“Repeat after me.” The king’s wicked yellow eyes narrowed. “I, Peony Palmer, swear my full loyalty to you, King Peter. I won’t speak or act without your royal permission. I am your most loyal servant.”
Bile rose in my throat. He was fully binding her to him. He was making her into a living zombie, zapping all of her free will.
I felt shock explode in Nathan’s mind. This wasn’t at all what his oath had looked like, then. Nathan had made a deal, not a vow of slavery. Everyone watched in silent horror. By making everyone witness his ruthlessness, the king was opening the eyes of his court to the monster that was on the throne. The question was, were they prepared to move against him? Given the terror that was on their faces as they stood and did nothing, I guessed not. I’d have to find a way to promise them that neither Peony nor Thorsten’s fate would befall them if they went against their ruler. I swallowed hard as bitter reality smacked me right in the face. These fae wouldn’t go into battle with me. They’d cling to their comfortable lives. They had submitted to the totalitarian regime for centuries. One mentalist fae wouldn’t be able to cure their fears and replace them with bravery.
“Speak now! Unless you want me to banish you to the wastelands.” King Peter’s voice ripped me back to the present. “You will die there, slowly, as your throat dries and burns. You will feel your magic draining into the cracked ground. You will cough on the dust of the wastelands as the sun burns your skin.”
Nathan once again tightened his grip on my hand. He was shaking.
“I, Peony Palmer,” —tears cascaded down her face— “swear my full loyalty to you, King Peter.” Her body broke into an uncontrollable shiver as her nails dug into the vines binding her. “I won’t speak or act without your royal permission.” Peony stilled, the fight going out of her as the king’s magic invaded her. “I am your most loyal servant.” Her voice broke on the final word, her hazel eyes turning glassy.
Utter stillness and silence descended once again over the throne room. This one was the heaviest of all, flattening us into the ground, turning us into ants. As much as I hated the king, I had to recognize that it wasn’t his fury and ruthlessness that made us cower, but our own fear.
I’d have to destroy that, the strongest of emotions, if I wanted to raise an army. And raise an army I would. I had to fight back.
But what if I failed?
Peony slumped against the ground.
I swallowed. No, not an option. I wouldn’t fail. I couldn’t. Especially not in light of Peony’s sacrifice. She was buying me time. I would use it wisely. I would take down the king even if it meant death or eternal torture.
The vines released Peony’s limp body and slithered into the trees. Without any helping her, she slowly rose to her shaky feet and stumbled over to Caleb, who opened his mouth a dozen times only to close it. He couldn’t show her comfort here. They’d have to wait until the king dismissed us all. The king motioned for a few guards to come closer and whispered instructions.
I expected his vines to transform the still-bound Thorsten back into a cactus, but instead, their edges slithered to the nearest tree, grabbed on, and dragged Thorsten to the trunk, binding him. His mouth was still clamped shut. His wrists and ankles were bound tightly, and a vine tightened around his neck, but there were none on his torso. Thorsten's red, angry eyes trained on King Peter and a growl emerged from his throat.
I took a sharp breath. Were they about to stab his unprotected torso? No, if they killed him, the king would lose his leverage over Onyx.
“Attention, all. This party has been extended. Come sunrise, I’ll create a little video message for Princess Onyx that will hopefully motivate her to take the deal I gave her seriously and finally go to the wastelands to free my darling daughter, Princess Petra,” the king said in a self-satisfied voice, and behind him Percival smirked.
I swayed, and Nathan steadied me. We’ll figure a way out of this, he whispered into my mind, his words at odds with his agitation.
This was bad. Losing Peony and not succeeding with freeing Thorsten was one thing, but the king was planning torture. There was no way Onyx would allow him to hurt her consort and not freeze the Summer lands into oblivion, killing us all.
The king jerked his head. “In the meantime, Amanda, didn’t you have an announcement for us?”
Amanda stepped forward. Her magenta wings were dull, and right then, her short bob didn’t make her look stylish, but exhausted. “Yes, your Majesty. High Commandeer Nathan has some good news for us.”
I felt like I was ready to pass out. There was no way I could say yes to a fake proposal right now, and yet, what other choice did I have? The more convincing I was, the more freedom the king would give me further down the line. And we needed that. The weight of everything collapsed on my shoulders.
Nathan strode to the center of the room and bowed low, maintaining composure. “Your Majesty, the time has come for me to take a bride. I would like hereby to propose to Virgie Everston, the last descendant of the Everston family.”
I forced my mouth to fall open in fake surprise as all eyes turned to me. A few gasps sounded, but the mood in the throne room was still subdued. Thorsten remained tied to the tree, awaiting the agony of sunrise.
The king nodded. “What wonderful news. Approved.”
Nathan turned to me and bowed once again. “Virgie Everston, will you do me the honor and become my wife to share a long and blissful life in the Summer Court?”
I cleared my dry throat. All eyes settled on me. Somewhere in my periphery Amanda was mouthing and gesticulating wildly, Pierre by her side. Expectant glances of the court drilled into me as the media clicked away, blinding me with bright light. I took my time as I strode over to Nathan, each step heavy. I wanted to be with him, but this was not how I imagined to be proposed to, even if I knew that this was all just a show. Somehow, despite feeling like I was moving through quicksand, I managed to reach him and took his outstretched hand.
“Yes,” I said, putting all my effort into raising my voice. “It would be my pleasure.”
Cheers erupted, these genuine, and Nathan leaned down to kiss me.
I promise you, we’ll make this right, he said into my mind.
We will, I echoed, knowing that everything good started with hope. If we lost hope, we would have nothing left. I had to cling to it, no matter how insane it sounded. I had to believe, no matter how dire the circumstances, no matter how badly the odds were stacked against us.
When Nathan and I parted, I turned to the king and curtsied. He gave me a ferocious grin, certain that I too now belonged to him as I was bound to Nathan.
“Enjoy the celebrations. Everyone is expected to return to the throne room by sunrise.” King Peter dismissed us with a lazy wave of his hand. We were to gorge ourselves on delicacies and drink fancy, magical concoctions only for him to throw a bucket of ice onto us when we returned in the morning to witness Thorsten’s torture.
15
Onyx
I waited patiently at the borderlands as I had last time when Virgie and Caleb had opened the portal, but nothing happened. The air refused to ripple and no portal opened with Thorsten stepping through. The longer I waited, the faster I paced, crunching half-melted snow under my boots. Anger built inside of me along with my ice.
“Are you sure we’re in the correct spot?” I asked.
Sela nodded. “Onyx, the portal will find you just like last time when Caleb opened it. I promise you. That is how portal magic works.”
“Then why have we been waiting for hours?” I glanced at my armband watch. Midnight had come and gone without Caleb opening the portal. Now, it was already four in the morning. I forced out a breath. Letting rage overtake me would not help either of us. “What if Caleb and Virgie opened it into the Winter Court instead?”
“They wouldn’t have,” Sela explained in her infuriatingly calm tone. “It would raise the alarm in the Summer Court.”
I paced past a pine tree. “Something has go
ne wrong.”
Sela glanced at the other generals and warriors waiting behind us, who hadn’t dared to approach since I had snapped at the last person who suggested I should conserve my energy and wait in the carriage. Now, none dared to voice any opinions. I sighed heavily. I didn’t want them to fear me, nor did I want to snap at them and treat them like shit, but I needed them to take this seriously. I couldn’t go on without Thorsten by my side. I deserved this happy ending after my lack of family growing up. I deserved to finally be happy.
“If nothing happens until late morning or early afternoon, we can open a portal into the Summer Court,” Sela began. “But I want you to consider this carefully. If we do that, we’ll have to figure out how to protect Thorsten from the sun. We also won’t be able to turn him back into a person without a plant fae. Also, doing it this way means declaring war.”
“Where’s our spy?” I cut Sela off, still hoping my anger and desperation wouldn't drive me to that horrible option.
“She should be back soon.” Just as Sela said it, a horse galloped toward us from the direction of an ancient road and from between some dark pines, carrying a fae with bronze wings. She, like the other five fae we had recruited to pass messages between Peony and me, were descendants of the Summer Court but had fled it centuries ago to eke out a living in the borderlands. Not belonging to either court, they barely scraped by and were eager to put their lives at risk at the generous sum I paid them.
My spy, the brunette who had been leading the others, reached us and pulled her horse to a stop. She got off and bowed lowly. “Your Majesty.”
I let out a breath and kept my voice level. “What news do you bring?” I studied her tired face. The spies we used traveled on horseback between the courts, which made it more time-consuming, but was the only way to send them to the other court without raising the alarm.
The fae swallowed hard. “I’m afraid I don’t bring good news.” Her gaze drifted down and to the left, making me realize an icicle had formed in my hand. I released it, letting it fall to the ground.
“I’m not in the habit of punishing messengers, but don’t keep me waiting,” I said tightly, heart thumping.
The spy nodded. “The escape attempt was discovered. Your consort was turned back into a vampire. As punishment, Peony was bound by a loyalty oath to King Peter.”
Sela inhaled sharply and stepped up to stand by my side. “How severe was the oath he made her take?”
The spy's eyes shone. “The most severe of oaths.”
I grabbed the fae’s shoulders, needing to know what happened to Thorsten. “What did the king do to Thorsten? Did he turn him back into a cactus?” What would I do if that was the case? Peony wouldn’t be able to help a second time with her mind now enslaved by King Peter.
“No.”
That one word from the spy made me sag with relief until the realization hit that King Peter never did anything out of kindness. “Did he throw Thorsten into the dungeon?”
The spy shook her head. “Thorsten is held by vines in the throne room. He’ll be punished when the sun rises.”
Horror socked me in the chest, followed by pure rage. “No!” My voice echoed through the wastelands, and everything around me exploded in white snow. Wind howled and blasted flakes from every direction as the cold bit and stabbed.
“Onyx, control your power!” Sela screamed, seemingly from far away, and I realized I had unleashed a snowstorm. I breathed in and out, and the wind ebbed. Another breath, and the thick snowflakes fell to the ground, settling. The temperature moved up from arctic to right below freezing.
The spy’s eyes were wide, and she shivered, but she didn’t need to fear my wrath. Forcing my expression to relax, I motioned for her to join the other soldiers, then turned to Sela. “We must return to the palace and come up with a strategy.” I knew my goal. Destroy the Summer Castle. Freeze everyone to death but those who had helped me, then find another way to free Thorsten.
I hurried to the carriage and told the coachman, “Get us back as fast as possible.” Sela sat down opposite me in the carriage while the other Winter fae and the spy followed us on horseback. Sela leaned forward, looking like she wanted to speak, but I ignored her and stared out of the window. There wasn’t anything to say. War was the only option now. I should’ve declared war when Thorsten had been taken. If he died or went insane from torture, I'd never forgive myself.
Would he even survive the torture to come? Thorsten was tough, hard to kill, and now an elite vampire, but the sun was a death sentence to all of his kind.
“Do you want me to prepare the generals for war?” Sela asked.
I nodded. This was exactly why I had chosen her as my right hand and as an advisor. There were more experienced generals in the Winter Court, but she understood me, and most importantly, I had had a good feeling about her right from the start.
Sela hesitated, clearly wanting to speak but not saying something else.
“What is it?” I snapped. I was past having any patience.
“The other generals will only be all too happy to invade the Summer Court, but while we were provoked, and I think we could win this war...” She studied the hilt of her sword. “There is word among the scholars that the courts destroying each other might make them into wastelands, both uninhabitable, with a new type of plague that will kill many. Also, the king might execute Peony or put her under directions not to change Thorsten back again, and then—”
“It will all be in vain,” I finished. I pressed my cold hands against my hot forehead. “What would you do if you were me?”
This time, Sela didn’t hesitate. “Get rid of the king, but not the whole Summer Court.”
I snorted. “How? He’ll be the most protected individual there. The magic of the Summer realm flows through him, and vice versa.”
Sela nodded. “If you strike directly, then yes, he will be prepared. We need to take him by surprise.”
I bit my lip. “Returning Thorsten was supposed to be a secret mission. See how well that went. The others weren't careful enough. This time, we'll be on our own.”
Sela sighed. “I know you’re frustrated.” At my dark look, she quickly added, “Rightfully so, but please, give us more time to compile information on King Peter’s agenda.” She leaned forward. “And let the Winter Court crown you queen.”
I swallowed hard. Only a few weeks ago, I had the luxury to debate whether I was ready for such a big responsibility while lying safely in Thorsten’s arms. Now, there was no alternative. I took a minute to myself as the carriage continued into the Winter lands and moved uphill toward the palace halfway up the mountain.
“I’m ready,” I said in a dead voice, knowing that the weight of the crown and the future of the Winter Court would rest heavily on my head for the rest of my long life as soon as I made my pledge. “I thought the blacksmith needed at least a month to create my crown.”
Sela gave me a weak smile, and I knew what she was about to say.
So I spoke first. “No, absolutely not. I’m not waiting a month.” The carriage pulled to a halt then, and I threw open the door. “Talk to the other generals. I want three attack plans by noon on my table.” Let them put their minds to good use, and I’d choose the one that hurt King Peter the most, the one that would come the closest to him experiencing the pain and desperation I’d been consumed with since he’d taken Thorsten.
I marched into the palace and straight toward my quarters, dashing down corridors filled with hanging icicles and ice statues of warriors.
“Onyx!” Someone called behind me, but I didn’t turn around. Soon two sets of footsteps caught up to me. To my left was a carrot-red pixie head, to my right was Lily’s ashen face. Lily, like Blair, had attended Nocturnal Academy with me.
“What happened?” Blair asked. “We waited, but no portal opened here.” As one of the people I trusted the most, she’d stayed behind on the off chance that Caleb opened the portal into the Winter Palace, something my generals though
t was unlikely, but I wanted to be prepared for.
I continued to stalk towards my quarters, legs and shoulders heavy.
“Onyx, please talk to us.” Lily put her hand on my arm as her bronze wings fluttered, but I shook her off.
“It didn’t work.” Knowing they wouldn’t leave me alone until I told them, I summarized how the spy had showed up with the news that the king had bound Peony to him with a loyalty oath after she changed Thorsten from his cactus form back into a person.
“At least, we know that she was able to do it,” Blair said as we reached my quarters.
I slammed the door shut behind us. “Yes, it’s possible, and now she won’t be able to do it again because of that damn oath. Thorsten will be tortured because of my stupid idea while I sit here, knowing I can't do anything.”
Blair’s gaze dropped to the ground. As a former fae of Lord Vulthus, a sadistic vampire, she knew first-hand about torture. Chewing on a hangnail, she asked, “What are you thinking of doing?”
I collapsed onto a settee, but then jumped up again to pace, too restless to sit. “Ideally, we’d extract both Peony and Thorsten. But the king will never make that possible, so we’ll have to attack, destroy his court. Hopefully, we can get Thorsten and Peony out. If we can’t find them, we can get someone else King Peter values enough to make a trade later.” Perhaps I should have taken Nathan Bitterbay that night, Virgie be damned.
Lily shook her head. “Onyx, you can’t do that. That would unleash carnage. Do you know how many civilians would die?” I shrugged, but she pressed on. “Onyx, no. That wouldn’t make you any better than King Peter.”
A raw sound escaped my throat. “I’m not trying to be better than him. I just want Thorsten back.”
Lily went still, then in a quiet voice, she said, “Thorsten would not approve of that.”
“She’s right.” Blair ran a hand through her short hair. “Shit. This situation is bad, but you can’t just go on the warpath.”
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