The Gatekeeper's Trials: The Complete Trilogy

by Emma L. Adams

“Hazel.” In two steps, he was at my side. “I thought she took you to the Vale.”

  “She tried,” I said. “I killed the memory-eater, but the Seelie Queen got away. We have to come back here tomorrow. The second trial is first thing in the morning.”

  A dark look passed over his face. “Do the other Sidhe know…?”

  “We’re contenders? Not yet. But they will.”

  And then? The next monarch had the power to exile both of us from Faerie for life, but exile was the least of my fears at the moment. While the Seelie Queen might fear the backlash of killing the Gatekeeper, she had no such compunctions about taking Darrow’s life.

  His fingers brushed my bleeding arm. “Hazel, you’re hurt.”

  “I’ll be fine.” The grove would take care of my injuries. “Tell you what, you should stay here and help the other half-faeries. Coral’s one of the best at brewing up healing potions and she’s still not back.”

  Worry gnawed at me, but I had no way to follow Coral into the depths of the Sea Kingdom without the assistance of her magic and it wouldn’t be the first time she faced a challenge to her throne. At the very least, I knew the Seelie Queen wouldn’t have gone there in person, not when she’d been attacking the Summer Court at the same time.

  Darrow, though? He’d never been friendly with the other half-bloods, holding himself at a deliberate distance from them the way he did with everyone else. It warmed me inside to see him casually helping them out. If he intended to stay in Half-Blood Territory when he officially left the Aes Sidhe, he could do worse than let them get to know the real him, beneath the cool exterior he presented to the world.

  “I will do my best to help,” he said, “but brewing healing potions isn’t my strong point.”

  “I’d never have guessed.” I grinned at him. “I should go. My brother decided to bring his human boyfriend into Faerie, so he’s going to get a serious talking-to from me, my sister, and our mother. You might even be able to hear my mum shouting at him from Faerie.”

  A smile flickered across his lips. “I’m glad you’re safe. Get some rest tonight and we’ll figure out a game plan in the morning.”

  A plan to survive the trials without getting killed by the enemy or the Sidhe. Not to mention his own Court. “Sure. We will.”

  He leaned closer and brushed his mouth over mine—so quickly, I might have imagined it—before he was gone.

  “Hazel.” Ilsa waved at me. “We’re heading out.”

  “Sure.” I stepped away from the spot where Darrow had stood, my skin tingling where he’d touched me. Since when did he kiss me in public, without elf wine or faerie magic being involved? Not that I was complaining, but I found myself regretting not asking him to come home with me and help me forget the chill of the wraiths’ touch.

  That regret evaporated at the sight of Mum waiting by the gates to the Lynn house, twin iron knives in her hand and a murderous expression on her face.

  Here we go.

  Half an hour later, Ilsa and I sat in the living room of the Lynn house, having updated Mum on the latest turn of events. While a couple of days had passed in the mortal realm as the trial had been in progress, the Sidhe had sent Mum and the others a personal invitation to the party—and since Lloyd had been visiting at the time, Morgan had decided to bring him along. Lucky for him, Mum was more worried about my unexpected status as a contender in the trials, so he’d escaped to fetch a healing spell for his and Lloyd’s injuries.

  “You’re a contender for the Erlking’s throne,” said Mum. “Do the Sidhe—”

  “Nope,” I said. “Except Lady Aiten. And one of them already tried to kill me for the talisman, so you can bet we’ll face no end of shit in the next trial.”

  “Darrow’s not even from Summer,” Ilsa said. “I don’t see the Sidhe letting it slide.”

  “At least Darrow has his glamour.” Ilsa had seen us kiss and doubtless wanted to hear my thoughts on his unexpected arrival, but I wanted nothing more than to sleep. “Also, for all we know, the Erlking’s spell will kick in during the next trial and disqualify us for not being Sidhe. Problem solved.”

  “That’s not how it works, usually,” said Mum. “There is no spell that can reliably tell if someone is Sidhe or not. We’re not talking about a human-controlled spell, but one that works on autopilot. If humans can be chosen by talismans, they can be picked as monarchs, too.”

  “Because the Sidhe assumed we’d never be in with a shot, so they didn’t bother specifying when they set up the spell?” I surmised. “Lady Aiten wants us to catch the Seelie Queen’s spy and stop them from opening more doorways to the Vale. That’s all. She’d rather eat the crown than bow to a human.”

  “What happened to the memory-eater?” asked Ilsa. “Nasty creature, she is. I can see why Darrow stabbed her.”

  “My talisman ate her alive,” I said. “She tried to use the favour I owed her to make me serve the Seelie Queen.”

  “She used her own vow to bind you to another person?” Ilsa raised an eyebrow.

  “The Seelie Queen brought her back from Death,” I explained. “I hope this time she stays dead.”

  But she’d already told the Seelie Queen all my weaknesses, wants and curiosities. Not only hers, but everyone else’s, too.

  “No Sidhe can raise the dead,” said Mum. “Not even her.”

  “Well, whatever she did, it convinced her to take the Seelie Queen’s side.” I leaned back against the cushions. “I’m guessing it’s at least partly because she knows what’s coming and she decided to throw in her lot with the person she thinks stands a best chance of winning.”

  “Etaina can turn the entire Court into her willing servants,” said Ilsa. “The Seelie Queen has what, aside from her unlimited healing powers? The wraiths?”

  “How’s she doing it?” I asked. “Making them do her bidding? I thought wraiths were just… energy.”

  “Maybe they sense her healing powers,” said Ilsa. “Never mind them. There’s only two trials left, so you just need to stop her from wrecking everything until then.”

  “Somewhat tricky when I’m a contender.” I ran a hand through my tangled hair. My wounds might have sealed up, but even the grove’s magic couldn’t dispel my bone-deep exhaustion.

  “You what?” Morgan walked into the living room again, followed by a wary-looking Lloyd.

  “Darrow and I accidentally put ourselves in line for throne when we went in the maze to get rid of the wraith,” I told him. “Needless to say, the Sidhe would rather a piskie took the throne than a human, so shit is going down tomorrow.”

  Lloyd blinked. “I only understood the last part.”

  I turned to my brother. “When did you come into the palace, anyway? Did you skip the trial and just show up for the party?”

  “Ilsa did the same,” Morgan said. “And she brought her boyfriend with her.”

  “River’s half-faerie and has been working with the Court for years,” Ilsa said. “It might have escaped your attention, but an event like the trials is a prime target for threats even without the Seelie Queen on the loose and determined to make sure nobody but herself sits on the Erlking’s throne. It is not a suitable setting for a date. In fact, Faerie in general isn’t, which I thought you knew by now.”

  “Are you done?” said Morgan.

  “No, I’m not done,” said Ilsa. “Do not, for the love of hellhounds, tell the entire necromancer guild that Hazel is a contender for the Erlking’s throne.”

  “Please don’t,” I added. “One of the Sidhe already tried to murder me over the talisman when I was in the maze and they didn’t even know I was a possible contender then.”

  “Holy shit, you’re serious,” said Morgan. “You could be chosen to sit on the Erlking’s throne?”

  “No, I bloody well won’t be,” I said. “It was a mistake, and the only reason the Sidhe are letting me go ahead with it is because they need someone inside the trials to watch out for foul play. Don’t go getting any ideas.”

&
nbsp; “What, about going after a throne myself?” He grinned. “Hey, if even you can do it, anyone can.”

  “Hilarious,” I said. “Even I could do a better job than certain Sidhe, but that’s because the bar is so low it’s practically below the earth.”

  “Nobody is sitting on a throne,” Mum said, in ringing tones.

  Morgan caught Mum’s eye, saw her stony expression, and got hastily to his feet. “I’m going back to Edinburgh. Coming, Lloyd?”

  “Sure.” Lloyd looked quite relieved to leave the Lynn house behind. “Uh, sorry if I caused you any trouble.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” said Ilsa, with a pointed look at Morgan.

  Our older brother shrugged. “It’s a rite of passage for anyone who wants to get seriously involved with our family, right? Same with meeting the house.”

  Lloyd startled when the hall lights came on automatically and the door swung open to let him and Morgan leave. Mum rarely asserted her dominance over the house’s magic these days, but it couldn’t be more obvious she was kicking the pair of them out.

  “It could be worse,” Morgan added, unable to take a hint. “Ilsa’s first boyfriend got turned into a tree when he set foot in here and Mum wasn’t around. The house decided he was a threat and refused to turn him back.”

  “Get out,” Ilsa said, her eyes narrowing. “Also, who told you that? You weren’t even here.”

  This time, I was the one on the receiving end of her scowl. Morgan retreated, laughing, while I gave Ilsa a sheepish look. “Look, you can hardly expect me not to mention the tree incident. It was one of the highlights of our teenage years.”

  Lloyd and Morgan closed the door behind them, and Ilsa released a sigh. “Next you’ll be telling everyone in Faerie.”

  “I’m not that mean,” I said. “What’s the betting Morgan’s going to avoid the house until he thinks we’ve forgotten?”

  “As good as the chances he won’t try it again,” said Ilsa. “I had a bet with River that he’d make it six months without bringing Lloyd to a faerie gathering.”

  “I bet three,” I said. “Anyway, the Seelie Queen didn’t follow me back. I hoped she’d get caught in the talisman’s shadows like the memory-eater, but she must have closed the doorway and stayed in her creepy new palace.”

  “So that’s how you got out,” she said. “The memory-eater, though? Why would she support the Seelie Queen?”

  “Who the hell knows.” I sighed. “My only consolation is that the memory-eater told her I’m too unpredictable to figure out.”

  “No kidding,” said Ilsa. “She got that part right. At least you dealt with her before she shared any more secrets.”

  “Bit late now the Seelie Queen knows everything.” I glanced down at my talisman. “I’ll be honest, I still don’t know how to kill her. She’s gonna be a massive thorn in the side of the next monarch, that’s for sure.”

  Ilsa nodded. “Those wraiths she sent… they were aimed at the other Sidhe, weren’t they?”

  “Exactly,” I said. “I have to act as their bodyguard even after they find out I might steal their position on the throne. Better hope they don’t kill me first, huh?”

  7

  I waited in the entrance hall to the palace the next day, feeling antsy beyond measure. After a decent night’s rest, I’d recharged from yesterday and spent a while lounging on the sofa before I’d been called into the Court for the second day of the trials. Judging by the position of the sun, either the Sidhe had slowed time down to be closer to the mortal realm for the duration of the trials, or they’d decided to keep a permanent dawn setting. With the Sidhe, it was anyone’s guess.

  Whatever the case, Darrow wasn’t around yet and neither was Lady Aiten. Several Sidhe stood in groups, a mixture of contenders and spectators, but none of them looked twice at me. They didn’t know I was a fellow contender yet. This is not going to end well.

  “Hey, Hazel.” A half-faerie with olive skin and dark hair approached me. Willow, Lady Aiten’s daughter. “Sorry to interrupt you, but I wondered if you’d seen Coral.”

  “She’s not back?” I said. “I don’t know if she told you—she was called to deal with an urgent situation in the Sea Kingdom.”

  “I know.” She chewed on her lower lip. “My mother told me in no uncertain terms that I’m not to see her again, but I wanted to make sure she was okay.”

  “That’s not cool,” I said. “Your mother can’t tell you who to spend time with.”

  “It’s Lady Aiten’s prerogative to decide whether I’m allowed to stay in the Summer Court or not,” she said. “I have to win her favour or leave. I always wondered why, but since Coral told me my mother used to work for the Erlking, it makes more sense now. Thanks to all those Sidhe who turned traitor, she’s paranoid about being accused of doing the same.”

  “Then I’ll talk to her,” I said. “She already hates me but can’t get rid of me, it’s not like I can fall any lower in her estimation.”

  On cue, Lady Aiten walked out of the tapestried room and into the hall. “Contenders, come with me,” she said. “Gatekeeper, that includes you.”

  I can hardly wait. Question was, where was Darrow? He wasn’t with the other contenders, and the guy was usually early for everything.

  Had that kiss yesterday been goodbye, and he’d left me to face the wrath of the Sidhe alone?

  No, that couldn’t be right. He’d have got tied up somewhere, that was all. Besides, if this was what I thought it was, the Sidhe would be coming after me with pikes in approximately one minute’s time.

  One of the Sidhe—the female with the scale-patterned armour I’d seen the day before—cast a disdainful look in my direction. “Did you mean to include the Gatekeeper among us?”

  Make that ten seconds.

  “Yes,” said Lady Aiten. “It seems Hazel’s actions in entering the maze yesterday caused her to be marked as a contender.”

  Thanks a bunch. She just had to make it sound as though I’d chosen to enter the maze with zero input from her. To no surprise, the assembled Sidhe turned on me, their expressions ranging from disbelieving to outright hostile.

  “A human?” said a male Sidhe with pale, almost translucent skin and bark-green hair topped with a spiked helmet. “This is a mistake.”

  “A mistake that will be rectified,” added Lady Aiten. “However, until we find a way to remove Hazel from the running, she will take part in the trials.”

  “I’m here to keep an eye out for sabotage, not compete,” I corrected. “If the Seelie Queen sends another swarm of death fae to interrupt the trials, I’ll handle them.”

  The helmeted Sidhe drew a long, curved blade. “No human should be allowed to participate in our trials. She has not earned that honour.”

  “She has.” The Erlking’s sprite flew into view, hovering in front of the assembled Sidhe. “She has been chosen by the spell cast by the Erlking himself and is bound to take part in the trials.”

  A furious murmur went through the Sidhe, prompting a spark of magic to run through the room like an electric current.

  Why me? “I’m not trying to steal your glory. I don’t want a throne.”

  “You came into the maze yesterday,” said a female Sidhe with bark-like skin and eyes with cat-like pupils. “Why would you do so unless you wanted to claim our glory for yourself?”

  “To kill the wraith who was trying to interrupt the test,” I said, thoroughly exasperated. “The Seelie Queen is the one trying to sabotage the trials to ensure nobody else ends up on the throne of Summer. I nearly captured her yesterday, and I’ve every intention of succeeding next time. You can ignore one measly human, can’t you?”

  “Enough,” snapped Lady Aiten, as several voices rose in protest. “I will speak with the Gatekeeper alone.”

  She left the Sidhe grumbling among themselves and walked with me to an alcove in the corner of the room. “You didn’t tell me you came close to capturing the Seelie Queen yesterday. Why did you not finish her off?”


  “I tried to trick her into getting herself caught in my talisman’s magic, but she didn’t fall for it,” I said. “The memory-eater did, but the Seelie Queen ran away into the Vale.”

  “This must end,” she said, in harsh tones. “She should not be allowed to disrupt our trials any further. Last night’s events have left many of the contenders demoralised, and rumours are beginning to spread among the other Sidhe that none of the contenders is fit to rule the Court.”

  Figures. “When a winner is declared, they’ll have to accept them. They must know the damage not having a leader is causing to Summer’s territory.”

  Her expression shadowed. “The rot has only affected the outskirts of our territory. It has yet to penetrate the Court’s centre.”

  “You didn’t tell them.” I glanced over at the Sidhe, with their sculpted armour and gleaming weapons. “I realise this is hypocritical of me to say, considering, but if you deny them the truth, you can’t blame them when they draw their own conclusions.”

  “The Erlking himself tasked me with overseeing the trials,” she said. “I will not fail.”

  I thought it was something like that. The Sidhe might not believe in ghosts, but the shadow of the Erlking hung over everyone, including the next monarch. Lady Aiten might not have worked with him for long, but being tasked with running the trials was the highest honour and the weight of that expectation sat heavily on her shoulders.

  “Look,” I said. “I understand you’re under a lot of pressure, believe me. But you can’t sweep this under the rug. Odds are, the Seelie Queen’s challenge won’t end with the ascension of the next monarch. This isn’t just about glory, or even about taking the Erlking’s place. Whoever takes the throne will need a decisive plan to deal with her, and if she is captured, hand out the appropriate punishment.”

  “I will not take orders from a human,” she said. “Can you imagine what the Sidhe would say if I tell them the Erlking’s spell came with a loophole which allowed the likes of you to participate in the trials?”

  “You could just tell them I’m a spy.” I folded my arms. “You can’t stand being out of control, can you? Is that why you’re threatening to disown your daughter purely because she’s chosen to spend time with someone from another Court?”