by Elise Kova
Clarity dawns on him. “That was merely part of the abdication ritual, wasn’t it?”
“The words still meant something to me.” They’re seared on my memory. I said those words with every past ruler bearing witness. They weren’t just words. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it shouldn’t have meant anything. I am just a human. But I’m invested in this fight.” I grip the necklace tightly. “I want to see Davien win.”
No… I just want to see him alive. I can’t stand the thought of him being locked away, captive to Boltov’s whims. If nothing else, as tragic as it is to even think, I can’t let him die without telling him that I love him. That even though I swore never to love, he burrowed deep within my heart, underneath all the walls. I won’t let myself die before I do that much.
Giles turns to Raph. “Do you really think you could do it? Sneak us into the High Court?”
Raph has only a moment of hesitation before he’s gathered enough resolve to give a firm nod. “I know I can. I can get anywhere I set my mind to and—and they have my parents.”
“You can stay here,” I suggest to Giles. “Look after the children.”
“There’s no way I’m letting you go alone. Hol is already going to kill me for this plan. He would kill me a second time if I let his son out of my sight to go on this insane mission alone with a human.”
“All right.” I don’t fight. “We take the rest of the night to gather our strength and then at dawn we head for the High Court.”
Raph leaves Ralsha in charge when we depart. There’s a tearful goodbye between them where he swears to get back her mother, too. Davien’s affections have even made me see their young love in a new light. Maybe there is goodness out there to be gained from the act of loving. Benefits of love I’m only just beginning to understand. It’ll take me time, but I’m at least open to seeing it now, which is a start.
After we leave the children’s stronghold, Giles leads the way. In the daylight, the remnants of Dreamsong are somehow even worse. The sun hides nothing. Boltov’s brutality is on shameless display. I wonder if the king intends to leave this earth singed and blackened for the rest of eternity—a reminder to anyone who would ever dare rise up against his family in the future of what happens to usurpers.
It takes two days to reach the outskirts of the High Court. The trek is long, but the hardest part about it is constantly looking over our shoulders, expecting to see a Butcher lunging from a nearby shadow. However, Boltov must be feeling secure in his victory, because no one prowls the forests looking for survivors. I wonder if he has them back by the Lake of Anointing looking for me, arrogant in thinking there would be no way a human could make it this far.
The first Butcher we see is from a distance, walking along the ramparts of the large stone wall that surrounds the High Court. The three of us are perched at the top of a hill, lying down among the tall grasses to make ourselves nearly invisible to the guards below. We survey the terrain, debating our next move.
“The wall is only about two hundred years old,” Giles says. “The last Boltov king built it to try and cement his perceived legitimacy to the Council of Kings. I’m pretty sure the winter after it was finished, his son assassinated him so he could ascend to the throne.”
“Tell me, has a fae king ever died of natural causes? Or do you just kill each other before such a thing can happen?”
“It’s been rare for a king to make it to the end of his natural life since the fall of the Aviness family.” Giles glances to Raph. “I don’t want you to feel pressured, not even now. If you don’t think there’s a way that we can safely get in then—”
“There’s a hole in every wall,” Raph says with a small grin. “We just gotta find it.”
After half a day of walking, we finally do. Sure enough, there’s one segment of wall where the forest has encroached on the stone. Of course, Raph is the one to notice it.
“See that?” He points. “The big bushy section, like there’s a small tree poking through. Well, actually, I think there is a small tree poking through. You know what that means, right?” He rolls his eyes at our oblivious expressions. “It means that the wall isn’t quite so sound right there. So I just gotta go down there tonight, take a peek, and if I’m right then you two will come and join me. And just like that, we’ll be in.” He snaps his fingers.
Into the deadliest area of the fae wilds. I have the rest of the afternoon to contemplate the decision. I spend it munching on some mushrooms we found a day ago during our long trek and watching the patrol patterns of Boltov’s Butchers on the walls.
As night falls, Raph moves during a break in patrol. The boy is nimble and small; in a blink, he disappears through the foliage protruding from the wall. Giles and I share a nervous glance. But then Raph pokes his head back out and waves us down the hill.
The wall is much larger than it seemed from a distance. The wicked-looking spikes that protrude from the top are far sharper than I imagined them to be. Ignoring the creeping sense of dread working to smother me, I press through the foliage, pushing against the jagged, crumbling rock, and emerge on the other side. I hear a soft chime in the back of my mind and an invisible hand wraps itself around my throat, disappearing on the wind before I can choke.
“We need to move quickly to the forest up there,” Giles whispers as he breaks free of the wall with a rustling of leaves. “The faster we can get away from the wall and under cover the better.”
“What was that?” I ask as we retreat from the moonlight for the cover of the trees. I rub my neck for emphasis.
“That was Boltov’s ward. He knows someone has trespassed in his territory now. It’s only a matter of time until they’re looking for us.”
“Do they know it’s us?” I ask, picking up my pace to match Giles’s. “Will they know it’s us on sight? Can they track us?”
“Tracking, I don’t know. On sight? Well, at a glance, Raph and I might be able to blend in with the other fae of the High Court, you less so. But they have rituals they can perform to expose us.”
“Then we have to move quickly.”
“Already working on it,” Raph mumbles.
The city looms ahead, perched at the top of the hill. Another wall surrounds it with more guards at the entrance. We slink through the forest, straying away from the main gate.
“Do you know anything about the city inside?” I ask Giles.
“Not a bit. I’m as oblivious as you are.”
“Don’t look at me.” Raph shrugs. “I’ve never been this far from Dreamsong.”
“We’ll just keep making it up as we go then.”
We’re almost through the forest to the edge of the city wall when there’s a rustling in the trees behind us. I turn. I’ve been hunted by Butchers now too many times not to know the way they move, the way they sound, as they ride on the shadows. My hand is on the pendant and I’m not sure whether I’m about to put up a fight, or submit in the hopes that maybe I can get close to Davien one last time.
The woman is a blur. She’s on me in a second, faster and more deadly than any Butcher I’ve ever seen so far. Yet, rather than killing me, her hand clamps over my mouth. Her other hand is on Giles’s. Raph is in too much of a stunned silence to do anything other than blubber.
“You’re going to get yourselves killed,” Shaye says with a crazed grin.
Chapter 33
The moment she removes her hands from our mouths, Giles exhales a sigh of relief that ends with her name. “Shaye.”
There’s no chance for her to react before his arms are around her, clutching her, holding her as though she’s the last woman on earth. Shaye is clearly startled. Her eyes dart from Raph to myself. I give a small and knowing smile before turning to Raph.
“Why don’t we give them a moment?”
“We don’t need a moment,” Shaye says defensively.
“Shaye.” Giles pulls away with a hard look.
Shaye rolls her eyes, but the small smile at the corner of her mouth betrays he
r true emotions. “All right, one minute.”
I pat Raph’s shoulder and guide him over to a nearby tree that we stand on the other side of. I lean against it, crossing my arms, and stare out over the sloping forest. My gaze is soon brought up to the High Court, glittering against the night sky, looming above us.
“He likes her a lot.” Raph startles me from my thoughts.
“He does,” I agree.
“She likes him, too, even if she doesn’t want to show it.”
“That’s astute for a kid.” I ruffle his hair. He scowls and combs it back into place. I’ve learned that Raph doesn’t like things that remind him of his age. I must be the worst, because it only makes me want to remind him more.
“One, not a ‘kid,’” he says firmly. “And two, I know a thing’r two about love.”
I snort. “What do you know about love?”
“I know it when I see it.” He puffs out his chest. “Like, that night when you and Prince Davien danced. You two are in love. Anyone could see it.”
A knot in my chest eases as a different one forms in my stomach. I wonder if he’s right and how many people could see it. I wonder how many recognized what was happening well before I did, or even Davien. I wonder if that night, even when he swore to me that there would be no feelings between us, he knew he already loved me and that I loved him.
“Well? Am I right?” Raph presses relentlessly.
“Yes,” I confess with a soft laugh. “You are right.”
“Knew it! And that’s why you’re going to save him.”
“It’s one of the reasons. Saving your kingdom is also a pretty big motivator.” I look back to that tall city looming up on the hill and the sheer wall that encapsulates it. For every one Butcher I see prowling, I’m sure there’s at least five more, hidden away. A whole army of killers, trained from their very first breath. Do we really stand a chance against them?
“Sorry for the delay.” Shaye rejoins us with Giles at her side.
“No apologies necessary.” I push away from the tree.
“Were you two kissing?” Raph waggles his eyebrows.
Shaye leans forward, sticking her nose right near his. “You know, your father and mother aren’t here right now to protect you. You really want to try me, little man?”
Raph’s spine goes rigid as he stands up tall. “No, not in the slightest, sorry, Lady Shaye.”
Shaye hums and straightens away. “I’m watching you, kid.” Funny enough, he doesn’t object to being called “kid” when Shaye is the one to say it. She does have that intimidating aura—one that only grows more intense when she looks up toward the city. “So, you came here with the intent to break into the High Court?”
“Giles tell you?” I ask.
“He didn’t need to, it’s obvious. Why else would you come? Especially with Dreamsong destroyed.” Shaye’s mouth twists into a frown. Her eyes flash with a rage unlike any I have ever seen. This battle has always been personal for her, and Boltov only compounds the reasons she has to fight with his attack on Davien and Dreamsong.
“How did you survive Allor?” I ask.
“Tell you on the way.” Shaye starts up the hillside. “I think I know the best place for us to make our way in.”
As we walk around the circular city, Shaye tells her tale. She engaged with Allor for as long as she could, taking blows so that Davien and I could escape. Once Shaye had reached her limit, she activated a magic that she calls “the dreamless sleep.”
“And what does that do?” I ask.
“It’s a ritual of my own inventing—it’s how I escaped Boltov the first time. Think of it like wrapping myself up in the shroud of death. I can cocoon in it for a short period of time. Doing so stills my breathing and slows my heart to the point that it’s nearly impossible to tell that it’s still beating; it’s a sort of stasis. But if I stay there too long, I actually will perish.”
“So you made Allor believe she killed you and revived yourself after she left.”
“Yes. Butchers are always too eager to believe that they bested their kill. That no one can compare to their skill or ruthlessness. They don’t stay around to give burials or double check their finishing blows.” Shaye shrugs. “It worked once before, it worked again. Then I tried to find you and Davien. When I saw the remnants of a struggle at the keep, I went for Dreamsong.” All that time, Shaye was on her way just several steps behind us. “And, on seeing the ruins, I came straight here. I came to make good on my promise. I had no idea who else survived.”
“You came to kill Boltov,” I finish for her.
“I always said that I would…or, I will at least help the man who does.” Shaye’s gaze falls to my neck. “I take it he didn’t get the powers and that’s why we’re in this mess?”
“No, he didn’t get them. And it was my fault. If I had moved faster—”
“It was the fault of the Butchers that attacked you and Boltov for sending them,” Giles interrupts. “Don’t take blame when it’s not deserved.”
“Bloody Butchers.” Shaye curses under her breath. “Never miss a chance to ruin something, do they?”
We come to stop at a low-lying point in the hillside. A small stream rushes past iron bars set in the wall.
“It’s one of the water sources for the city,” Shaye explains.
“This will work nicely.” Raph scampers over, inspecting the bars.
“Move aside, kid.” Giles approaches. “Leave this to the man with the history of building.”
As I watch Giles begin to set up a small ritual on either side of the narrow riverbank, I feel hopeful for the first time. Giles and his knowledge of construction will help us get into doors, and out of tight situations. Raph is small and nimble. He’s also proved himself to be creative and resourceful—things we’re definitely going to need on the inside. And Shaye, she has the most valuable information out of all of us. She’s lived in the High Court before. If anyone is going to know where they’re holding Davien and how to get to him, it will be her.
I glance over at her, prepared to tell her how grateful I am that she’s here with us. But her solemn expression takes the wind from my sails.
“What is it?” I ask softly, so as not to draw Giles or Raph’s attention. Shaye stares silently up at the city, her chest rising and falling slowly as she breathes deeply—in through her nose and out through her mouth. “Shaye?”
“I can’t believe I’m finally back here,” she admits, bringing her eyes to mine. There’s a searching quality to her gaze, tinged with a frantic worry that I know I can’t calm. “I can’t believe I’m going back in. Willingly.”
“It’s all right if you don’t want to.” Boldly, I rest my hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some amount of comfort. In a small way, I think I can relate to the fringe of what she’s feeling. I imagine what emotions might smother me if I ever stand before my family’s home again. I would be terrified to say the least.
Shaye laughs softly and shakes her head. “I’m not upset. I’m proud of myself for coming back—for being strong enough to make good on my promise.”
“I admire you,” I say softly.
Shaye brings her eyes to mine. “And I admire you. Throughout all this you’ve remained resilient, more than I expected. You’re not so bad…for a human.”
A small pop interrupts our conversation. We both look back to see Giles lifting a section of the grate away. He rests it off to the side. Raph scrambles to try and help, but I can imagine the boy is not doing much in the way of heavy lifting.
“You both ready?” Giles asks, though his eyes are mostly on Shaye.
“Yes.” She strides forward with confidence, grace, and murderous intent. I watch as the woman willingly marches back into the den of her tormentor without the slightest trace of fear. No… That’s not quite true. I saw her eyes. She is afraid. But she’s not letting that fear win—she’s not giving him power over her anymore by allowing him to frighten or intimidate her.
I hope that
someday I can be half as strong as Shaye. That I live long enough to try. As I cross beneath the wall of the High Court, I make a silent vow to myself:
I will go back to my family’s home, confront them for what they did. I will tell Laura to leave and to be her own woman—with me or on her own—and then I will leave them behind me forever. I will never be afraid of them again. I will never let them intimidate me again. I will not let the fears they have entrenched in the dark corners of my mind rule me.
Halfway through the tunnel, Shaye pauses, motioning for us to do the same. When she speaks, her voice is nothing more than a whisper. “This is going to drop us right in a busy area. Even at this time of night, there’s going to be people out on the streets—heading to or from taverns, or conducting business.”
“And with the water, there’s no way we can glamour.” Raph stares at his feet.
“Which means there’s no hiding.” Shaye nods.
“No wonder it was left with such meager protections.” Giles strokes his chin in thought. “So what’s the plan?”
“I’m going to make a distraction,” Shaye says.
“No,” Giles tries to interject.
She continues speaking over him. “I have a few more rituals charged. I can make enough chaos that you three can slip into the crowd.”
“I’m not leaving you.” Giles grabs her hand.
“And we’re lost without you,” I say. “You’re the only one who knows the way through the High Court.”
“It’s not hard. And with his keen sense of direction, you’ll have no trouble at all.” Shaye gives a nod toward Raph. “You can do it, right?”
“I…”
“I know you can.” Shaye blows over his hesitation with her fierce determination. “And just because I’m going to make a distraction, doesn’t mean they’re going to catch me. I think I proved by now that I can be pretty slippery, especially when it comes to Boltov’s clutches.”
