by Dyan Chick
I needed to focus on staying alive. I had an enemy who wanted me dead and wanted Lilian dead. Whoever it was, they were willing to attempt to destroy us in front of witnesses. Our assassin was either desperate or very self-assured. It was possible Rose was responsible for both attacks, but something about that didn’t sit well with me.
Despite Lilian’s comments about Rose’s abilities and desire to win, I couldn’t imagine her as someone so cunning. Mostly, because I didn’t see her as someone who truly wanted the throne. I had no doubt she was capable of murder and deceit, but I had a feeling it needed to be for something she wanted.
Either way, I was going to have to be more cautious around Rose. She was more dangerous than I gave her credit for.
The door opened again, and Nani stepped in quietly carrying a tray with a teapot and some food. She hurried over to set the tray on the table then rushed to my bed. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m alright, I think,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“You saved the queen,” she said with a frown. “You’d think that would earn you a break.”
“Break?”
“They’re starting the trials in an hour,” she said. “I hope you’ve recovered enough magic.”
The door opened again and Nani and I both turned to see Cormac walking in. He closed the door behind him. “I’m glad you’re up.”
“Seems there’s a trial starting,” I said.
“They refused to delay,” he said. “Something about protocol, or oracles, or birds, I’m not sure. They threw a lot of words around quickly and the queen is too ill to make decisions right now.”
“But she’ll live?” I asked.
“She’ll live,” he assured. “I came from her rooms. She wanted me to wish you luck. Unofficially, of course.”
“Of course,” I said.
Nani left my bedside and returned with a plate of food. “You need to eat.”
“She’s right, you do.”
“Alright,” I said. “I’ll eat. You talk.”
“Talk about what?” he asked.
“Everything you’ve been thinking about and everything you’ve discovered while I was asleep,” I said.
“I’ll leave you two,” Nani said.
“Nani,” I called, “can you send a maid up to me later? Her name is Lucinda.”
She nodded then left the room.
“Speak,” I said as I picked up a piece of cheese.
“There is something I wanted to tell you,” he said. “I’m not sure if I’m correct yet, but you should know.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“When you used your magic, you weren’t just calling your own magic. You tapped into those around you. You tapped into me and a few others. I don’t know if anyone else picked up on that but if they did, they’re going to be even more worried about you.”
“I don’t understand how I could do something like that,” I said.
“Nobody should be able to do that. But you did. You pulled magic from other Fae and channeled it as if it were your own. It depleted their magic the same way yours was.” He sat down on the bed next to me. “Cassia, this is a gift, but it could be used in ways that are darker than any magic I’ve seen before. You don’t know how to control it or what it could do.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” I said.
“I know. But I need you to promise me that you’ll try not to do it again,” he said.
Cormac’s eyes were locked onto mine. He looked like he was holding his breath as he waited for me to respond. I’d never seen him look like that before.
“Cormac?”
“Yes?”
“When did you first realize you and I shared a mating bond?” I asked.
His brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“Humor me,” I said, my insides twisting. I needed to know this was my Cormac. That he was who he said he was.
“At the wedding. In front of the fire. I tried to suppress it, deny it, send it away, but I couldn’t. Being around you without being with you was too painful,” he said.
I smiled. “Thank you. And I promise, I’ll do my best not to use anyone else’s magic.”
Chapter Fifteen
Consorts and visitors were seated nearby under a huge canopy that had been set up overnight. I stood next to Malin, outside the palace, waiting for the Council to declare the trials open. The hurried goodbye I had with Cormac wasn’t enough. I already wished we’d had more time.
“You have until sunset to complete the first task,” Jaya said as she paced in front of us. She stopped walking and stood in front of me.
“Somewhere in the woods surrounding the palace is a single stone from the high temple. Whoever finds the stone and returns it to the palace wins this trial. Anyone who returns as a failure will have one more attempt in the second trial. If you fail the first and second trials, you will be eliminated from Queen’s Trial.”
I glanced to my right where Malin, Lilian, and Rose were waiting. Only one of us could win this. Alliances made between Rose and Lilian were useless here unless they conspired to work together to take me out. Malin, on the other hand, was probably happy to lose and hoped to lose the next one too so she could go home. Though I knew she’d put at least some effort into the competition.
“What does the stone look like?” Rose asked.
“I gave you all the information you’re required to have,” Jaya said.
I remembered back to my visit to the Temple. The stones inside sparkled like stars in a night sky. I wondered if it would after it had been removed. Though there were other rocks that sparkled that had no value. I remembered finding them in the human world as a child and feeling like I’d found treasure. It was heartbreaking to learn they were worthless.
The sparkles in the stone at the temple were probably similarly worthless. It was possible I could find a stone that reminded me of the stones in the temple. There had to be another way to figure out what made it different. It had to be something else that made it important. Faerie was full of beautiful things. They enjoyed splendor, but they valued magic.
This was a magic test.
“Ready?” Jaya asked.
I balled my hands into fists. I had to find the stone first. Getting Lilian or Rose out of here was too important.
“Begin,” Jaya said.
Lilian and Rose took off at a run, heading toward the woods on the palace lands. I looked at Malin who was still standing next to me.
“Want to walk together?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said.
“How are you feeling after everything?” she asked.
“Better, thanks,” I said.
“That was terrifying. Can you imagine what would have happened if you weren’t there?” She shook her head.
“I don’t want to think about it,” I said. “I’m so grateful I was able to help.”
“How did you do that?” Malin asked. “Even the queen’s healer couldn’t get the poison to subside. I’m a healer and I’ve never felt magic like what you used. You have to teach me.”
I considered for a moment. Should I tell her the truth? Malin and I had been sharing things, we seemed to be on the same side but after Cormac’s insistence that I keep it to myself; I wasn’t as sure about sharing. I didn’t want to worry Malin or lose my only chance at a friend here. I had to go with something true, but details didn’t have to be shared. I was finally learning how to speak like a Fae. “I’m not sure what I did. I went on intuition so I’m not sure I could repeat it.”
“Whatever you did, it was impressive,” Malin said. “I’m sure the others are even more concerned about you than they were before. Not to mention whoever else has taken an interest in the candidates.”
The two of us walked toward the woods as Lilian and Rose disappeared into the trees. Once we were far enough away from the council, I told her everything that happened with Lilian.
“So you think it’s Rose?” she asked.
“Maybe,” I said, “but I’m not sure I’m convinced that Rose has the power to control water the way it was used. Or shift into other Fae. Poison, possibly.”
“I hope it’s just Rose,” she said. “The idea that an outsider is trying to take out the candidates is terrifying.”
“I know what you mean, but I think we should consider there’s an enemy out there who wants the trial to end in a very specific way.”
“If there was never an attack on Rose, it’s pretty clear they are on her side,” Malin said.
I stopped walking and looked at her. “You’re right. They tried to drown the two of us and tried to poison Lilian. The only one who wasn’t attacked was Rose.”
Malin shivered. “I don’t like any of this. The sooner I can leave, the better.”
“You still don’t want to be queen?” I asked.
She laughed. “I didn’t want to be queen before. After seeing someone nearly poison the queen, I definitely don’t want it.”
“I can see that,” I said.
“Come on, I’ll help you find that rock,” she said. “Any ideas how we can do that?”
“Magic?” I suggested.
“Detection?”
“I think the rock itself might be magical. If we can find some magic we aren’t used to and follow it, we might have a chance,” I said.
“You’re brilliant,” she said.
I smiled, guilty flutters in my gut. Since I’d been to the temple, I might have an advantage.
The woods on the palace grounds were peaceful. The trees were in a permanent state of autumn, the leaves in bright hues of red and orange. The ground was dotted with brown, crunchy leaves that rustled underfoot.
Nearby, something ran through the underbrush and I turned to catch the blur of a deer as it raced away from us. I breathed a sigh of relief. Having an animal in the woods was a good sign. When I’d been around the creatures from the under, they’d scared away all other forms of life.
“Feel anything?” Malin asked.
“Not yet,” I said, feeling guilty for not trying to find the magic as much as I could. Taking a deep breath, I found the source of my magic. It hummed inside me, sending a warmth though my limbs. It felt like I’d been using it, like it was waiting to be called again. Relieved that I hadn’t used it all up healing the queen, I reached out with the magic I gathered, imagining it crawling through the woods like spiders, searching for anything that gave off a similar signature.
A jolt went through me and I stopped walking. It was as if a burst of magic exploded nearby, sending vibrations through me. There was no way to tell what caused it, but it was something. “I felt something.”
Malin stopped. “Where?”
I pointed in the direction I’d felt the magic. “Over there.”
“You think it’s the stone?” she asked.
“I’m not sure what it is, but it was something big. We should be careful,” I said.
The two of us made our way through the underbrush toward the source. Branches from bushes caught on my tunic and I pulled them away, continuing forward. Leaves crunched and Malin snapped a branch. We both paused and I held my breath. Nothing moved around us.
“Let’s keep going,” I said.
We resumed our slow walk through the woods and with each step, the air grew colder. The tunic and leggings were thick fabric that should be warm enough here, but the wind picked up and I could feel it biting through the cloth.
“Are we still going the right way?” Malin asked, her breath coming in clouds.
“Yes,” I said.
She sniffed, her nose red, then nodded. As we continued on, the sky darkened. I looked up, trying to spot the clouds through the canopy of trees. The bits of sky I saw was a steely gray.
I rubbed my hands together, trying to warm up my frozen fingers. Then, it started to snow. Large fluffy flakes of white snow drifted to the ground in peaceful silence.
I stopped walking and held my hand out, catching the flakes in my palm. “Malin?”
She stopped walking. “It’s not supposed to snow here.”
“I know,” I said.
“Something is wrong,” she said.
“I read that it used to snow here. I wonder why it started again,” I said. “Maybe the queen knows.”
“No, not the snow,” she said. “Something else is wrong. Can you feel that?”
I paused, reaching out with my magic once more. She was right, there was something there. A heavy, swirling presence that didn’t belong here. “What is that?”
“I don’t know,” Malin said. “But I have a feeling we’re going to find out.”
Chapter Sixteen
A familiar stench drifted through the air and my whole body tensed in response. I knew that smell. “It’s not possible.”
“What?” Malin asked.
“Don’t let it bite you,” I said.
“Don’t let what…”
The Sodalis burst through the trees in front of us and reared onto its hind legs, letting out a roar.
Poisonous drool dripped from its enormous mouth. Sharp teeth glimmered in the faint light. The giant bat like creature spread its leathery wings and roared again.
I shoved Malin aside just as the creature lunged for us. “Run, Malin!”
The two of us tore through the woods, the sound of the monster crashing through the trees following us.
“What is that?” Malin called.
“Sodalis, from the Under,” I yelled.
“That’s impossible. There can’t be tears within the palace wards,” she shouted.
I grabbed Malin and took a hard right, trying to throw the creature off any way I could. While we ran, I tugged on my tunic, tearing the bottom off. I dropped it on the ground, then grabbed Malin and took her on another turn.
“We have to get back to the palace,” I said. “We have to warn everyone.”
“The Trials!” Malin said.
“Neither of us will be queen if we’re dead,” I said.
“Watch out!” Malin grabbed me and tugged me to the side just as another Sodalis roared in front of us.
We landed on the ground, out of reach of the creature. I rolled to the side before standing, then quickly looked behind us. Three more Sodalis had joined the one that stopped us, surrounding us.
“Where did they all come from?” Malin asked.
“The Under,” I said. “But I have no idea who let them in.”
Weaponless and exhausted from running, Malin and I faced the four Sodalis closing in on us.
“What are we going to do?” Malin whispered.
“Fight,” I said. “But I’m not sure how.”
“I’m a healer,” she said. “I only know how to fight with weapons.”
The four Sodalis’s spread their wings, flapping them as they called out in unison. An awful crowing sound came from the creatures as if they were trying to communicate with something else.
Worried they were summoning more of the horrible beasts, I knew we had to act.
“You make things grow, right?” I asked.
“That I can do,” Malin said.
Tree branches and vines wove their way around us, toward the monsters.
As fast as I could, I summoned my magic, calling the spring magic I held to help Malin send the vines faster. We worked together to wrap the creature’s legs.
As we tightened, the beasts quit making noise. One of them let out a low growl. It tugged its legs up, struggling with the vines.
Without hesitating, I called summer magic, I needed fire. The flames came quickly this time and I set the vines and branches alight. The fire licked its way up the newly created vegetation and I grabbed Malin, ducking between two preoccupied Sodalis.
We ran again, heading in the direction I hoped was taking us toward the palace.
It didn’t take long before the woods were filled with the sound of howls of pain from the monsters we’d left behind.
“Keep moving.” I said the words more to my
self than to Malin beside me. I wasn’t sure how long the fire would burn or how well the flames would last without me to stoke them.
Using magic on this scale was so unfamiliar I had no idea what to expect.
Snapping branches and rumbling ground told me the magic hadn’t lasted long.
“What are we going to do?” Malin asked.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Have you killed these before?” she asked.
“Yes, but I had weapons. And help.” I’d contacted my princes before when I’d been in danger but I had a feeling that wasn’t going to work now. If they interfered in the trials, I could lose everything.
“We have to outrun them,” I said.
We continued forward, the sound of the monsters behind us growing closer with each breath. Then I slammed into something.
Malin and I both landed on our backs, knocked down by the invisible shield around the palace grounds.
“We’ve been going the wrong way,” Malin said.
Three Sodalis emerged through the trees. Teeth bared, growling. One of them was still smoking, most of its wing missing. We’d managed to bring one down and injure at least one more.
“For what it’s worth,” Malin said. “I really wanted you to be queen.”
“Don’t talk like that,” I said. “We aren’t going down easy.”
“Alright,” Malin said.
“On the count of three, give them everything you’ve got.”
“One,” Malin said.
“Two,” I said.
“Three,” we said the last number together, then we charged.
I focused on one of the monsters, avoiding another that lunged toward me. The beast roared at me, sending spit flying through the air. I bared my teeth as I ignored the lurch in my stomach. Trying not to breathe in the scent of rotting death, I ducked under the open wing, avoided the snapping jaws, and climbed onto the monster’s back.
It grabbed for me, long claws taking chunks of its own flesh out as I jumped and rolled while gripping fistfuls of fur. I wasn’t going to let it get me. I knew how bad this thing’s claws hurt. I remembered the pain it put me through.
It stopped trying to grab me and spread its wings wide. Panic took me, sending my heart racing as I realized it was going to take flight. Before I could talk myself out of it, I leapt from its back onto one of the wings, throwing all my weight behind me as I grabbed hold, pulling hard.
