by Alexia Purdy
The raven-haired leader’s smile faded. He stared at Corb, studying the mother of pearl orbs and his frighteningly white skin and hair. The black chunk of hair snaking from under the thick locks caught his attention, making his hazel eyes burn with hatred.
“Arrest him! He’s the Unseelie lieutenant,” The warrior hissed.
“Wait!” Shade shouted over the starting commotion. Stepping forward, she held her arms out and reined in the ice. It reversed its movement as she pulled it back in toward the middle of the camp. After mere seconds, the layer of ice was all but gone. “He’s already restrained. We are bound by blood. He’s harmless.”
“You must be Shade. I’ve heard all about you.” The leader of the horsemen cocked his head toward her, eyeing her up and down. When she didn’t relent, he cracked a smile. “A wild thing chained up can always bite the hand that feeds it.” The gang behind him chuckled, and the horses shifted under them.
“Who are you? Will you let us pass?” Shade stepped forward but was met by one of his warriors who had jumped off his horse and now held his sword pointed, ready to strike her down. With each step she took, he took one closer.
“We’re the Scren foot soldiers, otherwise known as the NicScren Army. We serve the Seelie Court and its queen.” He waited for her reaction before continuing, taking satisfaction in her confusion. “I’m Nyol, leader of the NicScren Guard. This is Paki, my second in command.” He gestured toward the guard watching Shade on the ground. She lifted her eyebrows at him, hoping he’d back off with the introduction. He didn’t. Loyal guard dog is more like it.
“The others are part of my army. We’ve been amassing thousands to guard against Aveta and her unholy minions. They’re destroying the boundaries of Faerie and are probably starting a civil war with the mortal world, if you haven’t noticed.” Again he studied the group, evidently absorbing every detail of each person.
“Shade is the rightful queen,” Dylan said. “You must answer to her. Let us get on our way to the palace and you will see we’re right.” Dylan’s patience was waning, and Shade hoped he wouldn’t lose it in front of so many. They would not be able to hold their ground against this army. They looked well trained and thirsty for blood.
“Very well, we shall see about that. We’ll escort you to the palace so you can ‘prove’ yourself. It’s not far down the shortened path.”
Dylan and the others looked at each other, confusion swimming across their faces. “A shortcut?” Dylan asked. How had they not known about a short cut?
“Yes. Only the royals and the army use it. Follow us, and we’ll get to the bottom of your claim,” Nyol snickered, turning his horse.
Shade had the strongest suspicion that things at the Scren Palace were not what they were expecting them to be. She hoped she was wrong, but now the deep, guttural feeling which often made her want to hurl had returned with a vengeance. That feeling was rarely wrong.
Dylan tilted his head, motioning for them to continue. “Very well, lead the way.”
Nyol nodded, eyeing him carefully, as if dissecting the Teleen guard in hopes of finding a breach in his hardened exterior. Dylan matched his glare, unrelenting. Nyol turned and motioned the rest of them toward the east, which wasn’t the direction of the Scren Palace.
“That’s not the way,” Shade interrupted. Paki was behind her in a moment’s notice, giving her a shove. “Ow! What is your problem?” Paki’s stare seared into her. He seemed more aggressive than the others, and Shade got a brief projection in her mind from him. It was a woman, looking much like Paki, dressed in a long, flowing peach-colored gown. Her skin was golden brown, tanned like it had seen a healthy dose of sunlight. Her long black hair flowed over her shoulders, making her frame seem smaller and more fragile.
Who was she?
A frigid, ice-cold hand grabbed Paki and slammed him to the side. “Don’t ever touch her,” Corb snarled at him.
“It’s alright, I’m fine.” She waved Corb back, throwing a searing glare at Paki and continued forward with the group. Why did she have the feeling that the woman in the brief vision was important not only to Paki, but to Shade, too? All she could hope for was that they would find out just how critical things were very soon. Maybe she could even discover the reason for Paki’s hatred toward her.
“Sometimes the way is not what it seems.” Nyol’s hardened voice echoed back to them, and she looked up toward the brazen leader. He seemed very sure of himself, as if nothing could happen which he hadn’t already predicted. It made her wonder what he thought of them. She hoped there wouldn’t be too much resistance at the palace to her taking the throne back from whatever lesser queen had control over it at the moment. From the looks of it, it wasn’t going to be an easy feat. It might even prove difficult—or darn near impossible—if their feelings toward her were as icy as Paki’s.
They approached a clearing in the middle of the dried-out and sparse forest, and the horsemen gathered at the center of it, patiently waiting for everyone to crowd in closely. Dylan was studying everyone’s movements carefully, making Shade feel increasingly nervous. Claustrophobia crept in as she watched the group press in on her. She shivered as she backed into Corb, who grasped her shoulders, making her spin and almost tumble to the floor. His grip kept her standing, but she could feel his frozen fingers digging into her skin as she found herself staring eye to eye with the Ancient Winter King.
His mother of pearl eyes were not as white and shiny as before. As a matter a fact, they were the lightest color of blue she’d ever seen. He looked, dare she say it, more human with his irises that way. She gasped at the change, unable to take her eyes from his.
“What’s the matter, Princess?” He cocked his head to the side as he took in her reaction.
“Your eyes. They’re… changing. What happened to them?” She swallowed her fear away and waited as Corb dropped his hands from her shoulders and reached up to touch his eyelids. The silver bracelet gripped into the angry flesh of his wrist and looked even more deeply embedded than before. She had a strong suspicion the cuff was laced with iron to weaken him further. Even if it wasn’t, she couldn’t imagine the searing pain it must cause him and wondered if it would ever come off. If it did, she imagined he’d be scarred forever. Or maybe he didn’t scar. Maybe it would heal quickly the moment it was removed.
The sight of the cuff made her shift, uncomfortable with the thought that it had everything to do with her.
He blinked his human, light blue eyes at her, mystified by her discovery. “I’m not sure, Shade. I can’t say this has ever happened to me before. It must be my connection to you. Maybe in time….” He paused, his eyebrows furrowing as the thought passed his lips. “Maybe I’ll become fully human.”
They both glanced back toward Nyol as his voice echoed across the clearing. “This is the portal. It will take us straight to the entrance of the Scren Palace. Stay close together.” With that, he brought out a staff he’d carried with him and slammed it into the ground. The ground shook with a violent wave, making Shade and everyone else shift to keep their balance. She hoped it wouldn’t be like Camulus’s violent jaunts that made her want to hurl every time he’d taken them on a trip.
Not a moment later, the earth was still and the group began descending out of the clearing onto a cobblestone road which led directly up to the gates of a sprawling palace. Nyol approached the gate with a fluidity that made everyone move out of his way without even a word. He produced a small flute and played a short, melodic tune. The gates creaked open, wide enough for them to filter through, and shut immediately after the last warrior stepped through. Shade found it fascinating. It was similar to the Glass Castle’s gate, but different. There was not just one gate; the next one was an unseen barrier which, if Dylan and Shade hadn’t been behind Nyol’s people, they would have run right into.
Nyol drew a pattern in the air with his finger. He paused at times and jerked his hand in opposite direction, too. Once he was finished, Shade felt the breeze shift, as
if a vacuum had been opened, and the troops began to march through. The place was protected by magical locks. How anyone ever planned to get through the gates without a royal guard was beyond her. It could easily be a very confining trap, too. Escape would surely be nearly impossible.
“Nyol, who’s the current ruler of the Scren Palace?” Dylan inquired. Shade couldn’t believe she hadn’t asked this before. Even so, something told her she already knew. Someone must’ve mentioned it to her before, but she couldn’t remember who had, no matter how much she tried. The memory spell Corb had used on her must’ve affected some of her long term memory. At least, it was a possibility.
“Queen Ariana. She’s not as powerful as King Verenis was, but she has her own tricks up her sleeve.” Nyol threw a cautionary glance toward Shade, making her feel that this queen had a lot more than just “tricks.” “I hope you are who you say you are. She will submit to Verenis’s daughter, but she might make you prove it first.”
They’d arrived at the inner castle entrance and entered into a large entry hall. Shade studied the intricate stone decorations throughout, falling in love with its ornate designs immediately. It felt oddly familiar, like it recognized her, making its magic sing and caress along her skin with a warm breath. It made the hairs stand on end and had her smiling, even though they were being stripped of their belongings and weapons by the NicScren soldiers.
Whispers fluttered in her ears, like the voices of ghosts.
“It’s her.”
“She’s returned.”
“Rightful ruler.”
Shade spun around, attempting to find the source of the whispers, but found none. “Did you hear that?” she asked Dylan.
Dylan looked up, just having handed his swords to Nyol. “Hear what, Shade?”
Noticing that no one else heard them, Shade shook her head, sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing. I just thought I heard someone whispering.”
“These halls hold the memories of centuries of rulers and their magic. It’s not uncommon to hear the voices of the past. At least, it’s not for the rulers of the castle.” He squinted his eyes at her, observing her a little more closely. “So… daughter of Verenis. I would’ve loved to have met him. He’s legend in the Southern Realm. He was great ruler.”
She hoped he’d been great enough to allow her to easily regain the throne from Ariana. From the dread growing in her stomach, something told her that it wasn’t going to be easy at all.
Chapter Twenty-Two
ARIANA WAS A good queen. Or so she wanted them to believe. She watched them, carefully taking them in, one by one, like one would watch their doom entering the room. Shade was sure she would not be welcoming. She didn’t know exactly why, but the air was thick with tension as they entered the throne room. Shade could feel it like electricity crawling along her skin and choking up her breaths. Why would this interim queen object to her presence unless she had no plans to give back control of the Scren Seelie Palace? Could that be it?
It was looking pretty bleak. Nyol’s demeanor had even changed as they entered, looking more like a prison warden escorting his charges in to present them to his queen. The guards surrounded them on every side. It made Shade sweat under her jacket. The heat here seemed to be a thousand degrees hotter than outside the gates, where winter seemed to want to seep into everything. Here the warmth was stifling, and she could have used a nice cool breeze.
“My Queen, I present Shade, a changeling princess and daughter of Verenis, the deceased ruler of the Scren Palace.” He motioned toward Shade and she stepped forward. Urged on toward the queen, she approached the dais, hoping she wouldn’t regret it. Her insides churned as she got closer, feeling Ariana’s aggression which was plain as day across her face. Her disgust at meeting Shade was no secret.
“You dare come here and attempt to take the throne from me? Imposter.” She waved her hand at Shade, as if dismissing her as she slumped back into her throne chair. “I will not have this nonsense in my kingdom. Lock them up, lose the key.” Her features morphed into boredom, a mask of insanity already replacing her anger.
Great, an insane Seelie queen. Fine replacement for my father, thought Shade.
“Wait. I demand an audience!” Shade held her hands out toward the guards, who only stopped when she hit them with a blast of air. They paused, glancing at Ariana for further instructions. “I challenge you for control of the Scren Court, for I’m the rightful heir, daughter of Verenis and Jade. You know this, and yet you deny me.”
Shade didn’t know where this confidence sprung from, but she could feel her grandmother’s memory charm magic swirling inside her. She had every memory of the court’s functions in her grasp. She could challenge Ariana to the death if she wanted to, since she was the rightful heir of the former king. It made her smile, secretly thanking her grandmother Lana for the sweet knowledge of such things.
Ariana looked horrified. Maybe she hadn’t expected a challenge. She’d have to respond now and accept or submit to a public demand like that. Her skin flared bright red, and the anger in her eyes was not short of intense. “How dare you?” she hissed, shooting up from her throne and jetting down toward Shade with a dagger she’d hidden in her hand.
Shade had seen it, though, as if the queen moved in slow motion. The jeweled dagger flashed in her vision, and she flicked her fingers, willing the metal to melt in the queen’s hand. Just as she made the motion, a screech filled the room as Ariana fell to her knees, screaming from the pain of burning metal in her hand. She had dropped the melting dagger, but her skin was already charred. Wisps of smoke rose in the air from the puddle of metal and jewels now melting on the marble floor. Shade watched as the queen whimpered, clutching her arm to her chest.
“Kill her!” Ariana snarled, searing her deep, amber eyes at Shade. But the guards didn’t move at her command. They couldn’t interrupt the dual; it would mean banishment from Faerie forever. Shade smiled with this realization, stepping forward and holding out her hand for Ariana to submit.
“Do you submit your rule to me, the rightful heir of the Scren Palace?” Shade had just reached her when Ariana sent a scorching wind toward her. Shade felt it sear her skin but repelled it just before it got too hot, sending it back toward the queen. It singed the edges of her hair, making Ariana yelp again before she withdrew the wind. She collapsed, weeping as she stared up toward the ceiling. Her face lightly reddened from the heat, and her skin blistered and blackening on her right hand. The pain was etched across her features.
“I submit,” she muttered, closing her eyes and fading into unconsciousness. With that, Shade turned to face Dylan, smiling widely and running into his arms.
“We did it!”
“No, you did it.” He pulled her close, but stepped away as he watched the soldiers gather tightly around them.
The look on their faces ranged from stunned to angry. Paki was at Ariana’s side, and the resemblance was unmistakable now. He must be her son, Shade pondered as her gaze followed his hateful glare to find Nyol. His decision to either control his guards or order them to attack would be crucial, and she hoped it would go their way.
The silence was broken only by the metallic clink of weapons as the guards shifted in their places, unsure of what to do as their leader took in the situation. His calm eyes looked wise beyond anyone else’s, making Shade hope that his wisdom would choose the right direction.
“Stand down,” Nyol ordered his troops. Weapons lowered at his command, but no one backed away from them. Shade pressed her back against Dylan, praying this wouldn’t be the last time she would get to stand by him. She could feel his heart beating frantically along with hers as they awaited their fate.
“Behold, Queen Shade. May your rule be forever blessed.” Nyol kneeled down on one knee and bowed his head, both arms crossed at his chest. With that, a wave of soldiers kneeling rippled down the room, everyone following his lead. Shade turned toward Dylan, and joy burned in her eyes as well as tears. He smiled back at h
er, stepping back and kneeling down as the others had. Everyone was now kneeling, all but Corb—who’s intense stare made Shade’s fear ripple once more under her skin—and Paki, who was still at the side of Ariana’s unconscious body.
Shade was more afraid of Paki than Corb, but both sent shivers down her spine. She watched as Paki sized her up, finally bowing his head as he headed toward the back of the room next to Corb. He eyed the Ancient Ice King before he slammed his foot into the backs of Corb’s legs, sending him down to kneel on his knees as Paki shoved him down. After this, he also took a kneeling position, holding his sword to Corb’s neck as he bowed his head toward Shade.
The exhilaration was intoxicating and Shade relished it. She could hear her grandmother singing in her head and almost feel her warm presence next to her. The scorching heat was unbearable. Even though she knew it was the Summer Palace, Lana’s voice in her head told her she’d never had it this hot. It was Ariana’s doing, and Shade could unravel the spell if she wished. The people hated it, and they would adore her for fixing the weather. Shade grinned, knowing Lana was right.
Thank you, she whispered in her head to her grandmother. No one knew her better now and knowing her essence would be forever with her made her smile. She knew it would keep her safe and always be there for her, no matter what happened in the future.
“Please rise,” she said to Nyol, who glanced up at her and rose to his feet. “Thank you, Nyol. I am indebted to you for your loyalty to the court.”
He nodded, bowing to her. “I knew you were the rightful ruler from the moment I saw you. You would’ve made Verenis proud. I’m most privileged to have been here for your return. I swear the royal guard will be absolutely loyal and at your service with whatever you need.” He rose and gave her a comforting grin. Turning toward Ariana, who was rousing from her shock-induced sleep, he asked, “What would you like me to do with the former queen?”
Shade hadn’t even let that cross her mind. Flicking her eyes toward Ariana, she contemplated what to do, hoping Lana had an answer for her.
