She wondered if Stanis had been buying stolen magic, too, to live in exile. He probably had.
“What will it take to let us go?”
“What did you say?” He looked confused, as if no one had ever asked that question before. They’d probably been begging for their lives with the terror this man could instill.
Dylan was silent next to her. She wondered if he had given up already. Well, she hadn’t.
“I said, what will it take to let us go?”
Ferdinand watched her for a moment before sitting back, thinking hard to himself. He turned toward her and stared hard into her eyes. “How is it that I know you?”
Shade sat stunned, unsure of why he would ask such a question. She flicked her eyes from one to the other, wondering why he felt familiar, too. But she’d never met him. How would she have known him if she’d never met this faery before?
Red hair, green eyes and pale skin. He was tall for a faery but very handsome. She wondered what clan he was from and thought back to the only other red-haired faery she’d ever met.
“You’re Vyn. Your people are from the south, like Sary.”
His eyes widened at the name, and his color faded even more. “How do you know Sary?”
“She was part of my entourage on my first journey through Faerie. She helped me get to the Santiran Fountains. She helped save me when I was attacked by a Teleen warrior. I was there when her betrothed, Stephen, died. I tried to save him, but he’d been hurt badly by an Unseelie soldier of Aveta’s. How do you know her?” Shade felt his aura tickle her mind, as if he was searching for a lie inside her. He found none.
“Sary is my sister.” He looked away, sadness creeping in. “I know where I’ve seen you before. And you, too,” he said as he glanced at Dylan, who flicked his eyes from the floor up to meet Ferdinand’s, surprising him. “In my sister’s memories. I was there when she returned without Stephen, back to the Vyn kingdom. The Scren rules over ours, but we are allied. I had to break into her head, see if I could bring her back from the oblivion of sadness she’d sent herself into after Stephen died. She never did come back the same. She wanted to wither and join him, but I had to convince her otherwise.”
“Is she okay?” Shade felt her chest ache at the thought of her old friend. “What happened to her?”
“She’s fine. But I had to siphon power from an oracle to heal her. They wouldn’t go near her, said she was cursed. She wasn’t cursed. She was just lost in her mind.”
“It’s forbidden in Faerie to siphon power without a bind.” Dylan interrupted, his eyes cold and serious. “You took power you shouldn’t have to heal her. You were banished from Faerie forever for your crimes.”
“Yes. For my sister. I’m sure if you’d had a sister, you’d have done the same.” Ferdinand’s anger resurfaced as he stared down the Teleen warrior. Neither broke their concentration until Shade interceded.
“You knew they would do that to you, didn’t you?” Shade asked. For some reason, knowing he was Sary’s brother made him a lot less frightening.
“Yes, I knew.”
“What can I offer to let us go? I can look out for Sary if you want. I would do anything for her, she’s like a sister,” Shade offered. This brought his gaze back to her. Shiny, unshed tears filled his eyes as he studied her. He was gifted with telepathy and power siphoning, but it had been more of a curse than a gift, and he’d paid for it dearly.
“You would do that? Take care of her?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Because I’m….”
“Shade, don’t.” Nautilus was on his knees now, awakened from the knock they’d given him.
Dylan agreed. “Don’t tell him.”
Shade studied the two Teleen warriors, her bodyguards above all else. They only had her well-being in mind, but she had to save them. They also meant the world to her. She made up her mind.
“I’m Queen of the Southern Realm and ruler of the Scren Palace, descendant of the Summer Ancient Kilara and daughter of King Verenis, former ruler of the Scren Palace.” She watched Ferdinand as he absorbed her words. His eyes widened in shock at first, but slowly, a tiny smirk grew into warm, genuine smile.
“Of course. I should’ve known. You look quite different in human clothes. I saw your coronation. My sister scryed through a mirror to let me see it. Please forgive me, Your Highness.” He knelt to the floor and took her hand, kissing it with his lips. “And yes, I will let you go on the condition you take care of my sister.”
He stood, waving his hands over the shackles on their wrists. They cracked and dissolved into dust, and he smiled back at Shade.
“I know you must’ve heard the horrible things about me and what I do. Please, I ask you to not tell her any of it. Tell her I am well and that I own a book shop, which I do. It’s one of the fronts for my business. I don’t want her to ever feel guilty for what I did. Please.” His eyes pleaded with her, and her cheeks blushed at his intense stare.
The allure crept in again. Shake it off, shake it off!
“Of course, Ferdinand. Anything for Sary’s happiness.”
“Thank you!” He clasped her hands in his before pulling her in for a tight, squeezing hug.
Honeysuckle and musk…. This man was a faery incubus. He had to be.
He slowly pulled away, and she grinned at him, catching both Dylan and Nautilus rolling their eyes at the display.
“If you ever need anything, Shade, please let me know.”
“Thank you, Ferdinand.”
THE WALK BACK to the L train station was quiet as the three of them moved in silence, afraid to speak of what could have been. Shade felt giddy, as if Ferdinand had transferred some happy magic to her. She could see how useful his magic could be, but it wasn’t enough to make being thrown out of Faerie justifiable. She just hoped he didn’t siphon too many faeries or steal more humans. Either way, she was sure none of them wanted to cross paths with Ferdinand ever again.
Beneath the train platform, she pulled out the small blue summoning orb and smiled at Dylan and Nautilus.
“Ready to go home?” They both nodded. “Time to find out if Camulus is really a true friend or not.” She rubbed the small blue summoning orb and held it to her lips as it swirled a milky white color. “Camulus, will you take us home?”
Chapter Ten
Home
DROPPING HER BAG on the ground, Shade let her sister Anna crash into her, sending her a few steps back as she fought to not fall on her butt. Shade gripped her tightly, feeling, for once, at home again. She’d never been more happy to see the Scren Palace and even more so to see Anna, James and Benton.
“Hey, Sis! How’s the royal life ‘road trip style’ been treating you?”
She loosened her sister’s iron grip around her chest, sucking in a breath as she looked her up and down. Anna seemed taller—even older—than she had when they’d left to get Kilara. “You look like a beautiful young queen, Anna!”
“Oh my goodness, I’m so glad you’re back, Shade. You can have the throne. Not for me at all. Not much going on here, but man… I know what you mean now by having to repel a throng of suitors! Holy heck! Those Teleen men have journeyed here from the Caverns to court me. Me! I’m just sixteen for goodness sake! Soap has been able to keep them outside the actual palace walls, but they are relentless, asking for my hand in marriage, sending birds with messages to my window. Just the other day one of them….”
“Wait… what?” Shade pulled away and stared at Anna, who rolled her eyes and sighed.
“You know! Remember how the Teleen guys courted you when they found out you weren’t allergic to them? Well, since you’re ‘taken,’ they’ve moved on to me. The secret’s out. My fire affinity makes me prime marriage material to them. Can you believe that? As if! Thanks a lot!”
Shade frowned. Of course the Teleen would turn their eyes to Anna, even though she was just sixteen. She’d be married in the Teleen kingdom by now, a thought that made Shade
cringe remembering her time there. “Just ignore them, they’ll go away.”
“I have! They won’t go away! They said they’ll never leave me alone until I’ve chosen someone as my one and only. Can you believe that? ‘Hell no’ is what I said. I wasn’t planning to get married until I had a nice career in fashion design. They can just hold their breaths!” Anna crossed her arms, pouting in a juvenile fashion, bringing out her age with such gestures. Shade couldn’t help but pull her back into a tight hug and be thankful that all the goings-on had not yet affected Anna’s youth and innocence.
Life was hard, especially when magic got in the way. Regular folks just didn’t have these sorts of problems. Shade chuckled to herself, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of it all.
“Well, at least we have some awesome guards to swat them away like flies.” They both laughed and continued into the main throne room, chatting and giggling like old friends. Everything looked the same, untouched and serene. It was a relief to find a place of familiarity, though she’d hardly spent any time here. This was their new home, and her kingdom, at least for now.
“How did finding Kilara go?” Anna glanced at her sister, her curiosity hard to contain. Her shiny brown eyes mirrored Shade’s, but her innocence was much more intact than hers was.
“It went fine. A few surprises, but why would anyone be surprised at that anymore in Faerie? I’d be shocked if I wasn’t surprised anymore.” It was true. Faerie was full of shocks and twists, it would be a miracle to not have one.
“So where is she?”
Shade stared at her, confused for a moment. “Oh, you mean Kilara? She’s waiting in the forests around the Unseelie Castle with Corb, I think. Not sure, really. They just up and disappeared after ordering me to turn myself in to the Unseelie to be a prisoner again. I guess they have their own secret places. She sent me back here to get Benton and formulate a plan to get into the Withering Palace so I can find Rowan. Arthas and Aveta have her, unfortunately.” Her face darkened. “We didn’t get to her resting place on time.”
Anna’s eyes widened, fear overtaking her pretty brown orbs. “What? You’re going in as a prisoner again? No….”
“I have to, Anna. It’s the only way to get Rowan back.”
“But…what about…Darren?” She whispered the name, glancing at Dylan, who was busy having servants get them some food and draw them baths. At least he was occupied. Any mention of Darren turned his mood sour.
“I know. I have to, no matter what.” She stroked her sister’s hair, throwing her a bright smile. “It’ll be okay. At least this time, we go in prepared to fight.”
Anna nodded, her face losing the maturity she’d gained in Shade’s absence and morphing into that of a child’s once again. “Be careful, Sis. I can’t lose you, too.”
Shade reached out and pulled her sister’s thin frame into her arms, squeezing her just as tightly as before. “I will. I promise you. This will be over soon, I know it. And I’ll be back before you even know I’ve been gone.”
“Okay.”
“How’s James? Driving you bonkers?”
Anna’s eyes lit up at the mention of their little brother. “Yeah, well. He’s driving Benton madder than me. He follows him like a lost puppy. Sometimes we teach him a few new fire tricks. He’s so clumsy, though. I have to keep buckets of water in every room, just in case! Two days ago he set the ballroom on fire. Well, one curtain, but it really wasn’t his fault….”
“Hey, Sis!” James jumped onto them both, causing them to fall to the ground.
“Ow! My butt!” Anna rubbed her rump, sticking her tongue out at James. “Watch it, budd-o.”
“Hey, kiddo.” Shade ruffled his hair, bringing a frown to his face as he quickly pulled away and swatted his hair back down. He was so cute with his hair all wild and unruly, but he liked being neat and proper now. Some things do change, she thought.
“You’re staying for a while, right, Sissy?” James’s little brown eyes searched her face, and she wished she could just lie to him, at least for now.
“For a tiny bit. I have another mission to do.”
“You’re always on a mission. Mom wouldn’t like you to be gone so much. She said you’d take care of me, no matter what.” He jutted out his lower lip and crossed his arms, his little eyebrows furrowing tight as he glared at her. “But you’re not here, Shade.”
The mention of her mother, Jade, brought a sharp sting to her eyes. Tears prickled along her lids, but she turned her eyes to the floor to prevent him from seeing her cry. “I know. I promise that when it’s all over, I’m taking a really long vacation with all you guys. Okay?”
James hugged her again and nodded. “Okay.” The guilt ran through her like a serrated knife. She hadn’t been around since the death of their mother. She was the oldest and should’ve been there for her younger siblings. The ache in her chest threatened to arrest her beating heart, so she stood up, sucked in a breath and surveyed the surroundings for Benton. The sooner she could prep him on the plan to infiltrate the Unseelie Palace, the better. She prayed he’d be safe once he entered the prison guards’ service. If he was discovered, they would surely put him to death without a moment’s hesitation.
But if anyone could sashay their way into someone else’s lair, Benton was the perfect con artist for that. The little weasel had gotten in trouble at school before for stealing tests and setting the teacher’s lounge garbage can on fire. Well, he didn’t exactly get caught, but Shade knew it’d been him playing tricks. Jade had laid into him about it, and he hadn’t quite forgiven Shade for turning him in to their mother.
“Looking for me, aren’t ya?” Benton popped into her field of vision, a knowing smirk pasted on his face.
“How’d you know?” She pulled her younger brother to her, squeezing him in a bear hug.
“Whoa… I can’t breathe.” He struggled as his voice became raspy.
She let him go and shrugged. “Sorry. Can’t say I didn’t miss you at all.”
He laughed, his pearly white teeth gleaming in the sunlight pouring through the window leading out to the balcony. “Dylan gave me the heads up that you needed to speak to me. What’s going on?”
“We have to head out again. This time, you’re coming.”
“All right!” The look of excitement passed through his face until he saw that Shade wasn’t too happy about it. “Okay, what’s the catch?”
“You have to enter the Unseelie Palace first and get them to put you as a guard over Rowan’s cell.”
His eyes widened, a flicker of fear flashed through them as he swallowed. “I do? Why?”
“Because….” She paused. Shade was trying to keep the exhausted frustration out of her voice but was failing. “I’ll be turning myself in to them to be near Rowan. Once I see her, I can give her this.” She held out the amulet Kilara had given her. “It’s supposed to help Kilara locate her.”
“Why can’t she do it herself?”
“I wish I knew.” Shade let out a breath, rubbing her temples as she stared out one of the large bay windows overlooking the desert landscape surrounding the palace. The Scren was near a sparse forest of straggly trees that looked somewhat on the brink of starvation. Most of them had burned down when the last wave of Unseelie had attacked them. That was when Jade had died, and Shade had been unable to save her. Coming home was bittersweet. “Arthas knows she’s awake. I think Rowan isn’t in her right mind either and won’t accept Kilara’s proximity after making her slumber for so long. It’s only a theory, though. I’m not sure she’ll trust me.”
“Okay… so I sneak into their troops and then what? This all sounds really off if you ask me.” Benton screwed up his face, lifting a brow at her. He was right, and she knew that, but what could she do?
“I know, but it’s the only way to get to her in secret. You’ll have to find her before I’m thrown back into a cell, or at least let me know where she’s at.”
“Darren will be there, wont’ he? If I see the bast
ard, I’ll kill him myself.” Benton’s usually joking demeanor faded at the thought of the Teleen faery who’d hurt Shade so many times over.
“No, you won’t touch him.” Shade sighed, rubbing her brow. “I will. Leave him to me. He won’t be left alive this time around. Just do what I asked and find the quickest way out of the prison cells for when we need to escape. Rowan will be your responsibility. Got it?”
He nodded reluctantly. “Is she cute?”
“Benton!” Shade groaned, frowning at his joke.
“Okay, okay! Sorry. All joking aside… what if it doesn’t work?”
“It’ll work. It has to work.”
“I feel mighty reassured.” His voice was filled with a thick sarcasm, making Shade shake her head at him.
“Just, be careful, all right?”
“You too, Sis. Especially you. I can handle myself. You, on the other hand, stick out like a strobe light.”
Shade chuckled, glad to hear his sense of humor intact in spite of his uncertainty about the mission. “That’s for sure. What are brothers for? To clean up the mess!” She poked his shoulder playfully, making him roll his eyes at her as he rubbed the sore spot furiously.
“The bath is ready, Shade. Dinner will be ready soon after. Time to clean up and relax before the big day tomorrow.” Dylan glanced between the siblings, knowing he was interrupting a private moment.
“Thanks. I could use a long, hot, relaxing evening for once. See you later, Benny.”
“Ugh, don’t call me that!” He waved her off and headed down the hall to his room.
Shade let out a breath, turning to a smiling Dylan. He slipped his sturdy hands around her waist, nuzzling her neck as he breathed in her faint scent of honeysuckle and sweat. Nothing felt more blissful than falling into his arms after the trials they had faced.