Whims of Fate

by Nissa Leder

  A gasp stole Raith’s attention. Next to him, Sage reached for her dagger.

  No.

  One of the Fates had returned and choked his mother with an elbow, a dagger pointed at her neck.

  Scarlett turned and rose to her feet. “Let her go. You’ve lost.”

  “Lost?” She tipped her head back in a high-pitched laugh. “Not really, dear child. You took some of the power, but not all.”

  Scarlett’s eyes widened. An orb of energy appeared in her hand and she aimed to throw it.

  The Fate twisted Rowen to serve as a shield. “Now, now. Do you really want to kill her?”

  “What do you want?” Raith stepped forward. Reaching for a weapon would be pointless, so he remained unarmed. When Scarlett had taken the power, his magic had returned. But even with magic, he couldn’t move quickly enough.

  “Ahh, the dear son wants to save his mother.”

  The grin on her face sent a wave of nausea through Raith.

  “No,” Rowen said. “Don’t bargain with them.”

  “See, she wants to die.” The Fate squeezed harder, causing Rowen to choke.

  “Please,” Raith begged. “Take me instead.”

  “No!” Scarlett and Sage yelled in unison.

  “Give me your heart and I’ll let her go and take you instead,” she said.

  The way she lingered on the word heart caused Raith to pause. It was a trick. He wouldn’t expect anything less. But what choice did he have?

  He shifted his gaze to Scarlett, who pled with him with her violet eyes. He’d left her twice, pushing her straight into the arms of the Unseelie King. He promised himself he would never leave her like that again unless she asked him to.

  He thought back to the night they’d made the bargain before the Battle of Heirs. He’d kissed her and felt a connection he didn’t know he was capable of feeling, and with a human no less. She was broken then and caught in Cade’s web, but Raith saw the spark inside of her. She had been fragile, but not anymore. She didn’t need him. But right now, his mother did.

  He didn’t know exactly what he was about to agree to. War was coming and he was about to sell his soul to the villains. He wouldn’t take anyone else down with him.

  The Battle of Heirs remained unfinished. His brother had saved him, willing to risk his right to the throne to keep Raith alive. Cade deserved to be king and Raith would no longer stand in his way.

  He looked to Cade. “I surrender.”

  Those two words sent a chill through Raith. He felt his tie to the Summer crown vanish first. But that wasn’t the only thing that lingered with the unfinished battle.

  His bond with Scarlett dissolved, too.

  The Battle of Heirs was over.

  Raith returned his focus to the Fate holding his mother. “I agree.”

  She released Rowen, who ran to her son and pulled him into a hug. “What have you done?”

  The Fate grinned as she pulled a necklace from her pocket, an empty vial at its end. “Your heart is mine.”

  A trail of white smoke drifted from Raith’s chest. Emptiness filled him, any care he had floating away. He pulled away from Rowen. Why was she touching him?

  The white smoke turned black as it flowed into the vile.

  Next, white smoke poured from the side of Raith’s head.

  Images of Scarlett flashed in his mind. The first time he saw her as she tried to escape the Summer Court. The day they sat at the piano together before the Battle of Heirs. No emotion filled him at these memories, but as they flickered in his mind, he forgot them.

  That smoke too turned black inside the vial.

  The Fate hung the necklace around her neck and tucked the vial inside her dress. “Come now.”

  Without a questioning thought or care, Raith obliged.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Cade watched his brother follow the Fate like a puppy. With no one to block her now, he wanted to throw his sword into her chest. But what would happen to Raith if he did?

  When she reached for Raith’s hand, they evanesced away.

  The moment Raith had surrendered, Cade had felt power like he’d never known. He was king now. He could protect his people like he’d wanted. But he couldn’t ignore the sting inside knowing he’d lost his brother.

  He glanced at Scarlett, who stared at the ground. Cade could sense the power radiating from her.

  Creatures—some fae-like, others different—circled.

  A row of brownies stood in front. Next, was a row of the tribe that had captured Cade and Poppy. The leader stood in the middle, happiness covering her face.

  Next to Cade, Poppy reached for a dagger.

  Cade stopped her. “If they want to hurt us, we stand no chance. But I think they’re here for her.” He nodded to Scarlett.

  When she noticed the gathering, she peered up.

  As Scarlett picked up her staff from the ground—its opal orb glowing as she touched the staff—everyone bowed.

  Scarlett watched as Vida stood and approached her.

  “My queen,” Vida said.

  Queen? Scarlett returned the bow. “What am I?”

  “You are Queen of the Sidhe,” Vida said. “We’ve been waiting for your return.”

  Return? Scarlett reached her mind into Vida’s.

  Memories flooded Scarlett.

  A woman sat on a rose gold throne inside of a castle. She was lovely, with dark hair and violet eyes. As she smiled, a lightness spread through the room. Vida approached her, hesitant to share what she’d learned.

  “He’s getting desperate,” Vida said. “Ankou turned his daughters against you.”

  Vida pictured the faces of his three daughters, dark hair and darker eyes. Unlike their father, they were free to travel between the lands of death and life.

  “What do we do, my queen?” Vida watched as the woman on the throne closed her eyes.

  “He cannot win. He will bring nothing but destruction here.” The queen paused, then opened her eyes. “Perhaps my time has come.”

  A new memory appeared.

  “There has to be another way,” Vida pleaded with her queen as they stood in front of the Life Tree.

  The queen held a staff in one hand, a glowing opal orb in its center. Vida took her queen’s empty hand into her own.

  “My advisors have already left with their groups. Each will start a kingdom of their own with separate magic. They cannot take it from them,” the queen said.

  Vida knew exactly who she meant: the Fates, daughters of the King of Death. They’d grown stronger each day, desperate to take Queen Dana’s power for themselves.

  “What will happen to you?” Vida asked.

  “When I step into the tree, it will strip my power and send me away to a land without magic. With me gone, this land will remain safe.”

  “And our magic?”

  “It will be trapped here.” The queen looked at the tall tree. “You will need to protect our home.”

  “Will you return?”

  “Not as myself. Only when the magic of the two other kingdoms reunites with my essence will a portal to this realm reopen. Until then, you will be safe.”

  “And when that happens, then what? Will the Fates rule?”

  “I cannot see that far ahead. I can only prolong the war for so long.” The queen sighed. “Goodbye, my friend.”

  Tears dripped down Vida’s cheeks as the queen stepped inside the tree and disappeared.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Scarlett scanned the room of the castle around her.

  The high ceilings made the room seem huge. Windows climbed up the wall in front of her, overlooking the valley and the tree below.

  When she’d absorbed the magic, she’d become queen of this realm somehow connected to the woman in Vida’s memories. The people had welcomed her, bowing as a sign of allegiance.

  Vida and her tribe vowed to protect her. Scarlett had seen glimpses of memory, but she still didn’t understand her part in everything. She w
ould ask more questions later. Right now, she needed some time to herself.

  Raith’s face surfaced in her mind and she pushed it away. The Raith she knew was gone. Somehow, she would get him back. Or, if she couldn’t, she would make the Fates pay for taking him.

  With everyone around her, Scarlett closed her eyes and reached inside her magic.

  A wooden door with white designs matching her tattoos appeared.

  “This will lead back to the mortal realm,” Scarlett said. She didn’t know how she knew she could create it, but she did. “We should get going.”

  Rowen stepped forward. “You need to stay here for now. The Fates will still want the power you took, and I’m sure others will, too. You’ll be safer here. I’ll stay with you.”

  Scarlett’s shoulders slumped. Ashleigh was in the mortal realm. Scarlett needed to fix things, and being in separate realms wasn’t going to help.

  But Scarlett needed to learn about her new powers and her part in the looming war. The stronger she became, the more she could protect those she loved.

  For now, she needed Ashleigh kept safe.

  Scarlett turned to Kaelem. “Look after Ashleigh. You owe me.”

  “I will. I’ll make Aria bring her back to the Unseelie Court for now.”

  Scarlett didn’t like the idea of taking away Ashleigh’s free will, but her sister didn’t understand. There was so much more to the world than mortals knew, too many who would use Ashleigh against Scarlett. “I’ll come soon and talk to her and make her see the danger she’s in.”

  Kaelem leaned into Scarlett and kissed her cheek. “Until we meet again.”

  Scarlett wanted to say something. To apologize for stabbing him or reply with something witty. But instead, she remained silent as he disappeared through the door.

  Next, Cade and Poppy stepped forward.

  “I know our past is rocky, but I want you both as allies,” Scarlett said. “I’m not sure what the Fates want, but I know they’ll do whatever they can to get it.”

  Cade looked at Poppy then to Scarlett. “We will need time to think. I won’t make a promise I can’t keep.”

  It was a risk to let them leave. Scarlett had the advantage in this realm.

  But they’d done her no harm, and she wouldn’t be the one to make them enemies. “Very well.”

  After they’d left, Sage looked at Scarlett. “We will save him.”

  Who was Sage to care for Raith? Why had he wanted to bring her with them so badly? Jealousy boiled inside of Scarlett. She felt her magic bubbling. It would be so easy to send Sage flying across the room, to show her how weak she really was.

  Scarlett twitched.

  Sage’s brows furrowed. “Are you okay?”

  What was Scarlett thinking? Hurting Sage for caring for Raith. What was wrong with her? She thought she’d learned to better control herself. “I’m fine. And yes, we will.”

  “I’ll meet with my father and warn him,” Sage said to Scarlett before walking to the door. “I’ll do my best to make him see which side he should choose.”

  “Thanks,” Scarlett replied.

  Sage walked through the door.

  With everyone else gone, Scarlett looked at Rowen. There was so much for her to learn about this new realm and her new powers, but she was glad to not be alone.

  Aria was at a college frat party with Ashleigh when Kaelem found her.

  He needed to get his sister—and, as promised, Ashleigh—back to the Unseelie Palace right away.

  Aria leaned against the wall as she laughed. Next to her, a young mortal woman watched Kaelem’s sister with lustful eyes.

  “Hello, dear sister.” Kaelem approached. “I’m afraid I need to steal you for a moment.”

  Aria exuded herself and followed Kaelem outside. Begrudgingly, she agreed to take herself and Ashleigh back to the palace.

  Kaelem told her he’d meet her there, but first, he had to make one more stop.

  The Seelie Queen sat on her throne with her advisor standing next to her.

  “What a surprise.” She rested her hands in her lap.

  “I’ve come with news.” Kaelem shared what had happened.

  “You went off to another realm for power and didn’t think to tell me first?”

  “No, I’m afraid I didn’t. But I’m here now.”

  Kaelem reached his mind out and was met with a flash of bright light. The queen’s shields were up, as he figured they would be. When Kaelem’s mind moved to her advisor, he saw a flicker of a familiar face.

  An auburn-haired woman had flashed in Laik’s mind—the same woman Kaelem had seen hanging in a photograph in Scarlett’s room.

  Her mother.

  “I must return to my court now,” Kaelem said. “But I hope our alliance continues as the fae world as we know it heads for war.”

  The Seelie Queen nodded. “Thank you for your visit.”

  As Kaelem exited the Seelie Castle so he could evanesce home, he couldn’t help but wonder why Scarlett’s mother’s face would be in Laik’s mind.

  Scarlett had walked around the castle at least ten times, but had found herself most drawn to the library. She ran her hand across the spines.

  Some books seemed normal, but others emitted traces of magic. In the back corner of the room, one book, in particular, stood out to Scarlett.

  She pulled it from the shelf and set it on a table. She sat and flipped it open. Inside, spells filled the pages.

  The deeper into the book she got, the darker the spells grew.

  “Are you in here?” Rowen’s voice echoed through the room.

  “Yeah.” Scarlett slammed the book shut and returned it to the shelf. Whatever she’d just found, she didn’t want anyone to catch her looking at it.

  “Vida is here to see you.”

  “Perfect.” Scarlett followed Rowen out of the library.

  She’d return later to see what the rest of the book said.

  Also by Nissa Leder

  Curse of the Veil

  The Unveiling of Brielle Davis

  The Undoing of Brielle Davis

  The Unbinding of Brielle Davis

  Whims of Fae

  Two Princes of Summer

  Prisoner of Darkness

  Whims of Fate

  About the Author

  Nissa Leder was born and raised in Washington State, but now lives in the sunny Phoenix Valley with her husband, Joe, and their two boxers, two cats, and pet poison dart frogs.

  Always an avid reader, she didn’t realize her love for writing her own stories until her freshman year in college. Once she knew her life’s calling, she began studying the craft of writing and eventually obtained an MFA from Spalding University.

  When she isn’t writing down the stories that fill her head, she’s likely at the tennis courts working on her forehand or journeying to another world by reading a book. She’s a big believer in following your dreams and encourages everyone to shoot for the moon and pursue their passions.