“It’s time for the Changing of the Seasons, love,” the Summer fae—whose name I learned was Rose—murmured into my ear. “You best get scarce.”
Chills swept down my spine. She knew then, about the ambush. How many of them did? Were they all in on it? Or only a select few?
A strong hand wrapped around my elbow and pulled me away from the dying celebration. Glancing up, my eyes locked on Liam’s glowering face. His jaw was tense. His eyes were full of fire. But there was a strange distant look, that bemused expression of shock, that still lingered.
“We’ve got to get you out of here before the ceremony begins,” he murmured. “I don’t want you anywhere near this.”
“Are you just going to pretend like this Barmbrack Ring thing didn’t happen?”
His grip stayed firm, his gaze focused on the ground ahead. “I don’t see how it can be right. You have two and a half years left at the Academy, which means you won’t be wed within a year.”
“Rose said the Barmbrack Ring is never wrong,” I countered.
He stopped suddenly and twisted me toward him so that he could look deep into my eyes. “It would be unheard of, for a changeling to leave the Academy early unless she’d been banished to join the Wilde Fae. And it would be unwise on top of that. The Academy exists for a reason. It teaches you what you need to know in order to exist in this world, to learn how to fight, to learn how to survive. Not to mention you would have to choose one of us....I mean, one of our Courts—in order to leave by then. Could you really do that? So soon?”
I wrinkled my forehead. “I didn’t think choosing had anything to do with it. Alwyn said that even with my varied powers, I would still only belong to one Court, and that it wasn’t something I could choose.”
He blinked and stepped back. “Of course. But because of your varied gifts, I can’t imagine we’ll know your Court for a long time to come.” He paused and gave a nod, as if agreeing with himself. “A long, long time to come.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but my thoughts were cut short when a hundred screams filled the night air. We both twisted in unison, gazing back at the festival grounds where fae were fleeing left and right, the flickering bonfire transforming everyone and everything into eerie shadows.
I took a step toward the chaos, heart rattling in my chest. I had the sudden urge to do something to help, though I didn’t know what.
Liam grabbed both my arms and dropped his forehead to mine. My skin burned from where we touched. “Listen to me. The ambush must have started early. I know you want to help, but you can’t. You’re powerful, Norah, but you’re still not ready. Deep down, you know I’m right.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. Maybe he was right, as much as I hated to admit it.
“Good. Now, it’s time to get you out of here.”
Chapter Two
Liam led me away from the festival, in the opposite direction of where my heart yearned to be. Hiding felt a hell of a lot like cowardice, despite the fact I knew I wasn’t ready for this kind of fight. I’d been lucky when I’d faced off against the Autumn fae. Redmond had underestimated me, something the other Autumn fae might not do. And well, it wasn’t as if I knew the true extent of my powers yet, or the lack thereof. I hadn’t truly been in control of them then. There was no guarantee I’d be in control of them now.
Liam suddenly stopped and stiffened. “There are some Autumn fae up ahead. I’ve got to get you outside the perimeter so you can shift out of here, but they’re blocking the way. We need to hide.”
He pulled me down behind a tent. We’d made it to the section of the grounds where dozens upon dozens of small tents had been erected for those who wished to stay the night before making the long trek back to their seasonal Courts. But they were all empty now, the occupants amidst the screaming swarm.
Liam ducked through the burlap flap and pulled me in behind him. I glanced around at the small yet comfortable space, my heart hammering hard against my ribcage. This tent looked suspiciously autumn-like to me. Everything was drowning in muddy reds and browns, from the muted golden sleeping bags to the dark red moccasins just inside the tent’s entrance. Even the scent of autumn filled the quiet space. Crackling leaves, wet earth...and death.
My heartbeat picked up speed. I swallowed hard and turned to Liam. The expression on his face told me he’d come to the same conclusion I had.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be here,” I whispered.
He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “We picked a bad tent, but it’s still safer in here than out there. If the owner comes back, we’ll deal with it. I’d rather you face off against an angry Lesser Fae than half a dozen threatened Royals.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he shook his head. “We’ll stay here until we’re sure the Autumn fae have moved on. Then, we’ll get you past the perimeter so you can shift out of here. I hate that you can’t go on and shift now, but that has always been the laws of the Feast of the Fae. No shifting in and out of the grounds.”
Frowning, I plopped onto the floor of the tent. There was no arguing with Liam, not after he got an idea into his head. He was determined that this was where I would stay. So, stay here I would. Liam was stubborn. Even more stubborn than I was. And that was saying something.
“Will the Autumn fae get hurt?” I whispered. “The ones who aren’t Royals.”
I refused to call them Lesser Fae.
With a heavy sigh, Liam lifted the flap to peer outside. “Perhaps, but only if they get involved. Not every Autumn is the same. And not every one would agree with what their Court has done.”
A fact I knew very well, thanks to Rourke.
“That said,” Liam continued. “The Hunters will not spare them if they try to stop us from capturing the Queen. And many of them likely will. They are loyal to her.”
“Of course they are.” I scowled. “Though how someone could be loyal to a Queen who goes around trying to assassinate people is beyond me.”
Liam gave a nod. “You’re not wrong to feel that way, but people will be loyal for many reasons. Fear. Survival. Ignorance. The Autumn fae are born being told how truly wonderful their Queen is. They rarely mix with other fae, and they only venture from their territory during events like this. Even then, not all of them attend. It’s easy to believe the rest of the world is wrong when you won’t open your eyes to anything but what’s right in front of you.”
“Like believing that I can’t leave the Academy early.” The words popped out of my mouth before I could stop them, but his words about the Barmbrack Ring had been echoing in my mind, even as we’d been fleeing from the ambush.
His jaw rippled. “You need to get that Barmbrack Ring out of that pretty little head of yours.”
“Why?” I stood. “Because I want you to acknowledge the fact I’m destined to be wed within a year? Because you’re trying to blow it off? Because you don’t want to admit how you feel?”
“Careful, Norah,” he said, his eyes sparking. “You’re playing with fire.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted my chin. “Maybe I am.”
He strode closer, his chest puffing out as he took a deep breath in through flared nostrils. “You act like you want the Barmbrack Ring to be correct, but you know what it means, don’t you? You would mate with one of us. Kael, most likely. Then, you would leave the Academy, and rarely ever see the others again. They wouldn’t be in your life anymore. I wouldn’t be in your life anymore. Is that really what you want?”
My heart squeezed tight. “Of course not.”
“Because that is what will happen if that damn ring is correct. And it’ll be a cold day in hell when I let you get away from me that soon.”
And there it was, words I’d been dying to hear all these weeks. The slightest hint, the smallest of confessions, the weakest of hopes that Liam still felt something toward me. That his emotions hadn’t just vanished into thin air.
My hand reached toward him out of its own volition, my body craving to feel him
close to me. His pupils were dilated, and his breath was hot on my lips. Liam was fire, and I was a moth, drawn to him despite every risk of getting caught in his flames.
Liam’s fingers wrapped around my arm, and he jerked me to his chest. My breath shuddered from my lungs, and anticipation sung in my veins. He was so close. His mouth was only inches from—
Footsteps thudded on the ground outside the tent, and Liam dropped my arm like it was a chunk of molten rock. He stepped back, shook his head, and then lifted the burlap flap to peer out into the newly-autumn night.
Steel clashed with steel, and a gurgled cry echoed in the quiet. Liam cursed underneath his breath.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered as my heart thudded hard in my chest.
“Looks as though the Autumn fae came prepared,” he murmured softly. “A few of them are out there fighting the Hunters. They’re close, so stay quiet.”
“Royals?”
He shook his head. “Lesser Fae.”
Why would the Lesser Fae—as much as I hated to think of them like that—bring weapons to the Feast? It was a celebration, a festival, a happy time in this realm where darkness and danger seemed to lurk in every corner.
“Wait here,” Liam said. “I’m going to go see what’s happened.”
Before I could object, Liam disappeared through the tent’s flap. Heart trembling in my chest, I lifted the heavy material just enough to keep one eye on his retreating form. He was heading toward a cluster of three Hunters. Around their feet, bloodied Autumn fae had fallen like broken puppets, their limbs askew and twisted into strange shapes.
The Hunters stiffened as Liam approached, but relaxed when they saw who it was. He and the other instructors at the Academy had worked tirelessly with the Hunters on their ambush plan, one that seemed as though it was beginning to unravel.
“What’s happened?” Liam asked, gesturing at the Autumn fae weapons on the ground. “Have the Autumn Royals been captured?”
One of the Hunters, a Summer fae I’d seen around the Academy these past few months, gave Liam a strange look. “You mean, you don’t know?”
Liam’s back tightened. “No, I daresay I don’t know, given the looks on your faces. Tell me now.”
“The Autumn fae were better prepared than we gave them credit for,” the Hunter said. “Did you happen to notice that everyone started running far sooner than we’d planned to attack?”
Liam gave a nod. “I just assumed that you had decided to make your move early.”
The male fae let out a bitter laugh. “If only.”
“What’s happened, Alastar?”
“The Autumn Court attacked first, Liam,” Alastar said. “All the Summer Royals are dead. Poisoned by blackberries, it looks like. Many of the Lesser Autumn Fae came with weapons. We’ve been fighting them off for the past twenty minutes. Where in the name of the forest have you been?”
“Protecting that changeling girl no doubt,” one of the other male fae muttered.
Alastar frowned. “Perhaps you should stop putting the welfare of one over the safety of us all. If you hadn’t been distracted by the changeling, if you’d been watching the Autumn Royals like we’d asked, then maybe none of this would have happened.”
I blinked and dropped the flap, taking two big strides away from the tent’s entrance. Fear and confusion burned through my gut. The Summer Royals were dead. All those months ago, Liam and I had discovered that the Autumn Court was planning an assassination. And now they’d truly done it. We’d thought we’d set a trap for them, but really, they’d set a trap for us.
And what had Alastar meant? Liam had stuck to me like glue all day. He’d told me that he’d been assigned to be my bodyguard. Surely he couldn’t have lied. The fae liked to twist things, yes, but their words always held the truth, even if it was difficult to see it.
Suddenly, two gold-cloaked fae rushed toward Liam and his group of Hunters. My heart leapt into my throat, and I stormed out of the tent with my arms open wide.
“Liam!” I screamed as the fae bore down on him. “Watch out!”
Liam reacted in just enough time to duck out of the way of the sword that soared toward his neck. He bellowed and drew his weapon, the Summer fae beside him moving in time with the graceful movements of fighters who had spent their whole lives training for these moments.
A breath of relief whooshed from my lungs as they blocked blow after blow after blow.
And then an arm closed around my wrist, tight as a snake, tough as steel. Shadows swarmed around my body, and the world dropped away from my feet. Colors swirled like melting rainbows, and the rush, rush, rush of wind filled my head.
A moment later, I found myself in the middle of the screaming festival. I had no idea where we were. Somewhere in the thick of it all, amongst trampled flowers and burning tables. Footsteps pounded, daggers were tossed. The entire world was full of chaos. I jerked on the hand that held my wrist and whirled to face whoever had shifted me away from the tent.
The eyes that met mine were a golden red, full of ice and hard as nails. An Autumn fae. One who looked horribly delighted to have found me. My heart roared in my ears, drowning out the screams of the feast. Gritting my teeth, I strained to pull away from him, but the fae’s grip only tightened around my wrist.
“What are you doing?” I hissed, tears filling my eyes. “Let me go. How did you even shift in this place?”
Shifting in here wasn’t possible. He shouldn’t have been able to do it. Unless…
“Queen Viola killed the fae who controlled the magic of the Feast. Killing him broke his spell. Now that he’s dead, there’s nothing to stop us from shifting.” He flashed me his teeth. “And there’s nothing to stop me from shifting you all the way to the Autumn Court, if I wanted to. Queen Viola would love to get her hands on a changeling. Or two.”
A rush of movement caught the corner of my eye, as well as the fae’s attention who had his grip on me. It was enough of a distraction for me to wrench my wrist away from him and for me to stumble back. Bree jumped to my side and pulled me out of his reach, her body trembling as she stared at the fae.
“Bree, thank the forest it’s you,” I whispered.
Bree had been doing so much better since she’d taken the Winter Starlight, though the results hadn’t been quite what we’d hoped. She was no longer an out-of-control Redcap, but she could—and did—still transform into a wolfish beast, but only when she wanted to. Kael had been working with her all these months at the Academy, training her in ways to handle the beast within. Most of the time, she handled it well, and she had no desire to change into the terrifying beastly version of herself.
But right now, I could tell she very much wanted to grow her claws and swipe the smug faces off these Autumn fae.
And truth be told, I couldn’t blame her.
Hair had begun to sprout along her arms as she stared at the Autumn fae stalking toward us. One of his friends had joined in, and they were both licking their lips as if we were some kind of prey that needed to be devoured. Fear pounded like a bass drum in my gut, and a terrifying kind of darkness crept into the corners of my eyes.
Claws sprouted from Bree’s curled hands, and her jaw began to shift and grow. The two Autumn fae took one look at my transforming friend, and then they turned tail and ran.
“You okay?” Bree asked a moment later, after she’d reversed her transformation into beast. She was panting hard, and her cheeks were stained with pink.
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. “You’re always saving my skin, Bree. If you hadn’t been here…”
I didn’t want to think about it, but I’d seen the glimmer in the Autumn fae’s eyes. If Bree hadn’t been here, I’d be halfway to the Autumn Court by now. He’d caught me off guard, I hadn’t had a weapon, and the world had been so full of chaos that my reaction times had been horribly slowed.
The Autumn fae had the element of surprise on their side, and the feast was burning to the ground because of it. Bo
dies littered the grass, and blood was everywhere. My heartbeat thrummed against my neck as my blood ran cold at the sight before us. I didn’t know what to do or where to go or even where we were in that moment. Rourke found us only seconds later, huddling together as we watched the horror of the night. He shifted us back to the Academy and escorted us to our rooms, making sure we threw shut the locks.
But even though we were back inside the walls of the Academy, I didn’t feel safe. If anything, the soft quiet of the school made me more uneasy. The Summer Royals were dead, and the Autumn fae had launched an all-out attack. It didn’t feel like we’d ever be safe again.
Chapter Three
“I heard you were the one who got the Barmbrack Ring in her cake,” Sophia said with a slight smile when I padded into our dorm’s kitchen. It was two mornings after the Feast of the Fae, and my head still felt fuzzy from the horror of it all. But our studies must go on, as Rourke had insisted. It wasn’t up to the changelings to retaliate against the Autumn Court.
“That’s right,” I said, frowning. “Though I’m not particularly excited about it anymore. Not after everything that’s happened.”
Sophia nodded and spooned some eggs, bacon, and toast onto a plate before passing it across the work surface. Even all these weeks later, she was still trying to make things up to me. I’d forgiven her for telling the Autumn fae about Bree, but that wouldn’t stop me from enjoying a freshly-made breakfast.
“Thanks,” I said, perching on the kitchen stool. “You know, as much as I appreciate it, you really don’t have to make me breakfast every morning.”
She shrugged, grabbed her own plate, and jumped up onto the stool opposite mine. “I like cooking. Besides, who knows how long you’ll be here since you’ve found that ring. Gotta convince you not to hate me while I have the chance.”
A Song of Shadows Page 2
