Chapter 27

Twenty-Seven

I say a silent prayer for Sam and Cal as they disappear through the portal.

Please keep my best friend safe.

We give them the twenty-minute lead they need to make their way to the Summer Palace as our decoy. Once we cross over to the fae realm, the night is still, the forest quiet, but it’s easy to see the freshly trampled ferns on the path indicating they moved forward as planned.

Arion takes us further north, then cuts east on the old trader’s route he mentioned. With time moving differently here than it does back home, it’s darker in the fae realm and nowhere near dawn. It’s so dark that I find it impossible to navigate the path as silently as Bran does behind me. It feels like I hit every single fallen twig on the path and every crack makes me wince.

When we’ve been walking for at least a half hour, Arion makes us stop in a small clearing that’s surrounded by wispy cedar trees that perfume the air with their earthy scent. My brother instructs Baspin to throw up a protective barrier so anyone outside of it won’t hear or see us if they happen past.

“Let’s send two ahead to scout the path,” Arion orders once the barrier is in place. “We’re within Summer territory now so I want to be extra cautious.” He glances at Bran. “One fae and one vampire feel fair to you?”

“Yes,” Bran says. He breaks off from me to discuss with Arion the best vampire for the job. As we wait, Baspin takes his spot by my side.

“How are you doing, princess?” he asks me.

I notice he doesn’t use the royal styling of ‘your highness’ and I’m grateful for it.

With an exhale, I lean against a skinny birch tree and give him a half-hearted shrug. “I’m okay. All things considered.”

He nods and turns to me, his shoulder pressed into the birch next to mine. There is always a laziness to Baspin that I think is part of his mask, the way he hides who he really is. I think a lot of fae find ways to hide their truth, since they always have to speak it. Did the royal Winter Court ever feel that way? Or because they could lie with their words, they could be truthful with everything else?

Maybe that’s what drew my mother in. Maybe in the Winter Court she felt like she could finally be free.

“What are you thinking about?” Baspin asks me and the way he’s looking at me makes me think my thoughts have bled through. I never learned how to be anything but truthful. There was a time when hiding what I thought, who I was, what I might do, meant very little to anyone.

I’ll have to change that if I’m to become queen of an entire fae court. Not that there’s much left of it.

“Why do you want to join my court?” I ask him, dodging answering his inquiry.

“Because it’s home.”

“But what if I fail? Aren’t you worried about that? If you love your home so much, why not let someone else who actually knows what they’re doing take over? You owe me no allegiance.”

He pushes away from the tree. “And who would that be, princess? No one else has royal blood in their veins. No one else can wield the power of the Winter Court like you can.”

I huff. “I can barely hold on to my power.”

“Then let me teach you.”

I frown at him. “What, now?”

“Did you have something better to do?”

Of course not. But?—

“What do you know about Winter Court powers?”

“I served under your father.”

I straighten. “You what?” The words come out a strangled whisper. I know what I heard him say. I don’t need him to repeat it and yet I can’t quite grab hold of the full truth of it.

“You knew him?” I ask, swallowing, trying to quell the rapid thumping of my heart. I sense Bran’s attention on me, checking to make sure I’m all right.

Since I learned I was fae, I’ve barely thought of my father. I was always focused on my mother. It was the same way with my mortal mother. I loved my dad, but it was my mom who really raised me. I guess the same feelings transferred to my fae parents.

“Your father was powerful,” Baspin answers. “One of the most powerful fae kings I’ve ever met. But he was also greedy for more. It was his undoing, if I may speak boldly.”

“Always.”

He gives me a nod. “I was his servant in title, but in truth I was his practice dummy, his plaything.”

My stomach knots. “Did he…did he hurt you?”

He laughs desperately. “Every day.”

I take a breath, holding the emotion back as much as I can. “I’m so sorry.”

I don’t want to believe that I came from a man who could use his power on another living thing just for practice. And how did my mother fall for him if he was so cruel? She left her court for him. But even I know matters of the heart are not so cut and dried. And that sometimes even cruel men can be kind and compassionate.

Baspin goes on. “When I served under your father, I saw it as an honor. I won’t pretend otherwise. He promised to bestow me the title of Lord of Winter for my loyalty and dedication to the court. But when war broke out, he abandoned me and so I fled to Midnight.” He turns his attention back to me. “The fae realm needs all its courts. It was always meant to have four. No more and no less. Someone has to rule it. Why not you? There is no one better.”

“You barely know me.”

“Don’t I? You don’t think Arion and I have been watching you for years?”

I snort. “Arion didn’t know who I was. He said as much to Stanley when he came to the diner that first night after I used my power.”

“Didn’t he?” Baspin gives me a roguish smile. “I believe what Arion said was, ‘You kept this from us, brownie.’”

Shit. He’s right. Hearing it again, I can see the clever twist of words. Arion wasn’t admitting he was ignorant of my identity or accusing Stanley of keeping the secret. He simply made a statement about Stanley keeping secrets.

“Why didn’t he say anything?” The shock quickly morphs into frustration. “He could have saved me a lot of trouble. And if I’d known I had a brother?—”

“It was never the right time. Even you can see that.”

I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest, leaning back into the tree. Okay, well maybe I can see the logic. Arion keeping quiet about my identity kept me safe all those years. And if I could go back and change it, would I? Every moment, every part of my life has led to this. To exactly who I am.

“So if you watched me all those years, what conclusion did you come to?”

Baspin says, “Our opinions differed.”

“How?”

“He thought you were too mortal, too bratty.” He laughs to himself. “He wasn’t wrong. But I saw your potential. Heart and bravery and compassion. Those are the things the Winter Court needs. It’s why I was willing to defy Arion after he kidnapped you. It’s why I helped your vampire boyfriend.”

“And now? That opinion change?”

He shakes his head. “I believe it even more now.”

I walk into the center of the clearing where an opening in the trees has let the night sky peek through. Stars glow in the dark, their light blocked out every now and then as bats fly over chasing bugs.

“So let’s say you help me learn to wield my powers. Let’s say you have fifteen minutes, if that. What’s the one thing I need to know?”

“Never let your guard down,” he says and then darts toward me.