Grave Destiny

by Kalayna Price

  “Almost” being the key word?

  “If it was Ryese, I wouldn’t be surprised that he laid that trap with me in mind. He knew what my abilities were and has seen me raise a shade before. Also, he hates me. Pretty sure he blames me for him not having the winter throne.”

  Falin nodded, but his jaw clenched, anger thinning his lips. “You would definitely be a target. And if your guess is correct and he is behind this, he might have been targeting the entire winter court to punish the court for his banishment. But I think that was unintentional. Stiofan would have been the one infected if the target was the court.”

  That was true. Lunabella could have infected both bodies as easily as she’d infected one. But why shadow? Was the goblin just an unfortunate but random victim? Or had Ryese found allies and they were enemies of shadow?

  “Did the gold-cloaked fae enter with the light court?” I hadn’t noticed him for the first time until he’d spoken to Lunabella.

  Dugan frowned, shaking his head but not in disagreement, more like in uncertainty. Falin, on the other hand, pursed his lips, the movement slow, as if he was still arranging his thoughts.

  “I believe he was already in the clearing, with the independents.” Falin paused. “I didn’t note him until he joined the end of the light court procession as they entered. Which doesn’t mean he didn’t enter with a different court and I didn’t notice, but at the time I remember assuming he was with the independents.”

  “Does that happen often? Fae jumping into the back of a procession?” I asked.

  Dugan shrugged. “The doors being what they are, occasionally someone gets separated and shows up at the revelry out of the proper order. It isn’t common, but it happens. I had to do it once, a long time ago.”

  “But it is also possible the Queen of Light did not allow him to enter with her procession,” Falin said, a growing sureness filling his voice. “If the golden-cloaked figure truly is Ryese, she might not have wanted the Winter Queen to know he had returned to her court. He might be an embarrassment to her.”

  Or she might be complicit in everything and didn’t want to be seen conspiring with an ambitious fae still attempting to usurp a throne. I didn’t add that out loud. As Dugan had reminded us frequently, the shadows had ears. And there were a lot of shadows here.

  Dugan turned to Falin. “Was Lunabella’s body returned to the court of light yet?”

  Falin shook his head. “The queen had retired already when I took the bodies back to winter. I decided not to wake her with such news, so they are under guard awaiting morning.”

  “Which even on the second-longest night of the year is soon,” Dugan said, and stood. I had no idea how he could tell dawn might be approaching. There were no clocks here, and the shadows hadn’t changed in any discernible way since we’d been here. “These rooms are mine. I invite you both to rest here. An hour of slumber is not nearly enough, I know, but it would be better than nothing.”

  Without another word, he turned and walked through a door in the back wall of the room. I glanced around the small sitting room. At least we weren’t locked in the shadow court this visit, but it wasn’t like I wanted to wander the halls. The furniture in the room was functional but looked comfortable enough.

  I smiled at Falin. “I call the couch.”

  Chapter 19

  The hour of sleep I snagged seemed to make me more tired, but my fingers were completely purple with fouled magic, so I dragged myself up and ate a small breakfast. My sweater was wrinkled and stiff and I grimaced, hoping I didn’t smell as bad as I looked. I’d only been in Faerie a few hours, but I could have used a shower and a fresh change of clothes after untangling the king’s basmoarte. As if in answer to my thoughts—or maybe I really did just look that bad—Dugan dropped a neatly folded pile of clothing in front of me.

  I lifted an eyebrow. “What is this?”

  “A clean outfit; yours looks rather . . . slept in.”

  That was a nice way to put it. I excused myself to change without thanking him. Fresh clothes were hardly a reason to indebt myself, or forgive any of the debt he owed me.

  The clothes were of exquisite quality, and fit perfectly, which was slightly disconcerting. Why did Dugan have clothes of my size just sitting around? Of course, they were probably glamoured and possibly enchanted to fit . . . but still. The black leather pants were supple and silent as I moved. The sweater was soft, though also black. The small pile even included gloves. Black. I was sensing a theme. Still, the new clothes were better than wearing my gross ones, so I dressed quickly, aware I was now more or less sporting shadow’s colors in my all-black getup. I frowned at my pile of discarded clothes. Dugan had assured me they would make it back to my castle. I hoped they did. Faerie was claiming a lot of my wardrobe. Then I headed back out to the guys. We had fae to see, murderers to uncover, and a cure to find.

  “So do you think the Queen of Light knows?” I asked Falin as we crossed the clearing that joined the courts.

  “Knows what?” he asked. “That her son plotted to overthrow his aunt? That he could now be pitting shadow against winter?”

  “Both. Either. I never thought Ryese was clever enough to engineer the drug he used on the Winter Queen.”

  Falin turned and frowned at me. “I don’t suggest you share that theory with the queen. She adores her sister.”

  “I noticed.” And I had. There had been true affection when she’d greeted the Queen of Light at the revelry. But was that affection returned?

  The guards that greeted us on the winter side of the door made no attempt to stop us. They nodded respectfully to Falin and watched Dugan, but they must have been growing accustomed to the Shadow Prince following us around, because no one even fingered their weapons today.

  “Can the guards see through glamour?” I asked as we walked down the long ice halls.

  “Their hoods allow them to see through most glamours that could be used as disguise,” Falin said.

  “Only most?”

  He nodded without expanding on an explanation.

  It was Dugan who said, “Faerie is run by the strongest and most clever. If someone can slip past the queen’s guards, then they are probably strong enough to challenge her rule. There is no penalty for using any means available unless they fail.”

  But it also meant someone very strong in glamour—or working for someone masterful at glamour—could walk into the winter court and there would be no one who noticed. Jurin was probably the inside person who got Lunabella and whoever else helped her kill Stiofan inside, but they’d somehow managed to transport Kordon’s body through the winter halls without anyone noticing.

  “How good was Ryese’s glamour?” I asked.

  Falin cut his gaze toward me, a warning in his eyes. Now that we were inside winter, there was a chance we could be overheard, and the queen had forbidden anyone from mentioning her nephew.

  “Masterful. Now we are here.”

  Which meant it was time to be silent. I nodded and followed Falin through the archway.

  The queen lounged in a chaise, a breakfast tray set up beside her. Her frost-covered robe was nearly see-through and she wore only a thin gown underneath it. She had clearly only recently started her day and I had the distinct impression we should have at least knocked before entering. She looked up as we entered, her pretty features cold as she studied us.

  “Knight, while I have no qualms receiving you this early, I do not appreciate the extra company.”

  Falin bowed deep. I mimicked him. Hey, it had worked out for me last time and I didn’t get stuck in a never-ending curtsy. Dugan inclined his head only marginally.

  “My queen, we have an issue to bring to your attention that could wait no longer,” Falin said without looking up.

  The queen plucked a strawberry from her breakfast tray. “I’m listening.”

  “We located two fae
we believe were involved in Stiofan’s murder.”

  “Good news with breakfast.” The queen took a bite of the strawberry and lifted her shoulders slightly, as if this news were trivial.

  “Unfortunately, both were murdered directly after the revelry and we did not get a chance to question them thoroughly. One belonged to the court of light. We would like to return her body to her queen.”

  She dropped the strawberry and swung her legs around until she was sitting up straight. “What?”

  “May we return the body?”

  The queen chewed at her bottom lip. “Where did this happen? How? Has an attempt been made to revive the fae?”

  “There will be no reviving her. She had basmoarte.” He left off the part where we’d taken the body to the mortal realm and her soul had been collected, but I wasn’t going to be the one to tell her that.

  The queen’s brows knitted together and she shook her head. “How did she get basmoarte?”

  “She was acting as a mule attempting to pass it to the Shadow King,” Dugan said, his voice low and challenging.

  “Did she succeed?”

  “The king rebuked her advances. He is well.” He smiled as he said it, the expression dark and somehow far more threatening than a smile should be. But I did understand that twist of truth. If the Winter Queen realized how weak the shadow court actually was, she might strike at them whether she thought they were responsible for the attack on her court or not.

  The queen paced in front of her chair. She seemed to be silently arguing with herself, ignoring us as she moved. After a moment, she turned, some decision met.

  “Take the body to the mortal realm and destroy it. My sister does not need to know that one of her people was killed following my revelry.”

  My jaw fell open, and I snapped it closed quick, hoping she didn’t notice. From the corner of my vision I saw the skin around Falin’s eyes tighten. It was a direct command, so he had to obey. We couldn’t just happen to lose our way and accidentally take Lunabella to the light court and check if Ryese was hiding there. No, she’d said destroy the body.

  “Cousin, do you think that the kindest move?” Dugan asked, his voice smooth and sweet. “What if she worries over the welfare of her courtier? You could be the one to alleviate her concern and give her closure.”

  I managed not to snort a laugh. If the Queen of Light was anything like her sister, she would never notice one missing courtier, especially since Lunabella had been part of a new influx into her court. Still, the Winter Queen paused, pondering this, so I had to give Dugan credit.

  “What are your thoughts, Knight?”

  “She deserves to know if a potential threat exists.”

  The queen considered this as well. I stayed quiet and left manipulating the queen to them. I was more likely to stick my foot in it and get us barred from ever speaking to the Queen of Light for fear we’d someday mention this conversation.

  “I will ask her if she would like the body returned,” she said after several minutes. “Dealing with death can be so . . . distasteful.”

  Right. That was the word she was going with. No mention of sad or hard.

  The queen walked over to a full-length mirror in the corner of the room. She placed a single finger on it, and frost crept over the glass. A moment later the frost vanished as a brilliant light filled the glass.

  I squinted, looking away. When I looked back, the reflection was that of a different room. It was arranged almost identical to the Winter Queen’s, right down to a breakfast tray beside a chaise. But whereas the room we stood in was clean, cold ice with hints of silver and blue, the room of the Queen of Light was soft and warm. Layers of gauzy fabric draped the walls in the soft shades of sunset, all orange, pink, and red. The chaise was similarly fashioned, with the Queen of Light lounging on it in a burnt-red gauze robe, her position almost identical to how we’d found the Winter Queen.

  “Darling sister, I’m barely awake this early,” the Queen of Light said, leaning her head back dramatically on her cushion, but her tone was playful, friendly.

  “Greetings, dear sister,” the queen said, walking back to her own chaise. I almost expected her to collapse dramatically, but she sat primly, the picture of poise. “I fear I call with unpleasant news.”

  The Light Queen’s head snapped up. “Oh?” She narrowed her eyes, waiting.

  “My knight informs me that the body of one of your courtiers was discovered last night.”

  One of the Light Queen’s perfectly styled golden eyebrows lifted. “Where?”

  Not who, only where. And no sign of sorrow.

  The Winter Queen looked to Falin. That was his cue. “At the revelry site, just before it emptied. Would you like us to return the body to you?”

  The Light Queen studied us. “Is that your planeweaver, little sister? And the . . . Shadow Prince? My, what strange company you are keeping this morning.”

  “It is as you say,” the queen replied. “And strange indeed. But of your courtier . . . ?”

  The Queen of Light sighed, a wistful sound that made the heart ache. I frowned. Her glamour was getting to me.

  “Send her home. Will this lot escort her?” She waved a hand to encompass Falin, Dugan, and me.

  “My knight can deliver—”

  The Queen of Light leaned forward, her long golden braid falling over her shoulder. “Oh, do send them all. You can’t be the only one to have such strange company.”

  The Winter Queen smiled, but it was tight and small, the kind of smile someone offers because they are trying to prevent themselves from frowning. “Only if you promise to give them back.” It was said teasingly, but with an edge. She really was afraid her sister might keep us if she let us go.

  “You may not promise my attendance, Cousin,” Dugan said, and the queen shot a glare at him so cold, it could have frozen a summer day.

  “Ah, then let me cordially invite you,” the Queen of Light said. Then she turned toward the queen again. “I will make arrangements for my departed courtier. Do send her promptly.” And with that the light in the mirror winked out, leaving only frosted glass behind.

  The queen collapsed back into her chaise. “Well, hurry along,” she said, “and when you figure out who killed her, let me know. I should be the one to tell my sister.”

  I almost asked her what about Stiofan, her courtier whom Lunabella had helped kill, but I knew better than to draw that kind of attention to myself when we’d already been dismissed.

  “Anybody notice that the Queen of Light knew that the courtier we’d found was female?” I asked as soon as we reached the hall.

  “Yes.” Falin didn’t sound happy about that fact. “And I also noticed she insisted we come and didn’t offer any form of safe passage.”

  * * *

  • • •

  An hour later we were back in the clearing that held all the doors to the courts. We’d picked up two extra winter guards, who carried a stretcher with Lunabella’s body laid out prettily. The guards’ body language was stiff, unhappy. Because of where we were going? Because they were accompanying the Winter Knight and Shadow Prince? Or because Lunabella’s body was covered in dark basmoarte lines? I wasn’t sure which.

  “So I guess we can take any of the light paths?” I asked, glancing around. There seemed to be even more light and less shadow now than two days ago when we’d visited the summer court. If the balance continued to shift, how long would it take for Faerie to break under the weight?

  “Stay together and stay alert,” Falin said, holding out a hand toward me.

  I took it, then offered Dugan my other. My gloves covered the spreading evidence of my own fouled magic, but he glanced at my offered hand, the hesitation clear. He hadn’t been reluctant to take my hand when we’d visited the summer court. Basmoarte wasn’t contagious through touch, but I realized he’d been keeping h
is distance since it had appeared. Fine by me.

  We walked into one of the paths of light, and the soft glow enveloped us, surrounding us in a warm ambiance. We emerged on the other side in a colorful hallway. I wasn’t sure of the color of the walls because every inch seemed to be covered in paintings, tapestries, and murals. Intricate mosaics covered the floor, and sculptures of all sorts were scattered along the hall. At first I thought the sculptures were guards, like winter’s ice golems, but these pieces were all so different, some figurative, but more were abstract. It would be a chaotic army.

  “Welcome to the court of light,” a dreamy-sounding voice said, its owner stepping out from behind one of the statues. A second fae followed him, smiling at us.

  Both fae were blue-skinned and radiated a soft iridescent light. One was male, the other clearly female, but otherwise they looked identical, with fine features and silver hair that floated in the air around them as if they were underwater.

  “We will take you to the queen,” the female of the pair said. They turned in sync and padded along the mosaic floor barefoot.

  I glanced at Falin. Were these guards? They carried no weapons that I could see, and they wore no armor, just gauzy, togalike clothing. Was the Light Queen so powerful that she saw no reason to guard her door? Or did these two have such formidable magic that they had no need for plebeian armor and weapons?

  Falin’s features were cold and closed, betraying nothing of his thoughts. It was what I thought of as his knight face. I tried to remain as neutrally aloof, but I couldn’t help ogling our surroundings as we followed the two blue fae. Walking the halls of the court of light was like visiting a chaotic art museum.

  We walked down corridor after corridor, each filled with paintings, drawings, sculptures, and many other types of art, and each more magnificent than the last. Music played all around us, and not the ever-present harmonious sounds that seemed to permeate Faerie just outside hearing range, or at least, not only that music. No, this was identifiable. In one hall a violin played a mournful, but exquisitely beautiful, solo. In another a piano. In the next I could hear an entire unseen orchestra.