She looked away with a thoughtful pout. “Fuck it. Caister.”
A male appeared out of the green mist, dark shorn hair, blazing green eyes, and a haughty expression.
“Eva.” He scanned us. “If we piss her off, she’ll evict us.”
“From what I hear, soon nowhere will be safe.”
Caister sighed. “Maybe, if this works, all the loss … It won’t have been for nothing.”
Eva looked down at Fenn. “Well, King Alaron, shall we?” She held out a hand, and he took it, allowing her to haul him to his feet. “If she took your memories, then I suppose she expected you to find her.”
I walked forward. “I’m coming too.”
“Wynter?” Veles looked down at me with a frown. “You don’t need to go.”
“Yes. I do.”
Eva arched a brow at me. “Why? Don’t you trust the Hunt with your precious winter king?”
“No, I need to be there when he remembers, just in case remembering the past causes him to forget the present.”
She nodded curtly. “Caister.”
He rolled his eyes and then held out a hand to me. I slid my palm over his, and he tugged me toward him.
The chamber door burst open, and a man ran in. “Your Majesty. We’re under attack.” He doubled over, gasping for breath. “Frost sprites. An army. Headed this way.”
A distant horn sounded, and Aurelia visibly paled.
I ran toward the window, Veles and Finn at my heels. A mist was visible on the horizon, churning and moving closer, faster and faster, and there was a fog riding the air above the icy mist. Gray and thick, it bubbled forward, keeping pace with the mist beneath.
“There’s fog too.” I turned to Aurelia. “Has the winter kingdom attacked before?”
Aurelia’s smile was bitter. “If you don’t count the attack of the elements themselves, then no. Not in force. Not like this. She senses we’re weak. Winter has frozen many of the cogs that operate our war machines. Despite our best efforts, the keep is vulnerable, and Rayne must know it.” She raised her chin. “Rally the troops. Man the walls. They will not enter.” She turned her attention to the rest of the group. “Go. All of you. Leave now. Get the winter king back on the throne. You are our only hope.”
“Hurry,” Eva said. “Get into the green mist.”
Fenn’s men went first, followed by Dareth. Finn threw a glance my way before leading Roxy into the Hunt’s green fog. I slipped one hand into Veles’s, and one into the Raven’s, and together, we walked into the green.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The emerald mist parted, leaving us under the stars. Tall, black trees reached for the sky with spindly fingers, and the ground was patches of gray grass and inky soil. The air smelled overly sweet, like decay and death, and the only spot of color in the whole landscape was the juicy red apples that hung from the branches of the twisty trees.
Caister and Eva stood in front of us on a cobbled path that sloped downward toward some ruins—huge rocks that had been left standing in seemingly random positions. Lights flitted between those rocks, zooming back and forth.
No one spoke, and it was obvious why. There was an atmosphere of reverence about this place.
Eva broke the silence, her voice like a gunshot. “Follow us.”
They led us down the path toward the ruins. Veles’s grip on my hand tightened, and I passed it on to Raven. Behind us, the others began a murmured conversation. I glanced over my shoulder to see Finn talking to Dareth; he noticed me looking and smiled. It was a smile of conciliation. A let’s-talk-soon smile.
I wanted things to be all right between us so badly, but it was impossible to focus on relationships when we were working toward stopping the world from ending, and yet, the fact that it could all end soon made me want to lose myself in the men I loved.
The ruins were almost upon us, and the lights within were growing frantic in their movement.
We slipped under the arch and into the center of the structure.
“It’s all right,” Eva called out. “No harm will come to you.”
The lights settled on the pillars that looked like they were in the process of toppling over, on flat table-like rocks, on the ground, or hovered in the air like fireflies.
“Oh, fuck,” Veles said softly.
“What is it?”
“Fey energy, what humans would call souls. Nawia has been locked to them for a long time. It looks like they’ve been congregating here. Waiting to be freed and reborn.”
“Yeah,” Eva said. “It’s been a long time. Looks like your shimmer plan didn’t take into account what would happen to the dead on this side, did it? Maybe the Hunt should have been consulted.” There was real bitterness in her tone. “Maybe the Hunt should have been given a choice of which side of the damn shimmer to be on.”
“There was no way to accommodate everyone’s needs,” Veles countered. “We all lost something—memories, sanity, loved ones.”
“And some lost more than others.” She shook her head in disgust. “It doesn’t matter now. All that matters is stopping the bastard that’s doing this to us.”
“The king and the human woman will come with us,” Caister said. “The rest of you will remain here.”
Veles peered down at me. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
He pressed a kiss to my temple, and I caught Finn watching us. His mouth was twisted in pain, and a lance of answering pain shot through my heart. He’d made the choice. His pain was his to deal with.
“You best not forget us, you old dog,” Grendel said.
Fenn pulled the man into an embrace. “Like hell could I forget you.”
The men slapped Fenn on the back, but their faces were clouded with concern. And then Fenn was walking toward me, his expression somber. My heart went out to him.
We followed Caister through another arch and into a corridor hewn from rock. The winter king was close behind me, his breath warm on the nape of my neck. Was he afraid? He’d been Fenn for so long it was all he recalled, and to lose that, to become king again? Would he remember the man he’d become, or would that be wiped from his memory?
That was why I was there. To help him reconcile the two people he’d been forced to be, because when it came down to it, the foundation was all him.
The tunnel sloped downward, telling me we were headed underground, and a vise tightened around my chest as the memory of being trapped under the lake, at the kelpies’ mercy, flooded my mind.
No. This was different. I was in control here. I’d chosen to come. Calm settled over me like a mantle.
A huge hulking form appeared, blocking off any further progress into the tunnel.
Caister stopped. “Dormarth, I need to get past.”
The huge beast lowered its humongous head and growled. The vibration shook the foundations of the tunnel.
Caister looked back at us. “The beast is unmovable. We haven’t been able to get to the door to speak to Cailleach for weeks.”
The hound was glaring at us with its red-rimmed eyes, its lips pulled back in a snarl, ready to emit another warning growl, because that’s all it was. A warning. Cailleach had allowed the Hunt sanctuary, and my gut told me she had no desire to hurt them, even if they could be hurt.
The hound was a keep-away sign.
He wouldn’t hurt me.
The thought was a conviction that settled in my mind with a sturdy click. I brushed past Caister.
“What are you doing?” Fenn and Caister said at the same time.
Caister even made a grab for me, but I shied away from him, my attention on the hound that could easily eat my head. He was huge, but there was sadness in his eyes.
“Hello, my name is Wynter. Wynter Ashfall, and I have the winter king with me.” The hound’s chest rumbled. “Cailleach will want to see him. She has something that belongs to him. Something that could save us all.” For all I knew, he had no clue what I was talking about, but I had to try. “Please, let us get to th
e door. Let us try speaking to her. If she refuses to see us, then we’ll leave. You have my word.”
“You’re wasting your time,” Caister said.
But I was in a stare-off with the hound. Did it understand what I was asking? Its lips dropped over its teeth, and it relaxed, taking a step back before lowering itself onto the ground, resting its head on its massive paws.
“Well, fuck me,” Caister said softly.
I exhaled in relief before following Caister around the hound to a huge wooden door.
Caister knocked. “Cailleach? You have visitors.”
Silence greeted us.
“Cailleach? Visitors!”
“Piss off, Hunt dog. I told ye to leave me be! Where’s that Dormarth, stupid hound.”
Caister puffed out his cheeks, blew out a breath, and tried again. “Listen, you old mangy hag, the winter king is here. He wants his fucking memories back.”
There was silence.
And then the sound of a bolt being drawn. The door opened a crack, and a pale, unlined face appeared in the gap. Eyes the color of moss peered out at us. Her gaze swept over me and then over my shoulder to Fenn.
“Finally,” she said. “I was beginning to lose hope.”
* * *
Cailleach’s chamber was dimly lit and practically bare. Just a bed, a chair, and a wall lined with books.
“Don’t come too close,” she warned. “Do not touch me.”
“Cailleach?” Caister’s tone was concerned. “What is it? Why did you lock yourself away?”
“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that he is here.” She beamed at Alaron and then turned her attention to me. “You’re shorter in person.”
“Excuse me?”
“I saw you in my vision. But you were taller, formidable. I saw the possible outcomes of Oblivion’s reign, and in each one, you were its only adversary, but in each one, you failed. It took me time, but I determined why. The key was Alaron, the winter king. The key was his memories.”
“And so you took them,” Fenn said. “You took them for safekeeping.”
“You gave them to me willingly once you understood. And I had to hope that you would find your way back to me. That she would find you and lead you to me.” She was looking at me now. “You know what you are?”
“I know who I am.”
Her smile was pitying. “Yes, of course.” She waved a hand toward the wall of books. “Third row down, three books in. The volume with the red binding and gold lettering. Fetch it.”
I followed her instructions, finding the book easily. It was a thick volume bound in neat red leather.
“Open it.”
I flipped it open to find a box nestled in a cavity hewn into the pages.
“Take the box out and open it.”
The box was the size of a ring box, but instead of velvet, it was wooden. I tugged it free of the pages and put the book back on the shelf. Looking up at Fenn, I opened the box. Light stung my eyes, forcing me to squint.
“There,” Cailleach said. “Your memories.”
Fenn was staring at the box in my hand as if mesmerized.
“You must put them back into his head,” she said to me.
“Me? Why can’t you do it?”
She frowned. “Do you want him to remember or not?”
The crystal was the size of a peach pit. It pulsed as I held it up. “What do I do?”
“Hold it to his head.”
I approached Fenn. “Are you ready?”
He locked eyes with me, his icy blue ones clouded with anxiety. “What if I forget who I’ve become? What if I forget you?”
I took his hand. “Then I’ll remind you.”
He inhaled through his nose. “Do it.”
I pressed the crystal to his forehead. The pulsing stopped, and then it began to glow, brighter and brighter. Oh, God, I couldn’t look. I tucked in my chin and closed my eyes and then a hand wrapped around my wrist.
“I … I remember.”
I peered up to see the light was gone.
Fenn’s lips were pressed in a thin line. “I remember it all.”
He released me, and I lowered my arm. “Alaron?”
“Yes. Thank you, Wynter, for helping me.”
“You remember me.”
“I remember it all. The before and the after. I know what we need to do. We should leave before it’s too late.”
“Wait!” Cailleach said. “There is something I need you to do before you leave.”
She took a deep breath and pulled up her sleeve. Black veins crawled over her alabaster skin, disappearing up her arm and out of view beneath the cuff of her shirt.
“Oh, no.” Caister took a step back. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“Because I needed to be here. I needed to wait for the king, and I knew. I knew if you discovered I was tainted, you’d find a way to cast me out.”
Caister didn’t correct her. “It happened when you left the afterworld a few weeks ago, didn’t it? Why did you have to leave, you stupid hag?” There was no anger in his tone, just a resignation mingled with a deep fondness. “You shouldn’t have left.”
“I needed to find something.” She smiled wearily. “It came to me in a vision, and I needed to get it. Look under the bed.”
Caister did as asked and retrieved a small bundle of cloth. He unwrapped it and stared at the seeds inside. “What are they?”
“Nightsuckle seeds. The winter has all but killed the blooms that spawn the seeds, but I saw in my vision where to find some. The only blooms left in Faerie.”
“You risked your life for seeds?” Caister said, his tone rising. “Cailleach, what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking they can stave off the taint. Give them to the girl.”
Caister passed the pouch to me.
“You keep those on you, child. You keep them safe. There aren’t many left, so choose wisely how you use them. Now. There is one final thing I need you to do for me.”
I tucked the pouch into the inside pocket of my cloak. “What?”
“I need you to kill me.”
Caister made a strangled sound. “No.”
“I’m infected, Caister,” she said with a sad smile.
“And you can take one of those seeds,” Caister snapped.
“I have. And it allowed me to stave off the taint for weeks after the infection became apparent, allowed me to wait for the winter king to come. But now it’s time for me to rest. I’ve played my part, and those seeds are too important to waste on a player that no longer has a role in the game.” Her warm gaze fell on me. “You must kill me, Wynter.”
Ice filled my veins. “What? Me? Why me?”
“I am a goddess, and a goddess can either choose to end her life or have another god do it for her. The taint won’t allow me to end myself. So, I need your help. I need you to kill me. Please.”
“Do it,” Caister said, chin up.
I looked to Fenn, who was now Alaron. He inclined his head in agreement. “Once we’ve freed Faerie from the taint, she will be free to be reborn like all the other fey trapped here.”
“Gods retain their memories,” Cailleach said. “This is only temporary. I have faith that I’ll see this land again. But while I’m gone, Dormarth will need a master. I would like you to take him with you.”
“Me?”
She smiled. “He likes you. He let you pass. Will you take care of him for me?”
Take care of the monstrous hound with sad eyes? “I will.”
She let out a long breath. “Now, please. Set me free. It burns, you know. It burns most terribly, and I can no longer fight it.”
My stomach quivered. It was all very well to kill in the heat of battle, in self-defense, but this. This was cold and premeditated and all too deliberate.
“Argh.” She doubled over, clutching her abdomen. When she raised her head, her eyes had bled black. Her lips curved in a wicked smile.
“Ah … yes … I see. I see you, Wynt
er,” Oblivion said.
An icy hand gripped the back of my neck.
Cailleach squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “Now. Do it now. I’m out of time.”
All doubt melted away. I withdrew my bone dagger from my belt and approached her.
She closed her eyes and bared her throat. “Quick. The jugular is the best spot for a quick death.”
“I know.” I gripped the dagger tight. “I’ll see you soon, Cailleach.”
And then I slit her throat.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dormarth’s eyes had dimmed, and his ears drooped when I’d explained what had happened, but he’d followed me easily enough once I’d explained what Cailleach had wanted.
Caister approached Eva as soon as we exited the corridor, but all other eyes were on Alaron. It wasn’t my imagination, the king held himself differently, and the leadership air that had cloaked him was now more regal.
“Fenn?” Grendel said gruffly. “Shit, he’s gone, isn’t he?” But his eyes continued to search his friend’s face.
Alaron smiled. “I’m still here, old friend. I remember everything—the past and the present.” His smile widened into a grin. “Because in truth, how could I forget you?”
The big man’s shoulders relaxed, and then the two men were embracing with sturdy slaps on the back. The other men gathered around, and relief was palpable in the air. We had the winter king back but not at the expense of Fenn. That man was still with us in the memories that Alaron clung to.
Raven and Veles flanked me, and I slipped an arm through each of theirs, grateful for their presence.
Behind me, Dormarth’s hulking shadow pressed closer. He made a chuffing sound, blowing hot air across the back of my head as if inquiring if this, the guys being so close, was okay.
I looked over my shoulder. “This is Veles, and this is Raven, and they’re very important to me.”
Dormarth’s gaze flicked from Veles to Raven and then back to me. His ears pricked up, and he chuffed once more.
Fate’s Destiny: Heart of Darkness Book 3 Page 11
