by Dyan Chick
I pursed my lips, still feeling uneasy about how closely this resembled the last time I’d been drawn away by the shifter. This time, I was looking for anything that didn’t seem right, whereas last time I’d blindly trusted. While I couldn’t sense anything that felt off, I wasn’t sure I would be able to.
“Are you going to let me in?” she asked.
“If she’s not who she says she is, I’ll kill her,” Tristan said.
I glanced over at him. He’d pulled on a pair of trousers but was still shirtless. His strong arms were folded across his muscular chest. If I didn’t know him, I’d probably be nervous around him even if I meant no harm.
“Come on in,” I said to Lilian.
She walked in and closed the door behind her. “Is it safe to speak in front of him?” She lifted her chin toward Tristan.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “Go ahead.”
Lilian was still wearing the tunic and leggings we’d all been required to wear. Her hair was windblown and her cheeks pink but other than that, she didn’t look any worse for the wear. She must have found the stone quickly and returned here without incident.
“I went in with Rose and once we hit the woods, we split up. Every candidate for herself.”
“This is what you interrupted sex for?” Tristan asked. “A play-by-play of the trial you won? No wonder Cassia hates you.”
“Give her a minute,” I said.
He lifted his eyebrows and nodded at Lilian. “I can’t wait to hear where this goes.”
Lilian scowled at him. “You’re just as cheerful as your reputation suggests.”
He smirked. “I’m everything my reputation suggests.”
“Enough,” I said. “Lilian, what happened?”
“The whole trial was a setup,” she said.
“How so?” I asked.
“There was no challenge for me. I went in, I ran for a little while, then something came through the woods. I ran from it until it stopped making noise. Then it was right there.”
“What was right there?” I asked.
“The stone. It was just sitting there in front of me when I stopped. On top of a tree stump in plain view. There was no challenge, no fight, nothing. I grabbed the stone and walked right out of the woods.”
“That’s not possible,” I said. “The trials aren’t supposed to work that way.”
“That’s what I’m telling you, the whole thing was a setup. Whatever was chasing me wasn’t chasing me, it led me right to where I needed to be. They chose me to win.”
“Who do you know inside the council?” Tristan asked. “They should be the only ones who can manipulate and control the Trials.”
“Tiana did, and she wasn’t inside the council,” I said.
“Are you sure Tiana was working alone?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“I think our assassin is a member of the Council,” Lilian said in a whisper.
“Tristan,” I turned to my mate, “do you know if any of the members of the council can shift into other Fae?”
“Like Tiana did?” he asked. “Please tell me you don’t have someone after you again.”
“I have someone after me again,” I said.
“And the only thing you put in your letter was asking when I’d come visit?” He shook his head. “I would have come sooner if I knew you were in danger before this attack.”
“I didn’t want to take you away from your kingdom. I know what you’re going through there,” I said.
He walked over to me and set his hands on each of my upper arms. “I can do without a kingdom; I can’t do without you.”
“Should I go?” Lilian asked.
“No,” Tristan said, letting go of my arms and turned toward Lilian. “If someone is attacking Cassia and setting you up to win, you’re their intended queen. I need to know everything about you. Family name, history, everything.”
“Why you?” I asked Lilian.
“I have no idea,” Lilian said. “I come from a good family. We’re well connected, but to be honest, my family never pushed me to be queen. They were more concerned with me finding a good marriage to maintain our status and build the family holdings.”
“But you’re here,” Tristan said.
“Yes, I’m here. Plans change when your groom backs out of the wedding,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Please don’t blame yourself for that. He wasn’t in any position to marry someone when I met him. You would have been miserable.”
“Wait, who were you engaged to?” Tristan asked.
“Cormac, if you must know,” she said.
“We could have been related,” Tristan said.
Lilian’s brow furrowed.
“He was married to Cormac’s sister. A long time ago,” I said.
“And now the two of you share a mate,” Lilian said. “How odd.”
“Can we move on?” I asked.
Another knock came on the door and Tristan hurried over before I could react.
He opened it to find two guards standing outside. “Yes?”
One of the guards looked in the room. Tristan, half dressed. Me in a blanket. Lilian, hair disheveled and still in her training clothes. We must have looked quite the sight.
“It’s time for dinner. The queen has requested everyone dine with her tonight.” The guard inclined his head and then turned to leave.
“I better go get dressed,” Lilian said.
As she opened the door to leave, Nani burst in, giving Lilian a curious glace as they passed each other.
“The queen has called for a formal meal. At midnight, no less.” She clucked her tongue and shook her head. “I suppose I can work with this.” She pointed to Tristan. “You, out. I must prepare Cassia.”
To my surprise, Tristan bowed to Nani. “Of course, My Lady.”
Nani pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at Tristan but didn’t respond. Instead, she pushed me toward the bathroom. “Hurry, hurry.”
“You’re not leaving, are you?” I asked Tristan as Nani inched me closer to the bathtub.
“I’ll meet you at dinner,” he said.
Chapter Nineteen
Tristan waited for me outside the double doors that led to the banquet hall. We walked into the room together and I looked up to see the queen seated at the center of her table, her consorts on either side of her. She wore a gown of white and gold with a gold crown atop her head. Her long blonde curls hung loose around her face. She looked well. Her face back to her usual color and a smile on her lips.
I paused in my step, my legs shaking as I locked eyes with her. She gave me a nod, then returned to speaking with her consorts. A rush of gratitude surged through me and I took a deep breath. I hadn’t realized until now how worried I’d been about her. Though I’d heard she was recovering, it wasn’t the same as seeing her sitting there as if nothing had gone wrong.
“Shall we find a seat?” Tristan asked.
I nodded and followed him to two empty seats at the long banquet table that faced the queen’s head table. As I watched people shuffle in and take seats, I noticed that Malin was missing. Rose was seated next to a dark-haired Fae male, their shoulders pressed together. I wondered if he was her mate.
Lilian found a seat next to a Fae female I didn’t recognize, then Jaya sat on her other side. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. Our traitor couldn’t be Jaya, right?
Jaya said something and Lilian smiled politely before answering her. I leaned closer, trying to hear their exchange, but it was too loud.
Tristan’s lips brushed against my ear. “Do you think that’s the council member who is working against you?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Did you notice anything suspicious about her when she was held in the Winter Court?”
“She managed to stay alive around my father, which means she’s got skills,” he said.
I remembered her act in the dungeons. She seemed terrified. Once she returned here, she re
claimed her power as if she’d never lost a step. I didn’t want to consider that Jaya could be behind the attacks, but I knew I shouldn’t underestimate her. She was powerful. “How long has she been the head of the council?”
“Not sure,” Tristan said. “I haven’t exactly kept up with all the details of the Fae Court.”
“Right,” I said. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m catching up as quickly as I can. I need to make sure I’m able to keep up with the new queen.”
“At the rate we’re going, it’ll be Lilian wearing the crown,” I said, eyeing her suspiciously. She was having a comfortable conversation now with Jaya. Were the two of them in on this together? Was she throwing me off course?
“Don’t say that,” Tristan said. “We will get to the bottom of this.”
A folded piece of paper dropped on my plate and I picked it up. My name was written on it. I looked behind me to see who had dropped it but with the commotion of everyone taking seats, I wasn’t able to pinpoint the courier.
“Open it,” Tristan said.
I unfolded the paper and started to read.
Meet me in the ballroom. Leave your bodyguard behind. Rose
I passed the paper to Tristan. “What do you think?”
He folded it back up and stuck it in his pocket. “You should go. If you have a problem, call me the way you did in the woods. I should hear you right away since we’re so close.”
“You sure?” I asked, even as my curiosity was begging me to go.
“Go before they serve dinner. She’s trying to mask your absence. You have about five minutes. She knows what she’s doing and she’s not planning on keeping either of you long. I’ll stay here and see if Rose is still at dinner. If she is, I’ll be by your side in seconds and we’ll be able to catch the shifter.”
I nodded. That made sense. We needed to see if we could find the shifter and we’d both be noticed as missing as soon as the queen called for dinner to be served.
Quietly, I left my chair and slid out of the room. What was Rose planning? Why did she want to meet with me? Was she shifting alliances now that Lilian was in the lead or was she someone pretending to be Rose?
My slippered feet and long, billowy, pale blue dress made me feel like a ghost as I darted down the hallways to the ballroom. At least she chose a location close to the dining hall and centrally located enough that a single scream for help would bring guards running.
I considered that for a moment. The location made me think this was real. This was the actual Rose and not an impostor. Besides, the attacks on me so far had been orchestrated to look like accidents. It would be impossible to do that here, wouldn’t it?
One of the four doors leading into the ballroom was propped open with a footstool. I opened the door wide enough to pass though and let it close back against the stood. It was empty today. No tables or decorations. It looked nothing like it had at the party. Simply a large room with wood floors and red and gold wallpaper. A single chandelier in the center of the room flickered and glowed with yellow flames. The rest were dormant.
Under the chandelier was Rose. She wore a black evening gown, her hair in the same severe bun I’ve grown to associate with her. Only this time, her expression wasn’t confident. Her eyes locked on me for a second, then darted around the room. She seemed tense, jumpy; as if she were expecting something to crawl out of the dark and bite her.
“I’m here,” I said. “What is this all about?”
“I don’t like you,” she said. “You need to know I’m not here because I like you.”
“Alright,” I said.
“I have no interest in becoming queen. I’d do it if I won, but I’ve never wanted it,” she said. “Lilian knows that. But she also knows I won't back down. I’ll compete like I mean it until the last. If the gods choose me as queen, I’ll rule.”
“I’m not sure why you’re telling me this,” I said.
“Because I know you’re the most likely winner of the trials and I know you’ll likely sit on the throne.”
“Maybe,” I said, still confused.
“If I tell you this, I want to assure my place. Just because I don’t want to be queen doesn’t mean I’m not ambitious.”
“That’s fair,” I said. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will. You have no choice. You lose, you die. You have the most reason to win.”
“That’s true,” I said, not bothering to deny it.
“Can I count on you, then?” she asked. “If you win, you’ll look out for me and for my family?”
“I don’t see why not,” I said. “Rose, tell me what is going on.”
Just then a thunderous, snapping sound echoed through the room. As if something huge had split down the middle.
“It’s too late,” Rose said, her gaze locked on something beyond me.
I turned, slowly, panic making my stomach tighten, my heart trying to break free of my chest.
On the side of the room was a huge, glowing void. A split right between realms. I’d seen that once before and I knew exactly what it was. Something had created a tear to the Under inside the ballroom at the palace.
“Run!” I shouted.
Rose got two steps away when tentacle wrapped around her ankle, dragging her toward the tear.
“Rose!”
“Run, Cassia!” she screamed.
A huge serpent like creature with multiple flailing tentacles was pulling its way out of the tear, leaving an oozing trail of goo in its wake.
It had a hold of Rose, dragging her toward the tear and toward it’ gaping black hole of a mouth. Rows and rows of tiny, pointed teeth lined the creature’s mouth. A black forked tongue flicked out, as if trying to taste Rose before devouring her whole.
Tristan, I need you NOW. I sent the message with as much force as I could, then I raced toward Rose, toward the monster. I wasn’t about to let the Under win.
The creature turned toward me and let out a horrible hissing sound as it slithered away from the tear. One of its tentacles reached for me and I jumped over it before taking a few steps back to figure out a plan.
Rose’s muted cries were barely audible through the slimy appendage that was covering her mouth. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She wasn’t struggling. She looked like she’d given up.
“Rose, fight back,” I called. “You have to fight.”
She looked to me, her head moving too slowly. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. She moved like someone in slow motion.
Another tentacle swiped at me and I backed up more. Rose had been incapacitated somehow. Like the Sodalis, this monster must use a toxin. Probably in the trail of slimy goo it left with its slithery body.
Knowing I couldn’t let the thing touch me, I went with the one thing I knew I could do quickly. I released the light that was clawing at my insides begging for release. It had been a while since I’d used this power and while it wasn’t going to kill the monster, it could allow me time to get help. I wasn’t alone here. The palace was full of Fae with far more experience than me.
The creature screeched into the blinding light and I heard slapping sounds as it blindly flailed its many limbs, trying to grab hold of me.
As quietly and carefully as I could, I made for the door. I didn’t know how much time Rose had and I didn’t know how long the light would hold without me present.
The light was already fading as I stepped into the hallway where three figures were approaching at a run.
“What happened?” Tristan asked.
“Are you safe?” Dane asked.
“Tell us what to do,” Ethan said.
My heart swelled at the sight of three of my mates all here to answer my plea. “There’s a tear in there. A monster came out and it got Rose. I can’t fight it on my own. It’s got tentacles and slime. I think it’s toxic.”
“Sounds like a Larker,” Ethan said.
“I got it,” Dane said as he ignited a massive fire all in
his palms.
“Rose is in there,” I said. “Please be careful.”
“We got this,” Ethan said. “Tristan, keep Cassia here. If there’s a new tear, there could be more creatures.”
“Let me help,” I said.
Tristan pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around my chest. “I won’t let her go.”
Dane and Ethan ran into the ballroom, Ethan closing the door behind them.
“Tristan, you know I can help,” I said, trying to break free of his grip.
“Not this time, Cassia,” he said. “I’m not losing anyone else when I can step up and stop them.”
“I’m not her,” I said.
“I know you’re not, but it’s not just my heart on the line here. You have a kingdom to win. You can’t be queen if you’re dead.”
His words hit a familiar chord with me, and I stopped struggling. “Rose wasn’t even fighting back against that monster,” I said.
“Rose might already be gone,” he said.
“They’ll save her, won’t they?” I asked.
“I don’t know. They’re the best at this, though.”
His praise caught me off guard and I shifted so I was facing him. “The best at what?”
“Those two, and Cormac. As much as I don’t like to admit it, there’s no one better at sending those creatures to their death and sealing up the tears.”
That was how I met them. They’d been charged with hunting down the Sodalis that had my scent. Icy cold dread took my breath as I considered the reason the tear was here in the first place. I hadn’t been protecting my magic the way I should. “This is my fault.”
“What is your fault?” Tristan asked.
“The tear. There shouldn’t be a tear here. The monsters must have tracked me. They came here for me,” I said.
“No,” Tristan said. “There’s never been a tear inside a palace before. We’ve always been taught we’re safe indoors.”
“But my magic, it calls them,” I said.
“So does the queen’s,” he said. “So does all magic.”
“But Cormac said…”
“No.” Tristan cut me off. “When you weren’t using magic, that was a problem. But you’ve been training and fighting and using your magic. You no longer have years of unused magic waiting to get out. This is something else. This was an intentional attack. Someone summoned this monster.”
