“You know, Marin was like that,” Liam said so quietly to Rourke that I almost didn’t hear. “She and animals had this intense connection. They’d stare into her eyes and look at her like that, like she, I don’t know, belonged to them.”
“Yes,” Rourke said in return. “She calms them as well, instead of controlling them. Not to mention all the other things.” A pause. “I truly believe the realm would rally behind her if they could see what she can do. What she’s like. We shouldn’t keep hiding her in secret, not when the realm is in turmoil.”
“No. You’ve seen these Hunters and how they’ve reacted. It doesn’t matter what she can do. She’ll always be a changeling to them.”
“I can hear you, you know,” I called out just before we strode into the hallway.
A part of me felt as though I should be angry that they were trying to discuss me without me knowing, but I was certain they’d been doing that long before now. Besides, it wasn’t anything I didn’t already know. Rourke thought I was some kind of gift from the realm because of my varied powers and that the Courts would rally behind me. Liam, on the other hand, knew the gritty truth of it. Changelings, while fae, while born here, were Other to most of those who called this world home. They would only rally behind someone they would truly consider a Queen.
And a Queen I was most certainly not.
As we strode into the hall, Phelan glanced up from where he still stood hovering over the map. I wondered if he had moved at all while we’d been gone, or had he merely stood there, endlessly pushing his wooden pieces around, trying combination after combination, never able to solve the puzzle of the war.
“They said you were on your way.” He pointed at the map. “Show me what the Autumn Court plans to do.”
Wordlessly, I strode over to the map, right past the territory markers that belonged to the Autumn fae. Instead, I grabbed the block that represented the Sprint Court and shoved it across the table and into the Winter lands.
Frowning, Phelan glanced up and met my gaze. “What’s the meaning of this? Did you not learn anything at all? My guards said you found the stone and went into the Autumn Court where you overheard the Queen in discussion about the war.”
“I did.” I gave a nod and met his gaze. “The Spring Court plans to invade the Winter Court two mornings from now. After they lose, which they will, Autumn will retaliate against weakened Winter forces.”
He grunted. “That is very unlikely.”
“Well, as unlikely as it is, that’s what I heard,” I said. “The Spring fae are going to war.”
Phelan frowned down at his map before glancing at each of his fellow Hunters in turn. “This is certainly not what we expected to hear, but I cannot deny it’s valuable information. If the Spring Court goes to war with Winter, then the entire landscape of Otherworld could be changed. I think it’s clear what we need to do. We need to inform the Winter Court that they’re coming.”
“What?” Liam strode forward, his hands fisted by his sides. “Now, wait a minute. While I agree that something must be done, I’m not certain provoking the Winter Court is the right course of action.”
“Provoking them?” Phelan laughed. “I daresay it is the Spring Court that is doing the provoking. The Winter Court should know what is coming for them.”
Liam huffed out an irritated sigh and whirled toward Rourke. “A little help here?”
“Phelan, you cannot do this. For once, I find myself agreeing with my Summer friend here,” Rourke said coolly. “Spring fae, notoriously, do not like fighting. I’m sure there must be some sort of explanation for this, which means they could be reasoned with. I think the far better approach would be to go to them directly for a reasoned discussion. If you warn the Winter Court, this situation will only end in more bloodshed.”
“Well, lucky for me, this is my decision and not yours.” Phelan lifted his eyes from the table and flicked his fingers at what I had thought was a dark and empty corner in the room. Instead, it turned out to be where Alastar was stationed, along with a handful of other Hunters. Alastar’s red eyes flicked to mine, and they sparked with furious fire.
“Alastar, please take our guests to their new quarters and lock the doors. They’re not to go in or out unless accompanied. They may join us for dinner, if they wish, but if they make too much trouble for you, then they can enjoy eating in their room alone.”
Alastar and his men quickly surrounded us, and I whirled in a circle as they grabbed our arms in their tight grips. Liam’s face was a mask of pure rage while Rourke’s eyes were nothing but pure ice.
“Phelan,” Rourke said in his quiet, deadly voice. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“Surely you of all people would understand, Rourke?” Phelan asked, crossing his massive arms over his chest. “You’re not one of those fae who is driven my emotion but by logic and calculation.”
“You’re keeping us here so we don’t go warn the Spring fae,” Rourke said, his voice dripping with derision. “But why?”
“No. Think harder.” Phelan shook his head with a laugh. “Your changeling is valuable to me. With both the Autumn and the Spring Courts going rogue, we’re much better off with a Greater Fae who can weave in and out of shadows. We can use her to plan all of our moves in this war. We’ve already lost all our Royals. I will take any advantage I can get.”
“Well, good luck with that,” I said, lifting my chin. “Because you can keep me here all you like, but I won’t help you ever again. Not after this.”
He let out another chuckle. “Why do you think we’re keeping Rourke and Liam as well?” The smile vanished from his face. “You’ll do what we ask, or we’ll kill them.”
“Something doesn’t smell right.” Liam paced from one end of the small squat room to the other. He’d already walked the same path about a hundred times since they’d thrown us in this little make-shift cell, and I was starting to think he’d wear a hole in the floor.
“Yes, and it’s Phelan.” Rourke leaned against the wall with his arms lazily crossed over his chest, but the clench of his jaw gave the truth about his feelings away. He was pissed. “Taking leadership of the Summers has obviously gone to his head.”
“It’s not just that.” Liam stopped to grab the bedpost and squeeze it tight in his fists. “It’s the way he went about it. It’s almost like he wants the Spring Court to attack the Winter fae, but that doesn’t make any sense.”
“Summer fae,” Rourke said with a slight eye roll. “They’re not logical.”
“Well, regardless, I think we should get the hell out of here,” I said, standing and swiping one hand against the other as if I were dusting off the very presence of the Summer fae. “He can go warn the Winter Court all he wants, and we’ll just go talk to Spring ourselves.”
Rourke lifted an eyebrow. “And how, pray tell, do you anticipate getting through that locked door?”
Phelan and his Hunters hadn’t taken us down to his dungeons. We were his prisoners, but he seemed inclined to make our stay as comfortable as possible. We weren’t enemies so much as we were fae he wanted to control. Instead, he’d put us into a section of the hall where two bedrooms were connected together, along with a bathroom that held a claw-footed tub. There were windows in each one, but they’d been blocked off. The doors were locked, and I was guessing there was at least one Hunter stationed outside.
Obviously, we couldn’t shift in or out of this place, but there were plenty of other options when it came to magic. So, I filled the males in one the plan. At first, they both looked skeptical, but over time, I managed to convince them it would work.
Now, we just needed to wait for the right time. We needed darkness.