“How did you know this underground tunnel existed?” Nathan asked.
“I learned about it in one of the library books when I was writing a paper as a child,” Caleb explained. “It was built before King Peter’s time to be used in case the royal family needed to escape an invasion. Given the amount of guards the Summer Court possesses and our alarm that is triggered as soon as a Winter fae sets foot into our realm, the tunnel has been forgotten.”
“I see,” Nathan said, and we all fell into tense silence. I sure hoped the king wouldn’t hear about this tunnel from one of his generals. Then again, he didn’t seem like the type who asked for advice. He preferred to rule with an iron fist and without any interference.
Mycelium grew on the dirt floor, slipping me up, and the walls were slick with wetness. Walking in my heels became a nearly impossible task, and I took them off. The dampness and the musty air didn’t bother me. If I had to, I’d gladly sleep in this tunnel for a month, so long as it meant escaping King Peter and his inhumane rule.
“What will happen to Onyx?” Blair asked, breaking the silence.
Sela sighed. “I don’t know. The crown should protect her for a while, but she can’t stay in the wastelands forever. The power that flows into her crown will drain the Winter Court. It will make everything worse in our lands, and eventually, her crown will crumble in the wastelands.”
Caleb whipped his head around and gave Sela a sharp look. “At least Onyx has a crown.”
We all stopped. No one spoke for a loaded second.
“Peony is strong,” I said, finding my voice. “She’ll survive this.” I had no business making such promises, but Caleb needed hope. Falling into a pit of depression wouldn’t help anyone. Even if Peony was dead by now, Caleb had to fight. He was the only one who could inherit the Summer Court. Yes, the idea that my friend might be dead stole all the air from my lungs, and I didn’t even want to imagine how Caleb felt, but we couldn’t be selfish. Peony was one person. We cared deeply about her, but we couldn’t put our grief above the lives of the fae. If the Summer and Winter Court became uninhabitable, all fae would be doomed to a life of slavery in the human realm under the vamps’ cruel thumbs. We had to think about the greater good, no matter how hard it was.
Or maybe I was telling myself this to soothe my conscience, to make it bearable that I had let King Peter throw Peony into the portal.
Caleb was right to be angry.
We had to escape. There was no other choice, Nathan said into my mind, and I squeezed his hand reassuringly, not wanting him to worry about me.
“I hope you’re right, Virgie,” Caleb said finally. The dim light cast huge shadows under his eyes, giving his face the look of a skull.
Would losing Peony break him? He was our hope, but what if grief turned him into his father?
Nathan tightened his grasp on my hand. I hope not, he said into my mind, and I pulled my mental shield back up.
Caleb continued walking, and I shook off my dark thoughts. Expecting the worst of people was no way to go. In fact, I should help Caleb. Hope, there’s hope, I whispered into his mind and the minds of others. We can do this. Everyone’s mental shields were down from exhaustion and shock, allowing me to permeate their minds easily.
Nathan squeezed my hand. “Thank you,” he rasped, and I smiled, even as my temple thumped with a sharp ache. I was just as tired as the others, but I had to give them something.
We trekked through the tunnel for what felt like an hour, moving through the mountain. Nathan continued, helped along by the red bottle of strength potion he had drunk a few minutes into our walk. Hopefully, his vow would be less of an issue, the further we got away from King Peter.
How much damage had the king done since we’d been gone? Had he turned Vasara upside down? What would happen to the Vasara fae? Had the Vasara fae all sworn the loyalty oath, giving up their free will for a life in slavery? I swallowed hard. I couldn’t worry about everything, I reminded myself. I had to take it one step at a time.
Finally, we reached the end of the tunnel, where a flat, stone wall greeted us. A bit of air flowed in, betraying the fact that just beyond this point, the outside waited. Caleb let the light snap out of existence as he pressed his side into the stone. Nathan joined him. The rest of us stood back as there wasn’t any room left to help. They shoved once, twice, thrice, and then the round stone moved to reveal an orange sun illuminating the horizon, casting beams through the forest.
An angel stood before us.
The long, pale hair, the golden wings, and the radiant diadem was brighter than the sun. Nathan rushed forward and enveloped his sister in a hug. “Nerissa!” he choked out, not bothering to hide the tears in his voice. “You’re alive! Thank the faelands, you’re alive!”
When she pulled away, she studied his face. “I’m fine, Nathan. I’m glad you are too.” She gave me a hug, and nodded at Caleb, Sela, and Blair who didn’t step forward. Sela and Blair didn’t know Nerissa well enough so I could see why they didn’t rush to hug her. As for Caleb, I sensed he would’ve loved some time alone, a luxury we couldn’t give him until we figured out what we needed to do next.
Nerissa’s brows knitted as she took in Caleb. “Where’s Peony?” When Caleb didn’t respond, her gaze moved to Nathan and me.
I stepped forward. “When did you leave the party?”
Nerissa’s brows puckered up. “When I was supposed to. Caleb told me that as soon as Onyx arrived, I should come here. He said that after Onyx got Thorsten, we might need an exit strategy, even if King Peter is banished, but especially in case he isn’t.”
I swallowed hard. So, Nerissa had no idea what happened. “Things didn’t go as planned. Peony managed to change Thorsten back into a vampire, and General Alden took him back through the Winter portal, but Onyx…King Peter pushed her into the wastelands portal.”
Nerissa clasped a hand in front of her mouth, her blue eyes widening. “No!”
I nodded. “He made the survivors take a vow of loyalty and sent the students back to Vasara. He’s going to use them for breeding. He knows you, Nathan, and Caleb helped Onyx.” I wrung my sweating hands. “He must at least suspect that I was involved too.”
“And Peony?” Nerissa asked softly.
“He threw her into the wastelands portal after Onyx. She was unconscious,” Caleb bit out. Furious tears gathered in his eyes.
Nerissa stepped forward. “Caleb. I’m so sorry.”
Caleb jerked away and held up his hand. “Do not say you’re sorry. Do not talk about Peony like she’s dead.”
“Of course. I didn’t mean…” Nerissa stopped herself, wisely sensing that no matter what she said right now, it wouldn’t do any good. What Caleb needed was time and a sliver of hope he could grasp onto.
Sela cleared her throat. “We need to open the wastelands and get Onyx back.” She glanced at the five Pegasi standing quietly next to a thin tree, waiting for us. Beyond it stood a dilapidated stable that hadn’t been used in at least decades. “We should get as far away from the Summer Court as possible. It’s not safe to stay this close. King Peter will search for us. Also, I need to return to the Winter Court and update the other generals.”
Nerissa nodded and picked up a large leather bag from the ground. “I brought you some supplies.” She showed us some apples, carrots, and something that looked like a folded, miniature tent. “They’re enchanted. The apples are for you. The carrots are for the Pegasi. Both will regrow after they’re eaten, providing you and your mounts with nutrients and water you need on your journey. The tent will grow to accommodate all of you. Simply take it out and say, ‘Crescere’. When you want it to return to its normal size, say, ‘Contractus’.”
Nathan shook his head. “Why are you talking as if you’re not coming with us?”
Nerissa gave him a sad smile. “Because I’m not.”
Nathan’s silvery gaze became a storm cloud. “Nerissa, the king knows you’re involved. You no longer have any say at the Vasa
ra.”
“But Blythe does.” With that, Nerissa’s hair grew shorter and turned gray. Her golden wings became peach-colored, and her youthful face acquired lines and wrinkles.
“No!” Nathan grasped her shoulder. “You can’t go back there! I won’t let you.”
“I have to. You need an inside spy.”
I gulped. I could see Nerissa’s logic. “Someone has to stay behind, Nathan. I know none of us want Nerissa to do it, but we need her.”
“We do,” Sela said, and Blair nodded.
Nathan shot them a look that could kill.
“I’m not your little sister anymore,” Nerissa said in Blythe’s posh voice. “I am my own person. I’m an adult. I can decide what dangers I’m willing to take.”
Nathan opened his mouth, but Nerissa cut him off. “This is not up for debate. Even if something happens to me, I’d rather know that I at least tried to do something instead of cowering. I won’t be helpful if I go with you, but I will be by staying at the Summer Court and monitoring the situation.”
“Our spy will come by every other day to exchange messages,” Sela said in a reassuring tone, and finally, Nathan nodded. His head hung low as he accepted defeat.
I took his hand. Later, when it was just the two of us, I would kiss away his pain, but for now, I had to focus on the facts. “So, Nerissa will go back as Blythe. We’re going into the borderlands, from which Sela and Blair will continue their journey to the Winter Court.”
Everyone nodded except Blair. She raised a hand as if she was in a classroom, then awkwardly brushed it through her carrot-colored, pixie haircut. “I know you have a tent and those apples, but why don’t you come to the Winter Court with us?”
Nathan shook his head and stepped forward, all business. “Too dangerous. King Peter might attack, and one of your generals might decide to kill the future king.” Everyone’s gaze shot to Caleb.
Sela nodded. “The Winter fae would not be open to guests from the Summer Court when their queen was banished by the Summer fae.”
“Also, as a Summer fae, my chances are higher to open the wastelands portal from here, not the Winter Court,” Caleb added.
Sela raised her chin. “No disrespect, but do you really think you can open the wastelands without the crown?”
Caleb hardened his stare at her. “If anyone can who isn’t king or queen, it’s me. As a bastard son, I’ve been underestimated my whole life. I had to be creative and persistent to get anything I wanted. Every challenge in my life has been building up to this moment.”
Everyone nodded. I wanted to say something, praise Caleb for his positive thinking, but kept my mouth shut, not wanting to appear patronizing.
Nerissa glanced toward the vanishing sun. “You really should get going, and I need to return to the palace. Blythe cannot stay absent for long.”
“Be safe.” Nathan crushed his sister into a tight hug, then kissed her forehead. “I love you, Nerissa.”
She smiled. “I love you too, Nathan, even if you’re the most annoying big brother ever.”
They both chuckled. Sela and Blair got up on their Pegasi.
I hugged Nerissa. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too.” She dropped her voice. “And please, take care of Nathan.”
I nodded. “Will do.”
With Caleb and Nathan on their Pegasi, I was the last one to get onto my mount. I shot a final glance at Nerissa, then pushed my Pegasus into a gallop. Sela was at the front of our group, leading the way. Her Pegasus spread its wings wide and our four Pegasi followed suit. Airborne, we flew toward the borderlands, where we’d hopefully discover the salvation of the faelands.
3
Onyx
I swallowed lungfuls of air, but still felt like I wasn’t getting any oxygen. In the wastelands, I was a fish out of water. How could this magicless, dreary place even be part of the faelands? The iron-laden human world filled with blood thirsty vampires suddenly didn’t seem so bad.
I blinked up at the bleak sky and the hopeless landscape of tiny trees, dried out grass, and countless rocks. Slowly, I rose to my feet. My knees groaned, and my skin was raw from where I’d fallen and torn it, but I didn’t collapse. I had a feeling I could thank the crown on my head that rained icy magic down through my body.
Peony was less lucky. Someone, probably King Peter, had tossed her into the portal after me. She had also landed on some stones and blood trickled from her arm. I crouched next to her and pressed my fingers against her neck. She still had a pulse. Good. Carefully, I lifted her head. There was no blood, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully, our fae healing abilities worked even here.
As much as I wanted to give Peony time to recover before I moved her, I had the bad feeling that staying under the harsh sun burning down on us wouldn’t do us any good. I needed to get an idea of how big the wastelands were and how the hell to get out of here before we went insane or died.
With a grunt, I dragged Peony by her shoulders over the cracked, dusty ground. Even as my crown somehow collected magic from the Winter lands and fed it to me, the magic drained out of my feet. My magic was nothing but a drop of water in this starving desert. The sun beat down on me, heating my silver-and blue gown and my purple hair. I expected the ice spikes on my crown to start melting any second, but they held, and so did the magic. For now, so long as the Winter lands could feed my crown, I seemed to be mostly protected from this realm. I continued, eyeing the ground for any signs of life, any plants that might make Peony more comfortable. Only a few struggling plants dared to peek out of the cracked and dry riverbeds. Everything around me appeared the same. Desert surrounded us.
How I wished I’d studied the geography of the faelands or at least had some idea about plant magic. After about ten minutes of ambling around, a muscle in my arm twitched. I put Peony down and massaged my arm.
“Peony, please wake up.” I shook her. I needed her. Together we could figure something out. Peony remained unconscious. Her eyes stayed shut against the unforgiving sun. Already her skin had turned pink. A budding sunburn. The color had started to leach out of her bright yellow gown. Without a crown to protect her, the wastelands were probably having a much more adverse effect on her.
Shit. I had to get her to shelter.
Peony groaned.
“Peony?” She didn’t respond. I heaved her up into my arms. “It’s going to be all right.” I had to get her out of the hot sun before she died of a heat stroke or dehydration. The way the air warped above the ground told me that the wastelands would kill her if I didn’t get her out of the open.
Carrying Peony, I made my way to some jutting rocks, yet they offered no shelter from the sun. Only tiny shadows teased me.
Peony let out a long breath and stirred. I gritted my teeth against the shaking in my arms. If I didn’t find shelter soon, I’d collapse too. Why had King Peter thrown Peony after me? Why not execute her on the spot? Had he hoped that seeing her die slowly would kill my spirit? Had he wanted to punish Caleb? A quick death after all was better than having a tiny hope of saving the one you loved while knowing they were wilting away. I had experienced this firsthand when King Peter had taken Thorsten from me. Being helpless was the worst feeling in the world. At that thought, ice gathered in my chest, and a pleasant cold washed over my skin.
Peony’s eyes fluttered open as I sent some of the frigid breeze to her. “Onyx?” she rasped.
“We need to get you out of the sun.” I picked up my tempo. Peony had thrown me to the vamps more than once back at Nocturnal Academy and I’d gotten her thrown into the dungeons. But that was the past. A past that seemed to be centuries ago. She had transformed Thorsten back from his plant form into a vampire. Twice. She had risked her life. She had endured punishment for me. I was in her debt. I would not let her die.
“I can walk,” Peony rasped, and I slowly set her feet down on the ground. She put her arm around my shoulder and leaned heavily on me. Her hand was clammy. I let my frigid breeze envel
op her and fluttered open my silver wings, shielding her a bit from the merciless sun.
“Where are we?” she walked much too slowly. At this rate, we wouldn’t find shelter, just exhaust ourselves, especially with the way the ground was sucking the magic out of me with each step I took. Maybe taking to the air might help.
As a new wave of magic flowed into me through my crown, I lifted Peony up and slung her over my shoulder. She grunted but didn’t protest. I flapped my wings, knowing I had to get airborne to see around the jutting rocks. Wind ran between my wings as I rose. The wastelands air was stagnant but thick enough for me to find just the right lift to rise off the ground.
As I rose higher and higher, I was pleased to discover that the draining pull I’d felt on the ground grew smaller. Thank god my generals had taught me how to fly. Peony fell back into complete unconsciousness, turning to dead weight. That slowed me, but rising from the parasitic earth made a bit of hope swell in my chest. If we could find an elevated place, Peony might be fine, and the wastelands might stop feeding on the Winter magic from my lands.
I rose above the jutting rocks, foot by foot, and studied the area for any shelter. The rocks all formed spikes that rose toward the sky, and some of the boulders had unnatural angles and lines as if they had once been parts of stone buildings. Finally, I spotted darkness gaping at me from one of the largest spikes.
A cave.
I flew Peony toward it, soaring fifty feet above the wastelands. My muscles shook with exertion as I held on to her and beat my wings, keeping the air balanced just right between them. It was a delicate task, nowhere near as easy as riding a bike, but at last, I landed at the mouth of the cave. I put Peony down and collapsed to my knees, grunting.
The cave had a few carved, tan bricks at the mouth. Had this cave once been the entrance to an artificial structure? Perhaps, even though I couldn’t imagine anyone living in the wastelands.
Peony was still out, so I summoned more energy and carried her into the cave, which only went in about ten feet. Inside, soothing coolness washed over us. I set her down on the smooth, stone floor. This place seemed to be some kind of ruins that were hundreds, maybe thousands, of years old. I sat against the wall of the cave and closed my eyes, enjoying the reprieve. The magical drain wasn’t as strong here, yet I still felt my cold power leaving me, heading downward.
The Nocturnal and Fae Prison Academy Boxset [A Complete Paranormal and Fantasy Series Boxset] Page 103
