by Dyan Chick
Before I could tug on the ribbon to open the scroll, the door opened again. I turned, unsure of what to expect.
A younger Fae male in the Winter Guard uniform walked in with a tray of food. He had blond hair pulled back at the base of his neck and blue eyes. He set it down on the floor in front of the door. "Breakfast."
My brow furrowed as I studied him. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place it. Just as he was closing the door, it hit me. "Wait!"
I handed the scroll to Nani and I bolted to the door, sidestepping the tray of food. The guard paused at the door, peering through a crack the width of my hand. "Yes?"
"Why are you here? Why aren't you with Tristan and Sasha?" I asked.
The male's eyes widened.
"You don't have to do what he says, you know," I said. "You can leave. I'm sure Tristan would welcome you."
"With Tristan gone, I'm the eldest son," he said, then he closed the door.
My shoulders dropped. Tristan had mentioned siblings, but the only ones I'd seen were Sasha and Anya. Were his other siblings here too? Did he know they were here supporting his father?
"Cassia." Nani held out the scroll. "Now's not the time to dwell. You must complete the trial."
I pressed my palms into my temples, easing the pain that had started in my head. We'd only been gone one night, but already I missed the warmth and comfort of the Winter Palace. It made me feel weak. I didn't want to feel weak. Dropping my hands to my side, I rolled out my shoulders and walked to Nani. Everything was so uncertain right now, but there was still a task that needed done.
Nani lifted the scroll away from me. "Promise me one thing first."
"Anything," I said.
"If you have a chance to run, to be safe from here, you take it."
"Nani, I can't leave you again," I said.
"You know I can take care of myself," she said. "Promise me."
I nodded.
She lowered the scroll. "Good luck."
"Thank you." Taking the scroll, I pulled off the ribbon and unrolled it. My brow furrowed as I read the single word in the middle of the parchment. Wisdom.
I looked up at Nani, a question on my lips. Then, the room dissolved, Nani slipping away from me.
Suddenly, I was standing in the middle of a forest. Thousands of tall pine trees as far as the eye could see. Dappled sunlight covered the floor of pine needles. I was still holding the scroll and I glanced at it again only to see a new word in the middle of the parchment. Survive.
Chapter Nineteen
Chills ran down my spine. Jaya had mentioned that one of the candidates had died in the first trial. Now, my new trial was to literally stay alive. I knew Queen's Trial was going to be difficult, and I knew I'd face risks. But I'd thought those risks would come from outside sources. I thought I had to stay clear of the other candidates and any other enemies. The males that had tried to get information from me and Tiana's threats seemed so far away as I stood alone, surrounded by trees.
I didn't have a destination or direction to travel. I didn't have a weapon or supplies. The back of my throat stung as fear crept through me. It reminded me of my arrival in Faerie. I'd been chased by horrible monsters and forced to survive on my own for a few hours.
Then, the fear that had started as a trickle took hold, squeezing my chest until I struggled to breathe. This wasn't just about survival for me. With all four courts worth of magic, I was at risk of drawing out the creatures from the Under. Being out in the open like this was a death trap.
I had to get out of there, but there was no clue as to the objective. Was I supposed to find my way somewhere or simply survive in here? I looked down at the parchment, hoping for more information but this time, it was blank.
Frustrated, I crumbled the useless document in my hand and shoved it in an inner pocket of my dress. Why must I have decided to wear something that was so poorly designed for survival?
Cursing my thin shoes, I started walking, trying my best to avoid the rocks and pinecones on the ground. Water. I needed to find water. I knew that was both my best bet for getting out of here and the necessary item I needed to live if I were here for a long time.
I wasn't a hunter. I'd never been trained as one. All I had was my intuition and a basic sense of geography. I remembered what Cormac had said about tracking and Autumn magic. It was possible I could harness it and help guide me through, but I would risk exposing too much magic if I did. Then, I remembered something about using my magic being beneficial. There was so much I still didn't know.
I stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes. I needed to channel my magic and cycle it so it stayed at the surface. It was possible I'd need it. But I decided right then and there, I'd save it for an emergency. If a creature found me or I was under a threat, I would have enough to escape. If I used it now to try to navigate, I didn't know how much I would waste or how it would even work. I knew magic took time to recharge and for now, I was safe.
Shaking out my hands and wiggling my fingers, I fought against the chill the shadows brought. If I was still here by nightfall, it might be emergency enough to attempt my Summer magic at the very least. I was going to freeze out here.
Whatever I did, I needed to get back to Nani quickly. I didn't like the idea of her being alone with the Winter King. Eyeing the landscape, I turned in the direction that appeared to have a downward slope and began my search for water. All I could do was hope I was making the right choices.
A branch crunched under my footsteps, sending animals scurrying away from the sound. I didn't see any of the creatures living here, but I could hear birdsong and chittering along with occasional rustling. None of the sounds seemed out of place or like they belonged to anything especially large.
I rubbed my hands along my arms, warming myself. At least I'd been in the Winter Court and my dress was long sleeved. Had I been in a more formal gown or in a warmer court when they whisked me away to this place, I'd be in trouble.
Something large rustled the trees to my right. I turned to see whole branches swaying as a figure came crashing through.
Hands out in front of me, I called to my magic, letting it rise to the surface in a hum. The figure collapsed to the ground and I lowered my hands. This wasn't a monster. It was a Fae female in a thin, sparkling gown that probably used to be pink. Now, it was torn and covered in dirt. From her clothing, she appeared to be from a well to do family. The female was face down, her auburn braids were nearly undone and twigs and debris stuck out of her hair making it look more like a bird's nest than the hair of a proper female.
I knelt down just as she looked up from the ground. Her pale face was dusted with freckles and dirt was smudged on her cheeks and forehead. Green eyes looked up at me, brow furrowed. I offered my hand. "Are you alright?"
The female pushed back, away from me. She was shaking like an animal who had been abused.
I extended my hand again. "I won't hurt you."
She scooted herself back again until she bumped into the back of a tree.
"Are you one of the candidates?" I asked. "My name is Cassia."
The female's eyes narrowed as she studied me. I waited patiently, my outstretched hand still hanging in the space between us.
"You're the one they're all talking about," she said, her voice small and almost squeaky.
"Probably," I said, raising my eyebrows and lifting my offered hand. "Do you need help?"
She let out a long breath and her shoulders sagged. Then, she finally reached for my hand.
I pulled her up as I stood and I took in the full sight of her. Her thin dress had been made of what I guessed was satin that only covered her breasts and her upper thighs. The rest of her dress was a sheer lace with a delicate flower pattern. What survived of it was in tatters, torn across her midsection and dangling in pieces from her shoulders. She had to be freezing.
"Where are you from?" I asked.
"Spring Court," she said. "House Valoi."
"Second t
rial?" I asked.
She nodded. "Wasn't expecting to be dropped into the middle of the forest."
"Tell me about it," I said.
"You didn't know in advance?" she asked.
I scoffed. "Why would I know about it in advance?"
The female shrugged. "That's what they're saying. That you are already chosen to win. They said the only way we could win was if we eliminated you."
I took a step back from the female. She seemed frail and delicate. Not the type you'd expect to pull a weapon from her skirts, but I'd learned not to let anything surprise me in Faerie.
"Don't worry," she said. "I don't have any weapons. Besides, I don't even want to be Queen to be honest."
My brow furrowed. "I don't understand. If you don't want to be Queen, then why would you go through all this?"
She smiled. "I'm the eldest daughter of House Valoi. We haven't had a Queen in our house for several generations. I'm sort of obligated to keep the family name and all. I guess you don't have to worry about that, do you?"
I swallowed and looked down for a moment. I didn't really have a family name. At least not anymore. I'd had one in the human realm, but that didn't belong to me.
"I'm Malin," the female said.
I looked up at her. "Nice to meet you, Malin."
"Well," she took a deep breath and glanced around, "I suppose I should get going."
"Do you know where you're going?" I asked before I realized she probably wouldn't share if she knew.
She laughed. "No idea. I've just been walking toward the sun. At least, I think it's the direction of the sun."
"We could help each other," I suggested. "There's nothing in the rules that I know of that says we have to work alone."
She lifted an eyebrow. "The first trial did reward us for asking for help. And I don't want the throne."
"We're not enemies here," I said. "There's no reason we can't work together."
She smiled, then shivered, moving her arms around herself. "Whatever we're going to do, we should do it quickly. I wasn't dressed for a journey."
I thought my dress was bad, but Malin had clearly come from somewhere much warmer. We both needed to get out of here before nightfall. My stomach growled and I pressed my hand against it. I hadn't eaten in a while. That was another reason to get out of these woods. "Any ideas what they want us to do here?"
She shook her head. "I was hoping you got some insight."
"None," I said, tempted to tell her that until the trial had sent me here, I'd been a prisoner. I didn't know her well enough yet for that. "It sounds like you were trying to get out of the woods, right?"
"Yes," she said. "I don't want to be here when it gets dark. Who knows what creatures might come out at night? Especially if anything breaks free of the Under." She shuddered.
A wave of guilt cascaded through me. If anything from the Under found us, I knew it would be because of me. Though, I had a feeling Malin wouldn't survive on her own even if monsters never attacked. "I was looking for water. In my studies, I was taught that towns and cities were built near large water sources. If we can find a stream, it might lead us to a river."
"I saw a stream when I first arrived here. But I've been walking for a while now." She turned in a slow circle as if trying to remember which direction she'd come from.
"You said you were traveling toward the sun, right?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Let's try to go away from the sun and see if we can find your stream," I said.
She shivered again and rubbed her hands on her bare arms. "Sounds good. Anything to get us out of here and into a warm house."
We started walking, weaving around trees and the occasional boulder. The call of birds and rustle of branches overhead seemed to travel with us as the smaller creatures of the woods observed us from their hiding places. A soft pine scented breeze blew past us and the shadows of the trees grew longer as we walked making the sunlight more scarce with each passing minute. I wondered if we were nearing sunset or if it was cloudy. Looking up, I tried to find patches of sky, but the overgrowth was so wild it was difficult to catch more than a small piece of sky. It was difficult to find the sun as we walked so I made sure I kept us moving down the slope, going toward the lowest point. Hopefully, we'd find water soon.
Malin's skin was taking on a purplish tint as the temperature dropped and I worried that she was going to get ill from the cold. I didn't have any way of warming her without attempting to build a fire and that would slow us down more than I'd like. "You're from the Spring Court?" I asked, trying to come up with ways to distract her.
"Yes," she said.
"What's it like there?" I asked.
"Warm," she said with a bitter laugh. "And beautiful. Flowers everywhere. The most pleasant company, and the best food."
I smiled as I watched her face light up with warmth for her home. "It sounds wonderful."
"It really is," she said.
"Tell me more about Spring Fae," I said, thinking of Ethan. My heart ached as I longed to see him, to be in his arms.
"What do you want to know?" she asked.
"Anything, really," I said. "Your favorite festival. Something to make us think of a happier time and place."
She paused in her step for a moment and her eyes looked a little misty, as if she were about to cry. Then she blinked and resumed walking. I kept pace with her, staying on her side as I continued to check the sky for signs of the sun.
"The Spring Solstice, of course," she said. "As I'm sure it's the Autumn Equinox where you're from."
I forced a smile on my lips at her comment. She seemed to know who I was and what I was capable of, but she didn't know I was raised in the human realm. No wonder the candidates thought I was so powerful. If they believed I'd been raised in Faerie and trained in all four courts of magic, they were probably terrified of me. I wondered if I should tell her where I was from, ease some of her fear. But I wasn't sure if it was better to have my competition fear me.
"Every year we prepare for weeks," she said. "My family has six greenhouses where we grow hyacinth, and tulips, and daffodils. We use thousands of flowers for the festival. Every table is covered in flowers. And we deliver bouquets to the families that live on our lands. It's tradition to bring in good fortune and fertility."
"It sounds amazing," I said. "I'd like to see it one day."
"Win," she said matter of factly.
"I'm sorry?" I turned and looked at her, startled by her response.
"The Queen oversees the seasonal festivals in every Court, not just the Autumn Court," she said. "If you win, you'll have to come. You can stay with me. I'd be honored to host you."
"You don't even know me," I said. "Let alone know if I'd be a good Queen."
"I heard you have the support of the Spring Prince. I've known Ethan a long time. If he believes in you, I do too."
Warmth spread through me at her support. It seemed genuine and she gave it without expectation of reciprocation. I wanted to hug her.
A low growl sounded ahead and the underbrush rustled. Something large was waiting for us. And it was about to pounce.
Chapter Twenty
A griffin crept forward through the underbrush, its head and shoulders lowered while its rear was up in the air. The creature looked wound like a spring about to explode. I held my breath as flashes of my encounter with Tiana wrestled for my attention. I knew I needed to act but what did you do to fight a griffin?
Malin grabbed my upper arm, squeezing so hard I felt her nails bite into my skin. "Cassia." Her voice shook as she continued to squeeze my arm. "What do we do?"
I knew running wasn't an option and that any second the creature was going to pounce. My mind whirred and I felt my magic rise in the pit of my stomach where I'd left it after cycling it when I'd first arrived. This wasn't the first time I'd let my magic do its thing so releasing it wasn't the worst idea. As if agreeing with my decision, the magic clawed inside me, desperate to escape. I tugged Malin's h
and off of my arm and closed my fingers around hers. Then, I forced everything I had toward the griffin.
Wind rushed past us, blowing my hair around my face and blocking my eyes. I heard the griffin growl. I brushed my hair away from my eyes and squinted into the rushing wind. The griffin was standing upright now, staring at me with its teeth bared. Small branches whipped past me, then a baby tree that was uprooted flew at us.
I dragged Malin down and squatted on the ground as the tree flew past us and made contact with the startled griffin. The creature yelped, then took off in the opposite direction from us. I blew out a breath and the tension eased just as the wind died down.
Malin turned and looked at me, her face drained of color. "What was that?"
"A griffin," I said. "Come on, we should get out of here before the monster brings his friends."
We turned away from the monster and headed the opposite direction. I stopped a few steps into our new course as a sharp pain shot from my chest to my side. I clutched at my side and turned to see that Malin was doing the same thing. "What was that?"
"Magic," Malin said. "Something powerful must be nearby. We should probably turn back. I don't want to run into whatever that could be."
"Unless," I paused, thinking about the warm buzz that radiated through my whole body. It was like an echo to the magic I felt when I channeled my magic. "What if that's what we're here for. What if we're supposed to find that magic?"
She rubbed her arms, battling the cold again now that the adrenaline had worn off. "If you want to go, I'll go with you."
"I think it's our best bet," I said. "It's the first sign of direction we've had since we arrived. What if the griffin was sending us away? What if it was a hint?" Again, I thought about Tiana's griffins and how they seemed like they'd been trained. Was it possible there were others who had taught the creatures how to do their bidding?
"Let's go," Malin agreed. "What do we have to lose?"
