“We don’t have time for this,” Phelan snapped, and the two Summer fae tightened their grips on Sophia’s arms.
But that had absolutely zero effect on my roommate. She kept storming ahead like the unstoppable fae she was. “A very long time ago, another Autumn fae attempted to take control of the realm. She made a bargain with the demons, one that would allow her to wield the powers of all four Courts. However, in order to become the Queen she imagined herself to be and bind that magic to herself, she had to kill the other rulers and destroy their crowns.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Destroy their crowns.”
“That’s right,” Phelan said in a grunt. “Why the hell else would she be bothering? She has to put all four crowns together, and then burn them before dousing out the flames with ice. After tonight, this realm will be hers.”
Heavy footsteps pounded the ground behind Sophia and her captors. Several pale Hunters strode into view, a polar opposite of Phelan’s Summer form. They were graceful and smooth, and their eyes glittered with the light of the stars. Their dark hair hung in loose waves over their pointed ears, and they brought with them the scent of mist and snow. Each of them held a bow, and quivers of arrows were strapped onto their backs. And their movements were like the very depths of darkness itself.
“We killed the King and got the crown.” The tall, thin male held up a crown of twisting branches full of bright and vivid flowers. My heart lurched. King Deri’s crown. They didn’t. They couldn’t have. “It was easy enough to get inside. They were unprepared. It is strange though. This place does not look as if they are preparing for war.”
Phelan merely grunted. “Spring fae are strange creatures. There is no rhyme nor reason to how they deal with things.”
The Winter Hunter narrowed his eyes, so slightly that I barely saw a shift in his icy expression. “Some might say that about the Summer fae.”
Phelan curled his hands into fists and stalked across the patio to where the two Winter soldiers were observing him with calculating eyes. “I am nothing like a Spring fae.”
“Indeed. A Spring fae would never target two innocent changelings who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.” The Winter fae cocked his head. “In fact, is this not the changeling you described? The one who helped us all? It is strange that you would threatening her after she risked her life to collect enemy plans for us.”
“He’s tricked—”
Phelan had his hand over my mouth before I could warn the Winter soldiers, and the Hunter holding Sophia did the same. “You’ve got your changelings mixed up. These two were working with the Spring fae against you.”
Sophia screamed into the Hunter’s hand.
Everything else happened so quickly. The Winter fae sprang into action, nocking arrows in their hand-carved bows. The Hunters holding Sophia jumped back, and she twisted away from their grip. She ran to me, leaping over the bannister to join me on the patio. And before I knew what was happening, she’d slammed a dagger right into Phelan’s side.
He roared, and his hands dropped away from my face. Seeing my chance, I grabbed my sword and swung it around at his neck. But Phelan was quick on his feet, dodging my blow just in time. Our swords collided, steel against steel. One blow after another until my entire body was spent. I stumbled back to catch my breath and tighten my grip on my sword. Phelan stormed forward, a cry of rage ripping from his throat.
But just before he reached me, an arrow whooshed by my ear and slammed into Phelan’s neck. His eyes went wide, and then he fell.
I gripped Sophia’s hand and pulled her to my side. Together, we whirled to face our attackers. The two other Summer Hunters were dead, and now the Winters had their arrows aimed right at our heads.
“Is it true?” the Winter fae asked. “Have you been working against us with the Spring fae? Is this all some kind of trap?”
“No.” I said, holding up my hands. “I mean, it is some kind of trap, but I’m not the one who set it. Phelan has been working with Queen Viola all this time. They were trying to create a diversion and distract everyone so she could go after your Queen and King. She wants the crowns.” I gestured at the King’s crown in the fae’s hands. “She wants to take over the realm.”
“A diversion?” The fae swore under his breath. “I should have known. I should have realized I could never trust a Summer.” He turned toward his fellow soldier. “We need to gather the others and get back to our Queen as soon as possible, though I fear we may be too late.”
His fellow soldier nodded and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
“Wait,” I said when he turned to go as well. “Did he just shift? How are you doing that? I thought all the borders were closed.”
“King Deri cast the magic to protect his borders, but he is no longer alive. The magic died with him.” The Winter’s expression turned pained. “And our Queen reversed the magic so we could get down here quickly and return home just as fast. Anyone can shift in and out of Winter right now. We’ve left her vulnerable.”
And with that, he was gone, along with the King’s crown.
Sophia and I found nothing but carnage as we searched the castle for any sign of life. The throne room was a graveyard. The Queen and King sat on their thrones with arrows protruding from their skulls. Every single Hunter they’d had to protect them had fallen just the same. No one had seen the Winter fae coming, and it looked as though no one had been alive to see them leave. Except for me and Sophia.
Worry knotted my stomach. So far, I’d seen no signs of my instructors or of Alwyn. It was almost as if they’d never even been here. We checked their quarters, the grounds outside, and we even checked the dungeons. And every time we passed another body, fear gripped my heart, fear until I saw that it wasn’t a familiar face, it wasn’t one of the males I was growing to love.
“I don’t understand,” I said when we had finally explored every inch of the castle grounds and had returned once again to the throne room. “They wouldn’t have just left me here.”
“Look.” Sophia pointed at a form in the furthest corner. One that was moving.
I sprinted across the floor and dropped to the male fae’s side, pressing my hands against a massive gash on his throat. He stared up at me, eyes wide, mouth bubbling with blood. I closed my eyes and focused my power on this fae. My hands warmed; my soul churned. All my power fled from the very depths of me and into this fae’s body.
As always, I passed out.
Sometime later, I cracked open my eyes and saw Sophia kneeling beside me. Within seconds, her words began to tumble out of her mouth. “The fae you healed saw what happened. Some Autumn fae shifted here after the Winters attacked. They took Kael and the others. Queen Viola has your mates.”
Chapter Seventeen
Before shifting to the Winter Court, I dropped Sophia off at the Academy. She was shaken up after the incident at the Spring Court, and she was desperate to make sure that Lila and the other changelings were okay.
“Looks like it was just a bluff,” I said when we strolled through the Academy’s doors to find the halls no more chaotic than they normally were. Changelings bustled about, enjoying the freedom of a week without classes. The normality of it struck me suddenly, and my chest ached because of it. My life had changed dramatically in the past few days, even more dramatically than it had when I’d first come to Otherworld.
It was hard to imagine that things would ever return to how they were before. It was even harder to imagine we would make it through this alive.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” she asked for what I swore was the hundredth time.
“I’m positive.” With a smile, I dropped my hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “Thank you, Sophia. I know you were scared back there, but you kicked ass. Just so you know...I didn’t mean what I said to Phelan.”