Two men brought the fallen guard back, but it was too late. The poison had worked quickly and he was stone dead. Laying him gently to the side, we moved on, cautious as the snow thickened and the woodland grew darker.
Everything seemed to glisten and glow in the dim light of afternoon. The silent hush of snow falling illuminated our backdrop as we followed the path to the ravine and set off down the hill. We’d fought a skirmish with Myst and her Hunters here, not all that long ago. It was slow going, but this time, the Shadow Hunters weren’t on the other side, and we could focus on making it down the hill in one piece.
My thoughts drifted ahead.
I was to be the Winter Queen. That seemed so preposterous on one hand, and yet…and yet…it felt like the snow and ice had become my unending home. And from now on, it would be. Winter would be my realm, and I would guard and caretake it like Lainule had been guarding the realm of Summer. I glanced over at Rhiannon and Chatter. So many times we’d joked about being amber and jet, fire and ice. And now it was true.
She looked so much stronger than just a few weeks back. Adversity often brought out the best in people. It formed character. And she was looking strong and confident and determined.
So deep was I in my thoughts that I did not see a stone in my path, and as I tripped over it, I went rolling down the ravine for a good ten feet before one of the guards managed to put a stop to my impromptu tumble.
“Are you hurt, Lady?” He offered his arm.
I took it, righting myself. After a brief check, I shook my head. “I’m fine. But you don’t have to call me Lady…I’m simply Cicely.”
He smiled softly. “Not for much longer, Lady. You are the Winter Queen-elect.” And with that reminder, which also felt like a gentle rebuke, he let go of my elbow and returned to breaking the path through the snow.
I looked over at Grieve. He’d asked me to be his queen, when all of this was over. I’d never quite thought about what that would mean. Now, I began to get a true glimpse into what the future would be like.
Summoning up a deep breath, I forced away thoughts of the years to come. We had to get through this mission first. We had to destroy Myst before any plans could come to fruition. And so I focused on putting one foot in front of another, in the silent march down the ravine to the stream below.
We reached the frozen stream but it would not be able to hold up those of us not of full Fae blood, who could simply glide over the ice. But the warriors picked the rest of us up and, with the blurring speed with which they could run, we found ourselves on the other side of the creek, dry and ready to press on.
Up the other side of the ravine we went, the silent snows so deep around us that should we break through, we could sink to our chests. Grieve took my hand as we walked, and the warmth of his palm in mine shored me up. Whatever happened, we had each other, and Myst no longer owned him, though he would never be the Cambyra Fae he once had. He was a new breed and would rule as king over a new kingdom.
I watched as Lainule and Wrath glided over the snow, dreading the knowledge that they would be fading away into whatever lands they were headed to. She turned, as if she could read my thoughts, and whispered something into the slipstream. I stopped and closed my eyes, listening.
Cicely Waters, it was foretold that you would be my savior and you would be my doom. Do not despair-it is the way of the world, it is my destiny. I am content and will be even more so after we rout the Mistress of Mayhem from my barrow. Wrath and I will live out our lives in the obscurity and safety of the Golden Isle. A smile crossed her face before she turned back to the path.
A good two hours longer, and we were at the barrow. Between twin oak trees, a portal stretched. We would have to pass through it in order to be fully within the realm of the Indigo Court. Only this time, I would not be going in with Kaylin, dreamwalking in the shadow realm.
We approached the towering trees, bare of leaves. The crackle of energy raced between them and I sucked in a deep breath. This was it. We were here.
We waited for the rest of the warriors, the Consortium, and the Wilding Fae to catch up with us. They converged from various parts of the woods, reporting only two Shadow Hunters out and about, and now dead.
“Then we pass through. Remember: once wakened, they are deadly. We will have a short time in which to catch as many by surprise as we possibly can. We don’t know if they’ve had spies out there watching us. However, the light-rage will still affect them, even if they’ve been warned.” Wrath stared at the portal.
“My husband, let us enter and reclaim our home.” Lainule’s voice was light, even as her eyes shimmered and flashed. “Today, we retake what is ours.”
He motioned to the warriors. All but twelve took up their place in front of us. Next came Ysandra and her crew, then us. The rest of the guards moved in back of us to watch the rear. Without further ado, the front line plunged into the portal, and we all followed. This was it. We were going in.
As we entered the portal, two things became apparent. Some of the Shadow Hunters were waiting for us. And they were in a frenzy. The light-rage held them in thrall, so they were in terrible pain, which made them only that much more angry. They fell on the guards with horrific screams, but the warriors were ready and the fray was on. While the Fae guard took care of them, the rest of us slid out from behind and moved over to the barrow.
Grieve motioned for us to follow him, and so Kaylin, Peyton, Rhia, Chatter, Wrath, Lainule, and I plunged into the barrow. I motioned to Ysandra to bring several of her witches and she nodded, trailing behind us, along with a handful of the Fae warriors.
The barrow was familiar-we’d rescued Peyton from here not that long ago-but it was a confusing labyrinth of tunnels, and there was no way I could remember where we’d been. Grieve, however, seemed to know directly where we were going. And so did Lainule and Wrath. As we passed chambers, several of the guards split off and we heard muffled screams as they slit the throats of the sleeping Shadow Hunters.
And then we were in front of a large chamber door, and Lainule let out a low laugh. “The halls of my barrow ran red, and so shall they again this day.” She slammed open the door.
There, a hive of Shadow Hunters awaited, and I could see on the other side of them, Myst, a pained look on her face as she barked out orders. I could not hear what she said, though. The slipstream was running wild here, and the screams of pain from the light-rage were ricocheting like bullets through the room.
The room became a blur of blades and blood. I found myself facing one of the Vampiric Fae and had no more than dodged one blow when one of the guards shoved me out of the way and took my place. As I stumbled back, I caught a glimpse across the room of Myst. She was heading toward a door behind her. I dodged through the battle, through the clashing blades and gnashing of teeth and spraying blood, managing to skirt the room until I came to the door.
As I peered down the hall, I could see her at a distance, with two of her guards. And then Grieve and Kaylin were with me, and we were racing after her. I couldn’t let her get away-couldn’t let Lainule down.
At the sound of footsteps on our heels, I glanced over my shoulder. Luna, Rhia, and Chatter had noticed where we were headed and they were behind us. We raced through the passage, the glowing tiles shimmering as we passed, for what seemed like hours. As we began to make headway on Myst and her Shadow Hunters, she broke through another door and we could see the glimmer of the outdoors shining in.