, we considered each other friends.”
He pauses and sits up straight in his chair. He clasps his hands together and looks directly into my eyes. I brace myself, trying to prepare myself for whatever news he called me here for. He takes a breath before continuing.
“Mae, your father was King Silas.”
My jaw starts to drop, but I snap it shut.
My father was the High King.
Of all the things in the kingdom, I was not expecting him to say…that. I can’t speak for a moment.
“My father was…High King Silas? Wh—How?” I finally stutter.
Ivan nods slowly. His entire body is rigid as he watches me process the news.
“But…why didn’t he ever come find me?” I ask. But what I really want to ask is why didn’t he want me?
His eyes soften as his gaze turns sympathetic.
“Your father…had a complicated response when he learned about you. Initially, he didn’t believe that you were truly his.” He winces but continues, “As you got older, he wanted to make sure you had the choice between being involved in the court or living a normal life.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Your father grew up in the court. He never wanted that for his children. With Princess Etta, he didn’t have a choice. But with you, he did.”
“But I didn’t have a choice. I never knew,” I counter.
Ivan’s gaze narrows. “What do you mean?”
“What do you mean?”
He shifts in his seat. “Well, we reached out to Willa several times. Your father wanted to meet you, but it was our understanding that you weren’t interested.”
I stare at him in silence for a moment as my brain processes the words but struggles to find a way to understand them. “You did?”
He nods in confirmation. Before I can ask him what he means, he continues, “I’m sorry, Mae. I know this is shocking. However, now that the entire royal family has been murdered, you’re the last known heir to the throne.”
A heaviness seems to come over him, his body deflating at the mention of the three lives stolen. Sorrow laces his following words. “Mae, this means you’re the High Princess and the future High Queen of the Woodland Kingdom.”
I can’t speak. I can’t think. I can’t move.