“It needed to be done. I needed her to prove that she truly knew herself, and what she was capable of before I could allow her to be queen. A true queen knows her strengths, her weaknesses, and knows just how far she will go to protect her people, not just the ones she loves, but all of them. She will also question her king, when she knows the truth inside of her, it will keep him strong, and it will keep him true. Power is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.”
“Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on, and why it is my head feels like someone stomped on it?” My exasperation is topped only by the fact that I’m trying to calm my rolling stomach from bringing up whatever is left in it as I feel the blood around my mouth drying. That’s when everything goes dark. I blink to clear my vision, and I’m not in that room anymore, I’m in the library, on the cushions on the floor, Rowan’s hand in one hand, Cade’s in the other, Lanora opposite me. That’s when it hit me. This was Rowan, his gift. I’d almost forgotten he could do it. Climbing inside someone’s mind, making them believe what he shows you is real. It feels real, you can touch, taste, and breathe as if it’s real, but the horrors he can project are worse than I ever want to think of. Still, he can also make the most painful of things seem like they’re not real and take you to a happy place where the rest of the world doesn’t exist—it’s a powerful gift, and one he used to hate. It’s not his entire arsenal, but I guess Lanora has been making him hone it.
“I’m sorry, Emilia.” He looks sheepish, but I could tell he didn’t really want to do this either.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Rowan. She passed the test; she knew what she was in for when she signed up to become queen. Now the decision is your brother’s.” Lanora stood with her words and left the room, leaving me with the two of them.
“Who else passed the test?” I looked between them, both of them quiet.
“Talia,” Cade tells me as he stands, holding a handout to me. I take it and pull myself to standing, my muscles aching.
“Well then, I guess you have a decision to make.” I try not to sound bitter or desperate, but I’ve done all I can do, and knowing it comes down to me, and perky, perfect little Talia makes me sick to my stomach. Cade turns and leaves without another word, leaving me alone with Rowan.
“It’s going to work out, Emilia. You’ll see. He’d be an idiot not to pick you, Talia won’t stand up to him. She won’t push him.”
“Maybe that’s exactly why he’ll pick her.” I sigh and open the curtains in here, letting in the rays of sun as they bounce off the glistening white snow outside.
“I don’t think so, Emilia. We could just tell him the truth.” He stands beside me and leans against the window frame.
“You know I can’t do that. I need him to pick me because he picks me. My father would know, I don’t know how, but he would, and I can’t risk that. Telling you was dangerous enough, but I trust you, Rowan.”
“And you don’t trust him?”
“I’m trying. I keep seeing glimpses of him. The Cade I used to know, I can see him in there, but it’s like the man I knew is chained down and locked up. I don’t know how to reach him, and he’s the Cade I need. This Cade is distant, mistrusting, and I don’t blame him. He’s his father’s son. The man your father wanted him to be. But I can see him struggling, and sometimes it’s like he’s the man I remember. He’s two people in one body fighting to work out who he is against who your father wants him to be.”
“I know, and I feel partially responsible. Cade took on the brunt of my father’s wants and needs after that night. I was deemed too weak, and so he left me alone, but that meant that Cade got all of it. The pressures, the demands. The expectations.”
“This isn’t your fault, Rowan. It’s your father’s. I just wish we knew a way to win this game.”
Chapter Nine
“You know, I never know what I’m going to get with you,” Cade says as he pulls out a chair for me to sit before taking a seat opposite me.
“Pot, meet kettle,” I say to him with a small smile.
“I guess I somewhat deserve that.”
“Somewhat?” I admonish. “Somewhat? Cade you have more personalities than anyone I’ve ever met!”
“That might be true, but you’re not exactly the simplest person in the world, either.” He laughs a little, but I can tell he still feels uncomfortable.
“There’s so much I want to tell you, so much we haven’t had a chance to talk about, but first, we need to talk about last night. I guess you heard that Centra and Arabella were dismissed?” he says as he pours me a glass of ice water. “Arabella can’t leave yet though, so you’ll still see her around.”
“Okay, is Centra okay after everything?”
“She is, thank you for doing what you did. I wanted to help, but . . .”
“But your father is a worse adversary than Centra’s family?” I finish his sentence, and he at least finds it in him to look ashamed.
“Uncle Cade!” The door to the sunroom bursts open and in runs a little boy, probably no older than four, who runs into Cade’s arms and looks at him like he hangs the moon.
“Hey buddy, what are you doing here?” he asks, and it’s like he’s transformed into a completely different man. His walls fall, and his eyes shine bright with love for the little boy.
“Uncle Rowan said you’d be in here and that you were busy, but I know you’d want to see me because you love me.”
“Oh, is that right?” The little boy squeals as Cade tickles him and they fall on the floor, Cade taking the blow and laughing with the boy.
“Sorry, Cade. He’s so quick.” Rowan pants as he reaches the room and does a double take when he sees me watching them, and the tickle fest quits as Cade acknowledges his brother.
“Errr . . .”
“Who’s the pretty lady, Uncle Cade?” The boy says, jumping up and walking towards me. He looks so familiar, it’s haunting, but his smile is so carefree. I lean forward and hold out my hand to him.
“My name is Emilia, and who are you, young man?”
“I’m not a young man, I’m four!” He tells me with enthusiasm. “My name is Erion, and I think you’re going to be my newest bestest friend.” I gasp, trying to keep my surprise from my face as the little boy takes my hand and shakes it enthusiastically.
“Well, that’s a great idea, Erion. I know someone else with that name, and he’s very special to me too.”
“I’m named after my dad. My Uncle Cade told me so. My dad is a hero, he’s Uncle Cade’s bestest friend in the whole world, but he’s fighting the bad guys, keeping us safe.”
“Is that so?” I choke out. “He sounds like a special guy.”
“He is. I live with my mummy in the village, but I get to come here whenever I want to.”
“That’s enough, buddy. I think Rowan should take you to go see the horses; what do you think?”
“Yes, I love the horses. Do you want to come, Emilia?” He looks up at me with such innocence, and I swallow the pain and confusion and smile at him. “Not right now, Erion. I need to speak to your Uncle Cade, but maybe next time, okay?”
“Okay,” he says with a shrug before hugging Cade and running into Rowan’s waiting arms. “Let’s go horseys!”
Rowan has the grace to look guilty as fuck before he escapes, leaving me alone again with Cade.
“Are you fucking kidding me! How could you keep this from me? From my parents? What the fuck!” I shout at Cade, who holds his hands up in defence.
“We tried to tell you, we reached out, but your parents weren’t interested Emilia; they thought it was just another lie. We never heard from you after that day.”
“They what?” I choke out. My parents knew. How is that possible? They sent me here to get Erion back; there’s no way they’d have left his son here. Is there? I sit back down, the shock taking over.
Cade kneels before me and tucks my hair back behind my ear. “We thought you knew; we didn’t realise until you’d been
here a few days.”
“But I saw Erion the other night. He was broken, Cade.” He winces and pulls back, making me look at him.
“That wasn’t really him, Emilia. It was a projection. My father’s powers, remember? It’s like Rowan’s, but different. He projected the image of those guards, of Erion, to you, to us. The audience was a projection too. The only people really there were you and my family.”
“But I felt him. I heard him . . .” I whisper. This is all too much to take in. “Where is he?”
“It was your test. Father knew he wouldn’t break you like he did the others. So, he used what he knew would work. I am sorry, for what it’s worth. I’m sorry for everything.”
“Where is he?” I ask again, trying to take this all in.
“Last I heard, he was promoted to General. Away from the front lines, but still in the battle.”
“Does he know?” I have to know.
“He doesn’t know a thing. He slept with a girl from Summer Court who was sent to the front lines to cheer up the men down there. She was a dancer. I don’t know too much, but I know that it’s his son. The girl came to me when she was pregnant; she begged for my help, so I sent her to your parents. Two days later, she was back at our door. We tried reaching out after but got no response.”
I sit back, reeling. I have a nephew, and my parents knew. My entire world tilts on its axis, and I question everything my parents ever said about anything.
“How can I believe anything you say?” I cry, and he signs, scrubbing his hand down his face.
“I might not have given you many reasons to trust me, Emilia, but I’m still the person I’ve always been. The person you used to know. You say I have more personalities than you can keep up with, but did you ever consider that I’m just doing what I have to do, playing the role I have to play to get by. To survive.”
His words silence me because no, I hadn’t considered that. I just assumed and went with Rowan had told me, it all fit with what I saw.
“None of this makes any sense.” I cradle my head in my hands, this is all too much, and I’m totally confused.
“Look, my father doesn’t know about Erion, and I do what I must to keep my father happy. There’s not much to it other than that. I wanted us to talk, but this wasn’t how I saw this going. We need to talk some more about the future, but I need to go and keep my father busy until Erion leaves. We’re not finished here.” He grips my shoulders and makes me look at him before he disappears. What the fuck just happened?
***
Since Cade’s confession, things have been strange at the Palace. I’ve barely seen anyone other than Talia and Arabella, who has been staying at the palace despite being dismissed. We’ve spent almost every day together, with Cybil learning the way the Winter Court palace runs on a daily basis, learning the things we’d need to know if we married Cade.
“Don’t you guys think it’s weird no one has seen the Vasaras for like two weeks?” Arabella asks quietly as we sit to have breakfast in the small dining room where I first met them all. “I heard that King Earon was ill, and that’s why they’ve not seen us since that night.”
“I’m sure if he was ill, they’d have called in the healers,” Talia says before taking another bite of her toast. All eyes turn to me, and I just shrug. If I had any idea what was going on, I’d maybe share, but I’m just as in the dark as they are. I finish my coffee and just let them continue to gossip, much like how it’s been the last two weeks. I’ve been nice, sure, but I’m not here for that, and all of these delays just make me nervous. I’ve not had any more surprises from my father, but god only knows what he’s been up to.
As if on cue, Lanora appears in the doorway, and the room goes silent.
“Emilia, I need to speak to you. Please.” I stand and follow her out of the room. She remains quiet as I follow her to her rooms. The light in the room enhances the tiredness on her face.
“Is everything okay, Lanora?” I ask, I’m shocked by my concern, but she was always like a second mother to me, and during my time here, I’m moving past my grief, and starting to see these people for who they are again, rather than holding my prejudices against them.
“There are so many things you don’t know, things you never needed to know, but now you need to know. Please, sit.” She waves to the white table in chairs by the windows, and I sit while she paces in front of me.
“First things first, I know you know of some of my gifts, Emilia. One you don’t know, that no one other than Earon knows, not even my boys, is that I have the gift of foretelling.” I gasp, foretellers are rare, and are almost always killed to prevent any courts having the upper hand. “I know, so you must know the trust and faith I’m placing in you by telling you this, but I fear you need to know. I have seen something so horrific even I cannot bear it. A darkness is coming, Emilia. I can’t see all of the details, people’s choices change the future, so I can only see the path we’re on right now, but we can’t stay on this path.”
“Lanora.” I stand and take hold of her arms, stilling her. “Maybe you should sit too; you’re not making much sense.”
“I can’t see everything, but what I can see, is that you’re going to say yes to Cade, and if you do, a darkness like we haven’t seen in centuries is going to descend on our world. Chaos will ensue and there will be blood. So much blood.”
“I don’t understand Lanora, why wouldn’t you just tell Cade?”
“He can’t know, I tried that, but I’ve seen that I won’t change his mind, and he has never put much stock in foretelling. You know that as much as anyone. It has to be you.”
“Have you seen what happens if I say no to him?” I question, and her face crumples.
“No,” she whispers.
“Then you can’t know that that’s what makes the difference, Lanora. I have my own reasons for saying yes if he asks me. You can’t ask me to do this.”
“I can free your brother, whether you marry Cade or not. I know that’s why you’re here.”
“That’s not everything, Lanora. Please, don’t ask this of me.”
“This darkness will eat them alive, Emilia. It will destroy everything we’ve built, eradicate our world. You need to do this. There is no one else.” She starts to shake before she falls to the floor, her eyes roll backwards as she seizes on the floor. I run to the door and call for help. A group of people run into the room and start to move around her. I step back against the wall, shaken and confused by everything that just happened. Was Lanora telling the truth? Or is she really just ill? Could she just not want me to marry her son? I have so many questions and no way of getting any real answers. I need my friend.
Chapter Ten
“So, this is what life at the Winter Palace is like? Not too shabby at all,” Lily jokes as she takes in my room. The past few days have been a whirlwind of people in and out of the palace, it feels like something is going on, but nobody is telling us anything. So, I wrote to Lily and asked her to visit. I’m not sure whether or not it’s permitted or not, but at this point, I don’t care. I’m sick of not seeing people I know, people I can trust.
“It’s not exactly how it seems. This was my room before.” Her eyes widen as she realizes what I mean, and she pulls me into a hug. I let her, because more than anything, I need it. Ever since Lanora told me about her visions, I’ve been off-kilter.
“I can’t believe they put you back in here!”
“It’s not all bad, at first I think it was a test, but really it became a familiar place for me to seek refuge. To reflect. I’m used to it again now.”
“So, are you going to tell me why you asked me to come?” She looks at me in suspicion. One thing about my best friend is that she never beats around the bush; she doesn’t believe in it. It’s a waste of time as far as she’s concerned, but sometimes it takes me off guard. I sit on the bed cross-legged, and she follows suit, sitting opposite me.
“Something happened . . .” I stall, I don’t even really know where
to start. So I start from when I arrived, and I spill my heart out about everything that’s happened since I got here, the tests, getting my friend back in Rowan, telling him about Oberon, the lovely gift from my father, about my nephew—all of it. When I finish, I look up at a shell-shocked Lily.
“I don’t . . . how . . . why . . . I can’t even.” She takes my hands and squeezes them as she tries to find the words.
“I know, and that’s not all.” I sigh. “Lanora called for me, and she told me something. I don’t know if I can believe her; it seems so crazy, but you should have seen her, Lily. She was losing her mind at the thought of what might happen.”
“You’re not really making much sense, Em.”
“I know, I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to say anything because it could put people in danger, but at the same time, I don’t know what to do.” I bury my face in my hands and try to calm myself down. I don’t want to fall to pieces right now, so I take a deep breath. “I need you to swear to me, make the unbreakable promise that what I tell you, you won’t speak about with anyone but me.”
“Holy shit, Em. What the hell is going on?”
“I need you to swear.”
“I swear. Cross my heart, wherever I go, across the world or back home. The words uttered between us will not cross my lips with another, or this fair tale shall end with slaughter.”
“I’m sorry, but thank you.” I take a deep breath and try to center myself. “Lanora is a foreteller.”
“What the fuck? How? How is she alive? I thought they were all executed?”
“The only one who knew was Earon and now us. That’s how. I don’t know how she cloaked herself, or how she escaped the purge all those decades ago, but that’s not it. She had a vision that our world will be shrouded in darkness and blood if I say yes to Cade.”
“And what happens if you say no?”
“Other than my father killing Oberon? She doesn’t know; she hasn’t seen that outcome. She said it was all based on people’s choices, and obviously, I want to save Oberon. I want to stop the war between our courts, and I want my brother to come home. But until I make that choice, she can’t see the other side of it, and I’m not sure I can make that choice.”
Summer Princess (Dark Fae Book 1) Page 11
