“Twice,” Liam cut in.
When I turned to him with confusion, he gave me a strange smile. “Remember when you and Kael went in search of the Starlight for Bree? You mentioned how you’d scared off a Breking by just standing there with a sword pointing at the sky. I always thought that was strange and highly unlikely, even if the creature was wounded.”
Realization dawned in my mind. The creature hadn’t been trying to bait me in an attack. It hadn’t run from my ferocious stance. It merely hadn’t seen me.
“Okay, but again,” I said, holding up my hands. “I had no idea I was doing it then either, so who’s to say I can make it happen voluntarily?”
Phelan stepped forward and gave a nod. “A valid concern. You’ll stay here with us for a few days, and we’ll train with you. Alastar was close to Marin and knew her tricks well. With some coaching, you should be able to master it well enough to complete the mission successfully.”
“Alright,” was all I could say. Truth was, I was more than a little nervous. Sneaking into the viper pit with only a couple of days worth of training sounded dangerous, impulsive, and hasty. A part of me wanted to do it, of course. The part of me that sang when the summer sun glistened across my skin. The part of me that had raged when Redmond had gone after Finn. The part of me that melted underneath Liam’s heated gaze.
But, as I was quickly learning, there were other parts to me. Parts that understood the violent, calculating nature of the Autumns. Parts that knew just how important it was to be prepared for the worst.
Liam showed me to my quarters. A small quaint little room with flowers climbing in through the frameless windows. A soft summer breeze fluttered against the white gauzy curtains, bringing with it the distant sound of chirping birds. Even though the storms had battered this place only an hour ago, Summer had prevailed. It would take a lot more than some lightning to chase the sun away completely.
Liam watched me silently from the open door as I tossed my small rucksack on the twin bed. The bag and all of the clothes within it were not my own. Or, well, they hadn’t been my own, not when I’d first arrived in Otherworld, but I guessed they were mine now. Alwyn had hired a seamstress to create a dozen outfits for me, since I hadn’t had a chance to pack myself a bag before being whisked away to this realm. Most of my clothes were for training at the Academy. Dark slacks, form-fitting gray shirts. But she’d added in a few dresses for special occasions, just in case.
“You know, I’m inclined to throw you over my shoulder and carry you all the way back to the Academy,” Liam finally said, his voice gruff. “It’s a dangerous thing what they’re asking you to do. And I certainly can’t imagine Alwyn would approve. They didn’t tell her they wanted you to spy for them.”
“I know. It is dangerous.” I paused. “But I haven’t said yes, you know.”
He cocked his head and let out a chuckle. “Oh, but you will, Norah. I know you, and I saw the look on your face when they gave you the whole song and dance about saving the entire damn realm. You want to be a hero. Hell, I can even see it in your eyes now.”
I swallowed hard. Liam was right. I did want to be a hero, but that didn’t mean I thought I was one. Alwyn had been right when she’d spoken to the changelings about me. What I’d done against Redmond? Pure blind luck. What I’d done to hide from the Autumn fae at the Feast? More blind luck. One day, maybe I could be stronger than that, but I wasn’t there yet.
Liam must have sensed my hesitation and my fear because he held out a hand. “Come with me. I want to show you what you’d be fighting for.”
The guards at the gates seemed hesitant to let us pass through, but Liam used his infuriating charm to convince them otherwise. They stepped aside, watching us trail up the side of the nearest hill, a perfectly sloping splash of green against the pure blue sky. We walked and walked, rising higher above the sprawling green lands below, following the gurgling blue stream to the crest in the distance. From the courtyard, this hill had looked like nothing but a small smudge of green, but I soon learned that it was another of the fae’s optical illusions. The hill was as tall as a mountain, and my breath was ragged by the time we reached the top.
“Here we are,” Liam said, spreading his arms wide on either side of him. “The second tallest point in all of Otherworld and certainly the tallest everywhere south of the Winter line.”
I took a deep breath and scanned the horizon. From here, I could see every single inch of the brilliant Summer lands. They stretched wide from east to west, and the southern tip of it crashed against an endless sea of blue. The Misty Sea, I realized. I’d read about it in the books, but I never imagined it to be such a brilliant blue, one that matched the perfect summer skies.
Turning toward the west, I spotted the hazy line where green morphed into reds and browns and oranges. The Autumn territories then. Craning my head over my shoulder, I scanned for signs of the Spring lands. They were in the far east, the lines blurred in a way. The sun wasn’t quite so brilliant there, but the greens were more vivid. The flowers purple and pink and yellow, colors I could make out even at this distance.
And to the north was the free territory, home to the Academy, but hazy clouds obscured the view. Beyond it, further north, I knew would be the Winter Court, but it was too far to spot from here, even though I yearned to see it up close.
“You can see almost everything from up here,” I said.
Liam nodded. “If the skies were clearer, you’d be able to make out the Academy grounds, but it’s too hazy today.”
“Can you ever see Winter?”
“The edges, sometimes,” Liam said. “I would say that you’re not missing much, but something tells me you would find beauty in all that snow and ice.”
“I would,” I said. “It’s impossible not to find beauty in all of it, even the autumn leaves I know you hate so much. But these lands are not the problem, Liam. The seasons have not created this war. It’s the fae, the individuals using the magic of this place for their own gain.”
“I thought you might say something like that.”
I dragged my eyes away from the flourishing beauty of Otherworld to glance at Liam. “So, you’re not going to try to stop me if I decide I want to spy for the Summers.”
He shook his head. “As long as you’re sure it’s what you want to do, then I’ll support you completely, and I’ll be by your side every step of the way. Don’t forget. I’ve snuck into Autumn before. I can do it again. You won’t be alone there, Norah. You’ll have me.”
My heart filled with a strange kind of emotion. We were really going to do this. Liam and I. We were a team. Partners. The Barmbrack Ring suddenly felt very heavy in my pocket, a sensation that only intensified when I reached out and took Liam’s hand. Our gazes locked, and my breath caught. If we got through this, I would have to find a way to convince Alwyn to let him return to the Academy. There was no way in hell I could ever let him go.
Chapter Seven
“What do you mean I can’t go with her?” Liam stormed around the war table, his fists shaking by his sides. We’d returned from our trek up the mountain with what we both thought was good news. I was going to be their spy. We were going to go on the mission.
But Phelan was having none of it.
“The entire reason we want Norah to spy for us is because she can obscure herself from view,” Phelan argued. “You going with her only complicates things. Viola knows exactly who you are. You were her prisoner for years. She’d recognize you in an instant. And you can’t expect the changeling to keep both of you hidden. How far does the shadow radius even go? You would have to stick to her like glue.”