by Kailin Gow
“She apparently refuses to negotiate Prince Kian’s release under any conditions!”
“Negotiate?” My mouth fell open. “What negotiations?”
“Oh, please,” said Shasta. “Cease your excuses. My mother sent messengers and messengers, so many of them to negotiate – but you turned them away without even bothering to see them. And we heard that my brother was held prisoner, awaiting his execution!”
“It's not true!” I protested. “I was never told of these messengers – I promise you, Shasta! I'm trying to save Kian, too. It's why I'm here now.”
“Really?” Shasta raised an eyebrow.
“Really – you know how much I...” I caught myself just in time. “I care for your brother deeply – so deeply that I'm risking everything by being here right now to save him.”
“Then why didn't you...?”
“Wort's knights. His men. I've been a prisoner in my own palace – with no power to make any decisions, no abilities – I've been poisoned by kelpie soup, kept weak and sleepy and exhausted so I couldn't reign. That's why I escaped.”
Shasta's face darkened. “And now you've come to help save him!”
“It's true!” Logan said. “I know her – I know Breena. And she'd do whatever it takes to help Kian. Why else would she be out here alone, in secret, in a knight's costume?”
“Why indeed?” said Shasta.
“To save Kian!” I shouted.
“If you wanted to save him, you could have issued an order.”
“I can't do a thing publicly! The people of Summer are baying for Kian's blood. Aside from Wort, publicly freeing Kian would mean risking my own life. No thanks to you! Your assassination of the Summer Queen is what caused all of this in the first place! You're the reason your brother is in prison – for your crimes, I might add! So don't get all haughty on me, Shasta!”
“She was going to execute Rodney,” Shasta cried. “If I hadn't stopped her...”
“There are consequences for your actions, Shasta,” said Logan gravely. “Breena may have become queen, but it is but a title. She has no real power in a kingdom so divided by factions and strife. The old Summer Queen's advisers are behind the war against the Winter Court, they were from the first. And now we are further away from peace than ever before! Even with Breena herself on the throne.”
“The Winter Queen is furious with Summer for capturing Kian, and ignoring all attempts at negotiating for his release.” She bit her lips and looked down, before propping up her chin and taking a good hard look at me. “Kian does not know how much Mother actually cares. She is prepared to gather an army to storm the Sumer Court if Kian is hurt.”
Rodney broke in at last. “I convinced Shasta to help me rescue Kian before it comes to that. I cannot have my friends and family at the Summer Kingdom killed. That's why we're here.”
“I see,” I said. “Then perhaps we could work together after all.”
I gave a nervous laugh – but it was not echoed by the others around me. It was clear that the tensions among the four of us would be a serious barrier to saving Kian. Once, we had all been friends together, and had danced together at the Winter Ball. But such days seemed far behind us now. Is this what the world had in store for us now? Would we too become enemies like our parents?
Was this how War happened?
Chapter 8
We stood looking at each other for quite some time. At first our stares were cold and harsh, wary of each other. We had almost dueled each other to the death, after all, and even now that we had expressed our common cause it was clear that we had not begun to trust each other. I could see Shasta's silver-blue eyes looking me up and down. Was I going to betray her, she wondered. Was I going to betray her brother? Was this all just part of the plan for me to rule both kingdoms? Not that I could trust her any more that she could do me. After all, how was I to know she wasn't going to stab me in the back once Kian had been saved, and take over Summer?
Logan and Rodney were shifting awkwardly on their feet, waiting for us to defuse the situation. Slowly, as time passed and the first flickers of dawn appeared on the horizon, we began to calm down. Our breath became deeper; our heartbeats became softer. Shasta and I continued staring at each other, but deep down we knew the truth. We both loved Kian – more than we loved our respective political situations. And we would do whatever it took to save Kian, and to make him happy. Rodney and Logan knew this too, and although jealousy was displayed clear as sunlight on Logan's face, he was nevertheless the first to speak, talking in a gruff, hoarse voice.
“Do you know anything about this prison?” Logan asked, staring intently at the ground. “Where, uh, where your brother's being held?”
Rodney cut in. “I was a Summer Knight, once,” said Rodney. “Before I chose love over war. I guarded this prison once. I know the way in.”
“How?” My voice grew higher with anticipation.
“There is a secret tunnel – not far from this clearing. It's the only way in – it's how soldiers get food in and out. It's at the root of a thick tree, dug in under the moat. It's guarded by seven Summer Guards.
“Will they listen to me?” I asked. “If I order them, as Queen...”
Rodney gave a grim smile. “Your power as Summer Queen,” he said, “makes you persuasive – whether fairies want to listen to you or not. Certainly...Redleaf had that power.”
I could hear the anger in his voice when he spoke her name. After all, the Old Queen Redleaf had nearly had him executed for the crime of loving the Princess Shasta. But what Rodney said twinge a flicker of hope in me. Away from Wort and the poisonous kelpie soup, would I be able to use the Summer powers for good? The powers that I’ve inherited?
“So, if I just ask....”
“It's not about just asking,” said Shasta, rolling her eyes. “It's about commanding. Harnessing regal fairy power. I have some – not as much as my mother, of course...” I could discern jealousy in her voice. Once, Shasta was the crown Princess – and I envied her for it. But now I was Queen, and my power far outstripped hers. She had to know this.
“Then what happens?” I asked, ignoring Shasta's barbed remark. “I can't just command the soldiers to let Kian out.”
“The ones in the clearing,” said Rodney. “You can get them to stand aside – if you harness your powers correctly. I don't think it will last long – they're bound to realize what's happening sooner or later, but by then we'll be safe inside the castle.”
“And we'll have Kian to fight with us!” Shasta looked pointedly at Logan. “He's the best fighter I've ever seen.”
If Logan were a wolf at that moment, his hackles would have risen. The top of his ears grew crimson, but he stood his ground, resting his strong feet in the earth. How strong he was – silent and stoic? If only it were easier to ignore the attraction I felt towards him, to devote my attention totally to Kian. I loved Kian – I did! The memory of his kiss still left me weak at the knees, still left my lips quivering and tasting of summer sun. But when I was near Logan, his attraction towards me, his feelings for me, became overwhelming. I could not ignore them – the full, animal force of his longing. I admired him; I respected him. And now I had to force myself to separate myself from him. I hated seeing Logan hurt like this, but I knew why Shasta was so brittle. She had once accused me of choosing Logan over her brother Kian – and while she would allow me her favor as long as she was confident that I truly loved her brother, she would kill me before she allowed me to hurt her brother, even for a moment. And whatever had happened, or not happened, between me and Logan – it would definitely hurt Kian if he knew how confused I felt.
“Very well,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Let's go!”
“I've got an extra sword in my pack,” said Shasta. “For Kian.”
We made our way through the woods according to Rodney's directions. At last we came to what was unmistakably the right clearing. Seven Summer guards dressed smartly in the finest armor were guarding what looked like an o
rdinary tree.
“That's the one,” whispered Rodney. “I remember – the hole in the tree leads to the passageway.”
“I hope you're sure about this,” said Shasta.
“You can do it, Bree.” Logan squeezed my hand.
The four of us walked straight into the clearing – straight into danger. The seven guards instantly put their hands upon the swords.
“You will let us past,” I said, in my most regal voice. “By the order of the Summer Queen.” My voice let out a little squeak at the end, strangled by fear.
“We'll what?” said the first guard, peering closer.
He hadn't been hypnotized. I tried again, trying to harness the Summer power.
“You will let us past, by the Order of the Summer Queen!”
“Look here, young man...”
I closed my eyes and concentrated. On my need to get Kian out, on my love for him, on the taste of his kiss – on the glowing, throbbing, royal power of the Summer Sun...
“You will let us past,” I said, my voice unearthly and not my own. “By order of the Summer Queen.”
The soldiers grew still and sleepy.
“Of course, Your Highness,” said the main guard, in a voice that seemed to be coming from a million miles away. “We exist to do your bidding.”
“Very well,” I said in a clipped voice. The guards stood aside, and we could see the narrow hole in the enormous tree trunk, leading down into the tunnel.
“Let's go then.”
One by one we forced our bodies into the tiny entrance, until at last all four of us were underground. The tunnel smelled dank and miserable, filled with icy cold air, but our conviction and bravery warmed our hearts as we walked faster and faster.
“That must be the moat overhead!” said Shasta, as we heard the sound of running water. “We can't be far, now!”
At last a twinkling light at the end of the tunnel told us that we had finished our journey. We clambered up a spiral staircase that creaked with every step and held on tightly. At last we opened a trapdoor and found ourselves squarely in the midst of a narrow corridor that slanted upwards in a spiral, heading higher and higher. Kian, I remembered, was at the very top of the tower.
We held our swords more tightly as we continued onwards.
“Come on now,” said Shasta. “Hurry! They'll get their minds back soon enough, and then they'll be waiting for us.”
We were lucky. No guards were guarding the tower itself – as it had no entrances and no exits, they were all in the clearing for the time being.
At last we reached the top of the tower, our feet aching with the journey. We came to a little wooden door bolted shut with iron.
“The keys!” hissed Logan, pointing to a set hung on the wall. We frantically grabbed hold of the keys and forced them into the lock, rushing into the door all at once.
“Kian!” Shasta cried, rushing ahead into the arms of her brother.
“Sister?” came a weak voice, buried by Shasta's lithe body. At last the figure stood up before us, and I gasped. Even ill-treatment, malnutrition, and torture had not diminished his great fey beauty. He was paler than before, and thinner, but the same deep-blue eyes and soft lips were there, fixed upon me in a look of longing, of love. At once I was filled with such love and desire for this fey prince that filled my dreams both day and night. But my body shook with anger at Wort and the Summer knights who had mistreated Kian. No one can mistreat my intended like this and get away with it!
“We've brought you a sword!” Shasta cried, thrusting the sword into Kian's hand, but he was evidently distracted. His eyes had turned to me, and were shining with love and devotion.
“You came, my darling,” he whispered. “I knew you would come.”
There was no time to allow myself to fall into his arms. My heart was still beating swiftly; danger was around us on all sides. The soldiers would surely have come out of their trance by now, and would doubtless in a few moments be knocking on the door we had hastily bolted shut.
“Oh no...” Shasta whispered.
We heard the sounds of the soldiers' footsteps trampling down the corridor, the noise as deafening as elephants' steps. We flung our hands onto our sword-hilts.
“There's no way out!” Logan shouted.
“The window...” said Kian softly. It was barred, and beneath us was a hundred-foot drop. “I didn't have enough magic to break it down on my own, but with all of us together.”
“And then what?” Shasta broke in.
Kian shot her a stern look. In a single, swooping motion, he tore his tattered shirt off his back and threw it to the floor, his muscles taut and rippling in the evening light. Behind him spread a vast and expansive set of silver wings. “They have not clipped me,” he said.
Shasta flashed him a look and extended her own – they fit neatly through two slits in her armor. Clearly she was used to this.
“You take Logan,” he said to Rodney. “I'll take Bree.”
“Who's in there?” The guards' voices were deafening, echoing through the chamber. “What's going on?”
“The door's locked!”
“Of course the door's locked; it's a prison!”
“No – from the inside!”
The guards began battering down the door, pummeling it with their fists. It was now or never.
“Concentrate,” said Shasta, as we all – the four of us fairies – fixed our magic together on the bars of the window.
“Harder!” Kian shouted.
It felt like an earthquake was taking place in my brain. My concentration was hard and fast, fixed on those few narrow metal bars that were the only thing standing between us and safety, us and true love...
The iron began to shake, trembling softly in its position, vibrating – slowly at first and then faster and faster.
“Now!”
A golden light from me and Rodney was taking hold of the bars, accompanied by a strange, silver light we had never seen before. The twin lights seized the bars, then in a blinding flash threw the bars into the air, wrenched loose of the prison. They fell swiftly to the floor.
Summer and Winter magic, working together. The gold and silver flames of magic forged a stronger magic than the iron bars. Iron was not fatal to the fey, as some believed in lore, but it was still a strong metal, which was plentiful in Feyland. Apparently not strong enough against the combined magic of Summer and Winter.
“You first!” Shasta pushed me in Kian's direction. “Meet you at the clearing!”
The guards were still battering down the door, but there was no time for me to protest. I let Kian fix his arms around me and jump from the window. For a few moments, we fell, and I felt a sickening feeling in my stomach as we plummeted, the earth coming ever closer. But then I heard the feathery, harsh sound of Kian's wingspan, and we were traveling up again, higher and higher until the tower itself was nothing but a dot or a memory. Despite Kian’s exhaustion, his royal fairy blood gave him the strength to hold me tightly while flying into the dark night sky. I turned around to see Rodney and Shasta, carrying Logan in tow, beating their wings against the night wind. As Kian’s wings flapped strongly, his arms drew me in tighter until our bodies were holding each other as though we would never let go.
Kian’s lips brushed against my forehead before settling briefly on my lips. “Oh Breena,” he said against my cheeks. “I had every faith in you that you would set me free, but for a while, I almost thought…”
“Hush,” I said. “I’m here, and I’m not letting you out of my sight anytime soon so keep holding me tight.” I looked down, a little more than afraid of plummeting hundreds of feet down.
Kian chuckled softly at this before he said, “You will get them, too, one day.”
“What?” I asked relishing being held in his arms.
“Your wings,” he said simply.
I nodded as though I always knew this. But deep down inside, I gave a small tremble. Despite how brave I appear to everyone, I had always had
a fear of heights. Knowing that I was going to have fairy wings one day, made me shuddered.
“Cold?” Kian asked, wrapping his arms around me so I can feel the slight warmth of his body. His hands began rubbing my arms, creating more warmth.
I nestled in closer to Kian as I felt the night air create a current under Kian’s wings. “So I’ll get wings, too,” I said. “When?”
Kian said simply, staring ahead. “When you become immortal.”
At last the clearing came into view, and the wing beats slowed as we made our way to earth again, bumping our feet on the ground.
“I feel a little seasick,” I murmured as I felt the ground cool beneath my feet.
I looked up. There we were, the five of us. Safe. Together. Free.
Chapter 9
When we were rushing to escape from the fortress, Kian hadn't had time to take in more than the basics of who was rescuing him. But now, as we stood catching our breath, obscured from view behind a series of pomegranate trees, Kian began to look around, taking full stock of his rescuers. “Sister!” he cried joyfully, rushing into Shasta's arms. She gave him a protective bear hug.
“Don't you ever worry us like that again,” she said, her voice loud with feigned anger. We both knew what she was thinking – that her actions, taken to see Rodney, had gotten Kian into this mess. But it was plain on her face that she was too proud to say as much. She continued to chide and berate Kian for worrying her, for getting captured, and yet from the slight waver in her voice and the redness spreading across her face Kian – and I – knew what she was really saying. I'm sorry, brother. I love you.
“And Rodney!” Kian enveloped Rodney in an embrace. “I am so glad my sister was able to rescue you, friend.”
“I hoped to rescue a damsel in distress,” said Rodney with a weak smile. “Instead I have fallen in love with a brave knight as well as a beautiful princess.”
“I suppose a good brother would tell you that if you hurt her, I'll kill you,” Kian laughed. “But somehow I think Shasta would get there first.”
