Prologue

PROLOGUE

UNKNOWN

Drip. Drip. Drip .

Blood fell like slow tears from the two bodies above. It fell from their fingertips into two large pools that expanded on either side of his throne. I didn’t dare look up, at least not again. Two traitors hung from the ceiling on either side of Thaddeus’ throne. Their arms dangled over their heads as the ropes strained around their ankles. The air was still yet they swayed in slow circles as though there were a breeze. The bitter cold temperature was already turning their fingers blue. The ropes were frozen solid.

I existed on the edge of a knife, hiding in the shadows, praying to leave but forced to stay. A shift in position was always a prudent course to take, especially when the determining factor was to remain alive. My place behind the throne had been discovered days ago, and now I was forced to abandon the comfort of remaining hidden for the search of another dark corner where no one would notice me. The court of Thaddeus was no place to take liberties with humor, joy, or anything that would make one feel alive in any way, though the goal was to maintain an existence which allowed for the possibility of a future. Survival depended on several factors, but for me, remaining another passive face among the crowd had helped me fly under the radar and out of reach for a long time.

I secured a place halfway behind a curtain just to the left of Thaddeus. Too close and I’d be noticed, too far and I wouldn’t have the vital knowledge I required to stay alive. Knowledge was power. The tapestries draped around the room provided a little warm barrier from the frigid air, and hidden among them, I heard every word uttered.

Thaddeus sat in his throne drumming his fingers to a slow droll rhythm that indicated his boredom. There was a low murmur among his devotees that hummed in the great hall where he spent his days. The ceilings were tall and vaulted, with two rows of columns running down the center of the room. Between the rows of columns, a long midnight-blue carpet ran from the double doors at the back of the room all the way up to his throne. Each column held a single lantern with blue flames dancing within them. They flickered and moved with the moods of our leader. I eyed the one above me with caution. If that lantern fell, I would not get away fast enough. Those flames burned so cold they were dangerous to the touch, and with the chill of the air powering them, they could move as fast as the night breeze.

The devoted followers of Thaddeus lined the walls, his proclivities for harsh punishments had long been accepted no matter how brutal. In fact, with each move he made on the chess board of battle they seemed to revere him more. My only reverence was a long life free of pain. But in the lands ruled by Thaddeus, pain had become an expectation.

A shimmering light glowed from the back of the room and all eyes swung toward it. Thaddeus’ fingers stilled. A hum of enticement rumbled deep in his chest. Tephine, Queen of the Fae, stepped through the opening as though she stepped onto a stage. The court smiled at her appearance for they knew the moment she entered this world she would bring a moment of pleasure to our ruler. She was elegant with her slight figure, pale blonde hair, and flawless milky skin. The tips of her pointed ears peeked out from her long locks. Each time she appeared here I found her to be a touch of warmth amidst the iciness. A long white fur coat was draped around her body, and the thick collar fell loose around her elbows. Underneath it she wore a nearly translucent dress with glittering crystals carefully placed over the most intimate places of her body. The rest of her pearly skin was visible through the shimmering fabric.

As she walked, she held her head high and shoulders back, showing all the confidence in the world. She was likely the most self-assured in the room aside from Thaddeus himself. No one else would dare walk on it, but she sauntered on the midnight-blue carpet toward him. When she reached him, she paused for a moment and gave him a deep bow.

“My lord.” Her dark eyelashes fluttered around her light blue eyes as she looked up at him. A slight smile played on her lips and her eyes sparked with excitement. Even the large diamond in her chest seemed to glint at the prospect of being closer to him.

“My queen,” he rumbled by way of greeting.

She straightened her stance and paused for a moment, just staring up at him. We all watched with bated breath. I even felt myself holding it for her. Thaddeus’ moods changed like the winds. Her lips pulled up in a full smile, and she hurried up to the throne and climbed into his lap. She looked so small compared to him. She pressed against his chest like a cat rubbing on its owner. He wrapped an arm around her back and rested his other elbow on the arm of the chair.

“What brings you here? At such a . . .” His power seeped just above his fingertips. Tiny specks of ice and snow danced there, glowing like glittering dust. His words were deep and rumbling, not the usual sharp and gruff short answers. “. . . delicate time?”

“I’ve been locked out of First Realm.” Tephine pouted but I suspected it was for show. “For now. I’ll get through it when I’m ready.”

“And what of our plans?”

“I’ve never disappointed you. I don’t intend to start now.” She wound her finger in a strand of light blue hair peeking out from his helmet.

He nodded. “You speak truth.”

“Always.” She slid in even closer to him, if that was possible.

“And what of your . . . complication?” The tiny bits of ice above his fingers grew higher.

She chuckled. “Dead. Killed by the Mage Queen in the most delicious of ways . . . You can’t imagine the pain he suffered. It is an impressive gift she holds.”

He let out a growling sound that was almost a moan. “I would have enjoyed watching him finally fall.”

“I watched for us.” She leaned into him and purred, “I shall describe it in detail for you.”

“This queen did not inflict her weapon upon you?”

She shrugged one shoulder and looked up at him through her eyelashes. “I am not weak like him. I can take it.”

Power shot from his hand toward the ceiling. Icicles formed around the body hanging there. A growl rumbled low in his chest, and I shrank back, tucking myself farther behind the tapestry. Nothing good would come from what happened next.

“They dare hurt you? Mine own?” He slammed his fist on the arm of his throne and the ice above head spread across the ceiling and toward the walls.

She nodded. “Most unpleasant.”

“They will pay.” His power seeped in the air and sent a frigid cold around us.

My breath fogged with each exhalation.

“There is something I could use . . .” She pressed her lips to his cheek, giving him the slightest of kisses.

He didn’t move, didn’t budge. Thaddeus never showed any form of emotion. He relaxed back into his chair, and the tiny beads of ice danced over his fingers once more. “Name it.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip and batted her eyelashes as she peeked up at him with those hypnotic blue eyes. “For so long our plan has remained intact, and now we are so close to achieving it. I need them dead. All of them. But there are new . . . complications. With your help I can get us what we’ve always wanted.” She let the back of her fingers drift over his cheek and wind into his hair.

“Say the words and it is yours.”

She lowered her voice to a whisper, yet I was close enough to hear her hushed words. “I need an army, one like they’ve never seen.”

A low growl rumbled through the floor. “I have warned you of the ramifications of such a request.”

“I am aware.”

“You know what will happen.”

“I know.”

“And you still make your request?”

She licked her lips and slid her legs against his. “It is but a small side effect, and one we have known we’d face eventually. I do not fear it.”

He reached up and cupped her face with one hand. “Then you shall have my army.”