Did this have something to do with the battle against the Autumn fae all those months ago? None of these Summer Hunters had been there at the time, and all of the changelings had been sworn to secrecy. And not all of them had even seen what I did.
But the answers I sought were cut short when the courtyard was plunged into sudden darkness. One moment, the brilliant summer sun beat down on my skin. The next? It was as if day had turned to night. I tipped back my head to stare up at the sky. The entire horizon was obscured by bulbous black clouds. And then a flash ripped through the sky, blinding me with the brilliant intensity of it.
“Sound the alarm,” Phelan said, the anger and irritation in his voice replaced by something more akin to panic. “It’s another one of those Autumn storms. Get everyone inside.”
“Wait. Another storm?” Liam dismounted from his horse in a blur. One thing about the fae that I and the other changelings had yet to master was how quickly they could move when they really wanted to. “I didn’t think they’d moved that far into the Summer lands.”
“Unfortunately, they very much have.” Phelan whistled at the two guards manning the gates and motioned at a bell atop the tower. “Now that the Autumn fae cannot penetrate our lands physically, they have taken to sending these storms to attack us.”
Another crack of lightning split the sky, a brilliant white rod that slammed into the ground only twenty feet away from where we stood. The horses around us bucked and neighed, their trembling hooves tumbling onto the ground.
“Hurry. We need to get inside where it’s safe. The last time one of these storms hit, a dozen faeries died.” Phelan spun on his feet and began to run toward the nearest building: a large expansive hall held up by thick white pillars. Several of the Hunters jumped to the ground and began to race after him, leaving their horses abandoned in the middle of the courtyard.
Frowning, I glanced at Liam who still held tight to his horse’s reins. “Go on, Norah. Get inside where it’s safe.”
“We can’t just leave the horses out here alone like this. They could get killed.”
“I’ll take care of the horses,” he said. “You go on inside.”
“And leave you to get all of them to safety by yourself? No.” I shook my head and grabbed a horse’s reins, including my own. “It’ll be faster if we work together.”
Liam’s jaw rippled as he clenched his teeth. “I swear to the forest, Norah, I won’t have you out here risking your neck.”
“Too bad.” I’d already spotted the stables halfway across the courtyard, alongside the wall nearest to the front gates. I had two horses inside by the time the next wave of lightning hit. This time, it slammed down hard only inches from the front gates. I didn’t have to look to know that one of the guards had fallen. Fear gripped my heart, and I began to move faster, upping my speed to match Liam. I could feel the fear cascading off the horses as I led them to safety, but somehow, I was able to keep them calm enough to follow us inside.
Soon, we had all the horses inside the stables. Lightning came quicker now. Instead of moments between attacks, the frequency increased to seconds. One after another after another. Shivering, I leaned against Liam and breathed in the comforting scent of him. Across the courtyard, I could see the Summer Hunters glowering at us from inside the safety of their marble hall, but I didn’t care.
“You risked your life to save some horses.” I pulled back to look up into Liam’s eyes, the brilliant lightning reflecting across his golden irises.
“So did you.” He glanced around the stables, eyes lighting on each of the horses we’d packed inside the small space. “And normally, they would be terrified in a storm like this. You’re keeping them calm, aren’t you?”
I nodded.
“That’s my girl,” he murmured. “Your powers are growing stronger. Unfortunately, when the storm passes, we’ll have another fight to face. The Summer fae won’t be very thrilled to find a changeling with Autumn powers in their midst.”
Chapter Six
It took hours for the storm to pass. When we finally stepped out from the stables, we found the courtyard in ruins. The ground was pockmarked from round after round of brutal lightning, and the flowers that had been presented to the demolished thrones were nothing more than burnt embers.
Phelan strode out from the hall, his fisted hands shaking by his sides. He spit at the ground before he spoke. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Watch it, Phelan.” Liam shifted in front of me, his arm thrown out to block me from the wrath of the Summer fae. “We came all the way out here to help you. Are you really going to thank Norah for that by spitting at her feet?”
“She’s an Autumn. You brought an Autumn faerie into our realm. After they just murdered all of our Royals.”
I took Liam’s hand in mine and gently pressed it back to his side so that I could step up beside him and meet the Summer’s fiery gaze. “I’m not an Autumn fae, but even if I was, you can’t lump them all in with the murderous assholes who assassinated your Royals.”
Liam’s hand whispered across my back. A comforting gesture. A sign of approval. That only made me lift my chin even more, the confidence of my words growing in my gut.
Phelan sniffed. “What the hell are you then? I thought I scented Winter on you earlier, along with a bit of Summer, but I thought that might just be him.” He jerked his head toward Liam. “But now you practically reek of Autumn.”
“I’m...” I glanced at Liam, who gave me a nod to continue. “Different. Sometimes, I can use gifts from different Courts. I guess I’m a bit of everything.”
Phelan’s gaze was piercing as he studied me, cocking his head as he scanned my body from head to toe. The confidence I’d felt before began to falter under the scrutiny. Why was he looking at me like that? As if I were some kind of insect he wanted to pluck apart? I shifted uncomfortably on my feet, moving just the slightest bit closer to Liam.
“So, you are like our good Queen Marin. How has this happened? Why have we not heard of a changeling who possesses gifts of all four courts?” That last bit was directed at Liam.
Liam had stiffened as I’d let the truth about myself become known, despite the fact he’d given me the nod of approval for doing so.
Liam sucked a deep breath in through his nose, and then blew it out just as heavily. “Alwyn Adair, our Head Instructor, is of the opinion that the Autumn Court will make attempts on Norah’s life if they hear about her powers. They’d consider her a threat. If the other courts found out another Greater Fae existed, they might rally behind her. I’m inclined to agree.”
Phelan scoffed. “It’s a nice little vision you have, Liam. I can’t fault you for that. A united realm, back under the rule of another Greater Fae. But Norah is no Marin. She doesn’t have that same royal blood running through her veins. She’s a changeling. She barely knows anything about our realm, and her powers are yet to be refined. I cannot imagine the realm uniting behind her the way you imagine. Truth is, she’s nothing.”
“Hey.” My voice was sharp. “I’m standing right here. If I were you, I’d stop insulting the ‘nothing’ changeling who came all this way to help you.”
My heart beat hard as I glared at him, but his words hit hard. Mostly because I knew he was right.
He merely rolled his eyes. “Fine. Come inside out of this mess. I’ll tell you what it is we need you to do.”
We strode into a large expansive hall with vaulted ceilings painted in a kaleidoscope of the colors of summer: greens, yellows, violets, and oranges. Thick green vines were painted up the sides to match the exterior walls. Our footsteps echoed on the marble floors, highlighting the emptiness of the place.
The Hunters were waiting for us, clustered around a dining table that had been transformed into a war planning table. A parchment map of Otherworld was spread across it, and miniature wooden pieces were being pushed around, this way and that, as if the Hunters couldn’t find the perfect location for them.