by Laynie Bynum
I needed to hurry before the dungeon weakened me again. I had one chance to get this right.
The garbage lay against the wall, bagged and ready to go. The clock told me that it was eleven. Work Time ended in half an hour, and then the guards would ensure we were all in our cells. Since I hadn’t seen Steve and Earl among the night patrols during the past few days, I guessed their shifts ended with mine, which meant no one would search for the duo during the next few hours.
If I wasn’t out of here by morning, I was done.
Panic swirled within me, like a monster stirring up ocean waves. I swallowed, accepting the reality that there was no going back now. I had to pull this off or die trying.
Slowly, my strength returned, and I forced myself to open one of the garbage bags and dig through the contents. An old pack of cheese slices that were blue with mold sat on the top. As I grabbed the pack, I sensed the life within, pulsing with weak energy, and hope filled my chest. Maybe I could work with fungus, too.
Now I needed the glass. I remembered seeing a small hole in Caleb’s cell near the ceiling. A breeze often came from that direction and made everything extra cold on some nights. The cells were open during Work Time as we were responsible for cleaning them. The guards only patrolled every half hour.
The mirrors in the showers were old and if one broke, it wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
The showers were empty and close to the cafeteria. I had cleaned them before. They didn’t take as long as the cobblestones, so whoever got assigned that duty also did the dishes. The showers were empty. Three mirrors hung above the sinks. I wrapped a towel around my fist and swung, managing to break a corner off one of the mirrors after several tries. Not daring to stuff it in my pocket, I held the shard in my trembling hand as I tiptoed downstairs and toward my cell. This had better work. I needed to wedge the piece of mirror into the hole to reflect moonlight into my cell. But what if the moon rose from the wrong direction? What if I couldn’t get the right angle or the piece was too big? I had to at least try. I’d never gotten a good look at the hole in Caleb’s cell. I had felt it rather than seen it.
“What are you doing?” A female guard stood on the landing between Cell Blocks 1 and 2. Her eyes narrowed, and I quickly hid the glass behind my back.
“Lady Cardinal ordered me to go to bed. I need to show Mrs. Wu her project tomorrow,” I said.
“You better not be lying as I will confirm this.” Her snort told me she thought I was trying to duck out of Work Time early. Still, she stood aside and let me pass.
A single fae male scrubbed the floors near the other end of Cell Block 1. He kept his back to me, and the sounds of scrubbing grew louder and louder in my head. My mouth went dry as I ducked into Caleb’s cell. I’d never been here before. My eyes adjusted to the gloom of the weak torch light. My pulse hammered in my ears. If the opening was too tiny then I was done. My life would end within twenty-four hours.
A narrow opening looked out on the outdoors, and hope swelled within me. I pressed my face up to the gap in the old bricks. The bricks themselves were about one or two feet thick, but I could see down the mountain our prison was nestled in. Trees stood against the stars, and a rising full moon cast shimmering light on the lake below.
Before anyone came down the steps, I slipped the mirror into the opening. It scraped against the stone, but barely wedged in, and I angled it so that the pale light fell on the bars between Caleb’s cell and mine. It was so weak that I had to squint to see it, but it was definitely there. The tiny bit of silvery light filtered through the bars and onto the floor of my cell, right where it needed to be.
I could do this. So long as the guards didn’t see the mirror, I would break out of Nocturnal Reformatory tonight.
Chapter Thirteen
With everything set up, I laid on my cot and turned my face to the wall, pretending to sleep and hoping Kristen didn’t decide to question me about my special work assignment. I couldn’t afford to draw attention or give anything away.
Soon, the other fae filed into Cell Block 1. None spoke, their footsteps dragging across the cobblestone. The air smelled of sweat and misery. Doors slowly opened and closed while bodies flopped onto cots. Staying here was as bad as death. No, it was worse. Being drained dry took only minutes, while being enslaved could last a whole eternity. I pressed my lips firmly together. I had made the right decision. Escape or die.
Kristen didn't speak and neither did the other fae. A few peed and there was some creaking as they tried to get comfortable on the tiny, rock hard cots, yet ten minutes later silence had fallen. A guard came through and locked each cell door one by one as I tensed, waiting for him to see the mirror in the crack, but he then left. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to wait another ten minutes. But I couldn't wait too long. Once the moon started to set, the angle of the light would never hit the mirror, nor the floor of my cell. In fact, midnight could be too late, when the moon would be directly overhead. I opened my eyes to see that the pale light was still there. Perhaps the moon’s refracted light was hitting the mirror from the lake, too?
The cells remained silent. No guards came down. But had they picked up their schedule since Caleb’s escape?
Meanwhile, the moon continued to rise.
I waited another five minutes and was rewarded when two sets of footsteps approached. They still patrolled every half hour, then. Would that be enough time for me to create the fairy ring?
The footsteps quieted as the guards departed back up the steps, and I rose into a world of dim light, bars, and exhausted bodies. Making sure no one was watching, I set up a circle of moldy cheese around the faint moonlight falling into my cell. Yes. Some had to be coming off the lake and hitting the mirror, too, as it must be midnight by now. But even so, the light had shifted a bit toward the bars. Another reason why I had to work quickly.
When I was done, I paused, waiting for something to happen, but everything remained calm and quiet.
Backing as far from the iron bars as possible, I drew on what power I had left from the day, urging the mushrooms to sprout. Warmth and tingles flowed through me as I held up my hands. Slowly, tiny caps sprouted from the ground, sinking runners into the soil, as the cheese deteriorated and crumbled into blue powder. I thanked my lucky stars. It was possible. The tingle of satisfaction added to my magic. I held in my squeak of happiness as I sensed the fungus spreading under my feet like a puddle of weak magic. Of course. True fairy rings sprang from fungus that grew underground. The caps were only the surface fruits. But I wasn’t done. I closed my eyes and reached out to the tiny caps, feeling their runners that reached into the dirt. Breathing out more magic, I urged the runners to mingle and join with one another. I could feel it happening, slowly but surely, below my feet and out of sight.
When the circle joined, a jolt of magic ran through me as if all the iron in my cell had faded away. Life flowed into my limbs. I had a real fairy ring.
Take that, Mother!
I opened my eyes. The caps themselves had grown and seemed to glow in the pale light despite their brownish color.
However, my relief and hope dissipated as quickly as they had arrived, and tension crawled up my back like a million crabs. Where was the portal? Wasn’t it supposed to shimmer into place? I strained my vision and even moved my arms through the air like an idiot, in case my eyesight wasn’t trained to recognize the portal. Nothing.
Mother laughed.
Of course. I was an idiot. I had two of the ingredients all right, but I was missing the most important thing. I didn’t know the incantation or have the power to open a portal. I was not of the royal fae line, nor had my family spent the last several generations in the faeland.
Don’t bite more than you can chew. Mother’s voice was a knife, stabbing through my skull.
I balled my fists. Shut up! I’m done with you! You haven’t helped me once! All you do is cut me down because you hate your life. I cast the invisible hold Mother had on me away and straightened. Mother w
ould not break me.
I was about to reach in my waistband for the fairy ring drawing when the air in front of me tilted, shimmering like a distortion. I bit in a cry of shock. Was this…? Could I…?
I drew on more of my emotions, feeling the black anger I had suppressed for so long. It was mine. Rightfully mine. Mother’s claim she acted for my good was bullshit. She was selfish. For her, I was nothing more than an extension. An accessory. Something that she praised when it made her look good, and punished when it didn’t or when she simply needed a punching bag.
The air in front of me shimmered with more intensity and slowly turned into a green, oval-shaped vortex the size of my face. My magic thrummed under my skin, more intense than I had ever felt it. My anger fed my power. I balled my fists and urged the portal to open.
Mother slapped me across my face and pulled my hair.
You need to be the best. Do you think you’re better than me?
You’re talented. Plant-gifted. Now go and impress the master for me.
What an ungrateful, stuck-up bitch you are, Peony. You spilled that chalice. He’s angry.
Show the people what they want to see. Don’t let them see the brat you are. Smile. Be pleasant. Oh, are you going to cry?
Finally, I recognized her behavior for what it was—nasty and sick. It had nothing to do with me and everything to do with her.
Shaking, I lifted my arms to the portal, as if it was the most natural thing to do. Green magic, the color of a sun-lit forest, shot out of my arms, feeding the green vortex. It grew from the size of my face to the size of a full-length oval mirror. The border glowed green, hinting at leaves and fresh grass, and within the air shimmered, teasing at what waited beyond. Hints of mossy tree trunks mingled with flowers.
The time had come. Throat dry, heart pounding, and jaw tight, I stepped forward and put my hand into the green vortex. No electroshock or any other pain hit me.
The passage was safe, but was I really going to go into the faeland, a place I had no clue about?
I glanced back at the exhausted, sleeping forms of my fellow inmates. I thought of the other fae, gainfully employed, but always waiting for the axe to fall.
The unknown was preferable to the slavery I knew here.
I put one foot through the portal, and hoping for the best, held my breath and took the biggest step of my life.
Greenery spread all around me and I breathed the most fragrant, fresh air I ever had. Fireflies illuminated the slim, cobblestone path in front. Here, it was night as well, but the glowing flowers and fireflies lit up the world so much I could never imagine it being truly dark here. Lanterns filled with shimmering, almost ghostly light nestled inside hollowed-out tree trunks. Insects buzzed all through the forest, creating an intoxicating, peaceful rhythm that I drew in. It was beautiful, mesmerizing. A dream come true. The air was light. The sky was set with the brilliant stars and a ribbon of cosmic dust. I twirled, laughing, feeling free and safe for the first time. A green glow followed me. It soothed my nerves and made calmness rush through my veins.
This was my home.
A home I hadn’t even known I had, and yet, I felt it in my bones that I belonged here. My whole body turned lighter besides the new weight on my upper back. I glanced back, still awed at what I found, even though I had expected it. Green-white wings grew from my back, thin and translucent like gossamer.
The rumors were true. Here, fae took their true form.
I continued down the path, my feet urging me on. When I glanced behind me, the portal was gone and so was the path I had been walking on, leaving only forest behind me. But as I continued, the path disappeared. Did this mean I wasn’t quite in the faeland yet? I’d heard stories that portals could be tricky, just like everything else associated with our kind. I could be in some sort of in-between zone.
And I could fall in either direction once the portal dissolved.
Time was said to flow strangely in the faeland. Back in the human world, it could already be nearly morning. Already, a weight pulled me backward. I upped my pace, heart trying to escape my ribcage. I had not come this far to get ripped back into hell. Gritting my teeth, I bolted to something glowing down the path: a white garden arch. My lungs and legs burned as I pumped my arms faster and faster.
My feet pounded the cobblestone path, and my breath turned labored as I reached a flowered arch on the path. The air felt different here, more electric and alive. The air shimmered in the arch. I leapt through it, and blinding light assaulted me, turning me lightheaded. My knees buckled as I landed in the soft grass. Tiredness overcame me, and instead of pushing back up to my feet, I rolled onto my back, wings spread, the sweet smell of flowers filling my lungs.
I stayed like this, not daring to open my eyes. I wasn’t ready to see reality yet.
“Please tell me I made it. Please tell me it’s not a dream,” I muttered.
“You made it and it’s not a dream,” a low voice replied.
I jerked upright and blinked, pain stabbing at my eyes as I tried to adjust my vision to the sun. That was not an easy task when the vampires had mostly kept me away from the sunlight for eighteen years. But when my vision finally sharpened and took in the surrounding meadow, one filled with clouds of rainbow butterflies and an entire spectrum of flowers, I found Caleb kneeling in front of me, messy hair over one eye.
Caleb. The man in front of me still had asymmetrical features and green-blue eyes with brown specks, but everything else about him had changed.
“Peony.” His voice washed over me, low and delicious. His appearance was no longer disheveled or poor-looking. His dark green jacket featured golden accents on his shoulders. His beige pants were fitted with elegant side stripes. And his formerly messy hair was brushed to one side. Golden, translucent wings were folded on his back. He looked...royal.
“Caleb?” I knew it was him, but I needed him to confirm it and explain.
A wry grin spread across his lips. “Yes, I’m still the same Caleb who wasn’t worth your precious time.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it. He was right. I had treated him like a nobody because there was nothing he could do for me. Pain gathered in my throat and solidified into a painful lump. I was an awful person.
I swallowed, trying to get some moisture into my dry throat. “What are you going to do with me? Are you going to hand me over to the vampires?”
His jaw tightened. “Why would I do that after leaving you a map on how to open the portal? It would be a waste of my precious intelligence.” He winked.
But that didn’t mean that he had forgiven me. “You must hate me after how I treated you.” I pushed myself off the crushed flowers and grass I had collapsed on, probably looking like crap while he was prince charming. Oh, how our roles had changed. But that didn’t mean I’d be pathetic. I’d take what was to come with grace. “What is the punishment for treating someone of your rank the way I did?” Caleb must be a noble. No...his golden wings...I had heard that the color signified a rank even higher than that. Caleb was—
The lines around his eyes crinkled. “How the mighty have fallen. Or should I say the self-righteous?”
I bit my tongue to stop myself from firing back.
“I’m surprised you’re not demanding to know who I am and why I left the map for you. I liked that side of you.”
I must’ve misheard. “You like the bitchy part of me?”
“Not the bitchy part, but the one that takes control of a situation. The determined Peony.”
I tried to find something witty and clever to reply, but I was spent. The mask of toughness became an unbearable weight, and for the second time, I collapsed into the grass, loving the prickle on my neck. “I guess that part was knocked out of me when I was fighting for my life to get out of Nocturnal Reformatory.”
Grass crunched as Caleb lowered himself onto the ground next to me. He put a hand on my arm, soothing energy streaming into me. He was warm. “What did they do to you?” There was no
thing calming in his tone, only barely contained rage.
I met his gaze. “Not much. I managed to get away. But if I ever return, they’ll kill me.” This was the part where I was supposed to lean in and bat my eyelashes, telling him that I needed his protection. But Caleb would see right through the act. I would need to give him something of value in exchange for staying here. “What will it take for me to remain here?” I had finished the plant for Mrs. Wu. I had committed a crime and damned other fae. The darkness in Caleb's eye told me that he suspected the truth, and if he asked for it, I would have no choice but to give it to him, unless I found a clever way to dodge the truth.
He studied me for a long time, his face unreadable. Finally, he said, “No earthbound fae may return to the faeland unless the king himself or someone from his court has extended a welcome.”
His words extinguished my hope. I let out a breath. No one had invited me here. My limbs weighed a million pounds. It was all for nothing, then.
“I'll vouch for you if you prove that your selfishness was not due to who you are, but the circumstances you were in.”
I balled my fists. Was this a cruel joke? He already knew I was selfish. Only a horrible person would’ve agreed to create the fertility plant for Mrs. Wu.
As if reading my thoughts, Caleb motioned for me to sit up. I did, waiting for what else he had to say. “When that fae servant was executed,” he continued, “I knew you had no choice but to follow whatever instructions the vampires gave you. I could see your determination to escape, and I knew you didn’t want to work on the plant when you talked of busting out. The vampires’ world makes me so angry. I never expected it to be so bad.” He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. “Now, your situation is different. Prove that you’ll fight for something bigger than yourself.”
I wrung my hands. “What are you talking about?”
He chuckled almost to himself. “Of course. Forgive me. I’m Caleb Sutter Kallan, the king’s bastard son and thus barely a prince. In the Summer Court, I’m known as a disappointment and since no one cares whether I live or die, I have been allowed to lead my troops into battle to tear down Nocturnal Academy and Nocturnal Reformatory. It helps that I stole that first fertility plant and gifted it to my father, to win his favor. In exchange, he gave me my own soldiers. You see, it may hold the keys to curing the plague that has made so many fae here infertile.”
