“What is it?” Ian asked. His easy going thoughts were replaced by the stress of the situation at hand.
“Th- Their Majesties sent me for you. Prince Kalan is here. They are gathering in the map room, and request your presence.”
Without hesitation, Ian nodded and motioned for the other two Summer Fae to precede him. He turned to Torin. “Can we trust you?”
The Winter Fae visibly started at the question, but quickly regained his composure. He set his shoulders back. “Yes, of course.”
Ian nodded. Even without the fae’s avowing words, Ian would have trusted him. The besotted look on the guard’s face said it all. Torin would do anything to protect Gwen.
***
Kalan was walking to Ronan’s rooms, his head reeling with the information gleaned from his time at Summer Court. He was in the middle of explaining the Elder’s reveal to King Cai when Eilian entered with Sir Torin. The prince felt the familiar animosity to the guard, but it quickly diminished when he learned what the guard had risked in order to try and help Gwen during the attack.
Kalan raised his hand to knock on his guard’s door when it swung inward. Ronan stood there, seeming unsurprised by the prince’s presence outside his rooms.
“Your Highness. Good morning,” Ronan greeted. He stepped back to allow Kalan room to enter. “I was just about to search for you.”
“Fortuitous timing,” Kalan stated. He eyed his friend curiously. “Do you have news from the Human Realm?”
Ronan nodded. He did not cushion his answer. “Gwen’s home city has been experiencing numerous disasters uncharacteristic of the region. Other areas of the globe are facing similar phenomena, as well.”
Kalan nodded, combing his hand through his thick hair.
“It seems the queen has substantial evidence to claim nature is disrupted, by some force, in the Human Realm.”
“Yes,” Kalan agreed. “But it cannot all be due to Gwen.”
Ronan’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “What do you mean?”
The prince relayed his discussion with Queen Orla to his friend. The pair discussed the dates of certain events, and it was confirmed Gwen was without her powers during a good portion of the disasters on Earth.
“What is causing the disasters, then?” Ronan asked aloud.
Kalan sighed. “If I knew, I would run straight to my mother with the information. Perhaps she would finally stop pursuing Gwen’s demise.”
The look the guard shot him showed his disbelief that the queen would be so easily derailed.
“How did you gather all the information about the Human Realm?” Kalan asked, trying to make conversation to distract from his worry.
“I sought out one of Gwen’s human companions,” Ronan answered, trying to sound at ease. The slight shift in his eyes made Kalan think there was more to the story.
“The sisters?” Kalan asked. “Which one?”
“The older one. Sara.”
“Ah.” Kalan remembered the guard’s brief infatuation with the human during their lunch with them. It had been a surprise to see his friend show interest in someone, much less a human.
“Yes. Her family has been affected by the occurrences. Her uncle was injured in an earthquake.”
“An earthquake? I am sorry to hear it.”
Ronan nodded. “Sara has been left to care over her uncle’s affairs. I offered my services to help her until her uncle recovers.”
“Have you, now?” Kalan could not stop his amused smile.
Ronan’s ears reddened in embarrassment. “It is not like that, Kalan. I simply want to help.”
“That is very noble of you, Ronan.” Kalan decided not to torture his friend for his good deed. Besides, it was good for his friend to show genuine interest in a woman, for once.
Kalan’s thoughts returned to Gwen and the lack of information regarding her whereabouts, immediately dimming his mood. “I still don’t know where Gwen is.”
“Is she alone?”
“No, Duke Aeron accompanied her when they fazed out of Summer Court.”
Ronan stiffened. The prince noticed and asked, “What is it?”
The guard hesitated. He cleared his throat. “I have been meaning to discuss something with you,” he hesitated. “I do not know how to approach the subject.”
Kalan gave a sad smile. “It cannot be worse than the other news I have received lately.”
Ronan continued to hesitate. He would open his mouth, but promptly close it as he reconsidered what he planned to say. The prince could not think of a time the guard looked unsure of himself. Kalan waited patiently, choosing to run through possible plans to find Gwen as his friend contemplated how to say what he wanted to say.
Following his discussion with the Summer Royals, Eilian, and Torin, Kalan’s worry over Gwen’s current wellbeing lessened slightly. All suspected that if Gwen had been captured, they would hear about it. Nevertheless, they all felt the pressuring need to find her before anyone else.
“How did you get into the Summer Palace, Your Highness?” Ronan’s question surprised Kalan. He told the guard he fazed there. The prince explained how he believed the wards must have been lowered.
The guard’s expression grew serious. “They weren’t lowered, Kalan. I’ve spoken with a number of the soldiers who participated in the attack. Queen Tanya only arranged for the Summer Court border wards to be lowered. The palace ones were too strong to deactivate. The soldiers commented on how miserable they were sneaking through the Summer land in its heat.”
Kalan growled. “If you would be so kind as to give me the soldiers’ names, I would like to go speak with them.” And possibly tear them apart for going against their king and council to follow their misguided queen.
Ronan could see the prince’s fury. He tried to redirect Kalan’s thoughts. “Don’t let your anger make you blind. Did you not hear what I just said?”
“Yes,” Kalan responded. “Of course I heard you.”
“How do you imagine you were able to faze into the Summer Palace when its wards still stood?”
Kalan shrugged and offered the same idea he gave Queen Orla. “Perhaps my relation to Gwen allowed it? I don’t know. Is it really relevant to what you want to tell me, Ronan? Shouldn’t we be discussing a plan to ensure Gwen is safe?”
“It is relevant.” Ronan frowned. “I have another theory as to how you were able to faze into Summer Palace.”
“By all means,” Kalan held his hands out. “Share.”
Ronan crossed his arms. “I believe you were able to faze because one of your blood relations was marked as being able to enter and exit the palace at will. It enabled the same freedom to you.”
Kalan’s patience was thinning. “I said that,” he tried to sound calm.
“No,” Ronan shook his head emphatically. “I do not mean Gwen. She was not marked to freely travel from the Summer Palace. The Summer Monarchs kept her secluded in the palace, with the exception of her trip to Eirie.”
“Who, then?”
“I suspect it was your father.”
Kalan scoffed. “I find that highly unlikely.” Despite the fact King Kheelen was Gwen’s biological father, the prince sincerely doubted the Summer Royals and Nobles would grant the Winter King unrestricted access into their spelled-for-protection home.
Ronan’s sigh was heavy, meant to prepare him to release a burdening suspicion more than twenty years in the making.
Ronan met Kalan eye to eye. “You might want to sit down for this.”
Kalan was about to oblige when his limbs seized up. His knees buckled. Kalan clawed at his throat. He couldn’t breathe.
“Kalan!” Ronan shouted and knelt beside the prince.
Kalan’s muscles screamed in protest. They were suffocating. He needed oxygen.
Kalan took a staggering breath. It didn’t help. He still felt as if he were being smothered. He took more breaths with no sense of relief.
“What is happening? Kalan? What’s wrong?”
Kalan garbled a response. It did not make sense.
“For Fate’s sake, tell me what is wrong!” Ronan’s face was full of alarm.
Kalan feared he was seconds from losing consciousness when, without warning, the suffocating feeling disappeared. Dazed, the prince fell onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He gasped for breath out of instinct, but his lungs were perfectly saturated.
“Kalan?” Ronan’s eyes were wide.
The prince lifted his hand. “I’m alright.”
“What just happened? You were fine one moment, and then collapsed.”
“I don’t know,” Kalan continued to take deep breaths, assuring himself he was alright. “I felt like I couldn’t breathe.”
“But you can, now?” Ronan’s frown lines were deep.
“Yes.” The prince sat up and leaned against the bottom of the chair closest to him. “What were you going to tell me?”
Ronan looked uneasy. “It can wait. We should get you examined by a healer.”
“Ronan,” Kalan’s voice was firm. “Tell me. What did you want to tell me?”
Gathering his courage, Ronan sat beside his friend. His face was grim. “You’re not going to believe me… but hear me out.”
Chapter 29
Gwen’s wrist were burning. The flames threatened to snake up her arm, but they remained encircling her boney wrist for the moment. The rest of her body shivered from the cold. A blurry memory of being in Winter Court edged its way to her conscious thought.
Groggy, Gwen tried to open her eyes but immediately shut them to avoid the bright light hovering above her. She was laying on a hard surface; she guessed it was the floor. Her throat was painfully dry as she attempted to clear it.
“Hello?” She croaked. She heard metal rustling.
“Gwen?” A faint voice muttered in response. Gwen tilted her head in the direction of the noise. Hesitantly, she cracked her eyelids. After a moment, she adjusted to the bright fluorescent light enough to make out a broad form on the opposite side of the room.
“Aeron?” She tried to sit up. Something heavy shifted against her wrist to press against the back of her hand. It singed her skin.
Gwen let out a yelp and tried to pull her hand away, but the object shifted with her and burned the new skin it touched. She was sitting up, trying to figure out what was happening.
“Don’t move,” Aeron moaned. “It will only make it worse.”
Gwen tried to listen and remain as still as she could while enduring the agonizing pain. She leaned against the wall she found at her back.
“What is it?” She whimpered. Looking down, she realized the heavy objects around her wrist were manacles. They were made of a dark material and carved with strangely elegant engravings for prisoners’ restraints. Matching chains connected them to rings posted on the wall.
“Iron shackles.”
Gwen stiffened and let out a cry of panic.
“It won’t kill us,” Aeron offered. “Iron has to puncture the skin to fatally harm Fae. These shackles are rounded to not cut.”
“What are they for, then?” She whispered, observing the dangerous items with fear.
“To keep us where we are. Weaken us. We can’t use any abilities while they are on.”
“Shit.” Gwen muttered.
Aeron let out a soft chuckle in response. “Well said.”
Gwen rolled her eyes at his ability to find anything in their situation amusing enough to laugh. She looked around and realized they were in a square concrete room. There were no windows, and only one door revealed they were not trapped in a stone box.
“Who?” Gwen asked quietly. Now that she knew someone could be listening, she worked to not be overheard.
“Winter Court, I assume,” Aeron grunted as he tried to sit up, careful to not touch the Iron chains gathered around his legs. He seemed in worse shape than Gwen. His face was contorted with pain by the time he finally managed to lean against his wall.
Gwen nodded as he confirmed her own thoughts, but she frowned in confusion. “Why am I still alive?”
“I’ve been trying to work that out myself. I would guess we were taken by a friendly, but these cuffs say otherwise.” In demonstration, Aeron raised his left arm and promptly cursed and lowered it. He squeezed his eyes against the pain.
“Are you alright?” Gwen whispered in worry. She saw sweat glistening on Aeron’s brow.
“Fine. They just burn.”
Gwen observed Aeron as he breathed through his pain. She knew the manacles hurt, but Aeron looked to be in excruciating pain. Gwen assessed her own pain; the sensation stayed isolated around her wrists. As long as she didn’t move, she realized she could ignore the pain. Gwen wondered if the difference was due to their different levels of pain tolerance.
“Do you remember what happened during dinner?” Aeron asked, propping his head against the stones at his back.
“You were knocked unconscious,” Gwen replied, remembering the bloody plate she saw on the table.
“Did you see by whom?”
“No. I was too busy trying to breathe.”
Aeron raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
Gwen relayed the suffocating sensations she experienced prior to losing consciousness. She told him she did not even hear him get hit with the plate, she was so distracted.
Aeron’s frown deepened as he listened to her story. “Was it cold?”
Gwen’s answer was automatic. “Very. The coldest I’ve ever been.”
“Someone used their Winter ability to freeze the air in your lungs,” Aeron reported with confidence.
“So it was a Winter Fae.”
Aeron nodded. Gwen figured as much, but her worry increased at having the information confirmed further.
“I don’t understand why I am still alive,” Gwen admitted again, with unease. It was not easy to discuss her own death so casually. “Seems like whoever brought us here had the perfect opportunity to take me out.”
“Oh, I did.”
Gwen’s and Aeron’s chains rattled as they stiffened and turned towards the opening door. The voice came from beyond its boundary.
A male form stood in the shadows beyond the door’s threshold. Slowly, the figure moved forward and stepped into the room’s bright light. Gwen’s mouth parted in surprise.
“Lord Leo?” Gwen remembered the Winter Fae from Court. He was King Kheelen’s secretary. The lord had been nothing but polite when interacting with her. Never once did she feel threatened or uncomfortable around him. She never would have thought he would take an aggressive stand against her. Then again, Gwen supposed she couldn’t claim to know what any Fae would do regarding her dual-court status.
“Leo,” Aeron growled the name at the same time she spoke. His lips formed a stern line. “What is the meaning of this? Release us at once.”
The secretary laughed. The sound sent dread down Gwen’s spine. It was not the sound an ally would make.
“I do not think so, Duke Aeron. Though, I admire your attempted display of authority. You will quickly learn it has no place here.”
“What do you want?” Gwen asked, sounding stronger than she felt. She refused to cower.
Lord Leo looked at her with a smirk. “What my queen wants, of course.”
“That is me dead, correct?” Gwen tilted her head to the side as she observed the Fae in front of her. “What are you waiting for?”
“Gwen!” Aeron hissed under his breath. Gwen turned and met his narrowed gaze. Aeron did not like her antagonizing their captor. He didn’t realize Gwen was tired of the constant fear she felt since returning to the Fae Realm. She used to be strong. Confident. If she were to have her life cut short by some crazed Fae, she refused to go meekly.
Gwen turned back to the silent Winter Fae. He was observing her with curiosity. “Correct?” She repeated.
Lord Leo’s eyes hardened. Their blue depths flashed like stones in the light. “Just like your mother,” he ground out, disgust laced in his
tone. “Arrogant and naïve. Do you think your display will change your fate?”
A scoff came from Aeron’s side of the room. Both Gwen and Lord Leo turned to him.
Aeron met the Winter Fae’s eyes with annoyance. “What do you know of Princess Gwendolyn? As I recall, you often sought her company and she would not give you the time of day.”
Lord Leo barked a discrediting laugh. “Do not presume to know anything about me, Duke Aeron.”
“Do not presume to know anything about my princess, Lord Leo,” Aeron returned with equal bite. Gwen watched the exchange warily. Aeron seemed more worked up than she would have liked. They needed to keep their cool if there was any hope of getting out of the situation alive.
Lord Leo’s cool was swiftly dissipating. “It is not a presumption. I know more about Princess Gwendolyn than you can imagine.”
“Enlighten me,” Aeron challenged.
The Winter Fae’s smile grew colder. “What do you wish to know? Of her infatuation with your brother? Yes. I knew all about that. I saw her interactions with the rightful duke before he left Summer Court. How did that make you feel? To watch the girl you cherished choose someone else?”
Gwen watched Aeron’s reaction during the secretary’s cruel words. Besides a tightening around his eyes, the duke gave no indication he even heard the words.
“Or,” Lord Leo continued manically, “Perhaps you wish to hear of her liaison with King Kheelen? Those two were quite scandalous with their relationship.”
Gwen inhaled sharply, and Aeron’s lips turned down.
Lord Leo turned to Gwen. “That’s right, dear. I know the king is your father.”
Time froze as Gwen contemplated how to best react. Should she deny it? Would it make a difference? She didn’t think so.
Instead, she surprised both males by asking, “Does the queen know?” Gwen thought it would explain the queen’s fervent desire to see to her death.
“Of course not,” the secretary replied with malice. “I would never burden the queen with word of the king’s infidelity. No. I took care of it myself.”
Gwen saw Aeron stiffen out of the corner of her eye. She glanced and swore she could feel the anger pouring off of him in waves.
Work of Fate (Dual Court Kiss Book 2) Page 19
