by Gow, Kailin
“Wait,” whispered Shasta, stopping us behind one of the towers. “Something's happening...” She landed on the roof of one of the towers, and Rodney and I came to a stop shortly behind her. She pointed at the town center. There, in the main square, a group of people had gathered. Instinctively, my muscles tensed up. I'd already seen what a mob could do back near the Summer Court; I didn't want to get caught up in another riot. But I could hear no shouting, no screams. It seemed that the villagers were no longer rioting. In fact, they all stood still, stone-still.
“They're...kneeling,” said Shasta, squinting to see better. With a howl, Logan signalled to us that he was going to get closer, to try to figure out what was going on. He, at least, could go easily in disguise – skulking around the village like a particularly large stray dog.
“At least there isn't an effigy of me that they're burning,” I said bitterly. “That's a small improvement over the last village.”
We caught sight of Logan heading back towards us, and Rodney quickly flew to the ground, picking up Logan and bringing him with us to the top of the tower. Logan morphed into his human form, coughing and spluttering.
“Something's very, very strange,” he said. “That thing in the town center – it's not a riot. It's...a coronation.”
“A coronation?” Shasta looked aghast. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“They're crowning a new Queen,” said Logan, with a gulp. “A new Queen of all Feyland. This woman....” he shuddered. “This beautiful woman with these eyes that just bore straight through me. She wasn't a Fey. She was something else.” He gasped, still shaking. “She was one of the most gorgeous creatures I'd ever seen. And when she fixed her eyes on me, it was like...she could make me do anything. For a second, I felt like I'd give up our whole mission, our whole plan, my responsibilities, everything, just to make her happy. And then she turned to another Fairy, and suddenly...the feeling vanished. It was scary, I tell you! It was like – imagine not having any control over your desires, your wants, your own mind.”
“Well, if Kian did act like a complete idiot and let her into Feyland,” said Shasta, “I guess I can understand why.”
“Glad to hear you're sympathetic,” I muttered. Evidently, Shasta was allowed to mock her own brother, even if I wasn't.
“I heard her name when they crowned her Queen,” said Logan. “They were all calling her name, saying All hail Queen Gail Vines. All hail Queen Gail Vines.”
“Gail Vines?” Shasta pursed her lips. “Are you sure that's what her name was?” She sighed. “That really...really doesn't sound good?”
Rodney put a hand on her shoulder. “What do you mean?” He furrowed his brow with worry. “Who's Gail Vines? Are we meant to know who that is?”
“I know who that is,” said Shasta. “I've heard my mother talk about her.”
“The White Witch?”
“No,” said Shasta. “Not at all. Back when the White Witch was banished from Feyland, many years ago, others were vanished with her. All her supporters. And her retinue of servants. Among them not merely witches of the coven, but also once-ordinary fairies who had chosen to support the White Witch. And of those, it is written in the annals of the history of Feyland, there was one maidservant that was more suspicious than the rest, one whom my mother made a special note never to allow into Feyland again. Many of the servants who supported the White Witch were given only temporary banishments – it was only the White Witch who was permanently exiled, along with her coven. But not Gail Vines. The chief scullery maid in the palace, she was found guilty – or so my mother wrote – of terrible crimes, of witchcraft that bordered on the truly dire, witchcraft that rivalled the power of the White Witch herself!”
“Then you think...” Rodney tried to follow Shasta's argument. “Is Gail Vines the new White Witch?”
“I wouldn't be surprised,” said Shasta. “But if she is – then that means the White Witch is even fiercer when we thought. Anyone powerful enough to murder the old White Witch and get back into Feyland – enchanting my brother into losing his mind – isn't someone we take lightly.”
“But if Kian had the power to bring her into Feyland,” I pressed Shasta further. “Then wouldn't he have the power to take her away again? Couldn't he banish her once more?”
“Getting her out of Feyland is going to be difficult,” said Shasta. “Very difficult.” She pointed at the village below us. “I mean, look at what's happened to Radnor’s Peak. I remember how this was years ago. This was a lovely village, a pleasant place, full of peace and harmony. A place where villagers worked the land side by side, helping their neighbours, supporting one another. And now, look! You can see here that the houses have been burned down, or at least some of them have; others have been looted. The market that used to stand in this square is gone completely, vanished into nothingness. And all because of this one woman, this one Gail Vines, and her ability to convince people of anything...anything at all.”
“So we have to convince the people otherwise,” said Logan. “We have to show them the truth.”
“But how?” I pleaded. “Are we supposed to hex them back? Is that what being a ruler is about – having stronger magic in order to convince the people that you're the one who should rule? If we enchant the villagers into supporting us, doesn't that make us just as bad as Gail Vines herself?”
The others fell silent at this. “That's a fair point,” said Shasta. “We can't just go about putting spells on people just because they don't agree with us, or don't want Breena to rule. For starters, we wouldn't be able to tell who was affected by the Shadow Puppets, and who just doesn't support Breena's rule...” She smiled darkly. “I'm sure there are some fairies out there who don't.”
“I'm not arguing with you,” I said.
“It's a dangerous precedent,” Rodney agreed. “If we start enchanting people's minds, then there's no difference between us and the Gail Vines of this world. We can't use magic – not that it would even work here if we wanted it too. Fey magic is weak against the magic of those like Gail Vines. There's no guarantee our magic wouldn't backfire on us.”
“We'll have to do things the old-fashioned way,” said Logan. “Convincing people that Breena's the rightful Queen. And getting our teeth and claws into that no-good witch Gail Vines.” His fangs took on a decidedly lupine sheen as he spoke. “After what she's done to Breena, not to mention to the whole of Feyland, she needs to pay for what she's done.”
“But we've got to find Kian first,” I said. “If he is here – but I'm guessing that he might be...”
“He's here.” Shasta looked determined. “I can sense it.”
“You can sense it?” I was taken aback. I'd assumed that the psychic bonds linking Kian to those he cared about had all been broken together. It had never occurred to me before that Shasta would be able to reach Kian, even if I could not. Fear started up in my heart again. Why couldn't Kian and I communicate the way we always did? Why hadn't our love led me to him?
“Is he saying anything to you?” I tried to sound calm as I turned with a questioning gaze to Shasta. “Is he giving anything away about his location?”
“He's not speaking to me outright,” Shasta said. “But I can sense his presence.” A few intermittent blue sparks were shining at her fingertips. “He's in one of these towers.” She scanned the horizon. “But which one....?” She swallowed as she gazed towards the tallest, most powerful-looking turret of them all. “I have a lucky guess,” she said, with a grim expression on her face.
“How do we get in?” Logan turned to Shasta. “Any great ideas?”
“We don't want to fly,” I said. “It would attract too much attention, us flying over Radnor’s Peak.”
A howl gave us our answer. The Wolves had appeared on the horizon – a close-knit pack that Logan seemed to recognize. He gave a second howl, and the Wolves gathered around the base of the tower.
“There,” said Logan. “I and the other Wolves can try to break in. We'
ll just look like a pack of stray dogs – nothing to attract attention. I'll beg for food from one of the guards, and when their backs are turned...” he smiled. “We'll get Kian out of there and head straight back here.”
“I'm coming with you!” I took a step forward. “He's my fiancé, after all. Or at least, he was. I have to be part of this rescue mission.”
“No,” Shasta took a decisive step towards me. “It's too dangerous,” she said. “You need to stay well out of sight. The Wolves are used to fighting without magic. As much as I hate to admit it, they're better equipped than we are this time around. And Kian would never forgive me if I let you get into any trouble on his behalf.” She gave me a small, slow smile. A subtle sign of forgiveness. Very subtle, I thought to myself.
“Right,” said Logan, bowing low before me. I could see it in his eyes – how he longed to touch me, to hold me, to embrace me as he always did before going off to certain danger. But he held himself back, and I too bit back the urge to hug him goodbye, allowing him to bid me farewell in the more formal manner of a courtly knight. “Keep a lookout,” he said. “If anything happens, Breena, you fly in and get Kian out of there.”
And with that he was off, heading with his pack of Wolves towards the tower where Kian was being held.
I watched the pack skulk around the edges of the tower. One of them, a Wolf I knew was called Gideon, started begging for food, whining in a high-pitched, nasal voice, putting up his paws.
“Shoo!” The guard looked annoyed, rather than suspicious – at least from this distance. My heart began to race. The plan was working. Gideon whined a bit louder, rolling on his back like a mortal puppy.
“I think it's working,” Shasta whispered, squinting to see better. “He's rolling his eyes – he's going in to see if there's any meat, any food, he's unlocking the gate...yes!”
The gate was open. The Wolves had gone in.
Chapter 18
Shasta clenched my hand as she watched the battle unfold. The temptation to fly out with Logan, to participate in the melee, was overwhelming. The idea that Kian could really be there, be so close to me, drove me wild with anticipation and desire – as well as fear. Why had he cut off our telepathic connection? Why wasn't he answering me? I flushed with fear as I leaned against the railing of the tower, trying to spy what was going on. The Wolves had entered the tower; there were at least thirty of them, breaking into the prison as we spoke, seizing him...if he was even there at all...
“Look!” Shasta's face was transformed with joy. “Look, there he is!”
My heart all but stopped. There he was, being carried on the backs of two Wolves, slumped in their arms – injured but still discernibly, definitely alive. Before I could make any movement, Shasta flew down to pick him up in her arms and carry him to the height of the tower; Logan followed swiftly after, jumping to our hideout in a single, green-glowing leap.
And there he was before me. That same smooth skin; that same rippling muscled chest I knew and loved so well. Those same dark blue eyes that bore straight through into my soul, making me weak at the knees. He looked weary, to be sure – his face and body spoke of injury and exhaustion – but that hardly mattered to me. This was Kian – this was my love – he was here, before me, at last. At that moment I didn't care about our arguments, about our fights, about what we'd said to one another, about any recriminations at all. All I wanted to do was to sink into his loving arms once more, to wrap my arms about him and kiss and kiss and kiss him with a hungry mouth, giving into my longing, my desire.
“Kian?” My voice shook like an earthquake. “Kian – I've missed you so much!” I couldn't stop myself; I threw myself into his arms, wrapping my own tightly around his chest, kissing his chest, his shoulders, his neck, his lips, overwhelmed by the force of my own passion, overcome with joy that we were here together again, reunited at last. “Kian – I'm so sorry – please forgive me, I'm so sorry...”
He pulled away sharply, abruptly, causing me to tumble to the floor.
“Madam,” he said, his voice stiff, his eyes turned from me. “Would you mind refraining from making a spectacle of yourself in public?”
His words were cold and cruel; they hit me like a thunderbolt. Not even in the first few days of our courtship had Kian been this distant, this arrogant, this removed. I looked into his eyes and felt my heart break. The worst was true. The eyes that stared back into my own were utterly devoid of love, utterly devoid of emotion.
“Kian...” My voice still wavered. “It's me, Breena! Don't you recognize me?”
“Of course I recognize you.” He sounded mildly irritated. “I don't see why you had to come all the way out here just to throw yourself at my feet. I mean, it's terribly dramatic, don't you think?”
“But...I had to find you! You were in danger.”
“I was perfectly all right, thank you, madam,” he said. “I had hoped that you'd be able to treat our parting with some degree of dignity and serenity, but I see instead you've chosen to drag my whole family into your embarrassing hysterics. I'm terribly sorry to hurt you, madam, but I have made my intentions quite clear. I'm simply no longer interested in caterwauling of this nature. I have better things to do.”
I stood still, my mouth open, staring at him in wonder and confusion, feeling my heart become ground to dust within my chest. Could this be? Was Kian – my Kian – who loved me once, who once promised me all of eternity – speaking to me as if I meant nothing to him at all.
“But you love me...” I found myself whispering as the tears trickled down my face. “You love me, Kian, don't you?”.
“Loved.” His voice was light and sharp. “I have, thank goodness, been cured of that affliction long ago.”
“But – I haven't been! What about everything we've shared, Kian? What about us?”
He laughed, a cruel and bitter laugh filled with sarcasm. “I've learned, Breena. I see now what a fool I was to think of mingling my pure bloodline with a half-caste wench like yourself, what an embarrassment my behavior was to all those that I cared about. To my mother, who died in shame because of her son's weakness. To the whole line of Winter Princes who were far better than I in freeing themselves from the wretched diseases of love and affection that made me a weak, feeble leader. Well, Breena, no longer. No longer am I interested in being your puppy, your follower, your spaniel, your swain, your dog. If I wish to rule, I shall do so without your mewing interferences. I don't take kindly to being ill-treated – but in your case I thank you for it. Had you not behaved with such lack of care towards me, I would never have realized what a fool I was to love you in the first place. So rest assured, Breena. You can marry your hulking Wolf in peace. I will be no impediment to that marriage. I will gladly let you go – come to the wedding as a kind of peace offering to ensure that your kingdom and mine do not get involved in any more war. I may even buy you a present. But I have no interest in any drama.”
“B...b...b...” I struggled to get the words out. “But I don't want anybody else, Kian. You're the only one I want. I can't marry Logan. Not with the way I feel for you.” I lowered my eyes so as not to see the pain in Logan's eyes. “You're the only one I ever loved. You're the only one I ever wanted. I know you can't mean this – that you don't mean this – that you're just doing it to push me away, because you think this is what I want.” It had to be true; it was the only truth I could bear. “But please, please Kian, don't let this be true. I want to be with you, and only you. I made my choice long ago; I just didn't realize it until now. Please don't let things end like this between us – Kian – please...”
“I'm terribly sorry you're hurting, of course,” Kian looked utterly unconcerned with the fact that I was sobbing hysterically at his feet. “But there's nothing I can do. I simply no longer love you. If you don't wish to marry Logan, that's certainly your business, and I won't insist. But I have no interest in being groom to an overemotional half-breed like yourself.”
“How dare you!” Logan had flushed s
carlet, taking a step forward. “How dare you speak to her like that! How dare you hurt her in this way?”
“I'm simply being honest,” Kian shrugged, utterly insensible to my pain. I was on the floor, now, gasping for breath, feeling the world reel around me, the floor crumble under me, the sky open up and swallow me. Nothing made sense any longer; nothing mattered. I didn't care about life, about Feyland, about existence itself. If I could have waved my hands and made the whole world implode, with me at the center of the conflagration, I would have done it without a second's thought.
“She loves you, Kian,” Logan clenched his teeth. “Believe me, I wish it wasn't true, but it is. And she's chosen you – again and again. And again and again I've suffered the heartbreak of knowing she's chosen you over me. And you know what, Kian? I'm happy to walk away. I'm happy to do it – even though it eats me up inside – because Breena's happiness is more important to me than anything in the world. But I'd sooner walk into the mouth of the Fire Pits of Sackler than walk away from Breena if it means leaving her with a callous, idiotic coward like you! How dare you spit in the face of her sacrifice – and mine! How dare you?” He took a step forward and shoved Kian, causing him to stumble backwards. “I'm ashamed we were ever once friends.”
“You – call me a coward?” Kian scoffed. “When you've been sniffing around my fiancé in vain for years, too sniveling to say anything about your feelings, hoping you could get my crumbs from under the table!” He grabbed a sword from Rodney's belt before any of us could move, and began waving it wildly in Logan's direction.
“Stop!” I rushed between the two of them, feeling myself grow dizzy with motion. “Both of you, stop it! This is crazy! Please – we have to focus on Gail Vines right now – on getting her out of Feyland...”
Focus. The last thing I could do right now. The last thing my body or my soul wanted to do. The thing we had to do.
