by Nissa Leder
How long would their magic keep everyone else out?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Pain pulsed through Raith’s head. He stood outside of the pit where Ankou performed the ritual with Scarlett, instructed to clean up after he’d finished.
His chest tingled. Something was happening.
Visions attacked, rushing through his brain faster than he could comprehend, but when they stopped, the truth hit him.
The memories he’d given up to save his mother returned. He remembered everything before he’d made the bargain.
And everything after.
Fuck.
What had he done?
Not only had he acted like a complete ass to Scarlett, but he’d forcefully taken away the memories of their fond times together. With his memory back, her memories swirled with his, making the reality of stealing them from her hit even harder.
And now Ankou was using Scarlett to break a curse that Dana had placed on him, trapping him in the Darkland.
He needed to help her.
But how?
The darkness rushed through Scarlett like water through a river.
The lightness remained, but it felt far away, a distant star flickering in the night sky.
She could embrace the dark and be filled with power.
“Yes, allow it in,” Ankou said.
Her eyes were closed, blankness consuming her mind.
Scarlett’s arms tingled. When she opened her eyes, the white tattoos that had covered her skin had turned black.
“No,” she said. She didn’t want the dark magic. “I won’t choose the darkness."
Ankou laughed. “You already have.”
What had she done?
Fury—at herself, at Laik, at Ankou and the Fates—permeated through her. She unleashed it by throwing a black ball into Ankou’s chest.
He fell backward, unconscious.
This was her chance. She needed to escape.
She tried to evanesce, but the fire surrounding her blocked her in. She’d have to get around it on foot.
With concentration, she pushed enough of the fire away to sneak through. When she crossed the barrier, Raith blocked her way.
The bites from the creature still blocked her light magic, but the dark magic remained.
Another ball appeared in her hands. She’d come to save him. He was an ally. But he worked for them now.
Something told her she shouldn’t be considering it, but maybe killing him now was mercy?
Raith lifted his arms up. “Scarlett. It’s me. Raith.”
“Yeah, I fell for that last time.”
“No, something happened, and I remember it all.”
Scarlett didn’t have much time. She raised the magic up. She wouldn’t get another chance. If she let her guard down and he captured her, she’d spend a dark eternity in this gloomy place, constantly bitten by the creatures to keep her magic subdued.
“I’m sorry.” She bent her arm backward, readying to throw when something yanked her feet out from under her.
Her face slammed into the ground, stealing her breath. As something pulled her, she twisted her body to face the sky. Blood, metallic and warm, dripped down her face and into her mouth. She spit it out.
Ankou, wild-eyed, reeled Scarlett toward him with a rope made of shadow, back into the pit, like a fish from the sea.
She created her own shadow and cut his in half. The darkness inside of her bubbled.
The circle of fire closed again, trapping her inside.
“You almost had me.” A ball of fire appeared in Ankou’s hand. “I had wanted to be as gentle as possible. Not anymore.”
Scarlett threw a ball of dark magic at him, but, no longer unprepared for an attack, he easily dodged it. She’d lost the surprise factor.
“You got the better of me once. It won’t happen again. You might have dark magic, but you aren’t its king.”
He was right. She couldn’t beat him at his own game. That was a terrible strategy.
She searched inside and felt a flicker of light. Not enough to do anything, but if she could keep him occupied for a bit, maybe she’d generate more and could use it against him.
“What do you want from me?” Scarlett asked, hoping it would buy her some time.
Her head ached from slamming into the ground. She touched her forehead. When she removed her fingers, they were covered in blood. It wasn’t healing.
“I’ve already gotten what I wanted. Now, if you refuse to join me, I just need you out of my way.”
“To what? Take over the world?”
“Basically.” He shrugged. “Now, I admire your stalling tactic, but I’ve already waited too long. Come with me the easy way or I’ll make your last few days seem like a fairy tale.”
She didn’t doubt his threat. If she surrendered herself, he might throw her back in the cell and call it a day, give her food now and again. If she didn’t, she didn’t want to know what he’d do.
Her light magic was still too weak. Using it now would be pointless. But she wouldn’t just let him take it.
Scarlett threw all the dark magic she could muster at him.
He caught the ball and sighed.
The ball unraveled like yarn into a long, tendril of shadow. Each side of the string shot at Scarlett, wrapping her like a mummy.
“I think you can stay like that for a while before I decide what to do with you,” Ankou said. “Maybe a day. Maybe a week. Who knows?”
Scarlett couldn’t move. Even breathing was difficult.
Ankou approached her and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Perhaps after a few years of solitude, you’ll reconsider my offer to rule together.”
“Never.”
The fire around the pit died down until it vanished completely.
Raith entered the pit.
“Take her back to her cell. Keep her in her cocoon until I tell you otherwise. If she’s smart, she’ll come out a changed woman with better survival instincts.”
“Of course.” Raith bowed.
“Actually, you can come with me, and I’ll send in the creatures to get her. It’s time for a few more bites.”
“Yes, sir.” Raith waited for Ankou to walk by him, then he threw a flock of ravens at him. The birds swarmed around him, knocking him to the ground as he tried to swat them away.
He rushed to Scarlett. “How do I get you out? The birds won’t keep him occupied long.”
He hadn’t been lying. He wasn’t under whatever spell had been ruling him.
“I don’t know.” Scarlett struggled, but the shadow rope didn’t budge.
She used every bit of light inside of her and pushed against the binding. A bright flash exploded from her. The shadow around her fractured.
Dizziness struck her. She stumbled sideways.
Raith caught her before she fell over. “We don’t have much time.”
Her light magic was now gone, but she still had the darkness. She grabbed Raith’s hand to evanesce them away.
An orb of dark magic collided into Raith’s back.
He wavered to the left. Scarlett squeezed his hand and pictured the tunnel where she’d created the portal to the Darkland, then evanesced them there.
She balanced herself as Raith leaned into her.
“We’re almost there.” She repeated the incantation that opened the portal before. If it didn’t work, Scarlett and Raith were screwed. Ankou might keep her alive, but he would kill Raith in an instant, if for nothing more than to teach her a lesson.
A circle of light appeared in the tunnel wall, growing into an archway.
They stepped through into the Otherworld.
Safe.
For now.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Scarlett carried as much of Raith as she could as they climbed the stairs from her castle’s basement. The magic had badly hurt him. He’d risked so much to save her, and, though she was thankful, she wasn’t sure why.
Rowen found them as they reached the mai
n floor.
“Where have you been?” She rushed to Raith’s side. “What happened to him?”
“Mother,” he said before passing out.
Together, Scarlett and Rowen carried Raith to the dining room and set him on the table.
Scarlett’s light magic was slowly returning. She used what she had to heal Raith the best she could as Rowen told her about her trip to the Unseelie Court.
“Kaelem went to the Seelie Court?” Scarlett asked.
Oh, no. The Fates were there, and if they were bold enough to take on the Seelie Queen, they must have help.
“I have to go,” Scarlett said. “I’ve done all I can for Raith right now.”
She needed to go to the Unseelie Court. Hopefully, she’d find him sitting on his couch watching a mortal movie and the panic in her chest would be for nothing.
As Scarlett walked by, Rowen grabbed her arm. “Stay. It isn’t safe for you to leave right now. You need rest.”
Scarlett met her gaze and saw the worry in her eyes. “I have to. Take care of Raith. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She pulled away and headed to the room or portals. A door made of purple heart wood sat in the corner of the room. The last time she’d gone through it, she attended the Unseelie Ball, was almost taken by Raith, and ended up sleeping with the Unseelie King. Now, she’d saved Raith and needed to do the same for Kaelem.
When she went through the portal to the Unseelie Court, she reached out her mind, searching for Kaelem. He didn’t respond.
Scarlett sensed minds in Aria’s room, so she rushed there. Aria and Ashleigh were playing a card game—Rummy from the looks of it, which was always Ashleigh’s favorite.
They both looked at Scarlett who’d barged in without knocking.
Concern burst from them both.
Scarlett glanced down at her dirty arms—now covered in black tattoos instead of white— and tattered clothing. She hadn’t showered in a day and had bite marks on her arms and neck and a large cut on her forehead.
Ashleigh rushed to her and hugged her. “What happened to you?”
“I’ll explain later, but Kaelem is in trouble.” Scarlett told them about the Fates’ plan to attack the Seelie kingdom. “I need to go. Now.”
“You can’t go alone. You don’t know what you’re running into,” Aria said.
Scarlett sensed a mind approaching. She moved protectively in front of Ashleigh.
Sage stepped through the open doorway.
Scarlett had never seen her look so panicked. “Everything okay?”
“My brother murdered my father. He’s taken over the Autumn Court and joined with the Fates. My mother, sister, and her boyfriend are downstairs. I didn’t know where else to take them.”
“They’re always welcome here,” Aria said. “Are they all okay?”
Sage filled in Scarlett about the wolf creatures in the forest. “What happened to you?”
“Long story for a later time. We need to go help them.”
They didn’t have time to come up with a great plan. They needed to leave right away. It might already be too late.
“What can I do?” Ashleigh asked with hopeful eyes.
Her sister had finally forgiven her. Scarlett had seen the worry in her eyes when she entered the room. Now, Ashleigh wanted to help. But Scarlett needed to protect her.
“You need to stay here,” Scarlett said.
“I get that I don’t have magic, but I can’t feel this worthless all of the time. I have to be good for something.”
“You will be, but right now, we’re walking into a lion’s den, blind and deaf. Aria will stay here and protect you. Sage and I will go to the Seelie Court,” Scarlett said.
“No.” Ashleigh pulled her shoulders back. “I don’t need a babysitter. I might be worthless, but Aria isn’t. You need her more than I do. I won’t have you die so I can be watched like a toddler.”
“Fine.” Her older sister wasn’t a child, and Scarlett had to quit treating her as such. She should be safe at the Unseelie Court until Scarlett returned.
Scarlett, Sage, and Aria would evanesce as close to the palace as they could get and hope they could make it to Kaelem in time.
Cade followed Kaelem’s instructions and threw Summer energy at Laik to draw his attention.
It missed him—purposefully—but was enough to lure him to the side of everyone else.
Laik attacked back with orbs of light. Cade blocked them with his sword. Each time light struck his sword, it made a clinking sound. Cade sliced one aimed straight for his face with the blade of his sword and it sliced apart and fell to the ground.
The next one slipped by and hit his leg, burning a hole in his pants.
“You’re quick, Summer King, but I’m quicker.”
Cade not only had royal blood, but he was a ruler. His power should easily outperform Laik’s, but the advisor was a lot stronger than Cade had predicted.
Nevina and one of the Fates fought Kaelem while the two other Fates fought Genevieve.
Cade swallowed his fear. He could do this. He was the Summer King. What kind of ruler would he be if he couldn’t fight an advisor?
“We just want our power.” Cade blocked another ball of light. “That’s it. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“And you think showing up with Nevina and the Fates, trapping us in here, was the best way to peacefully negotiate?”
Cade slashed at Laik’s knees. He didn’t want to kill the advisor. He truly only wanted his full power and needed to keep his cover.
More light magic hit Cade’s left arm. He winced as the wound burned. By not fighting with his full ability, he was risking his own life.
“Your mind barrier is exceptionally strong.” Laik threw a light lasso at Cade’s head.
Cade chopped it with his sword. “My thoughts are mine alone.”
Laik threw a ball of light with one hand and swung a lasso with the other.
Cade dodged the light orb, but the lasso dropped over his head and tightened.
His sword dropped to the ground as he reached to pull the lasso away. It was too tight to get his fingers underneath.
He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t defend himself. Laik could throw light into his chest and kill him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
“Stop,” Nevina said.
The lasso loosened as Laik turned toward the throne.
In front of it, Nevina held a dagger of ice to the Seeile Queen’s throat, a shadow rope tied around her body. Decuma and Morta stood on each side of Genevieve, triumphant expressions covering their faces.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Scarlett had Aria evanesce them all to the Seelie Court.
Her light magic had begun to refill, but it still wasn’t strong. The darkness, however, sparked inside her like electricity. Using it was dangerous. She knew it. But she might have no choice.
When they got to the palace gates, two guards blocked their way.
They aren’t going to let us by, Aria spoke inside Scarlett’s mind. You and Sage walk up to them and start talking and I will figure something out.
Scarlett nodded.
After they refused to let them by without checking with the queen’s advisor, just as Aria had predicted, they both dropped to the ground.
“Piece of cake.” Aria stepped out from behind a bush. “Their mind shields were thin as paper.”
They tried to open the gate behind them, but it wouldn’t budge. Scarlett knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Surely, the Seelie Court had more protections in place than a couple of weak-minded guards.
Even if they got through, they’d have to climb the hill by foot to get them to the palace where they’d likely face more guards.
“The Fates have always been able to evanesce despite protection spells, right?” Scarlett asked.
Aria nodded. “Yes, at least normal protection spells.”
“Maybe I can get us in with my Sidhe magic.” Scarlett left out the part that it would be dark magic,
just like the Fates’, that she’d be using.
She took Aria and Sage’s hands and pictured herself inside the Seelie Castle. They dissolved outside the gates and appeared just inside the throne room doors. Could she have saved time and done that as soon as they’d arrived in the Seelie Realm? What if they were too late?
Nevina held an ice dagger to the Seelie Queen’s throat, Decuma on one side, Morta on the other side. Nona stood next to Kaelem. Two Winter guards and the Winter advisor lie dead on the ground. Ajax pushed himself from the floor while Cade faced Laik.
Had Cade joined them? Scarlett shouldn’t be surprised, but she was.
Everyone in the room glanced at Scarlett, Aria, and Sage.
“Let her go,” Scarlett said. “Leave now.”
How had they overpowered the Seelie Queen? She was the oldest fae Scarlett knew. But the Fates were even older and, as the daughters of Ankou, very powerful. If the odds were three to one, even the Seelie Queen could be defeated.
“My, my, how did you get here?” Decuma asked. “You look like death.”
“You’re too late.” Nevina pushed the dagger slightly into Genevieve’s skin.
The visions of her mother sparked fury inside of Scarlett. She sent a ball of darkness at Morta. Talking would get them nowhere, and she wanted nothing more than to fight them.
“Don’t let her free,” Morta told Nevina as she attacked Scarlett.
Nevina obliged, keeping her grasp on Genevieve while everyone battled.
Scarlett lunged at Morta. She started with her light magic, throwing one wave of light after another. Warmth spread through her as she searched for as much magic as she could find.
Morta lifted a shadowed shield. The light vanished on contact. Not even one wave had touched Morta. Scarlett had wasted her magic. She glanced around, hoping her friends were having more success than she was.
Aria faced Decuma while Sage sliced her daggers at her brother. Laik fought Cade and Kaelem fought Nona.
“You’re too late to save your mommy.” Morta created a dark orb in her hand and threw it at Scarlett’s face.
