“I thought I wanted you to open up, but your emotional side is terrifying me.”
We laughed and hugged, and she drew me back into the kitchen with the others. But I couldn’t forget her words. When Drake had his “real” son or daughter, and Brendan had a new wife, where would I be? Left in the Darkside with people who would be disappointed that the kings had forgotten me. And then what would happen to us?
Chapter Twenty-Three
The others pretended not to notice my tears when we left, but Drake held my hand as we stepped through the portal back to the blackthorn forest. In the human realm, we had gathered up bottled water for the witch or guardian or whatever she was. She watched us approach. The stick men were all gone.
“Only on a full moon,” Dymphna said in answer to my unspoken question. “They only come to life under the moon. And even then, they looked to be dying.”
“You could make it rain,” I whispered to Drake as we walked. “You can alter the weather and help them.”
“I can’t.” He looked doubtful. “That was with Brendan, and I struggled.”
“That’s because you were fighting against Sadler’s magic.”
“The old woman said Sadler’s magic caused this drought.”
“But he’s dead. He’s not maintaining it. It just is. You could change it for them.”
He gave me a sideward glance. “Why do you always want to help everyone?”
“Why don’t you anymore?”
He sighed as I pushed ahead of him.
We gave the old woman the water. “Don’t waste your time on the dying,” she said even as she looked longingly at the water.
“You’re not dead yet,” I said firmly. “I’ll find a way to get water to you.”
“We could try,” Drake said, surprising me. “You and me together. We could maybe make it rain for a little while.”
“Me?” I touched my throat. “I don’t have that kind of magic.”
“You feed us with your emotions. And you have the power of the Darkside behind you. We could do anything together now.”
So, I fed them. A regular mother of the people I was turning out to be.
“The blight will kill us eventually,” the old woman said. “But the drought will be quicker.”
“She already told you she was going to find a way to stop the blight,” Rumble said.
“And I believe she'll try,” the old woman said. “But she might be too late.”
“I don’t like to give up.” I grinned. “I’m optimistic that way. It’s one of my human faults. Let’s do it, Drake.”
He pulled me away from the others.
“But, um, how exactly do we do this?” I asked.
He laughed. “The confidence is gone already? We’ll figure it out. I’ll try to start, and you just… I don’t know, support me. Add to it. Flood me with emotion. This will only last for as long as we’re here, but it’ll be something.”
He rolled his shoulders back and flexed his limbs. When he caught me staring, he tried to smile, but I could see how tense he was. He was terrified of failing without Brendan, I realised. How tightly the three of us were connected, whether we liked it or not.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath then held his hands out, palms upright. I hesitantly placed mine against his and followed suit. I sensed the others watching, but at least if we made fools of ourselves, we had a small audience.
It seemed as if nothing was happening, but then I felt a tingle in my palms. I imagined I could smell fresh rain, but the air was as warm and dry as always. Everyone kept saying I had the power of my fae behind me, but I didn’t know how to wield it—at least, not deliberately.
But I did know how to feel. Maybe if I imagined feeling the rain, it would help. “It rained the day we went to the beach,” I said under my breath.
“Hmm?”
“The day I talked about in the tunnel. There was a sun shower. It was warm, almost like this, and the rain was cool against my skin. Scarlet and I danced in the rain while Anya hid under a canopy. The raindrops felt like kisses. They tickled. It was—”
I gasped as I felt a few drops of water on my cheeks.
“Hold on,” Drake said, laughing. “It’s just starting.”
He held my hands as I threw back my head and looked up at the sky. The rain was cool and clean, and we had caused it to happen.
“See?” I cried as the rain drenched my hair. “You didn’t need him.”
The shower grew heavier, and I let go of Drake to twirl around.
Dymphna was laughing, and the witch held out her hands, a look of rapture on her face. I expected the ground to get soft, but it had been so hardened that the rain barely had a chance to wet the surface before it was sucked under.
The air shifted when Drake stopped projecting his magic, but the rain still fell. The old woman cooed to the trees, completely ignoring us.
“We should move on,” Rumble said.
We were all in agreement. We headed back toward the horses.
I looked over my shoulder to see the white raven return to the woman. She didn’t look so old anymore. She lifted her hand as if to acknowledge me. Drake asked me a question and distracted me. When I looked back a second time, the woman was gone.
My feet were blistered, but the cool rain stopped me from sweating at least. It died away, but not before the blackthorns had gotten a badly needed drink. I was determined to maintain a supply of water for the witch until we fixed the realm. We had to do something to help the fae who were suffering because of Sadler’s actions. Maybe, when everything was over, I would take Bekind up on her offer to travel the realm, if only to get to know the place and its people a little better.
“We need to reach Grim and let him know we have the stone and what became of Brendan,” Drake said as we walked. “And then we must get to the Fade. We’ll have to cross the Hauntings again.”
I nodded, determined. “We can do it. We’ll all be together, and we’ll do it.”
“I have no doubt,” he said. “But it won’t be easy to go so far.”
“We’ll be safe on the Darkside,” Rumble said.
“I’m not worried about the Darkside,” Drake said in a low voice. “Not anymore. I’m worried about the valley. I’m worried about the Fade. And if Sadler was really collecting these treasures, it’s not outrageous to think his followers might be trying to finish the job. I won’t feel comfortable until we’re safely back in our territories with the rift sealed.”
He didn’t say he was worried that the stone might not work, but he might as well have screamed it. There were so many unknowns.
The horses were exactly where we had left them, but the idea that I would be away from Scarlet for longer than I'd expected was growing stronger by the moment. Scarlet had been content in Zoe’s arms, and I should have been grateful for that, but I was too selfish. Part of me wanted to be missed, to be the only one for her, but maybe my daughter was teaching me a lesson that Grim had tried to gently pass on to me: I couldn’t rest my happiness on the shoulders of one little girl. It wasn’t good for either of us.
Dubh didn’t bite when I reached him. He leaned his chin on top of my head, and it was comforting. “Stupidly big faery horse,” I whispered as he whinnied too close to my ear.
We loaded up again and moved on, not going anywhere near Yvette’s land. We passed through tiny villages where the locals welcomed us with awe in their eyes. We carried no flags, but everyone knew who we were and what we had set out to do. In every place, people stopped, fed, and fawned over us before allowing us to leave. The fae had spent too long being terrified of their leaders. We had suddenly become approachable. As Dymphna had hinted, perhaps they saw us as heroes on a noble quest. We couldn’t let them down.
“Nothing’s secret around here, is it?” I asked wryly after another eventful day.
“Not a lot,” Dymphna said.
We camped close to a village that night but away from prying eyes. Drake and I huddled together ar
ound the fire, our backs to the freezing night air, trying to plan for failure.
“I think we should go down to the cave alone,” I whispered. “Just you and I. With the stone, it’s like we both have to touch it for it to work, and maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t want to test that theory.”
“You’re right.” He hesitated. “Have you thought of what will happen to the realm if this goes wrong, and we both die?”
“Only all of the time.” I rubbed my hands together. He made to cover them with his, but I gently pulled out of his reach. “Scarlet will need a new regent, and Sorcha will be in charge of the Silver Court.” I looked at him. “Will she try to kill Scarlet when you’re dead?”
“I don’t think so.” He looked uncomfortable. “She’s not… who I thought she was.”
“It’s okay,” I said gently. “I know she’s capable of love, and I’m sure she has more layers than just dark and evil. I’m over the past as long as she doesn’t try to harm Scarlet. You don’t have to pretend you hate her on my account.”
“I don’t… hate her. Sometimes I pity her. The Silver Court isn’t pleasant, Cara. They call her barren behind her back and laugh to her face. There’s only so much I can do. Donella doesn’t help.”
“I can imagine.”
“She fills Sorcha’s head with ideas and makes her think they’re her own. And Sorcha plays right into her hands, so Donella can turn to the others and ridicule her bad sense.”
“So, get rid of Donella.”
“If I truly lose her, I’ll lose half my court.”
I sighed with frustration. He would never learn. “What does Donella want?”
“A crown.” He gave me a pathetic look. “I haven’t touched her.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your eyes said everything. She knows that Brendan despises her, and she missed her chance to befriend you, so she turns to me, seeing me as the weakest of the three, the one who needs her most.”
I frowned. “I thought everyone saw me as the weak one.”
“Perspective. Brendan thinks the same about himself. That’s why he even entertains the idea of marriage to Yvette. He feels obligated.”
“What about me? Am I going to feel obligated? Or worse, is Scarlet?”
“You’ve already provided an heir. Unless there's some male fae with an army and a huge parcel of land to share with you, then no, you won’t be pressured into anything.”
“But Scarlet will.”
He gave me a fierce look. “We’ve plenty of time to change the rules before the children grow up to be affected by them.”
I held my hands closer to the fire, unable to get the warmth into me. “Maybe they already are affected. I’ve been thinking about this whole thing with Setanta and Liliana. Even you and fae like Rumble and Vix. You're half siblings, but you can’t be a family. The rules make you enemies at birth. You and Brendan could have children who might become Scarlet’s rivals someday—like the queens. They were twins, and they despised each other.”
“We won’t let that happen. We’ll fix our mistakes with the next generation.”
“And if Brendan gets married to Yvette and her massive army and decides he doesn’t like the way we’ve taken his realm?”
“Then you and I must stick together to defend against him.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his hands to stop me.
“We were given what we have,” he said. “Circumstances might not be ideal, but Brendan deserved his punishment. He wasn’t a wise or worthy leader the first time around, and he lost some of his responsibilities.”
“He’s wise and worthy now.”
“We don’t see him through the same eyes. But he’s made a great sacrifice for the realm, so perhaps you see him through clearer eyes than I do.”
And that was probably the best I was going to get from the faery whose body had almost been stolen by the returning king.
***
Dubh reared and whinnied, his eyes wide with alarm. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as the others leapt to their feet, expecting trouble. A group of soldiers burst through the undergrowth and surrounded us. Their leader was dressed in the same slate-grey armour as the others, but his sneer reminded me of a certain Fox.
“What do you mean by this?” Drake demanded as Rumble and Dymphna unsheathed their swords. I moved to Drake’s side, trying to look furious when what I felt was terrified.
The soldier circled us slowly, and I spotted an insignia on his saddle that looked vaguely familiar. I couldn’t place it, but I still considered it a bad sign.
“Trespassers deserve death,” the man rasped, his eyes on me. Why did everyone always look at the human when they talked about killing things?
“Trespassers,” Dymphna scoffed. “Do you know to whom you speak?”
“I don’t care.” The man was raising his sword when a young, eager voice commanded him to stop.
The soldier’s face wrinkled into one of weary impatience. “What now?”
“Leave them be,” said a young man with brown hair.
A blonde rode into the clearing after him, looking startled when she caught sight of the scene. “Aiken? What’s happening?”
“Who are you?” Drake asked.
“You’re talking to the only daughter of MacKenzie,” the soldier spat, “so why don’t—”
“Enough,” the woman said, steeling her voice in a way the man beside her couldn’t. And I realised I had seen the pair of them before. In the woods, on the way to the Fade, they had passed with a carriage. According to Grim, MacKenzie wasn’t someone I wanted to meet.
“They’re trespassing,” the soldier said almost pleadingly.
“They’re royalty,” the young man said. “It is he, isn’t it?”
The young woman slid off her horse. “I must apologise. My men are overly vigilant when it comes to protecting my father’s most prized possession.” She said the words in a sarcastic tone. “You are the king and queen of the Silver Court, are you not?”
Drake nodded, but I held up my ringed hand. “I’m the Darksider, actually.”
“Silver and Chaos together,” she said, her eyes gleaming. “Father will be most interested. We had heard there was a secret mission the royals were attending to.”
“It’s not a secret,” I said. “The three of us set out to save the realm. And we’ll continue on our way if your trained dogs here will step aside.”
She smiled as if encouraged. “Well, now that we’ve officially met, I’ll have to invite you to my home to meet my father.”
“We’re in a hurry,” Drake said.
“Come for dinner,” she said, almost pleading. “That’s all I ask. Father hasn’t vowed for any one court, and he is a worthy ally, I assure you.”
I bit back a remark about adding even more cruelty to my court.
Drake looked interested, however. “We can eat with you, but we must move on by morning.”
“Of course.” She looked at me with a great deal of interest. “I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally put a face to the name.”
I gave her my best smile, which, under the circumstances, was more than a little pained. We were stuck following her after that. In less than an hour, we reached a mansion.
“Plenty of hunting land,” the young man was saying to Drake, sounding proud even though the land wasn’t his. Maybe it would be someday.
“I’m Leonora, by the way,” the girl told me. “Although I’m often only known as the daughter of MacKenzie.”
“That’s okay. I’m often only known as the human.”
Her tinkling laugh might have made me smile if I weren't so grumpy. She seemed pleasant enough, but if her father was a figure of terror, I didn’t want to linger in her home.
We reached the buildings, and our horses were taken by groomsmen, which made me uneasy. Leonora seemed to sense that and reassured me that they would be treated well and returned to us when we needed them. Then she took us ins
ide and directed servants to help us get cleaned up.
The stone mansion was stark and cold. It wasn’t showy like a castle, but inside, the rooms were huge. In all honesty, I was glad to have a bath. When I was done, a clean dress had been laid out for me, and my cloak was gone. My heart raced in my chest as some pixies prepared me for dinner. I barely paid attention to them, and I groaned when I caught sight of their creativity in the mirror. They had made me look like a freaking geisha with super pale skin, red lips, and heavy kohl around my eyes. I was called for dinner, so it was too late to clean the crap off my face.
I met Drake in the hallway in a panic. He looked startled by my appearance.
“Not a word. The stone is gone,” I whispered. “They took it.”
“They won’t even know what it is. Don’t worry.”
Before I could argue the point, we were escorted into a huge dining hall where a lavish dinner had been supplied. Large fires burned in fireplaces on either side of the room, and dozens of candles lit the space.
Leonora rushed to greet me. She took my hands and led me to her father. He stood and studied me. He wasn’t tall, but he had a commanding presence, and his cold gaze made me forget I was supposed to be a queen.
“This is MacKenzie. Father, this is the Darksider Queen.”
“Cara,” I added, embarrassed by his thorough inspection of my face.
“Did you ask for this?” He waved his hands over his face.
“I did not,” I said indignantly. “Your pixies went to town without my knowledge or consent.”
His grey eyes narrowed. “Guests are generally more polite to their hosts.”
“Hosts generally don’t steal my clothes while their pixies turn me into a living doll.”
He arched one grey brow. In fact, everything about him was grey. Even Leonora, blond and normally pretty, looked washed out and ill next to him. The blood-red dress I had been given to wear was the only saturated colour in the room, and for whatever reason, that made me uncomfortable.