by Sophie Stern
Not a lie.
I just didn’t think there was going to be anyone here. Shouldn’t Wyatt be off doing villain-y things, anyway? Why is he even loitering around? This room has a desk and papers and stacks of books. It’s not exactly the type of place he should be just hanging out. Not when he has a kingdom to destroy.
“You thought this was the back entrance?”
I think quickly and decide on a falsehood I can share. I have to say something – anything – to keep him from just slitting my throat. I’m already under his watchful eye. He’s already staring at me. If I try to use my amulet now, I’m just going to be killed. I’m just going to anger him, upset him, and that’s really the last thing I need.
“Why, yes. I’m here for Mistress Alexandria’s dinner party,” I say, batting my eyes. “Is this not the right place?”
The lie is unconvincing. I probably should have thought of a better one before I wandered in. Wyatt eyes me up and down. I’m not dressed for a dinner party. We both know that. We both know that I’m dressed like I’m about to do some thieving. My cloak is tightly bound at my neck and the amulet is tucked safely inside. The little leather book is inside of my cloak pocket. I have a single blade strapped to my ankle. Aside from that, I’m unarmed.
Harmless.
Just a tiny little fairy.
Wyatt looks like he’s going to say something for a moment, but then he lifts his hand and motions to someone I can’t see from my position. Then he clears his throat, and speaks loudly.
“Guards,” he says pointedly. “I have a pest I need extracted.”
Chapter 8
Daisy
My sister’s fever is getting higher and higher with each passing hour.
“Come on, Rose,” I murmur quietly. I pace in the living room and try to send my sister as many good vibes as I can. “Think positive thoughts,” I say out loud to myself. The wizard may have told us that Tulip had a week, but there’s no way. She’s getting worse and worse with each passing hour and at this point, I kind of think she’s going to be lucky to make it until the end of the night.
Much less a week.
When Rose offered to go to Dark Falls, I should have stopped her. It was wrong to let her go. I’m the one that can fly, after all. It’s just that flying into a place that has forbidden dark faes to enter seems like a really fast way to be shot right out of the sky.
The Fairy King might be a playboy, or so the rumors say, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to react well to deliberate disobedience. Maybe not going makes me a huge coward. Right now, I kind of feel like I’m anything but brave. I’m weak, and if Tulip doesn’t make it through the night, I’m well aware of the role I played in losing her. I swallow hard because the realization really hurts. I should have gone: not Rose.
But it’s too late for regrets.
All I have is right now and I’m doing everything I can to keep my sister at peace and comfortable. I’m trying to keep her fever down. I’m making sure that she’s not too hot and not too cold. I keep giving her water and drinks and keeping a damp cloth on her head. I don’t know what good it’s doing.
Or if it’s doing any good at all.
I sigh and look at the bedroom door. I can hear Tulip’s moans from here. Why, oh why, did I let my sister go? Rose isn’t back. I have no idea what kinds of obstacles she’s facing or if she’s even made it to Dark Falls. Could she get inside the city? Did she find the wizard? Is she trapped somewhere?
Tulip is definitely going to die, and I’m just not ready for that. I’m not ready to face it alone. At least if Rose was here, we’d be able to take comfort in one another. It was bad enough losing Mom and Dad. Now I’m going to have to say goodbye to Tulip, too. It’s just not fucking fair. Sadness overwhelms me, and I take a deep breath to try to cool my emotions.
I have to stay strong now.
I have to be brave.
That’s what Rose is.
Rose is a warrior, through-and-through. She’s strong and determined and brave. She’ll fight any monster, no matter how big. She’ll cross any mountain, any forest, any river. She’ll do whatever it takes if it means staying true to the people she loves and staying true to herself.
I sit down and I close my eyes, dropping my head in my hands.
This is it.
This is the night I lose everything.
But then I hear a sound I’m not expecting.
A knock at the door.
It’s faint at first, but then stronger.
Urgent.
Rose?
If it were Rose, she would have burst inside, but who else would be at our home this late at night? It’s dark outside. Anyone who has come to Dark Village, anyone who has come to see us, must come bearing bad news. I swallow hard and reach for the door. Then I yank it open.
There’s no one there, though. No one at all.
Until someone steps past me, grazing against me as they enter my home.
I turn to see a little boy standing in the center of the room. He’s sopping wet and he’s dripping everywhere.
“Why couldn’t I see you?” I ask.
He pulls out an amulet from his shirt and points to it, but says nothing. Ah, so he bears an amulet like the one that is – hopefully – protecting Rose right now.
But why is he here?
Who is he?
“Do you have a sister?” The boy asks.
“Yes,” I say slowly, confused. Perhaps I should lie to him and demand an answer as to why he’s here. Maybe I should make him explain himself or why he’s come to my home, but I won’t because I’m curious.
“Is she called Tulip?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” he says. “Rose sent me.”
“Rose? Is she all right?” I rush to the boy and grab his shoulders. Urgently, I search his eyes, looking for answers.
“Well,” he says, and he looks away.
“What’s happened to her?”
I need to know.
I need to know why she sent this child here and, more importantly, I need to know where she’s gone. Why did she send the kid? Why didn’t she come back herself?
“I can’t say for sure,” the boy says. “But the King’s advisor has made his move. He stole the wizard who looks after me: the Wizard of Dark Falls.”
“A man stole the wizard?”
“Yes, and he’s planning to overthrow the kingdom,” the boy says. He speaks very matter-of-factly, as though he’s reading from a textbook and not expressing himself. What a strange little boy. Perhaps I should think of him as a little man, because that’s kind of what he acts like.
“So where is Rose?”
“She went to save the wizard,” the boy says. “And she sent me here.”
“Why?” I whisper. I don’t want to dare to hope that he’s got something that could save my sister. My hopes have risen and fallen so many times lately that I feel like my entire heart is going to explode if I get one more disappointing piece of news.
“Because,” the boy pulls a little vial out and holds it out to me. “I have this. It’s the last one in Dark Falls, miss. I want Tulip to have it.”
She’s saved.
My sister is saved.
The tears start falling freely as I grab the bottle, rush into Tulip’s room, and give my sister the potion.
She’s going to be okay and it’s all thanks to a brave little boy.
It’s all thanks to the child.
HOURS LATER, TULIP seems to have made a remarkable recovery. She’s still a little weak, but she’s actually sitting up in bed, and the little boy – whose name, I now know, is Greg – is sitting with us in the bedroom. He explains to us how he came to meet Rose and how he ended up trekking all the way to our town to give Tulip the potion she needed to live.
“You’re quite the hero,” Tulip says, holding his hand. He smiles at her and nods. He’s proud of himself, I realize, and he ought to be. He did a good thing today. He did a brave thing. He’s a little wonder and
he deserves to know what a hero he truly is.
“Rose is really strong,” he says. “She’s sneaky, too. She got into Dark Falls, so I trusted her when she said she’d take the book to Luther.”
“What’s going to happen when she reaches him?” Tulip asks. It’s a question I hoped she wouldn’t ask because I’ve had a few hours to consider the answer. It’s not something I’d wish on anyone.
“It’s not going to be pretty,” Greg grumbles, and Tulip shoots him a sharp look.
“What do you mean?” She asks anxiously.
“Oh, Tulip,” I quickly urge. “Just stay calm, okay? You’re still recovering.”
Now it’s her turn to glare at me.
“Tell me what he means.”
“I mean there’s going to be a war,” Greg shrugs.
“The kingdoms are already at war,” Tulip says.
“No, they aren’t,” Greg shakes his head.
They aren’t?
“Rose thought the same thing,” he explains. “Which is a little strange. No one in Dark Falls thinks there’s a war, but I guess Wyatt started a rumor that the vampires, the demons, and even the fallen angels are fighting with each other.”
“Isn’t that why we’re forbidden from entering the capital city?” I ask.
“The king isn’t an ordinary fae, you know,” Greg cocks his head. “He’s a dark fae, like we are.”
“Then why the ban on dark faes?”
“There’s no ban. That’s a rumor. A lie. Wyatt started these stories last year so he could have more control over the cities, over the world. By the time he launched his campaign against the king, he would have already turned everyone against each other.”
So that’s it, is it?
We’ve been locked away in our own town, fearful of the outside world, and for nothing?
We haven’t ventured to the capital city or wandered to Dark Town or done anything at all because we’ve been under the impression that our town, ruled by vampires, is inescapable?
“What’s going to happen now?” Tulip whispers. The realization that our lives have been a lie is terrifying. Neither one of us likes the idea that we’ve been tricked for so long. It’s hard to believe that Wyatt, advisor to the king, has somehow damaged the world so immensely that he’s separated it without us even realizing what has happened.
What was once a single, wonderful kingdom ruled by the Fairy King has now become separated.
And our sister could be in danger.
“Daisy,” Tulip whispers.
“We have to warn people.”
“What?” Greg looks confused. “Why?”
“Because if a real war is coming, they need to be ready.”
“What does that have to do with us?” Greg asks, and I know that he must be a little scared. He’s a brave kid. He did just travel all the way here, after all, and I have no idea how he managed to find Tulip and I. Although Dark Village is not especially big, it’s still a reasonably sized town full of vampires and monsters. It’s not the type of place I’d let a little kid go play. It’s not the type of place I’d send a child on his own.
But my sister let him come because she believed in him.
She believed in his strength, in his courage.
I need to help him remember that courage.
“Greg, you’ve known for awhile what’s been going on in Dark Falls,” I tell him.
“Yes,” he nods. “But no one has been allowed to talk about it. I don’t even think the king had any idea!”
“Had?”
“Surely he’s been taken by now,” Greg shakes his head. “Wyatt made his first move by taking Luther, the wizard, and now he’ll take the king. If he hasn’t already, it’ll be soon. Then he’ll move into the surrounding towns and make it clear that he’s in charge.”
A world ruled by a snake?
I don’t think so.
We can’t let that happen.
“Tulip can’t travel,” I say, pointing out the obvious. “She’s still weak from the bite.”
“I’m okay,” she protests, but even Greg rolls his eyes.
“I know,” he says. “And you want me to go warn people.”
“We have to,” I tell him. “We have to let them know that danger may be coming and they need to be ready. How long do you think we have?”
Greg is a kid, but he’s a smart kid, and he’s the best lead we have right now. He knows better than anyone how the city works, what the layout is, and where Wyatt is most likely to start causing trouble.
He shrugs. “A few hours? A day, maybe. He won’t wait long. Luther is well-known in the city. Besides, Wyatt destroyed his house. Once people realize that something has happened to Luther, they won’t wait long to start asking questions. Wyatt will need to strike first.”
“So it’s settled,” I say. “I’ll go to Dark Falls. You go through Dark Village. You find as many people as you can and tell them your story, Greg. Tell them that Wyatt is taking the throne and that we have to rally together and stop him.”
“Who am I supposed to tell?” He asks. “The humans? The fairies?”
“All of them,” I nod. “And probably the vampires, as well.”
“The vampires? But aren’t they in on it?”
I shake my head. “The vampires rule this city, and they’re assholes, but they’re fair assholes. They don’t bite faes and they only feed from their chosen humans. They have strict rules in place to keep the city under watch, but that’s because they thought we were staying safe from outside threats.”
Tulip looks close to tears.
“Hey,” Greg squeezes her hand. “It’s okay. Don’t be sad, Tulip.” He throws his body over hers and hugs her in the sweet, innocent way that only a little child can, and then he smiles at her. “It’s going to be okay, all right? It’s going to be fine.”
“I know,” she whispers. Then she turns to me. “Give ‘em hell, sis.”
I nod and motion for Greg to follow me back into the living room.
“What now?” He asks.
“I need you to tell me everything you can about Dark Falls,” I tell him. “I haven’t been there since I was a kid. I’m sure some things have changed.”
“Like what?”
“I need to know where Wyatt is, where you think he’ll be, and where he might be holding the king. That is, if he has him.”
“Wyatt is a creepy man,” Greg says after a moment. He considers his words carefully. “He keeps dungeons beneath the castle. Luther says the king doesn’t know about them.”
“Why didn’t Luther warn the king about this long ago?”
The boy shrugs.
“The king has been very sad since his wife died. He’s been locked away from everything, really. Wyatt lies to him and makes him think that everything is okay.”
“Sounds like the king is a little inept,” I grumble.
“It’s easy to ignore warning signs when you’re in pain,” Greg tells me. His eyes blink brightly, and I stare at the kid. Seriously, who is this guy? He’s got the size and style of a 10-year-old, but he speaks like he’s 47. It makes no sense.
“I know that you’re right,” I tell him. “But that doesn’t change what has to happen now.”
“Okay,” Greg says. “Here’s what I know. Wyatt has an office. There’s a door that opens to a balcony on the side of the castle. A moat surrounds the castle. It’s possible to get across, if you know how.”
“Am I correct in thinking that you know how?” I ask.
Greg smiles and stands up a little bit straighter.
“Of course,” he says. “I know everything about the castle.”
I glance out the window. The moon is bright in the sky now. It’s very late, and very dark, and in just a few hours the sun will start to rise again. If I’m going to do this thing, I need to do it now.
“Okay, kid,” I say. “Tell me how to get inside.”
Greg smiles.
“With pleasure,” he tells me.
Cha
pter 9
Edward
I can smell the second the woman enters the cell beside mine.
Fairy.
Not just any fairy, either: she’s a dark fae, like me.
Most fairies can’t tell when a dark fairy is in their midst. That’s what makes us so powerful. It’s what makes us so strong. We’re almost invisible to the naked eye. Unless someone is specifically looking for us, it’s easy for us to pass as normal faes. It’s one of our gifts.
But to each other, that’s never a possibility.
The guard closes the door, locking her in. She doesn’t make a sound. Doesn’t say a word. In fact, she’s completely silent long after he leaves. I wait, patiently, to hear her cry out, but she doesn’t. She does nothing. It’s quite unnerving. I press my ear to the stone to hear what she’s going to say or do, but I can’t hear a thing.
Then I realize that’s because she’s not moving. What is she doing in there? I hear the second she starts pacing her cell. She begins walking around and I wait, carefully, to see what she’s going to do next. After what seems like an eternity, she stops at the wall next to mine. She runs her hands over the stone. I can hear it.
What the hell is she looking for?
Suddenly, a sound echoes throughout the dungeon as a single stone slides loose from the wall and I see two bright, blinking eyes staring back at me.
“Hello,” she says.
It’s her.
The woman from the cell beside mine.
What the fuck is she doing?
“How did you do that?”
“What? Get rid of the stone?”
“Yes.” Did she manage to get tools in here past the guards?
“You really think people are going to stay in dungeons for years upon years and not talk to their cell mates?” She scoffs. She actually scoffs.
“I suppose I never thought about it.”
“New guy, huh? Okay, well, maybe you can help me. It’s no matter that you’re new. I am, too. Besides, I’m pretty sure everyone in here was new at some point. Listen, I need to get out of here, though. For real. I have to talk to the king.”
Suddenly, I’m on high alert.
