A Dance With Darkness (2020 Ed)

by Jenna Wolfhart

  “That’s not an option.” One of the Autumn Royals stepped up to our Head Instructor’s side and gave her a sharp, pointed frown. There wasn’t a speck of blood on her billowing golden cloak. “The Royals Ball is not an optional event. It is not just a celebration. It is a reminder of who our true rulers are. Queen Viola would take it as a major slight if you were to cancel the ball, and I think we’re all very aware that it is never a good idea to slight our Queen.”

  Eyes wide, I glanced at Rourke. He shook his head in disgust, but he kept his thoughts private. I had come to realize that Rourke was no ordinary Autumn fae. He clearly didn’t approve of much of what they did.

  “You cannot possibly expect these students to celebrate after what’s happened here tonight?” Head Instructor Alwyn asked, her mouth slightly parted in surprise. “After what’s happened to their fellow students and friends?”

  “We don’t just expect it,” the Autumn fae said with glittering yellow eyes. “We demand it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The Great Hall had been transformed, but the ghosts of the attack still lingered behind. At some point during the night, the Autumn fae had cleared the room, disposing of the Redcap bodies in a bonfire on a distant hill. I knew because I’d seen the flames from my bedroom window, the spot I hadn’t been able to vacate all night. I just kept imagining those claws. All that blood painting every surface of the hall.

  And I couldn’t stop thinking about Bree. She was somewhere out there. I had to hope the Redcaps hadn’t come across her first. I had to hope I could get to her while she was still breathing.

  Now, I stood in the hall-turned-ballroom, drinking in the strange eeriness of the celebration. Earlier in the day, someone had left a package just outside my door addressed to me. In it, I’d found the most beautiful dress I’d ever laid eyes on. It was midnight black with silver sleeves filled with starlight. With an open back, at first I’d felt a bit shy about wearing it. It revealed more skin than I was accustomed to showing, but when I tried it on, the silky fabric fit me like a glove. Like it had been made specifically for me. Even the bottom of the dress was the perfect length, and it spread out across the floor with more silver specks dotted across the fabric like a glorious painting of a clear night sky.

  Sophia had shouted and exclaimed and clapped her hands, and she’d tried to convince me to wear my hair in an elaborate up-do that didn’t suit me. Instead, I’d let my long locks fall in natural waves down my back. It made me feel free and alive. If it weren’t for the cloud of pain and danger that hung heavily over this event, I might even feel strangely happy.

  But after what had happened, no one seemed particularly comfortable to be here right now. Except for the Autumn Royals who were smugly moving about the room in long golden gowns, their cold, intelligent eyes keeping a close eye on everything we said and did.

  Kael slid up behind me and gently placed his hand on my back. My heart skipped, and I tried not to let my face show just how much of an effect that slight touch had on me.

  “You look very beautiful, Norah.” A pause as his dark eyes searched mine. “Is it safe to say that you like my gift?”

  I widened my eyes. “Your gift? You mean...this dress is from you?”

  “Of course,” he said with a slight smile. “I assumed the color would give it away, as well as the stars. I wanted to give you something that reminded me of that night you saved my life.”

  The night in the cave.

  My knees wobbled. That was pretty much the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to me, but Kael took my reaction to mean something else entirely.

  “You okay?” He gently took my arm and furrowed his eyebrows. “Do you need to sit? Is something ailing you?”

  “I’m fine.” I cleared my throat and smiled. “Just a little overwhelmed, I guess.”

  Get ahold of yourself, Norah. One sweet comment, and you’re already swooning onto the floor.

  He scowled and glanced at an Autumn Court fae who slowly passed us by, eyes locked on where Kael’s hand rested on my back. “It’s truly heartless to make all the changelings endure this ridiculous celebration after what happened last night.”

  “Careful, Kael,” the Autumn fae said with a chilly smile. “I wouldn’t want to have to report you to Viola.”

  “Don’t lie, Redmond. It’s not the Autumn fae way,” Kael shot back. “We both know that you would love to report me to Viola.”

  “You’re right.” Redmond’s smile was full of sharp and pointed teeth, like that fae I’d met in the Autumn tavern. “A monster like you shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near our so-called precious changelings.” He sniffed my way. “Does your friend know about your special issue?”

  “I know all about it. Thanks for asking.” I shot him a sarcastic smile as sweet folksy music filled the hall. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’d like to go do something more interesting than talk to a bigot. Kael, would you like to join me?”

  Kael pursed his lips and tried to keep his chuckle under his breath, but I heard him. It was a deep, soothing sound. A sound I wished I could hear more of. Kael didn’t laugh nearly enough. Somehow, I needed to rectify that.

  He kept his hand on my back, and I had a feeling it was more in spite of Redmond than because he necessarily wanted it there. But I didn’t mind. I liked the idea of seeing Redmond’s smug smile fall right off his stupid face. So, Kael steered me toward the dance floor. At the moment, it was glaringly empty, but we walked past everyone on the outskirts until we were the only ones there.

  “Care to dance?” He held out a hand and gave me a mock bow.

  With a laugh, I took his outstretched palm into mine and curtsied back. He pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around my waist, swaying to the beat of the music. Delight and surprise made my stomach begin to flutter. This was unexpected. Of all the fae to ask me to dance, I wouldn’t have guessed it would be Kael. Finn, most likely. Liam, if he was in the mood. Rourke and Kael? Never.

  And yet here we were, the only two fae on the dance floor.

  The upbeat song whirled around us, and I lost myself to the strange, delightful music of the fae. We spun and spun, our arms wrapped tight around each other. Light and sound all mixed together as one, and soon, the world felt as though it dropped away. The music was everything, along with the dance. It was loud and big and wild, and I’d never before felt so alive.

  Kael’s eyes were alight. Somehow, the deep darkness of them seemed as if they were filled with a thousand stars, and I knew, right then and there, that I could spend the rest of my life counting each and every one.

  And then the song stopped. Kael’s feet slowed, and I followed his lead. The world jerked back in around us. My breath was ragged, and my cheeks were warm. Kael’s face had filled with color, too, and his eyes still shone with that strange cosmic light. All around us, others had begun to join us on the floor. And then the music started up again.

  Our bodies took over as soon as the notes filled our ears. We spun and whirled and laughed, our limbs twisting and curling around each other. The hall transformed into a kaleidoscope of shifting colors. There were no solid walls. No tables. No one else but us. It was magic. Pure delicious magic. A kind of magic that filled every part of my soul. It had been hidden deep within me all these years, and now it was flowing out of me in a way that made me wonder how I’d never known it was there.

  All because of Kael. And Finn, Rourke, and Liam. I’d spent my entire life asleep, and they’d woken me from a deep slumber I never again wished to have.

  The music slowed. Usually, this would be my cue to take a break. I liked to spin and whirl and stomp rather than sway side to side, but this song...I couldn’t walk away. My arms tightened around Kael’s neck, and I pressed my face to his chest. His heartbeat matched the rhythm of our steps.

  His hand began to caress my back. So gentle. So soft. He was nothing like the monster he claimed to be. I pulled back and tipped back my head to look up into his star-studded eyes.
A light smile lifted his lips, and I reached up to trace my finger along the curve of them.

  A part of me expected him to stiffen and pull away. Despite our connection, despite our moment together in the cave, I knew he was still wary of getting close to me. He still worried about the rules, about us not being mates. But he didn’t tense, he didn’t flinch, and he didn’t pull away. Instead, his grip around my waist tightened, and a shuddering breath escaped from his lips.

  “Thank you for the dress,” I whispered to him. “I don’t feel as though I deserve something so beautiful, but thank you.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” he murmured, dropping his forehead to mine. “You deserve something this beautiful and more. And the truth is, Norah, the dress is not what makes you beautiful. It’s everything else. Your eyes. Your heart. Your fire. I’ve never met anyone else like you before, and I doubt I ever will.”

  He dropped his lips to mine, and my entire body sighed.

  “Alright, you two. Break it up,” a sharp voice cut through the moment, and two strong arms yanked me back. Blinking, I turned with a frown to find Redmond dragging me away from Kael, whose tortured expression made my heart break.

  “Let go of her, Redmond,” Kael said as his cold, steely mask fell over his face. “You can’t manhandle the changelings like this.”

  Redmond’s grip only tightened on my arms. “Oh, but I can. I have direct orders to do whatever is necessary here. That includes taking this miscreant to be questioned about her actions.”

  Kael’s face clouded over. “What are you talking about? She’s not a miscreant.”

  “I have it on good authority that she’s been harboring a murderous Redcap.” Redmond’s gold eyes glittered as he pointed across the room to where Sophia stood staring at me with a mixture of horror and guilt. “Her roommate informed me that she had one in her room and that she’s been sneaking out to meet it wherever it’s been hiding.”

  “What?” I felt as if I’d been punched in the gut. “Sophia? Is this true?”

  She clenched her jaw and glanced away as if she couldn’t stand the sight of me, but her voice trembled when she spoke. “I’m sorry, Norah. I covered for you as long as I could. But you saw what happened last night. Sam died. You can’t keep protecting your friend. Not when she’s capable of killing us all.”

  Redmond dragged me down a flight of curving stone stairs I’d never seen before. When we reached the bottom, I quickly understood why. Cells lined both walls. Thin, tiny rooms that held nothing but a single hard mattress each. He yanked opened the nearest one, threw me inside, and slammed the gate in my face.

  Shivering, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at the Autumn fae. “This isn’t fair. You can’t just put me in a dungeon because you think I’m trying to help my friend.”

  He raised his eyebrows, and his golden eyes practically glowed against the light of the torches. “But aren’t you helping your friend? I realize that much of Otherworld is new to you, but you must realize that it’s a crime to harbor a murderer, just as it is in your precious human realm.”

  “For one, I’m not harboring her. And two, she’s not a murderer. Stop saying that.” I strode forward and gripped the iron bars. Pain immediately shot through my gut, and I stumbled back.

  The fae let out a low chuckle and shook his head. “Silly girl. You cannot touch iron, not even here.”

  “This is ridiculous. Let me out of here. Bree’s not a murderer. Yes, she got infected with the Redcap virus, but she’s fighting against it.” Taking a deep breath, I stepped up to the bars again. This time, I was careful not to touch them. “You have to believe me. She’s not a threat to anyone. I’ve been trying to help her, by undoing the whole thing. I wanted to give her Winter Starlight.”

  He barked out a harsh laugh. “You actually believe that you can save a beast. Be careful. The last fae who spouted that kind of nonsense got herself killed.”

  At the question-mark in my eyes, he continued. “Queen Marin, the ruler who was assassinated by our Court eighteen years ago. Good riddance, I say. She too believed that Redcaps were intelligent beings who could be reasoned with, but you saw the destruction they can cause. They’re monsters and nothing more. And every single one of them should be kept under tight control.”

  I fisted my hands by my sides and glared at Redmond. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe this is all your fault? The Redcaps don’t just come from nowhere. You create them. And then it spreads and spreads and spreads. Because maybe, just maybe, what you’re doing is wrong.”

  He stepped closer and sneered. “Maybe you’re not so much like Marin after all. She was a big lover of all you changelings, including the Redcaps. Said you were a gift from the gods. But what she didn’t realize is that we’re the gods. And the time of the changelings is over.”

  My heart thumped hard, and all the blood drained from my face. “What does that mean?”

  “Oh, you’ll see.” His grin stretched across the entire width of his face. “But first, you’re going to stay down in this cage.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I didn’t sleep. At least a day passed where all I could do was sit glumly in my gorgeous gown, glaring at the flickering torches in the hallway of the dungeons. I tried shifting, but it was no use. Whatever magic I’d used when I shifted before was gone from me now.

  My mind tripped over Redmond’s words as I desperately tried to figure out what he’d meant by them. The time of the changelings was over? Surely he didn’t mean what it sounded like. Did he truly want to get rid of us all? And, if so, why?

  Footsteps echoed down the corridor. I stood from the hard mattress and backed up against the wall furthest from the iron bars. I didn’t want to be a coward, but I also didn’t know what the hell was coming for me. And I wasn’t about to make anything easy on whoever it was. If they wanted to get to me, they’d have to open that gate and come inside the cell themselves.

  And maybe, just maybe...I could get out into the hallway before they could.

  I might not have a sword, but I had fists.

  Firelight flickered on the walls, and a male in a deep golden cloak strode into view. For a moment, I could barely breathe as he strolled up to the iron bars, his face hidden in the shadows of his hood. But then he lifted his chin, and his bright golden eyes met mine. It was Rourke. All the tension in my body whooshed out of me, and I rushed up to the bars, hope and relief pouring through me.

  He held up a set of keys and jangled them in the air. “Time to get you out of here, Norah. Apologies it took so long.”

  A grin split my face. “Are you kidding me? I’m just happy to see you. How did you get down here? Does Redmond know you’re doing this? I thought he locked me in here to ask me questions about Bree, but he hasn’t been back. Do you know what’s going on?”

  He let out a light laugh and shook his head. “One question at a time. I’ll explain everything as soon as I get you out of here.”

  He slid the key into the lock and twisted, using a gloved hand to pull open the gates. I rushed into the hallway and threw my arms around him. He let out an oof of surprise, and his entire body went tense. After a moment, he softened and rubbed his hand across the small of my back. Shivers coursed across my skin from where he touched me. Rourke might be an Autumn fae like the ones who were making our lives so miserable, and the ones who might very well be trying to end us all, but he was nothing like them.

  “I’m sorry about what my brethren did to you,” he muttered against my hair. “But I’m afraid it’s even worse than you think.”

  I pulled back and looked up at him with a frown. “What do you mean?”

  He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s a long story. Let’s get you upstairs so you can have some food and a bath. Then, we’ll explain everything.”

  As glad as I was to have a chance to take a bath, I hated to change out of my gorgeous ballgown that Kael had given me. The soft, sleek material felt so nice on my skin, and the spark
ling sleeves made true darkness feel like an impossibility. But Rourke insisted I change into some training clothes, so I donned a pair of black pants, a black t-shirt, and my trusty boots for good measure.

  Afterwards, he led me into a dusty, lofted room where students were busy practicing hand-to-hand combat with the instructors. I slowed to a stop and raised my eyebrows. The first-years were here, too. Sophia was pounding away at a punching bag, her fists wrapped tight in a splotchy gauze. It was the first time our instructors had taken us from theory to practice, and I had a horrible sinking feeling in my gut because of it.

  I wanted to learn how to fight. Desperately so. But the timing could only mean one thing. Trouble was brewing.

  Liam, Finn, and Kael all abandoned their posts, striding over to wrap their arms tight around me in turn. My heart swelled as Liam crushed me tight against him, as Kael whispered soft words into my ears, and even as Finn threw me over his shoulder for good measure. Even though Redmond had told them he hadn’t harmed a hair on my head, they’d still been worried for my safety. They’d even argued over who would release me from my cage.

  After our reunion, the three of them dispersed, taking up their posts with the other changelings.

  “Usually,” Rourke began as he led me to an empty punching bag near the rear of the room, “we hold off on this kind of training with first-years, and for good reason. Otherworld is new and confusing for you, you don’t yet know the true power of your gifts, and you have no idea what you’re capable of. If we let you loose with swords, you could end up doing far more damage than you realize. One time, a first-year Summer changeling ended up burning down an entire wing of the Academy when he got into a fistfight with one of the third-year Summers.”

  “And yet they’re all in here training now.” I arched an eyebrow. “Why? And where are all the Royals?”