The black smoke lifts quickly, revealing a forest lit dimly by twilight. Sprites dance about on a tree branch above us; they laugh as they tease the evening glow-bugs that are beginning to come out.
“Are we in Creepy Hollow?” I ask.
“It feels like it.”
“Yes, it does.” I climb to my feet, smoothing my hands down my dress. “But why would she send us back here? I thought she said something about locking us up.”
Ryn shakes his head as he stands up. “I don’t know.”
I look around. “Hey, isn’t that our gargan tree? The one we always used to climb?”
“Yes.”
I walk slowly toward it, feeling a small tug at my heart. The last time I was up there, Nate was with me. We lay in the hollow created by the arms right at the top of the ancient tree. Nate asked me out on a date. A date where he then betrayed me. It makes me sad to think about it, but not as sad as it used to. I think I’m getting over it.
As I get closer, the shape of a person comes into view just on the other side of the tree. “Hello?” I call. I think of my bow and arrow, and they appear immediately, fitting perfectly into my outstretched arms. I tilt my head. “Who’s there?”
The person steps away from the tree and turns around to face me. My heart begins pattering out an uneven rhythm because I know this guy standing in front of me. I can’t remember ever meeting him, yet something about him is undeniably familiar. He looks a bit like Ryn, but he also looks a lot like an older version of—
“Reed,” Ryn whispers.
My bow and arrow fizzle away into nothing as I realize that that’s exactly who I’m looking at. But how? He’s supposed to be dead.
“Vi, is that you?” he asks. He takes a step toward me as his mouth turns up in that exact same smile that always used to warm my heart.
My throat tightens, and moisture gathers at the corners of my eyes. “This can’t be real,” I whisper.
He takes another step toward me and holds out his hand, but I don’t take it. I so badly want this to be real. I so badly want it to be Reed who’s standing in front of me, but it can’t be. It isn’t possible. We had a celebration-of-life ceremony. I watched his body float magically upriver in a flower-laden canoe and vanish beneath the Infinity Falls.
As if in a daze, Ryn walks slowly past me until he’s standing right in front of Reed. “Am I imagining you?” he asks.
That smile again. “Don’t I look real to you, brother?”
Ryn pulls Reed into a tight hug and says thickly, “I’ve missed you so much.” It’s so odd to see them together that I begin to think I must have hit my head when the Queen pushed me to the ground. This has to be a dream, right?
Reed pulls back and rests a hand on Ryn’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you too, Oryn. But you know I always loved Violet more than I loved you.”
Okay, what?
“That’s why I went to visit her on that terrible day, even after you begged me to stay home. She was more important to me than you ever were.” Reed’s eyes slide away from Ryn’s and meet mine. “She’s the one I’ve missed the most.”
No way. This definitely isn’t the Reed I remember. I take hold of Ryn’s arm. “This isn’t real, Ryn. Don’t listen to him.”
Ryn stumbles backward, looking a little stunned. “I think it might be,” he says. His eyes are glazed over as he stares at nothing. “I always wondered if … if that was really the way he felt.” He shakes his head and looks down, his face the picture of defeat. It unnerves me.
“Hey!” I lightly slap his cheek. “Snap out of it. I don’t know what’s happening here, but I’m pretty sure none of it’s real.”
“Pretty sure?” Reed says. I turn to look at him. “We live in a world of magic, V. Is it really so impossible that I’m standing right in front of you? Is it so impossible that I might love you? We grew up together. We did everything together. You were my best friend and—”
“And then you died,” I fill in. I let go of Ryn’s arm and begin drawing power from the center of my being. “And it was horrible and it sucked and it still sucks, but that is what happened. And the Reed I knew wouldn’t have said what you just said to Ryn. He loved his brother more than anything else, so I don’t know what twisted creation of magic you are, but you need to GO!” I throw everything I’ve got at him: a translucent, shimmering ball of raw magic. It strikes him in the stomach and throws him backward onto the ground.
Abruptly, the black smoke returns, dancing and swirling around us. I grasp Ryn’s hand before the darkness engulfs us once more. We spin faster this time, landing on the hard floor within seconds. I blink, taking a moment to orient myself. I swat at the last remaining wisps of smoke, then get to my feet as quickly as I can.
Wind sweeps my hair off my shoulders. The sounds of smashing, splintering and shouting fill the air. Objects fly past as they get caught up in a whirlwind of debris. In the midst of it all, Zell and his mother are doing battle. Savyon appears to be gone.
I point my bow and arrow into the heart of the fight as Ryn stands up beside me. “You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“What the hell just happened?” I dodge a flying book and a stray spark of magic.
“I don’t know, but we need to get some other guardians here as soon as possible.”
“Okay, you open the doorway, and I’ll make sure you don’t get hit by—Whoa!” I jump out of the way of a spinning broomstick. It strikes the floor and cracks in half, emitting a high-pitched screech as the two halves strike relentlessly at the floor. “Stuff like that,” I finish.
“Stop!” the Queen shrieks. Everything in the room freezes, then crashes to the floor. I look up and see Zell struggling behind a tangle of enchanted vines. The Queen is staring directly at me.
“Quickly!” I say to Ryn. I let my bow and arrow vanish and throw up an invisible shield of magic instead. The air ripples where the Queen’s magic strikes against it. A doorway opens beside me. Ryn reaches for my hand—but I’m thrown backward as a blast of black sparks breaches my shield.
Pain tears through my body as I strike the wall and slide down to the floor. I roll my head to the side with a groan. The Queen’s shimmering black and silver gown brushes the floor as she comes toward me. I look past her to where Ryn and I were standing. The doorway in the air is gone. So is Ryn.
Oh my crap, did he just leave without me?
“I see you managed to break out,” the Queen says, holding a hand up in front of her. I can sense a shield between us.
“Break out?” I ask. I still have no idea how we got to Creepy Hollow.
“Of your head,” she says. “Or his head. I can’t quite remember where I sent the two of you.” A wicked grin spreads across her face. “But you can probably figure it out. Whose deepest, darkest desires and fears did you witness?”
Ryn’s. Definitely Ryn’s.
Great. He is not going to like the fact that I was locked up inside his head with him. And I can’t believe he left me here!
“I have no idea who you are,” the Queen says, “but my son seems to think you’re valuable. Why exactly is that?”
I try to shrug, but it hurts too much. “Why don’t you ask him?”
Her eyes harden and her voice is cold as she says, “I’d love to, but I’m currently trying to get more important information out of him.”
Oh yes. Her eternity necklace—whatever that is. Well, she can torture Zell as much as she likes, but he’ll never be able to tell her the truth: that it’s hidden inside my own necklace.
A ripping sound from the other side of the room alerts us to the fact that Zell is breaking free of his magical bonds. The Queen moves her shield hand behind her. With the invisible layer of protection gone from between us, I think of my knife and take hold of it from the air. I’m about to throw it at the Queen when I feel something tighten around my arm. The knife disappears as thick, leafy vines slither around my wrists. My skin stings where the leaves touch me, and I feel oddly sappe
d of strength. I scratch feebly at the leaves with my free hand, but they jump across to my other wrist, binding my hands together.
“And up you go,” the Queen says, raising her hand to the ceiling. In one swift motion, I find myself dangling from the ceiling. My shoulders ache as my arms threaten to pop out of their sockets. “You won’t be going anywhere now; you need exceptional strength to get out of those.” She steps away from me. “I shall be back for you when I’m done with my son, and you will tell me what is so important about you, or it won’t be long before you know every horror of the Unseelie Court, little guardian.”
Nine
The Queen walks away from me, vanishing and then reappearing on the other side of the room. How did she do that? The faerie paths? She slashes her hand through the air in the shape of an X. Icicles materialize in front of her, and she pushes hard against them, sending them straight at Zell. He blasts away the final cords of vine and sends the icicles scattering with one sweep of his hand. They melt before they reach the floor.
“You don’t deserve to be immortal!” he yells at his mother. “I will never give you that necklace!” And with that, he launches himself at the Queen.
Hail, dirt and rain spin around them. They kick and hit and dodge as if in some furious yet expertly choreographed dance. I’m not sure how she does it, but the Queen never once trips over her gown. Despite the stinging pain in my wrists and the fact that I should be trying to escape, I find myself mesmerized. I’m watching Unseelie royalty fight one another; I could learn something from this.
As if he can hear my thoughts, Zell spins out of the way of a flock of crows and disappears into the passage. After throwing a giant ball of licking green flames after him, the Queen follows.
Great. I struggle against the vines, spinning myself uselessly around and causing even more pain in my wrists. I get nowhere. I give up and let out a cry of frustration. Zell and the Queen are gone, Ryn is gone, and I’m hanging helplessly from a ceiling in a long dress. This is so not my style.
“Look at you,” a voice below me says, “playing the damsel in distress.”
I glare down at Ryn. “Oh, how nice of you to show up. Where exactly did you disappear to?”
“I’ve been watching from the faerie paths.”
“And you couldn’t help me out a little earlier?”
“I was waiting for the right opportunity, like Zell and his mommy conveniently disappearing into another room.”
“Why didn’t you go back to the Guild for help?”
He frowns. “You’re my partner, V. I wouldn’t just leave you here.”
We stare at each other for a moment before I wriggle some more and say, “Well, are you going to get me down from here or what?”
He crosses his arms and tilts his head to the side. “I’m actually rather enjoying this.”
“Dammit, Ryn, I am in serious pain here!” I shout as tears begin to prick the back of my eyes. The skin around my hands and wrists is screaming out for relief.
“Sorry,” he says, hurriedly swiping his hand through the air. The vine connecting me to the ceiling is severed. I drop swiftly. Ryn steps forward and catches me easily, as if catching falling girls is something he does all the time. With the vines gone, I feel an immediate return of my power. The burning ache around my wrists and hands lingers on, though.
“That looks nasty,” Ryn says as he places me on the floor.
I look up and notice a shimmer in the air over his shoulder. A person exiting the faerie paths. “Hey—”
“Got you!” Savyon says. He steps deftly around Ryn and seizes me by the wrist. He grasps Ryn’s wrist in his other hand. A crazy second passes where we all seem to freeze, then Savyon jumps away from us. Feeling something cold on my arm, I look down. A band of metal encircles my wrist.
“No!” I shout, balling my fists in anger as I recognize the metal. “Dammit!”
“Fun, aren’t they?” Savyon says. “I found them hidden in Zell’s quarters at the Unseelie Palace. Seems my little brother has been hiding many fun toys from me.”
Furious at having to endure one of these magic-blocking bands for a second time, I pull my non-guardian knife out of its strap on my thigh and stab it into the side of Savyon’s neck without a second thought. He’s clearly so shocked I can do anything without magic that he barely manages to retaliate before Ryn kicks him hard in the chest.
“Is this what I think it is?” Ryn demands, holding his arm up as Savyon crashes into one of the couches.
“If you’re thinking that you’re now magic-less, then yes.” I dig my nails into my palms and kick my stupid dress away from where it’s getting tangled around my feet. Crapping crap! How are we supposed to get back to the Guild now? How are we supposed to finish our assignment?
Blood gushes from Savyon’s neck as he climbs to his feet, splattering dark crimson patches on the white couch. He yanks the knife from his neck and holds his hand to the wound. His voice is dangerously low when he speaks. “You just made a very big mistake.”
“So did you,” I say through gritted teeth. “You’ve now made it very hard for me to return to the Guild and complete my assignment. You just got between me and the top graduating position, and you have no idea how furious that makes me.”
Before I can make a move, one half of a broomstick flies through the air toward Savyon, followed closely by the second half. The two pieces of wood proceed to beat Savyon up as they screech wildly. “I’m kind of furious myself,” Ryn says. He looks at me from the corner of his eye. “Although I seem to be containing it better than you.”
The broomstick pieces come flying back at us, and we duck out of the way. Savyon vanishes the same way his mother did, then reappears right beside Ryn. He jabs my knife at Ryn, but I push Ryn out of the way and the knife slices across the top of my right arm.
Great, that won’t be healing for a while.
Ryn spins around and lands a punch to Savyon’s stomach, then gets forced back by a giant bat conjured up by a single word from Savyon. The bat flaps wildly around Ryn’s head as Savyon comes after me. He pins my arms to my sides just as I bring my knee up as hard as I can. His face contorts and he groans in agony, but doesn’t let go of me. He twists me around so my back is against his chest. He loops one arm around my neck.
“Mother thinks you must be important somehow, so I’m not allowed to kill you,” he breathes into my ear. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t have some fun with you. Shall we spend some time in my bedroom when we get back to the palace?”
“You’re disgusting,” Ryn growls, appearing suddenly beside us. “And if you’re looking for your magical bat, it’s currently crammed inside a clay jar.” And with that he brings his fist up to meet Savyon’s chin.
The Unseelie Prince loses his grip on me as his head snaps back. He stumbles away, regains his footing, and levels his gaze at us. “You know you can’t defeat me without magic,” he says with a maniacal laugh. He points his right hand at Ryn; the gesture is almost lazy, but the black sparks that shoot toward Ryn are powerful enough to knock him off his feet and into the air. When he hits the ground, he doesn’t move.
Crap. I need to check if he’s okay, but Savyon has set a new whirlwind into motion. Broken items lift off the ground and begin to swirl around me, trapping me in their funnel. I grab onto a stray piece of vine, then force my way out of the mini tornado, shielding my face with my arms. Tiny cuts sting my skin. My hand burns where the vine leaves touch it, but I’m not letting go of my only weapon. I lash out at Savyon, using the vine like a whip. The end catches him across the cheek. He grunts in anger as I snap the makeshift whip a second time. His hand flashes out and grabs the end of the vine. He tugs me forward, but I let go just in time.
“Come here!” he shouts. He reaches into the air with fingernails painted black. Against my will, I find myself skidding over the floor toward him. I try to fight it, but I end up falling over. I see light glimmering off a sharp edge and grab onto the shard of blue glass as I
slide past it. The jagged edge slices into my already burning palm. But I can’t think about the pain right now. As I crash into Savyon’s booted feet, I raise my arm to stab the glass into his leg. He kicks my arm aside, and the glass goes flying. I throw myself after it, but he grabs my legs and yanks me back. My scrabbling fingers reach desperately for the glass, but I’m already being pulled away. Savyon drags me across the floor and flings me around so that my body slams into the side of the couch.
Pain!
I try desperately to suck some air into my lungs as I look around for something, anything, I can use as a weapon. Then I see it—the handle end of the broken broomstick. With all the strength I can muster, I reach out and wrap my blood-covered fingers around the wood. Savyon grabs my waist, flings me over onto my back—and I shove the splintered end deep into his abdomen, just below his ribcage.
He gurgles and chokes as I kick him away from me. Still gasping for air, I get to my feet and stumble over to Ryn. I shake him, then slap his cheek a few times with my non-bloodied hand. “Get … up,” I manage to say as my breath returns to me. I shake him some more, accidently spreading blood across his white shirt. “Come on, Ryn, we have to get out of here.”
Nothing.
I lean over and speak right into his ear. “Please, please, please get up. I can’t leave without you.”
Nothing.
Then I see movement behind his eyelids, and he suddenly jerks awake. “What—how did—” He blinks as his gaze travels over me. “You look awful. Are you okay?”
I feel pretty awful. In fact, little sparks of light that I’m pretty sure aren’t real are beginning to dance in front of my eyes. “I’m fine.” I blink a few times as I stand up and tug his arm. “We have to run. Now!”
He jumps up and heads for the passage, pulling me after him. I hear Savyon shouting behind us, and I run as fast as my injured body will allow. I should be in a lot of pain, but adrenaline seems to be masking most of it—for now.