Night Seeker

“No, you are not my daughter,” he said.

“Then who was my father?” Rhia looked like she might cry. She’d waited all her life to know who her father had been, and when Heather died, it looked like there was no chance of finding out.

Lainule looked at her. “You are my niece,” she said. “My brother sired you-you are his child. He was killed during the battle with Myst. You are part Cambyra like your cousin. And as my closest female heir, you, my dear, will be the next Queen of Summer, even as Cicely becomes the new mistress of Winter.”

And with that, our world shifted forever.

Chapter 20

The silence was deafening. Rhiannon and I stared at her, as if she’d suddenly said we were turning into Martians. Ulean swirled around me.

I’m so glad you finally know. I have had such a hard time not telling you over the years. You will be my Queen, even as Lainule was until she gave me to you. I could feel the swish of her tailwind as she danced.

Rhia stammered, seeking words, unable to speak.

But I found my tongue. “I will not become Myst!”

“I did not say you were to become Myst, my child. You are Cambyra Fae, not Indigo Court. You will become the next Queen of the Snow and Ice, even as Rhiannon will be Queen of Rivers and Rushes. There has been no true Queen of Winter here since Myst killed her long ago and took her place.”

“Tabera. The Unseelie Queen.”

“Yes, I see your father has been giving you history lessons.” She smiled at Wrath, then looked back at the two of us. “Myst knows nothing of balance, of give-and-take. She must be destroyed and the proper equilibrium returned. This will also negate your contract with Lannan, though he might still enforce it as an allegiance, but that is acceptable.” Lainule smiled softly at me. “You were born to the waning year, as Rhiannon was born to the waxing. You are two of a kind, born on the cusp. Cousins, who mirror one another.”

Rhiannon stammered. “Your brother was my father? Did our mothers know all of this?”

Wrath shook his head. “They knew some of it. They were chosen from the beginning. Your family has long held the Veil House and land-they have an interwoven history with the Golden Wood.”

“Then what is my animal form, or like Chatter, do I carry Fire as my Elemental form?” She licked her lips, and the eagerness in her voice was tinged with fear.

I turned to her. “Snake. I dreamed it.”

Wrath shook his head. “You and your dreams. But Cicely is correct. You are of the snake people. But for now, leave that be. You do not have time to master the form and it would be too cold for you outside.”

He sighed. “We chose your mothers to bear the two of you when we realized that Myst was rising again. Before she ever made a move, we knew we had to ensure that there would be a summer and winter queen to come, should the unthinkable happen.”

“Why didn’t you stop Myst back then? Before she destroyed your Court?” I shook my head. “Why not prevent a problem before it started?”

“We could not. We only knew she was here, not where she was hiding. Geoffrey thought it was the vampire court she was after, but that was only a part of her plan. He was shortsighted and arrogant. And the prophecy of the Blood Oracle is partially true-she is out to diminish their control.”

Ysandra moved forward. “We knew all of this, but the Court of Rivers and Rushes turned their back on our help. But we’ve been working on our own, in other towns where the Indigo Court has been making inroads. There have been battles waged that no one will ever hear of-behind the scenes, bloody and costly to the Consortium but also costly to Myst’s domain. You have no clue of how powerful she is and how vast an empire the Vampiric Fae have bred over the years.”

“We chose not to ask for your help because we believed this to be a matter for the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. We were mistaken.” Wrath looked pained, as if he’d swallowed something bitter.

“All well and good, but look at the cost your isolationism has caused. And it’s not just here, it’s in other small towns like this, around the world. But it is not just you…the vampires were of no help, either, believing the war was theirs alone.” Ysandra shrugged. “Arguing is useless now. There is no blame any longer. We must work together. Join forces against our common enemy.”

Lainule nodded. “She speaks the truth. And this is why you must take reign as the Queen of Snow and Ice, with Grieve as your consort. Once Myst is routed, the Indigo Court will seek another queen. You will have to hold the winter against them, until our combined forces have managed to destroy them all.” She smiled softly. “I can hold my position only awhile longer. Through the coming war. Then Wrath and I must leave the Golden Wood. Rhiannon and Chatter will take our places as Lord and Lady of Summer.”

“But why? What happened?” I didn’t understand. Losing them seemed a huge blow and I still hadn’t managed to grasp the significance of what they were saying. It was too overwhelming.

“When Myst neared my heartstone, you saved my life. Do you remember when I told you that by doing so, you would set into motion something that would forever change the future for you and Rhiannon?”

I nodded, still not understanding the exact nature of how things had shifted. “Yes.”

“When a Fae Queen reabsorbs her heartstone, when the energy returns to her body, she forfeits her crown. The heartstone, once hidden and separate from the Queen, will forever hold her realm until it is either destroyed or returned to her. By saving my life, you destroyed my reign. But it was my choice to make. I could have died a queen, but I chose to live, to battle Myst and fade into history.”

Tears clogged my throat and I wasn’t sure why I was crying. “I don’t understand…”

Chatter stepped up to Wrath. “You will go with your Lady, then?”

Wrath nodded. “It is the way. Once we have routed Myst and reclaimed the Golden Wood, Lainule and I will turn over the reign to the four of you. The Golden Wood will be divided between you. Summer will reign over it during the waxing year, then retreat to her realm for the winter. And Winter will guard it during the waning year.”

I gasped. “My dream…we met on the solstices…but then that means…”

“Yes…you will be divided, at odds and yet in alliance. Summer and Winter can only mingle on the days they make the exchange. You and your cousin will forever live separate. This is your sacrifice. This is the way it’s always been.”

Rhiannon burst into tears. “I’m not ready for that.”

“This is your destiny. There is no turning away.” Lainule stepped forward and embraced her. “Long have I wished to welcome you into the family, to tell you who you were, but like Wrath and Cicely, I could not do so until the right time. I wish we could have prepared you both for this, but there was no way. War does not give us an easy route, nor does it make allowance for fear.”

A knock at the door startled all of us. I stepped forward, my mind reeling. The changes over the past few weeks had been intense and confusing. Now to find out that Rhia and I had been born to a destiny neither of us had dared even dream of sent me reeling. I had so many questions, but as I opened the door, I knew they’d have to wait.

A group of magic-born from the Consortium waited. Ysandra stepped forward. “Reinforcements are here.” She turned to Rhiannon, Grieve, Chatter, and me. “Do you see now why you cannot chance being killed in this battle? Why you must lead the battle and yet, let others take on the brunt of the fighting? You are the heirs to the thrones. You cannot let yourselves be hurt.”

I bit my lip. Once again, we were pawns of destiny, but I had the feeling that would shift once we took the reins of power. Then we would be forming the future rather than reacting to it. We weren’t ready for this, but then…would we ever be? We were being tested, and fate had a way of shoving people into situations in order to strengthen them.

“We’re being tempered. Fire and Ice.” I turned to Lainule. “When do we march against Myst? Your warriors are here. The witches and mages are here.” And then-a whisper caught my attention.