Nathan had learned all he needed to know from my interactions with Onyx. Who else had noticed? Later. I’d worry about this later. I turned to Thorsten. “Lady Cardinal has no way back to Earth from here. Where do you think she could’ve gone? King Peter will be furious if we don’t return to the Summer Court with her.”
Thorsten swallowed. “I’m worried about Onyx. She...she is planning to go into the wastelands. Not just for King Peter’s sake, but also because she feels guilty over doing nothing as her father was pulled into them after Petra.” Thorsten ran his hand once more through his hair. “Everything is getting out of control. I told Onyx that we need to negotiate with King Peter again, but she disagrees. I’m not letting her go to the wastelands. Take me to the Summer Court instead of Lady Cardinal. I will convince King Peter to work out a different peace bargain.”
23
I should’ve been happy that we weren’t returning empty-handed and that Thorsten was determined to convince King Peter to make a more reasonable peace deal, but instead, trepidation permeated each of my cells. The feeling invaded like black poison, shaking my nerves and coiling in my core.
“You can’t,” I said, but Thorsten’s set jaw told me I had no chance of convincing him to stay. He would give up everything for Onyx.
“Take me to the Summer Court, now.” He offered his open hands as if we could handcuff him.
“We need a high-profile prisoner,” Nathan said in a soft voice.
“Shouldn’t we at least tell Onyx that you’re going to the Summer Court?” I tried again.
“No.” Thorsten’s shoulders tensed. “If she knows, she’ll insist on coming with me. I don’t think King Peter will be happy with her returning to his court without making any progress on his conditions. He wants a vampire with intel. He will get one. Perhaps this is what is needed.”
I nodded. That made sense. But I couldn’t do this to Onyx. She and Thorsten loved each other. Would I ever fall in love? My gaze darted to Nathan before I refocused on Thorsten. “What about Winter warriors? Do you want to bring any for protection?”
Thorsten gave me a mirthless smile. “No. It will be enough if you both swear that I will not be harmed by either you or anything else, including the sun in the Summer Court.
“I swear,” I said, immediately, and the tingling, oath-sealing magic raced through me.
Nathan glared at me. You have to be more careful with your promises.
I glared right back. He’s taking a big risk. He deserves some guarantees.
Nathan straightened, maintaining his composure. “Thorsten, I swear that you will not be harmed by either me or anything else, including the sun in the Summer Court.”
Thorsten gave us both a grim smile. “Thank you. Shall we?”
I still didn’t like the situation. Lady Cardinal was missing. She was the one King Peter had specifically asked for. “Isn’t there another way? Bringing a vampire to the Summer Court—”
“You two will be with me, won’t you?” Thorsten cut me off.
I nodded.
“Thorsten is right,” Nathan said. “With Cardinal gone, we must try to renegotiate the conditions for peace. Virgie, I cannot guarantee we will not have war, but I will do my best to ensure that we suffer no more bloodshed.” For a moment, emotions shone in Nathan’s eyes, but in front of Thorsten, he did not reach out for my hand.
“I’ll get us a carriage,” Thorsten said.
“What about the guard?” I motioned to the unconscious young man lying on the floor, King Peter’s scroll next to him.
“He’ll be fine in an hour or so,” Nathan said.
“I can smell that. If I thought you had truly hurt him, I would’ve attacked.” Thorsten’s nostrils flared. “Follow me. I will get us a carriage.”
The Winter fae must’ve accepted Thorsten’s consort position, because he marched us through the Winter palace confidently. The corridors widened as we traveled toward the front of the palace. Archways of shining icicles, reflecting every light of the rainbow, hung and covered the ceiling. Chandeliers of dark stone contrasted well with the ice. I tensed as two guards stared at us from the periphery, both armed with spears, but Thorsten held up a hand, silently ordering them to stand down. Both obeyed.
I swallowed. I was about to betray their ruler. Thorsten might be going with us on his own, but Onyx wouldn’t be happy once she discovered that we had taken him.
Even as Nathan told Thorsten where we had to go—a place near the set of ruins—I could barely listen, my nerves tighter than a violin’s strings. Thorsten walked with determination. He wanted to fix this for Onyx, no matter the cost.
We arrived at the front of the palace, which had an open balcony like that of the Summer castle. Snow came down heavy. We were in the midst of a mountain blizzard. “Wait here. I’ll get a carriage,” Thorsten said.
Since I had exhausted all my arguments, I stood back and watched as Thorsten flew off the balcony and vanished into the storm.
“He can fly?” Nathan’s jaw was slack with shock.
“Yes. The ability runs in the Steinberg vampire line. Onyx never told me that Thorsten had mastered it already.”
Nathan extended his arm. I let him wrap it and his cape around me for warmth. The gesture wasn’t lost. The High Commander was turning a corner. He was on my side. Together, we’d keep Thorsten safe. “Youth does not preclude talent or skill. Some must grow up quickly,” he said quietly, and I was glad that he could see the similarities between himself and Thorsten, instead of focusing on their differences.
No one checked the balcony, but still I waited for fae guards or warriors to intercept us and protest Thorsten’s actions. “The Winter fae won’t be happy with the consort of their future queen taking such a big risk.”
Nathan nodded. “In difficult times, difficult decisions must be made.”
I wanted to push more for Thorsten to bring Winter fae with him, but didn’t dare to out of fear that they would take this opportunity to execute Percival. If they planned to strike the Summer Court when it was at its weakest, they wouldn’t think twice about killing Percival, the last true heir of King Peter. If they discovered his location, he was pretty much dead. As much as I hated the kid, he didn’t deserve to die, and I didn’t want to witness the hell King Peter would unleash if his last, legitimate child was butchered.
A cobalt carriage with painted silver trim landed on the balcony, pulled by a storm gray Pegasi. Thorsten opened the door from the outside, and we got in. No one spoke as we took off, and Nathan’s forehead furrowed as he stared at the passing landscape. It all looked the same to me, but clearly, Nathan expected he’d recognize the spot of the borderlands where Percival had portaled us to.
Once the snow thinned, the Pegasi lowered us to the ground with a soft thud. The air went from frigid to chilly, and I flexed my fingers, relishing the sensation of blood returning to them. The Pegasi pulled us along a bumpy path and dark shapes, outlined by stars, slowly crept past. We were close. I too began to study our surroundings, not wanting to be completely useless, even though the ominous feeling that we were doing something awful refused to leave me.
“Stop the carriage,” Nathan shouted, and we came to an abrupt halt. He jumped out, and I realized why when I saw a tiny blob of green flickering in a field. The dark shapes of the ruins stood against the night sky. We had returned to the right place. Percival had just opened the portal and if he saw we were not there, he would close it.
“Percival!” Nathan broke into a full run as the orb closed.
“Was that the portal?” Thorsten rose from his seat.
I groaned. “It was.” Staying in the carriage in one spot for another hour wasn’t a good idea. All kinds of things could go wrong. But then the air began to shimmer, and the green orb rematerialized. It grew to the size of a full-body mirror. Even from fifty feet away, I could see that night had fallen in the Summer Court with fireflies buzzing about and stars twinkling in the sky.
“Stay there,” Nat
han ordered whoever was on the other side of the portal. “Percival. We have our vampire.”
Thorsten and I got out of the carriage, but I grabbed his hand before he stepped toward the portal. “Are you sure about this? I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
He balled his fists. “I have no choice. I can’t let Onyx go to the wastelands, and I can’t let the Winter generals attack the Summer Court. I need to renegotiate the terms.” He avoided my gaze. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one wallowing in guilt and dread.
“But how will we work out peace?” I breathed. “The king is furious that two of his children are dead.”
Thorsten lifted his chin. “King Peter is a greedy bastard. I know how to navigate the world of the greedy. If we give him some territory, he’ll agree to peace.”
I swallowed hard. “The Winter Court won’t be happy with that.”
Thorsten shrugged. “They will once the conditions for them improve because they’re no longer in a cold war.”
I bit my lip, unable to stay as optimistic as Thorsten was. “What if King Peter decides that he wants more of the Winter Court?”
“Then we’ll fight back.”
“So you’re okay with war as long as you don’t start it?”
“We must hurry,” Nathan said from the portal.
Thorsten put his hand on my back and nudged me toward the portal. “I don’t have all the answers. But the first step to resolving issues is communication.”
Nathan was motioning at us impatiently, and I picked up my step as I realized that Percival’s face was scrunched up with exhaustion as he studied me. He held up a lantern, illuminating his features. He was already suspicious of me. He couldn’t discover that I was convincing Thorsten not to come to us. He couldn’t tell King Peter that my loyalty was split. For all of our sakes, I had to pretend that I full-heartedly supported King Peter.
As we stepped closer, I pretended to use my mental abilities on Thorsten, staring hard at him.
“That is not Lady Cardinal,” were Percival’s first words as we stepped through the portal and into the Summer Court, landing onto the front balcony of the palace that was lit up from the inside.
“Lord Steinberg is coming in lieu of Lady Cardinal,” Nathan said, somehow, managing to stay polite to the brat. “Thank you for working the portal for us. You did a great job, Percival.”
Percival puffed out his chest, and I really wished Nathan didn’t inflate the kid’s already humongous self-esteem. Nathan glanced at the sky. “The sun didn’t set too long ago. We should still be able to get an audience with the king.”
Thorsten nodded. “Excellent. I’d prefer it if I could return before sunrise.”
Since we had sworn that the sun wouldn’t harm him, I guessed this preference was due to not wanting to worry Onyx.
Percival said nothing. He and his guards were at the top of our procession as we headed into the castle. A few lights flashed even this late in the night and several media fae swirled around me.
“Who is the vampire, Virgie?”
“Why have you brought him here?”
I glanced at Nathan, who gave a tiny shake of the head. Fine with me. I didn’t particularly want to talk to the media. Let them speculate.
Thorsten maintained his gait, not slowing or speeding up, but a bit of red crept into his eyes. The media was annoying him. Each step we took closer to the throne room made me feel sicker and sicker. Try as I might, I couldn’t imagine King Peter receiving Thorsten positively. I almost asked Nathan whether we shouldn’t notify the king about his unexpected visitor first, but then I remembered the telepathy thing. Nathan must’ve taken care to pass along the information as soon as we arrived.
What mood is the king in? I sent the thought directly into Nathan’s mind, the way Nerissa had taught me so that other mind speakers couldn’t hear it.
Not good, but he seemed understanding that we returned with somebody else.
Okay, I supposed that was something.
We reached the double doors with the tree carvings, and the guards heaved them open. The walk from the door to King Peter’s throne seemed endless. The surrounding trees towered over like gigantic guards. But it was the wicked smile on King Peter’s face that froze the blood in my veins.
A trap. This is a trap, my intuition screamed. But, how? We promised to keep Thorsten safe. Yes, we had, but the king was above both Nathan and I. The king hadn’t made any oaths.
My chest contracted. Oh God, what had I done? Nathan, promise, you won’t let anything happen to Thorsten.
Nathan frowned deeply. I never go back on a promise.
My knees trembled. But what about the king?
He can’t make me break an oath. Nathan inhaled sharply, as he finally understood what I was getting at.
He won’t honor what you promised Thorsten if he’s set on hurting him. The king will let someone else hurt Thorsten.
Nathan gritted his teeth hard enough to chip, and I knew I was right. Oh Lord, what had we done?
“Thorsten Steinberg, you have come to ask to renegotiate the peace pact I offered your consort, Princess Onyx Vinter?” King Peter’s grin grew. He was truly enjoying this.
Thorsten remained completely still. No fidgeting, no signs of distress, and his voice was clear and low as it rang out. “The terms were unfair. No one returns from the wastelands alive. If you want Onyx to go and rescue your daughter, you’ll need to go with her.”
Percival gasped, and I swallowed hard. Even I knew that demanding such a thing from King Peter was outrageous. It was fair, but you couldn’t speak like that to a king who’s temper lit quicker than a fire match.
But instead of unleashing his rage, the king simply laughed. It was a nasty, rotting sound. “What interesting ideas you have. But I could never leave my Summer Court behind. It would be irresponsible.”
“That’s exactly how Onyx feels about her court.” Thorsten paused for effect, and the king didn’t say anything. Well played. I held back a smile. Thorsten one. King Peter zero. “Let the past be the past. It cannot be changed.” Thorsten showed a fanged smile. “I’m certain Onyx would be willing to give you the borderlands in exchange for peace.”
The king snorted. “Why in the faelands would I want those?”
Thorsten shrugged casually. “The land of eternal summer is susceptible to droughts. The borderlands have several rivers and trade routes. A truce with the Winter lands would benefit your court. If both you and Onyx combine your powers, you might even reverse the plague.”
“Reverse the plague?” the king spat and rose from the throne. “Don’t speak nonsense, vampire.”
Thorsten raised his chin. “King Olwen caused the plague. Why couldn’t it be undone by the most powerful fae?”
Something flickered in King Peter’s gaze, and I realized that Thorsten wasn’t speculating, but must’ve found some proof that the plague could be reversed. It appeared that King Peter had known this and yet had never considered fixing it. Why? Because he didn’t want peace. He wanted revenge. He wanted to destroy the Winter Court, even if the Summer Court suffered the same fate in the process.
He was insane.
“Any other offers you would like to make?” King Peter’s golden wings darkened into a sickly, yellow-green.
Nathan took a step back, pulling me with him. The guards did as well. Something was happening.
“Your Majesty, please think about my proposal carefully before rejecting it.” Thorsten bowed lowly, and I sighed in relief. He was taking the safe way out. Good.
King Peter smiled. “My answer is no. Too bad you won’t be able to deliver it to your consort. However, she now has the luxury of knowing that I have her consort, courtesy of my messengers.”
I choked and exchanged a glance with Nathan, finding the alarm I felt mirrored in his silver gaze.
Nathan stepped forward. “Your Majesty, Virgie and I swore an oath that no harm shall befall Lord Steinberg while he is with us.”
King Peter grinne
d. “Is that so?” Vines sprang from his fingers.
Don’t. Let Thorsten return peacefully to the Winter Court, I screamed into the king’s mind, and he turned his glare on me as he stepped away from his throne.
“Do not ever use your magic on me, you foolish girl.” A vine shot straight for me, and even though I dodged the first that lashed for my chest, the second one wound around my neck and pressed hard into my throat, cutting off my air.
Nathan jumped to my side. “Your Majesty, please. She didn’t know what she was doing. She’s still learning.”
“Yes, and learn she will, not to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong.” With that, King Peter shot a vine for Thorsten.
Do something, Nathan, I mind spoke, but he remained rooted. My ears rang as the king continued to hold me there.
I expected the vine to bind Thorsten as well, but instead, it circled him several times, growing longer and longer, and then cocooned him.
Don’t let him kill Thorsten, I pleaded again as my insides burned, as if someone had poured acid down my throat.
He won’t, came Nathan’s dull reply. Sweat ran down his face and the way he clutched his hand across his stomach, I knew he too was in pain.
The oath. We were breaking it, and these were the consequences.
A strange crunching noise filled the air, and I snapped my gaze back to the vines that now hid Thorsten. With a dull thud, the cocoon fell away to reveal a tall cactus with white, blooming flowers. A night blooming cereus. My ears rang with horror. King Peter had turned Thorsten Steinberg into a plant.
Gasps filled the throne area.
“See?” King Peter asked with a scarily calm smile. “I did not harm Onyx’s consort.”
The pain in my stomach ceased, and Nathan’s sweating ceased. I opened my mouth to speak, but the vine around my throat tightened, cutting off my air supply. My last thought before I passed out was that with Thorsten turned into a plant, King Peter could force Onyx to go to the wastelands to search for Petra. Then when it became clear that Onyx wasn’t returning, King Peter would invade the Winter lands.
The Nocturnal and Fae Prison Academy Boxset [A Complete Paranormal and Fantasy Series Boxset] Page 85
