Chapter 41

"My quails are quailing, my lady," Geraldine breathed as I held her hand, drawing her closer to the Shadow Beast in The Howling Meadow.

"Trust me," I urged. "I wouldn't put you in any danger. Shadow was a prisoner just like me. I don't want you to fear him."

"Shadow? Is that what you have decided on then, dear Darcy?" she asked, glancing at me with fear in her eyes and I nodded. Geraldine Grus wasn't afraid of anything, and I hated that I was partly responsible for the terror I saw in her because of the beast. I had to put it right. "Such an apt title for a beast of shadow and shails, but did it perchance cross your thoughts to ask it its true name?"

"Ask him?" I frowned.

She cleared her throat, shifting a little closer to the beast and he tilted his head, taking her in with hooded eyes, looking like he was hankering for a nap. He towered over us, his long grey fur shifting in the breeze and turning to shadow at the very edges.

"Creatures such as this, magical beings…they often have what a gandering goose might term a star name." Geraldine straightened up a bit, seeming to dig for her courage then she placed her palm flat on Shadow's nose.

"Eggnog on a Thursday in June," she croaked, shutting her eyes then cracking them open a little to peek at the Beast.

Shadow grunted, nuzzling into her palm then licking her fingers as if seeking out a treat. He had a voracious appetite, and Leon Night had taken to organising his meals as his family had a little Ghosthound called Periwinkle to look after who liked the same kinds of food. The blue, dog-like animal was very fussy with who she spent time with, but she'd taken a real liking to Shadow, the two of them often found wandering around campus together.

"There, see," I said excitedly. "He likes you."

Geraldine opened her eyes fully, her hand slipping up a little higher to tickle the space between his eyes. "Alligators at the dawn dance…I think you're right!"

Shadow dipped his head for more tickles and Geraldine scratched his ears, moving closer as the Beast grunted happily.

"So how would I find out his star name?" I asked, joining her in scratching his ears. He was so big, he needed two of us to do a good job of it anyway.

"You must Familiarise!" she cried excitedly. "But what-ho, you will have done half the jib-jab of the job anyway. It is all about your fling jiving with the animal's flang."

"The what and the what now?" I asked in confusion.

"A connection, silly Sally," she grinned. "Earn the beastie's trust and he shall mumble and grumble his star name to you. You have already bonded with the fella like a robin to its dobin, so all you likely need do is ask, my lady."

I turned to Shadow, cocking my head and feeling dumb as I asked him that very question. "What's your name?"

"Excaverinias-helios-dolianco."The Shadow Beast's name entered my head, its voice taking no real shape that was in any way Fae.

"Holy shit," I breathed, turning to Geraldine with a big ass smile on my face. "He told me!"

"Gumptious goulash! What is it?"

I spoke it back to Geraldine, unsure if I'd pronounced it quite right.

"Holy haslemere, that's quite the tongue-twiddler indeed." She frowned.

"How about Shadow as a nickname?" I asked the Beast and he grunted, nudging his nose against my face.

"He seems appeased." Geraldine placed her hands on her hips. "Apologies dear rogue of a rapscallion. I thought you a danger, but it seems you are a docile dandelion – at least to those in your favour. As the True Queens' companion, I shall of course accept you into the royal court, and I proudly declare you Queen Darcy's steed." She bowed to Shadow, and he blinked lazily.

"I shall have a fine saddle and armour forged for him." She turned to me with glee in her eyes. "And perhaps a blue collar to wear proudly too?"

"No collar," I said quickly, brushing my fingers over Shadow's shoulder. "He's seen enough chains. He's free to go or to stay, it's his choice. Always. I won't take his freedom from him ever again."

"So be it," she said, sniffing and subtly wiping a tear from her eye.

"Thank you for giving him a chance," I said and she beamed at me.

"Of course, my lady." She straightened. "Oh, in all the emotional tangle, I forgot to update you on how the latest drill is coming along."

With Lavinia's star power hanging over us, and our timescale running short on dealing with it, we'd had to come up with an escape plan in case she returned here with it. There was no point in making a stand a second time and allowing our people to be incinerated.

I listened as Geraldine explained how she was preparing the rebels to escape on Rump Island. We'd head back to sea as they had before and keep our movements random, hopefully buying us time to come up with a solution to Lavinia's newfound strength. I hoped it didn't come to that, but I was comforted by the back-up plan. Running didn't sit well with me, but I wasn't going to force our people to face their deaths when there was no hope of survival.

"I'll be running a full drill at noon," she said. "For now, I shall head straight for the new forge and see to it that Shadow's armour is made, moulded and as done as a donnyhap." She bowed low then scurried away into the trees.

My Atlas buzzed in my pocket and I took it out, finding a message in the group chat from Tyler linking to a FaeBook post.

Tyler Corbin:

Lame Lionel Leak Alert!

Hold. The. Front. Door. Because I'm coming through it twirling a cane and wearing my best party hat. This one's about to go #viral people as I've JUST been sent a video from Lame Lionel's graduation that a reporter took and was paid off not to release. That fantastic Fae has come forward for the greater good to #shamelameLionel and it is my DUTY to share it here first with all my followers. If you'd like to see the False King face down with an inch of skin rubbed clean off his face, then check out the video below!

#faceplant #thekinghasfallen #stagerage #theGRATE-estshowman #Grate-uation

I clicked the video and watched the moment a young Lionel Acrux walked onto a stage in The Orb in his navy blue graduation robes, tripped over the top step and went flying up onto the stage. He hit the floor face first with such momentum that he skidded a full foot, his face dragging across the wood and making him wail in pain. The principal ran to help him up as the crowd gasped and I caught sight of my father in the front row roaring with laughter with the other Councillors.

Lionel knocked the principal away from him as he scrambled upright, glancing towards the crowd in horror and embarrassment, his nose, forehead and chin bloody from how badly he'd skimmed it. I sniggered as he hurried to heal it and my father glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting with the camera and making my heart clench as I felt we were suddenly sharing a moment. But then the footage ended and the moment was gone, my smile falling a little.

The comments from Tyler's followers brought my amusement back in full force though as I scrolled through them.

Brodie Brown:

I hear he only takes SKIM milk in his coffee these days

Zach Worthington:

I bet Lame Lionel won't even care when this goes viral. It'll be #noskinoffhisnose

Bree Eliza Keith:

I always wondered what that scrape was across the graduation stage #skidmark

I sensed eyes on me and glanced up, spotting Orion standing beneath the trees, his shoulder pressed to an oak and his gaze set on me.

"Spying on me, Professor?" I accused with a playful smile, not bothering to raise my voice as I put my Atlas away. His Vampire ears would pick it up anyway.

He shot over to me, making my hair whirl around my shoulders from the force of the wind he brought with him. "I didn't want to interrupt."

"So polite these days," I said with a grin. "There was a time when if you wanted to speak to me, you'd throw me over your shoulder and march me off to your office."

"You'd be a fool to think those days are gone." He gave me a dark look, stepping closer so I had to tilt my head back to look up at him.

Shadow nudged his face with his nose, grunting in greeting and Orion's gaze slid to him, a scowl taking over his features. "Still here then, Beast?"

"He can stay as long as he wants to," I said, scratching under Shadow's chin.

"I still think-"

"That you have double standards? Forgiveness for me, but none for him?" I arched my eyebrows and Orion's lips pressed into a hard line.

"My standards have always taken exception when it comes to you. You get a free pass for being you, the rest of the world does not. But if you think that means I won't still bend you over my knee and remind you of what an asshole I can be, then go ahead and challenge me to prove it."

Excitement sparked in my chest, the temptation all too keen to ignore. But unfortunately, I had other plans.

"Can't. I have somewhere to be." I moved to walk past him, but he stepped straight into my way, a wall of muscle firmly blocking my escape.

"What plans?" he demanded in that bossy tone of his.

"Secret sister plans." I shrugged innocently and his eyes hardened.

"You're going to run off somewhere together, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

"Blue."

"Lance?"

"I'd prefer to know where you're going so that I can come after you if you need me."

I softened at the concern in his gaze, slipping my hands around his waist and frowning up at him. "We're going to visit the Nymphs who are in hiding to see if they'll join our ranks."

"Hm." His expression darkened all over again. "They've been our enemies for too long. I can't see them assisting us now, even if they do want revenge against Lavinia."

"Your optimism knows no bounds."

He cracked a grin, the dimple appearing in his right cheek. "Just be safe."

"Always am." I tiptoed up to kiss him and his hand reached into my hair, his tongue pushing between my lips and deepening the kiss. Our love burned brighter, the Elysian Mate bond crying out in my veins, urging me nearer to him. My fingers clawed down his arms and his hand curled tightly in my hair, fisting it and yanking to make our lips part, keeping me close enough so he could talk directly to me.

"Come straight to my office when you return."

"Did I just get detention?" I teased and his gaze glimmered wickedly.

"Sometimes I think you miss me being your professor."

"You'll always be my professor." I touched my lips to his again, and he released me, letting me step back.

"I'll have some new knowledge on the Guild Stones by the time you come back, that's a promise," he said fiercely. "I've found a couple of leads and I've requested some more books from Eugene. He's going to send them over this morning. I won't stop hunting for answers."

"I know you won't." I squeezed his fingers then turned to Shadow and held up my hand, offering him the ring to see if he wanted to come with me. He swirled away into a grey mist that sailed into the ring and I stroked my finger over the gemstone with a smile.

"Where are you meeting Tory?" Orion asked.

"At the gates, but I need to get changed first," I said, and he whipped me off my feet, shooting across campus with me in his arms.

He ran down to Air Cove, racing across the stony beach and turning onto the bridge that had been formed between here and Rump Island. My heart thundered with exhilaration as the air rushed over my skin and Orion sped towards the beautiful castle at the centre of the island.

We were inside in the next second, flying up the staircase, higher and higher, a blur of ornaments, paintings and gleaming walls tearing by before we came to a sudden halt in our room.

Orion placed me down, offering me a casual grin as he leaned against a marble pillar. After moving all our stuff to Orion's chalet at Asteroid Place, Rump Island had been brought here and Geraldine had begged the two of us to come and check out the room she'd made for us in the castle. Though it was really more of an entire apartment with a suite of white furniture, a bathroom with a shining silver tub, and a luxurious bedroom which had a fourposter in it that was big enough for five people. Everything smelled faintly of a summer's day. The atmosphere was so perfectly relaxing, and the space so amazingly ours that we couldn't resist moving in here.

I kicked off my sneakers, stripping out of my jeans and sweater before heading for the walk-in closet, grabbing a silver gown and returning to the bedroom. Orion watched me closely, and my eyes met his as I pulled off my bra, not needing it as the dress had one built in.

Orion's throat bobbed, his eyes falling to my body, his hunger for me clear. He was all too tempting when he looked at me like that, but I needed to get going.

I pulled the dress over my head, and when I could see again, I found him standing right in front of me, making my breath hitch.

He smoothed the dress down over my waist, his gaze never breaking from mine, then he lifted a finger, gesturing for me to turn around. I did so, gathering my hair over one shoulder and he gently pulled my zipper up my spine, his fingers grazing the back of my neck before he placed a kiss there. Goosebumps rippled across my skin, a delicious shiver rolling the length of my body. This man would always be my undoing.

He took hold of my chin and guided my eyes to my reflection in the mirror right ahead of me on the wall. "The Nymphs would know you are a queen without this dress. It's right there in your eyes. You're royal, your blood runs blue." He lowered his head to kiss my ear, causing my pulse to riot. "Make them bow, beautiful."

"I'll do my best," I said, turning my head to press my lips to his, then I stepped away from him, retrieving Diego's hat from my nightstand drawer and tucking it into a concealed pocket in the sweeping skirt of my dress.

"How's Professor Shellick getting along with the Guild Potion?" I asked hopefully.

Orion's brow furrowed. "His analysis is a slow process apparently. He has nothing to report so far, but I'll keep checking in with him."

"Hopefully it won't be much longer."

He nodded, his expression betraying his concern over how long it was taking, but he said no more.

"I'll take you to the gate," he offered, grabbing something from his own nightstand drawer and slipping it into his pocket. I gave him a questioning look that he didn't answer, then he picked me up again, and I looped my arms around his neck.

In a flash of movement, we were tearing away through the castle once more, passing over Rump Island and onto the bridge. He sprinted across campus so fast, it was hard to catch anything but glimpses of trees and grassy plains, then he placed me down just outside the gates where Tory was waiting to go, wearing a sweeping gold dress that was a twin to mine.

"Ready?" I asked her brightly.

"Yeah, you just need to return your pony to the stable." Tory stepped forward to pet Orion's arm and he gave her a dry look.

"Well since I'm just a pack horse, I guess I can't give you the gift I have in my pocket. Ponies wouldn't do something like that." Orion turned to leave, but Tory snatched his arm.

"Gift?" she demanded, and I fought back a squeal as I realised what he'd brought.

I'd helped Orion make it just for her after I'd caught him trying to fashion a piece of string into a bracelet. It had been sort of pathetic, so I'd used earth magic to bring his vision to life instead.

Orion slid it from his pocket, offering the gold chain-link bracelet to her which had glittering red gemstones dotted along it.

"You made this?" Tory asked while I bit my lip to try and hold back my words of joy at seeing the two of them bond like this.

"Well, Blue made it." He ran a hand down the back of his neck. "You got me one so…" He shrugged.

"I was just a forge in the situation. He channelled what he wanted right through me," I said quickly. "I did it exactly how he said. Even the little gold flowers around the clasp."

"I don't recall saying to add the flowers." He shook his head.

"You did! You said just a couple of flowers because Tor's not a flowery kinda girl, and I fully agreed, but then I shut up because it was your creation, and I didn't want to influence it." I looked to Tory, letting my smile fly free as she accepted the bracelet and held it out for me to put on. I quickly clipped it on her right wrist and Orion cleared his throat.

"I'm going to save us the awkwardness and fuck off now." He lunged for me, placing a kiss on my cheek in double speed then sped away back onto campus.

Tory turned her wrist over, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Do you like it?" I asked. "He wanted it to match your necklace from Darius, but not in a way that was too obvious, you know?"

"Yeah… it's perfect. Tell him thanks, okay? I don't want to do it, because he'll be sarcastic and then I'll be sarcastic, then we'll fist bump or some shit, and I can't deal with how uncomfortable it'll all be."

"I get it. I'll tell him." I launched myself at her and hugged her tight. "But I'm so damn happy that you two are friends, it makes my heart wanna burst."

She laughed, squeezing me back before knocking me away. "Okay, let's get going."

"You can't wait to get back to those three Nymphs you had a weird sex night with, can you?" I taunted.

"Who told you about that?" she gasped.

"Seth. He heard it from Caleb. Max was there too when Seth blurted it out. Oh, and Justin."

"Great." She pursed her lips. "So long as Washer didn't get a whiff of it too."

"I did just now, queenie love!" Washer stepped out of the gate in leather pants and a leopard print shirt that had way too many buttons open. "What a riveting tale, you will share it with me soon, won't you? It sounds like a tryst to remember, and if I'm not wrong, I sense a little grief radiating off of you around the subject. I can delve into the crannies of your mind and free you from any sufferings, you know? Don't ever hesitate to-"

Tory made an opening in the wards, tossed a pinch of stardust over our heads and we were whipped away into the stars, escaping our creepy old professor. We whirled through an ocean of galaxies, glittering nebulas, and a sea of sparkling light before we landed at our destination.

We arrived at the heart of a village where wooden huts stood with smoke pluming from chimneys and Nymphs bustling here and there, some in Nymph form and others in their Fae-like form.

"The Savage Queens!" a woman cried, pointing us out and a crowd immediately began to form, a few even pulling their children away from us.

"Do you have no respect?" An elderly woman spat at our feet, gathering her cloak away from us and backing up in the street. "You arrive here uninvited, unwanted, proving the arrogance of your kind."

"I thought you said it went well the last time you came here," I murmured to Tory.

"Yeah, but I exaggerated."

A man came out of his house then shrieked and ran back inside, slamming it shut and twisting a bunch of locks.

"Clearly," I said, and she sniggered. "We need to speak to your leader," I called to the surrounding Nymphs. "And perhaps Miguel is here?"

"Miguel." The old woman spat on the floor again. "His mind is addled since his time with you folk. He speaks of you as if you are our equal – a true treachery of our village."

"Bring Uma to us," Tory demanded, ignoring the woman's mutterings.

"Uma!" someone cried, and the crowd parted to let her through. She was tall with straight dark hair that fell about her shoulders, her face a picture of calm, like none of this unsettled her.

"I'm back," Tory announced.

"I see that," Uma said, her eyes sliding from her to me. "And you brought your sister."

"I'm Darcy." I offered her my hand and she eyed it, the crowd muttering under their breath before Uma took it. Some of the onlookers cursed, but others seemed intrigued by our interaction, waiting with bated breath to see how this might unfold.

"They call you Gwendalina," she said, dropping my hand.

"Not anymore," I said. "That's a name I never claimed, but I have claimed my rightful title alongside my twin. We've been crowned by the rebel army, and we seek to bolster our ranks in the fight against Lionel Acrux and Lavinia Umbra."

"Lavinia," someone hissed, and the crowd broke into angry curses.

"La Princesa De Las Sombras," Miguel stepped out of the crowd, lifting his chin, his dark curls hanging around his face which reminded me so much of Diego that it made my heart tug. "Like I have been telling you all, the enemy of the Vega Queens is our enemy. We share a common cause. We must find a way to join them-"

"Miguel," a deep, feminine voice boomed, and a powerful-looking woman stepped out of the crowd in a dark green shawl, a jagged scar running up one cheek and into her black hair which was braided thickly. She was a fearsome woman, rising well over six feet in height, and muscles clung to her frame like sheathed weapons. "I have told you time and again to keep your treacherous words to yourself. You are no longer a High Nymph among us. Your opinion is muddied by your imprisonment. Your word cannot be trusted."

"Surely that means his word should be trusted?" I balked and the woman's dark eyes snapped to me. "Miguel has seen the state of the world out there. He knows the power Lavinia wields; he's experienced it first-hand. Staying here might protect you for now, but you'll never be truly free until Lavinia is defeated. You'll be confined to this corner of Solaria, never daring to come out. Is that the life you really want?"

The woman scowled at us. "You think you can manipulate us into giving you what you want? Into making us offer up our warriors like cannon fodder to your cause?"

"We need to talk to the High Nymph," Tory insisted.

"I am she. I have recently taken the role of leader in our council, and I will not be swayed on this decision," the woman said firmly, which was just great.

A man pushed to the front of the crowd with a row of fierce-looking Nymphs at his back. "High Nymph Cordette, if I may? Darcy Vega is responsible for the liberation of the Nymphs I brought to this village. She shut off Lavinia's connection to our shadows so we could no longer be controlled. She freed our minds, she gave us back-"

"Silence," Cordette barked. "What conditions did I set out for allowing you and the others to join this place, Karim?"

Karim's jaw flexed then he bowed his head. "To obey your word and not stick our heads above the parapet," he murmured.

"And what is it you are doing right now?" Cordette growled.

"They have a right to speak," I demanded, and Cordette's eyes whipped onto me in fury.

"They are not yours to command. You have not bought their allegiance. I know of what you did, but it was not for us. You sought the Shadow Princess's death for your own gain, so that you might seize the throne of Solaria. Your efforts were never for our benefit."

"But you benefited from them regardless," Tory stepped in. "Ally with us and your kind will have a place in the kingdom when this war is won. We'll be equals, Nymphs and Fae."

"Ha, even if you appeased us with such a thing at first, your kind would eventually claim your land back and return to hunting us like game," Cordette snarled.

"We have no intention of that," I swore. "Help us, and we'll help you. We'll pass laws to protect you and your people."

"Pah." Cordette waved a hand at me. "You think you are the first ruler to offer such promises to Nymphs? Treaties and contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on. They're traps to lure us from hiding only to skewer us on the end of your swords."

"Perhaps this time is different," Uma urged and Cordette listened to her, seeming to respect whatever authority she held. "We should hear their terms. We cannot stay hidden forever."

"Our village has had many moons to talk over the offering Tory Vega presented us the last time she walked uninvited into our home. The conclusion was clear. We will not go." Cordette turned her hard gaze on us again. "And we couldn't leave even if we wanted to. The shadows are tainted, and their taint will no doubt find us again the moment we leave this place." She ran a finger over the scar on her cheek, taking a step closer to us with a sneer. "Besides, I have been on the end of your kind's hatred. I know the prejudice that lives in your hearts. You couldn't care less for us if you tried, and I won't fall for the lies of young, naive rulers when they are in their most desperate moment." She turned her back on us and I stepped after her, fury burning through my chest.

"You're wrong," I called, and she paused. "I cared deeply for one of your kind. Diego Polaris was my friend. He died because he attempted to cross the lines drawn in the sand between us. He deserved better than what he got. He wanted to be Fae, and not because we're better, but because this kingdom has offered Fae freedoms he could never afford. But it was wrong for him to want that, because what he should have had was acceptance, equality, love."

Miguel's face paled and his arms fell heavily at his sides.

"I never knew the boy," Cordette clipped, glancing back at me.

"You can know him." I took Diego's hat from my pocket, holding it out to her. "Everything he saw, everything he knew, it's in here. And his soul is here too, trapped in the shadows along with every other Nymph whose life has been lost since Lavinia's corruption."

Cordette frowned at the hat. "A soul garment…"

Miguel hurried toward it, his hand outstretched and shaking. His eyes met mine with a cloud of regret filling them. "May I keep it? Even though I do not deserve it," he whispered, his voice laced with grief.

I swallowed thickly, relinquishing it to him with a nod. "You were Drusilla's captive," I said quietly. "You did nothing wrong."

He frowned, a moment passing between us where I saw some of the weight lift from his eyes. I knew the guilt of hurting people through the actions of others. I'd struggled with the sense of blood on my hands for what I'd done when the Shadow Beast had claimed me. But it had always been Lavinia, I knew that now. I hoped Miguel could find a way to know it too.

Miguel cleared his throat, emotion welling in his eyes as his hand tightened on the material. He held it in the air, turning to the crowd and Cordette observed him with a cool expression.

"My son was good when I could not be. He strived to be better. He fought the control of the monstrous Nymphs who held me captive. He was the only thing I am proud of through that time. And I was not there when Lavinia took his life." His voice cracked and a tear slid down his cheek as he held the hat lovingly against his heart. When he spoke again, his voice was that of a broken father who would timelessly grieve for the child he'd never gotten time to love while he was alive. "Scorn me if you must for being too weak to rise from the oppression of the tainted shadows, but my son was stronger. And his sacrifice deserves to be taken note of."

"He died in my arms," I said, the pain of that memory tearing through my chest, and sending tears sliding down my cheeks. "I have grieved him, and still do."

"He was meant to betray us," Tory added, and I glanced at her, fearing she might not have forgiven him for that. But I noticed emotion glinting in her eyes too. "But he saw what we all should have, he saw that we didn't have to be enemies, that we could be equals. In the end, he died protecting my sister, and we're here to repay that debt. To start a new era between Fae and Nymph. But it's going to take trust that neither side will easily give. It won't be simple, but it will work if we want it to."

Cordette looked thoughtful, then glanced at Miguel, nodding stiffly. "See what is to be seen in the soul web. If there is anything of note, I will keep an open mind and observe it for myself. Uma, perhaps you wish to assist him?"

"I do." Uma walked over to Miguel and they headed away through the crowd, going somewhere quiet to speak with Diego.

The lump in my throat eased and I wiped my tears away on the back of my hand.

"You truly weep for one of us?" Cordette asked, suspicion touching her voice.

"I do," I confirmed.

"You are not like other Fae," she said slowly.

"Diego was not like other Nymphs," I said. "We cared for each other as people."

"He was our friend, and he showed us what was possible between Fae and Nymph," Tory said. "Fight with us. We can put our differences aside and secure a safe future for us all. Isn't that what matters most?"

Cordette clucked her tongue. "Oh, little queen, how pretty your ideas are, but you cannot erase years of conflict with a snap of your fingers." She turned and headed off into the crowd, and I released a breath of disappointment.

"Come on, let's go see the Oracles," Tory said. "They might have seen something about this war that no one else has, and maybe they hold some answers about the Guild Stones."

"You mean the three women you had an orgy with? Can't wait."

"It wasn't an orgy. I just had mind sex with Darius while they watched and sort of…felt it through me."

"Oh right, sorry, I thought it was something really weird, but now I know they just had sex through you, I completely understand," I said, giving her a serious look as she led the way through the muttering Nymphs.

"I think Orion's dry humour might be contagious," she said with a smirk. "You should really take something for that."

Someone laughed loudly and I glanced back, finding a young boy with brown hair following us.

"She should take a de-sarcasm pill, right?" he said, skipping a little to keep up with us. "I'm Igrit, by the way. You knew my brother, didn't you? Well he's not really my brother, but he's Miguel's son, and now he's back with Mama, we're sort of family. My father is dead, just FYI." He kept smiling and I frowned. "Oh don't worry, I don't really remember him, and Mama said he was a pendejo so…"

"Cool story, bro. We're off to see the Oracles, so see ya later." Tory upped her pace, but Igrit only moved faster to keep up.

"I want to fight in the war," he said keenly. "I've been practising my moves. Look." He ran around in front of us, swinging his arms. "Imagine my fingers are probes – cha – pachow -bam. See? That was impressive, wasn't it?"

"Um, sure," I said. "See you later, Igrit." We quickened our pace onto a path that led off into the trees and Igrit stopped following.

"Is he still watching us?" Tory whispered after a minute.

I glanced back, finding Igrit there on the path right behind us. "Ah!" I gasped.

"I move quietly, don't I?" he said excitedly. "Like a Nymph ninja – a Nymja I like to call it. Are you going to see the Oracles? They're creepy. Mama said not to go out here on my own."

"Better head back to your mama then, kid." Tory wafted him away, but he just smiled at her, utterly clueless - or at least pretending to be.

"But I'm not alone. I've got you guys. Isn't this great?"

Tory blew out a breath in frustration.

"It's probably not safe for you out here, Igrit," I said. "Maybe you should head back."

He blinked at me. "Anyway, I have a secret to tell you."

"What secret?" I asked, and Tory seemed mildly intrigued.

"Oh I couldn't tell you that. I'm an undercover warrior in training. I couldn't go breaking my vow of secrecy." He twisted around, kicking a small branch which didn't snap, even when he kicked it twice more, then he grabbed it and tried to snap it with his hands. He failed.

"Anyway," he turned to us again, letting go of the branch, and it whipped upwards, smacking him in the face, but he acted like it hadn't happened. "Maybe I'll tell you if you double, triple promise I can be a soldier in your army."

"You literally just said you can't tell us," Tory sniggered.

"And we can't go making you a soldier. You're like eight," I said, shaking my head. "We're not gonna let a kid charge into battle and get killed."

"I'm eleven and three quarters, actually. And I'm bigger than most boys my age." He puffed up his chest.

"Really?" Tory glanced him up and down, and he lifted his chin. "You seem small."

"Anyway, have we got a deal?" he pushed.

"No," I said. "But nice try."

He huffed. "Fine, I'll tell you anyway."

"Great," Tory said.

"High Nymph Cordette would flay me alive if she knew this secret," he said, lowering his voice.

"Better tell us then," Tory encouraged.

"Oh, I will. But can you cast one of those silence bubble things first?" he asked, glancing around the woodland like he thought someone might be spying on us.

I flicked one up, curious now and Igrit shifted closer. "Karim has started a little rebel club," he whispered. "Since him and the rest of Lavinia's captives got here, they told us all about their imprisonment. Then Karim started a weekly meeting. A secret one. And I'm one of the recruits." He pressed his shoulders back with pride. "Miguel is too, and Mama and my siblings. There's lots of us. And we all want to fight."

I shared an excited look with Tory, taking him seriously at last.

"Will they fight even if Cordette refuses it?" I asked.

Igrit frowned. "I don't know. It's complicated. It's not that easy to leave this place. Like, really not easy. I've never left at all actually. You have to get the High Nymph's permission. It's to protect us, see? And it's not just that… even if we could get out of here, Cordette would take it as a stand against our own kind. She'd name us enemies. It could spark a war. Plus, Karim fears Lavinia will taint us the moment we're out of here anyway."

"Damn," Tory breathed. "Is there somewhere we could meet with Karim alone?"

Igrit glanced around nervously again, then his gaze settled on the dark path we were taking. "He visits the Oracles sometimes. I think they know our secret. Maybe…I could bring him there to speak with you?"

"Okay," Tory said.

Igrit glanced up at the tree canopy, the light of the sun so deeply blotted out here it was like night was falling. "I'll hurry. I hate this place."

He ran off down the path at high speed, yelping when a large leaf grazed his hair and running even faster.

"Weird kid," Tory commented.

"Do you think we can trust him?" I asked as I disbanded the silencing bubble.

"I don't see why he'd lie."

We moved on down the path and I followed Tory to a huge rock face that barred our way on. Or so it seemed, because she quickly moved towards a slit of shadow and stepped through it into a concealed passage.

I followed her into the darkness, the rocks around us tingling with magic and a sense of warning flickered through me.

"Not far now," Tory whispered.

We quickened our pace, passing along the trail, neither of us casting a Faelight, something about this place making me sure it was best to stay in the dark. Like casting a light might bring about a plague of monsters to our backs.

All sunlight was blotted out behind us as we descended into the tunnel and my fingers flexed as I prepared to defend myself, feeling like there were eyes on us from every direction. Though I could see nothing but rock above and below, and there were no sounds other than the soft pad of our footfalls.

Tory stopped abruptly and I stepped to her side, finding us standing before a tall wooden door set into the stone. She reached out to knock three times, and it swung open, the creak of unoiled hinges setting my pulse thrashing.

All was dark inside, no sense of warmth, no flicker of a fire. Everything was still, cold and the tinge of that dark magic washed over me again, chilling me to my core.

We stepped inside and the door slammed at our backs the moment we crossed the threshold, making my heart judder.

A fire of red and blue Phoenix flames burst to life in the hearth and I raised my hands, ready to cast at any creature lurking in this place. A hexagonal table with a range of half-burned candles stood before us and the scent of herbs carried from the dried bunches that hung from the low beams. Wooden shelves filled the walls, each laden with jars, bottles and vials that contained all kinds of shrivelled things and murky liquids.

It felt like beasts were about to descend on us and feast on our flesh, but instead of beasts, three women slinked towards us from the shadowy corners of the room. The sight of them had my spine straightening, each possessing beauty beyond words, but they were also disfigured in specific ways, and I recalled their names from what Tory had told me of them.

Vidi; the one with stitches holding her eyes shut, her hair blood red and skin alabaster pale. Then there was Loqui; her lips were sewn shut, her curls a waterfall of brown and her eyes brightest gold.

And the last was Audire, the one with ice-white hair, warm brown skin and eyes as black as night. I knew her hair hid the scars that marked the place where she had once had ears, and I had no desire to see them.

"So she returns," Vidi purred. "The flame-giver." She gestured to the fire. "The one who sought her lost husband. And did she find him, I wonder?"

"She did," Tory answered fiercely. "I wrenched his soul from death and returned it to where it belonged."

"Ah, and what pretty price did you pay for that unnatural twist of fate?" Vidi asked.

"Death," Tory breathed. "We must pay The Ferryman in souls."

My gut twisted at those words, but the three women laughed. Loqui's laugh was a rasping chuckle that echoed from behind her stitched lips, the sound setting my hackles rising.

"Look, sisters," Audire breathed, coming upon me like a wraith and sniffing my hair, lifting a lock of it and examining it in the light. "The other queen. I still smell the smoke on her just as I did the first."

"What smoke?" I tried to pull away, but she kept sniffing. "The smoke of the Dragon King, his flames set to burn your crib in the night, all those years ago. But here you both stand, impervious to fire and ready to rule the world."

"Ah but will they rule?" Vidi mused. "Queens in the making, yes, but the wind speaks ill of their fates."

"What have you heard?" Tory demanded, while I batted at Audire to try and stop her sniffing me.

Loqui swept up beside me brandishing a pair of scissors, snipping off the end of the blue lock of hair Audire was holding aloft.

I growled, pushing them away from me with a blast of air that sent them stumbling, but they only laughed their horrible laughs as they tossed it into a cauldron that hung above the fire, and whatever liquid was in there hissed and spat.

"Hey," I snapped.

"One answer we will give," Vidi sighed. "But it may not be the answer you desire."

Loqui grabbed herbs from the sprigs hanging all around the place, tossing them into the fire before stealing a piece of Tory's hair too and throwing it into the mix. The cauldron bubbled as the new ingredients were added and Audire slashed her hand open with a curved dagger, letting her blood spill in as well, her mouth moving with silent words.

I gave Tory a sideways look, uncertain about all of this, but her face was set with resolution. If she trusted these strange women, then I would place my faith in her.

Audire swept over to me again, her cold hand coming to my chin and her nails biting into my skin.

I raised my hand, resting it to her side and giving her a warning of my power.

"Unhand me," I said evenly.

"Just a look," she whispered, reading those words from my lips, her eyes pinned on mine. "Silver. Look at these two bright rings. How they gleam."

Loqui's shoulder slammed against hers, her golden eyes tracking over mine.

"Elysian Mating, how pure, a power like that could be so very potent if it could be bottled," Vidi whispered from across the room, sidling closer as if drawn to me by some ethereal force.

"This one perches on the brink of a void so deep it will destroy her if she falls," Audire said excitedly. "She seeks knowledge untold about the rising twelve."

"What do you know of the Guild Stones? Do you know their use when united?" I gasped, latching onto those words as hope gripped my heart.

Audire dropped her fingers from my face, glancing at Loqui then whispering something in her ear. Loqui laughed and Vidi moved closer, taking Tory's hand and tracing her fingers over her palm as if feeling out the lines in it.

"What do you want from us for this knowledge?" Tory asked, a thickness to her tone telling me she feared what it might be.

"You possess what we possess, yet a mirror of us you are not," Vidi whispered.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"You are sisters, like us, but where you were forged in the womb, we were forged between spilled blood and cracked bone."

I didn't know what that meant, and honestly, I didn't want to.

"So what is it you want?" I pressed.

"Time is of the essence," Audire hissed. "Tick, tick, tick, the seconds count down towards your final stand. And there, upon a battlefield of woe and dread, you shall fall or you shall rise. Every earthly creature whispers of it along with every sky-bound star. We all wait to see which way the cards will fall."

"We're running out of time, like you say," I said. "So can you help us? We need information on the Guild Stones, or anything that might help us in this war."

Audire took my hand and ran her thumb over the Shadow Beast ring. "This. It hides a great and rare being. This will suffice indeed."

I snatched my hand away. "No."

"Oh," Vidi sighed sadly. "You will not part with it even for the knowledge you seek?"

"Never," I vowed, because Shadow was my friend, and I owed him a free life. I wasn't going to hand him to these creatures and let them cage him once again.

"Such devotion," Audire hummed. "Well if it is not that then… pain will suffice."

"You can hurt me, not her," Tory said, trying to shield me like always and I damn well loved her for it. But I wouldn't be allowing any such thing.

"I can handle it, Tor," I said fiercely.

"It must be from both of you anyway, and it must be at once," Vidi said, and I met Tory's gaze before we both nodded.

Audire gripped my hand tighter, and Vidi grabbed Tory's.

"Do not move," Vidi warned. "Both of you must be still."

"Do it," Tory urged.

I gritted my teeth against the instinct to cast magic and force Audire away from me, bracing myself for what was to come.

With a sharp twist, Audire snapped my index finger and I locked down a scream in my throat just as that snap was echoed by Tory's finger breaking too. I cursed between my teeth and the three women sighed like they'd gained something from our agony, Loqui's breath coming out through her nose.

"Pain is power," Vidi whispered. "Power is you. Twins made of the very same flesh; your mother's belly swollen with the seed of her truest love. A king of savagery who ruled with an iron fist, who adored none except her."

"Such a shame their placentas were not kept. What an elixir of strength and influence could be made from them," Audire sighed, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"The price is not quite paid," Vidi purred, looking from Tory to me. "More pain is required, just a little though. Blood for our elixir." She produced a knife from the folds of her dress, and I stiffened, trying to ignore the throbbing agony in my finger.

"If we give you this, will you help us with the Guild Stones?" Tory asked, cradling her hand.

The three women huddled together, withdrawing from us and I looked to my sister with trepidation. I'd do it if it was what was needed for this knowledge, but was she sure this wasn't some trick? These Nymphs didn't seem remotely trustworthy to me.

The three of them spoke together, even Loqui seeming to communicate with them somehow, though no words passed her sealed lips. Then they turned to us as one, eerily connected in some way.

"We swear," Vidi announced.

"Cross our hearts," Audire said, and Loqui mimed painting an X over her heart.

"A cut on the right arm," Vidi said as she approached Tory.

"And a cut on the left," Audire whispered as she came towards me with her own knife in hand. "No moving, no screaming."

The two of them guided us to the cauldron, making us hold our arms above it and at once, they cut a deep slash into our forearms. I winced against the pain as Audire smiled triumphantly and the potion bubbled the moment our blood spilled into it.

"You may heal it all away now," Vidi encouraged.

I withdrew from the cauldron with my sister, quickly healing the gash on my arm along with my broken finger while Tory did the same for her own wounds.

"There," Audire moaned while Loqui stirred the liquid in the cauldron. "Their essence lives within this brew."

"What's it for?" I asked, not liking the look of that smoking potion.

"That is for us to know. Our payment is claimed," Audire said. "Now…Vidi? Tell them."

Vidi drifted towards us, her eyes moving back and forth beneath her stitched lids. "A circle of power," she exhaled. "Twelve in total."

"Yes, and?" I pushed, knowing that much already.

"Many powers do the Guild Stones wield, even alone. But together, ohh…" Her eyes roamed faster beneath her lids. "Together they create a snare. But without bait…no, without bait there is no worth in it."

"What kind of bait? And what's the snare for?" I demanded.

"A snare of all things great and all things small," she answered.

"And the bait?" Tory asked.

"Hmm." Vidi frowned. "I cannot see more. No. Nothing. A snare you have, but what use is that without a lure?"

"How can we even make the snare?" I asked, wondering if it might be of use to capture Lionel somehow, or even Clydinius.

"You know this answer. It has already been spoken from these lips." Vidi traced her finger over my mouth then placed it into her own with a hum of appreciation. "That is all we know. Our debt is paid."

"Wait," Tory growled, stepping toward Vidi and laying a hand on her arm. The air stirred, the fire flickering with some dark power I could sense in the atmosphere but couldn't see, and I gave my twin a look of warning.

"Our debt is paid," Vidi repeated in an icy tone. "There is no more for you here, flame-giver."

Tory dropped her hand with a scowl, then turned to me. "Let's go."

I made for the door, more than happy to leave the creepy place behind and the second we were across the threshold, the door snapped shut at our backs again, a wall of energy seeming to bar our return.

"What did she mean?" I wondered aloud. "That I've spoken the answer already?"

"Fuck knows. Maybe Orion will remember. He's probably got it written in his diary," Tory said, taking off down the tunnel and I followed her out, relieved when we made it to the woods again.

Igrit was there beneath a tall pine tree, waving us over to him and the tall Nymph Karim.

"Hello," Karim said as we approached, dipping into a small bow. "I pledge my allegiance. I wish for you to know that I will fight if I can gain passage from this place when the time comes. Though I must convince Cordette in the meantime, and perhaps I can rally more warriors to your aid. Uma speaks highly of you. I am sure she will be swayed to your cause."

"Any chance she could take over from Cordette?" I asked grimly.

"Hm, unlikely," Karim said, then his eyes lit. "But not wholly impossible. She would need to win the next election in the spring."

"We don't have until the spring," Tory said darkly. "This battle could be fought in a week, or less even."

Karim rubbed a hand over the stubble on his jaw. "I will do what I can, but there is still the trouble of the shadow taint. Even if I can find a way to break beyond this village with my warriors, we could succumb to Lavinia's power once again…" Pain sparked in his eyes, telling of his desperate desire to fight in this war. If only we could find a way to ensure Lavinia didn't get her claws in him and the other Nymphs again.

"We'll find an answer," I promised, and hope entered his eyes.

He reached into his pocket, taking out a small wooden totem carved into two curling Nymph horns. "Here. Take this as a vow of our alliance. Let your royal court know we wish to fight alongside them, and if we can stand with them in battle, we will. I really believe peace between our kind is possible."

I took it, nodding to him in thanks. "Anything's possible, Karim. I just don't know how much time we have left."

Karim nodded solemnly. "Then let us pray to the stars and the shadows alike, that they will grant us at least one more miracle."