Prologue

PROLOGUE

S now crunched underfoot as the hunched hooded figure walked along the cold lakeside. She leaned heavily on her rosewood staff and did her best to hide the growing pain in her body. Her attendant had said nothing about the staff or their destination. He knew better than to question her. He carried a red cloak lined with fox fur and maintained a respectful distance behind her.

The shoreline of the lake was already freezing in webs of ice although the winter had barely begun. She had to stop the infernal curse that was threatening to destroy them all, even if that meant summoning one of her enemies to help her. She stopped by the water and brought the butt of her staff down upon it three times. On the third strike, the ice cracked, and her magic poured through it, feeding down into the lake in a stream of golden light. Power wrapped around the prisoner and began pulling her through the icy water, shattering her deep slumber.

A pale, bloodied arm punched through the ice, and a woman stumbled to the rocky shore. Her skin was blue and wrinkled under the translucent white fabric of her dress, and her hair was snarled with mud and lake weed. She looked up at her mistress with pale blue eyes before vomiting up a lungful of lake water.

"M-My Queen," the woman replied, dutifully lifting her frozen fist to her chest. The Autumn Queen beckoned to her servant who dropped the cloak over the shivering woman.

"You disappointed me once," The Autumn Queen said as she placed her hands on the woman's wet head. "I'm going to make sure you don't do it again."

Power poured from the queen's hands, and the woman started to scream.