Kael reached out and caressed my neck. A thousand sparks lit up my skin, and my entire body shuddered in response. He gazed deep into my eyes, those eyes that were the vision of a star-studded night. Kael, my prince of ice with a heart so kind. I knew he saw himself as a beast, but he was anything but.
A low whistle echoed in the night. Kael stiffened and cut his eyes away from me, turning to stare out at the expensive gardens of the Spring Court. A dark cloud had shuttered the moon, plunging the castle into an eerie darkness. What had been a glowing field of gardens moments before was nothing more than dark and suffocating shadows.
“Something isn’t right.” Kael leapt over the bannister separating my patio from his and he pressed his back against me, keeping his body between me and whatever had caught his attention.
My heart began to tremble, and my eyes went wide as I scanned the darkness for any signs of danger.
Another whistle. This time, it was much lower and sounded much further away. A second later, another whistle, closer and higher. My breath caught in my throat when I realized what it was. Some kind of signal. A call and an answer.
Kael turned and motioned for me to go back into my quarters. Once we were inside, he shut the double doors and flicked the lock. His face was grave; his eyes dark. “Stay here. I’m going to go warn King Deri and the others. Someone is out there. Several someones unless my ears deceived me. We may be under attack.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded and watched Kael disappear through the door leading into the hallway. I grabbed a soft blanket from the bed and wrapped it over my shoulders, padding over to the glass double doors to peer into the night. Someone was here, but who? Kael didn’t seem to think the Winter Court would attack, but perhaps Viola had brought her men here herself.
Something loud crashed just outside my doors, and I jumped almost ten feet in the air. A sharp cry soon followed from a voice that was deeply etched in pain. I glanced over my shoulder at the door Kael had just disappeared through and then back out at the dark gardens. There was no telling how long it would take him to return.
With a deep breath, I threw off my blanket, grabbed my sword, and drew the shadows in around me, blocking myself from view of anyone who might be lurking outside. I pushed open the doors and strode out into the night. The castle was eerily silent. Too silent. Before, there’d been chirping birds and the steady buzzing of a million different insects.
Now, there was nothing.
Something cracked nearby, and I turned to see a hulking shadow stepping out from behind my open door. Blazing red hair, fierce orange eyes, and a smug smile that made my bones clench tight with rage. It was Phelan.
“I’m not exactly sure where you are, but I know it’s you out here. I saw the door open, all by itself.” His grin widened as he flicked his fingers at something just behind me. “Come out, little changeling. Or else I’ll kill her.”
I turned. Two of the Summer Hunters stood behind me. And they held their daggers at a squirming Sophia’s throat.
Chapter Sixteen
Without hesitation, I whispered out from the shadows and whirled toward Phelan. I kept my sword held steady before me, my eyes narrowed, my body tensed to fight. He let out a laugh, and then shook his head.
“Should have known you’d come here,” he said. “You had the chance of safety in that little Academy of yours, and yet you decided to throw yourself in the middle of a fight you don’t belong in.”
“Oh, I belong. You made certain of that.” I twisted my hand around the hilt. “You used me. Why? So you could watch the other Courts tear themselves apart? You couldn’t stand the idea of yours being the only one to fall?”
“You really don’t understand, do you?” He shook his head when I didn’t respond. “The isn’t about the Springs or the Winters. It isn’t even about us. Queen Viola is the rightful ruler, and I’m to be her King.” He spread his arms wide, and my eyes darted to watch the movement of his sword. He wasn’t keeping it held in front of him anymore. He was relaxing, letting down his guard. “This is just a diversion, though it certainly kills two birds with one stone. The Winter guard has come in the night to attack the Spring fae. While they’re down here fighting—and winning against—the Spring fae, guess who is left unprotected, save for a handful of Hunters?”
My stomach flipped, and I swallowed hard. “The Winter Royals.”
“Ah, see.” He grinned. “You’re not as dumb as you look.”
“You are though,” I countered, trying to keep him talking while I tried to determine my best next move. “If you really think Queen Viola is going to name you her King, then I think you’re going to end up very disappointed. Face it, Phelan. She’s using you just as much as she used me. And everyone else around her.”
Phelan’s eyes narrowed. “Enough. Drop your sword and come with me.”
“Fat chance in hell.”
“If you don’t come with me, I’ll kill her.” He nodded at where his two Hunters still held a tight grip on my roommate’s arms. I’d been trying to keep my focus on Phelan and appear as relaxed as possible. I didn’t want him to know just how quickly my heart raced and just how much dread had filled my gut. If he realized just how in control he was, I’d never win against him.
“That would only work if I cared.” I lifted my shoulder in a shrug. “You picked the wrong changeling. She’s the one who betrayed me.”
Phelan’s jaw flickered. “Then, I’m glad I left several of my Hunters to keep a close eye on your Academy. They’ve killed all your guards, by the way. So now, if you don’t come with me, I will not only kill her but I’ll give the order to kill the rest of them. She might not matter to you, but they will.”
My heart lurched. Phelan could be bluffing. There was no proof of what he said. He’d only brought Sophia before me. If he wanted to threaten all of the changelings, surely he would have brought more than just one. But, of course, I couldn’t challenge his bluff. Not when so many lives could be at stake. Instead, I needed to distract him.
“Why are you doing all of this?” I asked, lowering my hands as if I were letting down my guard—I wasn’t. “Why would you want to cause so much death and destruction? Is becoming King really worth losing so many lives? Does power truly mean that much to you?”
Phelan frowned and took a step back, as if my question had caught him off guard. “It isn’t about power, changeling, at least not completely. It’s about Queen Viola taking her rightful place as the ruler of this realm.”
“By killing everyone?” I barked out a bitter laugh. “If she was the rightful ruler, surely she wouldn’t have to do all of this. Surely she wouldn’t have to fight so hard for the crown.”
He frowned. “That isn’t how the magic of this realm works. It doesn’t just give power away. It must be earned.”
“I know what they’re planning to do,” Sophia said in a rushed, panicked voice.
Eyes raised, I turned to face my roommate. She caught my gaze and then looked away. Guilt pounded through me, partly at my words and partly at being the reason she was now caught up in this. I hadn’t meant what I’d said, not in the least, but it had been the only thing I could think of at the time, the only way I could save her. If Phelan did not believe she meant anything to me, then maybe he would spare her in the end.
Maybe he still wasn’t the monster he was so determined to become.
Sophia took a deep breath and plowed forward. “Ever since I saw you do all that crazy stuff in the Autumn woods, I’ve been curious about your powers. You didn’t seem like you wanted to talk about it, so I...kind of started researching it by myself.”
I opened my mouth, more shocked and confused than anything else.
“Please don’t get angry. I didn’t tell anyone about it. I just asked if we could get some more history books brought into the library. And by history books, I mean really, really old history books.”