The heat of Summer hits me like a wave as I stumble onto the sandstone street. Mother must have been keeping the carriage cool with her magic the whole time.
The weather never changes in the four realms: the Summer Realm is always blistering hot, Winter cold and unyielding, Spring fragrant and green, and my own Autumn Realm always crisp and colored in a cornucopia of red, yellows, oranges, and browns. But all the realms observe the annual calendar, based on the seasons around Castletree: the only place in the Enchanted Vale blessed to experience all four seasons.
I imagine Castletree is beautiful right now, basked in warm sun and balmy breezes through the glorious meadows and forests that surround it.
But here in the Summer Realm, I feel stifled. The blue sky is bright with white clouds, and ocean waves crash on the horizon. Officials line the streets. Before us lies the glistening Summer Palace.
Princess Sabine, long blond hair swinging loose, belly swollen with child, stands beside her two chosen partners, two mighty fae males. One of them was the previous High Prince of Summer, but passed it down to their eldest son, Damocles. He stands beside his parents, his blue eyes cold and piercing, his blond hair pulled back. He’s visiting from Castletree to observe the Solstice celebrations. The middle brother, Decimus, is shorter and wider but full of muscles, with hair cropped short.
I scan the line again. My mother pushes me into a bow as she greets the Summer royals, but I can’t concentrate on anything. My heart aches painfully in my breast.
He’s not here.
Dayton isn’t here.
2-Dayton
Cold, crisp air hits my face as Felix and I gallop along the mountain hills. His easy canter knocks small pebbles down the cliffside and into the turbulent ocean below.
“Ahh.” I inhale a deep breath and stretch my aching arms. Justus gave me the training of a lifetime tonight. The old fae poses as a reclusive goat herder, and few know he was once one of the elite warriors in the ancient wars.
I can barely remember when or how I talked him into training me. Probably it was just my stubborn ass showing up day after day until he finally gave in. Sure, I could have any number of experts teach me at home: tutors in our own lavish grounds with brand new swords and shields.
But I’d take the old fae’s rusty weapons and his audience of goats—who were actually quite judgmental—any day. There’s just something about the gruff old fae’s lessons that pierces through my thick skull, though probably not as much as he would like.
Reckless, emotional, idiot. All things he’d shouted at me today in anger. But all I’d done was smile and laugh back, “I think what you’re trying to describe, Master, is courage.”
That had earned me a lap up the mountain carrying two goats on my back and an hour of splitting firewood.
I can’t blame him; I know he was putting pressure on me today because of the Solstice Games tomorrow. He’d never admit it, but he’s worried.
He doesn’t have to be.
His training is enough.
At least, I hope it is.
Buttery orange light spills out from the Summer Palace as I draw closer. Above, the stars sparkle like white shells in the sky.
Guards wave and holler in greeting as I ride Felix into the stable, sliding easily off him as he bends to drink some well-deserved water.
“Daytonales.” The deep voice shocks me to my core as my brother says my full name. I turn to face him.
“Hiding in the shadows like some sort of reaper, Damocles?”
My eldest brother steps from the shadows, moonlight illuminating his stern face. I’d think he was mad, but his face always looks like this.
Then again, maybe it looks like that because he’s always mad at me.
“Training with Justus again?” my brother asks.
He looks so much like Father now. Maybe it’s Summer’s Blessing that gives off some godly air. When Mother found out she was with child, Father had decided he’d had enough of the title. Damocles was ready, and Father wants to spend time with Mother, Pater—my other father—and the new baby.
“Of course.” I run my hand through my hair, full of dirt. Damn, I need to go to the baths. “The games begin tomorrow.”
“Why do you think I’m concerned? These are not like other games, brother.”
“I know exactly what type of games they are.” I slap a hand on his shoulder and strut out of the stable. “I have borne witness to your and Decimus’s competitions.”
“Bearing witness is not the same as being in the arena under these stakes.” My brother follows me.
“No,” I say. An excited thrill runs through my body. “The roar of the crowd is never as loud as during the Solstice Games. And I long for it.”
Damocles sighs. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
I grin at him. “Fear not, brother. I shall give the citizens of Summer a show they have not seen in an age.”
He runs a hand through his long blond hair. “That’s also what I’m afraid of.” He gives me another serious look. “You missed another important arrival.”
“Hmm?” I reach up to snag a low hanging peach from a tree. “Most of the royal snobs can barely tell the three of us apart. I’m sure no one noticed I was missing.”
“It was the royal family of Autumn.”
I still, the peach hovering just before my lips. Alright, so maybe one person would notice.
“Ahh,” I say casually and bite into the peach. “Where did you room them?”
“They’re staying in the east villa.”
I stare him down, swallowing the last of my peach, feeling the sticky sweetness drip down my chin.
“He’s in the upper room. Coral suite.”
“Thank you, brother.” I grin and toss the peach pit into the garden and walk away.
Damocles grabs my arm. “He is not someone to engage in flighty dalliances with. Farron is next in line to be the High Prince of Autumn. If you would like to officially court him, I could arrange a meeting with the High Princess. The match would be a favorable one.”
I shake out my brother’s grip and scrunch up my face, his words slithering through me like worms beneath my skin. “An official courting, brother?” I manage a laugh. Farron would not be High Prince anytime soon. This wasn’t something either of us had to worry about. “It’s just a bit of fun while he’s here.”
“A bit of fun?” Damocles’ blue gaze pierces through me. “Is that why you’ve failed to attend every royal event he’s been at since last Solstice?”
“I’ve been busy training for these games,” I shoot back before I have time to consider his words.
Damocles shakes his head. “Try to get some rest, brother.”
I wave my hand in the air as I make for the east villa.
Something strange vibrates in my blood. Why haven’t I attended any of the royal events this year? It wasn’t to avoid Farron. There was just always something pressing at home. More training to be done.
But if I don’t care, why does it feel like I can’t move fast enough? I stop in front of the sandstone towers of the villa.
I don’t want to waste time talking to the guards or introducing myself to any Autumn nobility who could still be awake, so I walk directly beneath the balcony of the coral suite. A curling line of ivy runs down the side of the building, which I easily scale.
I hop onto the balcony and pass through the sheer curtains that let the warm night breeze into the room.
White columns and pale stone walls are adorned with vibrant tapestries. Against the far wall is a large four-poster bed with a canopy of gauzy fabric that sways in time with the balmy night breeze.
The candles are dim, and it takes a moment for my eyes to make sense of the room. Then I see him.
Something uncomfortable clenches in my chest.
Farron is sprawled out on the bed, one leg hanging out of the covers, his auburn brown hair in a messy halo around his face. His eyes are closed, and his chest rises and falls in an even cadence. There’s an open book in his hand.
A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. The idiot probably fell asleep reading…