Warden curls up his fists and closes his eyes briefly. When they open again, there’s a flame dancing within his pupils I’m not sure I’ve seen before.
“War is coming, Bluecap, have no doubt of it,” he rasps. “And one day I will be mortal again.”
“Good, because I’ll probably kill you for fun.” I make my way past the pile of Redcaps and out of my lair into the daylight.
My heart will heal, or rather the physical wound will. The emptiness from losing Kaitlyn will not. There is only one cure for that.
I will find her, and if I start a war in doing so, I will ensure it is finished with no Faerie left unscathed.
Because if I lose my Kaitlyn, what I will unleash on the Yeavering will be nothing short of the hell it deserves.
KAITLYN
Iopen my eyes, groan, and close them again. It’s bright above me, and a heat seems to be searing over my skin.
“The female is awake, Lord,” a scratchy voice calls out.
I’m rolling from side to side as if within a boat on the water, except I can’t smell water. There is only the old socks smell which usually hangs around the Faerie and the Redcaps. Which means I have to be in some sort of carriage.
“Good, good,” Tam Lin says, and his face moves into my vision. “You might find you can’t move for a while and possibly see things which aren’t there, my dear,” he says genially. “The nightshade can have that effect.”
“Nightshade?” I get out through chattering teeth as the searing heat turns to deathly cold.
My eyes have adjusted to my surroundings, and I find I’m lying on a plush scarlet velvet cushion, a silk awning drawn over us, but the sides of the carriage are open to the elements, in this case, the sun, high in the midday sky.
“Not as deadly as it’s made out to be.” Tam Lin chuckles. “After all, I need you alive.”
The chill reaches my heart.
“Linton.” His name comes out as a cry ripped from my very soul.
“The Bluecap.” Tam Lin shakes his head. “He shouldn’t have mated with you.”
I can’t speak because if I do, it will be a howl of pain.
“It could only end one way, for him,” he says, as if he really cares. “Which is a shame as he was a useful empty vessel.”
“Youmonster,” I force out through teeth gritted so hard, I’m surprised my jaw hasn’t broken.
Tam Lin whirls on me, his face transforming into a terrible visage, as if ravaged by a wild animal, bloody, ripped to the bone, horns sprouting from his forehead.
“I amnotthe monster. The Faerie arenotthe monsters in the Yeavering,” he snarls before recovering his composure and the mask he wears.
The mask all Faerie wear.
“There are monsters here. Your dead Bluecap was one of them. The Barghest is another. And they will all discover what happens when you challenge the Faerie,” he announces imperiously.
“It seems to me challenging the Faerie has resulted in the loss of your queen and a number of your lords.” I discover my voice is working, driven by the anger which rises volcanically inside me at his arrogance. “It seems to me you are losing to what you call monsters and what everyone else might call heroes.”
Tam Lin’s face morphs once again before he recovers his composure and forces out a laugh.
“I am not losing, and once you do what you were brought to the Yeavering for, I will use my powers to destroy all of them.” That terrible face is back close to mine again. The foul sweet odour of decay makes me want to recoil…if there was anywhere to go. “Your Bluecap was just the start.”
Fortunately for my sense of smell, he withdraws, and his glamour returns. Although once you have seen a Faerie without it, it’s almost impossible for them to completely restore their former persona. It’s as if the magic doesn’t work as well once their true self is revealed.
The Faerie believe they are invincible, all powerful, and it’s that belief which has driven them to take over the Yeavering. Their real lack of power became painfully apparent once they were challenged.
“And as for your so calledresistance, they’re the reason you’re here in the first place.” He sits back against his seat, a smug smile on his face as he lets this particular nugget sink in. “Your sister, the one you vowed to protect”—he inspects his fingernails—“ended up here anyway.”
