Liam’s chin jerked up, and his eyes turned fierce with fire. Suddenly, he twisted his hands into fists and began pacing from one end of the throne room to the next. The King and Queen eyed him suspiciously, this outburst by the passionate Summer fae.
He stopped and looked at Kael, who had kept his eyes focused on the ground throughout the entire exchange. “What do you think the Winter Court would do if a group of Summer Hunters came to them with proof—or close enough to proof—that the Spring Court planned to invade them?”
“They wouldn’t take it very well,” Kael said, pursing his lips. “Though they wouldn’t react without thinking things through. Our Royals are very precise with their chess moves. They like to keep their focus several steps ahead. I could guess how they might react, but it’s impossible to know without understanding their exact circumstances at the moment.”
“But what would they potentially do?” Liam pressed.
“Truly, it depends on what the Summer fae tell them,” Kael said, finally glancing up from the floor. “I must admit, it sounds as though Phelan wishes to provoke them. If he phrases his words right, he very well could.”
“Now, why in the name of the forest would a group of Summer Hunters want to provoke the Winter Court to attack us? This just makes no sense. The lot of it.”
Rourke pursed his lips. “Phelan and Alastar were very insistent that Norah find this stone. When we did, the Autumn Court was alerted of our arrival. At first, I thought that was down to the shopkeeper alone, but now I’m not so certain. It is very curious how easy it was for you to rescue me, Norah. And the guard made a comment, a curious comment that I forgot with the whirlwind of all that followed.” A pause. “He told me that the Queen never spares anyone unless she has a use for them. Truth be told, Norah, I believe we were set up.”
The realization crashed over me like a tidal wave. Pieces began to fit together in my mind. The Queen’s discussion of the Spring fae plans at the exact moment that I’d arrived in the castle. She must have known I was there. How? That was impossible to know. And then the guard had practically led me down the dungeon stairs so I could break Rourke out of his cell.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “Why would she want me to let you go?”
“Well, I assume she used me as bait. If she hadn’t captured me, you would have gone straight back to the Summer lands. Instead, you had incentive to go to the Autumn Court first.” A nod. “Yes, the more I think about this, the more it makes sense. She wanted you to rescue me so that I could accompany you and ensure you returned to the Summer lands safely, with her incorrect information.”
Another dose of realization smacked me hard in the face. “That’s why the Hunters wanted to trap us in that room. So we couldn’t leave and come here. They didn’t want us to warn you.”
“Well, if we’re able to figure it out, then the Winter Court will be able to figure it out, too.” The King shifted on his throne of flowers. “All we have to do is sit tight and wait. The Winters won’t do anything rash. They’re not like the Summers.”
“Yes, but they have the Summers whispering into their ears,” Liam said with a deep frown. “This isn’t something that can be ignored. Sitting tight means you’re just a sitting duck.”
“Alright, alright.” The King raised his hand and motioned at the Hunters that lined the wall by the doors. “Send out a troop of scouts to explore the boundary. Get some Sylphs involved if you can. Tell them to look for any sign of an army on its way. We’ll need to have some time to prepare, if they’re really coming.”
The King dismissed us so that he could speak with some of his advisors in private, but he invited us to stay within the castle grounds, at least until the morning. Alwyn wasn’t sold on the idea, but she didn’t argue against the King’s wishes. My instructors didn’t seem much happier than she did.
“He’s an old male fae, so he’s stuck in his ways,” Finn said quietly when the six of us gathered in the quarters that had been given to Alwyn. “He talks about the Winter Royals not being rash, but he’s slower to movement than they are. He’s not going to budge an inch until he’s certain they’ll show up on his doorstep.”
“There must be something else we can do,” I said. “Although I guess it’s good news that we were wrong, as much as I hate that the Summer Hunters and Queen Viola used me to try and start a war.”
In fact, I was livid about it. I kept going over the events of that mission over and over again, wondering if I should have seen the truth of what we’d done. Some kind of sign that things weren’t as they seemed. Some kind of gut instinct that we were being conned. But I didn’t know how I could have known. The Queen of Autumn had just slaughtered the Summer Royals. There was no reason to believe that they—or at least some of them—had decided to work with her.
“Fortunately, there’s no rush,” Alwyn said. “The Spring Court won’t be attacking. Let’s all get some rest, and we can revisit the issue in the morning.”
Back in my quarters, I threw open the double doors that led out onto a back patio. It overlooked the expansive gardens. Underneath the pale moon, bright yellow bulbs glistened like fairy lights. As I stood there watching, I swore I saw their stems lengthen and their colors brighten. Every season I’d seen so far had been one of beauty. So vibrant and alive, so much more so than the realm I’d once called my home.
Seeing it fall, seeing the realm torn to shreds…it was a reality I couldn’t bear to imagine.
“Do you enjoy the flowers?” Kael, my Winter prince, had materialized on the patio to my left. His room was next to mine, and he must have seen me standing out here. That or he’d wanted to take a look at the gardens himself. Kael liked to pretend he wasn’t moved by the beauty of this world, but I knew he was.
“They’re beautiful,” I said, turning toward him and hugging my arms around my body. The nights were cooler here. Not the kind of cold that sunk into your bones, but the kind that whispered across your skin.
He opened his mouth to say something, but then snapped it shut.
“How is Bree?” I asked. After healing from her Redcap bite, she’d stayed at the Academy to train with the changelings, working personally with Kael. Bree would never be the same, even if the Winter Starlight had saved her. She’d always be part-beast, and she was coming to terms with that, now that she could control everything about her new existence.
“She hates that you went on that mission without her. I think she’d rather be fighting by your side. But Alwyn ordered her to stay put.”
Alwyn again, always ordering people around.
“And I know what Alwyn said to you and the others. I know she ordered you to stay away from me.”
Kael reached out and trailed his finger along the flowers blooming on the edge of the bannister. “It sounds as though Alwyn has told you many things. What you are, for example. I know you’re not happy about the secrets, but there were good reasons for it, Norah. Queen Viola wants every Greater Fae dead. We had to tell the changelings another story, or else word would have spread. They certainly enjoy gossiping.”
His eyes pierced mine, and I swallowed hard. “And the whole keep your distance thing?”
“If you’re asking whether or not I wanted to keep my distance from you, I think you know the truth.” His dark eyes glittered. “Or have you forgotten the way I kissed you already?”
Oh, trust me. That’s one memory I’d never be able to forget.
But instead of saying that, I shifted to the edge of my patio and let a small smile play across my lips. “Maybe you could remind me.”