The Winter Long

They were my boys and they loved me, and I needed to be careful with them if I ever wanted to be worthy of them.

That was an unsettling thought, no matter how true I knew it to be. I stayed where I was, not going in for another hug, as I raked my salt-matted hair back from my face with one hand. “We’re all okay now, and that’s what matters,” I said. My words rang hollow. Considering how much else we had to deal with, from Simon to Evening and whatever her plan was, us being okay was a small thing. It wasn’t going to save the world. But in that moment, it was definitely enough for me.

Tybalt was the first to break the silence. “Where were you? What happened?”

“It’s sort of a funny story, actually,” I said, even though there was nothing remotely funny about any of it. I began to explain, beginning with Dianda pulling me out of the water and stopping when I successfully negotiated my way inside the wards at Goldengreen. I knew what I wanted to say, but the words refused to come. I realized I was shaking again, uncontrollably this time, as my entire body got into the act.

“October?” Tybalt sounded alarmed. I didn’t exactly blame him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me toward one of the room’s three fireplaces. “Raj, get her a blanket and some dry clothing.”

“Yes, Uncle,” said Raj. The smell of pepper and burning paper rose again, and he was in cat form before he finished going around the corner. I guess that was a faster way to move around the court.

Tybalt was continuing to pull me along with him. I gave up any pretense of resistance and let him tug me along, my teeth chattering. The analytical part of my mind identified the issue as shock, both physical and emotional, coupled with hypothermia and blood loss. My body recovers quickly from physical damage, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy on me, especially when I’m not sleeping or eating properly.

He got me settled on the end of the bench nearest to the fire, sitting down beside me and wrapping his arm around my shoulder as he tried to loan me the body heat that I so desperately needed. Raj came back in human form with a thick wool blanket, which Tybalt took and draped around me. I unclenched my hands enough to grasp the blanket and pull it tighter, trying to ride out the shock, which felt more psychological than physical. It had been a long day, filled with surprises that I hadn’t been looking for and wasn’t really equipped to handle.

“October?” Tybalt’s hand touched my shoulder, pressing down to be felt through the heavy wool. “Is there anything else we can do?”

“The person who raised the wards on Goldengreen—the reason we fell into the sea—it was Evening.” I kept my eyes on the fire as I spoke. That made it easier, somehow. The fire didn’t have any opinions on the matter; it wouldn’t judge me or think that I was seeing ghosts.

Tybalt went still. After a long pause, he asked cautiously, “Evening?”

“Evening Winterrose, the former Countess of Goldengreen. That’s how she was able to control the wards—she’s the one who designed most of them.” I shivered again, turning to face Tybalt. Quentin and Raj were behind him, both looking faintly bemused. “She was the first person I saw when I got out of the pond—the first fae person, I mean. She was the one who helped me get my PI license back. I stopped running away from Faerie because I had to solve her murder.”