“I’ll work with him,” Baladar stated. “We will not let the fae lord, or the dark crystal, win.”
I trusted Baladar, he knew a lot about dark magic, and his reassurance made me feel a little less anxious about the entire thing. In all honesty, we needed someone to match the Dark Fae Lord’s strength, and if anyone could do it, it was Kade. He would pay whatever cost for the chance to save us all. But I wasn’t okay with that. There had to be a way for us to win without sacrificing our souls. I would keep Kade protected while he was busy protecting everyone else.
Calista popped up in the doorway, her eyes finding mine. “Sorry for the interruption, but I need to speak with Arianna.” She sounded so formal I nearly laughed. All protocol had gone out the window lately, but Calista was finding it a hard habit to break.
I reached over and squeezed Kade’s hand. “You okay?”
He nodded. “I’m fine. Go. I’ll be with Baladar in the basement.”
I tried not to sigh. For now, I had no choice but to trust in my mate and the powerful magic born. Trust that they would respect their limits when playing with darkness. And basically hope for the best.
I followed Calista out of the room and she didn’t say a word. We walked in silence until we were alone in the far corridor.
“What is it?” Now I was nervous because my advisor was acting strange. She finally turned to me, a serious expression creasing her face. “It’s just a hunch, Ari, but I have this nagging feeling…”
My pulse picked up at the tone in her voice. “Spit it out. You’re freaking me out.”
Calista started pacing. “I sense that we are making a mistake just waiting for the fae to attack. We’re giving them too much power, playing the submissive role. I feel it will be much worse if we keep waiting.”
I focused with a hundred percent of my attention. Calista had taught me everything she knew about strategy. She was the best, and her instincts were always spot on. “I think so too,” I admitted. “I have been worried about this delay of any sort of serious attack, especially when Prince Caspien has no idea what they are up to.”
Calista nodded a few times. “A part of me believes they are gathering intel, maybe sending out a few assassins like those in the pizza shop … testing the waters … perfecting their attack.”
I interrupted as a thought sprang to mind. “The Dark Fae Lord did say that he wanted to punish the Fall Court. What if he wants to use the shifters to do it? Maybe they’re hoping to take Kade and I out behind the scenes, so to speak, and just step into the role of leaders.”
Calista tilted her head, not looking convinced. “It’s possible. I feel as if the pizza one was designed to make you nervous. Throw you off your game.”
Well, it had certainly done that.
“So what should I do?” I asked her. “Should we march our army on the Otherworld? Take our strongest and join the Summer Court? Cut those bastards off before they can get to us, or before they can corrupt our people?”
She looked torn, her eyes drifting to a spot behind me. I knew she’d be running all of the possible scenarios through her head.
“Maybe … maybe the answer has been there all along,” I mused, not giving her time to reply. “Maybe instead of our army going, I go alone into the Otherworld and take their leaders out. Cut off the head, the body will fall too.”
Something crazy must have gleamed in my eyes, because Calista sucked in a deep breath. “That’s too dangerous, Ari.” She shook her head. “I feel like we are missing something important here. A huge piece of the puzzle. If they are trying to take you out, how do they plan on making the shifters fall in line? None of them are going to follow a fae leader who killed their monarch. There has to be another piece.”
“There probably is,” I growled out, my wolf unhappy. “But I don’t think I can wait around any longer to find out.”
I continued working through my messy thoughts, letting all of the information mesh in my head. Part of me wished there was someone with more experience I could turn to. Maybe we could phone and ask Annette; she had ruled with her mate for a long time — before he was killed. She was a little too peace-loving though. I needed someone well versed in battle strategy.
I paused. The best person to ask would have been … the Red Queen. She had been brilliant at battle. It was something she was lauded for daily. Maybe … there was a way.
“Send Violet to the small library room, please,” I said to Calista. She gave me an inquisitive look but I was already moving. “I’m going to see the Red Queen,” I called over my shoulder. If she was still trapped in the mecca and I could talk to her through the crystal, then maybe I could get the upper hand in this war.
Chapter Nine
Only losers play the waiting game.
I got to the hall of the small library that hid the mecca stone in no time. The two guards posted outside gave me a half bow and then opened the double doors for me. They were under strict instructions not to let anyone but my core group inside. This stone had to be protected above all else. It might be our greatest weapon in this war.
When the door shut behind me, I took a deep cleansing breath and walked over to pull the book down. I entered the secret passage, making sure to close the door firmly behind me. Now that the balance had been restored, it was almost easy to walk to the stone. Not to mention I was a hell of a lot stronger than I used to be. The pulse of energy within the stone called to me like an old friend, but I resisted the impulse to touch it. I needed Violet here to make sure nothing went wrong, to help me out with transitioning between this world and the mecca one.
I probably didn’t really need her help now. I was not a regular shifter, but another thing I had decided to change this time around as queen was acting like I was an island, always having to do it alone.
“Ari!” Violet’s voice echoed down the secret tunnel before she emerged in a flurry of orange silk. She must have changed after the lake incident. Her dress was simple but stunning; rows of pearls lined the bodice and extended down through the long lengths. “What are we doing?”
Her eyes were sparkling. Actual real sparkles. It felt like a million years since I had seen true excitement from her. It reminded me I still needed to talk to her about the Otherworld, about everything that had happened, and what she went through. I was determined to make time for it, she was one of my priorities. Maybe after our little journey into the world of mecca.
“I want to contact the Red Queen,” I said to her. “Calista and I are worried about this delay from the fae, and frankly I’m done waiting. I want Winnie back. I want to focus on problems of the bear and wolf variety.”
Violet nodded slowly. “The delay is kind of weird, but I just figured the fae are weird. That’s how I explain everything they do.”