by Alexia Purdy
Shade
I hadn’t moved since the guards had dragged Ilana away to her rooms. They were enchanted to keep her prisoner, but it wasn’t that which was disturbing me now. It’d been her wailing as she was dragged away that still echoed in my head.
She was right, though. This was all my fault.
Returning to Soap’s room, I watched him through the glass, softly breathing but pale, as though he were already dead. Our engagement ring had melted on his left hand and forearm, laced all around it like an intricate bracelet. As I eyed the pattern formed around his arm, it reminded me of what Aveta had told me.
The blood of those you love must be spilled to open the gate.
The gauntlet on his arm looked like drips of blood woven around his arm by the metal of the ring. Maybe it didn’t mean literal blood, but this odd formation that had formed on Soap’s and Dylan’s arms. They both had this pattern on their skin, formed after I had become an Ancient of Faerie. What if I’d already sacrificed them, and the key to open the gate lay on the patterns on their arms?
I gasped. It had to be right. Of course Aveta would interpret it differently, that I would have to hurt Soap and Dylan to open the gate, but they’d already suffered. They’d already spilled their blood, and I had already sacrificed my connection to them within the Heart of Fire and Ice. Maybe we already had the key.
“But how do I wake you up?” I asked the air around us. Soap remained asleep, and nothing I did could change that. Not even being an Ancient had made any difference. It wasn’t me who could wake him, so who would be the one to do it?
I exhaled slowly, feeling defeated. “This isn’t fair. I can’t save anyone.”
I heard a cry in the distance, ripping me from my brooding as I tilted my head to listen.
There it was again, a baby’s cry, echoing down the hall into Soap’s open room.
The door was left open because there were two guards posted outside this room. I easily bypassed them without them noticing as I slipped on my magic and turned invisible once more. Padding down the hall, I followed the whimpers and cries to another chamber nearby: the room set up for the twins, my daughters.
The door was ajar, and I slipped inside and watched as the nanny rocked one of the babies in the rocking chair until the whimpers faded and soft breathing took the place of crying.
“There, there. No need for crying. Your father will return soon enough. Time for bed.” The nanny stood up with the now-sleeping child and slowly and efficiently laid her back in the crib. There were two cribs. The baby in the second one slept soundly, as though nothing could awaken her from her graceful slumber.
I didn’t know who was Jade and who was Lana. My heart cracked just a bit as I realized what a horrible mother I’d been.
“Okay, Jade, you stay asleep now. You need your rest,” the nanny whispered as she backed away from the crib and then turned to exit the room. She shut the door behind her, and I was alone with the babies.
“Jade, Lana,” my voice barely croaked out as a knot formed in my throat and my chest tightened. I hadn’t seen my daughters in months. They had to be six months old now, at least. It was strange how time had meant nothing to me when I was with Arthas and then Corb. It had passed by like a flash of light and had never been something I’d been concerned about. Now I could feel the amount of time I’d lost slam into me like a bullet. It’d stolen away so much from me, yet here we were.
The girls slept peacefully, cooing in their sleep and making faces as their eyelids fluttered from dreams. They were beautiful. Both. One had the dark hair of Dylan, and the other lighter hair, nearly blonde with hints of caramel. Both were soft and wispy, with curls framing their cherubic faces. Their lips crimson, their skin porcelain pink. They were the picture of health and prosperity. I couldn’t be prouder.
My daughters were perfect. Magic circled around them, soothing them as they dreamt, their chunky fingers finding their mouths as they turned and readjusted their positions. They were growing faster than I’d ever expected. Would I be away from them for much longer? Could I be part of their lives once more? That was the goal in all this, right? I had to believe I’d be able to return to be their mother someday. I had to keep that one light burning inside me, or all would be lost.
You are different from the others, Shade. You are the blessed of Faerie, a half-blood queen who defies all laws of magic and mortality. You can do this.
The voice echoed around me, and I glanced about, wondering who was speaking to me.
“Grandmother?”
I am here.
“I don’t hear you in my head anymore. Why?”
That’s because I care for you daughters now. You no longer need me.
I shook my head. I hadn’t heard Lana’s voice in my head in years, but here it was, as clear as it had ever been.
“How do I defy the laws of magic and mortality? I just want to be near my family again. I want them back.”
You can do it. Balance the powers of Faerie and the mortal world, and you will find a way back to them.
“But I can’t. I don’t even know how.”
Aveta told you about the gate. You have figured out how to open it. Now you must make it happen. Open the gate to the realm of Faerie which fuses humans and faeries together, and you will balance the powers. Bring back the ones who belong there, and Faerie will harmonize.
“Bring back who?”
The others of Faerie, those of the Netherworld. The ones who are made of both worlds. Dylan has found them. Find Dylan and wake Soap. Open the gate, and return them to their home. This will balance the powers. All magic must be balanced. This is the only way.
I nodded, closing my eyes, for I could not see my grandmother, but I could feel her warm embrace hugging my magic as it swirled about us. She returned to the care of the twins, and her voice silenced. I was happy she was there with them. They would need her now more than ever. Much more than I would.
“Thank you, Lana,” I whispered to her in the silence of the room. I peered once more at my daughters, sending them all the love that I had, and pressed a charm of protection around each of them. They would be safe until my return. Or at least until Dylan returned. I knew they missed us, for they stirred in their sleep as I stepped away from the crib, cooing in protest.
“I’ll be back soon, my loves. I swear it.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Dylan
“Do you think they’ll ever let us out of here?” Nautilus asked. “I guess imprisoning Jax wasn’t enough of a bargaining chip.”
“I don’t know. We must think of something soon. I’m about to make Jax regret he ever ran into us if they don’t come get us soon. I can make the bracelet burn him.”
“He’s immune to iron.”
“It’s not iron that makes the bracelet work. Come on!” I banged on the bars and yelled to the guards, but nothing made them come to check on us. Maybe we’d been placed here to be forgotten about. It was against all Faerie rules for one ruler to treat another ruler in such a way. I was going to make Sage pay.
“I don’t think they’re coming.” Nautilus slipped down against the cold stone wall and closed his eyes. “Man, that stuff they drugged us with was awful! My head won’t stop spinning.”
“I know.” I felt the same way, but I did my best to ignore the nausea rumbling in my stomach. At least there was nothing there to throw up. I’d barely eaten the dinner Sage had served. More rudeness to make her pay for.
“Don’t worry, something good will come of this. I have a feeling we won’t be here for long.” Nautilus yawned, slipping down even more, trying to get comfortable. Soon after, soft snores echoed from his corner.
I wished I could sleep so soundly anywhere. Did he not realize the crisis we were in? Faerie was crumbling, and all he could do was sleep?
“Hey!” I called out. “I demand to speak to the queen! I will kill her brother if she doesn’t see us now! I mean it!” After a moment of silence, I slapped the bars in frustratio
n. Nautilus continued to snore.
“Dammit,” I cursed under my breath, leaning back against my side of the wall. This place was obviously used often. I didn’t doubt that Sage left intruders here to rot. She had a point when she said that the reason no one in Faerie had heard of her kingdom was because she made sure it stayed secret. I could see why she’d want to keep it safe, but dying of starvation wasn’t what I had in mind when I’d woken up this morning.
I heard a crunch of gravel, and a rough voice boomed into the cell. “Get up. Da queen wants to see yer.” The guard with the awful English motioned for us to stand, and I scrambled to shake Nautilus awake.
“Come on. They’re taking us to the queen.”
Nautilus stretched and stumbled to his feet. I guessed he probably couldn’t hold his alcohol well either, if one little weed drugged him this badly. I was already feeling better, but he swayed as we walked out of the cell and followed the guard. He almost fell over when I grabbed him, hoisting one of my arms around him to hold him up.
“Geez, use your feet, man. You’re not light.”
“Sorry. I feel really weird.”
“Matches your personality, I guess.”
Nautilus frowned as we scurried to keep up with the guard. There was only one way out of this dungeon, which used to be the basement of some smaller department store, and unfortunately, we had to take the stairs. Nautilus cleared his head as we climbed, as though moving made the plant poison fade faster.
“I’ve got this now. Thanks, bro.” Nautilus pulled away from me and grabbed the banister, taking the stairs slowly while hanging on. He did look steadier, but I made sure he wasn’t going to fall backward right onto me. That would not be good.
Above, we were led not to the throne room but another area with a smaller fountain. The queen was standing and staring at a very familiar silhouette.
Shade.
“Da prisoners, Your Grace.” The guard shoved us forward as we eyed the queen then glanced at Shade. She stood perfectly straight and confident. Her gaze was trained onto Sage with sharpened eyes.
“They are unharmed?” Shade asked.
I wondered how long she’d been here and how negotiations had gone. There was blood on the floor, smeared along the walls, and spattered on the edges of some of the courtesans’ clothing. There were no bodies that I could see, but I was positive there were some.
Shade looked scarier than Queen Aveta or Kilara ever had.
“As you requested. Just a bit of sedation wearing off,” Sage said dryly. She was far from pleased at the situation. “Now give me my brother back, and remove that infernal cuff from his arm,” Sage growled, her fists clenched.
“I will as soon as you gather your entire court and command them to follow us out of here.”
Sage’s eyes widened. “What? Why would we leave our home? I won’t ask them to do that.”
Shade rolled her eyes, tired of the debate. “Do as I say, or you will no longer be queen of this place. This wasn’t always your home. Follow me, and you will find a better one, a long-lost land where you truly belong.”
Sage glowered at her skeptically. “How are you going to do that, and what guarantees do we have?”
“There’s never a guarantee, but I can say this: I am an Ancient of Faerie. You will just have to have faith that everything will be all right. Have I lied to you yet?” Shade waved her arm, and Jax appeared, shaking but otherwise looking quite intact. To my surprise, the cuff I’d placed on his arm clanked to the floor.
“How… how did you do that, Shade? It shouldn’t come off for anyone but Nautilus or me.”
“As I said, I am an Ancient of Faerie.” She stepped toward me and held out her hand. “You need to wake Soap and then bring him back with you. When you’re ready, call my name. I will bring you to me.”
“But what’s going on?”
Shade smiled, placing her hand gently on mine. I felt warmth, a heat zipping through me I hadn’t felt in a long time. Her eyes were clear and bright. She once again looked like the girl I’d met at the Teleen Caverns, the girl with a fire raging inside. My love was back, and my heart jumped with elation.
“Shade? Does this mean—?”
“Trust me, my love. Call my name when you’re ready. Take care of Soap.”
I nodded as the world flashed with a bright light, and I found myself standing in Soap’s chamber once more.
“Sh—” I clamped my mouth shut. She’d said to only call out to her when I was ready. That meant I had to wake Soap. I sighed. I’d had Shade back for only seconds before she was gone again. Maybe it was too soon to think she might be okay, but the spark of hope had been ignited inside me, and I knew I had to do as she asked. She needed me. Even if she never needed me again, I would help her.
I would help Soap.
I walked over to the glass coffin. He looked peaceful, barely moving with each breath. I inhaled a deep, centering breath as I hinged open the glass lip and stood over his still figure.
“Okay, Soap, this is it. All or nothing. I know we’ve been at odds, and I was less than welcoming to you, but we need to stick together now. For Sh… for the one we love. And for our daughters. For our friends and family. For Faerie and the mortal world. It’s you and me now. We’re the only ones who can help her. So come on, Soap, and wake up.”
I closed my eyes and placed my hands on his, murmuring the words I had memorized from the grimoire we’d found in the archives, repeating them over and over. It took time, but after several minutes, I felt something happening and flung open my eyes.
There was a dark mist seeping from Soap’s mouth and nose, the same smoky miasma that had overtaken him when Kilara had cursed him to eternal slumber. It slowly rose out of his body and dissipated into the air until I heard Kilara screaming in my head.
“Ah!” I clasped my hands over my ears, but it did no good. Kilara’s voice stabbed into my brain with ferocity.
“You cannot have him! He is mine!”
I shook my head as I watched the mist form into a version of Kilara, hovering over Soap with a possessive scowl.
“He is mine!”
“No!” I hollered, resuming the chant to release Soap from an Ancient’s grip. I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to break her hold on him, but I had to keep going. My magic was draining quickly, and I felt the world tilting once more, but kept screaming the chant into the air as her screech intensified and then faded to an equally deafening silence.
I glanced up once more to find the smoky mist gone and Soap lying perfectly still, not even breathing. Scrambling to my feet, I leaned over him, crunching against glass beneath my feet. The coffin had exploded into tiny pieces which now coated the floor of the room. With Kilara’s screams, I hadn’t even heard it happen, and it had failed to touch or hurt me. The spell had protected me from the shattering glass shards and Kilara’s vengeance. But had Soap survived it all?
“Hey! Soap, buddy, wake up.” I shook him and waited, hoping I hadn’t killed him in the process. “Come on. You can do it. You need to come back to us. Come back! We need you!” I shook him once more but jolted back as Soap inhaled a loud, sharp breath, flicked his eyes open, and sat up.
“Whoa, man, what’s going on?”
His bewildered expression matched mine as I got back up from the floor, limping after landing on the jagged glass. “You’re alive,” I said, shocked. “You’re alive!”
“Yeah, of course I’m alive. Hey… where are we? Where’s Sh—?”
I clamped my hand over his mouth. “Don’t say her name just yet. I’ll explain later, but all you need to know is that we’re in the Scren, and she’s all right. She’s an Ancient now.”
Soap’s eyes got wider as he paled. “She did it, didn’t she? She gave everything up. She left us.” He held up the melted gauntlet encircling his arm. “She broke our bond.”
“Yes, but for a good reason. It’s a long story, man, but I think she’s been fighting hard to get back to us. I need your help. We mus
t go now. Can you walk?”
Soap nodded as he swung his legs down from the platform which the coffin had sat on. I conjured some shoes onto his feet, for I wasn’t sure if he was strong enough to make some himself. He muttered a thank you before he stood up and took a wobbly step forward, then a second, before he nearly collapsed. I caught him before he hit the ground.
“I just need a few moments, that’s all. I can walk.”
“Sure.” I shook my head as we both laughed. “Let’s get out of here.”
Soap wrinkled his nose. “How are we going to do that?”
“Watch,” I said, straightening. “Shade, my love? We’re ready.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Shade
“Grab tightly.” I held on to the hands of my loves, Soap and Dylan, taking them back to the mall where Sage’s court was now filing out in bunches, their things packed away in enchanted sacks as they moved slowly. No one was happy to be leaving, but I knew that eventually they would be grateful that they had.
“I don’t understand why we have to leave. We’re safe here. It’s our home!” Sage snapped at me. With one look, I silenced the rowdy faery queen. She knew she was no match for an Ancient of Faerie, but that didn’t stop her from grumbling curses beneath her breath.
“Where are they going?” Dylan asked.
“The Withering Palace. It will be dangerous, but we’ll have to guide some of them through the labyrinth. They can begin rebalancing the magic of Faerie until we can find the other gate and unlock it to let the others through.”
He shook his head. “I know where it is.”
I turned to look at him, curious. “What do you mean?”
“The gate is in a tower by the home of Astenos. It’s nearby. I could lead you there, but Jax also knows the way.” Dylan looked over at the young prince. “Don’t you?”
All heads turned to Jax who shrunk beneath our collective gaze.
“What do I know?”
