by Nissa Leder
The bright colors of the bulbs, from red to yellow to fuchsia, brought a smile to her face.
Someone, this time dressed in white, sat in the middle of the path, blocking Scarlett’s way.
When she was close enough to see who it was, her fists clenched.
Decuma held a bunch of the tulips in her head, looking down at them with a grin.
Fury built in Scarlett at how peaceful she looked. She didn’t deserve peace.
Decuma tilted her head, finally noticing Scarlett. “Oh, hello. Isn’t it lovely here? I always dreamed of a life like this.”
A dagger appeared in Scarlett’s hand, its steel heavy in her grip.
When she saw the weapon, Decuma’s eyes widened. She pushed herself from the ground but didn’t get out of the way. “Are you okay?”
Scarlett remembered how it felt to watch the life drain out of her eyes in the real world. She could relive that feeling now by plunging the dagger into her chest. She lifted the weapon. “Move.”
“I can’t,” Decuma said, her voice wavering with fear. “My feet won’t move.”
This was the way Scarlett needed to go and she didn’t have time to waste. With a groan, she tried to step into the field of tulips to go around her, but when she touched the flowers, she was met with an electric shock.
“Ow.” Apparently, she couldn’t leave the path. She glared at Decuma. “I said move.”
Decuma struggled to lift her foot, but her leg wouldn’t budge.
Was Scarlett supposed to kill her again? Was that some task required to make it to the end of this place?
She raised the dagger again, lifting it in front of Decuma’s chest.
Decuma began to cry, her wet eyes staring into Scarlett’s.
She’d already killed her once. But rage at the sight of her two dead friends had filled her then. Even if she this wasn’t actually Decuma, the thought of stabbing this innocent version of her brought nausea to Scarlett’s stomach. But she needed her to move.
Scarlett lifted her weapon higher into the sky, but as she was about to plunge it into her heart, she realized she couldn’t. She killed the real Decuma without a second thought, but she didn’t want to murder anyone in cold blood, even if the person wasn’t real.
With a groan, she chucked the dagger into the ground.
Then, from feet to head, Decuma faded away, opening up the path for Scarlett once again.
How long had passed in the real world while Scarlett had been walking this stupid path?
She continued on her way, this time jogging.
The field of tulips continued until it met another forest. Scarlett stayed on the path as trees towered above her once again. The leaves on their branches were the colors of autumn, falling from the trees and sprinkling across the forest floor.
A short ways into this new forest, the path led to a large circular opening. Perched on a tree sat a white bird. With its eyes fixed on Scarlett, it tilted its head.
Another figure in a black dress faced away from Scarlett, not turning toward her until they were only a foot apart. The bird leaped from the branch and flew straight to the woman’s shoulder.
Shock flushed through Scarlett when she recognized who now stood before her: Dana.
Never in any vision of Dana or picture that Scarlett had seen had she been wearing black.
“Hello, Scarlett.” Dana’s posture was perfect and her hands were folded in front of her body in perfect elegance. “I’m glad you’ve found me.”
Like Natalie, Dana spoke as if she were real, not just a figment of Scarlett’s imagination.
“I sense your confusion. Understandable, since this is a confusing place. I too wasn’t sure what to believe when I made my own journey through here so many years ago.” She glanced behind herself at two white, iron chairs and a table that suddenly appeared. “Come, sit. We might as well be more comfortable as we talk.”
Scarlett, who had yet to say anything since seeing her long-lost ancestor, obliged.
When they were both sitting, a kettle and two glasses appeared on the table.
“Tea?” Dana lifted the kettle and poured its liquid into the cups.
Scarlett remembered reading Alice in Wonderland as a child, and thinking how if she were Alice, surely she would have thought it all ludicrous. And right now, though it wasn’t the Mad Hatter sitting in front of her, the situation was equally as crazy.
“How can you seem so real when I didn’t know you?” Scarlett asked. Surely, if this was a place of memory, she didn’t have enough knowledge about Dana to make her seem so real. Maybe this was just how her subconscious thought she would be, but why the black dress?
“Ahh, you’re right that this place feeds on memories.” Dana took a sip. “You must pass three tests of the past to get to the end which holds that which you seek to know. But this is the destination you were searching for and I, Scarlett, am real.”
Scarlett’s forehead crinkled as she searched for the polite way to call her a liar. But as she processed what Dana had said, it started to make sense. Dana had come to the Spirit Realm to search for a way to separate herself from the darkness. Whoever had told her how to achieve it couldn’t have been just a figment of her mind, because she didn’t know how it could be done. “You’re really Dana?”
Dana nodded. “Yes. When I created the spell to lock up the realm’s magic and become human, I found a way to send me here upon my human death, so someday we could have this very conversation.”
“You predicted it?”
“I predicted many outcomes. In some, Ankou wins. In others, his daughter Morta succeeds. And in some, you prevail and the Otherworld is whole again.” Dana poured herself more tea. “I don’t know which history will come to pass, although now that you’re here, some versions can no longer happen.”
Were the odds better now that Scarlett had come? What should she do next? What should she avoid doing?
“I see the questions in your eyes.” Dana reached up to the white bird still on her shoulder and caressed its head. “But we don’t have time to discuss every possible outcome. If we chose that path, the outcome wouldn’t be in our favor.”
“What now?”
Dana’s lips curved into a grin. “You must return and lead your allies to war. If you are here, then I can assume Morta has taken control of the Darkland.
Scarlett sighed. “Yes.” She nearly said unfortunately, but maybe Morta ruling was for the better. Or maybe it stacked the odds against Scarlett. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“We must be quick, but I want to tell you why I visited this very place when I was the Otherworld Queen,” Dana said. “I felt the darkness inside me growing stronger. As a young queen, the light had always shined so brightly, I rarely thought of the darkness in me. At times, I thought I was nothing but light. But with time, things changed, and I panicked.
“My people looked to me as goodness, and I feared what they would think of me if the darkness got too strong. So, I learned how to tear it from me and place it in another. But darkness without light to curb it is a dangerous thing.”
“So, what do I do?” Scarlett didn’t know what she was trying to get at.
“I can’t tell you that.” Dana set her cup down and the kettle and glasses disappeared. “All I can say is that there is always an opposite, always a reversal.”
“Huh?” Scarlett didn’t have time to decipher riddles. She needed an answer that could save her people.
“Weapons are interesting things. Sometimes they kill, and sometimes they simply take away. And sometimes the things we fear most are the exact things we need.” Dana’s eyes closed. The bird hopped from her shoulder and returned to the tree. “The pull has come now. My time here is gone.”
Then she faded away.
“No!” Scarlett yelled to the emptiness around her.
The bird remained perched on a branch, staring at her as if she was missing something obvious.
She’d done what she was supposed to. She’d
found out about the Spirit Realm and followed the path to the end. She was supposed to have an answer, but instead, she was left with some cryptic thought of weapons and opposites.
As frustration filled her, she felt a pull on her soul. She tried to resist. Maybe there was someone else here she could find. But within seconds, the forest around her faded into darkness.
With a gasp, Scarlett sat up.
Cerise was lying on the bed on her side with her elbow on the mattress and her head propped against her hand. “Welcome back.”
Scarlett looked straight at the clock. She’d been gone for four hours. How had so much time passed? When she glanced at the candle, she saw the wax had nearly melted away.
“I need to go.” Scarlett stood and headed for the door. Once she was outside, she could evanesce to the Unseelie Court and hurry to the Otherworld.
“Wait.” Cerise got off the bed. Her gaze, full of hope, stared at Scarlett. “Did you see her?”
Scarlett turned to her. “Yes.”
A smile filled Cerise’s face. “She was a wonderful queen. I wanted to hate you, but I sense her goodness in you.”
“Thanks.”
Cerise dipped her body into a bow. “Good luck, my queen.”
Scarlett returned the bow and left without a look back.
She needed to get back to her castle. She might not have the answer she’d searched for, but she would do everything she could to defeat Morta and win the war.
Chapter Seventeen
With the message out to the Seelie Court, Kaelem headed to the Otherworld.
He found Rowen, Vida, and Poppy eating together in the dining room.
All three turned to him, anxiousness in their gazes.
Vida rose from her seat. “Where’s Scarlett?”
“We found Cerise,” Kaelem said. “And she’s helping her enter the Spirit Realm in hopes of finding an answer to win the war.” Kaelem sighed. “Last night, Scarlett had a vision. Morta is coming with her army. She will attack at sunset.”
“I will prepare our army,” Vida said. “And what about the Unseelie and Seelie soldiers?”
“I had Lola send a message to Laik. We can only hope he arrives soon with his army. The Unseelie soldiers are coming through the portal and lining up outside as we speak.”
“Very well.” Vida left the room.
Rowen pushed her half-eaten plate away from her. “Have you heard from Raith or Cade?”
“I’m afraid not,” Kaelem said.
Poppy looked toward the ground. “What can we do?”
“I suppose all any of us can do now is prepare ourselves for battle.” Kaelem shrugged.
With that, he went outside and found the Unseelie Court lined up protectively outside the castle. He made his way to the front.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for devoting yourself to the protection of your court.” He used his magic to amplify his voice. “I know it may seem that we are fighting someone else’s war, but I’m grateful that you trust me enough to come here today. If we weren’t here now, this war would come to our doorstep another time. And alone, we cannot defeat this enemy. But with our allies of the Otherworld and the Seelie Courts, we are strong.”
To the right, Kaelem saw a line of soldiers in golden suits begin to line up. The Seelie Court. At the front walked Laik. He looked to Kaelem and bowed.
Relief spread through Kaelem. He’d worried the Seelie Court might back out of the alliance or, even if they hadn’t, might not make it in time. But they were there now. With three armies—the Otherworld, Unseelie, and Seelie—the alliance was strong.
But they were missing the most important piece: Scarlett.
The sun was halfway from its peak to the Western mountains, which meant there were only a few hours until Morta’s army attacked. If Scarlett didn’t return by then…well, Kaelem didn’t want to predict what might happen.
As Kaelem pushed away any dismal predictions, a person approaching him caught his attention.
As the figure drew closer, Kaelem recognized the long, brown hair and curvy frame.
Scarlett ran toward him from the front of the castle, eagerness in her eyes.
His heart sped as he took off toward her, lifting her into a hug. “You made it.”
Scarlett took his face into her hands and pulled his mouth to hers.
Kaelem’s eyes closed as their lips pressed into one another’s, sunshine spreading through his entire body.
When Scarlett leaned back, she said, “I don’t have any miracle answer, but I’m here and ready to fight.”
Kaelem ran a hand down Scarlett’s back. “So, fight we will.”
Raith and Cade, still disguised under Cade’s glamour, followed the Summer Court soldiers to where all the armies were gathering. They’d seen Summer, Winter, and Autumn fae, but as far as either of them could see, Spring was nowhere to be seen.
“When the Spring Court was invaded, most of the soldiers were slaughtered.” Cade avoided Raith’s stare. “Along with innocent civilians. Apparently, the Spring Court was more useful as an example than an army.”
From everything Raith had witnessed about Morta, her seeking to punish them didn’t surprise him. But Nona’s involvement with the killing of harmless fae citizens struck him as odd. Morta was evil incarnate. Decuma enjoyed power and games. But Nona seemed to only follow her sisters out of duty.
But what did Raith really know about them all? Truthfully, he tried to block out as much of his time in the Darkland as he could.
The brothers found a spot in the crowd, stopping behind a pair of taller Summer soldiers.
Raith peeked ahead, curious about what everyone was staring at.
Morta stood on a large rock, facing the crowd.
The other rulers weren’t with her this time, but Raith knew they couldn’t be far.
“The time has come. I will open a portal to the Otherworld, and we will begin our march to its castle,” she said. “We will earn victory and all of you will be rewarded for your service to the Darkland.”
Morta spoke an incantation in a language Raith didn’t know, and next to her, an opening in the air appeared. Sunlight shined on the other side and he yearned to follow its glow.
The soldiers began walking through the portal two by two. As he and Cade got closer, Raith could feel the heat of the sun’s rays.
He remembered the feeling of sunshine on his skin after so long in the Darkland back when he’d been under their control. Its warmth had enlivened him.
Just as it had done then, when its rays hit his skin, energy radiated through him.
After they were through, Raith pulled Cade to the side. They needed to warn everyone that an army was on its way to attack. Raith didn’t know how close the portal was, but he didn’t imagine it would have taken them far from the castle.
Raith took Cade’s hand. “This is our chance.”
He closed his eyes and pictured the Otherworld Castle.
The tickle of evanescing washed over him, and within seconds, they stood outside the Otherworld Castle gates.
“Remove our glamour,” Raith told Cade as they approached the gates.
The fae standing guard waited until the brothers were close.
“We’re here to warn the queen,” Raith said.
The soldiers nodded and the gates opened.
When they stepped inside, Raith was surprised to see three armies lined up. How had they known?
“My son,” Rowen stepped forward from the Otherworld Army.
Next to her was Poppy. “Cade.”
Raith saw the relief in Poppy’s eyes. He hadn’t known if Poppy was capable of loving a man. She’d always been so fierce and determined to succeed. But Raith recognized the look she wore.
Cade went to Poppy as Raith approached his mother.
“I take it you know Morta is on her way,” he said.
Rowen nodded. “Yes. Scarlett had a vision. Where have you been?”
Raith explained everything that
had happened since they’d left the Otherworld. As he finished telling her about the Darkland, a group of women approaching them caught his attention.
In the front walked Sage, her head held high and a colorful headdress atop it.
“And what have you been doing?” Raith asked once she had nearly reached him.
The group of women all dressed in dark brown leather skirts and tops waited as Sage continued toward Raith.
“Becoming a queen.” Sadness filled her expression. Raith remembered the stories she’d told him about her old tribe and her lover. Sage glanced back at the tribe of women behind her. “These are my sisters. After I became queen, I told them I had to return here until after this war is over. Every single one of the Woodland sisters volunteered to come with me and join us in our battle against Morta.”
Raith had never had a sister, and he’d never really thought much about it. But through Sage, he’d learned what it might feel like to have a female sibling to be close to, and he was grateful to have her in his life.
“Well if they’re even half as good at kicking ass as you are, then our army just got a lot stronger.” Raith grinned.
With Morta and her army arriving shortly, every extra warrior on their side was something to be thankful for.
Cade followed Poppy into the castle. When they were alone in the foyer, she stopped.
Then she slugged him in his arm.
He rubbed his hand over where she’d hit him. “What was that for?”
“Following your brother on a stupid plan that could have ended horrendously.”
Cade dropped his hand back to his side. Thinking back on it now, it had been a haphazard plan. A number of things could have gone wrong, but thankfully, they’d made it back to the Otherworld Castle without getting discovered. Well, by anyone who wanted them dead, at least.
“And I made it back without even a scratch.” Cade held out his arms and turned his palms up then down.
He stared at Poppy. At the worry in her eyes. At the anger in her aura. At the slight pink tone to her cheeks.
He remembered their night together. The feeling of her skin against his. The sound of her heavy breathing as he explored her with his mouth. He never thought he could trust someone as much as he trusted her.
