BirthrightByE.J.Stevens

BirthrightE.J.Stevens

PublishedbySacredOaks

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Copyright2015E.J.StevensAllrightsreserved

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PronunciationGuidePronunciations are givenphonetically for names andraces found in the IvyGranger series. Alternatenames and nicknames havebeenprovidedinparentheses.In some cases, the originalfolklore has been changed to

suitthecityofHarborsmouthanditsenvirons.Ailinn:ah-lynnAleya:uh-LEE-yuhArachne:uh-RAK-neeAthame:ah-thaw-mayBanshee: ban-shee (BeanSidhe,BeanSìth)Barguest: BAR-guyst(Bargheist,BlackDog)BeanTighe:bantigBéchuille: beh-huh-IL (BéChuille)

Bema:BEE-muhBheur:ver(likeair)Blaosc:BLEE-uskBogey:BOH-geeBoggart:BOG-ertBoitata:boy-TAH-taBrollachan:broll-ach-HAWNBrownie: BROW-nee (Bwca,Urisk, Hearth Faerie,DomesticHobgoblin)Bugbear: BUG-bayr (Bug-a-boo,Boggle-bo)Bwca: BOO-kuh (seeBrownie)

The Cailleach: kall-ahk (TheBlue Hag, Cailleach Bheur,Queen of Winter, Crone,VeiledOne,WinterHag)CatSidhe:KATsheeorkaythshee (Faerie Cat, Cait Shith,CaitSith)Ceffyl Dŵr: keff-EEL dore(KelpieKing,Ceff)Chirbatti:CHEERbhut-TEAClurichaun: kloor-ih-kon(clobhair)CuSith:KOOsheeDaeva:DAY-va

Demon:DEE-munDjinn:JINDraugr:DROW-gerDuergar:doER-garEach Uisge: erk OOSH-kuh(WaterHorse)Elphame:EL-faymEmain Ablach: EH-van ah-BLAHFaerie: FAIR-ee (Fairy,Sidhe, Fane, Wee Folk, TheGentry, People of Peace,Themselves,Sidhe,Fae,Fay,GoodFolk)

FearDearg:farDAR-rig(TheRedMan)Fionn mac Cumhaill: FINmacCOO-willForneus: FOR-nee-us(Demon, Great Marquis ofHell)Fragarach:FRAGahrochFuath:FOO-ahGaiusAurelius:GUY-us aw-REE-lee-usGalliel:GAL-ee-el(Unicorn)Ghoul:GOOL(Revenant)

Glaistig: GLASS-tig (TheGreenLady)Gnome:NOHMGoblin:GOB-linGriffin: GRIF-fin (Gryphon,Griffon)Grindylow:GRIN-dee-lohGwarwyn-a-throt: GWAR-win-uh-THROTHamadryad: ha-ma-DRY-ad(TreeNymph)Harborsmouth: HAR-bers-MOUTHHenkie:HEN-kee

Hippocampus: hip-po-CAM-pusHob-o-Waggle HOB-oh-WAG-gul (Brownie, son ofWag-at-the-Wa)HyBrasil:HYbra-ZILIgnusfatuus:IG-nusFATCH-you-usInari:i-NAH-reeJenny Greenteeth: JEN-neeGREEN-teeth(WaterHag)Kelpie: KEL-pee (WaterHorse,Nyaggle)Lamia:LAY-me-uh

Leanansídhe: lan-awn-shee(Lhiannan Sidhe, LeanhaunShee, Leannan Sìth, FairyMistress)Leprechaun: le-pre-khan(leipreachán)Loupgarou:LOOPguh-ROOMab:MAB(UnseelieQueen)Manannán mac Lir: MAH-nah-nahnmacleerMauthe doog: MOW-theeDOOMelusine:MEL-oo-seen

Mermaid: MER-mayd (maleMerman)Merry Dancer: MER-reeDAN-ser(FirChlis)Murúch: mer-ook (Merrow,Moruadh,Murúghach)Nixie:NIX-eeNuckelavees: NOOK-uh-LAY-veezOberon: OH-ber-on (SeelieKing)Peg Powler: PEG POW-ler(Peg Powler of the Trees,WaterHag)

Peri:PER-eePixie:PIK-see(Pisgie)Pooka: POO-kuh (Phooka,Pouka,Púca,Pwca)Redcap:RED-kap(redcap)Roca Barraidh: ROH-kaBAR-rahSaytr:SAY-terSelkie:SEL-keeShellycoat:SHEL-lee-coteSidhe:SHEE(seeFaerie)Succubus: SUK-you-bus(maleIncubus)TechDuinn:tekDOON

Tezcatlipocan: tehs-cah-tlee-poh-cahnTirnanOg:TEERnaNOHGTir Tairngire: TEERTEARN-geerTitania: ti-TAY-nee-uh(SeelieQueen)Troll:TROHLTuatha Dé Danann: toothaDAYda-NANTylwyth Teg: TILL-withTEEG(SeelieCourt)Unicorn:YOU-ni-kornUnseelie:un-SEE-lee

Vampire:VAM-pyr(Undead)Will-o’-the-Wisp: WIL-oh-tha-wisp (Gyl Burnt Tayle,Jacko’Lantern,Wisp,GhostLight,Friar’sLantern,CorpseCandle, Hobbledy, Aleya,Hobby Lantern, Chir Batti,Faerie Fire, Spunkies, MinMinLight,LuzMala,Pinket,Ellylldan,SpookLight,IgnusGatuus, Orbs, Boitatá, andHinkypunk)Ynis Afallon: un-NIS AH-fuhl-on

YueFei:yweh-fay

IntroductionWelcome to

Harborsmouth, wheremonsters walk the streetsunseen by humans…exceptthosewithsecondsight.

Whether visiting ourmodern business district orexploring the cobblestonelanesof theOldPortquarter,pleaseenjoyyourstay.Whenyoureturnhome,dotellyour

friends about our wonderfulcity—just leave out anysupernaturaldetails.

Don’t worry—most ofour guests never experienceanything unusual.Otherworlders, such asfaeries,vampires,andghouls,are quite adept at hidingwithintheshadows.Manyarealso skilled at erasingmemories.Youmaywake inthe night screaming, but youwon’t recall why. Be glad

that you don’t remember—you are one of the fortunateones.

If you do encountersomething unnatural, well,youarecurrentlyoutofluck.Normally, we wouldrecommend the services ofIvy Granger, PsychicDetective. Unfortunately foryou,MissGrangerisrecentlydeceased.

Perhaps,wecaninterestyou in local real estate.With

Miss Granger dead, it islikely you may become oneof our permanent residents.We kindly direct you toHarborsmouth CemeteryRealty.It’snevertooearlytocontactthem,sincewehaveabooming “housing” market.Demand is quite high for alocal plot—there are alwayspeople dying for a place tostay.

Chapter1I grimaced at the

noodlescurrentlytauntingmewith their salty broth andrubbery texture, and pushedthesteamingbowlawaywithgloved hands. My stomachgrowled, but I ignored itsrumbling and grabbed amugofcoffeeinstead.

“Girl, if you keepdrinking that sludge without

any food in your stomach,you’re just asking for totalcoffee rot gut,” Jinx said,leaning a hip against thecounter and pointing a redlacquered fingernailmyway.“Eatyourdinner.”

Jinxwasn’tmymother,but sometimes she acted likeit.Normally,Iputupwithherbossiness without too muchgrumbling. Well, maybesome grumbling, butwhen itcame to eating, I usually did

what she said. Jinx was mybest friend, which was whywe were roommates andbusinesspartners.

Untilrecently,Jinxwasalso the only person in mylife who cared if I lived orbreathed—or so I’d thought.Sowhenshefussedoverme,I secretly felt all warm andfuzzy inside. I wasn’t atouchy feely person, beingsaddled with the curse ofpsychometry made sure of

that. Over time, objects,including people, collectpsychic residue and all ofthose strong emotions—mostly traumatic—sit therejustwaitingforsomeone likeme to reach out and makecontact.

Sonormally,thatmeantIatewhatJinxputinfrontofme, no questions asked. Nottoday. If I had to eat onemore bowl of ramenor plateofMacn’cheese,I’dpuke.

“I’dratherwrestlewitha smelly, pulsating jincanqueen,”Imuttered.

“Well, you won’t bewrestling with the faeanytimesoon,”shesaid.“Notwithyoubeingdeadandall.”

Isighed,andglaredthebowl of ramen noodle, butignoring Jinx didn’t makewhat she said any less true.As far as the fae wereconcerned, I was dead. Lastmonth, the faerie courts sent

their assassins, theMoordenaar, to terminatemeasmypunishment forcrimesagainstthefae.Itwasagainstfae law to go around lettingthe general public knowabout the existence ofOtherworlders.

Faeries are immortal,but they can still be killed ifthe human masses becameawareofthemonstersintheirmidst and decide to take uparms against them. It was

why the ability to glamourourselveswassoimportant.

Sowhen it came to thefaerie courts attention that Iwas breaking their law,intentionally or not, theyordered my execution at thehandsoftheMoordenaar.TheMoordenaar are very, verygoodattheirjob.They’dshotpoisoned arrows into myheart, kidney, and liver, andthenleftmetodie.

Humphrey was one ofthe reasons my assassinshadn’t waited to witness mydeath, and therefore weren’taroundwhenmyfriendsforcefed me a magic apple thatbrought me back to life. I’dhave to thank him for thatsomeday,thoughIdidn’tlikethe idea of being in agargoyle’sdebt.Talkaboutarockandahardplace.

“Fine, I’ll make you abox of Mac n’ cheese,” she

said, rolling her eyes. “Butjust so you know, we’re outof milk and butter. It’sprobably going to tastenasty.”

“No, don’t waste it,” Isaid. “I’ll eat the Mac n’cheesetomorrow.”

I had no intention ofeatinganotherboxofthestufftomorrow, or ever, but Jinxdidn’t know that. Mab’sbones,I’dratherstarve.

“Ihaveaproteinbar inmy bedroom,” I said with aonearmedshrug.

“That’snotdinner,”shesaid,eyesnarrowing.

“Neitheristhis,”Isaid,pushing the bowl furtheraway.“Youwantit?”

Jinx staredat thebowl,liptwitching.

“Hells to the no,” shesaid.

Isnorted,andshookmyhead. Jinx had been oohing

andahhingoverhermealsallweek,butshewasjustassickof Ramen as I was.My bestfriendwastricksylikethat.

“Sparky!” I yelled.“Youhungry?”

The little demon cametearing out of our bathroom,streaming toilet paper fromhislongears,andclimbedtherungs of the bar stool besideme.Withagleefulsqueak,hehopped onto the counter anddancedasquirmylittlejig.

“Yes,yes,yes,yes!”hesang.

I reached for thepackageofplasticcutlerywekept on hand for Ceff—myboyfriend the local kelpieking—but Jinx shook herhead.

“Wait,” she said. Shenarrowedhereyes,andaimedaladleatSparky.“Whathaveyou been up to? Have youbeen playing in the toiletagain?”

Forneus claimed thatSparkywould someday growto become a massive demonlord, but that was hard tobelieve.Thelittleguywasthesize of a potbelliedChihuahua and got into justasmuchmischief.Lastweekhe’d started tossing“treasures” into the toilet tobe salvaged by Sparky thegreat spelunking explorer.Unfortunately, one of those

treasures was Jinx’stoothbrush.

“Nooooo,”hesaid.He blushed and gave

Jinxashysmile.“Thenhowdidyouget

toiletpaperstrungupinyourearslikegarland?”sheasked,reaching over to pluck thepaperfromhisears.

“No toilet, silly,” hesaid.“Trashcan!”

I rubbedaglovedhandovermyface,andtriednotto

laugh. Sparky had found thewonders of the bathroomtrashcan.Oberonsaveusall.

“Oh my God, ewww!”Jinx squeaked, dropping thetoilet paper as if it scorchedherfingers.

“Ewww!” Sparkyyelled,smilingasheparrotedJinx.

“Ifit’sanythinglikehisgame with the toilet, he wasprobably putting the toiletpaper into the trash can, not

theotherwayaround,”Isaid.“The toilet paper is mostlikelyclean.”

It also meant that he’dprobably been adventuringinside the trash can, siftingthrough who knows whatwith his bare hands.Apparently,Jinxhadcometothesameconclusion.

“Gowashyourhands,”she said, pointing to the barsink. “And no more playinginthebathroom.”

“Thenfood?”heasked.“ThenyoucaneatIvy’s

Ramen noodles,” she said.“Now hurry up, before theygetcold.”

Sparky skipped over tothesink.Heleanedouttoturnon thefaucetandprettysoonhe was playing under therunning water as if runningthroughalawnsprinkler.Jinxscowled at the mess thedemon was making of her

kitchen,butIshookmyheadandsmiled.

“Lethimhavehisfun,”I said. “We can always heattheRamenupagainlater.”

“You shouldn’t feedhimallthatsalt,”shesaid.“Ifhe were a dog, he’d havehypertensionbynow.”

I shrugged. The kidlooked fine, not that I couldtell if he had high bloodpressureornot.Hisskinwasalwaystingedred.

“He’sademon,”Isaid.“That foodwill probably killus before it does anything tohim.”

I eyed the bowl ofRamen as if itwere about toreachout itsnoodle tentaclesandattack.

“Ifyouwant toeatrealfood again, we have to startmaking some money,” shesaid. “Either that, or we dipinto the emergency fund.Oh

wait, we can’t do that.Someonealreadyspentit.”

I sighed. She wasn’tentirely wrong to be angrywith me, but I hadn’t had achoice.

“You know I have tofindmyfather,”Isaid.“He’sthe only hope I have ofgainingcontrolovermywisppowersandclearingmynamewiththefaeriecouncil.”

UntilIcouldprovethatIwasn’tawalkingmenaceto

fae society, I had to remaindead. Something we soondiscovered meant a hugeblowtoourincome.It’shardto work cases when you’resupposedtobesixfeetundertheground.

“Let me start takingcases,” Jinx said. “I can dothe leg work, and you canconsult fromhome. If I needyour magic touch, I knowwheretofindyou.”

I shook my head, andwavedmyhands.

“Noway,”Isaid.“Look, I’ll just meet

with the clients and get thedeetsonthejob,”shesaid.“IfIwearfaerieointment,I’llbeable to see if they’re nothuman.”

Theingredientstomakefaerie ointment wereexpensive.IfJinxwaswillingto use up the last of herointment, I knew she was

serious about landing a job.That made arguing with herthatmuchmoredifficult.

Not that I was willingto give up yet. What Jinxdidn’t know, what I wasforbidden to tell any human,wasthatIhadakeytooneofthesecretgatestoFaerie.Theonly pathway to that gaterevealeditselfonthesummersolstice—adate thatwas fastapproaching.Ifwetookajobnow,I’donlybeable tohelp

workthecaseforafewmoredays. After that, Jinx mightbe without backup,permanently.

“Faerie ointmentdoesn’tworkontheundead,”Isaid.

Vampires have theirown glamour, one that faerieointment doesn’t penetrate. Iletoutadeep,gratifyingsigh.Iwassuretowinthisfight.

“I’ll only do businessduringtheday,”shesaid.

Crap. I hadn’t thoughtof that. I cleared my throat,trying to think of anotherreason my best friendshouldn’tputherselfatrisk.Iwas pretty sure that tellingher“foodishighlyoverrated”wouldn’twork.

“It’sdangerous,”Isaid.Sheliftedherchin,eyes

shining, and shoulders backand leaned toward me, herpalms spread out on thecounter.

“Let me do this,” shesaid.“Please.”

Damn it. I slumpedforward, and putmy head inmyhands.Itwasthe“please”that did it. Over the pastmonth, Jinx had been tryingto prove that she was thesame tough-as-nails womanshe was before her attack.The fact that she’dshowanysignofweaknessnow,provedhowmuchthismeanttoher.

“Okay, fine,” I said.“But I’m not letting you dothis alone. No meeting withclientswithoutme.”

We’d have to workovertime tomeetmy solsticedeadline, but it wasn’t like Ihadn’t worked a case round-the-clock before. So long asJinxkeptpumpingmefullofcoffee, we might wrap up ajob before I did mydisappearingact.

“Youcan’tcometotheoffice,”shesaidwithafrown.“It’stoodangerous.”

“Then I guess, I’ll justhave to make sure nobodyseesme,”Isaid.

Chapter2Ielbowedmyselfinthe

kidney and winced. I’dinsisted on accompanyingJinx to Private Eye for hermeeting with a client. Toobadourofficewas smallandthereweren’tmany places tohide. I shifted my weight,catching my ass on a loosescrewthatprotrudedfromthewall of the cupboard I was

currently crouching in. Ifrowned, hoping the sharpmetal hadn’t snagged myjeans.ThelastthingIneededright nowwas to be draggeddownintoavision.

I sighed. I should havethought this through a bitmore. I was wedged in heresotight,Ialreadyhadacrickinmyneckandmylegsweregoing numb. Another twentyminutesofthisandIwouldn’tbeable tomoveatall,which

meant that if some big, badsupernatural nasty camestriding into our office, Iwouldn’t be much help.Maybe the cupboard wasn’tthe only thing with a screwloose.

I was being paranoid,and I knew it. Jinx had metwith our clients in the past.Shewas good at flying solo,that bossy streak of herskeepingthemeetingsontrackand a steady cash flow into

ourbankaccounts.But she’dnever done this under theguise of running the placeherself.

That’s the part thatworried me. She’d alwaysbeen my paper pushingpartner, the helpfuladministrative assistant. Nowshe was putting herself outthereasapsychicdetective—ajobthatattracteditsshareofnut cases. Walking in myshoes might just put her in

danger, a fact that had mewishing she’d stick toanswering phones andbossingmearound.Wasfoodso important that we reallyneededtoswapjobs?

Jinx’s role in theofficewasn’ttheonlythingthathadchanged recently. Until lastsummer, our clientele hadbeenmostlyhuman.Butaftera battle with flesh eatingfaerie horses that madekelpies look like My Little

Pony, our client base hadshifted. The fae now knewthatIcouldbeavaluableally,orapowerfulenemy.

Unfortunately,theyalsothought Iwasdead.That leftmy human partner on thefront lines with somepotentially deadly nasties,monsters who thought shewas here without backup. Iwas just about to extricatemyselffrommyself-imposed

prison when the bell abovetheofficedoorrangout.

I held my breath, andtriednottomoveamuscle.Ifwe were lucky, Jinx’s clientwould just be some helplesshuman here with a mundanejob. The bell over the dooronly chimed once, whichmeantwewerelikelydealingwith only one opponent, um,client.

“Welcome to PrivateEye…” Jinx said, voice

faltering. I couldn’t seeanything through the narrowcrackthatIwassquintingoutfrom, so I inched thecupboarddooropenfurther.Ishifted my weight, preparingto come to her aid—or atleast fall on her assailant—whenthenextwordoutofhermouth stopped me in mytracks.“Dad?”

I’d never met Jinx’sfather,but fromwhat Icouldsee,hewasalarge,burlyman

with a dark beard and moretattoos than his daughter.Hepulledabaseballhatfromhishead, running grease stainedfingers over a bald spot, andsighed.

“Sorry tobotheryouatwork,” he said. “Especiallyafter all that’s happened. I’msorry for your loss,sweetheart.”

Jinx froze, and blinkedat her father, for once at alossforwords.I’dknownthat

going into hiding andperpetuating the story that Iwas dead would be hard.WhatIhadn’tplannedonwaswhat keeping that secretwould cost my friends andloved ones. Jinx paled andlooked down at her desk,straightening the pens andstacks of paper that werealreadylinedupwithmilitaryprecision.

Her father mistook herdiscomfort for grief and

closed the distance betweenthem,pullingJinxintoahug.My friend stood there, facegoing red, and I knew Ineeded to do something.Unlike the pureblood fae,humans can tell lies, but thatdidn’tmean that lying to herfatherwouldbeeasy.

“Um, that’s okay,” shesaid, gently pushing herfather away and putting herdesk between them. “Is thatwhyyou’rehere?”

This was my mess. Ihadtodosomethingtofixit.

Jinx continued to stareat her desk and I eyed thedoor, wondering where ourclient was. Someone, orsomething, had asked for amorningmeeting.Maybe if Iwas fast enough, I couldrevealmyselftoJinx’sfather,givehimaquickexplanationofmycurrentsituation,swearhim to secrecy, and wedgemyself back into this tiny

woodenboxbeforeourclientarrived.Okay,itwasn’tgoododds,butIcouldn’tjustleaveJinxhangingouttodry.

“Actually, sweetheart,”hesaid.“I’myourteno’clockappointment.” He rolled hishat inhishandsandblushed,nosegoingbrightred.“Ineedyourhelp.”

Withacrash,Itumbledout of the cabinet and ontothe floor at Mr. Braxton’sfeet. It wasn’t a graceful

entrance, but then again heseemedmore concernedwiththe fact that a dead womanhad just rolled out of ourofficecupboard.

I winced and came toone knee, waving to Jinx’sdad. I glanced at the largewindow that faced the street,but there were no monsterslurking there, and the deskkept me mostly hidden fromview. I pulled back the hoodfrom my sweatshirt and

stuffedmyglovedhands intomy pockets, but I kept myface turned away from thewindowsthatfacedthestreet.

“Pardon me if I don’tshakeyourhand,”Isaid.“It’snothingpersonal.”

“No offense taken,” hesaid voice shaky. “Mydaughter told me aboutyour…affliction.”

Good. If Jinx told herfather that I was a psychicand he believed it, then he

might be more receptive towhatIwasabouttotellhim.

“Jinx, can you pull theshades and lock the door?” Iasked.

“Sure,” she said, eagerto have something to do tokeepbusy.

“I’m sorry that I waseavesdropping, but I didn’tknowwhowould turnup forthismeeting,” I said. “And Icouldn’t leave Jinx on herown. There are dangerous

people out there, monsterswhodon’tvaluehumanlife.”

“Thesedangerousmen,they why you’ve beenplayingpossum?”heasked.

I nodded, taking in theman’s muscled body andgrease stained coveralls.There was dirt under hisfingernailsandhishandsandarms were crisscrossed withtinyscars.Hewasamanwhoworked with his hands, butthe most impressive thing

about him was theintelligence in his sparkling,blueeyes.I imagineitwouldbe easy to underestimate aman like that, if you didn’tlook him in the eye. Judgingfrom his size, most peopleprobablydidn’t.

I smiled and gesturedforhimtotakeaseat.

“There are people whowant me dead,” I said. “It’sbetter if they think they gottheirwish,fornowanyway.”

“People wanting youdead usually put you in suchagoodmood,MissGranger?”heasked.

“No,” I said. “I’m justhappy to finally meet Jinx’sfather. Coming out to yourbusinesshasn’treallybeenanoption. Old and used thingshaveatendencytobitemeintheass,sotospeak.”

Hechuckledandtookaseat, slapping his tree trunksizedthighwithhishat.

“And here I thoughtyou just didn’t likejunkyards,”hesaid.

“Only for theircomplications,”Isaid.

Ascrapyardfilledwiththe detritus of hundreds,perhaps thousands, of livesleftme shaking inmy boots.Some people fear death, butme? I was terrified of thepotential for madness thatlurked within old items, thememories of their previous

ownerswaitingtopounceandclawawayatmysanity.

“Okay,Dad,”Jinxsaid,takingaseatbehindherdesk.She’d locked the door, anddropped the shades. “Sowhyare you here? What’swrong?”

“Someone’s beenbreaking into the junkyard,”hesaidwitha frown.“And Idon’tthinkthey’rehuman.”

I brushed paper dustand powdered ink from my

jeansandrockedbackonmyheels. We’d hastily removedthe shelving and officesupplies from the cupboardthis morning, but hadn’tbothered to wipe it downbefore I crawled inside. Ifrownedatadarkspotonmyjeans. That smudge of tonerinkwasgoingtobeabitchtogetout.

Toobad thatwasn’t allIhadtoworryabout.

Chapter3“Why don’t you think

the thieves are human?” Iasked.

The question wasdirected at Jinx’s father, butasheponderedthequestion,Iraised an eyebrow at hisdaughter. She mimed fangsand horns with her fingers,nodded, and shrugged.Apparently, she’d shared

some of her knowledge ofparanormalcreatureswithherfather. While I couldcommend honesty, that kindof information wasdangerous. Most of the faeandundeadwouldgotogreatlengths to guard that secret,and many of the long-livedweren’t bothered with thingslike morals or a conscience.They’d snap Eben Braxton’sneck, and pat themselves onthebackforajobwelldone.

I’dneedtoremindthembothofthat,butfornowIhada job to focus on, one that Iwas already beginning todread.

“Wait, can you repeatthat?”Iasked.

“I said, they lured mynight guard away with somekind of floating lights,” hesaid,scrapingahandthroughhishair.“Itwasunnatural.”

I bit my lip, trying toignore the churning in my

gut.ItoldmyselfthatI’dhadtoo much coffee and notenough food. That was all.But a tiny traitorous voiceinside my head was alreadydrawingconnectionsbetweenthe unnatural floating lightsandmywispbrethren.

Ishookoffthegrowingsense of dread, and focusedon the job. Any number ofthings could cast strangelights throughout a junkyard.It was probably just

moonlight reflecting offpieces of metal, or lightningbugs, or a trick of theweather. It was breezyyesterday. Maybe the windshadshiftedsomeof thejunk,making the light bounce anddance.

“How long has thisbeengoingon?”Iasked.

“Around about twoweeks,”hesaid.

Well, that ruledout therecent windy weather. But

thatstilldidn’tmeanweweredealingwithwisps.Thereareother nocturnal creatures thatenjoytoyingwithhumans.

“It all started whenBruce’s dog gone missing,thoughwedidn’tputtwoandtwo together until whathappened later,” hecontinued.

“Bruce?”Iasked.“Dad’s best night

watchman,”Jinxsaid.

“You sure this Bruceisn’t in on it?” I asked.“Maybehestaged the lossofhis dog, and lied about thelights?”

“No,” he said with ashake of the head. “He’s agood man. Plus, I got noproof any thieving’s beengoing on. It’s beyondpeculiar.”

“Nothing has gonemissing?”Iasked.

Due to all the scrapmetal in the junkyard, I’dbeen starting to suspect wewereupagainstgremlins. I’dnever dealt with the pestsmyself, but from what I’dheard they were one of thevery fewfae races thatcouldhandle iron. Some peopleclaimedtheyevenhada lovefortechnology,oratleasttheairplane engines of the earlytwentieth century.More thanone WWII pilot came home

with a tale of gremlinssabotagingtheiraircraft.

If gremlins weren’t theones messing around in thejunkyard, then who was?Vampires? Ghouls? If wewere looking at ghouls, Ididn’t have much hope offinding that dog alive. Mostvampires wouldn’t lowerthemselves to feedingoff thebloodofdogs,butghoulshadnosuchaversion.Ghoulsmayprefer human flesh, but

they’d feast on whatevercarriontheycouldfind.

“Nothing of value hasgone missing, just Bruce’sdog,”hesaid,runningahandover his beard. “Like I said,Bruce is a good man, andhe’dneverdonothingbad tothat dog. He loved that muttlikehisownkin.”

Jinxnodded.“Bruce’s worked for

my dad for so long, he’spractically family,” she said,

fists on her hips as if daringmetoargue.

“Damn,”Isaid throughclenchedteeth.

I didn’t likewhere thiswasgoing.Notatall.

“What?”Ebenasked.He frowned in

confusion, but I could seeJinx’s eyes widening as thesamerealizationcreptin.

AsmuchasIwantedtorail against the possibility, Ihad to face the facts. The

glowing unearthly orbs,floating through the night tolure man and beast to theirdoom sounded an awful lotlikemywispbrethren.

“The ones causingtrouble at your junkyardaren’tpartofyourfamily,butthey just might be part ofmine,”Isaid.

Chapter4Iclimbedoverapileof

car parts, careful not to snagmy legs on the sharp metal.Mycautionwasn’tforfearofwreckingmyclothes.Ididn’tneed a trek through ajunkyard to accomplish that.No,Iwasmoreworriedaboutpuncturing the armor of myjeans and leather, allowingmyskin tocome intocontact

with the stacks of metal andplastic. People loved theircars—theylivedinthem,hadsex in them, fought in them,anddiedinthem.

I’drathereatRamenfortherestofmylife thantouchthosecarparts.

I swallowed hard, andstopped to survey thejunkyard from my newvantagepoint.Theplacewasaseaofmemories,waitingtodigtheirclawsintomyskull.

Experiencingvisionswasbadenough, but that wasn’t myonlyconcern.Mybiggestfearwas being pulled down intothe abyss, and the psychicimpressionsneverlettinggo.

Ishuddered,butpushedon.Icouldn’tturnawayfromthis job. If I was right, andwisps were involved in themischief at the junkyard, I’dnot onlyhave to takeon thiscase free of charge, but I’dalsooweJinx’sfamilyadebt.

Sparkyletoutawhoop,making me jump, and Ialmost lost my footing. Iturned to watch the tinydemon as he ran around thejunkyard, chasing seagullswith glee. At least someonewashavingfun.

I couldn’t bring any ofmyfaefriendsalong,notwiththe high iron content of allthismetal, but Sparkywas ademon. There wasn’t muchhere that could bother the

little guy. So long as wedidn’t dig up any crosses orholywater,he’dbefine.

“How much further towhere you found your nightwatchman?” I asked, turningmyattentionbacktothecase.

The dog hadn’t beenthe only one to wander offandgetlost,thoughhe’dbeenthe first.Awatchman, a guywhofilledinonBruce’snightoff,hadgonemissingfortwodays.When he returnedwith

stories of following strangelights through the junkyard,lightsthatledhimonamerrychasethatresultedinhimlostandterrifiedfortwodaysouton the marshes, his friendsthought he’d gone on abender.

Eben didn’t believe thegossip. He claimed that hisguard, a man name MitchKeane,hadn’ttouchedadrinkin six years. Eben suspectedsomething unnatural was

goingoninhisjunkyard,andI had to agree with him. Itwas looking more and morelike my brethren wereinvolved.

“Just down there,” hesaid, pointing to the base ofthe pile of junk we werebalancedon.Iraisedmyeyesat the walled in patch ofground, and Eben shook hishead. “It’s not part of hisregularcircuit.Myguyssticktothepaths.Amancanbreak

aleg,possiblyevenhisneck,out here in the dark. Noreason for him to be in thisdeep.”

“What if he caughtsomeonestealing?”Iasked.

“I don’t pay Mitchenough to risk his hide,” hesaid. “He’d make sure itwasn’t some fool kids outhere partying, and then he’dcallforbackup.”

“You get much of thatuphere?”Iasked,pickingmy

way down the hill. “Kidspartying?”

“Kidswill be kids,” hesaid with a shrug. “But thefence, guards, and barkingdogusuallykeepthemout.Iftheydoshowup,a flashlightinthefaceandathreattocallthe cops sends thempacking.”

I took in the high,barbed fence that circled thejunkyard, and nodded. I hadto agree with Eben. That

fence wouldn’t be easy toclimb, and cutting through itwith the threat of securityguards and dogs would bemore trouble than it wasworth. No matter how yousliced it, there were easierplacesforkidstogoparty.

The spot where Ebenhad foundMitch Keane alsowasn’t an easy place toaccess. Three towering pilesof tires and scrap metalconverged, forming a ring,

leavingapatchofgroundnolargerthanmykitchen.

“Stayhere,”Isaid.I slowlymademyway

down over twisted pieces ofsalvagedvehicles.Ifitwasn’tfor my newly developingfaeriefastreflexes,Iprobablywould have made the triphead first. As it was, mybreathingwas raggedwhen Ireachedthebottom.

I waved at Eben to lethim know I’d survived the

trip down in one piece, andbegan walking the patch ofground in a grid pattern.Myboots sent up little puffs ofdust. We hadn’t had rain allweek,afactthatIwashopingwould work in my favor. Iftherewereclues tobe found,they wouldn’t have beenwashed away. The wind ontheotherhand,hadbeen lesshelpful.

There were nofootprints or drag marks. I

spun in a circle, letting myeyesgosoftasItriedtoclearmy mind. A good detectiveknows not to give up justbecause there’s nothing tosee. I breathed deep, and letmy subconscious chew onwhat I knew, but the onlyansweritkeptspittingbackatmewastheonethingIdidn’twanttohear.

After another search oftheground,Iturnedandmade

myway back towhereEbenBraxtonwaited.

“You find anything?”heasked.

Icould tellby therigidway thatheheldhimself thatthe answer was important tohim. I could understand that.Two men had suffered hereonhisproperty.Icouldrelateto feeling responsible for thesafety of your friends andallies.Ichosemywordswithcare.

“There’s no evidencethat this is your fault, Mr.Braxton,” I said. “That fenceshould keep all but the mostdetermined riff raff out and,from what you’ve told me,you have good safetyprotocols in place for yourmen.”

“Sohowdoyouexplainone man nearly dying ofexposure,andtheotherlosinghis dog out from under ournoses?”heasked.

“I’m not ready toanswerthat,notyet,”Isaid.

“When do you expectananswer?”heasked.

“I’ll know more aftertonight,”Isaid.

Isentupasilentprayerthat I was dealing withsomething simple, like aswarm of fireflies and acouple of drunk securityguards. But deep down, Iknew better. My life wasneversimple.

Chapter5Eben wasn’t happy

about letting me wanderaround the junkyard at night,but I hadn’t given himmuchchoice—neither had Jinx. Infact,myrockabillyfriendhadstubbornlyrefusedtolistentoeither of our argumentsagainst her participating intonight’s stakeout. So now Icrept along the moonlit dirt

pathways with Jinx andSparkyatmyside.

“Ouch!” Jinx griped,tripping over a piece ofplastic that jutted out fromoneofthenearbypiles.

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!Ouch!” Sparky parroted,skipping circles around Jinx,and flashing a wide, gap-toothed grin. His long earskickedupdustashebouncedalong, like a lop-eared

Tasmanian devil on happypills.

Sparkyhadlostanotherbaby tooth this week, and Itried to ignore that fact thathisadultteethwerecominginrazor sharp and deadly.Forneus had warned me thatmy innocent little ward wasactually a Tezcatlipocandemon—the very rare andextremely dangerousoffspringofafallenangelanda demon. According to

Forneus, if Sparky hadremainedinHell,itwouldbethekid’sbirthrighttogrowupto enslave other demons.Heck, he’d have his ownplaneofHelltoruleover.

But the kid chose tostay here in HarborsmouthwithmeandJinx.SolongasSparkywantedtobeapartofour dysfunctional family, hewas welcome here. None ofus can choose the nature ofour birth. Being born with

certainpowersdidn’tmakeusmonsters—it’s what we didwith those powers thatcounted.

If I stopped believingthat, I might as well slit myownthroat.

“Come on, buddy,” Isaid, waving the kid along.“Leave Jinx alone. She’slookingmurderous.”

“Am not,” Jinx said,glaring from beneath bangsthat contained so much

hairspray, they werepractically bulletproof. Icocked an eyebrow, foldingmyarmsacrossmychest,andshe rolled her eyes. Sherubbed her ankle and sighed.“Okay, maybe just a little.You’d think my dad wouldkeepthesewalkwaysclearofjunk.”

Yeah.Likeher trippingdidn’t have anything to dowith her penchant for badluck, or her choice of

footwear. Platform sandalswerenotthebestchoiceforastakeout, even if they didmatchherdress.

“We don’t have muchfarther to walk,” I said.“There’saclearingupahead.We can wait behind thatbulldozer,andseeifanythingturnsup.”

I led the way, Sparkyskipping along atmy side. Itdidn’t take us long to reach

the spot I’d spied duringmydaylighttourofthejunkyard.

Careful not to touchanything, I spread an oldtowel over a steel barrel andsettled in for a whole lot ofwaiting. Iwasn’toverly fondof stakeouts—I wasn’t themost patient person on theplanet—but they were anecessary part of detectivework.Thatdidn’tmeanIhadtolikeit.

I tapped my glovedfingers on the tops of myknees,andsighed.

“Do you really thinkit’ll be wisps?” Jinxwhispered.

Ifrowned,andflashedasidelongglanceherway.Shesettled on the edge of anoverturned milk crate, andconcentrated on her skirt asshe picked nonexistent lintfromitshem.

I shrugged, and turnedmy attention to the clearingwhere three of the pathwaysintersected just beyond thebulldozer that sheltered usfrompryingeyes.

“Ihopenot,”Isaid.I crossedmy fingers in

the darkness, and sent up asilentprayer.Toobadnoonewaslistening.

*****

I’dbeenstaringsolonginto the dark clearing, that Inolongertrustedmyeyes.I’dstarted seeing tiny sparks oflight,evenbehindmyeyelids,after the first hour. It mighthave been fatigue, but myguess was a side effect ofhighbloodpressure.KeepingJinxawake,andSparkyfromdancing and singing, wastryingmypatience.

And I had been livingonRamennoodlesandmacn

cheeseforthepastfewweeks—food that fell firmly in thehigh sodium food group.High blood pressure was avery real possibility. I toldJinxthatstuffwasevil.

Four hours into ourstakeout, a familiar glowappeared off to my right. Itwinked out, only to appear asecond later off to my left.But no, it wasn’t just oneglowing orb. Lights beganwinking on and off

throughout the junkyard,zipping through skeletal carwindows, and hovering overpiles of refuse. That was nooptical illusion, no Rameninducedsideeffect.

Mybrethrenwerehere.Jinx gasped, and

clamped a hand overSparky’smouth, hugging thedemon to her chest. Anothersecond, and the little guywould have run off to chasethe twinkling lights…andwe

allknowhowwellthatwouldend. If I’d given it morethought, I’d have put the kidin one of those toddlerharnessesyouseeat themallandtiedhimtomybeltsohecouldn’trunoff.

I motioned for Jinx tostayherewithSparky,asmyknives hit my gloved palms.She set her jaw, and noddedonce. Jinx wouldn’t letanything happen to Sparky.She’d wanted to come, to

prove that the monstershadn’t stolen her courage,that she wasn’t broken.Protectingthekidwouldgivehersomethingtofocuson—itwouldgiveherstrength.

I turned my attentionback to the swarming wisps.A low buzzing sound wasbuilding, as if the entireplanet had started humming.Within minutes, wispsflooded the clearing. Theirmovements were jerky, not

thesmooth,gracefuldanceofthe wisps I’d met during theDanseMacbre.

These wisps may flyabout like drunken pookas,butitwasclearthattheywereall moving with a purpose.The wisps were huntingsomeone, and I had a goodideawho.

I stepped out frombehind the backhoe, and thebuzzing stopped. Silence fellontheclearing,andIheldmy

breath. The wisps I’d metpreviouslyhadbeenhappytohelp the daughter of theirking.Butmyfatherhadbeenwandering the world of menfor a long time, leaving hispeople without a leader.These wisps might greet mewithopenarms,orIcouldgetblasted with tiny fireballs. Ihadnoideawhattoexpect.

I just knew that Icouldn’twalkaway.

“Come,mykin,”Isaid,taking a calming breath. “IamIvyGranger,thedaughterof Will-o’-the-Wisp. I don’tmeanyouanyharm.”

That wasn’t entirelytrue. Unlike pureblood fae, Icanlie,at leastfornow.Andthough I didn’t want to hurtanyofmypeople,Iwoulddowhatwasnecessarytoprotectthe people of Harborsmouth—even if that meant takingdown a pack of wild wisps

gone feral in my father’sabsence.

Oberon’s eyes, pleasedon’tbeapackoftinykillers.

“All I ask is that yourefrain from harminginnocent people…andanimals,”Isaid,rememberingthe missing dog. “I’m surethis has all been a bigmisunderstanding.”

I set down my silverand iron blades on the dusty

groundatmy feet, raisedmyhands,andsmiled.

“Ivy?”Jinxasked.A glance over my

shoulder revealed Jinxstumbling toward me, aglowingwall ofwisps at herback. In larger numbers, itwasobvious that thesewispswere different from the onesI’d met in the past. Thesewisps pulsed with a sickly,jaundicedhue.Theystartedtozig zag nonsensical patterns

in the air, and the buzzingbegan again, this time adiscordant whine that mademegrindmyteeth.

Jinx paled, her griptightening on Sparky. Thelittle demon was singing anursery rhyme about hugsand love, oblivious to thepotentialdanger.

Jinx had her crossbowin the bag slung over hershoulder, but she’dnever gettoitwithoutdroppingSparky.

That was not an option. Thekid was already reaching uptoward the sparkling lights,and trying to wiggle out ofJinx’sdeathgrip.

“I am your princess,” Isaid,raisingmyvoicesothatitcarriedover thecacophonyof buzzing. “These are myfriends. None of us are heretoharmyou.Wejustwanttotalk.”

“Pretty,” Sparky said,wiggling in Jinx’s arms. He

reacheduptowardoneof thewisps,andyelped.“Ouch!”

“Ivy,” Jinx hissed. “Itbithim.”

Shit.Thiswasnot howthis was supposed to godown. The wisps weren’tplayingnice.

“Okay, start headingtoward the exit, while Idistractthem,”Isaid.

“And howdo you planto do that?” she asked,

inchingtowardthesamepathwe’dtakentogethere.

I retrieved my knives,and spun, shooting one lastglance at Sparky who wasshaking in Jinx’s arms, andsucking on his finger. Messwithmykid,eh?Iletthefearandangertakeover,floodingmybodywithpower.

“Show them my angryside,”Isaid.

“You mean flash themyour headlights,” she said,

stumbling away from theclearing. I snorted, and shesighed. “God, Ivy, youknowwhatImean.”

I did know what shemeant. I may not know howto control my wisp powers,butI’dlearnedonewaytoletthem out. If I got madenough, my faerie half tookover, unleashing a rush offierymagic.

“Your eyes areglowing,”shesaid.

“Good,” I said with anod, feeling the tingle ofmagic searing my skin. Itprickled along my scalp,down my arms and legs.More than justmyeyeswereglowing.

I waved my bladestoward the wisps, and tiltedmy head back, letting themget a good look at myglowingeyesandskin. Iwastheir liegeand,byMab, theywouldlistentome.

“No. More. Games,” Isaid,bitingoutthewords.Myteeth hummed with energy,thestrainofholdingsomuchwildpowermakingmyvisionwaver. “No more harminginnocent people and animals.You are mine, and you willobey.”

Foramoment,theglowofwisps closest tomebeganto shift into the healthyspectrum of light—a yellowlike sunlight on a spring day

—butitfadedinaflash.Inaneye blink, the wisps weretwitching, bodies jerkingback and forth, their colortakingonasicklygreenhue.

There was somethingterribly wrong with thesewisps.

“What happened toyou?” I asked, the wordsbarely a whisper beneath thedissonantnotesofwispsong.Rather than a melodicchirping and humming, this

wisp song was tortured andstrained. These wisps, mypeople,wereinpain.

I retrieved my knives,slid them back into thesheaths strapped beneath myleather jacket, and shookmyhead. Making threats anddemands wasn’t gettingthroughtothesewisps,anditwas no wonder. Somethingwasmakingthemsick,andintheir weakened state, I wasjustanotherthreat.

With my ignorance ofthe wisp language, and theiragitation, I could think ofonly one way to get theanswers that I needed. I’drather walk away. Hell, I’drather run, but instead Istripped off my glove, andheldoutmyhand.

Sweat trickled downmy spine, and my handshook.ItfeltlikeIstoodthereforaneternity,butitwasonly

a second before a wisp doveintobitemyhand.

I staggered forward,fallingtomyknees.Itwasn’tbecauseofthepainofthebite—thatwasnothingmorethanabeesting.No,whatbroughtme to my knees was thevision suckingmedown intothe vortex of another being’smemories, moments of suchraw emotion that they’d leftpsychic impressions on thiswisp.

Before I lost myselfcompletely, I managed onelast scream. The air in mylungslacedwithfire.

“Run!”I just hoped that Jinx

andSparkymadeitoutofthejunkyardalive.

Chapter6For a happymoment, I

basked in the warm glow ofmy father holding court, butin this vision, he wasn’t myfather.Hewasmyking.

Visions blur the lines,making it difficult to retainmysenseofself,butIdugin,clawingat the fragments thatremained of Ivy Granger. IknewthatifIlostmyselfina

vision for too long, finallylettinggoandsuccumbing tothepowerofthevision,thenIwould never fully return tomy body. My mind wouldshatter, leavinga shellofmyformerselfbehind.

“Father,”Ichoked.But he was already

gone.Thewarmthandsafetyof the wisp court wasreplaced by a bog. It waspeaceful here—birds sang,frogs sat on lily pads, and

wisps floating lazily abovethe water—until theconstructioncrewcame.Menwithchainsawsanddynamitechanged the surroundinglandscape, rending it into awasteland.

We hid in theremaining vegetation alongthewater’s edge,waiting forthementoleave.Insteadtheybrought in monstrous dumptrucks and backhoes to loomover the swamp hole. When

the excavation reached themiddle of the swamp,encroaching further on ourhiding place within thecattails and bog grass, wedecidedtoflee.

Frightened andstarving,we flew away fromthe men and their noisymachines. But in everydirection more men blockedour way, driving in theirmachinesof iron.Andwherethere were no men, there

were fae unwilling to sharetheirterritory.

At last, we settled in aquietplacewherenootherfaehad settled, and for goodreason. Itwas ringed in iron,itsmetal fence reaching highto defend against ourwinglessbrethren.Wemovedto the center of our newterritory, as far from the ironfenceaswecouldmanage,toashallowpoolofwater.

We struggled to retainour strength, to fight againstthe iron madness thatthreatenedoursanityandoursurvival. More iron wasbroughtintoourterritory,butwe held out. We fought theironsickness—untilthewaterdriedup.

Now,wejustfight.

*****

I gasped, air wheezingthrough my burning lungswith an unhealthy rattle. Icame back to myself in asudden rush of memories,struggling to pull back fromthebrink.

Every vision was adanger to my sanity, buttouching the wisp had beenworth that risk. I now knewwhy these wisps werebehaving so strangely. Theirhomes had been threatened

and they were hungry andsufferingfromironsickness.

It was making themrabid.

“Ivy?”Jinxasked.“Ivy,wakeup!”

“Jinx?” I asked,blinking away the last of thevision. What was she doinghere? I’dmade one hell of adiversion. Jinx and Sparkyshould have been in the nextcounty by now. “Where’sSparky?”

“Backatthegates,”shesaid. “He thinkshe’s playingagameofHoudini.”

“You tied him up?” Iasked.

Istoodup toofast,andthejunkyardstartedspinning.It didn’t help that the wispswerestillbuzzingaroundlikedrunkenfireflies.

“You got a betteridea?”sheasked.

Jinx was holding aloadedcrossbow inonehand

and a canof hairspray in theother.At least, it looked likeJinx’s hairspray. It mighthave been roach killer. Notthat insect spray would killwisps,butitmightslowthemdown.

I started to shake myhead,but thoughtbetterof it.I needed allmy senses ifweweregoing tomake it out ofhere in one piece. Jinx and Iweren’t likely to becomewisp led, but I was sure my

peoplehadotherweaponsuptheir sleeves—most likelysome hardcoremagic ones. Ijust hoped they were too toironsicktorealizethat.

“Nope,youdidgood,”Isaid.“Let’sgetoutofhere.”

I reached into myleather jacket, pulled out aheavy round object, andlobbed it into the oppositesideoftheclearing.

“Run!”Isaid.

Jinx’s eyes went wide,but she ran, only stumblingonce or twice. I was prettysurethatwasarecordformyunluckyfriend.

“Whatdidyou throw?”she panted, running at myside toward the gate. “Agrenade?”

“Nope,” I said with asmile.“Honey.”

Most fae have a sweettooth, and I knew from myvision that these wisps were

starving. The jar wassupposed to be a gift forMarvin, a teenaged bridgetrollwhoIowedwithmylife,but I’d buy him another jar.MaybeIcouldaffordajarifIscroungedupenoughbottles.The redemption center wasprobably getting sick of thechick in dark sunglasses andhoodie. I practically livedthere lately. Being brokesucked.

We reached the gateswhere Sparky was singingand spinning around the gatepost,wrapped ina ribbon,asifdancingaroundaMaypole.

“So what was that allabout anyway?” Jinx asked,runningahandoverherhair.

Not that her hair wasmessy. She hairsprayed itwithinaninchofitslife.

Jinxslunghercrossbowoverhershoulderlikeitwasanew fashion accessory, and

started untying Sparky. Notthat the kid needed muchhelp. The little demon hadalready worked his waythroughmostoftheknots.

“Is that the bow fromyourdress?”Iasked,pointingattheribbon.

“Ivy,” she said, rollingher eyes. “I’m not giving upthat easily. We almost gotnuked by a gang of crazy,hung over wisps with bad

attitudes. I’d say I’ve earnedanexplanation.”

Isighed.Shewasright.“They’renothungover,

butthey’vecertainlygoneoffthereservation,”Isaid.

“So they’re a group ofpsycho rogue wisps?” sheasked, taking Sparky by thehand and giving the kid alollipop. I really hoped thatdemon diabetes wasn’t athing, because the two of uswerespoilingthatkid.

I recalled what I’dlearned from my vision, andshrugged. The wisps hadreverted to the primal urgesof wisps—and one of thoseinstincts was to hunt theirenemies by leading themaway to the edges of battles,where they were oftendrownedorbecamelostinanunfamiliar landscape. Wispsare small fae, but no lessdeadly. I feared that Eben’swatchman Bruce would not

be finding his dog again, notaliveanyway.

I explainedmy fears toJinx.

“Ineedtofindawaytomovethesewispssomewhereaway from iron, somewheresafe,”Isaid.“IfIunderstoodthewisp language, andknewhowtocommandthem,I’dbeable to save the wisps, andthejunkyard.”

“Yeah, but you’d needyour father, the king of the

wisps, for that,” Jinx said.“Last I knew you still didn’thaveanysolidleadsonwheretofindhim.”

“Imayhaveone lead,”Isaid,notmeetinghereyes.

“Ivy?” she asked,waving a hand at me fromhead to toe. “Didbodysnatching aliens comeand take you to theirmothership? ‘Cause last Iknew,mybest friend shared importantshitwithme,like,youknow,

leadsonfindingherlonglostfather.”

“Ican’ttalkaboutit,”Isaid. “But if it pans out,you’llbethefirsttoknow.”

“Fine, whatever,” shesaid, stomping toward thestreetwithSparkyonherhip.“Since you’re so great atdoingthingsonyourown,I’lljust leave you to inform mydad that his business iscrawlingwithironsickfae.”

Wisps don’t actuallycrawl,notevensickones,butI didn’t correct her. Shetossed me a “have fun withthat” look over her shoulder,andkeptonwalking.

“Thanks a lot, Jinx,” Imuttered, but I couldn’tblameherforbeingupset.I’dspent nearly every dime wehadon locatingmy father. IfI’d learned something new,sheshouldhavebeenthefirst

to know. Too bad faerie lawforbademefromtellingher.

Isighedandtrudgedupthe steps to the trailer EbenBraxton used as his on-siteoffice. This wasn’t going tobefun.

Chapter7Unlike Jinx,whocould

sweet talk an angry bugbear,I’veneverbeenall thatgoodwith people. It probably hadsomethingtodowithgrowingup seeing monsters at everyturn, and having seizureswhen someone gave me ahug.

The gifts from myfather’s side of the family—

secondsightandpsychometry—had left me a bit pricklywhen it came to socialsituations. I’d rather workfrom the shadows than thelimelight, and I’d rather beanywhere right now thaninside Eben Braxton’s tinyworktrailer.

Eben’s onsite officewas an eight foot by twentyeight foot metal can with adesk, shelves, and filecabinets in the front, and a

smallbathroomandcotintheback. The entire place wasfilled with stacks of paper,plasticbinders,anddiscardedworkgloves,safetygear,andtools.

I shoved my hands inmy pockets and stood beforeEben’s desk, avoiding thefolding chair he used forguests. I wasn’t about totouch the hardhat andwalkietalkie that someone had leftthere, and I didn’t feelmuch

like sitting. The faster I gotthisoverwiththebetter.

“I’m finished with myassessment of the situation,fornow,”Isaid.

“Thatfast?”heasked.He lifted dark

eyebrows, and came aroundthe desk.He started to reachout to shake my hand, butthought better of it. Goodman.

“Your problem fallsintomyrealmofexpertise,”I

said.That sounded better

thansayinghehadajunkyardfull of iron crazed faeries.Most humans, even the oneswho thought that they wereopen minded, would havetrouble wrapping their headaroundthatclaim.

“So Mitch wasn’t offthe wagon then,” he said,strokinghisbead.“Thenwhatnow?”

“This isn’t somethingyou and your men canhandle,” I said. “Stay out ofthejunkyard.”

“Until when?” heasked, frowningdownatme,hishandsfistingathissides.

Most people probablycowered beneath that glare.Notme.Nottoday.

“UntilIsayso,”Isaid.“Nowlistenhere…”he

said.

“No,” I said, steppingintohispersonalspace.

He stepped back,eyebrowsraised.Peopledon’texpectatouchphobelikemeto move into their guard. Itputs them off balance. Offbalance was good. I couldworkwiththat.

“No?”heasked.“I’m done listening,” I

said. “We all have shit towhineabout.”

“Missy, you don’tknow the first thing…” hesaid,beardquivering.

“Aboutwhat?”Iasked.“Runningabusiness?Funny,you’redaughterandIdo justfine with that. Thank youvery much. Or maybe youwere going to say I don’tknow the first thing aboutloss?Responsibility?Sorrytodisappoint you, but I’ve gotthoseinspades.”

“Fine,”hesaid,rubbinga hand over his face. “I’llclose up shop, and give mymen a fewdays off.But thiscan’t go on for long. I needan end date. When will thisnightmarebeover?”

“Soon,” I said. “Giveme until next week to sortthingsout.ButMr.Braxton?Ineedyourwordthatnooneenters that junkyard until Isayit’sclear.”

“A week?” he said,sputtering.

“Your word,” I said,voicegoingicy.

“Fine, you have myword,”hesaid.“ButIexpectyoubackherenextweekwithanexplanation.”

“I’lldomybest,”Isaid,walkingoutthedoor.

I tilted my head up tolook at the clouds rushingpast the moon, and sighed. I

just hoped I’d be alive tokeepthatappointment.

Chapter8My only chance of

fixing the problem at theBraxton’s junkyard hung onthe slim hope that I’d findclues that would lead to myfather, or another way tocontrol my wisp powers,when I entered Faerie threedays from now. The verythoughtsentathrillofshiversupmyspine.

If I could survive thetrip through TechDuinn andfind my way into the wispcourt,Imayfinallydiscoverawaytocommunicatewithmywisp brethren. If my fatherhad left me any clues as tohow to fulfill my destiny aswisp princess, it would bethereattheseatofhispower.

“Iwillmakethisright,”I said, voice soft. “I promiseyou.”

I turned and made myway back to the Old PortQuarter.Jinxhadleftwithoutme.Ijusthopedshewasbackat the loftwhenIgot there.Ionlyhad a fewmoredays topatch things up with her. Ididn’t want to leave on badtermswithmybestfriend.

Justafewmoredays.Oberon’seyes,oneway

or another, everythingwouldchange on the solstice. Icouldfeelitinmybones.

At least I didn’t havelongtowait.Itwasnearlythesummer solstice, theday thatthe druid Bechuille’sprophetic words promised toleadme through TechDuinnandintoFaerie.

I shivered, pulling myjacket close around me. I’dreplayed my trip to MagMell, and the druid’s words,overandoveragainthesepastfew months. Recalling that

day was nearly as vivid asoneofmyvisions.

“Good, now let mepreparethebones,”shesaid.

Béchuille lifted herhand to the bird on hershoulder. I thought she wasgoingtostrokeitsfeathersorpet its head. I gasped as shegrabbed the bird roughly inboth hands and deftly brokeits neck. I’d bought into theHollywoodimageofdruidsaspeaceful, animal loving,

hippie types who communewith nature. I chided myselfforbeingafool.

The druid dropped thebirdtothegroundatherfeetand poured a ladle ofsteaming liquid from thecauldron over its brokenbody.Myeyeswidenedasthebird was quickly reduced tobone. Whatever was in thatcauldron had eaten away allsignof feathersand flesh.Somuch forMagMell beingan

idyllic paradise; just trytellingthattothebird.

“Béchuille’s cauldroncontains waters taken fromtheFountainofKnowledgeinTír Tairngire,” Tornwhispered.

Abit late forhim tobeinforming me of that now. Iinched away from the fire,puttingTornbetweenmeandthecauldron.

While I changed myposition,Béchuillestuffedthe

bird’s bones into a leatherpouch.Shetiedthepouchandshook it, making the bonesrattleinside.Ibittheinsideofmy cheek, and tried not tothink about the pretty birdthat had perched on theTuatha Dé’s shoulder meresecondsago.

Thedruidsteppedtoanareabesidethecauldronthatwasvoidofmossandflowers,and used a wooden staff todraw a circle on the bare

ground. She tossed her headback,chanting,armsliftedtothesky.Hergreeneyesrolledback in her head, and Iwondered idly what wouldhappenifthewomanfellintoher own cauldron. Torn hadclaimed there was no suchthing as death in Mag Mell,but I’dalreadywitnessed thebird’sdemise.

Béchuille tossed thebonesontothegroundwithaclatter, and I snapped my

eyesbacktothecircle.Alowmoanescapedthedruid’slipsand Torn sidled up to me,chompingonhisapple.

“I love this part,” hesaid.

A breeze stirred thewoman’sgoldenhair,andherfacepaledtoasicklyhue.Shepointed a shaking finger atme, and a chill ran up myspinetocreepintomyscalp.

“The door you seek isone that hides,” she said.

“Youmust awaitmidsummertides. Upon the summersolstice when the moon dothwane, thewispprincessshallsituponherthroneagain.”

“Riddles?” I muttered.I should have known thiswouldn’tbeeasy.

“Shhh,”Tornsaid.“Musteryouralliesand

gatheryourpower,”shesaid.“You must reach TechDuinn’sstepsbythewitchinghour.”

“Ohshit,”Tornsaid.“Shhh,”Isaid.“Brandish the key and

do not lose heart,” she said.“On solstice night the oceanshall part. Go to Martin’sPointatfinallightofday,andthestonesofDonnerIslewillleadtheway.Notbysea,butbyland.Youallwilltakeyourstand. To the house of Donnyoumustcarry, kingWill-o’-the-Wisp’s key to Faerie.Inside Donn’s hearth, bend

your knee, close your eyesandturnthekey.”

The druid lowered herhead, shoulders shaking, andscratchedher footacross theedge of the circle. Once thecircle was broken, the bonespulled together andbegan tosproutfleshandfeathersonceagain. Igapedat thebirdasitchirpedandtookwing.

Maybe death trulycouldn’t touch this place.After witnessing the bird’s

apparentdeathandrebirth, Ididn’t find that veryreassuring. I was pretty surethathavingyourneckbrokenandthefleshboiledfromyourbones was unpleasantwhether death followed ornot.

“So I have tobring thekeytoMartin’sPointatduskon the summer solstice?” Iasked.

Theseerdidn’tanswer.At closer scrutiny, I realized

by the rise and fall of herchest that she’d fallenasleeponherfeet.

“Let’s go, Princess,”Tornsaid.

The cat sidhe startedwalking toward the pathwayfrom which we’d come. Thebones and feathers adorninghisleatherclothingrattledashe sauntered away from thering of standing stones. Heswaggered confidently, but Iwasn’t fooled. Torn’s face

had paled at the mention ofTechDuinn.

“What is this TechDuinn?” I asked. “And whoisDonn?”

“Tech Duinn is thehouse of Donn,” he said.Torn rubbed his chin andgrimaced. “Celtic god of thedead.”

For once I was inagreementwithTorn.Ohshit.

I shookmyheadat thememory. I wasn’t any morecomfortable with the idea ofsneaking into the house ofDonnnow than I’dbeen thatday inMagMell. Too bad Iwasfreshoutofoptions.

Chapter9Ittookmeoveranhour

towalk from the junkyard totheOldPortQuarter.JinxandSparkyprobablytookthebus.They didn’t even have toworry about freaking out theother passengers withSparky’s appearance. Thelittle demon could glamourhimselfwheneverhewanted,theluckydevil.

Lasttimetheywentoutshopping,JinxcarriedSparkyin her purse, and he lookedlike a toy poodle. Humanswith second sight were rare,so there wasn’t much risktaking the kid out on thetown. Not many people cansee the true faces of themonsters that walk ourstreets. I was just one of thevery, veryunluckyoneswhocould.

UnlikeJinxandSparky,I didn’t like publictransportation. I avoided thecity bus and taxis like theplague. To me, they carriedsomething worse thandisease.Taxisandbuseswereinfested with memories,making them a volatile placefor the rare individualwith apsychometric gift. Youraverage car or truck wasn’tmuch better. No, I’d rathertakemy chanceswalking the

darkstreets.By the time I reached

Madam Kaye’s MagicEmporium, I had a stitch inmy side andmy calves wereaching. I worked out daily,moving through the selfdefensemovesandkatas thatJenna had taughtme, but I’dcut back on my normal runsalong the harbor. It’s hard tokeep up your usual routinewhenyou’replayingdead.

I stillwould have beenfine, if it hadn’t been for thedog that chased me for sixblocks. Some dogs couldsense that I was other, andthis one didn’t want amonster in his territory. Icouldn’tblamehim.Thedogwas just protecting the oneshe loved, so I ran until hegaveup.

Allthatrunninggotmeback to Harborsmouth fasterthan I’d planned, which

meant I was on Kaye’sdoorstep well before normalbusiness hours. I could keepon walking to the loftapartment that I shared withJinx, or I could take mychances with a grouchywitch. Either way, I waslikelygoingtofaceafight.Atleast here I might get someanswers as to what I couldexpectonmytriptoFaerie,asubjectthatwasstillofflimitswithJinx.

I tilted my head back,studying the stone buildinguntil I saw a familiarsilhouetteatoptheroof.

“Hey, Humphrey!” Ishouted, cupping my glovedhands around my mouth.“How’sithangin’?”

Anyone walking ordrivingbywould thinkIwasanother of the countlessdrunks,walkingoffanightofbar hopping through the OldPortQuarter.Aftertwointhe

morning, the streets filledwiththeinebriated,andthosewho preyed upon them. Ifsomeone or somethingdecided that I was an easymark, they’d be in for a fewsurprises—including SharpandPointy. I hadn’t yet usedmy silver and iron bladestonight, and I could use thepractice.

I heard the scrape ofstone claws a split-second

beforeHumphrey’sfacecamewithininchesofmyown.

“Don’t look now, butyou left your eyes burning,”Humphreysaid,hisvoicelikerocksinanavalanche.

Crap. Humphrey wasright.His facewas litwith ayellow glow that wasn’tcoming from the nearbystreetlamp. I ducked deeperwithin the shadows of myhoodie, and angled my faceawayfromthestreet.

“Thanks for the tip,Humphrey,” I said. “Asalways,yourock.”

Thegargoylelaughedatmy lame attempt at humor,and I tried not to wince.Humphrey’s laugh was likean earthquake. Thankfully,duetohisglamour,Iwastheonlypersonwhocouldseeorhearhim.Anyoneelsewouldjust see a normal stonegargoyle perched above theoccult shop’s door. No one

seemed tonoticeor care thatthegargoylewasn’talwaysinthesameplace.

Maybe they thoughtKaye liked to mess with hercustomers by moving thestatue around. It wasdefinitely the kind of thingshe’d do. The witch did liketoscrewwithpeople.

“Come in, dear, thedoor’s open,” Kaye’s voicecame from Humphrey’s

mouth, which was beyondunsettling.

The door clicked open,and I sighed and shook myhead. Case in point. TherewasnoreasonforKayetousethe gargoyle like a handpuppet, other than trying tomesswithmyhead.

Humphrey shuddered,and cleared his throat. I wassuddenlygladofmyhood,orI would have been pelted inthe face with dust and

pebbles. When a gargoylecoughs,it’sbestnottobetooclosetohisface.

“You okay, Humphreydude?”Iasked.

“Fine, fine,” hemuttered.Hewavedhishandlikeitwasnobigdeal,buthisearswere pressed against hisskulllikeapissedoffcat.Forthemillionthtime,Iwasgladthat I wasn’t one of Kaye’semployees.“Goonin.”

“Later,” I said, passingbeneath the gargoyle andthrough the open door. “Ibetternotrocktheboat.”

I was running out ofwitty ways to use rock andstone in a sentence, but thegargoyle seemed amused. Ismiled,andwalkedinsidetheshop, careful not to stumbleintoanythinginthedark.Myfae blood gave me betternight vision than a regular

human, but it still took myeyesafewsecondstoadjust.

Humphrey’s laughtercut off as the door slammedshut behindme. Flames shotup from every candle in thestore, which was animpressive number with thisbeing an occult shop, and Iblinked at the suddenbrightness. More of Kaye’sparlortricks.

I shook my head, andangled off to the right,

passing the registers andheading into the back of thestore.Kaye’s shopwas filledwithoccultbric-a-brac—tarotcards, packets of herbs,polished stones, plasticskeletons,brooms,andpointyhats—all the usual suspects.What you wouldn’t finddisplayed for the generalpublic were any trulypowerful occult objects.Those were safely hiddenbehindcloseddoors.

Kaye was mischievousas a pixy, but she wasn’t afool.

Thewitchwasnotonlywise, she’d also recentlyregained the full strength ofher powers, thanks to dyingandbeingbroughtbacktolifewith a magic apple suppliedby yours truly. I wasn’t theonly one who’d recentlypulledthatstunt,butsincetheisland of Emain Ablach hadbeen flooded, and the apple

tree destroyed, I was prettysurewewerethelast.

I’d obtained twomagicapples, and Kaye and I haddied—her from willinglyimbibing poison, and mefromassassin’sarrows inmyvital organs—and wereresurrected. The reason formy rebirth was obvious—Iwas bleeding out and myfriends had tried to save mylife. Kaye had gone throughall of that because of a

bargain I’d been tricked intothatrequiredmetokillher.ItwasthatorJinxwoulddie.

Ifithadn’tbeenforthemagic apples, I would havebeen stuck between a rockandaharderrock.Humphreywouldappreciatethat.

Thankfully, in Kaye’scase, resurrection had thebeneficial side effect ofremoving the tattoos thatmarked her skin and kept astranglehold on her powers.

Thewitchwas given a cleanslate—a fact that gave mechillswhenIthoughtaboutittoo hard. Kaye was myfriend,butthatkindofpowerwasdangerous.

I’d heard stories ofKaye’s exploits from heryouth, and I’d beenimpressed. She’d partneredwith theHunters’Guild, andbrought down some badasssupernatural beasties. Butshe’d been more innocent

then. I wasn’t sure what theolder,wiserwomanwoulddowiththatkindofpower.

Magic has checks andbalancesforareason.

I reached for the latchon the back counter, theentranceintoKaye’slair,andjumpedasadark,furryshapelanded in front of me.Midnight started to purr, andI gave him a quick scratchbehind the ear. I wasn’t tooworried about getting visions

fromMidnight.Ittakesstrongemotions to leave a psychicimprint, and cats usuallydidn’t care enough about theworldaroundthemtogivemevisions.

I’d explained that oncetoTorn, and he’d taken it asan invitation. I’d introducedhis man parts to Sharp andPointy, and he backed off. Idon’tmindcats, but Iwasn’tabout to let their immortal

lord touch me. I wasn’tsuicidal.

Plus,Iwascourtingthelocal kelpie king, whichmeant that I was off limits.Not that my relationshipstatus ever curbed Torn’sflirting, much to Ceff’schagrin.Myboyfriendwouldalsobe frustratedwithwhereI was right now, which waswhy I hadn’t told anyoneabout my plans to make adetour on the way home.

Therewasnosensegivingthepoorguyanulcer.

Ceff worried about thefaerie courts discovering thatdeath was an affliction thatI’d recovered from, and he’dwarned against frequentingmyusual haunts. I’d avoidedthe Emporium lately, but Ineeded to ask Kaye a fewquestions. Not thatinformation was the onlyreasonwhyIwashere.

Iknewbetterthanmostjust how fragile lifewas. I’ddiedonce,andwewerefreshout of magic apples. If ithappened again, I wasn’tcomingback.

I needed to saygoodbyetomyfriends,justincase.

I gave Midnight onelast scratch, and startedtowardKaye’sspellkitchen.

“Better move quick,dear,unlessyouwantakiss,”

Kaye shouted fromsomewhere insdie thekitchen.

My boot had barelycrossed the thresholdwhen aset of large, hairy lipsdescended toward me. Akiss? Those lips were bigenoughtoswallowmewhole.

I ducked, and rolledbetween two legs the size oftreetrunks.MykniveshitmypalmsasIsprungtomyfeet,makingMarvinandHobstop

deadintheirtracks.Marvin’seyeswerewidewithsurprise,but Hob’s twinkled. Thebrownie must have put mybridge troll friend up to thisnonsense,Ijustknewit.

“What are you twodoing?”Iasked,voiceringingloudinmyears.

I could have stabbedmy friends with iron, thefools.

“Mistletoe,” Marvinsaid, pointing a large hand

toward a sprig of somethinggreen hanging above thedoor.

I gave an involuntaryshudder, and stepped furtherfrom thedoor.Mistletoewaspure evil. Not only was theplant poisonous if eaten, butmostpeople thought itmeantmandatory kissing, whichwas a nightmare for a touchphobe like me. Even worse,mistletoeremindedmeofthesacrificial murders I’d

witnessed on the wintersolstice.

I’d seenenoughof thatdamnplanttolastalifetime.

“Don’t worry, dear,”Kaye said. “It’s not the realthing. Only a plasticornament that Hob foundwhiledustingandsorting thesolsticedecorations.”

Yeah,Iwassurehejustinnocently came across thatornament. Mab save us all

from bored hearth browniesandgulliblebridgetrolls.

“Shouldeseenyeface,lass,” Hob said, slapping hiskneewithhishat, and lettingoutawhoopoflaughter.

“No kiss?” Marvinasked.

The teenaged bridgetroll blushed, and ducked hishead. He was well over sixfeet tall and wide as an ox,butthekidwasstillshy,evenaround his new friends. I

wasn’t good around peopleeither, but make no mistake,Marvinwas a friend.One ofthebest.

I’d witnessed thebeating that the kid hadsuffered at the hands of theeach uisge—that vision stillhaunted me—but I’d nevertouchedMarvin.I’dmanagedto get that vision off acarnivaltoken,andsincethenI’dgiventhekidawideberth.Marvin had survived one of

the worst beatings I’d everseen, all while trying tosurviveonthestreetsafterhisfather’s death left him anorphan.He’dsufferedalotofpain, and I hadn’t wanted torelivethat.

I’dbeenaselfishfool.It’s funny how clear

things seem when you’refacingdowndeath.Loveandfriendship, those were thethings that were important.

My own selfish fears nolongermattered.

“I think someone owesmeakiss,”Isaid.

I forced myself tosmile, and walked up toMarvin,standingontiptoesothe kid wouldn’t have tokneeltokissmycheek.

“Onthelips,lad,onthelips!”Hobheckled.

Marvinshookhishead,and rubbed the back of hisneck.

“Nah,” he said. “Don’twantarash.”

Wait,what?Marvin didn’t give me

anymore time to thinkabouthis comment. He leaned in,and gave me a big, wet kisson the cheek. I had enoughtime to think that the kidneeded some practice kissinggirls, and then the visiondraggedmeunder.

Except for a few fondmemories from Marvin’s

childhood, the vision waspredictablysad.He’d losthisfather, his home, and beenbeaten to within an inch ofhis life by viciouswater fae.Thebeatingwent on forever,and I bit the inside of mycheektokeepfromlosingmysense of self. As it was, I’dnever forget the feeling ofbeing a child alone on thestreets,mybloodleakingintothe ground as the each uisge

knocked out my teeth, andbrokemybones.

Hot tears leaked out ofmy eyes, and I rememberedthatIhadabodyofmyown,one that wasn’t beaten andtorn. I foughtmyway to thesurface of the vision,struggling to keep my sanity—struggling to stay me. Icaught one last glimpse ofmemory, this one a proudmoment when Marvinlaunchedapixienestataman

who was making otherchildrensuffer.

I knew from Marvin’ssteely determination that hewouldneverletanotherchildsuffer like he had. The prideand fear I felt for Marvinhelped to pull me back tomyself,aseparatebeingwithmyownmindandbody.

I gasped, eyes flyingopentoseeMarvin’sworriedface.Igavehimathumbsup,and he lifted his chin and

beamed from ear to ear. Letthe kid think the kiss hadknocked my socks off. Hecould use the ego boost, andit wasn’t a total lie. It hadcertainly been one hell of anexperience.

He thrust out his chestandstrodeovertowhereHobperchedwide-eyed.

“Whydidn’tyekissthelassonthelips?”Hobasked.

His furry brow wasfurrowed, and his knobby

handswerefistedonhiships.Honestly, I think thecurmudgeonly old browniewas just ticked off becausehis little game hadn’t turnedout the way he wanted. Hobprobably expectedMarvin toendupwitha tongue lashingfrom Kaye, or a fist in thefacefromyourstruly.

Hob and Marvin werefriends, but brownies weremischievous, Hob more thanmost. If I had to guess, I’d

sayitwasfromlivingbeneathKaye’shearth.Theoldwitchwasrubbingoffonhim.

Marvinshookhishead,andsmiled.

“Didn’t want poisonivy,” he said. “Itches worsethanpixiespit.”

Clever kid. Poison Ivywas Marvin’s nickname forme, and he never tired ofmaking jokes about mypricklynature.Itwashiswayof making light of my touch

phobia, andgivinganexcusefornotgettingtooclose.Nowhe’d used it as a reason toavoid kissingmeon the lips,to which I was grateful. Ithought of the kid like ayounger brother. It wouldhavebeencreepyifhe’dtriedtokissmeonthelips,notthatHobcaredawit.

“Okay now,” Kayesaid, the bells on her skirtjinglingasshebustledacrossthe kitchen. “You boys have

hadyour fun.Howaboutwelet Ivy sit down, andwe canallenjoyacupoftea.”

Iraisedaneyebrow,buttooka seaton thebench thatrandownone sideof a long,wooden table. The tablestraddled themodern kitchenthatwas thewitch’s domain,and theoldworld style roomthat held Hob-o’-Waggle’shearth. I set a shiny toyairplanethatI’dmadefroma

piece of aluminum foil onHob’ssideofthetable.

It would be foolish toenter a hearth brownie’sterritory without providing agift. You just have to makesure not to give the gift ofclothing, or the diminutivefaerie might take offense. Apissedoffbrowniewaslikelyto tie your hair into pixielocks while you slept, andleaveyouwithacold,emptyhearth.Ididn’twanttobeon

a receiving end of Hob’swrath, or Kaye’s either, forthatmatter. Iwas pretty sureforgivenesswouldbe lowonher to-do list, if I sent herhearthbrowniepacking.

“Hereyego,lass,”Hobsaid.

A cup of tea appearedbefore me, as if by magic,andwithaflashthetinyplanedisappeared into one of thepockets of Hob’s patchworkcoat. Brownies can move

faster than the human eye,evenfasterthanmyenhancedsight, making them nearlyinvisiblewhentheywantedtobe.JinxoncecommentedthatHobwaslikeakitchenninja,andIhadtoagree.

“Are you prepared forthe solstice?” Kaye asked,sittingontheoppositesideofthetableandsippinghertea.

“I was born ready,” Isaid with forced bravado.

Fake it ‘till you make it,right?

“You haven’t told thathuman girl, have you?” sheasked.

I sighed, and rubbed ahand over my face. Kayenever cared for Jinx, but herattitudetowardmybestfriendhad tipped into open disdainwhen Jinx started datingForneus. She thought thatJinxwasnothingmorethanasilly, clumsy human who

made bad decisions. In otherwords, Kaye saw Jinx as aliability. In thepast, I’d triedtoarguethatJinxcouldn’tbeheld responsible for beingunlucky, but Kaye wouldn’tlisten.

I considered explainingthat Forneus was actually agoodmatch for Jinx, but I’drather choke on my owntongue.Forneushadvowedtoprotect Jinx, and his love forher was obvious, but I still

hadahardtimeacceptingthetroublesomedemon. Iwasn’tquite ready to become hisstaunch defender, though I’dalready given him a letter toopen if he didn’t hear fromme in aweek’s time. I’d lefthimstrictinstructionsthatifIdidn’t make it back fromFaerie,hewastotakecareofJinx, or I’d come back fromthegraveandkillhimmyself.

“No, Kaye,” I said. “Ihaven’t told Jinx about

Faerie.AndIdon’tplanonit.I’mnotgoingtopaintatargetonmybestfriend’sback.”

Ialsodidn’tneedtogetany higher up on the faeriecourt’s shit list. No matterhowmuchIwantedtoletmybest friend in on my plan,tellingJinxaboutmyfather’skey to Faerie was not anoption.

“Good,”shesaid.“Nowdrink your tea before it getscold.”

I gulped my tea, andgrimaced. I didn’t recognizethe bitter taste, never a goodthing when drinking tea in awitch’s kitchen. I just hopedthat Hob hadn’t intentionallytriedtopoisonme.Maybehedidn’t like the gift I’d givenhimafterall.

“Hob, is there anythingyou want me to bring youbackfromFaerie?”Iasked.

I wasn’t opposed to alittle bribery, if it kept our

resident hearth browniehappy.

“Just bring yeself backin one piece, lass,” he said,shaking his head. “And getthis mess with the courtsstraightened out. Olga saysthat the gnomes can’t sleepforall thehollerinandsinginthe pookahs be makin overyourdeath.”

Olga was Hob’ssweetheart. The femalegnomewasoneof a clan I’d

helped to relocate to mymother and stepfather’sgardenoutinthesuburbs.I’dalsogivenapackofpookahsmy old tree house in returnfor helping us fight the eachuisge. I wasn’t sure if theparty loving pookahs werereallymourningmydeath,orjustwantedanexcuseforoneof theirdrunkenorgies.Withpookahs, itmight be a bit ofboth.

“Sorry,” I said with awince. “You haven’t toldanyone that I’m alive, haveyou?”

“No,lass,notevendearOlga,” he said. “Though itpains me to keep a secretfromher.”

I fidgeted with myteacup, staring at the leathergloves covering my hands. Iknew from experience justhow difficult it was to keepsecrets from the people we

loved. Some days it seemedlike I’d spent my entire lifelivingalie.

I pushed aside the teaand stood, every muscleprotestingasIslowlycametomyfeet.Iranahandthroughmy hair, wondering what tosay next. I wasn’t going tokidmyself.Thismightbethelast time I saw my friends.Faeriewasadangerousplacewhere the local flora andfauna would likely kill me

and then fight over who gotto eat my corpse and picktheirteethwithmybones.

“I’m no good atgoodbyes,”Isaid,rubbingthebackofmyneck.

“Till next time then,lass,”Hobsaid.

“Until we meet again,dear,”Kayesaid.

“Yeah, um, I’ll missyouguys,”Isaid.

“You’re coming back,right?”Marvinasked,looking

back and forth,watching oursomberfacesinconfusion.

“I…” I said, my throatchokingonthewords.

Somehow,afterallhe’dbeen through, Marvinremained the most innocentofusall.Ilovedhimforthat.He had a way of seeing thebeauty in a world that I’dlong ago decided was toouglytolookat.

Saying goodbye toMarvinwasthehardestofall.

“I’ll try, big guy,” Isaid.

For Marvin, I wouldtry. That kid had losteveryone, and I refused toadd to his pain. I’d fight tosurvive, and I’d wear myhands to blood stumpsdigging my way out of thegrave, but there were noguaranteesthatMarvinwouldsee me again. I couldn’tpromisetoreturn.Irefusedto

lie to the kid—he deservedbetterthanthat.

“Remember, dear,”Kaye said, pretending not tosee my tears. “Your father’skey leads to a back door, asecret entrance to hisdemesne. Entry will not beeasy.”

“No,Idon’texpectittobe,” I said. Iwipedmy face,andshookmyhead.“NothingassociatedwithFaerieisevereasy.”

“At least you’velearned that, ifnothingelse,”shesaidwithasatisfiednod.

“Sothisbackdoor,youthink it’ll dump me in myfather’s study—like a hiddenentrancebehindabookcase?”Isaid.

I forced a laugh, but itcameoutflat.

This wasn’t an episodeofScoobyDoo, andwebothknew it. Hidden doorwayswouldn’t open behind a

bookcase into a nice, safeoffice, and the monsterswouldn’t just be bumblingthieves wearing Halloweenmasks. The closest I’d cometo jumping out from a secrettunnelbehindabookcaseandunmasking my enemies,would be using my secondsight to see through theirglamour—to see monsterswhowantedtoeatmyface.Atidymission thatwrappedup

without someone sheddingbloodwasahappyfantasy.

“I don’t know wherethe portal will spit you out,how close or how far awayfrom the wisp court, but bewaryofMab’sminions,” shesaid. “The wisp court is inNithsdale,within the shadowof the IcePalace,Mab’s seatofpower.”

“But Mab left Faerieover two hundred years ago,

along with Oberon andTitania,”Isaid.

“Thequeenofcoldanddarkness doesn’t need to bewithintheFaerierealmstobea threat,” she said. “Herinfluence is widespread, butnowhere is she so revered asthe Unseelie lands of Faerie.Heed my warning, and stayawayfromtheIcePalaceandtheForestofTorment.”

“With a name like,‘ForestofTorment’,howcan

I resist?” I asked with mockbravado.

“Ivy,” she said, eyeshard.

“I’m kidding, sorry,” Isaid.

“Good,”shesaidwithasigh.“TheForestofTormentis said to be sentient, andsteeped in evil. The frozentreesguardthewaytotheIcePalace, keeping unwantedguests out by dismembering

intruders, and drinking thebloodofMab’senemies.”

Got it. No trips to theIcePalace.

“So,whatdoyouknowaboutNithsdale?”Iasked.

“Only that it is adangerous place, as all theUnseelie lands are, but theWisp Court is said to be akind of paradise for thesmaller Unseelie creatures,”shesaid.

“Aparadise?”Iasked.

That didn’t sound sobad.

“So long as you don’tmind being surrounded by abog that belches poisonousgas, and swallows menwhole,”shesaid.

Of course it had adeadly bog.Wewere talkingabout a wisp paradise afterall.

“Sounds like fun,” Isaid. “Home sweet home.

Anything else I shouldknow?”

I ducked quicklybeneaththemistletoeandintothe passageway outside thespell kitchen, but shot Kayeone last glance over myshoulder, eyebrows raised.Thewitchstaredback,lipsina tight line, and I knew theanswerwasgrim.

“Humans who enterFaerie rarely return,” shesaid.“IntheWispCourt,you

willneedtorelyonthepowerwithinyourblood,ifyoueverwish to see Harborsmouthagain.”

Isighed,andwavedonelast goodbye as I made myway to the exit. Needing toembracemy faehalfwasnota comforting thought. Iwanted to go home—to theloft, not some fae infestedswamp—crawl into bed, andhide under the blankets.Either that or go count my

weapons. Instead, I readiedmyselfforwhatmightbeonelastnightwithmyboyfriend.

I’d died once before,and faced death a number oftimes in the past. I knew allabout regrets. This time, IwasgoingtomakethebestofwhattimeIhadleft.

Chapter10I brushed my hair,

getting ready for my date. Ididn’t usually take the extraeffort, but tonight wasdifferent.Iwantedtomakeitextraspecial.

I had evenmanaged tosneak in a few hours ofbeauty sleep this afternoon.MaybeIwasstilldreaming.

Jinx was leaningagainst the door tomy roomasifweneverhadourfightinthejunkyard.Infact,shewasactingasifI’dnevertoldherabout the lead I had onfinding my father. I washappytoputourfightbehindus, but the way she ignoredthe entire conversation putmeonedge.

Iwas sure shewas justwaiting for a chance to getme back for keeping secrets.

Ohwell.Ifthosesecretskepthersafe,Iwaswillingtocopewith the awkwardness, andhereventualrevenge.

“Youshould see if thathot piece of kelpie king youcall aboyfriendhas anynewleads on your father,” Jinxsaid,wagglinghereyebrows.

The waggling was forCeffylDwr,notmyfather.Atleast I hoped shedidn’t havethe hots for my dad. For amoment,Iwasactuallyhappy

shewas dating Forneus. Jinxhadathingforbadboys,andmy father’s curse put himsquarelyinbadboyterritory.

“I’ll ask Ceff when Iseehimtonight,”Isaid.

“Tonight?”sheasked.“Yes,”Isaid,tiltingmy

head to get a better look ather. “It’s date night,remember?”

“Oh crap,” she said. “Ihaven’tevendecidedwhattowear.”

Jinx ran to her room,andIfrowned.Shemusthavebeenmoreworried about thewisp infestation at herfather’s junkyard than I’dthought. Either that or shewas really distracted plottingherrevenge.Withmyluck,itwasprobablythelatter.

Datenighthadbeenheridea. It had been difficult toseeCefflately,sincewithmebeing dead he had no reasonto come by the apartment.A

kelpie king had no businesswith a human woman, notunless he decided to drownher,eatherflesh,andpickhisteeth with her bones.Thankfully,Ceffdidn’tmakea habit of eatingmy friends,butitdidn’thelpwithacoverstory.

So Ceff and I slunkaround, meeting in darkalleys and ritzy hotels. Thedark alleys were all I couldafford, but theyweren’t very

romantic.Theyalsotendedtobe crawling with the pryingeyes of the fae and theundead. That meant thatoccasionally, Ceff managedto talk me into dressing likesocialites and meeting inclassyhotels.

I didn’t like that thehotelswereonhisdime,butIalsocouldn’triskthekindsofvisions that ran rampantinside the seedier dive hotelsthat were within my budget.

For tonight, he’d picked anewswankyplaceuptown.

That meant shimmyingintoalong,redcocktaildressand donning satin operagloves. For once, I lookedliketheprincessthatIwas.

I’d have preferred myleather gloves, but theywouldn’t have gone with thedress. My new, Clurichauncrafted leather jacket—a giftfromCeff to replace the oneI’d lost in the Otherworld

realmofEmainAblach—wasanotherstory.Ishruggeditonover my dress and slid on apair of dark sunglasses.Maybe people would think Iwasacelebrityoutforanightonthetown.

Of course, mostcelebrities didn’t go outarmed to battle monsters. Ifmy Hunter friend Jenna hadtaughtmeanything, itwastonevergounarmed.Inadditionto the anti-fae charms I kept

stashed inmy jacketpockets,I wore iron and silverthrowing knives strapped toeach thigh. This dresswouldn’t be easy to run in,but the slit up the side gaveme access to my weapons. Ipiledmy dark hair on top ofmyhead,andheldit inplacewith two sharp, wooden hairsticks that would double asstakes.

The fae were the onesgunning for me, but you

couldn’t be too careful. AsJenna was fond of saying, agood vampire is a stakedvampire. My Hunter friendmaybeonanothercontinent,but I still listened to heradvice.

Satisfied that I wasdolledupenoughtoenterTheStantonHotelwithoutgettingkicked out and, moreimportantly,thatIdidn’tlookathinglikemyself,Igrabbedmy keys and headed for the

door.Butataknockfromtheotherside,Ifroze.

I may be in disguise,but it wouldn’t be hard toguess who I was whilestanding in my ownapartment. I tiptoed to Jinx’sbedroom, and ducked myheadinside.

“Someone’s at thedoor,”Isaid.

“I’m sure it’s justForneus,” she said. “I’ll getit.”

Jinx was wearing aretro style mini dress thatmanaged to look both cuteand sexy. She’d used hotrollers to give her black hairold-school movie star wavesand her lips were coated inglossy, red lipstick thatmatched her nails and hershoes. Her bangs, of course,were curled under andsprayed within an inch oftheirlife.

Forneus was in for anightofdrooling.

“Youtwogoingout?”Iasked.

“Nope,”shesaidwithawink.

I shook my head, andtried not to look around herbedroom while I waited forJinxtogetthedoor.Ididnotneed fodder for mynightmares. Forneus’comments were usually badenough.Ipeekedoutintothe

loft in time to see Jinx openthedoorforherdate.

I’dratheritwasJehovawitnesses.

“Darling, you lookravishing,” Forneus said asJinx stepped aside to let thedemonintoourhome.

Iwasn’tkeenonJinx’smain squeeze being of theHell persuasion, but thenagain, I couldn’t cast stones.I’dwelcomedSparkyintoourhome,soIcouldn’tverywell

tell Forneus he wasn’twelcome. Not unless he didsomething to hurt Jinx. Thenallbetswereoff.

“Good,becauseIintendto be ravished,” she said,tilting her head back to stareup into Forneus’ dark gaze.“It is date night, after all. Agirlhasexpectations.”

He let out a barelycontained growl, and bentdowntopullmyroommateinfor a kiss. I coughed, and

stepped out into the loftbefore the two of themwentanyfurther.

“Hey,Forneus,”Isaid.He stiffened, pulling

awayfromJinx.“Miss Granger,” he

said.“Ivy’sonherwayout,”

Jinxsaid.“Right,Ivy?”“Yeah, yeah,” I said,

striding across the loft. “Youtwo have fun. You too,Sparky.”

Sparky’s reply was aroundofsnorescomingfromthedogbedbesidethecouch,butForneus’wordsmademecringe.

“Ohweintendto,MissGranger,”hesaid, lickinghislips.

I swallowed hard,steppingthroughthedoorandinto the stairwell, Forneus’laughterringinginmyears.IfItookthestairstwoatatime,whocouldblameme?

Chapter11The Stanton Hotel was

Ceff’s grandest choice yet.We stood at the front deskwhile Ceff convinced thereceptionistthathe’dscannedthe credit card and paid forthe room in full. The “card”wasadriedpieceofkelp,butfor once, I wasn’t going toargue faerie morality. Wecould do that over dinner,

anotherthingwe’dlikelypayfor with seaweed anddriftwood.

I didn’t like foolinginnocentmortals,but Iwasasupposedly dead half-breedwisp princess who reallyneeded a night out with hersignificantother.Mylifewasbeyond complicated rightnow, and I was hungry.Faeries may not have toworry about high bloodpressure,butlowbloodsugar

was raising hellwith at leastoneofmyhalves.Dinnerandaromanticeveninginabrandnew five star hotel soundedlike just the ticket forregainingsanity.

Iwasadmiring the fishtankthatrosefromthecenterof themarble floor that tookup half the room,whileCefffinished “paying” for ourroom. At first, I thought thefishtankmayhavebeenwhy

Ceffpickedthisplace,untilInoticedhisscowl.

Ceff gave the tank thestink eye, and I sighed. Hewouldn’t care about the fishswimminginsidethetank.Hewas a predator of the sea,after all. No, that lookprobably meant that somepoor water faerie hadmanaged to get caught in afisherman’s net, eventuallybeingdepositedinthisgildedcageofanaquariumtank.

I took a deep breath,and tamped down mydisappointment. By the lookon Ceff’s face, we’d bespendingourdatenighttryingto free a captured water fae.Oh well, if that’s what hewanted,Iwasin.It’snotlikewecouldbehavinghotsexinoursuiteifacuteseamonkeyofa faeriewas trappeddownhere in the lobby fish tank.Even thoughbothofuswereUnseelie fae, the kind of

faeries with ties to the darkside, neither of uswaswiredlikethat.

Ceff had moved closerto the glass, and I sidled upbesidehim.

“So which one are werescuing?”Iasked.

I had the rare gift ofsecondsight,theabilitytoseethrough both vampireglamour and faerie glamour,but the creatures in the tankall looked like tropical fish.

To me, a lot of things fromthe sea looked alien. I washalf land fae and I’d grownup human. I hadn’t evenknown about my fae blooduntil recently, although itexplained some of my moreunusualabilities.

Staringat theaquariumdidn’t give me any answers,so I focused on Ceff. Hisforehead was damp, eitherfrom sweat or water magic,but his lip curved in a light

grinandheraisedaneyebrowatmyquestion.

“There are none whoneedrescuinghere,”hesaid.

“Then what do yousee?” I asked. He tilted hisheadatme,asifwonderingifI was toyingwith him, but Ijust shrugged.“Theyall looklikeweirdfishtome.”

It probably wasn’t thenicestormosteloquent thingfor someonewhowas datinga water fae to say, but oh

well. Ceff was used to mybrusqueness. He said mycandorwasasrefreshingasanortherntide.Isupposewhenyoudealwithschemingwaterfae clans all day, the rudehalf-human’s honesty mightmakeupforherbadmanners.Pureblood faeries cannot tellan outright lie, but that justmeant that over the pastseveral millennia they’dperfected the art of talkingaroundthetruth.

As I suspected, Ceffdidn’t take offense. Instead,he tilted back his head andlaughed. The melodic soundran over me like dancingfingers, and I shivered withpleasure. There were fewthings as beautiful in thisworld as the laughter of thewaterfae.

“Do you see that onethere, the creature hiding inthe shadows of the pirateship?”heasked.

“Theblackspinyone?”Iasked.

The thing looked likesome kind of sea anemone,anditseemedtobeemittingacloud of darkness similar tosquidink.

“Yes, that is no fish,”hesaid.“Thatoneisfae.”

“What kind of fae ishe?”Iasked.

Okay, I had no idea ifthefaeriewasmaleorfemale,but with all those spines I

defaulted to the malepronoun.

“Thatoneissoold,weno longer sing his name,” hesaid.“ButsomecallhimShipBreaker.”

The water fae, thoughspread out across the world,allsharedthesamebackyard.The oceansmay be vast, butwater was connected. Itbound them in a way that Ihadn’t yet seen in the air orland fae, and helped them

pass along knowledge fromone clan to the next. If Ceffdidn’t know this faerie’sname, it was because it waslongforgottenorthecreaturewas particularly tight lipped.Inaworldwherenamesheldpower and most creatureswere immortal, either was apossibility.

“Well, all he has inthere is a ceramic pirateship,” I said. “Themanagementmaynotlikeitif

he breaks it, but it doesn’tmakehimamenace.”

“ShipBreakerisknownfor livingon therottinghullsof shipwrecks, the carcassesof his most recent kills,” hesaid. “He often sleeps forcenturies at a time,butwhenheawakens…hehungers.”

Okay, that did notsoundgood.Myhandwenttoone of the blades strappedbeneath my dress and mymouthwentdry.

“Isitsafeforthehotel’shumans?”

Heck, I wasn’t sure ifthatcreaturewas safe for thecity. Ship Breaker may besmall,but sizewasdeceptivewith the fae. I didn’t doubtthathegothisnamedraggingships down into the darkestdepths of the sea where hedevoured its men and cargo.There was something aboutthe sleeping beast that, nowthat Ceff had drawn my

attention to it, sent a chillracingupmyspine.

“Thehotel’sguestsandstaff should be fine, butwhoever cleans the tankcould be at risk,” he said.“Saltwater tanks take morefinesse thanfreshwater.Theymusthiresomeonetocomeinandmaintainitforthem.”

“Do you think youcouldpersuadeawaterfaetocometakethejob?”

“Perhaps,” he said. “Iknow a selkie woman whomightdosoforthechancetospendtimeinthecity.”

“Askher,”Isaid.“Andletmeknowifyouneedhelpconvincing the hotel tochange vendors. Mystepfatherworks for the city.Maybeoneofhisfriendscandosomething.”

My stepfather didn’tknow about the fae, but mymomdid.Together,wecould

figure something out. Ofcourse,withmedead,gettingtogethertoconspirewouldbedifficult,butIneverletalittleobstacle like fae assassinsstopme.Well,except for theten minutes I lay dead inKaye’sspellkitchen.

I took a shaky breath,andpulledCefffromthefishtank. When we were a fewfeet away, I blushed. I waswearing my gloves, but thesatinmademefeelnaked.

“I am sorry,” he said.“Before the receptionist sawto securing our room, youmentioned that you had aquestionforme.”

I reached out, runningone satin finger along Ceff’slips, and let a hungry smilespreadacrossmyface.

“We can talk later,” Isaid. “Right now, there’ssomethingelseIwanttodo.”

Ceff’s eyes glowedgreenbehindhisglamourand

he bowed his head, kissingmy hand through the thinglove. Warmth spread downmy arm and to other placesand,before Icouldblink,wewereintheelevator.

Even in his humanform, Ceff could move fastwhenhewantedto.Andrightnow, we both really, reallywanted to be in our hotelsuite.

Thankfully, there wasno one sharing the elevator

withus,sincerightaboutthenmyeyesbegantoglow.Evenif Ceff hadn’t sucked in asudden breath, I would haveknown by the two shiningballsoflightreflectingoffthemetalelevatorwall.

“I’m glowing, aren’tI?”Iasked.

He nodded, and Isighed. I fished mysunglasses out of my jacketpocket, thankful we hadn’tcrushedthem.Afewminutes

more and they’d have beenpulverized. I slid thesunglasses on just as wereachedourfloor.

Ceff held the door forme, even though the ironcontent in the metal musthave burned, and we hurriedto our room. Ceff fumbledwiththedoorkey,amagneticswipe card, swearingsomething under his breathabout new technology, andthenwewereinside.

As the door closedbehind us, I licked my lips,taking in the hot tub set intothe floor. I should havebalked at the extravagance,and a small inner voicechastised me for riskingvisions in a strange, albeitnew, hotel, but I slipped offmy sunglasses and shruggedout of my jacket. Next, Iunzipped my dress, letting itpoolontotheflooratmyfeet.

In three days time, wewould risk our livesattempting to enter Faerie.Thismightbeourlastchanceto be together. I planned tomakeitmemorable.

With a Jacuzzi and asexy water fae in the sameroom, it was memorableindeed.

Chapter12I floated in a haze of

happiness, tracing patternsacrossCeff’smuscular chest.His body was marked byscars, physical reminders ofhis time in captivity, but heno longer flinched awaywhen I touched the raised,waxyskin.We’dcomealongway, he and I, me with the

touchingandhimwiththenotflinching.

For amoment, I forgotabout faerie assassins andCeltic gods of the dead. Iwatched the rise and fall ofCeff’s chest, and imagined alifetime of waking up withthisbeautifulmanatmyside.

Ceff gripped my hand,stillingitspathalonghisskinand rousing me from mydaydream. I tilted my headback, expecting a kiss, but

instead he sat upright. Themotion did mesmerizingthings to his abdominalmuscles, and it was withherculean effort that I pulledmy attention away from hisrippling stomach. When myeyes finally met Ceff’s, Iflinched.

Rather than thepassionorplayfulnessI’dexpectedtosee, his face showed onlysigns of worry. Frown lines

creased his forehead, and hislipsweretight.

“What’s wrong?” Iasked, pushingmyself up ononeelbow.

Itwasn’teasy,notwiththe death grip Ceff still hadon my hand, but I managed.When we were alonetogether,weoftenwentoutofourwaytoremaintouching.Iwasusedtoit.Itwastheonlyway to avoid unnecessaryrounds of visions. But

somethingaboutthewayCeffwasholdingmyhandseemeddifferentthistime.

Foronething,hedidn’tnormally cut off thecirculation.

“Ceff?” I asked, tryingtokeepmyvoicelight.

“I…we…Ifearwemaybe underestimating thedangers of entering yourfather’scourt,”hesaid.

Wasthatatremorinhisvoice? Even while being

tortured with cold iron, Ceffhadn’t shown fear. Not likethis.

“I know the risks,” Isaid. “I’m not stupid. I justdon’tseeanyotherchoice.”

“No, of course you arenot stupid,” he said. Helookedpained,orconstipated.Since he was searching myfaceas if Iheld the secretoflife,Iwasgoingwithpained.“Iamdoingthisallwrong.”

“Doingwhat?”Iasked.

He looked away,suddenly absorbed with theshapeofmyhip.Itwasanicehip, according to Ceff, but Igot the feeling Iwasmissingsomething. Usually when heoglesmybody,helooksalivewith passion…not ready tothrowup.

If this went on muchlonger, I was going to get acomplex.

“Beforewefacecertaindeath, there is something I

mustaskyou,”hesaid.“You can ask me

anything,”Isaid.“Youknowthat.”

He nodded, but didn’tlookup.

“As you know, I haveonly courted you these fewshortmonths,aneyeblinkinour immortal lifespan,” hesaid.

I waited, but he didn’tcontinue. Sweat beaded on

hisbrow,andasliverof fearbegantwistingmyinsides.

“I know it is unfair ofme…”hesaid.

Oh, Mab’s bloodybones. Was he breaking upwithme?Imean, Iknowthelast few months hadn’t beeneasy, what with onedangerous situation afteranother, but I thought ourrelationship was good. Ithoughtweweregood.Whenall of my beliefs had been

turned upside down—who Iwas, what I was—myrelationship with Ceff hadbeenunwavering.Ihadcometobelievethathewastheonesolid,truethinginthiscrazy,newlifeIwasliving.

Iwasafool.“Ivy,”hesaid.I looked up, as if

against my will. There ispower in a name, especiallyforthoseofuswithfaeblood,but that’s notwhat liftedmy

chin like a marionette on astring. The husky sound ofCeff’svoicewhenhesaidmynamewas like a drug. I wasan addict, and if this was tobemyfinalfix,Iwouldsavorevery last painfulmoment ofit.

Damn,Iwasinovermyhead.

“Does it pain you somuch to consider it?” heasked,reachingouttocupmychinwithhisfreehand.

I frowned.Of course itpained me. He was leavingme,thebastard.

“HowdidyouthinkI’dreact?” I asked, pushingmyself up and punching himhard.

Itwasn’teasywithCeffstillholdingmyotherhandtohis chest. Oberon’s balls, Icould still feel the rapid beatofhisheartbeneathmypalm,thoughmyfingersweregoingnumbfromthevice-likegrip.

“I had hoped that ourlovewasmoreimportantthanmereetiquette,”hesaid.

I clenched my fist,wishing I had somethingmorethanpillowstobeat theman with. Too bad I’d shedmy knives with my clothes.Wait.

“Did you say that youloveme?”Iasked.

“Yes, of course,” hesaid. “I love you more thanthe tides love themoon.You

arethecenterofmyuniverse.You aremygravity.Withoutyou, I float aimlessly, lashedat by volatile currents—aman with no heart and nopurpose.”

His eyes flashed greenwithpassion, lending truth tohis words. Not that I neededhis eyes as confirmation. Apurebloodedfaeriecannottellabald-facedlie.

“Youloveme,”Isaid.“Yes.”

“Thenwhy?”Iasked. Ishook my head. “Whatetiquette are you talkingabout?”

“My love, theguidelines are very clear onrulesofmatrimony,”hesaid.“But in our current situation,andafterhavinglostyouoncealready, I had thought youmightbewillingtoignoretheimpropriety…”

I held a finger to hislips,cuttingoffhiswords.

“Are you askingme tomarryyou?”Iasked.

“Yes,” he said, eyessearching mine. His musclestensed,asifreadyinghimselffor a painful blow, but hecontinued on. “Ivy Granger,daughter of Will-o-the-Wisp,princess to the wisp court,andmyconsort,willyoutakeme, Ceffyl Dwr, king of thekelpies, to be your husband,soulboundforalleternity?”

Ceff wasn’t trying toleave me—he was asking tomarry me, even if it did goagainst millennia of faetradition. I considered hisproposal, thinking seriouslyaboutallthathepromisedandallthatwerisked.

“Well, you know,” Isaid,lipscurlingintoasmile.“Idolovetobreaktherules.”

“Is that a yes?” heasked.

His eyes were shiningpainfullybright,butIrefusedtolookaway.

“Yes,Ceff,yes,”Isaid.If we survived our trip

to Faerie, Iwas going to getmarried. I’dpledgedmyloveto an immortal. If someonetold me a month ago that Iwould accept a marriageproposal, I would havestabbedthemintheeye.NowI’d agreed to marry a kelpieking.Iwasn’tsurewhichone

ofuswasthebiggeridiot,mefor wanting to be with thesame man for eternity, orCeff for willingly subjectinghimself tomy stormymoodsand proclivity for danger.Oberon save us all fromcrazy,lovesickfools.

Chapter13I tiptoed into the loft,

carefulnottowakeanyoneasIclosedand locked thedoor.Sparky was already up, butthe little guy was currentlymesmerized by cartoons. Hesat in front of the television,with the sound turned downlow.

“Come on kiddo,” Isaid, keeping my voice low.

“Givemeahug.”I sat down, and patted

the threadbare couch cushionbeside me. Sparky jumpedup, launching himself fromthefloorandontomylap,hiscartoonforgotten.

“Ivyyyyyyyyy!” hesqueeled.

I winced, and cast aglance at Jinx’s bedroomdoor, but no sounds camefrom within. With any luck,shewasstillasleep.Actually,

I was probably being overlycautious.Thatgirlcouldsleepthroughtheapocalypse.

“Howwasyournight?”I asked. “Did Forneus bringyou some new movies towatch?”

On date night, Forneususuallybroughtoverfoodandmovies to keep Sparky busy.Nothing ruined the moodfaster than a bored demontoddler.

Sparky nodded, andchatteredonaboutthemovieshe’dwatched.Hisweight onmylapwascomforting,andInearly fell asleep. Justanother one of the manythings I would have swornwas impossible not too longago. I wasn’t the mostaffectionate person, butSparkywasahugger,andI’dlearnedearlyonthattheonlyvisions he gave me werebrief.

It didn’t hurt that hisone terrifyingmemory endedwith me as his hero. I’drescued him from the catsidhe, and that visionreminded me that I hadn’tscrewedupeverything inmylife.I’dmanagedtogetafewthings right over the pastyear, and standing up forSparky was one of thosethings. I wasn’t sure yet ifbringingademonchildhomewas smart, or the very

definitionofstupidity,butI’dcometolovethekid.

So had Jinx, and forthat reason I knew thatForneus would use hisresources to help Sparky ashe matured into his powers.That was a relief, since I nolongerknew if I’dbehere tohelp, and I doubted Jinxcould handle demonicgrowingpainsonherown.

I remembered theloneliness of my teen years,

and tensed, nearly crushingSparky in a tight hug. Thoseyears had been hell. Icouldn’t imaginewhat they’dbe like for an orphanedTezcatlipocandemon.MaybeMarvin could help talk thelittleguythroughit.

“You sad?” Sparkyasked, pointing at a tear thathad somehow escaped to rundownmyface.

“Nope,” I said, forcinga smile. “Those are happy

tears.I’mgladtoseeyou.”“Happy!” he squeeled,

squirming in my lap, andtuggingononeofhisears.

“Good,” I said, settinghim down, and patting hishead. “Now watch yourcartoons,while Igetdressed,and I’ll find you somesnacks.”

Sparky clapped hishands, his eyes going to thetelevision screen where

cartoon animals sang anddanced.

I made quick work ofchanging into my leathers. Itugged reinforced leatherpants, boots, vest, armguards, weapon sheaths, andjacket on over a black bodysuit.Thebodysuitprovidedabase layer that wicked awaymoisture, prevented chafing,andgavemeanextralayerofprotection against unwantedvisions. Considering where I

was going, the latter mightjustsavemysanity.

I strapped on myblades,slidanextradaggerinmy boot for good measure,and started loading up onanti-fae charms. Once myjacket pockets and thepouchesonmymilitary styleutilitybeltwerefull,Istartedsliding wooden stakes intothebackof thebelt, and twosmaller stakes into my hairwhichI’d twisted intoa tight

bun.Next,Iunlockedatrunkwhere I kept my demonfighting tools, and grabbed asilvercrossandafewvialsofholywater.

I was an equalopportunity slayer ofmonsters.

Once I was wearing afullarsenal,Icarefullylockedthe trunk and hid the key.SinceallowingForneous intoour lives, and bringingSparky home, we’d locked

awaymostofouranti-demoncharmsandweapons.I’dkeptmy stash under lock and keyin my bedroom, but nottoday. Imight be focused onmy journey to Faerie, but inordertoreachthewispcourt,I had to pass through TechDuinn. I could imagine allsortsofnastythingslivinginalandruledbytheCelticgodof the dead. Encounteringunfriendly demons was a

possibility,anditwasalwaysbesttobeprepared.

I also hadn’t left Jinxunarmed. She had her trustycrossbow, the loft and officehad magic wards that couldbeactivatedwithoneword—that had cost a hefty portionofourdepletedsavings,butIrefused to leave my friendunprotected—and she knewwhere I kept the key to mytrunkofcharms.Shewasalsodatingapowerfuldemon.

That certainly had tocountforsomething.

ItiptoedtoJinx’sroom,and silently pushed the dooropen a few inches. Jinx wasin bed, face relaxed in sleep.Forneushadhis arms aroundher, their bodies entwined,but his eyes were fixed onme.

“It’stime,”Iwhispered.“Takecareofher.”

He nodded once, andclosedhiseyes.Islidthedoor

shut,andmademywaytothekitchen.Ifoundagranolabar,whichIstashedinanalreadypacked jacket pocket, andwent in search of snacks forSparky. If he had food andcartoons, he’d likely stayoutof Jinx’shair fora fewmorehours.

Igrabbedabagofchipsfrom the counter, and setthem down on the coffeetable. Forneus must havebrought them over for

Sparky,sinceJinxandIcouldnolongeraffordtheluxuryofjunkfood.

Sparky was backwatching his cartoons again,an ear in one hand, and thethumbofhisotherhandinhismouth as he sat curled up inthecornerofthecouch.IsentupasilentprayerthatIwouldget to see the kid grow up,and then I was out the door,hurrying down the steps likethecowardthatIwas.I’dtold

myself that I was protectingJinx by keeping her out ofthis mess, but deep down, Iknew there was more to itthanthat.Iwasalsotooafraidtosaygoodbye.

Jinx and Sparky weremy family, and Iwas riskingtheir happiness by going onthismission.Findingawaytocontrol mywisp powers wasimportant—especially if Iever wanted to come cleanwith the faerie courts and

admit that I was still amongtheliving—butJinxwouldn’tseeitthatway.

My best friendunderstood the sacrifices wemade to help others. She’drisked her own life to saveinnocent people from harm,andsheknewI’dcontinue todothesamewhenthechancearose.We’dmade a habit offacing down danger to helppeople, but if she found outI’d risked my life in the

search for my father, shemightneverforgiveme.

That was one chancethatIwasn’twillingtotake.

Chapter14Ceff and I stood

waiting forTorn,whowas, Ihoped,beingfashionablylate.If the cat sidhe didn’t showupinthenextfifteenminutes,itwould justbemeandCeffon thismission.My gut toldme we’d need Torn’s help,even if he was one of mymoreirritatingallies.

“You look stressed,Princess,” Torn said,meltingfrom the shadows. Show off.“Worried I wasn’t going tocome?”

In fact, I had beenworried.IguessIshouldhavehad faith in the fact that catsare curious creatures. Tornknew about my father’s keyto Faerie, and was intriguedby the possibility of a portalthat bypassed the faerie kingand queens’ seal on those

lands. He was here brighteyed and bushy tailed, readyfordangerandmayhem.

Of course, if theopportunity arose, hewouldn’thesitatetocreatehisown mayhem. Torn lovedchaoslikeapixylovessalt,itwasinhisnature.

“Nope,”Isaid.“Thisismyhappyface.”

Torn laughed, thesound beginning in his chestand gradually shifting into a

purr. Glad someone washappy.IsureasHellwasn’t.Igrit my teeth, facing theexpanseofwaterbetweenourpositionatthetipofMartin’sPoint and the island floatinginthedistance.

“Whatiftheseadoesn’tpart like in the prophecy?” Iasked,pacingbackandforth.

“Do not worry, I cancarryyouboth,”Ceffsaid.

He started to strip offhispants,andTornclapped.

“Nice show, fish forbrains, but I’m not ridingyou,”Tornsaid.“Ever.”

Ceff sighed, and raisedaneyebrowatme.Great.Thiswasuptometosettle.

“Catsaresissyswhenitcomes to water,” I said,getting in a hit to Torn’spride. “If it’s the only wayover, he’ll catch a ride.He’stoocuriousaboutTechDuinnandmyfather’sderelictcourtnottocomewithus.”

Ceff shrugged andbegan to shift into his waterhorseform.Hedidn’thavetostripoffhisclothestochangeshape.He’dbeentryingtogetunder Torn’s skin. I’m notsure who insulted who first,but if theykept thisup,we’dbe lucky to all survive thistrip.

Not that I was muchhelp. I never could miss achance to goad the cat sidhelord.

“You wound me,Princess,” Torn said, handflying to his leather cladchest.“ThoughIshouldwarnyou, Idohavemylimits.Donotpushme.”

His eyes went steely,and I knew the kidding wasover. It was time for theclawstocomeout.

Oh yeah? Two couldplayat thatgame.Icroucheddown as if to tie my boots,and reachedmy gloved hand

into the water at my feet. Inone smooth, lightning fastmove, I uncoiled,straightened, and flicked myfingers at Torn. Droplets ofwater hit his chest, and hehissed. The hissing turned toayowlthatraisedthehaironmyneck,andTornarchedhisback.

“Hmmm, yes, you doohsowellwithwater,”Isaid.“Come on, Torn. If we haveto swim for it, letCeff carry

me,andI’llcarryyouinyourcatform.”

Torn relaxed, leanedone hip against the railing,andlickedhislips.

“Ah,” he said, eyesalight, trailing fingers alongthe beads of water tricklingdown his skin. “You justwantmeinyourarms.Admitit.”

Ceff let out an angrysnort, and stomped his foot.He’d finished shifting, and

was now an imposing,beautifully muscled creature.Tornshouldknowbetterthanto mess with him like this,especiallywhenhewasgoingto be shifting into a teensy,littlekittycat.

Then again, I knewbetter than to antagonizeTorn.Ourchancesforsuccesswere greatly reduced if Ipissedoffouroneallyonthismission, but I just couldn’tresist. We hadn’t even left

Harborsmouth, and we wereat each other’s throats. Ishookmyhead,andsighed.

Wewerealldoomed.

Chapter15I shouldn’t have

worriedaboutthedoorwaytoTech Duinn remaining underwater. The druid Béchuillewasa lotof things,buta liarwasn’toneofthem.

At the strike of thewitching hour, my earspopped as magic pressurebuilt and crashed around us.My skin tingled as the sea

parted,exposingsandyoceanfloor that ran like a ribbonfrom Martin’s Point toDonnerIsland.

“Wow,” I said, lettingout the breath I’d beenholding.

That’s me, always theeloquentone.

“Now this is more likeit,” Torn said, rocking backonhisheels.

“Iwouldhavepreferredto swim,” Ceff muttered,

narrowing his eyes at thechurningsea.

I’d convinced him toshiftback tohishuman formafter he’d tried to nip atTorn’s shoulder, and got aclaw across the snout for histrouble.

The water partedunnaturally to our left andright, revealing a pathwaythatledouttotheisland.Thepathwaywasnarrow,wallsofwater towering over our

heads,andIsuddenlywishedthat Ceff had brought a fewofhiswaterfaefriendsalong.Ceff could use his watermagic to keep me fromdrowning in the short-term,but itwasa longwalk to theisland.

Too bad we werekeeping this mission underwraps. Revealing a secretbackdoor to Faerie, and thefact that I had my father’skey,wouldputapriceonour

headsthatnoneofusneeded.Plus, the general faepopulationstill thoughtIwasdead. Now was not the timeto reveal the truth of mysurvival.

No,forbetterorworse,wewereonourown.

“Ladies first,” Tornsaid, waving a hand at themagicpathway.

I frowned, but strodeforward.

“Thanks a lot,” I said,breakingintoajog.

The faster we got thisoverwiththebetter.

“Always thegentleman,” he said,followingmewhenthemagicheld.

I snorted, shaking myhead.Yeah,right.

Ikeptawaryeyeonthewater as we picked our wayover rocks and debris. Someof this debris was wreckage

from ships lost at sea. If theocean could do this to aship’s hull,whatwould it doto flesh and bone? I had anewfound respect for Ceff’shomeasIcontinuedon.

I ran, Ceff scoutingaheadandTornonmyheels.There were no spotlights orthe sound of newshelicopters. If the spell thatparted the waves was likemost magic, humans wouldsubconsciously avoid this

area, never realizing thatsomething existed outsidetheirnormallives.

I frowned, glancingagain at the creaturesswimming alongside us.Although the creatures wereaware of us, they couldn’treachusonthepathway.Thatdidn’t keepme from runningwith a blade in each hand.Aside from theclaustrophobia, this seemedtooeasy.

“Anyone elsewondering when we’ll hitquick sand,orget swallowedupbyasharknado?”Iasked.

“Can someone remindmewhywedidn’t just rentaboat?”Tornasked.

“Kaye said we shouldstick to the druid’s prophecyasmuchaspossible,”Isaid.

I flashed him a hardsmile, but I had the samedoubts.Whatdidmakesensewas the witch’s argument

about the entrance into TechDuinn. The pathway wouldlead us to an undergrounddoorway that was onlyrevealed on the summersolstice. Ifwe tookaboatorhad Ceff swim us across, itwasplausiblethatwe’dneverfindthewayinside.

Of course, I wascursing Béchuille’s prophecyas we ran. She’d mentionedthe spell lasting until thewaning of the moon, which

wasn’t the most accuratetimetable.Theseaspartedonthe witching hour, but evenkeepingoneeyeonthemoon,there was no way to knowjust how much time we hadleft.

“Wemust hurry,” Ceffsaid.

Within seconds, thesoundofhooveshittingrocksand hard packed sandpounded in my ears.Apparently, my boyfriend

wasalsoconcernedaboutourtimetable.

Trident in hand, he’dbeenready tostandandfightifthiswassomekindoftrap.But now that our biggestenemy was time, with thethreat of the spell collapsingtonsofwateronourheads,heshifted into the better knownkelpie form. In his horseform,hewasnearlyasfastonland as he was in the water,whichmeanthewasourbest

option for hauling ass out ofhere.

He stopped in front ofme,pawingimpatientlyatthesand.Ihesitated,butCeffwasright.Wewererunningoutoftime. I slid my knives intotheirwristsheathes,andleaptontohisback.

“Youcoming,Torn?” Iasked.

“Fish breath isn’t theonlyonewhocan shapeshift,

Princess,” he said, a glint inhiseyes.

His flesh rippled, andhe sprung forward, a scarredtabby cat landing beside us.Heflickedanear,andstartedtorun,leapingoverrocksanddebriswithease.

Ceff’s muscles tensed,and then we were gallopingsofast,Ihadtoclosemyeyesagainst the vertigo thatthreatened toknockmeover.Apparently,itwaspossibleto

getmotionsickwhileridingahorse through a cavern ofmovingwalls of water.Whoknew?

When we came to anabrupt stop, I cracked myeyes open and smiled. Therocks that made up the baseof Donner Island were solargethattheymayhavebeenput here by giants. I swungdown from Ceff’s back,striding forward to run mygloved hands along the

boulderattheendofthepath.It didn’t look any differentfromtheotherhunksofrock,butIcouldfeelthemagicthatpulsed beneath its coolsurface.

“Thisisit,”Isaid.“ThedoorwaytoTechDuinn.”

“So what are wewaiting for, Princess?” Tornasked, shaking as his furbecame smooth flesh onceagain. His face lit up like a

kid on Christmas morning.“Let’sgovisittheDarkOne.”

I nodded, raising mygloved hand. I wrapped myknuckles on the stone threetimes, and took a step back.With an ear shatteringgrinding of stone againststone, the boulder lifted torevealadarkvoid.

I hesitated, squintinginto the darkness. I took adeepbreath, preparing to askCeff ifhewasready,whena

roaring was met with thesmell of saltwater, and theground tried toknockmeoffmyfeet.

Mab’s bloody bones,the walls of water werefalling. Tons of water camecrashing down, and a sleek,muscledshoulderbarreledmethrough the portal. Theneverythingwentblack.

Chapter16“So this is Tech

Duinn?”Tornasked,spinningin a circle. “I hope there’smoretoitthanthis.”

I knelt on the ashcoveredground, coughingupagallonofseawater.Ceffhadusedhiswatermagic toholdmost the crashing oceanwater back long enough forus to make it through the

portal,butithadbeenaclosething.Nowhesatbesideme,shaking off the last of histransformation from horse toman.

He moaned, and I gritmy teeth. It didn’t normallytakethislongforhimtoshift,but he’d used up a lot ofmagicgettingusalltosafety.Not that Torn was about tosaythankyou.HegaveCeffadisdainful look similar to theones cats give their human

companions when they’reimpatiently waiting for theirdinner.

Something roared toour right, and flames shotupthroughthedarkness.

“You just had to saythat, didn’t you?” I asked,flashingascowlatTorn.

He smiled, his teethgleaminginthedarkness.

“Now that looks likesomething interesting,” hesaid.

Hestartedwalking,andI shook my head. I coughedonemoretime,andstood.

“We should probablykeep an eye on him,” I said.“Youokaytowalk?”

“I will be,” Ceff said,comingtohisknees.

He looked pale, but hedidn’twobblewhenhefinallystood.

“IsthereanythingIcando to help?” I asked,fidgetingwithmygloves.

IfIwascareful,IcouldgiveCeffmyshouldertoleanon.Solongasourskindidn’ttouch, I’d avoid any visions.AlthoughI’dbecomeused toexperiencing Ceff’smemories in private, visionswere incapacitating, and wedidn’thavetimeforthat.NotwithTornrunningofftopokethenearestpixienest.

“Tell me you love me,andthatyouwillnevercome

that close to dying on meagain,”hesaid.

“I love you,” I said.“Butyouknowmebetterthanto stay out of trouble. Imaynot seek it out likeTorn,butdanger has a way of findingme.AllIcanpromiseistodomybest.”

“I don’t want to loseyou,”hesaid.

“That’s why we’rehere,”Isaid.“I’mnogoodatsneaking around and playing

dead. We find our way toDonn’shearth,usethekeytoopentheportaltoFaerie,andfindwhatevercluesmyfatherleft behind. With any luck,we’ll find a way to controlmy powers, or a lead onwheretofindmyfather.Whoknows,maybe he even left a“howtotrainawispprincess”manualbehind.”

“You know it will notbethatsimple,”hesaid.

I shook my head, andsighed.

“No,itneveris,”Isaid.

Chapter17Ceff’s color was back

to normal, and he was onceagain moving with his usualgrace,whenwereachedTorn.Itwasn’t hard to find the catsidhe. We just followed thered glow of flames, and thegrowls and snarls of acreature I’d never thought tosee outside of Kaye’s occultbooks.

“A baphomet,” Tornsaid,facerapt.

“I thought they werefiction, something theinquisition came up with toaccuse witches ofworshiping,” I said, stoppingmidstride and giving thecreatureadoubletake.

“Oh, they’re real allright,” he said. “And thisone’s been eating humanhearts like they’re gummybears.”

Bile rose in my throat,and I swore never to eatanother gummy bear as longasIlived—whichmaynotbeall that long since I didn’tplan on letting some demoncontinue ripping hearts frompeoples’chests.

As Iwatched,amiddleaged man appeared at thedemon’s feet. He barely hadtime to look confused beforethe baphomet reached down,pluckedouthisheart,andate

it. I started to shake, furymaking my skin begin toglow.

“Wecan’tletthatthingget away with murderinginnocent people,” I said, bilerisinginmythroat.

“Itisnotmurderiftheyarealreadydead,”awoman’sdisembodiedvoicesaid.

“What the…?” Tornmuttered,takingastepback.

Light began to flickerbesideme,coalescingintothe

shape of a woman. Judgingfromher blood soakeddress,she had probably died in theVictorian era. The high necktrimmedinlaceandthebustleof the skirtwould have beenthe height of fashion in the1800’s. Well, except for thebloodandbrainmatter.

If being bedecked ingore hadn’t been a clue, theaxe in the woman’s handwouldhavetippedmeoffthatthis woman hadn’t been a

saint in life. I didn’t know ifmybladeswouldbeeffectiveagainst aghost, but I palmedmy throwing knives, just incase.

“Comefortheshow?”Iasked, nodding toward theguardianbeast.

The woman turned herhead toward me, eyes dark,emptypitsinherpaleface.

“I have come to aidnew souls,” she said. “It ismypenance.”

“And you are?” Tornasked,eyebrowraised.

“Cora,” she saidwithatwitchofherlips.

“Penance…is thisHell?”Iasked.

Tech Duinn wassupposed to be where theDark One, Donn, the Celticlord of the dead resided. I’dexpected a castle straight outof Transylvania, the kind ofthing Dracula would findcozy. Instead, we’d walked

into a wasteland of ash andsmoke. With the demoniccreatureinfrontofus,eatingthe hearts of the dead, I hadtoreevaluate,andIwonderedif thiswas in fact one of themany planes ofHell. If so, Ididn’tlikeourchances.

“No,thisisPurgatory,”shesaid,hertranslucenthandtighteningitsgripontheaxe.“At least inHellonebelongsto a side. Here we wanderuntil thebalanceofoursouls

hasshifted.Untilthen,wearenothing.”

Asif toconfirmCora’swords, the baphometswallowed the heart, and acircleofbrightlightappearedabove the man staggeringaround with a hole in hischest. With a pulse of lightthatbroughttearstomyeyes,the man was sucked up intothe portal, a rapt look on hisface. I’d heard of peoplewho’ve had near death

experiences seeing a brightlight—heck, I was one ofthem—butthiswastoomuch.

“Purgatory?” I asked,clearingmythroat.

“Yes,”shesaid.A woman appeared,

andthecyclewasonceagainrepeated, but this time whenthebaphomentswallowedthewoman’s heart, her bodyburned to ash. I gasped as aghost rose from the ashes.With a shudder, the ghost

beganmovingawayfromthebaphomet,towardtheghostatmyside.

“Thesoulsofgoodmentravel on to the FortunateIsles, and the souls of thedamnedeitherremainhereinthe Underworld, or are sentontoHell,”Corasaid.

I frowned, but Ceffnodded.

“Tech Duinn is wherethe newly deadmust travel,”he said. “Acrossroadswhere

the Dark One sorts the deadbased on the deeds of theirmortallives.”

I swallowed hard,mouthgoingdry.

“Purgatory—wait untilI tell the cats back homeabout this,” Torn said.“They’d give at least one oftheir lives for a glimpse ofthisplace.”

I shook my head, andsighed. The man wasincorrigible. I don’t know

what could be fascinatingabout a barren plain of ash,andacreaturemunchingonasteady supply of humanhearts. Aside from theperverse curiosity ofwondering if thesoulswouldgetsenttothebrightlight,thefiery pit, or reappear inspectral form to wander thisplace, there was nothingmuchtosee.

“And what’s up withthe baphomet eating their

hearts?”Iasked.Itwaspossible that the

creature was just anopportunist who enjoyedeatinghumanorgansliketheywerebonbons,buttherewassomethingaboutthemenandwomen thrust at thebaphomet’s feet thatstunkofritualsacrifice.

“The guardian of TechDuinnmust eat the hearts ofthe newly dead in order to

measure the weight of theirsouls,”shesaid.

“That’s disgusting,” Isaid, nose wrinkling at thethought of someone tastingmysin,rollingmysoulalonghis tongue like a sommeliersavoringafinewine.

“Some pantheonsmeasure theheart against theweightofafeather,othersusethe skill of sin eaters,” Tornsaidwithashrug.“Solongasyour soul ends up in your

version of paradise, whocares?”

Hewasalreadystartingto look bored, a potentiallydangerousemotionalstatefora cat sidhe, but I had onemore question for Corabeforesheleftustofulfillherduty to teach the ghost whowas approaching with a shysmileonhertranslucentlips.

“What determines if asoul remains in the

Underworld, or gets shippedtoHell?”Iasked.

If Cora had someinsight, I was all ears. Thelatterwasonehandbasketweallwantedtoavoid.

“It’s complicated…yourfriendForneuscouldtellyou more, but simply put, itdepends on the weight oftheir evil deeds, and if theysold their soul to a demon,”shesaid.

I narrowed my eyes atthe ghost, and took a stepcloser.

“How do you knowwhomyfriendsare?”Iasked.

Not thatForneuswasafriendexactly,weweremorelike reluctant allies, but webothcaredaboutJinx.Andifthis ghost knew aboutForneus, she likely knewabout my human friend. Iresisted a shudder as icy

tendrils ranupanddownmyspine.

“It ismyjobtoknow,”she said, lifting her chin tolook down her nose at me.“The baphomet tastes yoursin, but I must sift throughyour memories. Have youevertriedtoescorta terrifiedstranger?Mark my words, itis much easier if you knowsomethingaboutthem.”

“You’re psychic?” Iasked.

“Not as gifted as theDarkOne,butyes,”shesaid,flickering as a new soulappeared beneath theguardianbeast.

I didn’t want to shareanythingincommonwiththiswoman, but a pang ofsympathy ran throughme. Ifmy options were to touchevery new soulwho came tothis place so that I mightsomeday make my way toHeaven, or do nothing and

stay here, or worse end upshippingofftoHell,I’dhaveto get used to the smell ofash, or sulfur, because thatwas one job I would quitbeforeIstarted.

“Now I must return tomy duties,” she said,gesturing to the ghost whowasshiftingfromfoottofoot.“And your souls must bemeasured.”

She pointed to thebaphomet who was licking

hislipsandeyeinguslikewewere coated in honey andsprinkledwithchocolate.

“Oh Hell no,” Tornsaid.“Istillhaveonelifeleft,lady,andwhileIamtastyandoh so lickable, I am not onthatthing’smenu.”

“You don’t miss achance to be a pompouspervert,doyou?”Imuttered.

“Now why would I dothat?” he asked. “Womeneverywhere would lose all

reason to live. Keeping mylascivious thoughts tomyselfwould be a travesty of epicproportions.”

Ceffgroundhisteeth,aveinthrobbingonhistemple,but he didn’t say anything.That was good. I needed aminutetofigureawayoutofourcurrentpredicament.

I pinched the bridge ofmy nose, and squeezed myeyes shut. As much as Torndeservedbeing takendowna

notch, snarling at each otherwouldn’thelpmethink.

I took a deep breath,opened my eyes, and turnedbacktoCora.Shewasliftingthe hand that held the axe,perhaps in an effort toshepherdus to thebaphomet.Either that or she was readyto put a permanent stop toTorn’snarcissisticcomments.

“Ifyou’repsychic,thenyouknowthatwe’renotsouls

of the newly dead,” I said.“We’rejustpassingthrough.”

She tilted her head,flickering as she examinedeachofusinturn.

“Youarenotdead,”shesaid.

“That’s what we’vebeentryingtotellyou,Love,”Tornsaid.

“You do not belonghere,”shesaid.

Her nostrils flared, andshe raised her axe above her

head, her body becominglarger andmore solid by thesecond.

“We seek passage toDonn’s hearth,” Ceff said, asharpedgetohisvoice.“Willyou not show us suchremedialhospitality?”

Cora stiffened, spinegoingrigid.Waytogo,Ceff.Nothing like insulting thecrazypowerfulghostlady.

“I will show you theway,”shesaid.

Wow,thatwaseasy.“Leadon,”Isaid,eager

togetthiscrazytrainmoving.The ghost behind Cora

nodded rapidly, and shuffledher feet, obviously eager toleavebehind theplacewhereher heart had been rippedfromherchestandeaten.Herface clearly said she waseager to high tail it out ofhere.Iagreedwiththeghost.

“But first, you mustdefeat the baphomet,” Cora

said.“Wait…what?”Iasked.“Defeat the baphomet,

andIwillbeyourguide,”shesaid. “If not, I will gatherthose who dwell in TechDuinn and together we willmakesurethatyoursoulsareweighed.”

“Butwearen’tdead,” Isaid,bodytensing.

“If you don’t fight thebaphomet, you will be,” she

said, baring her teeth in aviciousgrin.

Ofcourseitwouldn’taseasy as asking for help.Nothing was ever simple inthe Otherworld. I rolled myshoulders, and tested theweightofmyblades.

It was time to takedown the Dark One’s petguardianbeast.

Chapter18“Are you sure that this

ishowyouwishtoproceed?”Ceffwhispered,hislipsclosetomyear.

His nearness senttingles alongmy neckwherehisbreathcaressedmyskin.

“Yes,”Isaid.He nodded once, and

moved tomy left, givingmeroom to fight. He drew his

trident, the wicked points ofhisweapongleamingwiththereflection of the fire thatlicked the ground where thebaphometstood.

The guardian creatureranatonguealonghisbloodylips, and tossed a woman’sbody over his shoulder. Thelifeless corpse turned to ash,falling like gray snow toblanket the otherwise barrenplain.

Amemorysurfacedjustasthewomanreappearedasaghost. Perhaps it was theendlessplainofashandflamelicked shadow, but I recalleda passage in one of Kaye’sbooks mentioning that thebaphometwasacreaturebornfrom Hell. If that was true,then the baphomet mighthave thesameweaknessesasother demons I’dencountered.

“Wait,”Isaid.

Ishiftedmybladesintoonehand, and reached insidemy jacket. I pulled out vialsof holywater, tossing one toeachofmyfriends.

“If this thing isdemonic, holy water mightgiveusanedge,”Isaid.

I sprinkled holy waterontomyweapons,tiltingeachthrowing knife so that thewaterranalongthefulllengthoftheblade.Aftercoatingthetipofmydagger,andthelong

cuttingedgeofmymachete,Irolled my shoulders andreturned the throwing knivestomyhands.

I grinned, showing aline of small, white teeth. Ididn’t need fangs, not withsilver and iron blades coatedin the magic equivalent ofvenomousacid.

“Time to dance,” Tornsaid, lunging forward withcatlikegrace.

I shifted my weightontomy back foot and liftedmy right hand, the tip of athrowing knife pinchedbetweenmyindexfingerandthumb. Torn ducked beneaththebaphomet’spitchfork,andraked his holy water dippedclaws across the creature’sstomach. I aimed higher,shifting my weight forwardand releasing my blade toturn end over end until itlodged itself in the

baphomet’seye.The creature roared,

kickingupashasheflailed.Icovered my face with onearm,andtriednottosuckinalungful of ash. I squinted,trying to locate Ceff on thebattlefield. Where the hellwashe?

A cry rang out, andCeffthrusthistridentintothebaphomet’s flank. WhileTorn and I had kept thecreature busy, Ceff had

circled in from behind,getting inside thebaphomet’simpressivedefenses.

Ourenemywasamassof ripplingmuscle.As if thatwasn’t terrifying enough,rams horns grew from thesides of his skull, small,pointedhornsringedhisbaldhead like a crown, leathery,bat-like wings sprouted fromhis naked torso, his fingersweretippedwithevillookingclaws, his mouth was filled

with sharp, pointy teeth—allthebettertodevourourheartswith—and he held anenormous pitchfork thatgleamed blood red from theflames that flickedwhere hiscloven hooves touched theearth. By Mab, he was onebadasssonofabitch.

Iwas particularlywaryof that pitchfork. With thebaphomet’s size, and thelength of his weapon, hisreach was far superior. No

“size doesn’t matter” jokeshere. It was amazing thatnone of us were shishkebabed.

Thenagain thoseclawswerenothingtosneezeat.

Iheldmybreathas thebaphomet thrust a clawedhand toward my boyfriend’sheart. Ceff had his feetbraced, and was tugging athis trident, trying to dislodgehis weapon from thecreature’s side. Being too

close for the pitchfork to beeffective didn’t make himsafe.

“Ceff, look out!” Iscreamed.

Torn appeared throughthe growing fog of ash, oncemore raking his claws acrossthebeast’sstomach.Itwasn’tenough. The baphomet wasintentonCeff.

I slowedmy breathing,and with a fluid motion Iraised my arm, swung my

hand down, and releasedmysecond blade. The knifepunched through muscle andbone, skewering thebaphomet’shandtohischest.Itwasa temporary fix,but itgaveCeffthetimeheneededtomakeitclear.

My heart raced as hetwisted,narrowlymissingthebaphomet’s stymied attack. Iwas already reaching for mymachete,abladelongenoughto qualify as a sword, when

he yanked his trident free,andran.Thebaphometturnedto follow Ceff, and I rushedin.

I blinked against theash that the baphomet’swings churned into the air. Icould barely see where thecreature was going.Thankfully,theDarkOnehadthe forethought to chain thebaphomet to apillar of stonethat rose up like a skeletalfingerfromtheashenplain.

With his massiveleathery wings, there was nowaywe could keep up if thebeastwasfreetofly.Fightinga tethered baphomet waschallenge enough. Bloodpounding in my ears, I dovetowardcalvesthesizeof treetrunks. I needed to slow thebeast down before he gotclose enough to eat myfriends.

Islicedacross thebackof the baphomet’s leg,

severing theAchilles tendon.I rolled as the creaturecrashed down to one knee,the damaged leg no longerholding his monstrousweight. I hurried back to ourrally point, a shaky laughescapingmylipsasIsawthatCeffandTornwerebothsafe.

I smiled, and flashedmy friends a thumbs up.We’dwoundedthebaphomet,andmade it outofhis reach.With a continued pattern of

strikes and retreats, we justmightwinthisfight.

The sound of crashingstoneandshriekingmetalcutmy celebration short. I spun,keeping my machete out infront ofme as Iwatched thebaphomet thrash against hisrestraints.

“Those chains aren’tgoing to hold him muchlonger,Princess,”Tornsaid.

Torn was right. Thebaphomet was already using

hiswings tomakeup for hisinjuredleg,andthepainfromthe wound’s we’d inflictedonly served to fuel thecreature’srage.

“Thoughts?”Iasked.Torn and Ceff were

immortal fae. They’d beendoing thiskindof thinga lotlongerthanIhad.Iftheyhadany tactical advice, I wasopentosuggestions.

“Doyouhaveanymoreholywater?”Ceffasked.

Inodded, retrieving theremaining vials from theutility belt slung across myhips. Those reinforced nylonmesh pouches came in damnhandy.

“Yes, though I’m notsureifitworksonthisthing,”Isaid.

“Oh, it works,Princess,” Torn said, holdingup one of his clawed hands.“Idippedtheseclawsinholywater and smoke rose from

thewounds.Not sowith thishand.”

Hewaggled the fingersofhisotherhand,whichwascovered in blood up to hiswrist. I’d seen Torn rake hisclaws across the baphomet’sstomach on two separateattacks. The first made thecreature scream, the secondwas brushed off like Tornwasnomore irritating thanagnat.

“Okay, I’ll try for hisothereye,”Isaid.

Itwouldn’tbeeasy,notwith the baphomet thrashingaround. I’d be lucky get aclearshotpasthiswings,andI’m pretty sure I used up allmyluckforthisfight.Infact,hitting my target on the firsttry had been a total fluke.Fate was probably schemingwaystobitemeintheass,butthat wouldn’t keep me fromtrying.

“I have a better idea,”Ceffsaid.He turned toTorn,eyebrow raised. “How goodareyouatclimbing?”

“Why?”heasked.“Because we need

someone to upend one ofthesevials into thecreature’sear,”Ceffsaid.

Torneyedthethrashingbaphomet,lickedhislips,andsmiled.

“I’m your man,” hesaid.

Yep, he’d justconfirmed it. Torn was apsychopath. Thankfully, hewasonourside.

“What’s the plan foryouandme?”Iasked.

“We’rethedistraction,”Ceffsaid.

Ohgoody.I handed over the

remainingvialsofholywater,which Torn secured in themany pockets and leatherpouchesstrappedtohisbody.

If I didn’t know better, I’dthink that the cat sidhe hadcomealongwiththeintenttosteal hisweight in valuables.I shook my head. Actually,thatwasadistinctpossibility.

“If we survive this,you’re going to tell me thereal reason you tagged alongforthistrip,”Isaid.

Tornflashedmeagrin,battinghiseyelashes.

“Can’t an ally comealongtohelp?”hesaid.

“Not when that ally isyou,”Isaid.

“This is no time fordiscussion,”Ceffsaid.

I nodded, took one lastdeep breath, and ran towardthe baphomet, yelling andwaving my arms. Thecreature turned hungry eyesmyway,salivadrippingfromrazor sharp teeth. If Torndidn’t follow through withthe plan, Iwas likely to losemyheartrealsoon.

Leaving my heart inTech Duinn was not anoption.Iwasnotgoingtoendup the title of a countrywesternsong.

Ceff ran toward thebaphomet in the oppositedirection, and the creaturespun, red eyes glowing withrage. Apparently, we hadn’tbeenforgivenfor the injurieswe’d recently inflicted. Thatwas great for drawing thebeast’s focus. Now if only

Tornwouldtakeadvantageofthesituation.

It’s all fun and gamesuntilsomeonelosesaheart.

The baphomet’s clawsweremere inches away frommychestwhen I ducked androlledbetweenhislegs.Ikeptmy eyes open, terrified oftouching the thing’s tail andrisking a vision. Sadly, avisionwasnot theonly thingrisking my sanity. That tailwas not the only thing

hanging between thebaphomet’slegs.

Forneusalwaysclaimedthat demons were wellendowed.Ithoughthe’dbeenbragging. Maybe if I’dbelieved him, I could haveavoided getting an up closeand personal look at thebaphomet’s junk. The factthat the thing was barbedmade me glad the creatureonlywantedtoeatourhearts.

“You have only seenhim hungry,” Cora said, herspectralformappearingtomyright. “When he is sated, heplayswithhisfood.”

Damn the psychicghost.

“Not helping,” I saidthroughclenchedteeth.

Withashudder,Irolledto my feet. Cora haddisappeared, but her wordsrang through my ears,twisting my gut. We needed

totakethisthingdownbeforeitgotanyideas.

Once on my feet, Idodged left and right, notwanting to provide astationary target for thebaphomet to focus his rage.Bile rose in my throat as Icircled the creature, eyesstraining to locate Ceff andTorn in the chokingcloudofash.

A scream had mesprinting past the baphomet.

Heart racing, I duckedbeneath a leathery wing.Please,please,pleaseletCeffbe okay. In that moment, IsworethatifTornhadrunoffandleftustodie,I’ddraghisfurryasstoHellwithme.

I imagined the worstuntil I caught sight of Ceffscreaming and waving histrident. I smiled as it quicklybecame apparent that Ceffwas only yelling curses, notscreaming in pain as I’d

feared,inanefforttoholdthecreature’sattention.

He pointed tosomething climbing onto thebaphomet’s shoulder, and Igasped. The cat sidhe hadn’tabandoned us, after all. Tornhadmanaged toclimbup thebaphomet’s back, hisprogress previously hiddenfrom me by large, leatherywings.

“Hey, big guy,” Iyelled.“Overhere!”

Igrabbedaglassvialofholy water and lobbed it atthebaphomet.Ithitbelowthebelt, not that the demonwaswearing one, and from theshrieking I guessed that thevial had released its contentson a particularly sensitivepart of the baphomet’sanatomy.

NowitwasuptoTorn.Ifbrokenglassandacidburnsbetween the legs didn’t keep

the creature distracted,nothingwould.

I held my breath,bracing for a shit storm ofretaliation, when Tornpoppedthecapoffavialwithhisteeth,andshoveditinthebaphomet’s ear. He punchedthe vial, jamming it furtherinto the ear canal, andlaunched himself to theground.Helandedonhisfeet,aferalgrintuggingathislips.

Torn was one scarydude when he wasn’t tryingtoscrewanythingthatmoved.Thankfully,thatwasn’toften.IfIdidn’tseethatlookonhisface again, it would be toosoon.

Thebaphometthrashed,stretching his chains as heclawed at his head, and Iheard the distinct sound ofsnappingmetal. Torn’s smileslipped, and a cold knot offeargrippedmyinsides.

“Run!” Ceff screamed,grabbingmyarm.

Ididn’teventrytopushhimaway,orchastisehimfortouching me. Visions fromCeff’s past were the least ofmy worries with an enragedbaphomet hot on our tail. Infact,wewereblastedbyheatas wings fanned the flamesrising from beneath thecreature’sfeet.

The flamesweren’t theonlythingsrising.

Cloven feet no longertouched the ground as thebaphomet’s wings tookadvantage of his newfoundfreedom. I stumbled,watchingwide eyed overmyshoulderasweran.

“Ivy?” Ceff asked,examining me for injurywhileonthemove.

“I’moutofholywater,”Isaid.

I blinked up at him,tears making his face blur.

The fog of ash was so thickthat I could barely see himshakehishead.

“Wemustrun,”hesaid,tuggingonmysleeve.

I hurried to keep pacewith him, but he waspureblood fae, not a half-breedlikeme.Healsowasn’tsearching the gloom for ourfriend.

“Torn?”Iasked.“I do not know,” he

said,lipsinahardline.

Bile rose once again,and Ihad to swallowhard tokeep frompuking.Ablastofwindandheathadmelookingupward,addingtotheurge.

The baphomet, who’dclawed his head so viciouslythat thebonelaybareononeside, came racing toward us.Now that it was free and itsfocus was once again on us,there was little hope ofescape.

“Don’t stop now,Princess,”Tornsaid.

Eyes with slit pupilsand a lopsided grin appeareda few feet away. I smiled,neversohappy tosee thecatsidhe, but a frenzied shriekhadmefollowinghisadvice.

We ran, but instead ofhavingourheartscarvedfromourchest,thehotwindatmybackceased. I glanced to thesky, mouth going dry asrealization set in. The

baphomet’s wings hadstopped beating, and its facewasfrozeninarictusofpain.

The holy water hadfinally reached the creature’sbrain, but I wasn’tcelebrating. Not when amassive demonwas about toplummet to the ground, andwewerestandingsquarely initsdropzone.

“Run!”Iscreamed.“Thought that’s what

we were already doing,

Princess,” Torn said, but helost his smug look when herealizedourpredicament.

We ran, musclesburning against the strain,until the ground heaved,knockingusoffourfeet.Theworld spun, confusing mysenseof up anddownuntil Iended up hitting the groundfacefirst.

I lifted my head andwipedanarmacrossmyface,squinting as my eyes darted

back and forth searching forCeff andTorn.An enormousclaw tipped finger wasjammedintothegroundafewfeet from my head, and Iscrambledawayonmyhandsand knees. Mab’s bloodybones, that had been close.Buthadmyfriendsalsobeensolucky?

“Ceff?”Iasked.My voice squeaked,

turning quickly to a raggedcough. I toldmyself that the

tears running down mycheeks were also due tohavingafacefullofash,butIknew better. I hadn’t beenlooking for love when I metCeffylDwr. I never dared toimagine a life with someoneelsetoshareitwith.Butnowthat we were together, andCeffhadpoppedthequestion,Icouldn’tbearthethoughtofgoingonwithouthim.

“Ivy?”Ceffasked.“Areyouhurt?”

I spun, a different kindoftearsfallingfrommyeyes,as I fellonmybutt,grinninglikeanidiot.

“I think she hit herhead,” Torn said. “She looksderanged.”

“Lookwho’stalking,”Isaid.

And then I started tolaugh hysterically, holdingmy sides when the laughterturned into a coughing fit.

Maybe that fall really didbreakmybrain.

“Ivy?” Ceff askedagain, approaching meslowly.

“I’m okay,” I said.“Justgivemeamoment.”

The laughing subsided,making me fully aware ofevery bruise and achingmuscle.Ialsocouldn’tignorethe ash that had managed toget into parts of me I didn’tevenknowexisted.

I ran a tongue over thegrit coating my teeth andgrimaced. Iwas thankful thatit wasn’t triggering visions,but there’s nothing pleasantabout having the ashes ofdeadpeopleinyourmouth.

“Oberon’s eyes,” Igroaned.

I spit, tamping downtheanxietythatbattledtotakeover.Nowthattheadrenalinewas wearing off, I becameaware of just how close I’d

come to losing myself to anavalanche of visions. If theashesofdeadpeoplecoveredmy skin, and coated theinside of my ears, eyes, andmouth,whileIwasanywherebutTechDuinn,I’dbeburiedbythosevisionsrightnow.

I placed a hand onmystomach, and took slow,steadyingbreaths.

“Where the Hell isCora?”Iasked.

Iwas dimly aware thatiftheghostdidn’tsticktoourbargain, we’d gone throughall of this for nothing. Sincethat was too depressing tothink about, I focused onwhatweneededtodonext.

A woman’s formstepped through thebaphomet’s body, trailing afew wide-eyed newly dead.Those two had picked a baddaytoendupinTechDuinn.

Not that it’s ever agooddaytodie.

“I imagine you requirethe location of the DarkOne,”Corasaid.

I leveled Cora with acold stare, and nodded. Shewaved a hand, and ashswirled, making me blink.When I opened my eyes, acastle had emerged,drawbridgecoveredmoatandall.

Torn whistled, and Iswore.

“Followthesethreeintothe castle, and then wait forthe Dark One in the mainhall,” she said to the otherghosts.

“You aren’t comingwith us?” I asked, eyebrowsraised. “I thought that wasyourjob.”

Cora smiled, andgestured to the baphomet’scorpse.Aslitheringsensation

worked itswayupmy spine,andIshivered.Wereherteethalwaysthatsharp?

“Not anymore,” shesaid.

Theghostthrustahandthroughthebaphomet’schest,and though her body wasspectral, her hand held anenormous heart when sheremoved it. Cora’s smilewidenedshowingoffherverypointy teeth, then unhingedher jaw. I knew what was

coming next, but I couldn’tlookaway.

Cora ate thebaphomet’s heart, and lickedblood from her now solidlooking fingers. As shepreened,sheflexedherhand,andtossedtheaxeshe’dbeenholdingtotheground.

“Inolongerneedthat,”shesaidinresponsetoTorn’squestioninglook.

She eyed him up anddown, as if considering the

new possibilities open to hernow that she was flesh andblood.Beforethetwoofthemacted out any fantasies, Isteppedbetweenthem.

“Wehavetogetgoing,”Isaid.“Dutycalls.”

Aman appeared tomyleft,andCorasmiled.

“Yes,”shesaid,lickingherlips.“Yesitdoes.”

Chapter19“Can’tbelieveCorajust

bargained her way into thebaphomet’s job,” Torn saidwithadmiration.

The ghost chick hadballs all right.Although nowthat she’d been promoted toDonn’s guardian, Iwasn’t sosure what she was anymore.Ghostsaren’tfleshandblood.

Just ask the one’s trailing uslikelostlambs.

I just hope I wasn’tunwittingly leading them totheslaughter.

Kaye’s books hadn’tsaidmuch aboutDonn, otherthan the fact that hewas theCelticgodofthedeadandheoftenwentbythename,DarkOne. I half expected askeletally thin white guyholdinga scythe inonehandandwearing a black, hooded

cloak.Ifso,he’dfitthecastlethatnowstoodbeforeus.

I’dbeenrightaboutthatat least. The castle loomedfrom a mountain peak that Icouldhaveswornhadn’tbeenthere when we arrived inTech Duinn. The place wasmadeofdarkstone,thoughitmay have just looked thatwayduetotheashthatcoatedeverything in this godforsakenplace.Asiftoaddtothe overall dreariness,

someone had strung bodiesfrom a gibbet that hung infront of the drawbridge, andcarrion birds pecked atsomething impaled on a pikethat rose from one of thecastle’s turrets. Draculacertainly would have felt athomehere.

I’d have laughed if Ididn’t still have a lungful ofcorpseash.Instead,Iletoutawheezing snort. Ceff raised

aneyebrow,andIwavedhimoff.

“Nothing,” I said. “It’sjustso…predictable.”

“Since when is thebellyofawhalepredictable?”heasked.

“Wait…is that whatyousee?”Iasked.

“Of course,” he said,eyebrowsdrawingtogetherashestudiedmyface.

“Look, I’m not crazy,”I said. “I just don’t see a

whale. I think we seewhateverweexpecttosee.”

“That explains theharem,”Tornsaid.“Ithoughtitwastoogoodtobetrue.”

Ceff’sliptwitched,andI shookmyhead. Iguessweall had different expectationsfor a death god’s lifestyle.Hopefully, seeing differentversions of Donn’s homewouldn’t impede our searchfortheportaltoFaerie.

“At least a castle islikely to have a hearth,” Isaid.“Comeon.”

I started toward thebridge, but stopped when Irealized Ceff and Tornweren’t with me. I turned tosee them both staring wide-eyedovermyshoulder.

“Well I’ll be…that’sjustfreaky,”Tornsaid.

“Foronce, I agreewithyou,”Ceffsaid.

“What’s freaky?” Iasked, hoping the castlehadn’t sprouted teeth andclaws.

“As soon as you saidcastle,that’swhatitbecame,”Tornsaid.

“It still smells likewhale,” Ceff said, wrinklinghisnose.

Okay,thatwasfreaky.“So long as we’re all

seeingthesamething,”Isaid,rubbing thebackofmyneck

as I turned to examine thecastle. “Does it look likesomethingoutofabadhorrormovie?”

“If bad horror moviecastles are shrouded inshadow, decorated withdecaying body parts, andperched dramatically on amountain peak, then yes,”Ceffsaid.

“I much preferred theharem,”Tornmuttered.

We made it onto thedrawbridge, up the windingpath, and onto Donn’sdoorstepwithoutincident.I’dhave preferred a fight. Myshoulders had crawled up tomyears,myhandshurt fromthe stranglehold I hadonmyweapons,andifIdidn’trelaxsoon, I’d likely grind myteethtodust.

No one can accuse meofbeinganoptimist.

I’dexpectedsomekindof guardian beast to rise upout of the moat. When wemade it safely across thebridge without so much as aburble from the inky water,I’d become convinced thatthe crows would descend totearatourfleshandpeckoutour eyes. Even the entrancehad taken on an ominousgleam.

That might have hadsomething to do with the

gargantuan portcullis. Themetal had sharp, pointy tips,not that it needed them. Thegate itself could crush ourbodies into exploding tubesofmeatjelly.

Tosay Ididn’twant tostepunderthatportculliswasanunderstatement.

“I smell brownies,”Tornsaid.

“If that’s some kind ofeuphemism, I might just kill

you,”Isaidthroughclenchedteeth.

“I smell it too,” Ceffsaid.

“Do you meanbrownies,asinfae?”Iasked.

“No,” they said inunison.

I frowned, not overlyeagertosuckinalungfullofcorpse ash, but inhaleddeeply. My sense of smellwasn’tasgoodasapurebloodfae,butIhadbetterolfactory

skillsthanahuman.Idraggedtheairacrossmytongue,andstartedtosalivate.

“Definitelybrownies,”Isaid. “Anyone else thinkingtrap?”

Only a very sickindividual would try to lureus into his lair with evilbrownies. Sadly, we didn’thave much choice. Weneeded to get inside, findDonn’s hearth, and get thehelloutofDodge.

“Do we care?” Tornasked,eyebrowslifting.

“No,Iguesswedon’t,”Isaid.

I eyed the portcullis,grippedmyblades,andran.IletoutashakybreathwhenImade it into the adjoiningcourtyard without beingcrushed todeath, impaled,ormagicallyvaporized.

Ceff and Torn wereclose behind, but the ghosts

who’d followed us so far,hesitatedonthethreshold.

“Can we, um, crossover?” one of the womenasked.

The other woman bither lip, stifling a nervousgiggle.Yeah, I’m pretty surethey’d already done somecrossingover today.Not thatI envied their afterlife. I alsohad no idea what wouldhappen to them when theyenteredDonn’scastle.

“Maybe you shouldwaitforaninvitationfromtheDarkOnehimself,”Isaid.

“That’sgoodadvice.”The voice came from

behind me, and I whirled tosee a portly man with rosycheeksandawhitebeard.Hiseyed twinkled, and his lipstwitched. If he wasn’temanating so much power,I’d have suspected he was alifesizedgardengnome,oradepartmentstoreSantaClaus.

Now that was aterrifyingthought.

I, for one, didn’t wantthe Celtic god of the deadcomingdownmychimneyonChristmas Eve. I shivered,suddenly glad our loft didn’thaveafireplace.Butspeakingoffireplaces…

“Donn?”Iasked.He nodded, and I

swallowedhard.“We’ve helped to

deliver these newly dead

souls to your door,” I said.“Inreturn,we’dlikealookatyourhearth.”

Torn snorted, and Iresisted theurge to stomponhisfoot.

“Then come in,” Donnsaid, his belly rising up anddown as he chuckled. Themanwasway too jolly for adeath god. “You too,newlings.”

Donn waved his hand,and the ghosts shuffled their

feet. Ducking their heads,they entered the Dark One’shouse single-file. We allfollowed Donn through anarchway that led from thecourtyard into a cavernousroomthatmusthavebeenthecastle’sGreatHall.

“Go to the kitchen,children, and tell Cook thatwe’llbe takingour tea in thelibrary,”hesaid.

Donn pointed to acorridor to our right, and the

ghosts hurried off, chatteringand gesturing at the castle’sinterior. The place wasimpressive, without a speckof ash marring its gleamingsurfaces. After the gloomyplain and shadowymountainside, I’d expectedflickering candlelight,groaning coffins, andcobwebs.

I shook my head. I’dbeenspendingtoomuchtimewithvampires.

“Wait until you tastethebrownies,”Donnsaid.

I just hoped he meantthe chocolate pastries wecould smell baking in someremote corner of the castle.When you’re talking to adeath god who looks likeSanta Claus, but has aguardian who weighs sin byeating people’s hearts, younevercanbetoosure.

Chapter20Donn was a

surprisinglygracioushost.Heled us past an armory thatwould have made Jennasalivate, and into the castle’slibrary where we weregreetedwithspectralservantsbearingteaandbrownies.

I don’t know howghosts could carry trays ofrefreshments. Perhaps it was

a quirk of Tech Duinn. Andwhilenearlyadozensoulsofthe dead flit about likeservants, others poked theirheads in for a peek at theirmaster’s guests—literally.Heads protruded from booklined walls, and more thanone ghost stared down fromthe ceiling. Even thetaxidermied creaturesinterspersed amongst thebooks lining Donn’s shelvesseemedtotakeournotice.

“Come, this way,”Donn said, gesturing to anarrangement of chairs andsmallcouches.

We’d stepped around apainted screen and, thoughthe conversation nook wasvoidofmonsters,Ifroze.

“Ah, yes, the hearth,”hesaid.“Youwillhavetotellme why you’re so interestedin my hearth. Or have youcometovisitSkilly?”

“Skilly?”Iasked,browfurrowing.

I looked tomy friends,but Ceff gave a minisculeshake of the head and Tornlifted a shoulder in a onearmedshrug.

“Our resident hearthbrownie,” Donn said. “Butno, I suppose not. You arefaeries, but I don’t thinkyou’ve come to visit withSkilly.”

“Um, no, but now thatyou mention it, I’d like toleave Skilly a gift,” I said,belatedly remembering mymanners.Ididnotwanttogetpranked by a strange hearthbrownieI’dnevermetbefore.“MayI?”

“Yes,ofcourse,”Donnsaid. He hooked his thumbsinto the suspenders that helduphis red trousers,eyebrowsraised to his hairline. “I dare

sayourSkillyhasn’treceivedagiftinsometime.

“Why?”Iasked.Now itwasmy turn to

look surprised. A personwouldhavetobeafoolnottoprovide a gift to a hearthbrownie.Hobwasmy friendandhe’dstillpixmesixwaystoSundayifIeverforgot.

“We don’t get manyvisitors here who are able tobear gifts,” Donn said. “Thedead do not bring their

physical wealth when theyenterthisworld.”

No, I suppose theydidn’t.Iwinced,gladIwasn’tone of the dozens of spiritslivinghereinthecastle.Theymaybeincorporeal,butIwassureSkillywould findawayto exact his revenge. Hearthbrownies were as clever astheywerestubborn.

“Well, thankfully,we’renotdead,”Isaid.

I retrieved a smallpacket of glitter from mypocket, and set it gently onthemantle,carefulnottostepso much as one toe on thehearthstone.Ineededtogetabetter look at the hearth, butfirst I needed to appease thehearth brownie and thiscastle’smaster.

I held a breath, butthere was no sign of Skilly.Afteramoment,Iturnedandtook a seat besideCeff. I sat

on theedgeof thehard sofa,andmetDonn’ssteadygaze.

“Yes,” he said, as ifthere’d been no pause in ourconversation.“Inoticedthat.”

Shadows coalescedaround Donn, and he nolonger resembled a jolly oldman. The gleam in his eyewas but one star in a galaxyso vast, it made my heartache. Round cheeks becamesharp as a razor, and the redandwhiteofhis suspendered

pants resembled a mortalwoundsodeepitexposedthebone.

I came to my feet,nearly knocking over thetablethatheldourtea,butthedarknesswasgone.Iblinked,andthebenignmanwithrosycheeks was back. The onlyclue that I wasn’t going acrazywasacrowperchedonhisshoulder.

“Morrigan, my love,come for a brownie?” he

asked.Hiswordswerespoken

tothebird,buthiseyesneverleftmy face.A smile tuggedat his lips, and I fought tokeepmyhandsfromshaking.

He’d made his point.Donnwasapowerfulbadass,agod.Hemightnotappearasterrifying as the baphomet,but he was a much largerthreat. They didn’t call himtheDarkOnefornothing.

And if he wasn’t justtoyingwithus,thebirdonhisshoulder was no lesspowerful. Kaye’s occultlibrary had been sparingwhen it came to details onDonn, but there were plentyofentriesabouttheMorrigan.Thegoddessofwarhadleftamark on the human world,much like the blood andscorch marks of thebattlefields over which shepresided.

“Morrigan?” Tornasked, leaning forward. Hesquinted at the bird, andsmiled. “It’s been a while. Ididn’trecognizeyou.”

Torn knew theMorrigan? That was news tome. Then again, I shouldn’tbe surprised.Cat sidhehoardsecrets like dragons hoardgold.

The bird shot upward,and spun. I lifted an armagainst the winds unleashed

by a magic tornado,wonderingifmaybeTornandtheMorriganweren’tonsuchgood terms after all. One ofmy throwing knives hit mypalm, and I stood, ready tostrike if it came to that. Iswallowed hard as a womanwearinggunmetalgrayarmoranda cloakofblack feathersstrode from the spinningvortex.

The Morrigan’sprominent nose and pointed

chin were not classicallybeautiful and, like Torn, herface was crisscrossed withscars. But there wassomethingmagneticaboutherconfident stance, muscularbody, tannedskin,andblack,short-cropped hair. This wasa woman who men wouldfollow into battle, a goddessmany had voluntarily giventhe ultimate sacrifice. Somewomen were born for the

stage, but the Morrigan wasathomeinthetheaterofwar.

Mab’s bones, if thiswomantouchedme,I’dneverregainmysanity.

How many dying menhadseen those jetblackeyesonthebattlefield?Howmuchbloodhadbeenspilledathercommand? My kneesweakened, but I held mystance.IthelpedthatCeffhadalsocometohisfeettostand

besideme.Wewereaunitedfront.

Torn may be a pain inthe ass, but I’d claimed himas an ally andhe’d accepted.We’dcomeheretogether,andIwouldnotleavehimbehind.And Ceff would never leaveme behind. I wasn’t sure ifthat made us brave orcertifiable. Considering theMorrigan’s idea of a goodtime was being on the front

linesofacombatzone,Iwasgoingwiththelatter.

I reached inside myjacketpocket,rubbingglovedfingers overmy father’s key.If onlywe couldmake it outof here without a fight. Iflickedmyeyestothehearth,but there was no obviouskeyhole.Ifwemadearunfortheportal, Ihadno ideahowlongitwouldtaketoopenit.I clenched my jaw, andfocusedontheMorrigan.

“You dare draw yourweapons against me?” shesaid,headtiltedtothesideashereyesslidtomybladeandCeff’strident.

“Don’t worry aboutthese two jokers,” Torn said.He waved a hand at us, andgaveaquickjerkofhishead,but he kept his eyes onMorrigan as he smiled.“They’d never really try toattack the goddess of war.

They wouldn’t be thatstupid.”

I got Torn’s messageloud and clear. We slid ourweaponsaway,andIforcedasmileonmyface.

“Sorry, force of habit,”Isaid.“Nothingpersonal.”

“We are pleased tomake your acquaintance,”Ceffsaid.“Ihaveheardmuchabout you, but have neverbeen blessed with your

company.Youhonoruswithyourpresence.”

Ceff was pouring it onthick, but it seemed to beworking. We’d ruffled theMorrigan’s feathers, but sheseemed willing to overlookour bad manners, for now.Rather than draw herweapons, she stroked thepommel of her sword withonegauntletcladfingertip.

“Well, I do understandtheinstinct,”shesaid.

Shesmiled,andanoilysensationslidthroughmygut.The Morrigan might begiving us a pass for drawingour weapons, but I had afeelingshe’dneverforgetit.

“You are beautiful asever,” Torn said. “Beenworkingout?”

Donn narrowed hiseyes, and I prayed that Tornwouldstophittingonthewargoddess. Was that too muchto ask? I thought about my

experiences with Torn overthepastyear,andwinced.Hewas pathological in hisflirtations.

Oberonsaveusall.“So, um, how did you

twomeet?”Iasked.Iwinced,hoping that it

hadn’t been at some massorgy. There’s only so manythings my brain could take,and stories of Torn’s sexualexploitswasnotoneofthem.Plus, I had a feeling that

Donn wouldn’t appreciatereminders ofMorrigan’s pastromanticentanglements.

“It was at the siege ofCarthage, wasn’t it?” Tornasked.

“Now that was a goodbattle,”Donnsaid.

“It was a thief’sparadise,” Torn said, afaraway look on his face.“And the secrets humanswere willing to bargain for

freedom…those were thedays.”

“I remember that siegelike it was yesterday,”Morrigan said with a smile.“The screams, the clash ofweapons…”

“Death,” Donn said,slipping an arm around herwaist.

“Oh yes, there wasquitealotofdeath,”shesaid,lickingherlips.

Donn’s hand mostdefinitely slid lower to cuptheMorrigan’sass,andItriedto think of something,anything, to change thesubject. Ceff cleared histhroat.

“A memorable dayindeed,” he said. “Butperhaps we can once againfocusonthepresent.”

Right, now it was myturn. Maybe I could takeadvantage of Donn’s present

goodmood,andgrillhimforanswersabouthishearth.

“Yes,asmuchaswe’d,um,lovetostayandchat,ourmission is time sensitive,” Isaid.

“Amission?”Morriganasked. “What is yourobjective?”

“To find the portalhidden inside your hearth,” Isaid.

“Findingtheportalwilldoyounogood,”Donnsaid.

“Only someone with a keycanopenthatdoor.”

“Then I guess it’s agood thing I brought this,” Isaid,pullingthekeyfrommypocket.

I held the key out sothat they could get a goodlookatit,butIdidn’thanditover.My fingers ached fromgrippingthekeysotightly.

Donn’s eyes widened,and he let out a bellowinglaugh.

“You are full ofsurprises!” he said. Hesquinted at me, and nodded.“I should have known youwereWill’s spawn.He’s oneofthefewlivingsoulsevertopassthroughthisplace.”

“Youknewmyfather?”Iasked,heartracing.

That was something Ihadn’tanticipated.

“For a time,” he said.“HehightaileditoutofFaerie

like a horde of demonswerehotonhisheels.”

“Did he ever disclosethe reason for his rapiddeparture?”Ceffasked.

Itwasagoodquestion,and I was relieved that atleast one of us was stillthinking straight. I was stillreeling from the realizationthat we were retracing myfather’s footsteps. I’d beensearching months for clues,any possible hint, about my

father. I held my breath,waitingforDonntorespond.

“Something to do withtheUnseelieQueen,”hesaid.“This was before the kingsand queens left Faerie, ofcourse, and Mab was on arampage.Someonehadstolensomethingfromher,andMabandherminionsleftnostoneunturnedinhersearchforthetraitor and her prizedpossession.”

“Some say that is whyMab left Faerie,” Ceff said.“Tofindthatwhichwaslost.”

“Why haven’t I everheard this before?” I asked,frowning. “And if that wastrue,whywouldOberon andTitaniaalsoleaveFaerie?”

“Balance,” Morrigansaid. “The plains of theOtherworld are all quitedifferent—Faerie, TechDuinn, Mag Mell—but theyhave one thing in common.

Thedarknessmustalwaysbebalancedbythelight.”

“It is true,” Donn said,nodding and stroking hisbeard.“Evenhere,theremustbe an equal number of soulsthat head into the light astherearethatfallintothepit.When Mab left Faerie, shetipped the scales in favor oftheSeelieCourt.Oberonhadnochoicebuttoleave.”

“AndTitania?”Iasked.“If that’s true, shouldn’t she

havestayed?OneSeelieKingforoneUnseelieQ?”

“You’re assumingOberonandMabareequals,”Tornsaid.

“Well, aren’t they?” Iasked.

“Not even close,” hesaid. “It’s like the differencebetween a grenade and anatomic bomb. So whenMableft, Titania had to joinOberon to make up for theshiftinpower.”

“And now they’re inthehumanworld,”Isaid.

My friendswere in thehuman world. Jinx, Jenna,Kaye, Marvin, Hob, Sparky,Galliel…I’dleftthembehind,believingthattheyweresaferstaying at home. But thefaerie equivalent of nuclearweapons were back home,and who knew when thosebombswouldgooff.Ibittheinside of my cheek to keepfromscreaming.

“Do not worry,” Ceffsaid. “No one has seenMabinoverahundredyears. It ispossible that the rumors aretrue,andthekingandqueensofFaeriearesleepingthroughthe centuries of humantechnology.”

“Toansweryourearlierquestion, Princess, no onereallyknowswhytheyleftorwhen they’ll return,” Tornsaid. “No sense losing sleepoverit.”

He had a point.Worrying over thepossibilities was as useful asacatchasingitstail.

“Didmyfathermentionanything else about hisescapefromFaerie?”Iasked.“Was he protecting thepersonwho stole fromMab?Ormaybe he was just tryingto get out before the roadsbetween the worlds wereclosed?”

Before leaving Faerie,Oberon,Titania,andMabhadsealed the pathways to andfrom Faerie. As king of thewisps,perhapsmyfatherhadreceived word of the closingborders and wanted to leaveFaerie before that happened,althoughIcouldn’tthinkofareason why he’d want toleavehiscourtbehind.Maybehe didn’t believe the borderswould remain closed for solong. He couldn’t have been

motivatedbyhis loveformymother. Two hundred yearsago, they hadn’t even met.She, a human, hadn’t evenbeenborn.

“He was protectingsomeone,achild,”Donnsaid.“Thoughwhethershewasthekin of the one who betrayedMab, or some other faeriebabe,Idonotknow.”

“Where was this childyou say was under hisprotection?” Ceff asked.

“Was he carrying her withhimwhen he passed throughthisplace?”

“Yes,ofcourse,it’soneof thereasonsI lethimleaveTech Duinn with his soulintact,”Donnsaid.

“You were going tostealhissoul?”Iasked.

That also begged thequestion whether Donn wasplanningthesamefateforus.For all his tea and browniesand rosy cheeked smiles, he

was the god of death.Collecting and sorting soulswashisjob,andwe’dbargedintohisworkplace.

“Don’tworry,”hesaid,wavingahand.“Thingsweredifferent then. I hadn’tlearnedtodelegateyet,whichmeant I had to personallyweigh the sins of every newsoulthatenteredthisrealm.”

I grimaced, imaginingDonn doing that job day inand day out. It was like

picturing Santa Claus tearinginto thechestofeverynewlydead person to cross over toTechDuinn,pullingout theirheart, and eating it to see ifyou’dbeennaughtyornice.Iinchedfurtherawayfromthedeathgod,stomachchurning,happy that I hadn’t acceptedanyoftheteaandbrownies.

“He was grouchy, andstubborn,” Morrigan said,rollinghereyes.“It tookhim

centuries to finally hire aguardianbeast.”

A guardian beast thatwe’dkilled. I probablyowedCoraa fruitbasket for takingoverthatjob.

“I was overtired andoverworked, so my firstinstinct was to take his soulregardless of how strange itlooked,”hesaid.

“But he convinced youto let him live because of achild,”Isaid.

“Yes,thebabebegantowail, and I finally snappedout of it,” he said. “I wentfrom running on autopilot toreally listening to what Willhadtosay.”

“Autopilot?” Ceffasked.

“Donn is ahuge fanofmodern aviation,” Morrigansaid.

“I do love anythingwith wings,” Donn said,rakingherwithhiseyes.

“So, um, what did myfathersay?”Iasked,tryingtobring Donn back to ouroriginalsubject.

“He pleaded for me tospare the child’s life,promising never to passthrough this way again,” hesaid.

“Did he give anyindication of who the childwas, or why he was takingherfromFaerie?”Ceffasked.

“Only that the childmust be hidden at all cost,”Donnsaid.

“And you say that thechildwasafaeriebabe,notahuman…you’re sure?” Tornasked.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Donnsaid. “I read her soul. Itwasone of the reasons why I letthem go. Pureblooded faeriechildren are rare. So few areborn, and even less surviveuntiladulthood.”

“I wonder who shewas,”Isaid.

“I never saw Willemwithanychildbutyou,”Tornsaid. “She must have beensentintohidingassoonashereachedthehumanworld.”

“Perhaps his task wassolely to aid in her escape,”Ceffsaid.“Itwouldnothavebeen difficult to find a faefamily to fosterher, notwithhowrareourchildrenare.”

He stared down at hishands, and impulsively Ireached over, squeezing hishand with my gloved one, ararepublicgestureduetomypsychic affliction. Thanks tothatsamepsychicgift,IknewfirsthandjusthowmuchCeffhad suffered when Melusinemurdered their children. Ithadbeencenturiessincetheirdeaths, but the grief wasalways swimming justbeneaththesurface.

I also knew just howmuchithurttoloseaparent.

“I wonder if she hasanylivingfamily,”Isaid.

“If they were thetraitors who screwed overMab,theybetterhopethey’redead,” Torn said. “There aremuchworse fates thandeath,Princess.”

Tornwas right, but thehurt little girl I’d been stillyearned for the father she’dlost. I swore that if I

discovered anything duringthe search formy father thatwould reunite that other girlwith her family, I would domy best to bring themtogether. In a way, it wouldbelikecontinuingmyfather’swork. He’d obviously caredenoughaboutthechildtorisktheperilsofTechDuinn,nottomentionMab’swrath.

Ismiled,eagertofindawaytofeelcloser to themanI’d loved so completely

before amagicgeis stolemychildhood memories. Whileso many of those memorieshad returned over the pastfewmonths,Istilllongedformore.

I stood, eager to be onour way. What secrets hadmy father left for me at thewispcourt?WouldIdiscoverthe name of the child he’dtaken to the human world?Wereherparentsmembersofhiscourt?

I shifted on my feet,and flashed Donn my mostgracioussmile.

“Thank you for thetea,” I said, even though Ihadn’ttouchedadrop.

“This was fun, but wedo need to be going,” Tornsaid,comingtohisfeet.

Ceff nodded and stoodonmyleft,usinghisbody toshieldme from theMorriganwho was watching meintently.

“Perhaps, Donn, youcould show us the hearth,”Ceffsaid.

“Ofcourse,”Donnsaid.“We need to find the

portal,”Isaid,inchingtowardthehearth.

“That won’t be aproblem,” he said. ThankMab, I thought, somethingeasy for a change. “Findingthe lock that fits your key isanotherstory.”

He waved me closer,and I bent down to see thatwhat I’d assumed wasdecorative stonework lacingthe interiorof thehearthwasinfactaseriesoflocks.Therewerehundredsofthem.

“We don’t have timeforthis,”Igroaned.

Iranahandthroughmyhair, eyes searching thehearth for clues. It was thenthat I noticed that the glitter

I’d left on the mantel wasnowgone,givingmeanidea.

“Perhaps the hearthbrowniecanhelpus,”Isaid.

“That won’t benecessary,”Donnsaid.“Plus,Skilly is shy. It’s unlikelyhe’ll come if you call out tohim,sincewe’vebeensittingclose to the hearth all thistimeandhehasn’tyet joinedus.”

“So how do I find thelock?”Iasked.

“The answer is in theprophecy,”Donnsaid.

Starlight flashed in hiseyes, and I was once againremindedofhispower.

“Donn is right,” Ceffsaid.

IrememberedthedruidBechuille’s prophecy, tryingtofindaclueinherwords.

Inside Donn’s hearthbend your knee, close youreyesandturnthekey.

I guess the trick wasgetting down on my kneesand closing my eyes whileholding my father’s key.Sinceweweredealingwithamagic portal to Faerie, itwasn’t all that crazy of aconcept.

“I guess now we justneed to put the fire out,” Isaid. “Are you sure weshouldn’t consult withSkilly?”

“That won’t benecessary,” he said. “Allowme.”

He snapped his fingersand the flames of the firewinked out, leaving only asmall pile of smoking ash. Itreminded me of the ash thatcoated the inside of mymouth, and I wished silentlyforatoothbrush.

“Well, it was nicemeeting you both,” I said,forcingmyselftosmile.

It had actually beenterrifying and somewhatdisturbing, but I figured itwas wise to be polite to thegodofdeathandthegoddessofwar.

“Untilnext time,”Tornsaidwithawink.

“I will see you soonenough,” Morrigan said, lipsliftinginagrin.

Ceff stiffened besideme,andIletthefullmeaningofherwordssinkin.

“SoJennawas right,” Isaid.“Warreallyiscoming.”

“Yes,” Morrigan said,tilting her head back andlettingoutaheartylaugh.

I flinched as herlaughter soon became acroaking caw as she shiftedinto a crow. The birdsnatchedabrownie,andflewuptooneoftheroom’smanybookshelves, ghostly headsmaking a rapid retreat at herapproach. Crumbs rained

down as she pecked at thebrownie,andDonnsmiled.

“She has such a sweettooth,” he said. “Not thatshe’deveradmitit.”

“I’llrememberthatnexttimewemeet,”Isaid.

“Safetravels,”hesaid.I took a deep breath,

ducked my head, and kneltinside the hearth. I wascarefulnot tobrushmyheadagainst the tapering rearwallofthefireplace.Thelastthing

I needed was a psychicvision, or a pissed off hearthbrownie.

I closed my eyes, andheld the key in both handslikeadowsingrod.Kayehadtaught me a thing or twoabout dowsing, to which Iwas grateful. When the keyrotated to the right, I let myarmsfollowthemovement.

With a gasp,my handswere jerked forward, and itwasallIcoulddonottopull

back. The key shot into thelock as if drawn by apowerful magnet. The keyclicked in the lock, andsomeonewhistled.

“Wow, Princess,” Tornsaid. “Looks like you foundtherightlock,allright.”

I cracked an eye open,half expecting to besurrounded by needlesprotruding from the hearthwalls. Instead, I faced an

ornate lock that glowedfaintlywithabluishlight.

“Nowwhat?”Iasked.“I’m guessing you turn

the key,” Torn said with ashrug.

“Wait,” Ceff said,leaning in for a better look.“We don’t know how theportal functions. Perhaps weshouldallbetouchingwhenitopens,justincase.Wedonotwanttobeseparated.”

ItwastruethatIhadn’tcome all this way to beseparatedfromCeffandTornbecause of some magicaltechnicality, but I hesitated,sucking in air through myteeth. Touching hadn’t beenpartoftheplan.

“Don’t worry,Princess,” Torn said. Hegestured at his body, andsmiled. “I know you can’thandle all this, not manywomen can, so I’m sure

holdingontoyour jacketwillbe enough to keep ustogether.”

Ceff narrowed his eyesatTorn,butnodded.

“Okay, fine,” I said.“Makeitquick.”

The faster we got thisoverwith,thebetter.Ibittheinside of my cheek to keepfrom snarling, as Ceff andTorneachgrabbedoneofmybiceps.

“Ready,”Ceffsaid.

I breathed in throughmy nose, and turned the keyonce. Donn’s castledisappeared, leavingonly thehearth suspended in emptyspace.Wewere no longer inTech Duinn, but I doubtedthiswasFaerie.

“Well,” Torn said, agrin stretching from ear toear.“Thatwasn’tboring.”

Only Tornwould thinkbattling a baphomet, andhaving teawith both the god

of the dead and the goddessofwarwasfun.

“You are the king ofunderstatement,”Imuttered.

I turned the key asecond time,butnothingelsehappened. Smoke from thedoused fire tickled my nose.Thirdtime’sthecharm.

Ibitmylip,andturnedthe key. My stomachsuddenly became acquaintedwithmythroat,andIgasped.

The void was gone,replaced with someplacealien, yet beautiful—a worldthat both repelled me, andsang like sweet music to thebloodwithinmyveins.

“Faerie.”

Chapter21The smoke from

Donn’sfirehadbeenreplacedby mist. A land of thick,shapeless fog now stood atour backs. The hearth we’dtraveled through was gone,feasibly returning to TechDuinn once it finishedtransportingthethreeofustoFaerie.

Faerie. We’d actuallymade it. I was so close toanswers about my father, Icould almost taste it. ButbeforeIcouldgettheanswersI so desperately needed, wehadanewchallengetoface.

My chest tightened atthe realization that the portalhadn’t led me somewhereconvenient, like a secretchambercontainingallofmyfather’s secrets. The landbeforemewasariotofvivid

colors and textures, everyinchanewwondertobehold,but the fact remained thatratherthanarrivingwithinthewallsof thewispcourt,we’dstumbledontoacrossroads.

“Welcome to Faerie,Princess,”Tornsaid.

I blinked, and tried toforce a smile.We’dmade it.NowIjusthadtofigureoutawayintomyfather’scourt.

“Any idea which wayleads to the wisp court?” I

asked.I spun in a circle,

frowning at the two obviouschoices. Aside from the veilof claustrophobia inducingfog,therewasalivingwallofvines in front of us, and ashimmeringpathtoourleft.

I croucheddown togeta better look at the path,mouth falling open when Irealized that the glitteringsurfacewasice.Frostcreatedadelicatetraceryoflinesthat

resembledlace,orthewebofa particularly poisonousspider.

I jerked my head up,squinting to make out thestructurethatwaveredlikeanillusion on the horizon. Igasped,mybreathfogging,asIrealizedwhat layat theendof the icy path. I backedaway,earningahissfromoneof thecarnivorousplantsas Imoved closer to the wall ofvines.

“Certainlynotthatway,Princess,” Torn said. “Notunlessyouwanttogetdead.”

“Is that really what Ithinkit is?”Iasked,pointingaglovedfinger.

“Mab’s palace,” Ceffsaid. “Her royal seat ofpower,andthelocationoftheUnseelieCourt.”

I shivered, and I wasprettysureitwasn’tfromthecold emanating from the icypath.Mabmay not currently

be in residence, but thatdidn’t make her palace anylessformidable.

TheUnseelieCourtwasthe same group of powerfulfae who’d ordered myexecutionat thehandsof theMoordenaar. While mydealings with the assassinshadbeeninthehumanworld,I had no illusions that Mabhadn’t set up some way forthe members of her court tocommunicate between the

realms. No, the ones who’ddecidedthatIwasatraitortoour kind would be foundwithinthosewalls.

If the Unseelie Courtrealized that I was alive,they’d finish what theMoordenaar started. Until Icould demonstrate controlover my wisp powers andcreate a glamour to protectour secret from humans, I’dbe labeled a traitor—a crimepunishablebydeath.

Asifthatwasn’treasonenough toavoid theUnseeliethrone, there were also thewarningsthatKayehadgivenme before leavingHarborsmouth. ReachingMab’scastlewould requireatrip through the Forest ofTorment, and that was onestroll through the woods I’dratheravoid.

Fog rose from theglistening path, once againobscuring the ice palace. I

shookmyhead,pushingawaythoughts of the Unseeliequeen and her court. Weweren’t taking that path, sothere was no sense worryingaboutMabandherminions.

“If my father wasfleeingMab’swrath, I doubthewouldhavewantedme togive her palace a visit,” Isaid. “I thinkwe can scratchthatpathoffourlist.”

Thatleftthelivingwallof vines in front of us. The

plants hissed and snapped,writhing like thorn coveredsnakes in their attempts tocannibalizeoneanother.

“Looks like we havesome gardening to do,”Tornsaid,lipsliftinginagrin.

“I would not be socertain,” Ceff said, pointingto a camouflaged gap in thewall.

I squinted at the wall,eyes finally finding the

outline of an opening, andsighed.

The only visibleentrance through the viciousplants was blocked by acreature that resembled anenormous toad. Unless wewantedtotakeupTorn’sideaof cutting our way through,we’dneed toget thecreaturetomoveoutofourway.

A plant resembling aVenus fly trap lashed out,snatching a bird that had

flown too close to the wall,and I swallowed hard.Hackingourwaythroughthatwall of vines was becominglessandlessappealing.

Gianttoaditisthen.“Is that really a giant

toad?”Iasked.The thing was the size

of aVolkswagonBeetle, andcovered in leathery skin thatwas a greenish hue thatmatched the surroundingvinesandmottledwithwarts.

Some of those warts werebiggerthanagrapefruit.

Tornshrugged.“You’re the one with

second sight,” he said. “Youtellme.”

I turned my head fromside toside, trying tocatchaglimpse of glamour, but thethingcontinuedtolooklikeahuge,sleepingtoad.

“Maybeit’llmoveifwetossarockoverthere,orpokeitwithastick?”Iasked.

“Poke it with a stick?Areyedaft,lass?”

I spun around, bladeshitting the palms of mygloves.Ceffletoutawarningsnort,hiseyesgoingblackashe took up position at myside. Torn sauntered to myotherside,lookingbored,butI knew better. The stockyfellowat our feet had caughtthecatsidhe’sinterest,andhewas looking at it the same

way a cat watches a tastymouse.

“Who are you?” Ceffasked,voicehard.

“Ye not earned mename, an ye know it,” themansaid.

There was somethingfamiliaraboutthehairy, littleman. He was short, withknobby hands and stubbylegs, and beneath his thickeyebrowsgleamedintelligent,mischievous eyes that were

probably quick to anger. Hishairwasblack,notwhite,butthe resemblance to Hob wasuncanny.

I slid my knives awayin their sheath and lifted myhands,palmup.

“Hemeantnooffence,”Isaid.

“Well,Ido,”Tornsaid,shiftinghisweighttotheballsofhis feetas if topounce.“Idon’t trust anyone whosneaksuponacatsidhe.”

Goodpoint.“Ithinkwhatmyfriend

meant to ask is why you’refollowingus,”Isaid,keepingmy voice slow and even. Iknewbetterthantopissoffahearth brownie. My friendsdidtoo.I’djusthavetopointoutwhoourdiminutiveguestwas. “You had such a cleanand beautiful hearth to tendback in Tech Duinn. I’msurprised you’d leave it tofollowushere.”

“He’s a hearthbrownie?”Tornasked.

He hissed, and took astep back. Smart kitty. Eventhe lord of the cat sidhewasn’t immune to beingpixed by a vengeful hearthbrownie.

“Didna get dis treasurefor me looks,” he said,showing us a handful ofglitter and cubic zirconiajewels, and flashing me agap-toothedsmile.

Inodded.“He’s a hearth

brownie,”Isaid.Icockedmyhead, and rubbed my chin,studying the brownie. “Nowwhatshallwecallyou?”

Heshrugged.“How about George?”

askedCeff.“Pfft!” The brownie

sputtered, and stomped hisfeet.

“OrLucille,”Tornsaid,eyes glinting. “I like Lucille.

Suchaprettyname.”“I’m no George, and I

aint no lassy!” he said, facegoingred.

I stifled a giggle, andnodded solemnly. If weactually laughed at thebrownie, we’d be pixed forsure.

“Yes, we need a bettername for you,” I said. “Butwhat?”

“Skillywidden!” heyelled.

“Ah,afinename,”Ceffsaid.

I nodded. It matchedthe nickname, Skilly, thatDonnhadusedforhishearthbrownie.WhileIwasgladtosolvethatmystery,Istillhadno idea why SkillywiddenhadleftTechDuinn.

“Welcome,Skillywidden,” I said. “Sowhydidyoufollowushere?”

“You had a perfectlynice hearth back in Tech

Duinn,”Tornsaid,eyeingthebrownie like hemight sproutfangs any minute. “Whyleave?”

“It was too bloodyperfect,” Skillywiddengrumbled, kicking at a rock.“The dead dinnae leavemesses, and Donn is a god.He dinnae even leave ash inthegrateforSkillytoclean.Iright gone sodding doolollywhenyoulotshowedupwithyourmagickey.”

“So you followed usoutofTechDuinn,”Isaid.

“Always did want token where that portal wentta,”hesaidwithashrug.

“Okay,” Isaid, rubbinga hand over my face. “Youcan tagalong ifyou like,butstayback if there’s trouble. Ican’t guarantee you’resafety.”

I wasn’t sure how wewere getting back toHarborsmouth now that the

hearth with its magic portalwas gone, but maybe if wecould find our way hereagain, we’d be able touncovertheportalonourwayout.

“Wouldnamindabito’danger,”hesaid.

“Well, I do mind,” Isaid. “Look,we need an exitstrategy. Can you keep trackof thewayback to this spot?Eventually we’ll need to

make our way through theportalagain.”

“Aye, I can see thehearth right there,” he said.“I’d have to be blind not tofindmewayback.”

Thelittlebrowniecouldstill see Donn’s hearth? Hewasalreadyworthhisweightin cubic zirconia. If we evermade it back toHarborsmouth, I’dmakesureto send him his own

bejeweling kit. Donnwouldn’tknowwhathithim.

“Good,” I said.“Keeping track of ourlocation, and rememberingthe way back to the hearth,will be your job. It’s animportant job. We’ll becountingonyou.”

“Think you can do allthat?”Tornasked.

“Course I can,”Skillwiddensaid.“Icandoitwhile cleanin’ Tech Duinn’s

ash from your hair, andshinin’yourboots.”

It was ironic that thevery cleanliness that droveSkillywidden from Donn’shearth hadn’t been trueoutsidethedoorsofthedeathgod’s home. Corpse ashcoveredourhairandclothing,withstreaksofashandbloodlike war paint on both Ceffand Torn’s faces.Skillywidden’s eyes gleamed

andhishands twitched,but Ishookmyhead.

“If you’re comingwithus, you have to agree not totouchme,” I said. “Ceff andTorn might be glad of yourservices, but I’m a differentmatter.”

“Butyefilthy!”hesaid,wavinghishands.

“I know,” said with asigh.“I’lltrytofixthat,butIneedyourpromise.”

“Just ye boots?” heasked,eyebrowsraised.

“No,” I said. “Now dowehaveabargain?”

Skillywidden blew outaheavysigh,butnodded.

“Aye, we have abargain,”hesaid.

If I hadn’t experiencedmyshareofbargains,Iwouldhave missed the sheen ofsweatthatbrokeoutalonghisforehead, and the tighteningof his lips. Faerie bargains

hold power over the fae,especially purebloods. Evenas a half-blood, the act ofmaking a bargain usuallystolemybreathaway.

I nodded, satisfied thatSkillywiddenwould keep hisword. Once made, there wasno way to break a faeriebargain—not without dyingand coming back from thedead. Been there, done that,and I don’t plan on trying it

again. Resurrection is highlyoverrated.

“AsmuchasI’dlovetobe free of this filth,” Ceffsaid, brushing ash from hisshoulder. “I suggest weformulate a plan on how tomove the creature that’sbarring our way inside thebarrier.”

“I say we fight,” Tornsaid,agleaminhiseyeashisclawsextended.

“Fools,” Skillywiddenmuttered.

“Got a better idea?”Torn asked, raising aneyebrow at the grumblingbrownie.

“Ido,”Isaid.“So how do you

propose we get rid of ourgiant toad problem?” Tornasked.

“With a distraction,” Isaid. “And I know just thething.”

Chapter22“I can’t believe I’m

doing this,” I said throughclenchedteeth.

“It was your idea,Princess,” Torn said. “Notour fault you drew theshorteststake.”

I glared at Torn, andgroaned. Damn the man, buthe was right. This was mybright idea. The thing was,

whenIdreamedupthisplan,I hadn’t expected to play therole of bait. I also hadn’tthought about howhumiliating it would be topretendtobetoadfood.

Iturnedtothetoad,andgrimaced. I lifted my arms,trying to remember if flieswaved their wings up anddown. I hadn’t given theannoying insects muchthoughtuntilnow.

“Less groaning, morebuzzing,”hesaid.

Ceffchokedonalaugh,and I folded my arms. Hestruggled to keep a straightface,andnodded.

“Torn is right,” Ceffsaid.“Itcouldhavebeenanyoneofus.”

“I bet Torn cheated,” Isaid.

“Stop being a soreloser, and go be ourdistractionbefore Igetbored

with our plan and takematters intomy own hands,”Tornsaid,fakingayawnandwagglinghisclawsintheair.

“Fine,”Isaid.I sighed, and scowled

one last time at my friends.TornwassportingaCheshirecat grin,Ceff’s lip continuedto twitch as he wiped tearsfrom his eyes, andSkillywiddenstoodoff to theside, arms crossed over hischest. The brownie’s scowl

matchedmyown, though fordifferentreasons.

Skillywidden had triedto add his two cents to ourplan, but every time hestartedtospeak,Torncuthimoff. I’d talk to Torn about itlater, but, for now, I had tofocus on getting us past thegiant toad, and inside thewispcourt.

Frowning, I lifted myarms and started “flying”toward the toad faerie.When

thecreaturedidn’tsomuchastwitch, I started to make abuzzing sound throughclenched teeth. I blushed,keeping my eyes on thecreature.

Theplanwasformetolead the toad away from thewall, allowing my friends toslip through the gap. Onceinside, they’d give me asignal,andIwouldruntojointhem.Thetoadwastoolargeto fit through the wall, so

we’d be safe once we wereoutofitsreach.

At least, that was theplan. I should have knownluring a giant faerie toadwouldn’tbethateasy.

The toad lurchedtoward me, and I flinched.Therewas something strangeabout its movements, and itneveropeneditseyes.Infact,fromwhatIcouldsee,itsfacehadn’tmovedamuscle.

Buzzing and flappingmy arms, I sprinted awayfrom the wall, trying to givemy friends the opening theyneeded. I was so focused onmy role as bait that I almostmissed the first realclue thatwe weren’t dealing with atoad, or any other kind ofamphibian.

The creaturestraightened, unfurling fromitsshell.Thatwasnotoad.Abeetle-like creature came to

itsfeet,wavingamultitudeofbarbed, segmented arms andlegs, and snapping drippingmandibles in the direction ofmyfriends.

I’d foolishly mistakenthe designs on the creature’scarapace for the face of agiant toad. No wonder thecreature hadn’t so much asblinked. I might have feltrelieved that my fly charadewasover, if itwasn’t formyfriends’ predicament. Instead

of slipping in behind adistracted giant toad, theynowfacedthebusinessendofapissedoffbeetlecreature—one that looked capable ofcutting them in half with itsmandibles.

“Look out!” Iscreamed.

I lunged toward thebeetle,allpretenseofbeingaharmless fly gone. I was nojuicy meal, and neither weremy friends. The thick

exoskeleton of the creature’sshelldeflectedmyfirststrike,butI’dexpectedasmuch.Mygoalwastotrytodistractthebeetle fae longenough togetinpositiontodefendCeffandTorn.Togetherwemightjusthave a chance against thisthing.

Iranaroundthesideofthe creature, calves strainingas I pushed myself to movefaster. Heart racing, Isearched for my friends,

relieved when I caught sightof Skillywidden duckinginside the wall. With anyluck, we could scare thecreature off long enough toallslipinsidethewall.

I started to smile, butmyreliefwasshort-lived.Thediminutive brownie was theonly one of my friends tohave escaped. Ceff and Tornhadn’t been so lucky. Theydanced within reach of thecreature’s barbed limbs and

dripping mandibles, fightingfortheirlives.

I needed to help them,and I needed to do ityesterday. As I came intorange, I planted my feet asbest I could in the spongy,mossy ground. But before Icould set up a proper throw,one of the creature’s limbscame at me like a black,barbed two by four. I spun,twisting out of its reach.Damn,thatthingwasfast.

Blood pounding in myears, I gave up on mythrowing knives, and drewmy machete. My bladeswouldn’tdomuchagainstthecreature’s hard exoskeleton,but its spindly limbs lookedmorevulnerablethanitsshell.I might be able to keep itfrom whipping those barbedarms and legs around,permanently.

I took a deep breath,andleapt.Thespongyground

workedagainstme,butIstillmanaged a decent jump.Thank Mab for enhancedspeedandagility.Holdingthehandle in a flexible pinchgrip, I swung themachete inan arc, my body spinningslightlywiththemovement.Igritmyteethas thebladecutthrough the outer layers ofchitin and sank through thesofter meat of the leg. Themachete pulled at my wrist,butItightenedmygripasthe

bladecameouttheotherside.The leg fell twitching at myfeet.

I spun, allowing mymomentumtocarrymecloserto an arm that was crashingtowardme, andproceeded tohack off another one of thecreature’s multi-segmentedlimbs.Ivy-2,Beetle-0.

I caught Ceff’s smile,andnoddedaswedancedpasteachother.Mylipsliftedinagrin, and I pushedmyself to

move faster. Maybe thiswouldn’tbesotoughafterall.

A strange chirp-likewhirring sound drew myattention, and I realized whythe loss of limbs wasn’tcausing the beetle to lose itsbalance. It was vibratingwings that had until nowremained hidden on its back,beneath the outer carapace.Thosewingswere helping tokeepthebeetleonitsfeet,not

that it needed to keep itsbalanceforlong.

The grin slid from mylips as apalegrey,wormlikeprotuberance emerged fromone of the wounds, quicklyforming into a new limb.Eyes wide, I watched as asecond limb did the same.The damn thing couldregenerate. Within seconds,the limbs were fully formedandhadgrownlayersofblackprotectivechitin.

We needed to changeour strategy. There was noway we could wear thiscreaturedown,orscareitoff.Instead, it could continuefighting until we grew tiredand sloppy. With what we’dalready faced inTechDuinn,and the vines sneaking outfrom the wall to grab at ourfeet, that probably wouldn’ttaketoolong.

I jabbed between thelegs,dancinginandoutofthe

beetle fae’s reach, hoping tofind a weak spot. My bladerepeatedly scraped acrossarmoredexoskeletonwiththetelltaleclackofmetalagainstchitin, until finally the edgeof my machete sliced intoflesh. Too bad I didn’t havetimetodomoredamage.

The minor cutinfuriated the beetle fae,eliciting a series of highpitched, brain numbingshrieks. Its limbs flailed, and

oneofthearmsstruckaluckyblow, knocking me off myfeet. I flew through the air,eyes wide, but managed tokeep hold of my weapon,even when I hit the groundhard.Themossthathadmadefor difficult footing whilefighting, now managed tobreakmyfallenoughtokeepfrom breaking bones, butsadlyitwasn’tsoftenoughtoprevent getting the windknockedoutofme.

As soon as I couldcatchmybreath,Iwavedmyarms and yelled, “Go for theabdomen!”

I pulled myself to myfeet, but Torn was alreadydarting in, and Ceff hackedaway at limbs, keeping thecreaturebusy.Tornrakedhisclaws across the creature’ssoft, unprotected belly, and Igasped.

Flowers sprang fromthe creature’s abdomen in a

brightriotofcolor.Withonefinal screech, thebeetle fae’swings stilled, and it toppledonto its back. Flowerscontinued to sprout from thebloody wound, reaching uptoward thewallwhere plantswere already sending out thetipsof leavesand thecurlingends of vines to give thenewcomers a tentativeprodding.

“I guess you really arewhat you eat,” Torn said,

wiping his claws on themossyground.Igroaned,andheraisedaneyebrow.“What?Toosoon?”

Notwantingtofindouthow the local flora wouldrespond to the flowersspiraling up from the beetlefae’s guts, I shook my headand ducked through the gapin the wall. Ceff and Tornfollowedclosebehind.

Skillywidden stoodwaiting for us, his hands on

hiships.Inearlyturnedbackthewaywe’dcome.I’dratherfacecarnivorousplantsthanapissedoffbrownieanydayoftheweek.

Chapter23“I tried towarnye,but

ye wouldna listen,”Skillywiddensaid.

I shook my head,remembering the brownie’sfrustration during ourplanningsession.NowIknewwhyhe’dbeensoangrywithTorn. He’d been trying toexplain that the giant toad

was in fact a beetle fae. Ifonlywe’dlistened.

“You knew it wasn’t atoad?” Torn asked with ahiss. “Why the Hell didn’tyou tell us that in the firstplace?”

“Hetried,Torn,butyoukeptcuttinghimoff,”Isaid.

I rubbed a hand overmy face, grimacing at thecorpse ash, sweat, and whoknew what else I smudgedacrossmyskin.

“Now quit sulking andlet Skillywidden clean youoff,”Isaid,flashingTornmyteethinasmile.

“And you, Princess?”heasked.“Yougoing tostaylooking likeacharacter fromTheWalkingDead?”

“No,” I said, facewarming.“Ihaveotherideas.Ceff?”

“It would be mypleasure,”hesaid.

AsCeff used hiswatermagic todrawmoisture fromtheair, I closedmyeyesandtriednot to thinkabout someof the more creative wayshe’d used that power. Ceffcoulddoamazingthingswithhis water magic, but rightnow, I just needed a simplerinsing off. Water flowedovermy skin, washing awaythethicklayerofash.

“Iamdone,”Ceffsaid.“And so, it appears, is

Skillywidden.”Iopenedmyeyestosee

Ceff and Skillywiddengrinning from ear to ear.Torn,on theotherhand,wasglaring at thebrownie, clawsretractingandextendingasheflexed his hands. Someonewasn’t pleased with theirbath.

“Problem?” I asked,cockinganeyebrowatTorn.

“He…he…the littlebastard scrubbed off all my

skin!”hesaid.“Ye was dirty,”

Skillywidden said, thumbshooked in his suspenders asherockedbackonhisheels.

“Stopwhining,Torn,”Isaid.“Youstillhaveplentyofskin.”

“Easy for you to say,Princess,” he muttered. “It’snot like you had a browniescour all the skin off yourarse.Iwon’tbeabletositforaweek.”

My lip twitched, and Iturned away from the catsidheandthewallofwrithingvines.We’dmade it throughTech Duinn and into Faerie,butwestillhadalongwaytogo. My father’s key had ledusto theedgeofhisdomain.Now it was up to us tosurvive long enough to getthe answers we’d come herefor.

I just hoped we didn’tkilleachotherfirst.

“Come on,” I said. “Itlooks like we’ve reachedNithsdale. There’s a swampoverthere.”

I ignored Torn’sgrumbling, and stalkedtoward the swamp until theground became too wet towalk easily. The mossyground had becomeprogressively spongy untilfinally we were calf deep inwater. That was when Inoticed that the shifting, low

lying fog ahead of us hadtakenonagreenishtinge.

“Kaye said that myfather’s court is surroundedby a bog that belchespoisonous gas,” I said,grimacingatawhiffofsulfurthatburnedmynose.

“She share anythingelse about this bog?” Tornasked.

“Yeah,itswallowsmenwhole,” Isaid.Tornwaggledhis eyebrows suggestively,

and I frowned. “Her words,not mine. Anyway, we needtofindawayacross.”

“Word of advice?”Tornasked.“Don’tfollowthewisps.”

“Torn is right,” Ceffsaid. “Ignore any lights yousee in the bog. Theywill tryto lead you astray. Don’t letthem.”

“You think my wispcousinswilltrytokillme?”Iasked.

“It is in their nature,”he said with a nod. “Plus,they may not recognize youasoneoftheirown,letalonethe daughter of Will-o-the-Wisp.”

“It’s not like you’re alittle ball of sunshine,Princess,” Torn said. “Oddsare, they’ll try tokill us, andaskquestionslater.”

“Well damn, I guesstheywon’tbegettingsolsticegiftsthisyear,”Isaid.

I forced a brittle smile.Icouldmakelightofthefactthewispsmighttrytokillme,but Iwas far fromokaywithhavinghomicidalbranchesonmyfamilytree.

I also didn’t like theparallels betweenwhat Iwasdoing, and what was typicalwisp behavior. Iwas leadingmy friends into a deadlyswamp—I just hoped that itwasn’ttotheirdeaths.

“Stayin’ outta the bogwon’t do ye any good if yecan’t breathe,” Skillywiddenmuttered.

Hehadapoint.“Ceff?” I asked. “Do

you think you can use yourwater magic to create abubble around our heads?One that will keep thepoisonousgasout?”

“Yes,” he said with anod.“Butoncethewaterisinplace, we will have to move

fast.The amountof cleanairin each bubble will belimited.”

“Okay,”IsaidasCeff’smagictingledalongmyskin.

Right, move fast andrisk getting sucked into adeadlysinkhole,orsuffocate.I didn’t like those odds. Ilooked around as we startedtorun,searchingforawaytoincrease our chances ofsurvival.

I triednot tobreathtooheavy, but I was alreadyseeingspots,thefirstsignsofoxygen deprivation. At thisrate, we’d never make it outof thebog. I shookmyhead,and took a slow breath, butthe spots of light didn’t goaway.

Wisps.Even with the water

surrounding my headmuffling the sound, I couldhearahummingringthrough

the air. It was different fromthe discordant sounds thesickly wisps had made backin the junkyard. Thesewispswere healthy, strong, and ontheirhometurf.Ishouldhavebeen afraid, but instead, Ismiled.

Thewisp songwas thesame tone that my father’skeyhadmadewhen Iused ittounlocktheportaltoFaerie.Whatifthatsametonewouldhelpusnavigate thebog?I’d

thought of a dowsing rodwhen I used the key to findthelockinsideDonn’shearth,butmaybeitwasmorelikeamagicalsonar.

With nothing to lose, Iunzipped the pocket whereI’d stashed the key, and heldit out in front of my body.Immediately, the key pulledto the right.Mybody jerked,just asmy left foot began tosink into the ground. Mystumble yanked the foot free

withasuckingsound,andmyeyeswidened.

It worked, and just intime. I waved tomy friends,andtookthelead,holdingthekey in front of me as I ran.Wispsstreamedalongsideus,acavalcadeofdeadlyfireflieslightingourway.

Chapter24Wisps buzzed through

the air, their musicalhumming a constant as theydarted in for a closer look. Ismiled as I sat on themossyembankment, watching theplayful wisps, and catchingmybreath.

With my father’s keyhelpingtoguideus,we’dleftthe deadly bog and its

poisonous gas behind. Ibreatheddeeply,andletoutahappysigh.

“I don’t know whatyou’resohappyabout,”Tornsaid, shaking water from hishair. “We’re covered inmudandsmellliketrollfarts.”

It was true. Thesulfurous swamp gasses didsmell an awful lot likesomething that would comeoutofMarvinafterheateanentire cauldron of Kaye’s

chili, but I didn’t care. Wewere alive. And so far, mywisp brethren weren’t tryingtokillme.

I’m not sure what itsaid about my life that thelack of fratricide upon myhomecoming made me feelall warm and fuzzy inside.Probablybestnottothinktoomuchabout it,andjustenjoythemoment.

Ishrugged,andkeptonsmiling.

“Well don’t get toocomfortable, Fish Breath ison his way over with hispensiveface,”Tornsaid.

Hestalkedoff to sitonarockafewpacesaway,butI shrugged again and closedmy eyes, turning my face tothemoonandstarsaboveus.I wasn’t going to let Tornruinthismoment.

“Areyoufeelingwell?”Ceff asked, settling on themossygroundbesideme.

I cracked an eye open,grinningfromeartoear.

“I feel great, neverbetter,”Isaid.Infact,Ifeltabitdizzyandmylipstingled,like I’d had too much todrink. Only I would getbuzzed off the buzzing ofwisps. “Just buzzed off thebuzzing.”

I hiccupped, andgiggled,thelaughcomingoutinanundignifiedsnort.

“Are you sure that youare not angry, or afraid?” heasked.

I forcedmyself to lookup intoCeff’s face.Hisheadwas titled to the side, as iflistening for something, buthis attention was focusedsolelyonme.

“I’m fiiine, really,” Isaid,wavingahand.Myeyeswidened,andIletoutanothergiggle.“I’mglowing.”

“Which is probablywhat has his highness’panties in a bunch,” Tornsaid, coming over to towerabove me, arms crossed.“There is something weirdabout seeing you smile likethat, especially when you’reglowing.”

“What?” I asked. “Ismile.”

“Almost never, andwhen you do, it’s usuallybecause you’re killing

something,” he said. “Notthat I’m judging. I’m justsaying Fish Breath has apoint.You’redifferent.”

“Sheishighonpower,”Ceffsaid,eyesgoingtight.“Ishould have recognized thesigns sooner, but I wasfocusedonourflightthroughthe bog, and then withreleasingthewatermagicthatheldourmaskstogether.”

“You think it’s thewisps?”Tornasked.

“That would be myguess,”Ceffsaid,rubbinghisjaw.

“This didn’t happenafter our run in with thosewisps in Ocean Overlookcemetery, did it?” Tornasked.

“No,” Ceff said. “Notthatwe noticed.But Ivywasbadly wounded that night,and took days to recoverconsciousness. And…I…I

was not at my mostattentive.”

Thatwas thenight thatI’d killed his ex-wife.Melusinemay have been theraging psychotic bitchwho’dmurdered his children, andtried to kill us as well, butthat didn’t mean her deathhadbeeneasyonCeff.

The memory of Ceff’sgrieffloodedme,pushingthegiddinessaway.

“I think…I think I’mbacktonormalnow,”Isaid.Iyawned, covering my mouthwith the back of my glovedhand. Ignoring theencroaching bone deepfatigue, I tried topullmyselfto my feet, but sank backdown when a wave ofdizziness nearly toppled meover.“Ijustneedaminute.”

“You are exhausted,”Ceff said, brow wrinkling.

“Rest here. I will keep firstwatch.”

“But my father’scourt…”Isaid,wordscutoffbyanotheryawn.

“Will still be theretomorrow,”Tornsaid.

“Plus,Icanscoutaheadwhile you sleep,” Ceff said.“We will make betterprogress ifweare rested andcertainofthepathahead.”

“Fine,” I said, eyesfluttering closed. “But just a

quicknap.”The last thing I saw

before losing myself to thedarkness of sleep, was acloudofwispshoveringoverme, lending me theirwarmth…andtheirpower.

Chapter25“What the…?” I said

withagrunt.The white hot pain

returned,andIlosttheabilitytospeak.Iwasreducedtotheprimaldrivesoffightorflight—and to remove whateverwas sending burning spikesof pain on either side of myspine.

I clawed at my back,trying to dislodge whateversharpobject I’dbeenpiercedwith, but my gloved handsmet only the smooth surfaceofmyleatherjacket.

“Princess?”Tornasked,moving into my field ofvision.His face swambeforeme, and for a split second Iwondered if Imight puke onhisboots.Itwouldservehimright for staring at me like I

was a cat toy on a string.“Youdon’tlooksogood.”

“You think?” Isnapped, struggling to findthe source of the pain andonlymanaging tocontortmyarms painfully behind myback . “How about a littlehelphere?”

“And what, pray tell,wouldIbehelpingwith?”heasked,flashingmealookthatsaidhe clearly thought Iwasderanged. That was rich,

coming from the lord of thecatsidhe.

I struggled to makesense of the situation. We’dmade camp shortly aftercrossing the poisonous bog.Ceff had gone off to scoutahead, and to guard theperimeter, while Torn hadstayed here with me. I’dfallen into a coma-like sleep,but woke feeling refreshed.Heck, I was better than

refreshed, my body tingledwithenergy.

Iwaspacingthemossyembankment like acaffeinated pookah when I’dbeenstabbedintheback.Butthat didn’t make sense. Ihadn’t seen or heard myattacker, and obviouslyneither had Torn, judging byhissmirk.

“If this is a ruse to getme to rubyourback,wecanskip the theatrics,” he said,

crossing his arms. “We bothknowwhatyoureallywant.”

Oberon’s eyes, Tornthought I was asking for aback rub, with all that thatimplied.

“WhatIwantisforyouto…”Isaid,throughclenchedteeth.

I gasped at another joltof pain. Sweat broke out onmy forehead, immediatelyrunning into my eyes. Iblinked, and when I opened

my eyes again, I was onmyknees. I continued to claw atmy back, but I couldn’t findthe source of the pain, notwithmygloveson.

Tornslidontoallfours,making the pose appear bothgraceful and sensual as hebrought his face once againclosetomine.Iwasguessingthat unlike me, he wasn’tsuffering from bruisedkneecaps.

“Ah,Princess,”hesaid,a slow smile building on hislips. “Panting and on yourknees…have you finallysuccumbed to my charm? Itdid takeyouan awfully longtime, but I’m willing toforgive you—after a goodspankingortwo.”

“Torn, you arrogant…bastard…help me removewhatever’s stabbing…me…in…the…back,”Isaid.

I gave up trying toreach my back, and placedmy gloved hands flat on theground, leveling my mostterrifying glare at Torn. Itwas a look that said, “Whenthis is done, Iwill kill you,”and not, “Hey, baby, I’m inthe mood for cat sidhe sexytimes.”

Torn tilted his head totheside,andslunkaroundmewith feline grace. I had tofight to remain still,

especially when his leatherclad ass was positionedinchesfrommyfaceforwhatseemed an eternity, buteventually he completed hiscircuit and came to a stop infront of me, sitting on hishaunches.

“There’s nothingsticking out of your back,Princess,” he said, eyebrowraised. “Are you sure thisisn’t some twisted sort oftrick to get me to check out

your butt?” His slit pupilswidened, almost appearinghuman,asheleanedcloser.“Iliketwisted.”

“I’m going…to skin…you alive…and turn…youinto…slippers,”Isaid.

“I’dliketosee…”TherestofTorn’switty

rejoinder was cut off as hishead slammed into theground, six feet away. Iblinked, my brain trying tocatch up with this turn of

events. I took a deep breath,struggling to grabmy bladesand fight—had my attackerreturned?—but I froze as Irecognized my boyfriend’sprofile.

“What did you do toIvy?” Ceff asked, slammingTorn’s head against thegroundonemore timebeforesteppingaway.

Ceff’s fists opened andclosed as his chest heaved,nostrils flaring. Veins

protruded fromhis neck, andhis eyes had gone black as astormynight.

“Nothing, Fish Breath,though the night is young,”Torn said, dusting himselfoff. He flashed me a wink,andIsighed.

“Ceff,” I said. “Don’tletTornget toyou.He’snotworthit.”

I slid my knives backinto their wrist sheathes, butwhen I tried to stand, I was

once again wracked with awaveofpain.

“Mab’s bloody boneson a gods damned stick,” Ihissed.

“Where are you hurt?”Ceffasked.

“My back,” I said.“Either side of my thoracicspine.Bothshoulderblades.”

He ranhis fingers overmy leather jacket, and I letout a low moan. My handsfisted in thebogmoss, and I

clampedmy jawshutagainstascream.

“Iseenothing,”hesaid.“Um, Princess?” Torn

asked. “I have an idea, butyou’renotgoingtolikeit.”

“Spit it out, Torn,” Isaid.

“Take your jacket andshirtoff,”hesaid.

“Bite me,” I hissedthroughclenchedteeth.

“Back off, cat,” Ceffsaid,movingbetweenmeand

Tornatlightningspeed.“Think,Ivy,”Tornsaid,

ignoring my overprotectiveboyfriend, and maneuveringback into my line of sight.“What do you know aboutwisps?”

I tried to think, but itwas impossible to focusthroughthepain.

“If you knowsomething, say it now,”Ceffsaid.

I took a shaky breath,watching Torn shrug asCeff’s trident suddenlyappeared inches from hisface.Thecatsidhepushedtheweaponawaywiththetipsofhis fingers, but kept his eyesonmine.

I swallowed hard, arush of heatmakingmy skinburn.

“Wisps glow,” I said,breathragged.

“Yes, and?” Tornasked.

“Wisps…fly,”Isaid.He nodded, watching

melikeIwasatastymouse.“And how do you

supposetheyfly?”heasked.“Wisps…wisps…” I

said, voice breaking off in astrangledcry.

“Wisps have wings,”Ceffsaid.

He took a step back,facegoingpale.

“Wondered when youtwo would figure it out,”Tornsaid.“Nowtakeoffthatjacket before I have to cut itoff.”

I growled at Torn,partly over the threat to myclurichauncraftedjacket,andpartlyduetothepainthatwascoming now in near constantwaves.

“Ceff?”Iasked.But when I looked up,

expectinghisstronghands to

helpme,hehadn’tmoved.Hestood with eyes wide, as ifrootedtothespot.Wispshavewings.

Afamiliar fearcrept tothe surface, one that I’dstifled over the past fewmonths.Doubtgnawedatoldinsecurities, takingadvantageof my pain and confusion.My hands fisted in the mossas I fought to quiet the tinyvoice inside my skull thatwhispered that it was no

wonder my father hadabandoned me, my motherand stepfather avoided me,myschoolmatestauntedme.Iwasunworthyoflove.

Iwasamonster.Mycheeksburned, and

I wished that I could runaway,bealone.Ididn’twantmy friends to see this uglysideofme,thepartofmethatI’d always feared would oneday take over. Even before I

knewaboutmyfaeblood,I’dknownthatIwasdifferent.

I’d come here hopingfor answers thatwould bringmeclosertomyfather,closerto having the family that I’dlost. I’d come here lookingforawaytocontrolmywisppowers,sothatIcouldcreatea glamour and hide myotherness fromtheworld. I’dwanted to play at being ahappy,normalhuman.

I’dbeenafool.

“Getoutofthewayyouimbeciles!”

Aman appeared at thetop of the embankment. Idon’t know how long he’dbeen standing there. Iwasn’texactlyatmybest.

But I should havenoticed such a force of rawpower. The man stood talland slender, all lean musclebeneath his calf skin bootsand flowing robes. Pale,pointed ears poked through

long, straight hair the shadeof burning cities. He was atonce familiar, and yet I hadnever met this man before.Thatmadehisnextwordsallthemoreshocking.

“Unhandmyniece.”

Chapter26I have an uncle. The

thought danced through myhead, ebbing and flowingwiththeincreasinglyfrequentwaves of pain, butmanagingthrough it all to stay afloat.Beyond the pain, I couldthinkofnothingelse.

I should have noticedthe family resemblance assoonasIseteyesontheman,

but inmy defense, I felt likegoblins had climbed insidemy skin and proceeded topokemewithburningbrandsfrom the inside out. I wipedtears and sweat from myeyes, squinting at theman inararemomentofrespite.

With the pale skin andflame redhair, itwouldhavebeen easy to mistake myuncle for my father at firstglance, but where my fatherhad kind eyes, my uncle

seemed impervious toemotion. I’d met stones thatwere more stoic than thisman.

“Ibethe’dmakeamintatpoker,”Tornwhispered.

I tried to picture thiselegantmaninhiswhitekneebreaches and flowing spidersilk robes sitting at a cardtable playingTexas hold’em,and snickered. At least, Isnickered inwardly. To

everyone else, it came outlikeawhimper.

“This is Ivy Granger,daughter of Will-o-the-Wisp,princess to the wisp court,andmyconsort,”Ceffsaid.

“Yes,Iknowthatsheisthe lost princess,” my unclesaid. “Iwould recognize thatface anywhere. She bears anuncanny resemblance to herparents, and, of course, shehasmybrother’seyes.”

Eyes that werecurrently glowing like thesun.

“Then can you helpher?”Ceffasked.

He’d moved in toprotectme,withonehandonmyshoulder,andtheotheronthehandleofhistrident.

“Of course, but the catsidheisright,”myunclesaid.“You must strip her of hergarments,ortheywillimpedethetransformation.”

“Nooneisstrippingmeofanything,”Isaid,bitingoutthewords.

I shook off Ceff’sprotectivehand,bittheinsideof my cheek, and pulled offmyleather jacket,onearmatatime.

“Shedoes’na like tobetouched,”Skillysaid,shakinghishead.

“Interesting,”my unclesaid,hisauburnbrows lifting

towardtheslendercrownthatbandedhisforehead.

Pantingwith the effort,I struggled to remove thestretchy black shirts thatclung tomy sweaty skin likea wet bathing suit. I left thesports bra where it was. Nomatter what was going on,there was no way I wasgetting naked in front ofTorn.

Head spinning, myhandwenttotheutilitybeltat

my waist that held most ofmycharms.I’dkeptmywristsheaths on, which meant Istill hadmy throwing kniveshandy, and a dagger in eachboot, but being without mycharms would make mevulnerable,whichwassayinga lot considering that I wasshirtless and on my kneeswrackedwithpain.

I narrowed my eyes atthe man who so resembledmy father. He was watching

withtheintensityofaraptor,prepared to strike at anymoment. Thismanmay lookfamiliar,butifhe’dresidedinFaeriealltheseyears,Ididn’tdoubt that he had theequivalent of a razor sharpbeak and claws—and knewhowtousethem.

“How do I know thatyou’remyuncle?”Iasked.“Idon’tevenknowyourname.”

His lips pressed into ahard line, but he waved his

hand.“We don’t have time

forthis,”hesaid.As if to prove the

validity of his claim, myshoulders contorted, themuscles inmy backwrithingbeneath the skin. A tearescapedtofallontothemossyground.

I’d been prepared tofacemonsters.NotoncehadIsuspected that my own bodywouldbetrayme.

“Tell her your name,”Ceffsaid.

He used the tone henormallyreservedfordealingwith petulant subjects who’dbrought their quarrels beforehimatcourt.Ceffwasaking,andwhenheput thatedgeofpower into his voice, heexpected to be obeyed. Myunclefrowned,glancingawayfrommetogiveCeffacloserlook.

“I have many names,butyoucancallmeKade,”hesaid.“Nowstopwastingtime,andgraboneofthoseknives.If I am tobelieve that this istruly her first transformation,thenshewillneedassistance.Someone will need to cutthrough the skin about ahand’swidthfromeithersideofthespine.”

“No,” I snarled, sweatrollingdownmyface.

“Youarewingbound,”he said. “Do you knowwhatthatmeans?”

“No…andIdon’tcare,”Isaid.

“You will care whenyour wings carve a reversepath through your chestcavity, slicingyourheart andlungs to bloody ribbons,” hesaid.“Nowstopacting likeachild.”

“I’mnotachild,”Isaidpetulantly, stomach

clenching.Mybladeshaddrawna

lot of blood. If they touchedmy skin, I’d be in for morethan surgery at the hands ofmyfriends.I’dbesuckedintoa round of visions that Ididn’t know if I could pullmyselfoutof.

“Obviously, though Ido have to wonder how youhave managed to reachmaturitywithout ever havingcompleted the change,” he

said, head tilted to the side.“Whyhasnooneever taughtyou these things? Andphysically…how are youso…stunted?Developmentally, you are nomore advanced than aninfant.”

Gee, thanks, uncle.Nothing like kicking a girlwhenshe’sdown.

“She was raised in thehumanworld,”Ceffsaid.

“Being raised in thehuman world explains somethings,” Kade said, his eyesonme.“Forone,thatyouarestillalive.Someonewithyourlack of skills would neverhave survived this long inFaerie. But what I truly donot understand is why yourfathernevertaughtyouanyofthis.”

“Heleftme,”Isaid.I gasped, my chest

tightening.

“Fine,wewillcontinuethisdiscussionlater,”hesaid.“Now,whowillcuther,ordoIneedtodoit?”

He grimaced, and Icould tell that familyconnection or not, my uncledid not want to touch thelowlyhalfbreed.IwaitedforCeff to come forward, buthe’d backed away again. Hestood watching me, face animpenetrablemask.

“I’lldoit,”Tornsaid.

Myeyeswidened,butIshookmyhead.

“You are not touchingme,”Isaid.

“I won’t use theblades,” he said. “I don’tthinkyoucanhandleavisionrightnow.Forthatreason,I’llbecarefulnottotouchskintoskin—though for the record,you’remissingout.”

“What’llyouusethen?”Iasked.

“These,” he said,extending razor sharp claws.“Mybodybuildsanewlayerof carotin every time theyretract. It helps to keep themsharp and strong. It alsomeansthattouchingyouwiththem shouldn’t induce avision.”

Normally, I’d beintrigued by Torn revealingthe inner workings of catsidhe claw physiology, butnot today. All I cared about

was that he’d considered therisk of visions, and deemedhis claws to be my best bet.My eyes widened as Irealized that was goodenoughforme.

“Do it,” I said with anod.

“Ivy,” Ceff said. “Bitedownonthis.”

Hewaspointing tooneof the wooden stakes thrustthrough my utility belt. I’dcarved and sanded them

myself,andthey’dneverbeenused. I reached for my belt,grabbed the stake withshakinghands,andbitdown.

“You ready, Princess?”Tornasked.

I nodded.Ready as I’llever be. Two lines of heatwelled on either side of myspineasTornrakedhisclawsdownmyback.

“Now what?” Tornasked.

“Now she mustcomplete the transformation,ordie,”Kadesaid.

MyglovedhandsfistedinthemossasItriedtofocusonpushingwingsthroughthecuts Torn had opened in myback.I’mprettysurethatallIdid was give myselfheartburn. I shook my head,andmoaned.

“She’s dying,” Ceffsaid.“Helpher.”

“We’ve done what wecan—now she must helpherself,”Kadesaid.

“But she doesn’t knowhow,”Tornhissed.

“It is not thatcomplicated,”Kadesaidwithasigh.Myuncle’sfacecameinto view as he crouchedbeforeme.“Listen,youmustfocus on releasing yourwings. It is likebreathing,orstretchingyourarms.Youareawisp,sobeawisp.”

Oh yeah, that washelpful.

“Come on, lass,”Skillywidden said. “Ye cando this with yer hands tied.It’sjustlikeridin’acat.”

The thought of SkillyridingaroundonTorn’sbackwas enough to distract memomentarily from my pain.ButthatwasallIneeded.Mybody relaxed, allowing themuscles in my upper back

and neck to ease, and Ifocusedonmybreathing.

Come on, Ivy. Skilly’sright.Youcandothis.

“Yes,drawyourpowerinside with each breath,”Kade said. “On the exhale,releaseyourwings.”

I did as he said. Ibreathed in throughmynose,drawing power from Faerieand the nearby wisps as Iinhaled, and felt the stirringof something in my chest. I

focused on my upper back,sendingtheheatofmypowerthere. Teeth digging into thewooden stake, I let out aprimalscream.

Pain exploded insidemy ribs, nearly knockingmeout,butIheldon.Iforcedmymagic to pour through theopenings inmyback,and, tomy surprise, they did. Astrange, new part of mereached to the sky, andunfurled. Blood, my blood,

raineddownonmybackandthe side of my face, and Isighed.

The muscles in mybackandneckthrobbedasthefinal spasms wracked mybody, but the worst of thepainwasgone, replacedbyadizzying euphoria. I spit thewooden stake from mymouth, and took a steadyingbreath.

“Isitover?”Iasked.“Yes,”Kadesaid.

“Youhavewings,”Ceffsaid.

I bit my lip, and myheart started to race. Icouldn’t tell from Ceff’svoice what he was thinking,and from where he wasstanding, I couldn’t read hisface.

“Are they…hideous?”Iasked.

“They’re a bit like adamsel fly’s wings,” Tornsaid.

“Aye, they’reshimmery,andkindaskinny,”Skillywiddensaid.

I swallowed hard.Don’t panic. It could beworse.Theycouldbeleatherylike a bat’s wings. Insectwingsweren’tallthatbad.

“They are beautiful,”my uncle said. “You arebeautiful, andyouareoneofus. Welcome to Faerie, Ivy.Welcomehome.”

Chapter27A buzzing filled my

ears, and soon dozens ofvoices were roaring in myhead. I putmy gloved handstomytemplesandmoaned.

“What is it, Princess?”Tornasked.

“Ah, she is unpreparedfor the psychic connectionshe now has to the wispshere,”Kadesaid.

“Psychic connection?”Ceffasked.

“Yes, until she cancontrol it, the voices will beoverwhelming,” Kade said.“Our wings act like anantenna, amplifying thethoughts andvoices ofwispsincloseproximity.”

“How do I make itstop?”Iasked,squeezingmyeyesshuttight.

Itdidn’thelp.Mybackteethwere vibratingwith the

voicesscreaminginmyhead.“I can help with this,

but it will take training,” hesaid. “Until you are moreskilled, I suggest you retractyourwings.”

“And how do I dothat?”Iasked.

“The process is similarto releasing your wings, butdonotworry, itwillnothurtlikebefore,”hesaid.

I focused on my back,but nothing happened. I

opened my eyes, and shookmyhead.

“Come,” he said,gesturing toward the nearbywater’s edge. “It will beeasier if you can see yourwings, at least until youbecome accustomed to them.It is easier to visualize whatyouhaveseen.”

“Makes sense,” Tornsaidwithashrug.“Askitswelook at our paws when wepractice extending and

retracting our claws. Samegeneralconcept,Isuppose.”

I struggled to my feet,and raised an eyebrow atCeff.

“I am sorry, I cannotrelate to this,” he said. “Mytransformation is verydifferent.”

I supposehewas right,though his words set mystomach churning. This wasjust one more difference forus to overcome. I’d known

from the beginning that wewere different from oneanother,butIhadnoideathatI was some winged wonderwith voices in her head. Iwinced.Iwasprettysurethatbugwingsandhearingvoicesweren’tattractivequalities.

I turned, and followedmyuncletothepoolofwater.My eyes widened at thewoman Imet there.Her hairwas matted with sweat, andherluminescentskinwaspale

and dotted with drops ofblood, but she wasn’t ugly.She wasn’t hideous. Shewasn’tamonster.

With the glowing skinand translucent wings, shelooked almost fragile. Isuppose in a way that wastrue. I survived my firsttransformation, and it hadchanged me. For all intentsand purposes, I was anewbornfaerie.

I took a deep breath,andturnedtogetabetterlookat the wings that sproutedfrom my back. Skilly wasright.Theyweremoreslenderthanadragonfly’swings,butwith a similar shimmeringquality, like an oil slick onwater.

My wings twitched,attractingahandfulofwisps.Glowingorbsappearedinthemirror surface of the puddle,and I started to smile. If you

ignored the blood and sweat,itwasnearlyafairytalescenefrom a children’s book. Butfairytales rarely have happyendings.

A cacophony of voicesjoined the buzzing in myhead,andIgasped.

“Mab’s bones, make itstop,”Isaid.

“Open your eyes, andlook at your wings in thereflection,” Kade said.

“Ignore thevoices,andfocusonthewings.”

Iblushed,heatrisingtomy cheeks, and I openedmyeyes,staringatmyreflection.Ihadn’tevenrealizedthatI’dsqueezedmyeyesshut.

“Okay,”Isaid.Ignoringthevoiceswas

easier said than done.Thankfully,Iwasnostrangertopain.I’dbeenexperiencingskull crushing headaches foryears as a result of my

psychic abilities. Now thoseyears of suffering might justpayoff.

I grit my teeth, andpushed the voices and myemotions into an icy cage. Ifocused on my wings,twitching in time with thebeatingofmyheart.

“Good, now imagineyour wings slowly curlingfrom the tips inward,” Kadesaid.

Ididashesaid,andmyjaw dropped as my wingsbegan to curl behind myback.Isighedasthemusclesinmyshouldersrelaxed.

“Nowdrawyourwingsinsideyourbody,”Kadesaid.

I swayed, listening tothe musical quality of myuncle’s voice, but I couldn’trecall the words. My bodywaslight,andtheaircaressedmy fevered skin. If it wasn’tfor a distant humming, I

could have closed my eyesandfallenasleeponmyfeet.

“Ivy?”Ceffasked.“Hmmm?”“She looks drunk,”

Tornsaid.“Aye, drunk as a

clurichaun on payday,”Skillywiddensaid.

“It is what happens toour children when they arelearning to use their magic,”Kade said. “I believe she isintoxicated by the power

running through her veins.Shewill become accustomedtoit,intime.”

“This is not her firsttimeusingherwisppowers,”Ceffsaid.

“I do not know whatmybrotherdidtoher,butitisobvious that her magic hasbeen shackled,” Kade said.“When she arrived in Faerie,shewas barely fae.Now sheisclosertohertrueself.”

“It hasn’t had an effecton anyof us,”Torn said. “Isit because she’s half human?IsFaerie stripping her of herhumanity?”

I wanted to tell Ceffand Torn to stop worrying.The pain was gone, andexcept for a heavinessbetweenmy shoulder blades,I felt great, better thannormal. Heck, maybe beinghumanwasoverrated.

“I do not have all theanswers,” Kade said. “I donot know what sorcery mybrotherused.All Icansay isthat she is evolving into thefaerie she was always meanttobe.”

“So we must wait andsee,”Ceffsaid.

“Yes,butfirstshemustcomplete this,” Kade said.“Ivy?”

“Mmm?”

“You have done verywell,” Kade said. I smiled.My uncle thought I’d donewell. “But there is onemorethingyoumustdobeforeyoucanrest.”

I frowned, and tried tofocusonhisswimmingface.

“Whatnow?”Iasked.My lips felt rubbery,

but the words came outclearly.Noslurring.

“Yourwingsarecurled,now you must pull them

inside,”hesaid.“Canyoudothatforme?”

“Mmmhmm,”Isaid.I took a breath, and

pulled. I frowned when theygot stuck partway, but Ididn’t give up. I wanted thisover with, wanted to rest…and to please my uncle. Iknew that latching onto myuncle, a total stranger, wasprobably unhealthy, but Ididn’t care. I’d had a gapinghole in my heart my entire

life, and if he could help tofill that emptiness, then Iwoulddoeverythingtomakehimproudofme.

I raised my arms,rotating my shoulder bladesuntil the wings finally fit.Withagrunt, thewingsweregone. If everyone hadn’talready been staring atme, Imighthavethought itwasalladream.

“Better?”Kadeasked.

I nodded, a tentativesmileonmylips.Iwasmorefae than I’d been when Iwokeup thismorning. Inowhad wings, a new psychicconnectionwithwisps,andanuncleIhadn’tknownexisted.Iwasn’tsurewhattomakeofthe situation, but I was inFaerieandIwasalive.

Better didn’t cover thehalfofit.

Chapter28I wouldn’t let them

carry me. I hadn’texperienced a vision sincestepping foot inFaerie, and Ididn’t plan on starting now.SoIchuggedaRedBull thathad somehow managed toremain in Ceff’s satchelunscathed, and followedKade into a nearby cave thathe claimed was the entrance

toTearlach,homeofthewispcourt.

I may have daddyissues and a desire to beloved by my uncle, but thatdidn’t mean I was a fool. Ikeptmy eyes open,weaponshandy,weightontheballsofmy feet, and forcedmybodytostayalert.

IgrippedmybladesasIentered the stygian darkness.These tunnels might lead tothewispcourtandanswersto

my father’s whereabouts, orcertain death. Either way, itwas best to be prepared fortheworst.

“How…far?” I asked,voice still shaky from thewingordeal.

The euphoria inducingendorphins that had floodedmy bloodstream weredissipating, slamming mewithfatigueandaplethoraofbodyaches.

I stifled a yawn,blinkingrapidly,strugglingtostay on my feet. Steel-toeboots had saved me fromcrippling my toes, butstumbling over rocks waslikely to pitch me face firstinto Torn, who was walkingaheadofme,andthatwasoneround of visions I did notneed.

“If you are too tired towalk…”Kadesaid.

“No, no, I’m fine,” Isaid, waving a hand. “Leadon.IjustwishIcouldcallupenough anger to light theway.”

I hadn’t realized that Isaid that last part until Kadecametoahalt,nearlycausingme tocollidewithTornafterall.

“Why would you needanger to light the way?” heasked. “Is this acolloquialism? Except for

indirect communicationthrough theUnseelieCourt, Ihavelongbeenoutofcontactwiththehumanworld.”

“Her anger fuels herwisp magic,” Ceff said.“With…unpredictableresults.”

That was putting itmildly.

“Is this true, Ivy?”Kadeasked.

“Um, yes, it’s not likeI’vehadanytraining,”Isaid.

“My father took off when Iwasjustakid,goingsofarastolockawaymymemoriesofhisexistence,andit’snotlikeIcanasktheotherwisps.”

“Whynot?”heasked.“Because,”Isaidwitha

weighty sigh. “Until theirvoices flooded my skulltoday,I’veneverbeenabletocommunicate with otherwisps.NotthatI’vehadmuchpractice at that either. Like Isaid,Ididn’tknowIwashalf

wispuntil a fewmonthsago.And I’veonly run intowispstwicesincethen.”

From the memories ofmychildhood thathadbeguntoreturninfragments,Icouldpiece together memories ofwisps floating around meprotectively like tiny fairygodparents. But if I’d beenable to communicate withwisps as a child, I’d lost theability along with mymemories.

I’d encountered wispsat the cemetery who seemedto understand me, but we’donly been able tocommunicate throughrudimentary yes and nogestures.AndaftertheDanseMacabre, they hadn’t stuckaround. My only otherexposure to wisps beforeenteringFaeriewasfacingtheiron sick wisps at Jinx’sfather’s junkyard—and thathadn’tgonewell.

Infact,thatwasanotherreasonwhyIwashere.Therewas so much I needed tolearnaboutmypowers.

“Interesting,” he said.“Perhaps your non-wispblood ismore powerful. It isnotunusual for fae tohaveadominantside.”

“Great,” I said. “If myhumansideismoredominant,that would explain why mynight vision sucks comparedtotherestofyou.”

“Do you truly requirelight?”Kadeasked.

“It would be helpful,sure,”Isaid.

He let out a musicalchirp, and my eyes widenedas the tunnel filled withglowingwisps.Nowthatwasahandytalent.

We started walking,and this time I was able tokeepup.Evenmyfatiguewassoon forgotten as my eyestracedthedetailsofTearlach.

Wewereenteringtheheartofmyfather’srealm.Hopefully,this place would soon revealhis secrets. As it was, I’dlearned more about wisps inone day with my uncle thanI’d found in all of the booksinKaye’slibrary.

“Canyouteachmethattrick you did, with thewisps?” I asked, hurrying toreachmyuncle’sside.

Hewasmuchtallerandmore slender thanme,which

gave him a speed advantage.I’d never thought of beinghumanasadeficiencybeforenow, but walking at myuncle’s side, I suddenlywished that I’d been bornwith more of his naturallygraceandagility.

He arched an eyebrow,but continued to stride alongsilently, as if dancing abovetherockstrewnfloor.WhenIfinally thought that I’doffendedhim into silence,he

tilted his head, focusing hisamber eyes on my matchingones. I’d nevermet someoneelse with amber eyes before,and it sparked even morequestions, but I held mytongue. I wasn’t going tobecomethatannoyingstudentwho nagged the teacherincessantlywithquestions.

“It was no trick,” hesaid. “All wisps can speakwith one another, though ittakes practice when

communicating betweenwispsindifferentforms.”

“You mean we havedifferentforms?”Iasked.

Okay, so much for notbadgering Kade withquestions.

“Of course,” he said.“At least, those of us withadequate power can shiftbetween our larger andmorediminutive forms. Thesmaller wisp form is

invaluable for stealth andscouting…”

“He means spying,”Tornsaid.

“But it leaves usvulnerabletoattack,”hesaid,ignoring Torn. “Neverunderestimate the dangerfrom a hungry bird when inthatform.”

Hepointedtooneofthewisps floating ahead of us,andIswallowedhard.

“SocanIbecomesmalllikethat?”Iasked.

“I do not know,” hesaid.“Youwerebornwiththepowertodomanythings,butthatwas before your father’smeddling.”

“Canallof thesewispsbecome full size?” Tornasked,pausingtoexaminethewisps that darted around ourheadslikeexcitedfireflies.

“No, not all,” Kadesaid. “In fact, it is very rare.

But the ability has alwayspassed along the royal line.Being able to communicatebetween both forms is anecessary part of ruling thewisp court.” He stopped andshookhishead.“Iam…sorry,Ivy. That was insensitive ofme. I am sure that you cameherewithexpectations.”

“What,me?”Iasked.“Idon’t want to rule. If notbeingable to shift forms is a

prerequisite, then I’m gladthatIdon’thavetheability.”

“Then why did youcome here to Tearlach?” heasked.

“I came here foranswersaboutmyfather,andaboutmypowers,”Isaid.

“Ah, I was afraid youwouldsaythat,”hesaid.

Kade turned away, andled us further down thetunnel, leavingmeponderinghis words. My uncle hadn’t

somuchasblinkedwhen I’dentered his realm with akelpie, a brownie, and a catsidhe, or when I’d sproutedwings and started hearingvoicesinmyhead,butwhenItold him that I’d come herefor answers, he looked likehe’dswallowedapixie.

What could be soterribleaboutthetruth?

Chapter29I blinked, eyes

adjustingtothesuddenbrightlight,asthelowstoneceilingofthetunnelopenedupintoalarge cavern. Moonlightshone from high above, themoonbeams captured andtransmitted through a domemade up of a clear, amberhued crystalline substancethat grew from the stone

walls like a latticework oftetragonal fungus. Below theambercrystals,alcovesdottedthe walls. Some of theseopenings were so small thatonlythesmallestwispscouldfloat through, while otherswere large enough for twomountain orcs to march sidebyside.

Tiers of benches thatwere carved into the stoneringed the roomonone side.Opposite the stadium-like

seating rose a platform onwhich stood two ornatethrones. A small pool ofwatersproutingcattails,lilies,and lotus flowersmarked thecenter of the moss coveredcavernfloor.

“Nice digs, Princess,”Tornsaid.

“It has its charm, Iguess,”Isaidwithashrug.

I swallowed hard, andtried to push away thoughtsof Jinx and Sparky. Coming

to this place only made memiss my friends worse thanever. But I couldn’t returnhomeyet.Imightlongformydrafty,oldloftapartment,butI’d come here for answers,and I wasn’t going to leavewithoutthem.

Too bad the place wascrawlingwithwisps.

Wispsfilledthecavern,someflyingthroughtheroomontheirwaytootherareasofTearlach,whilemany floated

in from the many darkenedalcoves tocrowd the rowsofcarvedseats,ortohovernearthepoolofwater.

Ordinarily, I’d havefoundthescenepretty,maybeeven awe inspiring. Myfamily had helped to buildthis place. My father hadruledhereforcenturies.ButIcouldn’tforget theeffect thatthe wisps in the bog had onmyawakeningpowers—andIwas in nomood for a repeat

performance. My neck andshoulders tightened, and myback ached at the thought ofsprouting wings again sosoon.

I grit my teeth, andstepped into the cavern,following my uncle downstone stairs worn smooth bythe fae who’d walked thesesteps before me. I was sofocusedonholdingmypowerincheck,andputtingonefootin front of the other, that it

took me a few minutes torealize that the cavern hadgone silent. All I could hearwas the sound of ourfootsteps—notably the clopclop of my clumsy halfhumanfeet,sinceCeff,Torn,Skilly, and Kade were alladeptatmovingsilently—andthetrickleofwaterbelowus.

I lifted my chin tosurvey the room for threats,and froze. The wisps hadgone silent, but not because

of the threat of a predator intheir midst. No, the cavernpulsed with light thatmatched the familiar cadenceof my heartbeat. The entirewispcourtwasrespondingtomy presence, their bodiesglowing in time with thebeatingofmyheart.

WhenKadenoticedthegrowingspacebetweenus,helooked up at me, eyebrowraised.

“Are you fatigued?” heasked.“Doyourequireoneofustocarryyou,afterall?”

“No, no, I’m fine,” Isaid, trying to ignore theincreasingspeedatwhichthesurrounding wisps glowedanddimmed.

“Are you sure?” heasked. “You are welcome totakemyarm.”

My chest swelled, apart of me warming at hisoffer.He’d been so reluctant

to touch me during mytransformation. I’d thoughthis reaction was born ofrevulsion for his half breed,country bumpkin of a niece,butperhapsmyhumanbloodwasn’t as large a barrier asI’d first thought.But as kindasmyuncle’soffer,therewasnowayI’dtakehimuponit.I wasn’t touching him now,orever.

Plus, fatigue was theleastofmyworries.

“No,” I said, unable tofully stifle a full-bodyshudder. “Thank you. It’sjust…the glowing…will Ichangeagain?”

His eyes widened,understanding smoothing thelinesofconcern.

“Ah, our people havelongawaitedyourreturn,”hesaid, waving a hand. “Manywill want to see theirprincess, and they wouldgladly lend you their power,

much as the ones in the bogdid before, but I took thelibertyofsendingwordaheadthat they are to look only. Iassumed that you wouldrequire rest after yourjourney, and that you wouldprefer to wait beforeattempting to use yourpowersagain.”

“Yes, thank you,uncle,”Isaid.

“Please,callmeKade,”hesaid,leaningforward.

“LordKade,”Ceffsaid,stepping between us.“Perhaps we can impose onyour hospitality and beprovidedaccommodationsforthe night. Ivy is obviouslyquitetired.”

My uncle blinked, andtookastepback,puttinghimfurther down the stairs. Cefftowered over him, bristlingwithrage.

“Of course, this way,”Kade said, turning and

continuingdownthestairs.“Icanpointoutafewthingsonthe way to your quarters,though it would honor me,Ivy, if I could give you amorethoroughtourwhenyouarewellrested.”

“Sure,”Imumbled.I lookedbackandforth

betweenCeffandKade,butIcouldn’t divine much fromwatching them from behind.Something had gotten underCeff’s skin, I could tell that

much from the rigid way heheld his neck and shoulders,butIwas tootiredtomakeaguess at what was troublinghim. Maybe he’d be willingtoshareoncewewere safelyinsideourroom.

Either Torn or Skillymuttered something abouthorses in heat, but when Ispunaroundtoglareatthem,they both batted their eyesinnocently. The two of themcontinued to keep quiet until

myunclestoppedtopointatanearbyalcove.

“Thatiswherewekeepthestone,oncesaidtobetheheart of our people,” Kadesaid.

We poked our headsinsidethelarge,ornateroom,and Torn let out a lowwhistle.

“Now that be aworthyhearth,”Skillywiddensaid.

“Who the Hell islooking at the hearth?” Torn

asked,walkingpastus togeta closer look at the glowingstone in the center of theroom. “Is that an adderstone?”

“Yes, a piece of theGlain Neidr of Tír na nÓg,”Kade said, puffing up hischest,andshiftinghisweightontohisheels.“Theyareveryrare…”

“And very valuable,”Torn said, licking his lips.

“I’msurprisedyoudon’tkeepitlockedup.”

“As I said before, thestone represents the heart ofour people, and this…” hesaid, gesturing at the roomlined with shelves of booksand jars. “This room is arepository of history, atreasure trove of knowledge,opentoallofourpeople.”

“Itwouldbeacrimetolocksucharoomaway,”Ceffsaidwithagrudgingnod.

Five seconds in thatroom and, I was alreadysalivating at the thought ofsearching those shelves forknowledge of my father,reading through those books,and perhaps finding some ofhispersonalpossessions.Thisroom truly did containtreasure, but not the glowingstone or ornate hearth thatTorn and Skillywiddencoveted.

I would have stoodthere for hours, slack-jawedwith my boots rooted to thefloor, but a yawn broke thespell. This room mightcontain the answers that I’dcomeherefor,butIwasinnoshape for research. I couldbarely stand up withoutlistingtotheside.

“Come,” Kade said.“We have kept Ivy waitinglongenough.”

He spun on his heel,and led us back out into thecorridor. After more twistsand turns than I could keeptrack of, he stopped in frontof a door decorated withdelicate flowers that seemedto grow straight out of thesmooth wooden surface.There were no windows orskylights,andIknewthatwewere far below the earth, sotheflowerswereeithermagicorextremelyrealistic fakes. I

wasguessingmagic.That was confirmed

when the flowers rustled anddanced until they spelled outmy name. My uncle musthavesentmorethanonewispahead to prepare for ourarrival. Kade licked his lips,andheldoutahand.

“Mydear,Ihavewaitedlong for this day,” he said,hand shaking slightly as heopenedthedoor.“Ihopeyourroomistoyourliking.”

I stepped inside, andgasped.The roomwas fit foraqueen.Thehighceilingwasa deep indigo and decoratedwith fey lanterns that werearranged to mimicconstellations. A huge bedwas positioned in the centerof the room, beneath thestarry sky. It was piled highwith pillows, and the sideswere draped with swaths ofsheer fabric that gave theillusion of privacy, and hung

from posts made of ornatelycarved quartz that rose fromthefloortoarchoverthebed.The overall effectwas like abed within a palatial gazeboof ice that restedbeneath thestars.

“It’s beautiful,” I said.“But I’m fine with sharing aroomwithmyfriends.Idon’tneedsomethingthisfancy.”

“Don’t be silly,” Kadesaid. “This room has neverbeen slept in. With your

sensitivity to touch, I wouldthinkthistheperfectplaceforyoutostay.”

I bit my lip, trying todecide if the reduced risk ofvisions was worth splittingup.Ididn’tlikethethoughtofstaying somewhere separatefrom Ceff and the others.Obviously,Ceffhadthesameconcerns.

“I will stay and standguardwhileshesleeps,”Ceffsaid.

“You have alreadyinvoked the rules ofhospitality,”Kadesaid,handsfisting at his sides. “Do youintend to insultmy ability tokeep the princess safe fromharm?”

“Good going, FishBreath,” Torn muttered.“Nothing like pissing off ourhost.”

“What’s going on?” Iasked,keepingmyvoicelow.

I didn’t want tointerrupt Ceff and Kade’spissing contest, but I waspretty sure I was missingsomething, and I was tootired to try to smooth thingsover. Diplomacy wasn’t oneofmystrengths,evenwhenIwasatmybest.

“It sounds like whenCeff got pushy earlier aboutwantingtogetamoveonandfind you a room, Kade tookthatasCeffinvokingtherules

of hospitality,” Tornwhisperedback.“Faetaketherules of hospitality veryseriously, and your uncle isno exception. Think of it asrequesting asylum, which ishow the rules came about inthe first place. Allies, nomatter how much they maydespise each other, couldinvoke hospitality and thehost would be required toprotecttheguestfromoutsideharm.”

“So, Ceff insulted myuncle when he implied thatthe wisps couldn’t keep mesafe,”Isaid,atendrilofcoldtwistingmygut.“Whataboutinternalthreats?”

“The bargain doesn’tprovide protection from theinside,but to sayyouneedaguard implies that eitherKade and his people can’tdefend you, or that weperceive them as a threat,”Tornsaid.

So by offering to stayand guard me in my room,Ceff had managed to doublyoffend my uncle. That wasjust great. As much as Iwanted to talk to Ceff abouttheday’sevents,wecouldn’trisk going to war with myuncle. I needed to patchthingsup.Ohgoody.

“We don’t doubt yourskillatarms,”Isaid,steppingforwardandfacingmyuncle.“I’m suremy friendswill be

comfortable in whateverguest quarters you’vepreparedforthem.”

“So you do like theroom?”Kadeasked,blinkingslowly and pulling his gazefromCeff’sicyglare.

Up close, I wassurprised to see that myuncle’s otherwise flawlessskin was marred by darkcircles around his eyes.Whoknewwhat kindof hardshipshe’d faced since my father

had fled Faerie. He’dobviously taken on thedaunting task of keeping thewispcourtrunning.Thatmusthave been difficult withouthis brother’s help, difficultandlonely.

“It’s perfect,” I said,trying to force enthusiasmandmanagingtoyawn.

“Iamsoglad,”hesaid.He held open the door, andfixed Ceff with a cold stare.“Now let us leave the

princess. She requires sleep,and I need to return soon tomy court. If you wouldfollowme,Icanshowyoutoyourroomsalongtheway.”

“Do ye have an emptyhearth?” Skillywidden asked.“Perhaps the one in thetreasury?”

“Not that one…notyet,” Kade said, hesitating.“But there is a hearth in thekitchen,ifyouwouldpreferahearth over a guest room. If

youdowellwith the kitchenhearth, there’s a chance of apromotion to the treasury inthefuture.”

Skillyrubbedhishandstogetherandsmiled,butCeffstoodrigid.

“I do not like this,” hesaid.

“Goon,”Isaid.“I’llbefine.Thesearemypeople.”

I turned my hand,allowinghimtoseethebladeinmypalmasiftosay,“And

I’m not unarmed. I candefendmyself ifneeded.”Hefrowned, but nodded andhandedmeoneofthesatchelshe wore slung across hisback.

Ididn’tlikethisturnofevents either. There was somuchIneededtodiscusswithCeff. Today, I’d grownwings, amongst other things,and I still hadn’t had amoment alone with Ceff totalk about it. I wanted to

know how he felt about mytransformation, and what itmeanttoourrelationship.

“I’ll be fine,” I saidagain, but I wonderedwho Iwastryingtoconvince.

Chapter30“Ithoughtyousaidthat

Ceff and Torn were on theirway,” I said around amouthfulofpancakes.

Actually, I wasn’t sureif the pastries weretechnically pancakes, but thelessIscrutinizedthefood,thebetter. My fae blood meantthat I could ignore theprohibitionforhumans toeat

and drink while visitingFaerie—a fact I’d badgeredKayeaboutforweeksleadinguptothisexcursion—butthatdidn’t mean I was cool witheating worms or butterflywings. So far, I’d stuckwiththefoodthatdidn’tmove.

“Isentsomeofmystaffto let them know thatbreakfast was ready in theGreat Hall,” he said. TheGreat Hall was apparentlywhattheycalledthecavern.It

also doubled as the throneroom,butfornow,they’dseta banquet table beside thepoolofwaterat thecenterofthe cavern floor. It was likebeing on an extravagantpicnic. “But as I said before,yourtransformationyesterdayis likely to make youravenous. There is no reasonto suffer while you wait foryourfriendstoarrive.”

“Yes, hunger is not anattractive quality in a

princess,”Flaviosaid.I rolled my eyes, and

growled around another biteof pancake. Flavio was thecaptainof theguard,andoneof only three human sizedwisps that I’d seen sincearriving here in Tearlach,asidefrommyuncle.Hewasalso more prickly than aporcupine.

“Flavio,whydon’tyougo check on our guests,”Kadesaid.“Tellthemthatthe

princess requires theirpresence.”

“I didn’t mean…” Isaid.

“Let the guard fetchthem,” Skillywidden said,putting something thatwriggled on his plate, andlicking his lips. “It wouldnado to let this feast go towaste.”

While I wasn’t asenthusiastic about some ofthe food on the table, it was

true thatwe shouldn’t let thefood go to waste. The wispsmust have been up all nightworking in the kitchens, notthatIwassureanymorewhatwasnight andwhatwasday.What I did know was thatmissing breakfast would berude.

Ceffwas a kingwhosejob required diplomacy. Heknewbetterthantoturndownan invitation to breakfast.AndwhileTornmaynotcare

as much for what my unclethought of his actions, I’dnever known the cat sidhelord to miss a free meal.Wheretheheckwerethey?

I was working throughmy third pancake, which I’dsmothered in what I hopedwereelderberries,whenIgotmyanswer.

Flavio strode into theroom, making a beeline formyuncle. I keptmy eyes onFlavio and Kade, as I

shoveledfoodintomymouth.It probably wasn’t behaviorbefitting a princess, but myuncle was right—I wasstarving. I’d also giveanything for a cup of coffee.My body had expended ahuge amount of energyyesterday that even a solidnight of sleep hadn’treplenished.

Kade frowned, and hiseyes flicked to mine beforesharingalookwithhisguard

captain. With a stiff nod,Flavio took a step back toresume his guard positionbehind my uncle’s chair—asmaller version of the thronethat sat on the dias at hisback. As if responding to anunknown signal, the wispsthat had been flitting aboutthebanquettableshotintothesurrounding cattails and tuftsofmarshgrass.

My uncle cleared histhroat, fixingmewitha stare

voidofemotion.Irecognizedthatlook.ItwasthesameoneI gave clients when I had totell them bad news. I slowlysetdownmyfork,aquiverinmy stomach replacing thehungerthathadoverwhelmedmeonlysecondsbefore.

“I have regrettablenews,” he said, a frownbeginning to mar theotherwiseimpenetrablemask.“Yourfriendsappear tobe…missing.”

“Missing?”Iasked.“When they repeatedly

didnotansweroursummons,Flavio forced their doorsopen,” he said. “He was…understandablyconcerned.”

I flicked my eyes toFlavio,andmybreathcaughtin my throat. His nostrilsflaredashewatchedmewitha feveredstare,aveinonhistemplethrobbingintimewithmyrapidlybeatingheart.Thelook of devotion that he’d

shown my uncle was nowreplacedbyrawhatred.

“Beware that one,”Skillywiddenwhispered.

Ididn’tneedthehearthbrownie’s warning. I had anaggingsuspicion thatFlaviohad been more concernedwith his job position thanwith my friends’ welfare. Inarrowed my eyes at Flaviobefore turning back to myuncle.

“What did he find?” Iasked.

“Their rooms wereempty,” Kade said. “Yourfriends and their belongingsweregone.Thebedshadnotbeensleptin.”

That meant that Ceffand Torn had been missingfor well over six hours. Myuncle had told me that I’dsleptfornearlyeighthours.Ifthis was a kidnapping, their

attackers could be long gonebynow.

“Was there any signofastruggle?”Iasked.

I tamped down myemotions, locking them deepinsidesothatIcouldfocusonthe facts of the case. Therewould be plenty of time fortears and raging later, butrightnow,Ihad to focus. I’dworkedmissingpersoncases.The first twenty four hourswerecrucial.

I heldonto the rulesofthe job, the familiar steps insolving a case. We’d handlethis carefully, methodically.I’d brought home peoplewho’d been missing longerthan twenty fourhours.Thenagain we were in Faerie.Wheneventhelocalplantlifewas more than happy tounburden you of your blood,you had to make everysecondcount.

“There was no sign ofstruggle,”Flaviosaid.

“Forced entry?” Iasked.

“No,”hesaid.“I need to see their

rooms,” I said, my chairscrapingthefloorasIpushedawayfromthetable.

“The rooms have beenexamined,” he said, faceflushingred.

“No offense, but I’dliketoseeformyself,”Isaid.

Flavio started to growllow in this throat, but Kaderaised a hand, cutting offFlavio’sprotest.

“Come, Iamsure thereis a reasonable explanationforallofthis,”hesaid.

Kade started to soothFlavio’s ego by braggingabouthowreliablehisguardswere, and how he was surethat his captain hadconducteda thorough search.Hewasabout to startonme,

but his words and placatinggestures were cut off asanother guard came runningintotheGreatHall.

“LordKade!”theguardshouted.IthinkhisnamewasMarcus, and he, like Flavio,was human size. And at themoment,hiseyeswerewide,and he held a sword in awhite knuckled grip. “Theadderstone…”

He gulped in air,gaspingforbreath.

“Yes?” Kade asked,eyebrowraised.

“The adder stone, mylord,it’sgone.”

Chapter31I didn’t need my P.I.

training to recognize theimplications of Ceff andTorn’s mysterious departureand the missing adder stone.Things didn’t look good, notgoodatall.

Flavio took athreatening step toward me,hand on his sword, and my

throwing knives hit mypalms.

“Halt!”Kadeordered.Flavio stopped, but his

lipsremainedpulledbackinasneer. Kade might have hisguardcaptainonashortleashfor now, but I didn’t doubtthatFlaviowouldstrikedownanyone he perceived as athreat to my uncle. Ceff andTornwere likely on that list,withme and Skilly firmly inthe maybe column. I needed

todiffusethesituation,buttodothat,Ineededfacts.

At least I had an ideaon how I could buy us sometime.

“Ceff invoked therulesof hospitality, and youaccepted your role as ourhost,” I said, keeping myvoice slow and a steady, andmy eyes locked on Kade.“You swore to keep us safe,and now my friends aremissing.”

My uncle had takenover leadership of the wispswhen my father fled Faerie.He was the one I had toconvince of Ceff and Torn’sinnocence, not Flavio. Wejust had to stay alive longenough to prove our case. Ifinvoking our rights as guestsgave us temporary amnesty,I’d take it, even ifmywordsdidmakemyuncle look likehe’dbittenintoasourlemon.

“My Lord, they camewithinourwallswithashowof false friendship,” Flaviosaid.“Idonottrustthem.Weshould imprison these twoand continue our search fortheothers.”

Somuchforamnesty.“Flavio, there is no

needtobehasty,”Kadesaid.“The princess does have apoint.Weagreed to the rulesof hospitality, therefore wemust investigate further

beforeassuming theworst. Ifan outside force has movedagainst our guests, I want toknowhowithappened.”

“Noonecanbreachthetunnels,”Flaviosaid.

“Then you will notmind if I make inquiriesabout last night’s security,”Kadesaid.

“No,ofcoursenot,MyLord,” he said, lowering hiseyes.

“I wish to speak withthesentinels,”Kadesaid.

A buzzing filled thecavern,and Ihad tograb thetable to remain standing.Wisps came flying in fromevery direction, like glowingbullets shot from the darktunnelsaboveourheads.

Sweat beaded on myforehead, and I took asteadyingbreath.Nowwouldbe a really bad time to passout. Flavio would probably

taketheopportunitytobundleme off to some sick roomwithbarsconvenientlyplacedatthedoors.

“Do ye think they didit?”Skillywiddenwhispered.

Icouldbarelyhearhimoverthebuzzingofthewisps.My uncle had unfurled hiswings, and was nodding hishead as the sentinels gavetheir report. His browfurrowed, and he looked likeanavengingangel.IwishedI

could hear what was beingsaid,butunderstandingwispsintheirsmallerformwasoneof many skills I had yet tolearn.

“No,Skilly,” I said. “Itwasn’tthem.”

“Well, I hope ye canconvinceyouruncleof that,”hesaid.

I nodded, andswallowedhard.Ididtoo.

At a curt nod frommyuncle, the wisp sentinels left

the room. I took a steadyingbreath, and liftedmy chin ashestrodebacktothetable.

“Shall I arrest her,MyLord?”Flavioasked.

Oberon’seyes,thatguywas as persistent as a pixierash.

“Look,we didn’t comehere to orchestrate someelaborate gem heist,” I said,lettingoutaheavysigh.“Myfriends are victims here, notcriminals.”

“Iwouldliketobelieveyou, Ivy, but my sentinelsinform me that your friendswere overheard discussingtheir desire to leave thisplace,” Kade said, lifting hishands up and letting themfall.

“That’s impossible,” Isaid. “They would never dosomethinglikethis.”

Well,Ithoughtbleakly,Torn would do somethinglike this.Thecat sidhe loved

a challenge, especially onethatinvolvedslinkingthroughthe shadows and a shinyreward,butIshookmyhead.No, Ceff would never haveletTorngetawaywithit,andhe certainly wouldn’t havejoined him in a hair brainedheist that would jeopardizemy chances of finding myfather.

“They were also seeneyeing the adder stone,” hesaid.

Crap, that much wastrue. Torn had looked at thatstone like it was catnip. Butthat didn’t mean he wasguilty.

“With all due respectuncle, we all eyed yourstone,”Isaid.“Youshowedifoff to us. What were wesupposedtodo,lookaway?”

“Aye,” Skillywiddensaid.“Shehasapoint.”

“They had the motive,means, and opportunity,”

Kade said. “Why should Ibelieve that they areinnocent?”

“They would neverleavemehere,”Isaid.

“Do not underestimatethe lureofwealth andpower—or of how far lust canmotivateaman,”hesaid.

There was somethingdangerous in his eyes, and Ipickedmywordscarefully.

“Have you ever lovedsomeone so completely that

you would do anything forthem?”Iasked.

I was taking a gamble.Many immortals fell out oftouch with their emotionsover the centuries. But I’dseen flashesofemotion frommyuncle,andIhopedthathewasn’tascoldheartedashe’dliketherestofustothink.

His mask slipped, andan ache entered his ambereyes,etchinghisfacewithanold,familiarpain.

“I loved someone likethatonce,longago,”hesaid.

“Ceff and I share thatkind of love,” I said. Hescowled, and I took a deepbreath. “He would never dothethingshe’sbeingaccusedof.Hewouldnever leavemehere alone in potentiallyhostileterritory.”

“Youarenotalone,”hesaid with a frown. “And Ihave no hostile intentionstowardyou.”

“No imprisonment?” Iasked.

“No,” he said. “I dobelievethatyouareinnocent,but I can’t say the same foryourmissingfriends.Thereistoo much evidence againstthem.”

“ButyoucanseewhyIcan’tgiveuponthem,right?”I asked. “I won’t stoplooking.”

“Yes, Iunderstand,”hesaid,lettingoutaheavysigh.

“The heart wants what theheartwants.But,Ivy?Donotwaste your life pining overwhatyoucannothave.”

IfCeffwas involved inthe crime, then he’d stolenmy heart, and the figurativeheartofmypeople,inonefellswoop.Ijustcouldn’tbelievethatwastrue.

“Iwill findmy friends,nomatterhowlongit takes,”I said.“Aquest for truth, forlove,thatisneverawaste.”

Kade shook his headandmuttered.

“Ah, the foolishness ofyouth.”

Chapter32My uncle’s words

followed me down the mazeofcorridors.HethoughtthatIwasnaïveandthatmysearchfor Ceff and Torn wasfoolish, because he believedthat they’d betrayed me andleftmeheretorot.Itookthatasasignofjusthowdifficulthis life had been over the

centuries, rather than wiseinsightintothesituation.

Sadly, my uncle wasolder and wiser about allthings wisp, a fact that henever let me forget. Back inHarborsmouth, I’d provenmyself. Heck, some evencalled me a hero. But fromthe moment my uncle and Imet, he treated me like achild.

He wasn’t about tolisten to my opinions about

what reallyhappened toCeffandTorn,becauseeverythingI said was tainted with whathe saw as the blindfoolishnessofyouth.Itdidn’thelp that he’d stumbled onmy first physicaltransformation, adevelopmentalmilestone thatmost wisp children reachedwhentheyweretoddlers.

I stomped away myfrustration, marching up anddown another series of

windowless corridors. If Icouldn’t convince my unclewith words, than I would doso by providing cold, hardfacts.

I needed to gatherenoughphysicalevidenceandeye witness statements toclearCeffandTorn’snames,and prove that my childishtheories were correct. OnlythenwouldIgainmyuncle’ssupport, and find a way torescue my friends from

whoever had stolen themfromtheirbeds.

But first, I had to findthose beds. I stopped andspun slowly on my heel,squinting at the stone wallsand lichen covered doors. Isighed,andranaglovedhandthroughmyhair.IwasprettysurethatIwaslost.

Oberon’s eyes, I wasgoing tostrangleMarcus.OnmywayoutoftheGreatHall,I’d asked Marcus for

directions. He might not beallwarmandfuzzy,butwhenthe choice was betweenaskingMarcus or Flavio, I’dpicktheformerinaheartbeat.

TherewasachancethatMarcus was just a guardfollowing orders, but Flaviowas another story. Heradiated pure hatred, andperhaps a little jealousy.Flavio was my uncle’sfavorite, a man who’dclimbed his way to the top

ranksoftheroyalguard,butIwas the long lost princess. Iwasfamily.Andasfarastheguardcaptainwasconcerned,I’d brought in two securitythreatswhohadscarperedoffwithhislord’scovetousadderstone—andonhiswatch.

NowonderFlaviohatedmyguts.

I considered retracingmystepsbacktoMarcus,butshook my head. I wouldn’tfind much help from the

guard.NotwhileIwasstillanunknown variable. For allthey knew, I was here toassassinatemyuncleandtakeover the throne. The theft ofthe adder stone could just bea distraction.Damn, if Iwasintheirposition,I’dprobablylock me in my fancy roomandthrowawaythekey.

Now thatwas a cheerythought.

I continued to the endof the corridor where the

tunnels branched off in bothdirections.Idraggedmyknifeagainstthecornertomyright,scraping away an inch oflichen,andfollowedtherighthandtunnel.Ipassedeighteendoors before the corridorturneda corner that ended ina bench filled alcove. Thiswayhadbeenadeadend.

I sighed, and retracedmy steps back to theintersection of tunnels, butwhen I reached the corner

where I’d left my mark, thelichen was undisturbed. Ikicked the wall, painradiating up my leg.Sometimes pain helps mefocus, gives me clarity, andallows me to push awaydistractions.Butrightnow,itwasn’thelping.

Ceff and Torn weregone,andinsteadoftryingtohelp them, my uncle’s menwereonamanhuntthatmightresult in their deaths. Up

against elite guards whodefended their home turf, Iwasn’tsosureifIwantedmyfriends tobe found. I neededto know that theywere safe,that they were alive, but ifthey were out thereimprisoned or running fromkidnappers, they’d behemmedinonbothsidesandfightingonunfamiliarterrain.Terrain that itself couldbecometheenemy.

I recalled the bog withits pitfalls and poisonousgasses, and traitorous tearsfilledmyeyes.

“Please be okay,” Iwhispered.“Please.”

“Whoyebetalkin’to?”Skillywiddenasked.

Ispun,knifeinhand,tosee the brownie a few yardsaway.HewasstandinginthecorridorI’dcomefromafewminutes ago. Iwiped an armacrossmyface,andsighed.

“Didyoufollowme?”Iasked.

“Nothin’ else to do inthis place,” he said with ashrug. “Kitchen hearth isclean, and they won’t becookin’againforhours.”

Skillywiddenhadaskedtomanthehearth,ratherthansleep in one of the guestrooms. It might be the onlythingthathadsavedhimfromthesamefateasourfriends.Isuppose I should be thankful

thatmyunclehadputmeupin the royal guest suite, butright now I’d rather be in aprison cell if it meant beingreunitedwithCeff.

“Any idea how to findtheguestquarters?”Iasked.

“Is me nameSkillywidden?”heasked.

I didn’t remind thebrownie that we’d onlyrecently met, and he couldhavegivenusthenameofthebrand of toothpaste he used.

Pureblood fae couldn’t tell abald-facedlie,buttheyfoundcreativewaystotellthetruth.Then again, if his teethwereany indicator, Skillywiddenprobably wasn’t the name oftoothpaste.

“Leadtheway,”Isaid.I followed the brownie

down a maze of corridors,finally stepping into thetunnel that led to the guestquarters. Unfortunately, weweren’ttheonlyones.

Two guards stood withtheir backs to a set of doorsdirectly across from oneanother.

“Are those the roomsthat Ceff and Torn stayedin?”Iasked.

“Aye,” Skillywiddensaid. “This is where I sawthemlast,beforebeingledtothekitchens.”

Bothguards stoodoversix feet tall, wore amberarmor, and golden swords

hung on each hip. Judgingfrom their rigid stance, theywere there toguard theguestrooms. Could this get anyworse?

One of the guardsturnedandglaredatme,andIsighed. Oh yeah, it wasworse. The guard blockingthe room on the right wasFlavio.

“Looks like they don’tbe wantin’ anyone in thoserooms,”Skillywiddensaid.

“Think they’llmake anexceptionfortheprincess?”Iasked.

He shrugged, but hisexpression said, “Not bloodylikely.”Irolledmyshoulders,forced a smile on my face,andstrodedownthehall.

*****

“What do you mean, I

can’texaminetheirrooms?”Iasked,voicerising.

This wasn’t the firsttime I’d asked the question,andmypatiencewaswearingthin. The guard on the leftcontinued to ignore me,keeping his amber eyesfacingstraightahead.Finally,it was Flavio who broke thetensionfilledsilence.

“I recommended tomyliege that we keep the guestquarters secured until wecomplete our investigation,”

he said with a sneer. “LordKadeagreed.”

He looked down hisnoseatme,eyesgleaming inamusement. My hands fistedat my sides—I’d had theforesight to put away myblades before antagonizingthe royal guard—and Igroundmy teeth. Itwas all Icoulddotokeepfromwipingthat smug expression off hisface,butIknewIwasbeaten.

Flavio had Kade’sapproval. If I tried to forcemyway inside now, I’d faceimprisonment or death.Judging from thewayFlaviofondled his sword, he’d likenothingbetter thananexcuseto stabme through the heart.Myunclemightnotlikethat,butFlaviowouldprobablybeforgiven in time—and timewas something the immortalguardcaptainhadinspades.

“Fine, but this isn’tover,” I said, biting out thewords. “I am the princess. Iam the daughter of Will-o-the-Wisp.AndIwon’t forgetthis.”

The guard across fromFlavio blanched. Good toknow someone hereunderstood the potentialrepercussions of pissing meoff. I’d rejected the idea ofbeingamemberofroyalty—Iwasnofragile flower—but if

acceptingmypositionhelpedme savemy friends, then I’dbecome the best damnprincess that Faerie had everseen.

Chapter33“So, you wish to train

with me?” Kade asked, atentative smile on his lips.“Why?”

I’d had plenty of timeto think over my answer onthe long walk back to theGreatHall.Skillywiddenhada better sense of directionthanIdidinthisundergroundpalace, but we’d taken a

wrongturnatsomepointandI’d be damned if webacktracked past Flavio’ssmugface.

In addition toimproving my position herewithin the wisp court bylearning the ropes of actinglikeaprincess,Ialsorealizedthat I had an opportunity tolearn to control my wisppowers. I’d nearly stumbledfacefirstintoawallwhentheideafirsthitme.

I’d been grumblingover the fact that the onlymembers of the wisp courtthatIcouldquestionwerethehuman size wisps.Unfortunately, that left myuncle, and a handful of hiselite guards—guards whowere led by Flavio. I didn’tthinkI’dgetmuchhelpthere.ThatwaswhenIrememberedthe cacophony of voices thathadfilledmyheadinthebog.My uncle had said that the

psychic connection with mypeoplewasamplifiedthroughmy wings, and that withtraining,I’dbeabletocontrolthose voices inmy head. Healsosaidthatthemembersofour royal family line couldcommunicatewiththesmallerwisps; it was one of thethingsthatmadeusfittorule.Itwasn’t thatmuchofa leapto assume that my unclecould provide that training,giving me the ability to

question the rest of thecourt’s staff about the nightthat Ceff and Torndisappeared.

Not tomention thefactthat gaining control over mywisp powers would give methechancetoprovemyselftothe Unseelie Court. I’d beendeemed a traitor back in thehuman world, because mylackofcontrol threatenedthesecretofourexistence.ButifI learned how to control my

powers, and how to create aglamour, I might finally getthesidheassassinsoffmytail—andbeabletoreturntomylifeinHarborsmouth.

There were a lot of ifsinmyplan,but Ihad tostartsomewhere.First,Ineededtoconvincemyuncletogivemethe training that I’d neverreceivedfrommyfather.

“Like I said before, Idon’t have any interest inusurping your position,

uncle,” I said. “But while Iamhere,I’dliketomakeyouproud. I keep makingmistakes—blunders that aprincess shouldn’t make—because I was never taughtourways.”

“Youwish to staywithme?” he asked, leaningcloser. “You do realize thattrainingtakestime.”

“I understand,” I said.“I have no intentions ofleaving until I find my

friends,andeventhen,itwillbe unsafe to return to thehuman world until I’velearned to control mypowers.”

“Why would it beunsafenow?”heasked,tiltinghis head to the side. “Youhavesurvivedthislonginthehuman world, a land withfewerperilsthanthisone.”

“Because my powerscontinue to awaken, andbecause…I don’t know how

to create a glamour,” I said.“I can’t hide within thehumanworld, andmymagicisn’tstrongenoughtosurvivelonginFaerieonmyown.”

Oneofguards standingbehindmy uncle’s throne letout agasp.There Igoagain,scandalizingthelocals.

My uncle leanedforward,eyesglowingfaintlyinthemoonlitcavern.

“IfIagreetotrainyou,then you must promise to

practice your magic everyday,nomatterhowdifficultitbecomesforyoutodoso,”hesaid. “And mark my words,mydear,itwillbecomevery,very difficult. You havedecades upon decades tomake up for. Working faemagicwillbelikesettingfireto your veins. It will changeyou, take back what yourfather’s sorcery has stolen,and remake you into thewomanyouweremeanttobe

at your birth. Are youpreparedandwillingtomakethisbargain?”

I nodded, and I foughttheweight thatsettledonmyshoulders and stole awaymybreath. I’d agreed to hisbargain. Now it was time tolearn some magic and savemyfriends.

“Bringiton.”

Chapter34Pain seared my flesh,

crawledbeneathmyskin,andcrushed my bones to dust.Holding onto fae magic waslike biting down on a livewirewhileskinnydipping.

I’d agreed to do thiseveryday.What thehellwasIthinking?

“If you wish tocommunicate with the

members of our court, youwillneed todobetter,”Kadesaid through the roaring inmy head. “You haven’tfollowedanyofthedirectivesIspoke intoyourmindwhilein my other form, and youlook like a constipatedbugbear.”

“Screw…you,” Iground out through clenchedteeth.

Afamiliarcopperytastefilledmymouth, and I knew

that either my nose wasbleeding, or I’d bit mytongue.Again. Trainingwithmy uncle was grueling,painstaking work. But I’dnever been one to shirk myduties. I’d promised topractice my magic daily.More importantly, I’d swornto find answers to whathappenedtomyfriends.

It had been over twoweeks and there was still noword from Ceff or Torn.

Flavio and the royal guardhad scoured the undergroundpalace and the surroundingbog above, but had foundnosign ofmy friends. The onlypositives were that theyhadn’tfoundanydeadbodies,and Flavio was sweating notbringing in the men hebelievedwerethieves.

I wasn’t the only onewho resembled a constipatedbugbear.

“Now if only youwould sendyour insultswithyourmind,Imightbeabletopermit such languageunbecoming of a princess,”he said. “That will be anadditional hour of historylessons. Would you like metoaddmore?I’msureMarcuswould be happy to tradeguarddutyformoretimewithhisfavoritestudent.”

Marcus, a member oftheguardandoneofFlavio’s

lackeys, would probablyrather pull out his owntoenails than spend anotherhour with me. That factalmost made my historylessons bearable. Too badMarcus had managed todrone on for hours withoutever sharing anything usefulabout wisp history. I’dprobablydieofoldagebeforehe ever started talking aboutmy father’s reign, and thatwassayingalotconsideringI

was half fae. With immortalblood running through myveins,who knew how long Imightlive?

Kaye had guessedcenturies,afactthathadbeena relief to me and to Ceff.We’d had our entire longlivesaheadofus,andnowhewasgone.

I dug gloved fingersintomytemples,andfocusedon thebuzzing that filledmyhead. Today, as soon as I’d

managed thearduousprocessof unfurling my wings, myunclehadfilledtheroomwithwisps.He’dalsoshrunkdowntoaglowingballoflight,andset about giving me orders.But all I could hear was theconstant buzzing inmy skulland the rapid beating of myheart.

Iwassurprised that thewisp voices hadn’t managedto shake all my teeth loose.

Then again, I did have amouthfulofblood.

“Enough,” Kade said.“Put your wings away, andattend to your other studies.We are done with magic fortheday.”

My stomach churned,butIliftedmychin.

“No,” I said. I spitbloodonthefloor,andtookaraggedbreath.“Again.”

“You remind me somuch of her when you get

likethis,”hesaid.I’d become used to his

odd comments. I was prettysure that the mystery lady Iremindedhimofwashis lostlove, not that he’d ever openupand talk abouther. ItwasjustafeelingIgotsometimeswhen he looked at me. Inthose moments, it wasobvioushedidn’tseemeasaniece. That was enough tomake me want to runscreaming, but I ground my

teeth and growled at himinstead.

“Again.”

Chapter35I hung my head over

the toilet, and vomited moreblood.Today,aftersixweeksoftraining,I’dfinallymadeabreakthrough.I’dbeenabletohearmy uncle’s voice inmyhead.

I hadn’t been able tofilter out the other voiceswhen he’d brought the otherwisps into the room, but I

knewthatwithmorepractice,I’dfinallybeabletoquestionthewispsaboutthenightCeffandTorndisappeared.

Ceff. Oberon’s eyes, Imissed him. Still no wordfrom Ceff or Torn, but nocorpses either. So long astheyremainedunfound, therewas still hope that theywerealive.

I had brought themhere, and I would fix this. Ijust needed to push myself

harder. I could do that, assoonasIstoppedpuking.

“Areyesuretheyreallybe out there, princess?”Skillywiddenasked.

He’d become my post-training shadow. He fussedover me like a mother hen,bringing me food from thekitchen tomakesure Ididn’tforgettoeat—notthatIcouldstomach much these days. Itwas like he was channelingJinx.

A tear ran down myface, and I struggled tobreath. I hadn’t told JinxaboutwhereIwasgoing,andIhadnoideahowmuchtimehad passed in the humanworld.IcouldonlyhopethatForneus had lived up to hisend of the bargain, and waskeepinghersafe.

“They’re out there,Skilly,” I said. “And Iwon’tgive up on my friends, notanyofthem.”

“But this magic,” hesaid, wringing his hands. “Itbekillin’ye.”

I vomited up moreblood. Skillywidden had apoint.But I’d rather die thanfail my friends. And rightnow, faemagicwasmy bestshotatfixingthismess.

“I need my magic tofindCeffandTorn,”Isaid.

Isatbackonmyheels,andtiltedmyheadtowardtheceiling. I couldn’t face

Skillywidden’s concernedface right now. If I did, Imightcrumble.

“Then will ye at leastgetsomerest?”heasked.“Yehaven’tsleptfordays.”

I blinked at the feylanternoverhead.

“I’ll rest when we’vefoundour friendsandproventheirinnocence,”Isaid.

I pulled myself to myfeet,andstrodebackintomy

room.Icrossedthefloor,andpulledopenthedoor.

“Tell Kade I’m readyfor more training,” I said,barking out an order to thenearestguard.

“But, Princess,”Skillywiddensaid.

I turned around towhere the brownie stood inthe center of the room,beneath the glowing ceilingofstars.

“I can’t rest knowingthat they might be out theresomewhere,suffering,”Isaid.

“If they be suffering,lass…” Skillywidden said,followingatmyheels.

I grabbed my things,and limped out into thecorridor.

“…they’re not the onlyones.”

Chapter36“You’ve made

remarkable progress, mydear,”Kadesaid.

Helickedhislipsashiseyes traveled over my chest,andIswallowedhard.Hewasin one of his odd moods,makingfrequentreferencestohow I resembled somewoman from his past, andlooking at me like I was an

ice cream cone. I wouldn’thave liked the attention fromanyman,but the fact thathewasmyunclemademewanttogag.

“I am my father’sdaughter,” I said, remindinghim of our familialconnection. “Magic seems torunstronginourfamily.”

He blinked, and took astep away. I relaxed and letout the breath I’d been

holding. My congenial unclewasback.

He’dbeenhavingthesespellsmoreoftenlately.Iranajerkyhandthroughmyhair,casting a sideways glance atmyuncle.

I’d seen this kind ofbehaviorbefore inother longlived fae. Melusine and herjealous preoccupation withCeff. Leanansídhe and hertwisted love for a man longdead.ManannánmacLirand

the centuries of self inflictedtorment over the guilt of hislostlove.Thecommonthreadwas blind obsession withsomething, or someone, thatthey’dlost.

There was a price forimmortality. For some fae,thecostwastheirsanity.

“Yes, our family’smagic is indeed strong, butyou have had much toovercome,”hesaid.Helickedhis lips, an eager, feverish

gleam returning to his eyes.“You are a fighter, just likeher.”

Damn, that didn’t lastlong.

“I had to fight throughyour brother’s, magic, true,but that just means I’mstubborn,”Isaid.

Itookaslowstepaway,sidestepping his hand as hereached for me. I kept myeyes on Kade, and tried totalk him down. I’d come to

care for my uncle.We livedtogether, took our mealstogether, and he made timeforme each day to teachmemore about my wisp magic.InCeffandTorn’scontinuedabsence, and with Jinx andmy other friends back inHarborsmouth, I’d begun torely more and more on bothSkilly and Kade’s solidpresence. We’d grown tobecome more than friends—wewereafamily.

I justwished thatKadewouldstoplookingatmelikehewantedtogetinmypants.

“My brother?” heasked, lipscurlinginasneer.“Youwillalwayschoosehimover me, won’t you? Nomatterhowmuch I loveyou,it will always be him. It hasalways been Liam. Always.Always.Always!”

Igrimaced,abittertasterising inmy throat. I’d cometo hate this dance, tiptoeing

along the brink with a manI’dcometoloveandrespect.I could leave, of course, butthat would mean turning mybackonmorethanmyuncle.I’d be abandoning Ceff andTornaswell.

I’d dealt with enoughabandonment inmy life—myfather walking away withoutatracebeingapivotalpartofmy childhood, even if it didtakemeyearstounlockthosepainful memories—and I

wasn’t about to become thekind of person who leftpeople behind just becausethings got difficult. No, Iwasn’t ready to leave, and Iwasn’t about to give up onmy uncle. His mentalinstability was a symptom,notareasontowalkaway,orto kill him like I hadMelusine and Leanansídhe.Notyet.

There was also thenagging fear that these bouts

of psychosis were partly myfault.Myunclehadagreedtoteachmewispmagic,butthatcontinued use of power haditsownprice.I’dbeguntoseechanges in me. Would it besucha stretch to imagineourtraining was fueling Kade’soddbehavior?

“Let’sgogetsomethingto eat, uncle,” I said. “I’msure the kitchen has dinnerwaitingforusbynow.”

“What?”heasked.

Hestoodthereblinking,looking like a lost child. Iwantedsobadlytogotohim,toputanarmaroundhimandtell him that everything wasokaynow.But I hadno ideaif embracinghimwould spuranother bout of crazy, andtouching Kade was not anoption. I never wanted toexperience the loss of thewoman he loved through hiseyes. It was bad enough

seeing the way it hauntedhim.

“We were discussingdinner,” I said, forcing asmile.

“Werewe?”heasked.“IknowI’mstarving,”I

said.“Yes,youareright,”he

said. “Enoughmagic for oneday.”

“Comeon,”Isaid.“Wecan see what the kitchen’s

cooked up. Maybe they’llhavepancakes.”

It had become a jokebetween me and Kade andSkillywidden. Apparently,my initial reaction to thepalace’s pancakes—smothering them in fruit andshovingtheminmyfacetwoat a time—had inspired thecooktoaddthemtothemenuforeverymeal.Pancakes;it’swhat’s for breakfast, andlunch,anddinner.

“Ihungerformorethanpancakes,”hesaid.

Achillranupmyspine,and I swallowed hard, nolonger in the mood forpancakes or any other food.I’dlostmyappetite.

Chapter37“Letme inside,” Isaid,

looking down my nose atFlavio.

Itwasn’teasy.Themanhad at least four inches onme, and thatwasn’t countingthewings.Ihadwingstoo,ofcourse, but they were safelytucked away. I’d madeprogress with my wisppowers, but I still hadn’t

mastered blocking out thevoices of the wisps aroundme.Icouldhandleafewatatime,butnotacrowd.

And right now,wehadanaudience.

Kade had declaredtoday was the day that hisguardsmust unseal the guestchambers, and allow me tosnooparoundforclues.Theirinvestigation had taken longenough. To say that Flaviowas unhappy about that

decision was anunderstatement.

ButFlaviowasloyaltoKade.Hewouldn’tgoagainsthis orders. That didn’t meanhe’dmakethiseasy.

The corridor was filledwith the floating glowingorbs of wisps hoping for afight. Flavio wanted one too—Icouldseeitinhiseyes—whichiswhyIwouldn’tgivehimone.

“LordKadehasorderedforthesedoorstobeopened,”I said. “Are you defying adirectorder?”

“He ordered theseroomstobeunsealed,”Flaviosaid, lips curling in a sneer.“MyLordsaidnothingaboutopeningthedoors.”

“Fine,” I said. “I’llopenthemmyself.”

I pulled out one ofmythrowing knives, and Flaviolicked his lips, his eyes

beginning to glow. I rolledmy eyes, and turned to theoppositedoor.Iusedtheironand silver blade to cutthrough the magic ward thatcrossed the door like policetape. I could almost hearFlavio’s teeth grinding fromacrossthenarrowcorridor.

My skin itched havinghim atmy back, but I didn’tkeepawaryeyeonhimovermyshoulder. Iwouldn’tgivehim the satisfaction. It’s not

likehecouldstabmeinbackwith a corridor full ofwitnesses. He knew it and Iknew it. His little stunt oforchestrating a public fighthadbackfired.

I smiled, and reachedforthedoorknobwithglovedhands. I’d touch theknob, tocheck it for visions, later,once I’d searched the roomfor traps. I wouldn’t putanything past Flavio and his

lackeys. My smiled slippedwhentheknobdidn’tturn.

“Having a problem,princess?” Flavio asked, ashiteatinggrinonhisface.

Bastard.“Nope,” I said, pulling

arolloffabricfromtheinsidepocket of my leather jacket.“Noproblematall.”

My uncle had tried forweekstogetmetodress likea proper princess, but I’dargued that any clothing he

gave me was likely to causeme painful visions, and he’dfinally given up. I wasespecially glad of that now.My jacket and utility belt oftricks and weapons wouldhave looked awfully sillywornoveraspidersilkdress.

I unrolled the fabric,spreaditonthefloorbeneaththe doorknob, and drew twolockpicks.

“What are you doing?”Flavioasked,voicenolonger

sosmug.“My job,” I said,

inserting anL-shaped torsionwrench into the lock.“You’dbesurprisedhowoftenIneedto pick a lock in my line ofwork.”

I applied tension to thelock cylinder, stoppingwhenthecylinder turneda fractionofaninchcounterclockwise.Iapplied gentle torque to thewrench, and held it in placewith my left hand. With my

right, I inserted a hook pickjustabovethetorsionwrench.Working back to front, Ipressed up with the pick,feelingeachofthethreepins.Starting with the pin whichoffered themost resistance, Ipressed the pick upwardsettingthepin.Irepeatedtheprocedure, continuing withthefinaltwopins.Iremovedthe pick and turned thetorsion wrenchcounterclockwise,holdingmy

breath.The lockclicked, andIturnedtheknob.Iwasin.

This was it. I’d spentendless sleepless nightsworrying aboutwhat Imightfind behind these doors.Would there be blood? HadCeff or Torn left me somekind of message, a clue topointmeintheirdirection,orthe direction of theirkidnappers?

With shaking hands, Ipackedawaymylockpicks.I

took a ragged breath, stood,andpushedthedooropen.

It was a guest room,less opulent than the royalquarters I’d been given, butnicerthanyouraveragehotel.Therewasaqueensizebed,achest of drawers, and astandingcloset—anarmoireIthink they call them—butnothing overtly out of place.No torn fabrics. No knockedoverfurniture.Noblood.

I was glad of the last,though blood would havegiven me a clear connectiontomyfriends.I’djusthavetofind another way to exploitthememoriesinthisroom.

I spun in a slow circle,examining the layout of theroom,imaginingwhereeitherCeff or Torn might havestood. It was then that Irealized that none of theirbelongingswerehere.Iknewthattheguard’sinitialreports

stated that the beds didn’tappear slept in, but I’dassumed that my friends hadatleasthadtimetodroptheirbags, strip off their outergear, perhaps even take offtheirboots.

I went to the nearestpieceoffurniture,thebureau,andstartedopeningdrawers.Ilookedinside,evengivingthedrawers a sideways glancethat would pierce throughglamour. I ran my gloved

hands along the top, bottomand sides of each drawer. Iknocked on the wood,searching for hiddencompartments. Next, I gotdown on all fours, andsearched beneath both thebureauandthebed.

Nothing. Not a singlerug fiber out of a place. Notonedamnclue.

“That’sagoodlookforyou, Princess,” Flavio said,his voice coming from

outsidethedoor.“Youshouldspend more time on yourknees.”

“Classy,Flavio,”Isaid,leaning back to sit on myheels, and shoot a glare overmy shoulder. “I’llmake suretopassyoursuggestionalongtoKade.”

That shut him up.Flavio’s lipspressed togetherinahardline,andtheveinonhisforeheadstartedtothrob.

I turned back to theroom, and sighed. I wasn’tfindinganyclues.Itwastimetogetoutthebigguns.

I slid off my glove,took a shaky breath, andreached for the top edge ofthebureau.Itwasthetypeofspot a weary traveler wouldrest their hands.Unfortunately for me, Ceffand Torn weren’t the wispcourt’s firstguests.Hundredsif not thousands of fae had

passed through these rooms.Itwas likely that I’d have tosuffer through hours ofvisions just to find a singleoneinvolvingmyfriends.

Ohwell, I was alreadyon the floor. Iwouldn’t havefar to fall if thevisionswerebad.

My fingersbrushed thecoolsurfaceofthewood,andI closed my eyes. I wasprepared for a psychicassault, but nothing

happened.Ifrowned,andslidmy hand further along theedge of the bureau. Onceagain there was nothing, notso much as a psychicwhisper.

I opened my eyes, andtilted my head. Somethingwasn’t right here. Had thebureau been a newacquisition just prior to ourarrival? I rolled to my feet,and strode to the fey lanternbeside the bed. I touched the

purple orb, but again,nothing.

Next, I ran my handsacrossthebed,thecomforter,and the stacks of silkenpillows. Heart racing, Imovedtothewalls,thefloor,every fixture. The worldaround me remained thesame.Nothinghappened.Notonepsychicvision.

I bit the inside of mycheek, and tried to think.Either nothing extremely

good or bad had everhappened here to warrant apsychic impression, or thisentire room had been wipedclean.

The scope of that wasoverwhelming. It wasn’t likescrubbing a room offingerprints.Theonlyway toremove psychic impressionswas to remove the verysurfacesof theroomitself.IfI was right, then Flavio and

his men had taken theseroomsapartpiecebypiece.

If that was true, I’dreturnthefavor,startingwithFlavio’sprettyface.

Chapter38As I suspected, the

second guest room was asdevoid of clues as the first.Someonehadgonetoalotoftrouble to keep the truth ofwhat happened to Ceff andTorn from me. I just had toprovewhoandwhy.

I figured my bestchance of getting thoseanswers was by questioning

theotherpalaceresidents.I’dalready interrogated thehuman size members of thepalace guard. That left therest of the guards, staff, andtheir families. It was a hugetask,mademoredauntingbythe fact that speaking to thetiny glowing balls of lightrequired wisp magic that Iwas only beginning tocontrol. It sapped mystrength, made my nose

bleed, and left me with onehellofheadache.

Good thing I wasn’t adelicatelittleflower.

I methodicallyquestioned every member ofthepalacestaff.Thesentinelswere more difficult to trackdown, but eventually, Iinterrogated them as well.Head spinning, I returned tomy room, and fell face firstontomybed.

“Yelooklikeyeshouldbe pushin’ up daisies,” avoicesaid.“Itakeityedidnafind the answer ye werelookingfor?”

I couldn’t roll over, orI’dcrushmywings,andIwastoo tired to fold them away.Thankfully, I recognized thevoice. It was Skillywidden,and the brownie posed athreat to nothing except mypatience.

“No,” I mumbled intothepillows.“Notyet.”

“Maybe ye shouldaccept that theybegone,”hesaid.

“No,”Isaid.“Ican’tdothat.”

“Do ye think they’dwantthisforye?”heasked.

“I won’t give up onthem, Skilly,” I said. “Justlike they’d never give up onfinding me. And…I know

they’re out there. I can feelit.”

“I hope ye be right,lass,”hesaid.

“Metoo,Skilly,”Isaid,tootiredfortears.“Metoo.”

Chapter39“I need to leave the

palace,”Isaid.“No,”Kade said. “You

arenotready.”“Thenmakemeready,”

Isaid.“It isnot thateasy,”he

said. “Offensive magic willtaketime.”

“I’m done waiting,” Isaid, shakingmy head. “I’ve

scoured every inch of thepalace for clues. I’vesearched every tunnel, andquestioned every member ofyour staff. I need to expandmysearch.”

“Pleasedonotdothis,”he said. His shouldersdrooped, and the powerful,majestic wisp lordevaporated, leaving a griefstricken old man. “I cannotlose you, notwhen I’ve onlyjustfoundyouagain.”

I wasn’t sure if hemeantme—hisniece—or thewoman that he sometimesconfused me with. Eitherway,Iwasgoing.

“I’llcomeback,”Isaid.“Butfirst,Ineedtodothis.”

I had no leads, no ideaof where to start searching.We both knew this, but henodded.

“Will you promise toreturntome?”heasked.

His eyes had gonewatery,andIlookedaway.

“Ipromise,”Isaid.“You’ll come back and

continue your training?” heasked.

“Yes,”Isaid.“Thengo,”hesaid.“Thank you, uncle,” I

said.“Safe travels, my

dearestone,”hesaid.“Don’tworry,uncle,” I

said, forcing a smile. “I’ll be

homefordinner.”

Chapter40I kept my promise. I

madeithomefordinner, justnot thatday.Orthedayafterthat.

Searchingtheboglandswas arduous work. I trudgedthrough mud that threatenedto swallowmewhole, foughtmosquitoes the size ofpterodactyls, and escaped a

horde of hobgoblins by theedgeofmyteeth.

And that was just aperimeter search. I couldn’tpushanydeeper into thebogdue to the low lying fog ofpoisonous gasses, and I stillhad no idea which route myfriends’assailantshadtaken.

Icamebackcovered inmud and sweat. I staggeredinto the Great Hall,unwrapped the fabric I’dwound around my face, and

shed mud onto the gleamingfloor beneath my uncle’sthrone.

He was sitting there,eyes wide, mouth moving,but making no sound. He’dbeen watching the wisps setthe banquet table beside thepool of water where we ateourmealswhenI’dsorudelyinterrupted. I guess I lookedasbadasIfelt.

“Teach me how to usemy wings,” I said without

preamble.No sense letting my

uncle regain his balance. Ineeded him to teach me tofly,andIwouldn’ttakenoforan answer. It took Kade aminute to pull himselftogether, but eventually hisuntouchable mask slid intoplace.

“Thenyouare ready toaccept who you are?” heasked.

“No, not really, but Ineed to widenmy search,” Isaid.

“You wish to fly,” hesaid.

“Yes,andIwantyoutoteachme,”Isaid.

“I will teach you,” hesaidwithanod.“Butfirstyoumustlearntocontrolfire.Itisthe elemental power that allwispsmustconquer.”

“WhydoIhavetolearnto control fire?” I asked. “I

wanttolearntofly.”“And what will be the

first thing you do whenyou’vemasteredthatability?”heasked.

“I’llgolookingforCeffandTorn,”Isaid.“I’llbeableto fly above the poisonousfog.”

Itwouldalsogivemeastrategic view of the land.That might help me unravelthe secret of where thekidnappers had taken my

friends. Oberon’s eyes, Iwanted to fly so bad I couldtasteit.

“Exactly,” he said,looking satisfied. “You willtake wing over Nithsdale, adangerous place whether intheairorontheground.”

“Yes,”Isaid.“ThatiswhyIinsiston

teaching you the magic youwill need to survive flyingthrough the skies of Faerie,”he said. “You will learn to

control fire, an element thatcanbemolded to ourwill aseither offensive or defensivemagic.”

“Fine,” I said. “Whendowestart?”

“Tomorrow,” he said.“Nowgoeatyourdinner.”

I raised an eyebrow athim, causing evenmoremudto flake off and fall to thefloor.

“Come,” he said,stepping down from his

throne, and walking towardthe banquet table. “Cookmadeyour favorite;pancakeswithberryjam.”

I shook my head, butfollowed my uncle to thetable. For days, I’d beentrudgingthroughmuck,livingon rations of dried fruit andjerky. Who was I to arguewithpancakes?

Chapter41Fire is a surprisingly

diverse element. I tried toremind Skillywidden of thatfact while he scowled at meand slapped embers from hispants.

“Ye nearly set me onfire!”heyelled.

“Iwas practicing usingglamour,” I said. “I guess Igotdistracted.”

“Distracted?”he asked.“Doyeknowhowharditistosetfiretoahearthbrownie?”

Cometothinkofit,I’dnever seenHobwith a burn,nomatterhowmanytimesheflitinandoutofthefireladenhearth in Kaye’s spellkitchen.Mychesttightenedatthe thought of my friendsbackhome,butIshookitoff.I needed to focus.Daydreaming iswhat gotme

into this mess in the firstplace.

“I’m sorry, Skilly,” Isaid. “My mind wasn’t onpracticing.”

“Ye were thinkin’ ofthem again, weren’t ye?” hesaid,facesoftening.

“Yeah,” I said,slouchingonthebenchwhereI sat. “Sometimes I get sofrustrated.Iknowthey’reoutthere,butIcan’tfindthem.Ijustfeelsohelpless.”

“Well, next time yefeelin’ frustrated, don’tpracticeonol’Skillywidden,”hesaid.

“Deal,”Isaid.“Sowhatyeplannin’to

donow?”heasked.“Want to see my

glamour?”Iasked.“Aye, if ye can do it

without settin’ yer hair onfire,”hesaid.

“Thatwaslastweek,”Isaid.“I’vebeenpracticing.”

“Icanseethat,”hesaidsarcastically, casting apointed look at hissmolderingtrousers.

“I’mbetteratfireballs,”Isaidwithashrug.

“That ye are, lass,” hesaid.

Not surprisingly, I wasbetteratfireballsandblastsofheat thanthemoresubtleuseofmywispmagic. I’d takento the larger offensive spellsrightaway,buttheytendedto

leave me weak anddefenseless. That was whymyunclehadinsistedonalsoteaching me the moredefensivesideoffiremagic.

Fireballs and glamourwereallpartofthesameskill,atleastthat’swhatKadesaid.I tried to recall my uncle’swords as I prepared to workmyglamour.

Youknowhowtheareaabove an open flameshimmers, distorting what

you see beyond it?Take thatandfolditaroundyou.Useitto change what the worldoutsidesees.

That was easy for himto say. My uncle had beenusing his wisp magic forcenturies.

I breathed in throughmynose,andexhaledslowly.Ipulledmymagicfromdeepinsideofme,reachingforthefire that could burn orconceal.Today,Iwanteditto

conceal, which made themagic slippery. The fire slidthrough my fingers twicebefore I managed to grasphold and bend it around mybody.

“Sweet Maeve,”Skillywidden said, suckingair through his teeth. “Whydidyepickthatform?”

“Whatdoyoumean?”Iasked.“It’shumanisn’tit?”

The upside of learningto create a concealing

glamourwas that I’d be ableto safely walk the streetswhen I returned toHarborsmouth—at least onceI’d proven the skill to theUnseelieCourt.ButinFaeriea human wasn’t a gooddefensive glamour. Most ofthe fae in the Nithsdale bogwouldseeahumanandthinkIwasdinner,somyunclehadinsisted I learn to concealmyselfasafrog.

ThatmeantthatIhadtopractice my humanconcealment on the side.Judging from Skilly’s face, Ihadn’tdoneagoodjobofit.

“Did I confuse themagain?” I asked. “Am I afrog?”

“No,lass,”hesaid,facepale.“Notafrog.”

“Then what do I looklike?”Iasked.

“Like theQueenofAirand Darkness herself,” he

said.“I look like Mab?” I

squeaked, eyes dartingaroundtheroom.

I knew she couldn’thearme.Thefaeriekingsandqueens had fled Faeriecenturies ago. But Mab wasthe bogeyman in the closet,the monster hiding underyour bed. She didn’t exactlyinstillrationalthought.

I dropped the glamour,andbitmylip.

“Iguess Ineed tokeeptrying,”Isaid.

“Aye,” Skillywiddensaid,noddingslowly.

Heck, maybe I shouldstickwithamphibians.Afrogglamourwaslesslikelytogetme executed forimpersonating the Unseeliequeen.

Leaveittometofindaway to make safe, defensivemagic potentially lifethreatening.

Chapter42Learning to fly wasn’t

as fun as I thought.Considering that I wasexpecting long hours ofagonizing pain—that wassayingsomething.

Kade made me rundrills of unfurling andretracting my wings forhours.WhenIwasslickwithcold,sicklysweat,hehadme

slowly draw enough energyinside my body to fry mybrain, one synapse at a time.WhenIthoughtI’dburstlikea flaming piñata, spillingcharred organs and scorchedbones,hetoldmetopourthatpowerintomywingsandtakeflight.

Power zipped into mywings, out through their tips,leaving me empty andweightless, until my face hitthestonefloor.Iwokeupina

puddle of vomit, and I couldtaste blood. I’d managed tobreakmynose,again.

It was one of manybreaks. I should have givenup, thrown in the proverbialtowel, but there was still nosign of Ceff or Torn. Ibadgered my uncle, and hecontinuedmytraining.

After a week ofpractice,I’dbrokensixbonesand bruised all of my ribs.My half fae body was more

resilient than a human’s, buteven I couldn’t push throughthat much pain. I draggedmyself into the Great Hall,the one room of theunderground palace largeenoughtopracticeflight,andsatononeofthestepsleadinguptomyuncle’sthrone.

“What am I doingwrong?”Iasked.

“You still believe thatyouarehuman,”hesaid,eyes

sad as they traced myinjuries.

The black eyes frommy broken nose were aspectacularlygruesomeshadeof purple today. I smiled,reopeningarecentlysplitlip.

“I amhuman, uncle,” Isaid.

“And that way ofthinking iswhyyou fail,” hesaid.

I licked my split lip,andspatbloodontothefloor.

“Was there any chanceI’dever fly,orwas this all agametoyou?”Iasked.

“I did not say it wasimpossible,” he said. “I saidthat you have limitationsbecause you believe that youhave limitations, thatyouarehuman, that you cannot defygravity,thatyoucannotfly.”

“So what do I need todo?” I asked again, glovedhandsfistinginmylap.

“Believe,”hesaid.

“You make it soundsimple,”Isaid.

“It is simple,” he said.“You have already done thehard part. Now all youmustdoisbelieve.Believeinyourtrueself.Believethatyouarefae, that you are magic, thatyoucanfly.”

I climbed up onto thedais, the room spinning as Istumbled up the steps.Concussion, I thought

absently. Probably shouldstopfallingonmyhead.

A giggle escaped mylips,andmyunclefrowned.

“Do you think this isamusing?”heasked.

“Nope,”Isaid.I shrugged off my

leather jacket, folded it, andlaid it on the smaller thronethat sat beside my uncle’s. Ineversat there,but itmadeasafe place to leave my

belongings.Noneof the staffwoulddaretouchit.

Torso strippeddown tomy sports bra, I unfurledmywings, letting themstretch tothemoonlitcavernceiling.Abuzzing began to roar in myskull, the result of my mindtouching the other wispsfloating in and out of theGreatHall.Itwasevidenceofwhat my uncle was saying.Kadewasright—Iamfae.

“You are a wisp, mydear,” he said. “The gift offlight is yours if you arewilling to believe. It is yourbirthright.”

I cast aside myemotions, distancing myselffrom my humanity. Iimaginedmywingsliftingmethroughthecavern.Ibelievedthat it was possible. Ireminded myself that inFaerieanythingwaspossible.

I reachedfor themagicthat ran through Tearlach,through Nithsdale above,through all of Faerie. Itburned through my veins,joined the roaring in myskull, making my bonesvibrateandmywingshum.

I lifted my face to themoonlit ceiling, and smiled.Bloodrandownmyface,andI could feel a similar trail ofwarmth pour from my ear,but I lifted my arms and

embracedFaerie.Iamwisp.Iamfae.

Icanfly.My body lifted, and I

flew upward, raking the tipsof my gloves against theglowing, crystallineceiling. Irolled,spun,andshotthroughone of the alcoves. With atwist of my body, I returnedto the cavern, spreading mywings wide, and glorying intheknowledgethatIwasfree.

Windrushedacrossmybody, but I focused on onething, a single thought thatburnedthroughthebuzzinginmyskull.

Hold on, Ceff. I’mcomingforyou,baby.

Chapter43I stood in front of the

mirror and ran a hand overmy wings, checking fordamage. I’d flown furthertoday than ever, but I hadnothing to showfor it exceptsore wings and a bruisedknee. I suppose it was betterthan the broken bones I gotwhenI’dstartedgoingoutontheseexcursions.

My stomach growled,andSkillwiddensnorted.

“Itoldyetobringmorefood,”hesaid.

Hewas perched on theside of the tub, swinging hisstubby legs back and forth.NomatterhowlongIleftfor,he was always here waitingforme—justlikemyuncle.

“Iateplenty,”Isaid.“IfI ate as much food as youshoved at me, I’d never beabletofly.”

That probably wasn’ttrue, but Skilly nodded andwent back to swinging hisfeet. I’d learned that myability to fly was onlypartiallyduetothestrengthofmywings. Itwas also fueledby magic. Magic that washavinganeffectonmorethanmyabilitytofly.

Istaredatthewomaninthe mirror, and frowned.Aside fromeyes the color ofamber, there’d been nothing

remarkable about myappearance before my wisppowers emerged. While inHarborsmouth, my eyes andskin had begun to show thetruth of my fae blood byglowing brightly when myemotions ran hot. Myinability to keep those signsofmyinhumannaturehiddenwas why the Unseelie Courthadorderedmyassassination.

Ohiftheycouldseemenow.

Istared into themirror,shocked by how much I’dchanged since my arrival inFaerie. My cheekbones werehigher, hands more slender,and therewerenowflecksofsilver in those amber eyesthatflashedlikeshardsoficebeneaththemoon.

My uncle was right.Usingmagichadchangedme.My father had donesomething to me as a child,not only to block my

memories, but to bind mypower.ButwithKade’shelp,I’d torndown thosebindingspiecebybloodypiece.

I turned to the side,careful to keep my wingsfrom brushing the wallbehind me. They’d grownsincemyfirsttransformation,now stretching over five feetfromtiptoglisteningtip.

I was certainlyremarkable now. Lips thecolor of frozen blackberries

curved in a self deprecatingsmile, and I shookmy head.Thewomanwho stared backat me was a creature ofterrible,otherworldlybeauty.

I may have a humanmother,andbeenraisedinthehuman world, but my fearshad finally been realized.Glowingskinhadbeenahint,but I’d tried tobrush thatoffas littlemore thanavestigialside effect of my father’sblood. But entering Faerie

and coming to my father’sdomain had triggered anawakening of that blood, anawakening that I’d kindledfurtherwiththeuseofmagic.I could no longer hide fromthetruth.

I was fae. I wasinhuman.Iwasother.

How could I return tomy human life inHarborsmouth?

“Perhaps my uncle isright,”Isaid.“ThisiswhereI

belong.”“Yer uncle is a man

obsessedwiththememoryofa woman long gone,”Skillywidden said, shakinghishead.

I couldn’t argue withthat.

“Have ye checked nearthe wall of vines?”Skillywiddenasked.“PerhapsCeff andTorn bewaitin’ foryethere.Icouldhelpyefind

mehearth,ifyetakemewithye.Letmehelp,lass.”

“No,” I said, fightingtears. Moisture leaked downmycheeksasIlostthatbattle,and I drew on my power,lashing at my face with awhip of fire to rip the tearsaway. “I’ve searched there,Skilly. I’ve searched ourentire path over and overagain. On foot, by air…there’s no sign of them. IfTorn and C-C-Ceff were

theretobefound,theywouldbe.”

SayingCeff’snameandknowing that I would neverseehimagainwastorture.I’dsurvived the pain of healingmy own bones one by one.I’d flown until I tore thefibers of the muscles andligaments in my wings. Butnothing was as painful ashearinghisname.

“I forbid you fromspeaking of them again,

Skilly,”Isaid,pushingpowerintomyvoice.

“But, lass!” heexclaimed.

“No!”Iyelled.I spun to face the

brownie,my skinglowing asIpointedafingerathischest.When had I stoppedwearinggloves? I shook my head. Itdidn’t matter. What wasimportant now was movingon.

“Ye no right to forbidme,” he said, hands on hiships.“CeffandTornwereyefriends.Yedonotgiveuponye friends, and neither doesSkilly.”

“I forbid you to saytheirnamestome,”Isaid.

“Do not do this,” hesaid,eyesgoingwide.“Yedonot knowwhat ye be sayin’.Calm down and we can talkthisthrough.”

I’d talked this throughsomanytimes,itwastearingme apart. I was a P.I. and Iknewthehardtruth.Thefirsttwenty four hours were themost crucial in any missingpersoncase.WithintherealmofFaerie,Ceff andTorn hadbeenmissing for twenty fourmonths.Itwastimetoletgo.

“I’m done talking,Skilly,”Isaid.“Ijust…Ican’tdothisanymore.”

“Come now, lass,” hesaid.

“I’m sorry, Skilly,” Iwhispered. “I forbid you tosaytheirnamestome.”

Thegeishitme likeanorc’sfisttothegut.I’dgivenmy order, the bidding of thewispprincesswithinthewallsofhercourt,thrice.Icouldn’tbreathe,andmyheadfeltlikeit’d been stomped on by anangrytroll,butnothingcould

compare to the pain in myheart.

I’d been a fool.RacingalloverFaerie, trying to findtwomenwhoIbelievedwerestill alive. But friends don’tabandon you. Friends don’tleaveyoualonetofaceanewlife.I’denteredanewworld,one that I had been ragingagainst, but I was donefightingthefacts.

Eitherthey’dleftme,orthey were dead. Talking

about them, searching forthem, saying their nameswouldn’tfixthat.OnceagainI’d been abandoned. It wasFate,andIwasdonefightingwiththebitch.

I’d foolishly held ontothehopethatCeffandIhadafuturetogether,butthatwasalie. The sooner I accept that,the better. I had duties,responsibilities. What Ineeded right now was tofocus on becoming the best

wispprincess thatFaeriehadeverseen.

Chapter44Skillywidden wasn’t

waiting for me in my roomwhen I rolled out of bed. Icheckedthecorridor,andstillno sign of him.The browniewasmad atme for forcing ageas on him, but I wouldn’ttakeitback.Ineededtomoveon, toheal,andIcouldn’tdothatwhilebeingtorturedeachday hearing Ceff and Torn’s

names.Theguiltandthepainovertheirlossweretoomuchtobear.

So it was that I strodeinto the Great Hall on myown. It was strange walkingto breakfast without Skilly,but I knew that I wouldn’thave to eat alone. My unclealways made time to eat ourmeals together, no matterhow busy he was with hisotherduties.Itookcomfortinthat. I’d lost so much by

comingtoFaerie,butat leastI’d gained part of the familyI’dalwayslongedfor.

I tooka seat across thebanquettablefrommyuncle,and piled pancakes onto myplate. No matter how weirdFaerie got to be, there werealways pancakes. That bit ofnormalcy was something Icould hold onto through allthepainandchaos.

“Iampleasedwithyourprogress, my dear,” Kade

said, lifting his lips in a raregrin.Hisentirefacelitup.“Ibelieveyouarereadytobeginyourcourttraining.”

“Court training?” Iasked,leaningforward.

Thatsuresoundedmoreinteresting than shootingfireballs at the same targetsover and over again, day inand day out. My uncle hadkept me sequestered awayfrom thehustle andbustleofthe wisp court, citing the

importance of focus in mymagical training. Since I’dbeen focused on finding myfriends, and had risked somuch coming here to learncontrol over my powers, I’dgonealongwithhim.

But learning to controlmy wisp powers wasn’t theonly reason I’d come toFaerie.I’dalsocometolearnmore about my father, asubjectthatmyunclepatentlyrefusedtodiscuss.Therewas

obviously some bad bloodthere, and though I burnedwith curiosity, I’d fearedpushingmyuncletorecallthereasonshedislikedmyfather.Iworriedthatifwhatevermyfather had done wasdiscussed, my uncle’s hatredmight spread to encompasshisfeelingsforme.

I swallowed hard, andbitmy lower lip. Thatwas ariskIwasn’tabletotake,notnowthatmyuncleandSkilly

wereall I had.Butperhaps Icould learn something whilehelpingmyuncleincourt.

“It is time for you totake on your duties to ourpeople,”hesaid.

He lifted his chin,shouldersback,surveyingmewithagleaminhiseye.Washe…proud of me? A tinyspark of hope ignited in mychest, stealing my breathaway.Inthatmoment,Inever

wanted to please someonemore.

It was a strangeemotion for me. I didn’tnormally care what peoplethoughtofme.Evenwithmyfriends back home, I’d beengruff and stubborn, nevergoingoutofmywaytomakethemlikeme.Ihadn’tsoughtout friendships, neverexpected them. Over thecourse of time, they’d justsomehowhappened.

Perhaps that’s whythoserelationshipsfailed.

I hadn’t ever tried tomake someone else happy,not really. I’d doneeverything in my power toprotectmyfriendsfromharm,to keep them safe, but Ihadn’tchangedwhoIwasforthem. I’dneverdone that foranyone,notevenCeff.

I bit the inside of mycheek, and forced a smile onmy face. Court would be a

distractionfromthegriefthatthreatened to swallow mewhole,andImightevenlearnsomething aboutmy father. Icoulddothis.

I would please myuncle.Hewastakingthetimeto teach me, and I wouldhonor him by obedientlycompleting my duties. I wasno stranger to weightyresponsibilities. How hardcoulditbe?

Chapter45I held my breath, and

sat on the throne beside myuncle. I half expected to bestruck by lightning. Will-o-the-Wispmightbemyfather,butIwasonlyhalffae,andIdidn’t know the first thingaboutbeingaproperprincess.Ifeltlikeanimposter.

I picked at the edge ofmy dress. My uncle had

finally got me to dress likeroyalty. He’d had the dressspecially made by aclurichaun. I’mnot sure howmuchhe’dhadtopaytohavethe spider silk and amberbeaded dress made, butanything clurichaun craftedwasvoidofvisions.Thelittlefaeries were never soberenough to leave psychicimpressions. I flicked agloved finger at one of theamber beads, feeling naked

withoutmy jeans and leatherjacket.

I lifted my chin,surveying the room. Wispslined the rows of seats thatfaced us, some sitting andothers floating like beautifulfireflies.They’dcometohearmy uncle, and to see theirprincess finally take thethrone.Ifidgetedontheedgeof the stone seat, amber andwoodrisingfromthebackofthe throne to twine together

like a glowing crown abovemyhead.

I’dcomeintotheGreatHalldayafterday,takingmymeals at the banquet tablethat often stood beside thecattailsandliliesinthecenterof the room. My uncle hadtaught me how to fly in thiscavern. I’d touched itsglowing amber ceiling withthetipsofmyglovedfingers,and shed blood on its mossand marble floor. This room

wasapartofme,apartofmyhistory, and I never felt thatsomuchasinthismoment.

My uncle turned, andnodded. I nodded back, andhesmiled.

“I knew one day wewould rule together, you andme,mydearest,”hesaid.

A familiar feverishgleamwas in his eyes, and Iswallowed hard. This wastemporary, I remindedmyself. I could leave

whenever I wanted to. Iwouldmakemyunclehappy,learn all I could about myfather, and return toHarborsmouth. Maybe. Iwasn’tsureaboutthatlastbitanymore. I’d wanted to gohome, and I’d been tellingmyself that my friends thereneeded me, but now, afterlosing Ceff and Torn, Iwasn’tsosure.

Someone cleared theirthroat, and I blinked. Mab’s

bones, I needed to focus. Iwouldgrievelater.Fornow,Ineeded to make my uncleproud.

“Killhim,”Kadesaid.“W-w-what?” I asked,

eyesdartingfrommyuncletothewispwho’dbeenbroughtbefore me. Flavio sneered atme,andmyuncle frowned. Imust havemisheard him. I’dbeen so wrapped up inthoughts of my lost friendsthat…

“Killhim,”Kadesaid.Hewasserious.“Yes,Princess,useone

of those fireballs you’re sofond of,” Flavio saidmockingly,keepinghisvoicelow.

His back was to theassembled crowd, and myunclewasn’t paying him anyattention. But I didn’t havetimeforFlavio’scruelgames.Ihadtofindawaytosavethewisp,andmyself.

I stared wide eyed atthe young man kneeling onthe hard marble floor of thethrone room. Through themagnifying crystal mountedinfrontofme,Icouldseethewispwell enough to tell thathewaslittlemorethanaboy.

“He’s just a child,” Isaid, one hand going to mystomach.

“He isacriminalandatraitor,”myunclesaid.

“That boy be notraitor,”Skillygrumbled.

Thebrowniemusthaveusedhismagicandstealth tosneak into the room.Henowperched on the ornatelycarved back of the throne,whisperinginmyear.Ididn’tknow whether to be moreshocked by Skillywidden’ssudden presence, or by myuncle’s expectation that Iwouldexecuteachild.

“What crime is heaccusedof?”Iasked.

“He stole vital suppliesbelonging to the crown,” hesaid.

“Vital supplies, pfft!”Skilly said. “He stole a staleloafo’breadtofeedhismumandherweebarns.”

“Was this a firstoffense?”Iasked.

“What does it matter?”Kade asked. He shot to hisfeet, and began pacing back

and forth in front of histhrone.“Oncea thief,alwaysa thief. We mustn’t toleratethievery. Such crimesundermine our ability torule.”

“But it might just be amisunderstanding,” I said.“What evidence do you haveofthiscrime?”

“The stolen item wasmissing,andthismanwastheonly one present,” he said.“Hemustbethethief.”

That sounded an awfullot like the logic that Flaviohad used to accuse Ceff andTorn of stealing the adderstone.Myhandsfistedinmylap.

“So by your logic, if Iwas missing something, andyouweretheclosestpersontome when the item wentmissing, you must be thethief?”Iasked.

I slipped the ash wandI’d been practicing with

earlier out ofmy pocket andwaved it behind my back. Ijust hoped that Skillywiddengot the hint. If anyone had achanceof slipping it intomyuncle’s pocket, it would beSkilly.

“Well, y-y-yes, ofcourse, but the very idea ispreposterous,” Kade said. “Iwouldnever…”

“Robe pocket, righthand side,” Skilly whisperedinmyear.

I nodded slightly,careful not to look at thebrownie.Ididn’twanttogivemyfriendaway.

“I am missing mywand,” I said, raising myvoice to echo through theGreatHall.“Youarestandingclosest to me, uncle. Idemand that you empty yourpockets.”

“Howdareyou,”Flaviosaid, stepping forward, handonhissword.

I lifted an eyebrow,palming one of my ownblades.ThankMab,thisdresshadsleeves.

“Are you really goingtostrikemedownonmyownthrone,Flavio?”Iasked.

“Captain!” Kade said.“Stand down, and guard theprisoner.”

“Yes,mylord,”hesaid.“Uncle, your pockets?”

Iasked.

“I will humor you thisonce,” he said, shaking hisheadinirritation.

Hiseyeswidenedashishand closed on the object inhis pocket. He pulled thewand out, narrowed his eyesatit,andfrowned.Helookedatme, lips pressed in a hardline.

“Are you going toadmit your guilt, or the flawinyourlogic?”Iasked.

My heart raced, but Iheld his gaze. He couldalways go with optionnumber three; turn Ivy intoasmoking pile of ash. I washoping that his love for me,and the fancy throne I wasseated in, would stay hishand, but there were noguarantees.

“Free him,” he saidthroughclenchedteeth.

Flavio jerked his headback as if slapped, gaping at

my uncle, but he followedorders, setting thewisp childfree.

“You disappoint me,Ivy,” Kade said. “I expectedmorefromyou.”

I had expected morefrom him too. I’d had everyintention of becoming thedutiful niece, helping myuncle with his court duties.After two grueling years, I’dmade enough progress withmy magic that he finally

deemed me worthy ofappearingatcourt.

Andinonemoment,I’dlost all of the progress I’dmade toward earning myuncle’s trust, and his heart.ButIcouldn’tharmastarvingboywhoseonlycrimewastotake some bread to feed hisfamily. That wasn’t who Iam.Itneverwouldbe.

“Return toyour room,”he said, eyes beginning toglow.

He could have forcedme with his power, but hedidn’t need too. I lookedaway,blinkingawaytears,asI gathered the skirts of mydressandlefttheroom.

What was I thinkingplayingthedutifulprincess?Iwouldneverbethisperson.Ihurried from the room,choking on a sob thatthreatened to bring back thetears that I’d vowed wouldneverfallagain.I’dlostCeff,

and now I was losing myuncle.

Was I incapable ofbeingloved?

“Ye did good, lass,”Skilly said as I closed thedoortomyroom.

He’d followed meinside, and I hadn’t had theenergytoaskhimtoleave.IfI had to be honest, I didn’twanttobealone.

“I failed him,” I said.Just like I fail everyone.Like

IfailedCeff.“And I couldna be

prouderofye,”Skillysaid.I looked down at the

brownie’swrinkled face, andletmytearsfall.

Chapter46“I’ve decided to focus

on my glamour,” I told myuncleoverbreakfast.“Idon’tthink I’m quite ready forcourt.”

Ineededtoworkonmyglamour, it was true, butmostly I just wanted anexcusetobealone.

“I agree,” he said,dabbing the corners of his

mouth with a spider silknapkin. “Your performanceyesterday…left much to bedesired.”

I looked down at thefood I pushed around myplate,hopinghe’dseeshame,but what I really felt wasanger. Thank Mab, he’dhelpedmeputa leashonmywisp powers, or I’d beglowinglikeaChristmastree.

While on some level Iunderstood that he was an

immortal who’d lived inFaerie forcenturies, and thushadadifferentsetofmorals,Istill couldn’t get over whathe’d asked of me. He’dwanted me to use my magictostrikedownachild.

I put a hand to mystomach, and pushed mychairawayfromthetable.

“May I be excused?” Iasked. “I have a lot of worktodo.”

“Yes, of course,” hesaid. “We should have spentmoretimeonglamourduringyourmagic instruction, but Iknewhowsensitiveyouwereabout the way you weretreatedinthehumanworld.Iwas trying to be considerateofyourfeelings.”

“Thank you,” I said,forcingasmile.

On the one hand, hesounded sincere about hisconsiderationformyfeelings,

and on the other hand he’daskedmetomurderthatboy.It was like he was twodifferent men, and I didn’twanttothinktoomuchaboutthat. He was still the onlyconnectionIhadtomyfather,andtheonlyfriendIhadhereinFaerieotherthanSkilly.

Bettertotakeatimeoutnow rather than run the riskofstranglingmyuncle.

Chapter47I walked out of the

Great Hall with nodestination inmind. I letmyfeet carry me throughout themostly empty palace. Withmy uncle preparing to holdcourt in the Great Hall, Ibarely saw a soul. After myhumiliation yesterday, thatwasfinebyme.

Lost in thought, Iwanderedthecorridorsforanhour before I realized that Iwasbeingfollowed.

“Come on out, Skilly,”Isaid.“Iknowyou’rethere.”

“Who say Iwant to bespeakin’withye?”heasked.

Hewas still sore atmefor putting a geas on him.We’dhadamomentlastnightwhenhe’dcomfortedme,butapparently, we were back tofighting. I was so tired, and

everything was such a mess,that I wasn’t even sure howI’d screwed things up sobadlybetweenus.

“Look,” I said, runningahandthroughmyhair.“I’msorry.Iwasupset,andtalkingabout them is really hard formerightnow,butIshouldn’thave forbidden you fromsayingtheirnames.”

“And?”heasked.He tapped his foot,

arms folded across his chest.

Oberon’seyes,Iwasn’tgoingto get out of this easy. I’dhave to break the geas. Ageas wasn’t a faerie bargain—Skilly had never agreed tothe situation—but itwas stilladifficultthingtobreak.Theonly one who could do itcleanlywas thecaster,whichhappened to be me. I justhoped that breaking the geaswouldn’tmakemefallflatonmyface.Iwassickofbloodynoses.

I looked at Skilly, andsighed.

“And I revoke mygeas,” I said. “I revoke mygeas.Irevokemygeas.”

I gasped, the spellbreakingaroundus.

Skillywidden shook hishead, and clapped his handstogetherandstuckhistongueoutatme.

“Ceff and Torn, CeffandTorn,CeffandTorn,”hesaid.

“I suppose I deservethat,”Isaid.

“Aye, now where areweoffto?”heasked,lookingup and down the corridor. “Idon’t remember comin’ thiswaybefore.”

Skillywiddenwasright.I’d scoured every inch ofTearlach looking for myfriends, but I didn’t recallever coming down thiscorridor.

“If thiswasglamoured,it must have been done withpowerful magic,” I said. “Ican usually see throughglamour with my secondsight.”

“Well,yedid tellKadeyou’d be workin’ onglamour,” he said with awink.

“Yes, I did,” I said. “Isupposeweshouldseewherethis leads. Want to do someexploring?”

“I thought ye wouldneverask,”hesaid.

The corridor wasn’t aslong as it looked, an illusioncreated by a trick of forcedperspectiveratherthanmagic,andsoonledtoanondescriptdoor. It could lead to acustodian’s closet, or certaindeath. I drew one of myblades. Monsters and attackbrooms,hereIcome.

After a moment’shesitation, I pulled the door

open,revealinganelaboratelydecorated room. The floorwas carpeted in green mossandtoadstools,andabedrosefrom that floor as if it hadgrownthere.Perhapsithad.

“This be your uncle’squarters,”Skillywiddensaid.

Skilly was right. We’dfound a side door to Kade’squarters,theoneroominthispalace I’d never entered. I’donly caught a brief glimpseonce.There’dbeenahungry,

eagerlookinmyuncle’seyesthatday,andI’davoidedthiswingofthepalaceeversince.

“Have you ever beeninside?”Iasked.

“No, never had thechance,”hesaid.

“No time like thepresent,”Isaid.

Ipulledawoodenstakefrommyutilitybelt, glad I’dtraded yesterday’s dress formy trusty jeans, belt, andleather jacket, and tossed the

stake onto the moss coveredfloor. Nothing happened. Nofireballs,flesheatingbeds,orraging,mosscoveredbeasts.Iheld my breath, and steppedintotheroom.

Sofarsogood.“Youcoming?”Iasked,

cocking a hip, and wavingtoward the room. “Kadeshouldbebusyawhile,tryingto win points with the courtafter the stunt I pulledyesterday.”

I winced, and lookedaway.

“Ye did good, lass,”Skillywidden said, steppinginto the room. “Ye did therightthingbythatboy.”

“So,” I said, changingthe subject. “Where shouldwestart?”

I stepped to the side,revealing a huge fireplace,and Skillywidden’s eyeswidened. The thing was solarge that three men could

stand inside it withoutbumpingtheirheads.

“I figured you’d calldibsonthehearth,”Isaid.

“Aye,” he said, eyesgleaming.

Skilly made a beelineforthehearth,andIwenttoawall of books. I’d leafedthrough the books in thecourt’s treasure room, butthey’d been disappointinglyboring.Maybemyunclekept

the good stuff here on hisownpersonalbookshelves.

Ireachedtowardoneofthe shelves when the entireroom began to vibrate. Ascraping sound came frombehindme,andIspunonmyheel in time to see the rearwallof thehearth slideawayintoarecessinthewall.

“Skilly?” I asked, eyeswide.

The brownie’s headpoppedup from theopening,

and I let out the breath I’dbeenholding.

“Lookat this,”he said,grinningfromeartoear.

I inched forward, armsloose at my side, weightshiftedtotheballsofmyfeet.WhenIreachedthefireplace,I gasped. The rear wall hadslidawaytorevealastaircaselitsparinglywithfeylanterns.

“Thehearth’safake,”Isaid,gapingatthestaircase.

Skillywiddennodded.

“Aye, no chimney,” hesaid, knocking his knucklesonthestoneaboveourheads.

“I guesswe should seewhat’s down there,” I said,eyes darting to the dimly litstairs.

Skillyrubbedhishandstogether,andnodded.

“Aye,lass,weshould.”

Chapter48I imagined a treasure

hoard, or maybe a stash offaerie pornography. Instead,we’dfoundadungeon.

“Isanyonedownhere?”I asked, my voice echoingdownthehall.

“Yethinkthat’sagoodidea, lass?” Skillywiddenasked. “Not sure wewant to

wake whatever needs cagin’iniron.”

Hewas right about theiron.Theplacewasfullofit.Every cell had iron bars setinto the stone floor andceiling, broken only bysupport pillars and a gatemadeofmoreironbars.

Skillykepttothecenterof the tunnel, as far from theironbarsashecouldmanage.Healreadylookedpale.Evenwithmyhumanblood, Iwas

already getting a headache.We’d have to speed up oursearch before Skilly passedout. Not that I wanted tolinger.Thisplacegavemethecreeps.

A raspy, disembodiedwhisper floated down thetunnel,andIpaused.Icockedmy head to the side, andlistened.

“Do you hear that?” Iasked.

“Aye,” Skillywiddensaid. “Though it be hard tobelieve any faerie could bedownhereforlong.”

“You stand watch,” Isaid. “If anyonecomesdownthosestairs,givemeasignal,thenhide.”

It would be safer forSkillywidden if he stayedwherehewas.Plus,hecouldhollerifheheardmyuncleoranyofhisguardsreturning.

I hurried forward, butkeptmyeyespeeled. I’dmetwisps with iron sickness inJinx’s father’s junkyard, andit wasn’t pretty. It was liketheironmadethemgoferal.Ireachedforoneofmyblades.If there were fae down here,theymightbeviolent.

I turned a corner,weapon raised in guardposition,andstoppeddead inmy tracks. There were twomen chained together in the

cell tomy left. Iblinked,butitwasn’tanillusion.

“Princess?”Tornasked,voiceragged.

His voice must havebeen thewhisperwe’d heardbefore.

“I…but…” I started,and then I was reaching formylockpicks.

“Took you longenough,Princess,”Tornsaid.

My hands shook. Icouldn’tbelievethatCeffand

Tornwereherewithin reach.Whatwere they doing inmyuncle’sdungeon?

AssoonasIpickedthelock, I pulled open themetalgrate and tore at the chainsthat boundmy friends to thewall of their cell. I notedabsently that the iron chainsburned my hands, eventhrough my gloves. I’dremarked recently to myuncleonhowmyblades,witha much lesser iron content

than these chains apparently,hadbeguntomakemywristsand hands ache. I still worethem, but I wondered howmuchlongerIcouldkeepthatup. Faerie had changed me,and not all of those changeswereforthebest.

Ihadn’tusedmybladesmuch in recent weeks—orhad it been months?—but Icouldn’t bring myself todiscard them,notyet.Asmywisp powers had grown, the

cold iron of the blades hadbeguntomakemywristsandforearms ache. I would haveto dispose of them soon, butfor now, they were apowerful weapon against thepureblood fae. Not that Ineeded mere weapons, notany longer. I was a walkingweapon—myunclehadmadesureofthat.

Tornclearedhis throat,put a stop to my ramblingthoughts.

“The lock, Princess,”Torn said, pointing to wheretheir chains were padlockedto a ring that was bolted tothe wall above their heads.“Pickthelock.”

I nodded, and fumbledwith the lock, finallymanaging to open thepadlock, and pulled thechains away. Ceff didn’tmove.

“Please tell me he’salive,” I said. I grabbedCeff

by the shoulder, and shookhimgently.“Ceff?Ceff?Canyouhearme?It’sme,Ivy.”IturnedwildeyesonTorn,myheart trying to beat its wayout of my chest. “Is healive?”

“Yes,hewasalivelastIchecked,” he said. “But hewouldn’t havemade it muchlonger.He’smoresensitivetoiron. Probably from beingbound in iron chains by theeachuisge.”

Torn was right. Ceffwas strong, but he’d becomemore sensitive to iron afterhistortureatthehandsoftheeach uisge. It was amazingthathe’dsurvivedthislong.

“Helpmegethimup,”Isaid, putting an arm underCeff, and pulling him to hisfeet.

Hewas a dead weight,but Iwidenedmy stance andkept him upright. With theadrenaline coursing through

me, I could probably carryboth him and Torn out ofhere.

“Is thereanythin’ I cando to help?” Skillywiddensaidfromthecorridor.

I left him standingwatch,buthe’dpeekedinsidethe tunnel to seewhatall thefusswas about.Now hewasstanding wide eyed, andwringinghishands.

“Is that the brownie?”Tornasked.

“Yes, he’s a friend,” Isaid.

“Probably the only onein this place,” he saidwith ahiss.

I ignored Torn’sgrumbling. I’d need answerseventually,butIwasn’treadyto start answering the toughquestions.AndCeffwas stilloutcold.

“Skilly, can you bringmethatblanket?”Iasked.

We wrapped thethreadbare blanket aroundCeff’s naked torso, coveringtheworstofhiswounds.Ironprevented healing, but Ihoped that Ceff wouldrecover oncewegot himoutofthiscell.

“Don’tletittouchyourskin,” Torn said, gesturingtowardtheblanket.

“Why, visions?” Iasked.

“It’s made of horsehair,”hesaid,nosewrinkling.

“They made him sleepwith a horse hair blanket?” Iasked.

“Better than mycanteen,”hesaid.

Iglancedatthecanteen,andswallowedbile.

“Is that cat skin?” Iasked.

“Yes,”hesaid.“Why would anyone

skinacat?”Iasked.

“To be cruel?” heasked. “Honestly, I don’tcare,solongasIgettoreturnthefavor.”

There was a steelydarknessinTorn’seyes,andIshivered.Ceffmoaned,and Ishiftedhisweight.

“Come on, let’s getaway from all this iron,” Isaid.

We made it up thetunnel,but itwasslowwork.Whenwereachedmyuncle’s

room, I set Ceff on the edgeof the bed. I started to pacethe room, noticing for thefirst time how much itresembled a forest glade.Where my quarters appearedto capture ice and stars,Kade’sroomwasmadeupofmossandwood.

My mind reeled,darting from object to objectwhiletryingtomakesenseofwhat had just happened. I’dbeen searching for Ceff and

Tornforovertwoyears.HadFlavio and the guards onlyjust discovered them, andlocked them in the dungeon.Orhad theybeen imprisonedhereallalong?

The latter was toopainfultoaccept.

“Did you steal theadder stone?” I asked, myskinawashinaspectrallight.

“Don’t be daft, lass,”Skillywidden said, shaking

his fist at me from a safedistance.

The brownie wasbrazen,butnotafool.

“Weneed toget outofhere,Princess,”Tornsaid.

“I’m not leaving, notuntil I get answers,” I said.“Why were you in thedungeon? What have youdone?”

“We haven’t doneanything wrong,” Ceffcroaked.

“Personally, I don’tcare if we take you out ofherekickingand screaming,”Tornsaid.“ButHisHorsinessover there might have astroke if I toss you over myshoulder.”

“You can try,” I said,powerflaring.

Magic rushed throughmyveins, coming tomy aid.It rose faster now, myabilities growing with everycast spell, every use of my

wisp heritage. I would burnmy enemies from the world,leavingnothingbutashinmywake.

Wisps rushed into theroom and gathered in thebranches of the bedpostsdesigned to resemble trees,like a deadly swarm oftwinkle lights. I nodded, andgave my brethren a warmsmile before turning coldeyeson the threemenbeforeme.Noonewasforcingmeto

go anywhere, not until I hadsome answers. Here,surrounded by my people, Iwasunstoppable.

“Ivy Granger, Princessof the Wisp Court, ConsortandBetrothedtoCeffylDwr,King of the Kelpies,” Ceffsaid.“Youarepledgedtome,asItoyou,andyouwillgrantmeaudience.Lookatmeandlistentomywords.”

His voice rang throughtheroom,jerkingmymuscles

toattention.Thereispowerinaname,andCeffhadinfusedhis voice with the melodicpower of pureblood royalty.Healsousedthefullstrengthofhisclaimonme,andofhisrank as king, to make hisdemand.

Ifrowned,butnodded.“Betrothed?” Torn

mouthed, but I ignored him,myfocusonCeff.

“Fine,” I said, showingsmall, white teeth. I didn’t

need fangs to subdue myprey.“IhearyouCeffylDwr,butyouwillalsohearme.“IfI findout that thiswas somehalf ass scheme to steal myuncle’s treasure, I will killyou.”

“Agreed,” he said,steppingforward.

“I want the truth,” Isaid,atearslippingdownmycheek.

I was shaking. Whenhad I started shaking? I

wasn’tevencold.“Iloveyou,”hesaid.“Youabandonedme,”I

said.“No, I would never

leaveyouofmyfreewill,”hesaid.

“Did you leave me fortreasure?”Iasked.

“Isthatwhatyouruncleclaimed?” he asked. “Think,Ivy.He is pureblood fae.Hecannottelladirectlie,buthecantwistthetruth.”

“He said you wouldhurtme,thatlovingyoumademeweak,” I said. “KadeandFlavio and the rest of theguards claimed that you ranoff with the adder stone. Ididn’t believe them. But Icouldn’t find you. I searchedeverywhere, and I couldn’tfind you. I thought you’deither left me, or that youwere dead. You broke myheart.”

“I did not stealanything, and I did not leaveyou—not by my own will,”he said. “Your uncle set atrap,andimprisonedusinhisdungeons.”

“You…you didn’tcome back for so long…” Isaid. “I searched, andsearched, and I couldn’t findyou.”

“He drugged us andbound us with cold iron,Princess,” Torn said. “Your

uncleisaselfishprick,andacoward.”

“I am sorry that wecould not escape,” Ceff said.“Iamsorrythatyouwereleftalone.”

Oberon’s eyes, was hetelling the truth? While IsearchedallofNithsdale,hadCeff and Torn beenlanguishing in the dungeons?My body tensed, musclesquivering. Two years boundbyiron.IfwhatCeffsaidwas

true, itwas amiracle that hesurvived.

I took a step towardCeff, wanting so badly tobelievewhathewassaying.

“He…hesaidthatIwasa fool to have loved you, tobelieve that I’d ever see youagain,”Isaid.

“Hewaswrong.”I ran into Ceff’s arms,

his body rushing up to meetmy own. His lips were onmine, and then I was

drowning in visions. I livedthrough all of the happiestandmostpainfulmomentsofhis life, and I knew firsthandthathisloveformehadneverwavered.

I gasped as the visionsended,andthenIwasrunningmy hands over his body, hisface.Hislipsleftascorchingtrail up my neck and alongmy chin as he peppered mewithkisses.

“You’re really here,” Iwhispered.

“Yes,” he said, thewords vibrating against myskin.

“You never stoppedlovingme,”Isaid.

“Do the tides ever stopchanging?”heasked.“Igaveyoumy heart. It is yours foreternity.”

“I love you,” I said. “Inever stopped lovingyou.B-b-but I searched and I

searched and I couldn’t findyouand…”

Mywordswere cut offas his mouth pressed againstmine.Imoanedashistongueslid inside my mouth, and Imight have taken him thereonKade’sbedifTornhadn’tinterrupted.

“Not that I mind thefreeshow,butthismightbeagoodtimetogetourassesoutofhere,”hesaid.

Ceff groaned, but Tornwas right. We weren’t free,notyet. I ranahand throughmy hair, and took a shakybreath.

“You’re right,” I said.“But before we leave, myuncle and I have someunfinishedbusiness.”

Chapter49“So, betrothed eh?”

Tornasked,shakinghishead.“When were you twolovebirdsgoingtofillmein?”

We hurried down thetunnel, heading steadilytoward the Great Hall wheremy uncle was holding court.The wisps that I’d somehowdrawntomeinmyangerandconfusionhadconfirmed that

Kade had been busy flexinghispoliticalmightbymakingexamples of any otherperceived traitors to thethrone(ie,breadthieves).Mylittlestuntyesterdayhadcosthim.Consideringthathemayhave taken part in Ceff andTorn’sabduction,hehadonlybegun to pay what he owedme.

“It’snotlikewe’vehadtime for an engagement

party,”Isaid.“Ihaven’teventoldJinx.”

“Iwantaninvite,”Tornsaid.

“What?”Iasked.I was only half

listening, my mind trying tosort through everyconversationI’dhadwithmyunclesincearrivinginFaerie.

“To your engagementparty,”Torn said. “Iwant aninvitation,Princess.Afterthis

little excursion of yours, IthinkI’veearnedit.”

My chest tightened. Iowed Torn a heck of a lotmore than an invitation to aparty.

“Yougotit,”Isaid.“How are we going to

handlethis?”Ceffasked.I’d been mulling that

over, but I wasn’t sure whatmyfriendswouldthinkofmyplan.

“I want answers, andthen we’re blowing this tacostand,”Isaid.

“And if there’s afight?”Ceffasked.

“There will be a fight,Princess,” Torn said, flexinghisclaws.

“Idon’ttrustFlavio,thecaptain of the guard, and hislackeyMarcus, but we don’tknow yetwho is involved inthis,”Isaid.

“And if your uncle isbehind our abduction?” Ceffasked.

“No one is punishingmyunclebutme,”Isaid.

Anger and grief wagedawarinmychest.Itwaslikesomeone had carved a holethroughmy body, and I wasspillingmygutsonthefloor.My uncle was my family.He’d taught me how tocontrol my wisp magic,helpedmetosurvive.ButifI

found out that he hadimprisoned my friends, Imightjustkillhimmyself.

He’d seen me sufferwith their loss every day.Couldmyuncle trulybe thatcold?Andifso,whatwashismotivation? Why hurt myfriends?

Flavio stepped aroundthe corner, eyes going wide.Damn, we’d almost made itto the Great Hall without afight.

“You!”Tornhissed.“I take ityou twohave

alreadymet,”Isaid,wideningmystance.

Flavio drew his sword,andsneered.

“I told him we shouldhavekilledyou,”Flaviosaid,aiminghisswordatme.

He’ddismissedmyironsickfriends,anddecided thatIwasthebiggest threat.Thatwas his second mistake. Hisfirstwastorturingthekingof

the kelpies and the lord ofcatsfortwoyears.

Torn and Ceffrecognized Flavio all right,and they weren’t in aforgiving mood. I can’t saythatIcouldblamethem.

“Youchainedusincoldiron,”Ceffsaid,eyesshiftingtoblack.

“I could almost forgivethe iron, but no one skins acatandlives to tellabout it,”

Torn said. “Not on mywatch.”

Oh yeah, Flavio hadbeen a naughty boy and hedeservedwhatwascomingtohim.

“Is it true that youchained my friends in thedungeon?” I asked, keepingFlaviobusy.

I sent a fire ballwhizzing over his shoulder,and he smirked. He thoughtthat was all I had. Flavio

hadn’t shared in my uncle’senthusiasm over my magictraining.HehadnoideahowstrongI’dbecome.

“Idid,andIwoulddoitagain,” he said, raising hissword.

“Why?”Iasked.“Because you are

nothing, all of you arenothing,” he said. “I am hiscaptain. I am wisp. I ameverything.”

He ran at me, swordraisedoverhead,butheneverstood a chance. Torn rakedhisclawsacross thebacksofFlavio’s calves, tearingthrough his boots.Hamstrung, he staggered onemore step before takingCeff’s trident through theheart. I’d hadmy blades andmymagicready,butIwasn’tin danger from Flavio. Nooneeverwouldbeagain.

I frowned, handstightening on my blades. Ishould have been saddenedby this man’s death, orperhaps a little relieved, butmy heart hadn’t caught upwitheventsofthepasthour.Iwas still processing the factthatCeffandTornwereherewith me, alive. I would doanythingtokeepitthatway.Ijust wish I knew who myenemieswere.

I shook my head, andstarteddownthecorridor.

“Come on,” I said.“That’s not going to gounnoticed.We need to reachmy uncle before word ofFlavio’s death reaches theotherguards.”

Istrodeinthedirectionof the Great Hall, heartpoundinginmychest.

“Your uncle wants usdead,”Tornsaid.

“Wedon’tknowthat,”Isaid. “Flavio hated me. Hewas always looking for achance to take me down. Itdoesn’t mean that my unclesanctionedthisattack.”

“You still don’t thinkKade orchestrated thiswholething?”Tornasked.

“I don’t know,” I said.“All Iknow is thatmyunclecares aboutme, and it’shardtobelievethathe’ddothisdo

me.Flaviobeingbehinditallmakesmoresense.”

“It be true,”Skillywiddensaid.“Kadehasa soft spot for the princess,though I dinnae think hisaffectionsbesoinnocent.”

“He just getsconfused,”Isaid,frowningatSkillywidden. “That doesn’tmean that he hadmy friendstossedinthedungeon,orthathewantsusallkilled.”

“He looks at ye thesame way yonder kelpielooksatye,”hesaid.

“Does he now?” Ceffasked,eyesshiftingtoblack.

“Fine, Princess,” Tornsaid,ignoringCeff.“We’lldothings yourway, but ifKadeattacks, I’m not holdingback.”

“Not before I getanswers,”Isaid.

“Wewillwaituntilyougetyouranswers,”Ceff said.

“ButTornisright.IfKadeisresponsible for ourimprisonment, we will notholdback.”

After two years in ironchains, I didn’t expect themto. But I still wasn’tconvinced thatmyunclewasbehindtheirabduction.

“Just giveme a chanceto talk to him,” I said.“Maybe thiswas all Flavio’sidea.Theguywasacreep.”

“I agree that the guardwas a creep, but that tunnelcame out in your uncle’squarters,”Tornsaid.“Ifindithardtobelievehehadnoideathat we were down in thatdungeon.”

“We will give Ivy herchancetotalk,”Ceffsaid.

“That’s all I ask,” Isaid.

“Fine, whatever,” Tornsaid. “No sense arguingwiththemarriedcouple.”

I blushed, and led theway to the Great Hall.Married couple? I liked thesoundofthat.

Chapter50“If that is thelastorder

ofbusiness…”Kadesaid.He looked around the

room,a sereneexpressiononhis faceuntil he caught sightofme.

“My dear, what areyou…?”heasked.

Ceff and Torn steppedinto the Great Hall, cutting

off the rest of his question,butIansweredanyway.

“I’m here for answers,uncle,”Isaid.

“Seize those men!”Kadeshouted.

Marcus and two of theotherguardsbrokeawayfromthe throne, and chargedforward. I liftedahand,eyesglowing, and sent a fire ballattheirfeet.

“I don’t think so,” Isaid.“They’rewithme.”

The guards hesitated,eyes darting to Kade fororders.Myuncle’slipspulledbackfromhisteeth.

“Isthisyourdecision?”heasked.“Haveyouforsakenourbond?Haveyoucometostandagainstme?”

“I’vecomeforanswers,uncle,” I said. “I deserve thetruth.”

Havingseenmyuncle’sfacewhenhe caught sightofCeffandTorn, Ihadapretty

good idea of what thoseanswers would be, but I stillwantedtohearhissideofthestory.

“Whattruth?”heasked.“That I wanted you formyself?Thatthesemenwereno good for you? They areunworthy of your beauty.Youmustseethat.”

“So it’s true then,” Isaid. “Youwere behind theirdisappearanceallalong.”

A buzzing hum filledthe room as wisps startedtalkingallatonce,andIwasglad that I hadn’t tried toreachtheGreatHallfromoneof the alcoves above. If mywings were extended, thecrowd of wisps would havebeendeafening.

“I did it for you, can’tyou see that?” he said. “I’vedoneitallforyou.”

“How could you?” Iasked. “They aremy friends.

Ceff is my betrothed. I lovehim.”

“Youwouldchoosethekelpieoverme,”hespat.“Doyou know what you aregivingup?”

“Doyou?”Iasked.“With my knowledge

and your power, we couldhaveruledoverallofFaerie,”hesaid.

“I don’t think Oberonand Mab would appreciatethat,”Ceffsaid.

“Oberon and Mab aregone!” Kade seethed, chestheaving. He turned back tome, a feverish gleam in hiseyes. “Faerie is rife for thetaking! It can be ours. Castasidethesefools,andjoinme.Wecanhaveitall.”

“Ineverwantedpower,uncle,” I said. “All I wantedwasafamily.”

“Sniveling brat,” hesneered. “You’re as bad asyour father. He ruined

everything when he leftFaerie. He brought downMab’s wrath on ourkingdom.”

Mychesttightened,andmy vision blurred. I knewthattherehadbeenbadbloodbetween the brothers, but Ihad no idea just how deepseatedmyuncles’hatredwasformyfather.

“He did it to protect achild,”Isaid.

“Youdon’tevenknow,do you?” he sneered. “Heclaimed that hedid it for theloveofthechild,butwhatofmy feelings?All thoseyears,all I wanted was one thing,onewoman, and he stole herfromme.”

“What are you talkingabout?”Iasked.

Iknewthat therewasatragic love story in myuncle’s past. He’d confusedme often enough for his lost

love. Iwanted toknowmoreabouther,whyhe’dcomeoutofthatrelationshipsobroken,but I dreaded hearinganything that might mar myfather’smemory.Thenagain,I’dcomehereforthetruth.

“Who was she?” Iasked.

“The most beautifulwoman in all of Faerie,” hesaid. “And she would havebeen mine. She’d sent foreachofus,your fatherandI,

but he went first, he alwayswent first. It was hisbirthright, and now I wishhe’dneverbeenborn.Hehadher first, and so she sentmeback to our court withoutgivingmeachance,andkepthim there in the palace. Butshe should have wanted me.Don’tyousee?Itshouldhavebeenme.”

“You’ve lost it, oldman,”Tornsaid.“You’renotevenmakingsense.”

“I could have been theUnseelie King,” he said. “Itshouldhavebeenme!”

A cold tendrilwrappedaroundmyheart.

“This woman,” I said.“Whatwashername?”

I’dguessed theanswer,but I needed to hear it fromhislips.

“TheQueenofAirandDarkness,” he said, voice areverent whisper. “My dear,dearestMab.”

My father had beenMab’sboytoy.Iwasgoingtobesick.

“What happened tomyfather?”Iasked.

“He risked everything,and left me to pick up thepieces, to rebuild the wispcourt after Mab spent heranger tearing it apart, all forhis ridiculous love for thatchild.”

“Love isn’t ridiculous,”I said. “If you weren’t so

obsessed with power, youmightrealizethat.”

“Love is a foolishhuman emotion that has noplaceinFaerie,”hesaid.“Noplaceinyou.”

He was wrong. Ceffand Marvin loved fully, andtheywere fae.But I couldn’thelptheretortthatburstfrommymouth.

“Well, if love is afoolish human emotion, I’m

glad to be a half-breed,” Isaid.

I expected anger, rage.Instead, my uncle tipped hishead back and laughed. Achill ran up my spine whenhis eyes caught mine again,trapping me in his ecstaticgaze.

“Oh,myniece,youaremany things, but you are nothuman,”hesaid.

Chapter51Mythroattightenedand

my chest constricted, leavingme gasping for air. Myuncle’s words, you are nothuman, making the musclesinmystomachclench.Itwasalie.Ithadtobealie.

“What do you mean,she is not human?” Ceffasked,eyesshiftingtoblack.

Suffering from ironpoisoning, he could barelystand without leaning on histrident, but that didn’t stophim from stepping forward,putting himself between meandmyuncle.

“I amhalf fae and halfhuman,”Isaid.

But I wasn’t so surewhoIwastryingtoconvince.

“Oh, you might seemhuman,”Kadesaid,wavingahandatme.“Youmighteven

have human blood runningthroughyourveins,butthatisjust a technicality, a trick ofmagic.Idon’tknowhowmybrother accomplished yourpresentstate,butonethingiscertain. You were not bornhuman.”

“Whatdoyoumean?”Iasked. “I have a humanmother.”

I knewmymotherwashuman. She wasn’t a faerie

hiding behind a glamour. Iwassureofit.

“Oh, I’m sure Liamfound a willing surrogate toadopt you and pretend youwere her own,” he said.“Knowing my brother, heprobablylaidageisonhersothat she could never revealthetruthofyourbirth.”

That hit a little tooclosetohome.

“No,” I said. “I don’tbelieveyou.”

“It doesn’tmatterwhatyoubelieve,”Kadesaid.“Allthatmattersiswhoyouare.”

He was baiting me. Iwanted to ask who I was sobadlyithurt,butIpressedmylips together in a hard line. Iwouldn’t give him thesatisfaction.

It was all lies anyway,wasn’tit?

“Ifshe’spurebloodfae,then who’s her mother?”Torn asked, tapping his chin

with one claw tipped finger.“Liamonlyhadonewife,andhenevermentionedalover…oh.”

“No,”Icroaked.I’d come to the same

conclusionasTorn,butitwastoomonstroustobelieve.Myfather had fled Faerie with afae child. He’d claimed thathe was trying to protect thatchild. Mab left Faerie soonafter to find something thathad been stolen from her—

the thing most precious toher.

“No,” I said, shakingmyhead.

Theonly thingkeepingmyworldfromshatteringintoa million pieces was theknowledge that the timelinewasallwrong.Myfatherhadleft Faerie over a hundredyearsago.Iwasonlytwenty-five.Nomatter how you didthe math, I couldn’t be thatbaby.

“Yes,” Kade said, eyeswide. “I recognized you assoon as you stepped foot inNithsdale.You looksomuchlike her. The resemblance isuncanny.”

“No,”Isaid.“You have her

strength,” he said. He neverblinked. When had hestopped blinking? “Her forceof will. Mab is like ahurricane, a violent force ofnature,andsomedayyouwill

beaswell.I’veseenitinyou.Herpower.Thatpenchantforviolence. The desire to burntheworld toashand recreateitinyourownimage.”

“No,” I said. “You’relying…there’s no way…I’mnot…”

“What?”heasked.“Notpowerful enough? Don’t beridiculous. I’ve seen herpower raging inside of you.I’ve helped to nurture it,helpedittogrow.Soonitwill

break free of your father’ssorcery, and then you willtruly be the worthy heir toFaerie.”

“You’re the heir to theUnseelieCourt?”Tornasked.He let out a low whistle. “Iknewyouwereaprincess—awispprincess—butheirtotheWinterThrone?”

I shook my head. Myhands were shaking, and mylegs felt like theymightgiveoutatanymoment.

“I’m not…I’m not oldenough,” I said. “That baby,if itwasevenMab’s—whichwehavenoreason tobelieve—would be nearly twohundredyearsold.Soitcan’tbeme.”

Please don’t let it beme.

“I admit that I foundthisperplexingaswell,untilIrecalled Liam’s friendshipwiththekitsune,”Kadesaid.

“Inari?” Torn asked,frowning. “What does shehavetodowiththis?”

Normally, I’d perk upat that name, the privateinvestigator inme coming tothe forefront, looking foranswers. I knew that TornandInarihadbeenlovers,butthatthingshadn’tendedwell.I’d tried to drill him forinformationabout thekitsunewhenIfoundoutthatshewasone of my father’s former

friends,butTornwouldnevertalkabouther.I’dbeentryingtoprydetailsaboutInarifromTorn since I learned of myfather’sexistence,butIhadafeeling that I didn’t want tohearwhathehadtosaynext.

“She used to visit ourcourt, before Oberon andMableftandclosedtheroadstoFaerie,”Kadesaid.“AndIfinally recalled one of herspecialtalents.”

“Weapon crafting,nature magic that increasescrop yields…oh,” Torn said,eyes wide. “Stasis magic.Inari can put a person instasis.”

“Yes,” Kade said. “Irememberedastorysheonceshared about putting a fallenkitsunewarriorinstasiswhilethey carried her off thebattlefield and to the nearesthealer.”

“But casting stasis onaninjuredwarriorandcastingit on a healthy child are twovery different things,” Ceffsaid. “What father would dosuchathing?”

“A desperate one,” Isaid.

“Mabwouldhavebeenlooking for an older child,and later a grown woman,”Ceffsaid,noddingashecameto the same realization that Ihad.

“And one that waspurebloodfae,”Tornsaid.

“He was trying toprotect you from the Queenof Air and Darkness,” Ceffsaid. “Mab would havejealously guarded her throne.Youwouldalwayshavebeena threat, her enemy. He wasprotectinghischild.”

“Liam was a fool!”Kadesaid,spittleflyingfromhislips.Apparently,hedidn’tappreciate my father

receiving praise. “WhoknowswhatMabwouldhavedone with you? Who cares?Liam had the one thing Iwanted, and he threw it allaway for a child. He leftFaerie,andhetookMabwithhim.”

“I’mMab’s daughter?”Iasked,voiceawhisper.

“You’re the reason sheleft,” he said, glaring at me.“I should hate you, despiseyou, but I took you in. I

taught you how to use yourpowers. You look so muchlikeher.Wecouldhavebeentogether.Finallytogether.”

I made a chokingsound, and Ceff steppedclosertoKade.

“We’veheardenough,”Ceffsaid.

“Wait,” I said. “I haveonemore question.Uncle, intheyearssincemyfather leftFaerie, did you ever hear

where he’d gone? Or whereMabwentto?”

If we’d found a backdoor to Faerie, that meantthere would be others.Wordwould pass between the tworealms. In fact, I had heardthat theUnseelieCourthadaway of communicatingbetween its branches in thehuman world and its seat inFaerie.

“No,”hesaid.“Heleft,andshefollowed.Mydearest

left me, for him. Always,alwaysforhim.”

Ceff raised an eyebrowat me, and I nodded. I wasdone with Kade’s ramblings.Ceff slammed a fist intoKade’stemple,knockinghimunconsciousmid-rant.

“No fair, Fish Breath,”Tornsaid.“Iwantedtoknockhimout.”

“Iwillletyoudoitnexttimehewakesup,”Ceffsaid.

“Deal,” Torn said, aslow grin stretching acrosshis face. “Sowhat dowe dowithhim?”

“Killhim?”Ceffasked.“Chain him in iron? BanishhimfromFaerie?”

They were allreasonable suggestionsconsidering Kade’s crimesand his penchant fordiabolical schemes, but Icouldn’t condone physicallyharming my uncle, and I

didn’twanttosendhimofftowreak havoc on some otherunsuspectingworld.Butthereareotherways tohurt amansuchasKade.

“Is there away to stripa faerie of his power?” Iasked.

Power was the onethingthatmyunclehelddear.He had stolen somuch fromme, and I planned to returnthefavor.

I also wasn’t stupid. Imay not want my uncleimprisoned,but Ididn’twanta magic toting sociopathwandering the world, bidinghistimeforrevenge.

“Yes,” Torn said,frowning. “But you need aloireagtodothespell.”

“Where can we findourselvesaloireag?”Iasked.

“There are only twothat I’ve ever heard of,Princess,”hesaid.

“Are they here, inFaerie?”Iasked.

“Aye, lass,”Skillywidden said, coming tostandnearmenowthatKadewasunconsciousanddroolingonthefloor.“We’veallheardtell of the loireag. There beoneforeachcourt,SeelieandUnseelie.”

“They are used inextreme cases, but it is rareforafaerietobesentencedto

having their magic strippedaway,”Ceffsaid.

“Sothere’soneoftheseloireag at the ice palace?” Iasked.

“Yes,” Ceff said, butwe would have no authoritytorequestastrippingofyouruncle’spowers.Ifwepresenthis crimes before theUnseelie Court, there is noguarantee of what they willsentencehimtosuffer,orthattheywillfindhimguilty.”

“He kidnapped andbound in iron a kelpie kingand a cat sidhe lord,” I said.“That must be considered acrime, even here in Faerie,right?”

“No,” Torn said.“Kidnapping is par for thecourse, Princess. It wouldtakeMab herself to veto thecourt’sdecision.”

“We may not have afaeriequeen,butwedohave

a princess,” I said. “Wouldthatwork?”

Torn stroked his chin,deepinthought.Thesoundofhis claws raking acrossstubblemade the hair onmyneck stand on end. His eyesmetmine,andhislipliftedinagrin.

“It might,” he said. “Itjustmight.”

Chapter52“Are you sure that you

wanttodothis?”Ceffasked.“Mab has been searching foryouforcenturies.”

We’dalreadybeenoverthis.Iunderstoodhisdesiretokeepmesafe,butIwasdonewith hiding. Plus, this gaveme a chance to clear myname with the UnseelieCourt,andfindapunishment

formyunclethatIcouldlivewith.

“Fish Breath has apoint, Princess,” Torn said.“You’d be serving yourselfuponanironplatter.”

Ishrugged.“The entire wisp court

already knows my secret,” Isaid. “It’s not like my unclewasdiscreet.”

Kade, in his frenziedrage,hadoutedmeinfrontofevery wisp who’d been in

attendance in theGreatHall.His rant cost me myanonymity.Nopointintryingtocoveritup.

I’d come to Faerie forthe truth. I might as wellembraceit.

“You are the rightfulheir to your father’s throne,”Ceff said. “You have morepolitical clout than Kade,since this court is yourbirthright, not his. You canorderyourpeopletosilence.”

“Do you really thinkthat would work?” I asked,lifting an eyebrow. “BecauseI don’t. It’s human nature,and fae nature, to gossip.Finding out that the wispprincess is also the winterprincess is pretty big news,even for Faerie. People willtalk,nomatterwhatIthreatenthemwith.”

“Butifyouorder…”hesaid.

“No,”Isaid,holdingupa gloved hand. “Let’s behonest. I’m a stranger here.Kadespenthisentirelifeherein thewisp court, but I grewup in the human world. Itmight be my birthright,maybe even doubly so, todemandtheirobedience,butIhaven’t done anything toprove my worthiness as aleader.Hell,Idon’twantto.Ijust want to drag Kade’s assto the ice palace, have his

magic stripped, prove to thecourt that I’m no longer athreat toourkind, and returntoHarborsmouth.”

I’d give up all thepancakes in Faerie and eatramenforeternity if itmeantreturning home to my loftapartmentwith its threadbarecouch and musty smellingwallhangings.

“I doubt it will be thatsimple,”Tornsaid.

“No,”Isaid,lettingoutaheavysigh.“Itneveris.”

Ceff stood rigid, and Iwaitedasvariousemotions—fear, anger, frustration,uncertainty, and resignation—crossed his face. Hisshoulder slumped, justslightly, and I knew that I’dwontheargument,fornow.

“Whowillyouleaveincharge of your people?” heasked. “Your father is still

missing, and with you gone,whowillkeepthemsafe?”

I’d given this a lot ofthought,actually.Ijusthopedthatmyplanworked.

“Ihaveanidea,”Isaid.“This should be good,”

Torn said. “How are yougoing to find another wispwith royal blood on suchshortnotice?”

“I’m not going to,” Isaidwithasmile.“I’mgoingto teach thewispcourtabout

a little thing calleddemocracy.”

“Oberon save us all,”Ceffsaid.

Heletoutaheavysigh,but there was laughter in hiseyes.Hemightbeaking,buthe knew me well enough torecognizewhenmymindwasmadeup.

Plus,wewerefreshoutof wisp royalty at themoment, not that my unclehad done all that good of a

job leading in my uncle’sabsence. Fueled by hisobsessions, Kade had led byfear and manipulation, andhe’d encouraged competitionandparanoiawithintheroyalguard.Ifitweren’tforKade’sjealous machinations, Flaviomightbealiverightnow.

My hands tightenedinto fists, and I took a deepbreath.

“You may want tostandback,”Isaid.

Ceffraisedaneyebrow,and then shared a look withTornwho just shrugged, andmoved a few feet away. Iturned to stride up theremainingsteps,andontothedias. I stripped out of myleather jacket, tossing it ontothethrone.

I willed my wings tounfurl, and steadied myselfagainst the buzzing thatflooded into my skull. Iturned to face the crowd of

wispswho’d remained in theGreat Hall, waiting to learntheir fate. Kade wasunconscious, and Flavio wasdead, so they looked to mefor answers—and I plannedtogivethemthatandmore.

Iwouldgivethemtheirfreedom.

I planted my feet in awide stance, and lifted mychin.Mychesttightened,anda small part ofmewonderedifmyfatherwouldapproveof

what I was about to do.Bringing democracy to thewisp court would underminehisauthority,hisclaimtothethrone. But I was done withthrones and leaders whoseonly qualification was thebloodthatranintheirveins.Iwantedmoreforthesepeople.They deserved to have foodtoeatandasafeplacetolive.Theydeservedtobefreefromfear,fromthetyrannyofmenobsessedwithpower.

“MyfatherleftFaerie,”I said. “For good or ill, heisn’t here. My uncle ruledoveryouwithanironfistandanunkindheart.Iwillnotdothesame.”

The buzzing roared, acrescendo of thoughts andvoices that threatened tooverwhelm me, but Isoldieredon.

“My firstorderasyourprincess is to revoke therights of my family, of any

one family, to lead you, andto instate a new kind ofgoverning power for ourpeople,” I said. “I know thisisamonumentalchange,butIhavefaithinallofyou.Weasa people are resilient. Weglowinthedeepestdark.Wearewisps.”

I held my hands high,tearsrollingdownmycheeks,as I embraced their cheers. Iwould only lead them for aday,thisday,butIwoulduse

my limited time as theirprincess to bring a positivechangeforthefuture.

Through the roaring, Iturned and smiled atSkillywidden, andcalledhimtothedias.

“Skilly,doyouwanttoreturn to Tech Duinn?” Iasked,keepingmyvoicelow.

“No, lass,” he said,fidgeting with one of hissuspenders. “I had hoped to

stay ‘ere and mind thehearth.”

“Even if I leave?” Iasked.

“Aye, even then,” hesaid. “I’vemade friendswiththe kitchen staff, and I’d benogood in thehumanworld.I’dratherstayinFaerie,ifit’sallthesametoye.”

“I’llmissyou,Skilly,”Isaid.“ButIwashopingyou’dstay.Mypeopleneedyou.”

“Theydo?”heasked.

“They do,” I said. Iraised my voice, my wordsonce again carrying to thegathered wisps. “You willneed to elect representatives,menandwomenyoutrust,foryour new council.Meanwhile, I appointSkillywidden to aid indecisionsthatneedimmediateattention.”

“But, Princess, I’m notevenwisp!”hesaid.

“Skillywidden ishenceworth known as wispfriend,” I said, keeping myvoice raised. I winked atSkilly, and he blushed. “Hewill be an asset to yourgrowing council, and avaluableadvisor.”

Withthat,Igrabbedmyjacket, and stepped downfrom the dais. Skillywiddenfrowned, and shuffled hisfeet.

“WhatamIsupposedtodonow?”heasked.

“Help them,” I said.“Givethemadvicewhentheyneed it, just as you did forme.InthetwelvemonthsthatI’ve known you, Skilly,you’ve been a loyal friend.You always gave me goodadvice,andyouhaveatenderheart. I know that you willhelpmypeople, becauseyoucan tell the difference

betweenwhatisfairandjust,andwhatisselfishcruelty.”

“Theboy,”hesaid.Wesharedalook,andI

nodded.“You knew that saving

that boy wasn’t a failure,” Isaid.

“But to give me this,theearofyepeople,”hesaid.“It’stoomuch.”

“Itwon’tbeforlong,”Isaid. “They’ll build agovernment, in time. But

until then, I trust you to dowhatyoucan tomake thingsright.And youwon’t alwaysbe on your own. I’ll try toreturn,whenandifIcan.”

“If anybody can, it beyou,Princess,”hesaid.

It was true. I was thedaughterof theQueenofAirand Darkness. If there werebackdoors toFaerie, I’dhaveaccess to them. It was just amatter of finding thoseportals, a job well suited for

someonewithP.I.training.Atleast,thatwasmyhope.

Ismiled,andnodded.“There’s just onemore

thingbeforeIgo,”Isaid.“And what would that

be?” he asked, eyesnarrowing.

I’d asked a lot of himall ready. I didn’t blamehimforbeingsuspicious.

“Will you keep thehearthfireburningforme?”Iasked.

Skillywidden’s facerelaxed, and he returned mysmile.

“Aye, lass,” he said.“Thoughtyou’dne’erask.”

Chapter53“I will not stand for

this, I am…argh!” Kadeyelled, interrupted by a slaptothesideofthehead.

“Areyousurewecan’tkill him, Princess?” Tornasked, tilting his head inmydirection, and holding anextended claw to Kade’sthroat. “No one would miss

him,andthere’saconvenientbogrightoverthere…”

“No,”Isaid.We’dbeenover this, and I wasn’tbacking down. “He’s adelusionalcreep,buthe’smyfamily.”

“I knew you cared forme,” Kade said, eyesgleaming. “Tell them tounhandme,andwecanreturnto the wisp court where wecanruletogether…”

“Torn,ifyoudon’tshuthimup,Iwill,”Ceffsaid.

“You know how I likeit when you talk tough, FishBreath,” Torn said, battinghis eyelashes. “But it’s myturn to guard the prisoner,and I don’t take orders fromyou.”

“Oh would you all bequiet?”Iasked.

My head still achedfrom my little speechyesterday. Having my wings

extended had been necessaryfor communicating with mypeople,duringthespeechandinthemeetingsweheldafter,but the subsequent headachehad sent me to my quarterswithout dinner. I’d been toosick to eat, or enjoy the factthatCeffhadsharedmybed.Nowwewereonourway tothe ice palace, and I wastired,hungry,andfreshoutofpatience.

“LikeIsaid,Princess,ifyou let me kill him…” Tornsaid.

I sent a fire ballwhizzing past his shoulder,close enough to singe one ofthe pieces of bone and furdanglingfromhisear.

“Well, that was rude,”hemuttered.

“Soiskillingaman,”Isaid. “If he starts rantingagain, gag him. Until then,keep your complaining to

yourself.I’drathernotattractunnecessaryattention.”

“Good point,” Ceffsaid. “We do not knowwhatresidesinthisplace.”

The thing is, I didknow. I’d spent monthstrudging through the muddyterrain along the edgeof thisbog,andflyingoverhead. I’dseenenoughtoknowthatwedidn’t want to encountersome of the bog’s moreviolentdenizens.

“Comeon,”Isaid.We were nearly to the

boundary, where Nithsdalebordered The Forest ofTorment. I wasn’t eager toenter the heart of mymother’slands,butthelongerwespentinthebog,themorelikelywe’dencountera flesheating bog fiend or a rabidpack of duergar. Of course,theforesthelditsownkindoftrouble.

“How do you proposewe get past the trees?” Ceffasked, giving voice to ournewestdilemma.

The bog no longersucked at our feet, trying todevour us by pulling us intoits depths. Instead, the mudhere was semi-frozen,moisture forming ice crystalsalong its surface. We werefast nearing The Forest ofTorment and all of its perils,

namely trees that drank thebloodofMab’senemies.

To venture into thatforest, which formed animpenetrable boundaryaround her ice castle, was afool’s errand. I guess thatmademeafool.

“Don’t worry,” I said.“I have a little something upmysleeve.”

I meant that literally. IsuspectedthatthebestwaytoprovethatIwasn’tanenemy

was to demonstrate myfamily connection to Mab.Unfortunately, that wouldrequire shedding blood in aforest of bloodthirsty trees. Ijust hope I didn’t start afeedingfrenzy.

“You do realizechances are good that we’llfacecertaindeath,”Tornsaid,eyebrow raised.He’dgaggedKade with a piece of fabrictorn from my uncle’s cloak,stifling the man’s rantings.

KadewasjustluckythatTornhadn’t used wisp hide, notthat I would have let him.“Not that I’m complaining. Idoenjoyachallenge.”

Torn was just crazyenough to think a field tripthrough The Forest ofTorment was fun, a thrill tobreak up the monotony ofimmortality. I shook myhead, removed one of mygloves, and slid a daggerfrommyboot.

“If my plan works,therewon’tbeanydying,nottoday,”Isaid.

Idragged the tipof thedagger across my palm, andwinced. It would have beeneasiertousethesharpedgeofone of my throwing knives,butthosebladeshadseentoomuch action, and I wasn’tpreparedtoloseadaywhileIreplayed every moment ofpain those blades hadinflicted. I held my breath,

prepared for the visions thatdidcome,buttheyweren’tasbad as I’d feared. Maybe Iwas finally getting the hangofthisfaeriething.

“I take it there’s areason why you just cutyourself, Princess?” Tornasked.

I rolled my eyes. Ofcourse there was a reason.Blooddrippedfrommyhand,reminding me of anotherdaggerwound I’dhadnot so

long ago. A red cap hadstabbed me, but when helicked my blood from hisevil, little blade his eyes hadgonewide.He’dbowedthen,begging for mercy before heranaway.Ihadn’tunderstoodthe red cap’s reaction then,butIunderstooditnow.IwasMab’s daughter, a fact thatsome of her minions couldtasteonmyblood.

I hoped that thebloodthirsty trees had a

distinguishing palate, or myblood might go fromappetizertothemaincourse.

“Yes,”Isaid.I strode to the edge of

the forest, tilting my headback to gaze up at the treesthat grew with their headstogether like conspiringdemons. A chill breeze sentwhispers through the skeletaltrees, their bare limbsdestined to spend eternity in

the torment of perpetualwinter.

I held out my fist, andturned my hand, shakingdropletsofmybloodontothefrost covered ground. Theblood steamed in the icy air,sending up a tendril ofspectralmist. I shivered, andstepped back as a root burstthrough the frozen ground tosuckle on my meageroffering.

Now we just had towait.

Kade’s eyes buggedout, and amoan escaped themakeshift gag that Torn hadtiedaroundhisface.Whatdidhethink,that’dI’dcomeheretosacrificehimtotheforest?That I was sprinkling theearth withmy blood to whetthetrees’appetite?

“I’m not going to killyouuncle,”Isaid,dryly.“IfIwaswillingtoletyoudie,I’d

have let Torn kill you hoursago and saved myself fromyourranting.”

I turned, and smiled athim. Apparently, it wasn’t avery reassuring smile, sincehe renewed hismoaning andstruggled against Torn’s griponhisarm.Ishrugged.Iwasdone with mourning myuncle.

I’d cried most of theprevious night, with Ceff astrong presence at my side.

He didn’t try to stop me, totellmethateverythingwouldbeokay.Heknew that Iwasgrievingthelossofmyuncle,of the family I’d longed for.After the tears came anger,followed by a hollowemptiness. My uncle hadbrokenme,changedme.He’dshattered my heart, but Iwouldn’t let him scatter thepieces. He’d taken enoughfromme.

I was done giving himpiecesofmyself.ItwastimeIstartedrebuildingmylife,andbecomingwhoItrulywantedtobe.ThatpersonwasaP.I.in Harborsmouth with akelpie husband and some ofthebestfriendsanyonecouldever hope for. Now I justneeded togethomeand startlivingthatdream.

I wrapped a bandagearoundmy hand, slid onmyglove,andwaitedtoseeifmy

gambit had worked. I didn’thavetowaitlong.

With a terrifyingcombination of shrieks andgroans, the frozen treesparted, leavingusagleamingpathway.

“Now that looksfamiliar,”Tornsaid.

It did. The path lookedthe same as the path of icethatwe’d seenwhenwe firstentered Faerie all thosemonthsago.

“Perhaps the landrecognized you, even then,”Ceffsaid.

“The prodigal daughterreturns, so they roll out theicy path home?” I asked.“LikeanUnseelie redcarpet,oryellowbrickroad?”

“Iwouldexpectnothingless for the daughter of theQueenofAirandDarkness,”hesaid.

The daughter of theQueenofAirandDarkness—

now that was going to takesome getting used to. I’mpretty sure when little girlsdream about being a faerieprincess, they don’t picturethequeenofthebogeymenastheirmom.IfIthoughtaboutit too hard, I’d go nuts, so Ishruggedandlaugheditoff.

I was an immortal,whichmeanttherewasplentyof time for rocking in acornerwhenthiswasallover

—so long aswemade it outofFaeriealive.

“Well,ifthey’rerollingout the red carpet,who am Ito deny them a princess?” Iasked,forcingasmile.

I strode onto the icypath, and into The Forest ofTorment. If I did make ithome, Kaye was going tohavemyhead.

Chapter54“Doyouthinkthere’sa

secretknock?”Iasked.“Orapassword?”

I was going with opensesame, if I had to guess.Torn sighed, and Ceff shookhishead.

After hours of freezingourbuttsoffwhilekeepingadeath grip on our weapons,and looking nervously over

our shoulders, the creepyforest had regurgitated us atthegatesofMab’sicepalace.Outofthefryingpanandintothe fire, but, you know,withless heat. I lifted my chin,surveyingmyancestralhome.Iwas trying to channel royalarrogance, but if my uncle’sfrantic glances were anyindication, I’d accomplishedmorepsychothanprincess.

It’s hard to lookconfidentwhenyourteethare

chattering.My mother—I’d never

get used to thinking that—might be an uber powerful,malicious sadist, but sheknewhowtoimpress.Hericepalace towered over us,towers and thick walksblocking the stars so that thehome of the Unseelie Court,Mab’sseatofpower,seemedtoencompassallofFaerie.

It was an impressionthat only grew as wemoved

closer, trying to decide howbest to enter. The gate andsurrounding walls wereformed of solid ice thatgleamed with eldritch light,and two yetis stood guard.There’d be no forcing ourwayin.Iguesswe’djusthavetoringthebell,sotospeak.

“Oh well,” I muttered.“Heregoesnothing.”

I held my breath as Iwalked past the tuskedbehemoths,buttheydidn’tso

much as flinch. They werelike the Faerie version ofBuckingham Palace guards,looking straight aheadwithoutasound.Theirsilencewas unnerving, so Iquickenedmypace.

At the gate, I used mydagger to reopen the cut onmypalm,carefulnot to flashmy blade at the guards, andshook droplets of my bloodonto the shimmering surfacewhere the two doors joined

togetherinthecenter.Solongasmybloodcontinued toactas a key, andTorn didn’t doanything stupid like pick afight with the guards, wemight justmake it inside theicepalaceinonepiece.

Whetherwe evermadeitbackoutagainwasanotherstory.

Iwoundascrapofclotharound my hand to staunchthe bleeding, and tugged onmy glove. I flexedmy hand,

making sure the bandagewouldn’t impede my abilityto fight—if it came to that—and discreetly palmed mythrowing knives. If my plandidn’t work, and whatevermagicmymotherhadusedtoward the gates of her palacehadmorediscriminatingtastethan the forest, thenouronlychance to escapewas to takeout the guards, and run likethe dogs of hell werechompingatourheels.

Knowing the extent ofMab’s power, and herpenchant for the dramatic,theyprobablywouldbe.

Ceff came to stand onmyright,andTornonmyleftwithmyuncleheldinanarmlock, as the spectral glow ofthegatebegantopulse.Igritmy teeth, preparing for afight, but apparently theflashinglightdidn’tindicateatripped alarm. We weren’tzapped into fae popsicles, or

attacked by the guards,though the yetis did begin tomove.

The yetis turned inunison, grabbing onto thehandles of two wheel-likemechanisms that had beenpreviously hidden behind thegirth of their enormousbodies. With a growl andsnap of shifting ice, and theclank of chains, the doors ofthe ice palace gate began to

swing inward to reveal acourtyardfitforaqueen.

Or, in this case, aprincess.

“Are you sure that thisiswhatyouwishtodo?”Ceffasked, standing rigid at myside.

I knew that he wouldstandbyme,nomatterwhatIchose.Ialsoknewthataboveallelse,hewantedtokeepmesafe.Hisconcernwarmedmyheart, just as his solid

presence gave me strength,but on this I wouldn’t yield.I’dtriedbeingaghost,hidingfrom the fae ofHarborsmouth, and I’d hatedeverysecondofit.

No,Iwouldpresentmycase to the Unseelie Court,and prove that I was nolonger a threat to our kind. Iwoulddemonstratemyabilitytocastaconvincingglamour,and I’dmake damn sure thattheycalledofftheirassassins.

ThelastthingIneededwastosurvive Faerie only to returnhometoanarrowthroughtheheart.

But walking throughthese gates was amonumental step withramifications of epicproportions. Mab had ruledthe Unseelie fae, since thevery birth of this world. Herdeparture, along with that ofOberonandTitaniatherulersof the Seelie fae, had rocked

all of Faerie. But myexistence?Thatwasashiftinthe balance of power thatcould cause an even greaterupheaval—onethatmightendwithmeontheendofMab’ssword.

Entering my mother’spalace would changeeverything.

ItwasagoodthingthatIwas used to shaking thingsup. I glanced at Torn whowasgrinningfromear toear.

It’sprobablythemainreasonthat the cat sidhe keptme asan ally. Iwas a surefire curefor boredom. Never a dullmoment when I’m around,thatwasfordamnsure.

I wet my lips, strodepast the shaggy,white furredguards, and prepared tochange the history of Faerieforever.

Chapter55“I request an audience

with the Unseelie Court,” Isaid, voice ringing throughthecourtyard.

A motley group of faehesitantly approached. Morethan a few held weapons,though these weren’t guards.The predators of the winterlands flanked us, cutting offour escape. No, the fae who

scuttledtowarduswerelikelythe administration, and iftheir fidgeting and wary,befuddled glances were anyindication,Iconfusedthehelloutofthem.

Good, that made bothofus.

A goblin with aclipboard waddled over. Shelifted some kind of writingstylus, and arched a brow asshelookedmeover.

“Do you have anappointment?”sheasked.

She looked down herbulbous nose, taking in mymuddy boots and bloodsmearedpants.AtleastIwaswearing black. Otherwiseshe’dprobablybehorrifiedatthe state of my dress. As itwasshesniffed,andgavemethe stink eye. It was all Icoulddonottolaugh.

“No,” I said. “But I’msure they’ll want to hear my

caseonceyoutellthemwho’shere.”

“And who would thatbe?” she asked, rolling hereyesatmeassheloweredthestylustoherclipboard.

“Ivy Granger, daughterof Will-o-the-Wisp,” I said,pausing for dramatic effect.Torn caught my eye, andsmirked. He must be lovingthis.Thesefaewereinforthegossip of the century. “And

daughter of Mab, the QueenofAirandDarkness.”

I never understood thephrase,“youcouldhearapindrop”, until now. Theacoustics of the frozencourtyard had elevated theshuffling of feet, clanking ofweapons, and constantwhispers as the fae hadspeculatedabouttheirstrangevisitors. But now thecourtyard was devoid ofsound.

“Now may I pleasehave an audience with mycourt?” I asked, edging myvoice with haughtyannoyance.

Thegoblindroppedherclipboard, and ran into thepalace. The other fae,including the apex predatorswho’d been guarding ourretreat,closeatherheels.

“I’lltakethatasayes.”

Chapter56TheUnseelieCourtwas

a vertigo inducing inversionoftheGreatHalloftheWispCourt I’d grown familiarwith. Where the Wisp Courthad held its proceedings onthe moss covered stonebottom of a cavern glowingwithmoonlight,besideapoolof water teeming with life,the Unseelie Court gathered

on a drafty precipice, highaboveadark,lifelesspit.

Balconies ringed thepit, giving palace residents abird’s eye view.Unfortunately for me,petitionerstothecourthadtomake their way across anarrow path that cut throughthe dark like a knife’s edge,leading to a circle of stonethat sat like an island in thegreasydarkness.Mouthdry,Itried not to look down as I

made my way to thespeaker’sstone.

IhadnoideawhyMabhadbuiltherpalaceontopofa tunnel that likely ledstraight to Hell, but Iimagined that this path keptthenumberofpetitionerstoaminimum. I bent my knees,and closed my eyes asanother gust of frigid windblasted me, freezing myeyelashes and threatening totip me over into the

bottomless pit. Maybe thiswas a trap, a way forMab’sminions to get rid of thepotential usurper to theUnseelie throne. If so, I hadto commend their creativity,andtheirmoxie.

Ceff walked a stepbehind me, a solid wall ofmuscle at my back. Aftermonths in captivity, he wasleaner, and the muscle moredefined, but that didn’tdetract from the threat he

posed to anyone who daredstrikeoutagainstme.Infact,I’mprettysurethattwoyearsbound in iron had lent asteely glint to his eyes thathadn’tbeentherebefore.

Ceff wasn’t the onlyhard eyed demon in myentourage.Tornwashavingabittoomuchfundanglingmyuncle over the precipice, asthey followed behind us. AtKade’swhimper, I shotTornaglareovermyshoulder.

“Stop playing withKade like he’s amouse, andget your ass over here,” Isaid.

Torn grinned, showinghisteeth.

“As you wish,Princess,”hesaid.“Myassisyourstocommand.”

I sighed, and turnedback to face the councilmemberswho’dassembledinfront of us across the pit. Iimagine that distance gave

them a false sense of safety,but it wouldn’t save themfrom a well placed fire ball.Not that I planned onimmolatingcouncilmembers.The council had the finalword of the Unseelie Court,andrightnow,Ineededtobeintheirgoodgraces.

“Whatisthepurposeofthe case you bring before ustoday?”asombermanasked.

He had a long, gauntface and spindly hands that

never stopped moving, as ifheweredanglingthosehandsout of a carwindow, surfingonwavesofchillair.

“I bring two issuesbeforethecourt,”Isaid.

“That is…mostunorthodox,” a stout boggartgrumbled.

“And I’m not yourtypical petitioner,” I said,arching an eyebrow at thecouncil.

Council membersshifted noisily in their stonechairs,andIfoughtasmile.Iwasn’t looking forward to afamily reunion, but beingMab’s daughter sure had itsperks.

“Then state your case,orrathercases,”Sombersaid.

I nodded, and took adeepbreath.

“First,Irequestthatmyuncle,LordKadeoftheWisp

Court, be stripped of hismagic,”Isaid.

More than one councilmembergasped,andwhispersand cries broke out from thebalcony above us. A trollpoundedhisfistonthearmofhis chair, and the room onceagainwentsilent.

“What crime is Kadeaccused of that we shouldsentencehim to suchaharshpunishment?”Somberasked.

“Treason,” I said. “Heknew of my birthright, andyethekidnappedmy friends,lied to me, and tried tomanipulate me to becomehis…consort. I believe thatultimately, hewished to takeMab’s throne, perhaps inrevengeforherrejection.”

Itwasalltrue,butforamoment a pang of guilttightened my gut. I dislikedairing out my family’s dirtylaundry,butthiswastheonly

way to strip Kade of hismagic—the only way toallowhimtolive.

“That is a weightycharge,”Sombersaid.

“Yep, I know,” I said.“So I’llgiveyouaminute towrapyourheadsaroundit.”

Ceff shot me a wrylook, and lifted my shoulderin a one armed shrug. Thefaster we finished thisbusiness, the better. Mab’sice palace, and an audience

with the council of theUnseelie Court, was makingmyskincrawl.Ifbeingpushygot this done faster, then I’dpush.Iwantedtogohome.

“If he is truly guilty oftreason, is stripping him ofhis magic enough of apunishment?” an eleganthighbornfaerieasked.

I held up a hand,gesturingtointerrupt.

“Ihavealsoexiledhimfrom his ancestral home of

Tearlach and the wisp landsofNithsdale,”Isaid.

The faerie nodded, andI held my breath as thecouncil’s sibilant whisperingcontinued.

“We will grant youyourwish,Princess,”Sombersaid. “But that is our finalfavor. Think on this beforeyoubringanotherissuetoourattention.”

Great,thatdidn’tsoundominousor anything. I guess

being princess wasn’t all itwascrackeduptobe.

“I appreciate thewarning, but I will addressthe court with one moreissue,”Isaid.

The council membersshared meaningful glancesamongst each other, andnodded.

“You may continue,”Sombersaid.

“I was deemed atraitor,” I said,and theentire

room gasped. It was like theentirepitdrewinabreathandsuckeditintothevoid.Yeah,looks like I’d been right andthey hadn’t put two and twotogether,realizingthattheIvyGranger who was Mab’sdaughter was the same halfhuman Ivy Granger they’dordered tobeexecuted in thehuman world. Now to seewhat they were prepared todoabout it. “But Icanprovethat I am not a threat. I will

notbreaktheOneLaw.Iwillnot betray our secret to thehumanpopulace.”

“That iswhy her namewas so familiar!” a bansheewailed, pointing a hookedfingeratme.

More than one faerieglared at me with venom intheir eyes, and maybe theirfangs.Forthemoment,Iwasglad of the pit that spannedbetweenus.

“Look,” Isaid,keepingmy voice low and calm. “Icanprovemyabilitytocreatea glamour. This was all amisunderstanding…”

Theirvoicesrolledovereach other, and my mouthsnappedshut.I’dhavetowaitthemout, if theyeven letmespeak again, but there wasone thing I could dowhile Iwaited.

Ireachedformypower,drawing it up through my

body and out through myskin. The fire burned, but Iembraced it, letting it wraparoundme.

I remembered the heatshimmer that my uncle hadlikened my glamour to, andbit my lip. If only he’dremainedmymentor,andnota madman driven by power,lust, and revenge, but thatwas water under the bridge.What mattered now wasproving mastery over my

magic,sothatthecourtdidn’tdecide to have me executedonthespot,princessornot.

Idrewforthmypower,wove it intoacomplexskeinof firemagic,anddraped theglamour around my body.When I openedmy eyes, theworld still seemed the same,my body was still my own,butmyeffortsmusthavepaidoff. Every faerie, from theharpiesperchedontheornatebalconies to the centaurs

circling the stone councilseats, stood rigid, attentionfocused on the woman whonow looked even more likehermother.

AccordingtoSkilly,myhuman glamour lookedexactly like Mab’s. I’dthought it was an unluckycoincidence at the time, butnow I knew that it was aresult of my birth—and itpresented an opportunity to

gain the attention of thecouncil.

MyfriendsandImighthave known what to expect,but the rest of the roomwasunprepared. I’d stunned thepalace residents once againintosilence.IfIkeptthisup,Imightgetacomplex.

I was almost relievedwhen the shouting begananew.Thenoisewasn’tdoinganything to improve myheadache, but at least they

werenolongergapingatme.The inside of some of thosemouthswere a sightbest leftto the imagination. If thesefae were any indication,Faerie was in dire need ofdentalcare.

I smiled, and nodded.I’d achieved my goal. I hadthe council’s attention, nowto plead my case. I held ahandup,andthenoisebegantolessen.

“Within this glamourmy…otherness is contained,”I said. “The glowing of myeyes and skin—a gift of myfather—are not at risk ofbeingseenbyhumans.”

“But we were told…”Sombersaid.

“Do you doubt myabilities?”Iasked.

I put one hand on myhip,andlookedathimarchly.Theentirecouncilblanched.I

guess I really did look likeMab.

“No, no, Mistress,” hesaid,bowingobsequiously.

“Then I am free toreturntothehumanworld?”Iasked.

“Yes, of course,Mistress,” he said. “We willsendwordtotheMoordenaar,terminating the contract foryourexecution.”

“See that you do,” Isaid.

I looked around theroom, but when I caughtTorn’s smirk, I had tostruggle not to laugh. I wasplaying upmy connection toMab,but itwastimetowrapthisup.

“Is that all, Mistress?”Somberasked.

“Actually, I have aquestion,” I said. I paused,and tiltedmyhead.“Howdoyou send your messages to

our allies in the humanworld?”

“Well…there is thescrying pool for sendingmissives to theMoordenaar,”he said. I frowned. Thatwasn’t all that helpful. “AndthoughtheroadstoFaerieareclosed,thereistheportal,forwhen we need to sendrepresentativesofthecourttothe human world, or they toFaerie.”

“A portal from thiscourt to thehumanworld?”Iasked.

It was as I’d guessed.There were more backdoorsto and fromFaerie, andMabhadonehereinherpalace.Itmade sense.Now to exercisemy royal powers, such astheywere,andgainaccesstothisportal—andgohome.

“Yes,” Somber said.“But it is for court businessonly.”

“Well then,” I said. “Iguess we have one moreorderofbusiness.”

Somber let out aweighty sigh, and thenegotiationsbegan.

Chapter57“Can you send us

anywhere in the humanworld?” I asked, followingour guide throughone of themany corridors of mymother’s palace. The placewas a maze of ice, butanything was better thanbeing suspended above abottomless pit prone to windgusts.

“Within reason,”Sombersaid.

“Whatareyouthinking,Princess?”Tornasked.

“I’m thinking that Ihave unfinished business,” IwhisperedtoTorn.Iturnedtothe gray skinned faerie, andbowed my head. “It is mywish that you send us to theBraxton junkyard on theoutskirtsofHarborsmouth.”

The faerie raiseda thineyebrow,butdidn’tcomment

onmychoiceofdestination.Iguesshethought itunwisetochallengetheprincess.

Somber sighed, andwavedhisfingersintheairina complex pattern. When hewas finished, he slid hishandsintothewidesleevesofhisrobes,andnodded.

“It is done,” he said.“Follow this path to the ashtree, circle it three timeswiddershins,andstepthroughtheportal.”

Iguesshewasn’tgoingwith us. Since the path leddown into The Forest ofTorment, I couldn’t reallyblamehim.

“Thetreeistheportal?”Iasked.

I didn’t want to walkface first into a solid tree,only to find out I wassupposedtostepontoarock,toadstool, or patch of grass.When in Faerie, it was bestnottoassume.

“Yes, you must passthrough the tree to enter thehuman world,” he said. Helookedmeupanddownfromhead to toe. “Forgiveme if Ihope you do intend to staythere.”

With that touchingfarewell,Somberspunonhisheelandstalkedaway.

“Friendly guy,” Tornsaid.

Ishrugged.

“I have that effect onpeople,” I said, a wry smileon my lips. “Come on, let’sgohome.”

The frost covered path,nomore thananarrowgametrail, led through a break inthehedgemazeofMab’srosegarden, down a steepembankment, and into theforest.

The footing wastreacherous, but at least weweren’ttryingtonavigatethis

with my uncle in tow. Afterhewasstrippedofhismagic,Kadewasgivenachoice.Hecouldleavethepalacetofendfor himself with no magicalpowers,orremainasapalaceservant.Hedecidedtostay.

My uncle was no fool.His chances for survivalwouldhavebeenslimoutsidethe walls of the ice palace.Not that he would enjoy lifeasalowlyservant.

Kadehadfallenfar,buthewasstillalive.I’dheldhislife in my hands, and I’dallowed him to live. He hadan eternity to make amendsforhisevildeeds,butwhathedid with the life that I’dgranted was up to him. I’ddone what I could, what I’dhadto,andnowitwastimetomoveon.

Itwastimetogohome.“Torn, can you give us

amoment?”Ceffasked.

Torn shrugged, andnodded. After looking usover, and deciding weweren’t worth eavesdroppingon, he turned and walkedfurtherdownthetrail.

Ceffranahandthroughhis hair, and sighed. Butwhenhiseyesmetmine,theywere glowing green withpassion. My lips parted, andheleanedcloser.

“Before we leftHarborsmouth, we made a

promise to each other,” Ceffsaid. “Now that we’re goingback, I have to ask you aquestion about that promise,andIneedyoutogivemeanhonestanswer.”

Ceff started to saymore,but Iheldupahand. Ineeded to say this, needed tocleartheair.

“A lot has happenedsince that day,” I said. “I’vechanged,and…wenowknowthe truthaboutmybiological

mother. So if you’re havingsecondthoughts,Iwon’tholdyou to the promise that wemade.”

There, I’d said mypiece.I’dgivenhimanout,away for us to end thingsgracefully.My hand went tomystomach.

Iwasgoingtobesick.“I love you, Ivy, and

learning the truth of yourparentage has not changed

my feelings toward you,” hesaid.

Hemovedcloser,andIblinked. He slipped his handinto mine, and squeezed. Iwas wearing gloves—theaction didn’t trigger mypsychometry—but I didn’tneed visions to see the wayCeff felt about me. His lovewas written in lines of hisface and the desire in hiseyes, but I still had to ask. I

needed to hear it from hislips.

“Ithasn’t?”Iasked.“No,” he said, smiling

down at me. “If anything, Ilove youmore. Not for yourpower or status, but for yourstrength. You are a survivor,Ivy.Webothare.”

Iflinched,rememberingarecentmomentofweakness.

“Iwasn’tthatstrong,”Isaid.“I-I-Igaveuponyou.”

“Youweretrickedbyaman who has beenmanipulating people for amillennium.”

“But I shouldn’t havebelieved him,” I said. “Notfor a second. How can youforgiveme?”

“He was your family,”hesaid.“Weallhaveablindspot when it comes tofamily.”

Hehadapoint.Hisex-wife Melusine had been his

blind spot, and Kade wasmine.Iguessinatwistedwaythatmadeuseven.

I nodded, letting himknow that I accepted hisargument, though I’d likelynevershedallofmyguilt.

“Do you still wish tomarryme?”heasked.

Ceff stared at me, hiseyes glowing with passion,andwithhope.

“Yes,Ceff,yes,”Isaid.“I’ve never been so sure of

anything in my life. Yes. Iwant to marry you, and Idon’twanttowait.”

“There is no rush,” hesaidwithapleasedlaugh.

“Is next monthrushing?”Iasked.

“Next month?” heasked, eyebrow raised. “Wehave forever, and we arealready rushing ourengagement. Are you sureyouwant to becomemarriedsosoon?”

“Yes,” I said. “I’mreadytobeginforever.”

We walked hand inhand down the frost coveredpath. We would face theportal in the same way thatwe would face our future—together.

Chapter58I stumbledandretched,

bile rising toburnmy throat.The sleeve of my jacketvibrated as Torn and Ceffshudderedinunison.

I was struggling not topukeonmybootswhenTornletgoofmyarm.Hejumpedback, and hissed as if theleather jacket burned hisfingers.

“Did you have to takeus through one of Mab’spersonal portals, Princess?”he asked, glaring atmewithhis slit pupil eyes. “Mystomach feels like it’s filledwith angry spider faehatchlings.”

That did it. We’dencountered spider fae whenwe’d traveled to EmainAblach. That seemed like alifetimeago,butthecreatureshad left an impression that I

would probably carry to mygrave.

With images of spiderfae dancing in my head, Ithrew up. Imanaged tomissgetting vomit on our clothes,not that I would have anyregrets puking on Torn rightnow.Thecatsidhelordhadaknack for getting under myskin.

“Sotellmeagainwhyitwas so important that we

arrive in a junkyard of allplaces?”heasked.

I wiped my sleeveacross my mouth, andsurveyedtheworldaroundus.Somber had been true to hisword. The portal haddepositedus in themiddleofJinx’s father’s junkyard. I’dnever been so happy to seethosetwistedscrapsofplasticand metal. And flittingthroughthegapsinthatmetalweretinyglowinglights.

The wisps were stillhere, their bodies pulsatingwithasicklyshadeofgreen.

Myheadwaspounding,but I pushed away my owndiscomfort. I may have puttheWispCourtintothehandsofSkillywiddenandthewisppeople, but that didn’t stripme ofmy duties as princess.Plus, I’d takenona jobhere,andIplannedtofinishit.

I pulled off my jacket,and stripped down to my

sports bra. I inhaled deeply,fillingmylungs,anddrawingmy power up through mybody. When I felt ready toburst withmagic, I extendedmywings.

The wisps voices weremuffled,theproximitytoirondulling my abilities, but Ireached out with my magic,and opened my mind.Thoughts and words rushedin,andatearrolleddownmy

cheek. These wisps hadsufferedsomuch.

But I was about to setthingsright.

My uncle had taughtme some healing magic, inparticular how to heal wispphysiology. I’d neverattempted to heal more thanmy own scrapes and brokenbones, but I had theknowledge,anditwastimetoputittogooduse.

“Come,”Isaid,asmiletouching my lips as I raisedmy hand palm up. I let myvoice resonate with power,using my wisp magic tocommunicate with them.“Come, my cousins, let mehealyoufromthissickness.”

The wisps came closerand, withmymagic openingaconduitbetweenus,Icouldheartheircriesforhelp.Withtears streaming down myface,Isentmypowerintothe

wisps, cleansing their bodiesof the taint of iron. It wassuchasimplethingnowthatIknew how to tap into ourconnection. Talking to andhealing these wisps was asstrenuous as walking a cityblock,nothingmore.

Within minutes thewisps were glowing a brighthealthy yellow hue. Ceffbrought over a plasticcontainer of water that hefoundwhileIworked,andset

it on the ground at my feet.Even Torn shared theremainder of the rations hehadinhispockets,settingthefood beside the water with ashakeofhishead.

“You did it, Princess,”hesaid.“Yousavedthem.”

“Wedidit,”Isaid.I looked at Ceff, my

heart swelling at the secret IstillneededtosharewithJinxwhen I arrived home. Ismiled,andturnedbacktothe

wisps who were darting inandoutofthewater.

Iknewthat thesewispsneeded more than thishealing.Theyneededahome,and food, and safety. Idecided then that Iwould doeverything in my power togive them those things, andmore.

“We did it, together,”Ceffsaid,asmileonhislips.

I nodded, wonderingonce again how I’d come to

have such amazing people inmylife.I’dspentsomuchofmylifealone—mychildhood,the months in Faerie—but Ididn’t have to do things onmy own anymore. I hadpeople that I loved, who, bysome miracle, loved me inreturn.

I smiled, and slid myglovedhandintoCeff’s.

“Together we can doanything.”

ExclusiveSneakPeek

Keepreadingforasneakpeekof

Hound’sBiteByE.J.Stevens

Hound’sBiteThe night was broken

by howls that sent icy clawsskitteringdownmyspine.

“WhattheHellisthat?”I asked, gloved handsreachingformyblades.

Ceff lifted his handsapologetically, mouthstrugglingtoformwordsina

waythatwouldn’tupsetme.Icould read his discomfort inhis stiff posture and thetightening of the skin aroundhiseyes.

Torn had no suchconcernformyfeelings.

“You didn’t think youcould enter Faerie withoutconsequences, did you,Princess?”Tornaskedwithamockingsneer.

Somuchforfriendship.Apparently, returning to

Harborsmouth had broughtoutTorn’ssnarkyside.

ThedoorstoFaeriehadbeen sealed byMab,Titania,and Oberon when theydisappeared more than acenturyago.The faeriepathsno longer led to the SeelieandUnseelielands.Luckyforme, I’d found a key to ahiddenbackdoor.

At least, that key hadseemed like a stroke of luckatthetime.I’dneededaway

intoFaerie, to thewisp courtthat promised clues to myfather’swhereabouts,notthatmy journey had been easy.Nothing worth fighting foreverwas.

Theabilitytocomeoutof hiding? That was worthfighting for. I was tired ofslinking around the shadowsofmycity.

The problem was that,even though I’d been raisedhuman, the supernatural gifts

I inherited from my father,Will-o-the-Wisp,continuedtogrow like wildfire—burningme in the process. With noone to teach me how tocontrol my growing powers,I’d broken the one rule thatall fae live by. I used mypowers in public,unglamoured, and riskedexposing the secret of ourkind to humans—a crimepunishablebydeath.

It didn’t take the faeuppityupslongtosendoutafaerie hit squad to take meout.TheMoordenaar,agroupofeliteassassins,shotmefullof poisoned arrows. I died.Thankfully, I had a magicappleupmysleeve—anapplethatresurrectedthedead,andnotinacreepy,zombieliciouskindofway.

So yeah. I died, but Igot better. Take that faerie

assassins. Ivy Granger, 1.Faerieassassins,0.

WiththefaebelievingIwas dead, I usedmy father’skey to enter the wisp court.AsIsaid,ithadn’tbeeneasy.I did things there that weresuretogivemenightmares—morethanIalreadyhad—butI’dfoolishlybelievedthattheworstwasbehindme.

Survivingatripthroughthe landof thedeadand intoFaerie and back again—

homicidal relatives and all—had left me hopeful. I’dlearned how to control mypowers.MyfriendsandIhadsurvived.Heck,I’donlybeenback a few minutes andalready I’d managed to healthe wisps who’d been livingin Jinx’s father’s junkyardoftheir iron sickness. It wasstartingouttobeagoodday.

I should have knownbetter.

But I had so manyreasons for being hopeful. Iwas returning toHarborsmouth afterdemonstrating my newfoundcontroltotheUnseelieCourt.The ruling fae had decidedthat Iwas no longer a threattotheirexistence.Thatmeantnomorehiding.Foronce,noone was trying to kill me.Even my relationship withCeff was a good place. Mylifewas supposed togoback

tonormal.Another hungry howl

pierced the night, and Igrimaced.

“This is no time forgames,Torn,” I said.Gettingananswerfromacatsidewaslike following the metal ballin a game of Mouse Trap. IwasprettysurethatTornwasallergic to straight answers,but Iwas sickof playing themouse.OurjourneytoFaeriehad been an exhausting one,

and I was short on patience.Thesoonerwefoughtthebigbaddy coming our way, thesooner I could drop into mybed. “Did we wake theHoundoftheBaskervilles,orwhat?”

Ceff and Tornexchangedameaningfullook,faces grim. I flashed Ceff agrin, hoping to lighten themood,butheshookhishead.

“Torn was right,” Ceffsaid.“Itwouldseem thatour

triptoFaeriewasnotwithoutconsequences.”

“What consequences?”I said, throwing my bladeladen hands in the air. “Willoneofyoujusttellmewhatisout there? A heads upmightmake killing the howlingmonster a little easier.Knowledge is power, yadayada.”

“You will need morethanmerebladestofightthatenemy,”Ceffsaid.

Igroundmyteethwhilementallystabbingapictureofmycrypticboyfriendwithmy“mereblades.”

“Are you saying weshould run?” I asked,eyebrows raised. “Becauseyou should know me betterthanthat.”

“What he’s saying,Princess,isthatyouwokeupsomething too big for thethree of us to defeat alone,”Tornsaid.

That made me pause.We’d fought faerie queens,pyro demons, a lovesicknecromancer,andapsychoticlamia, to name a few. Imaynot have come through thosebattles unscathed, orwith allmygutsstillontheinside,butwith my friends at my side,and a new arsenal of wisppowersatmyfingertips,Ifeltnearlyinvincible.

IlookedtoCeff,hopinghe’dgrabhis tridentand join

me for some quick monstercleanup. Imaynotbeon theclockforthisone,butIdidn’tlet hungry fae prowl thestreetsofHarborsmouth.Andif Torn was right, I’dsomehow let this one followusoutofFaerie.NowaywasI turning tail, nomatter howtiredIwas.

But Ceff didn’t reachforhisweapons.

“We need allies,” hesaid.

“And larger weapons,”Tornsaid,withawink.

The cat sidhe lookedexcited,whichwasacluethatI wasn’t going to like theanswertomynextquestion.

“And what monster dowe need to gather our alliesand weapons against?” Iasked.

“Haven’t you guessedyet, Princess?” Torn asked,eyes gleaming. “We’re not

just facing one howlingbeast.”

Ceff turned to me,closingthespacebetweenus.In themoonlight, I could seemy reflection in the darkpools of his kelpie eyes—eyes that were tight withworry.

“What are they?” Iasked.

Ceff’s voice was lowandreverent,and tingedwiththetaintoffear.

“TheWildHunt.”

AbouttheAuthorE.J. Stevens is the

author of the Spirit Guideyoung adult paranormalromance series, the Hunters’Guild urban fantasy series,and the bestselling IvyGrangerurban fantasy series.Sheisknownforfillingpageswith quirky characters,bloodsucking vampires,

psychoticfaeries,andsnarky,kick-buttheroines.

When E.J. isn't at herwriting desk she enjoysdancing along seaside cliffs,singing in graveyards, andsleepinginfaeriecircles.E.J.currentlyresidesinamagicalforest on the coast of Mainewhere she finds dailyinspirationforherwriting.

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