I sighed. “Go back to your booth, River. I am going to drive this sleigh into the town square, and then I’m going to come back here, drink this chocolate, and cry on your shoulder, okay?” I handed him back the hot beverage.
“Deal.” He took the mug and backed toward his booth. I fluffed my plum-colored skirt and climbed onto the driver’s bench, lifting the reins.
“Oh my gods, is she actually going to drive?” I heard someone say. A chorus of whispers clouded the night around me.
I would not cry. No way. I was a Larkspur. We didn’t have much, but we were brave, and I was raised to do the right thing. When my grandmother was my age, she’d been an archer in the Goblin Wars. She’d faced off against an unseelie uprising and seen death and destruction from the front lines. Tonight I was going to live up to the name.
The lead whip cracked, and the orchestra started to play. Mrs. Harper wasn’t lying; I didn’t even have to slap the reins. Without any effort on my part, my reindeer pulled me into the forest. I sat up straighter, smiling and waving, shoving all my insecurities to the back of my brain.
At first, it seemed like things would be okay. People clapped and yelled, “Happy Yule!” as we slid by. But then I noticed a few fae children pointing and laughing. Mothers whispered to each other. Humans boldly asked why I was alone in voices loud enough for me to hear, ignorant to the shame of it.
It was the longest ride of my life.
I begged the gods to make the parade go faster, but it took the entirety of an hour to reach our destination. Seeing the square decked out in yuletide splendor made my heart give a painful squeeze. Seven was supposed to jump down from the driver’s seat, then help me from the sleigh before sweeping me into the center of the square. A band of the best musicians in Devashire would accompany an evening of dancing, holiday-themed cocktails, and gourmet hors d’oeuvres. Godmother’s magic would make it snow all night, but no one would feel cold. There would be no wind. No slush. And sometime during the evening, Seven would lead me to the central gazebo where he would kiss me, then whisk me away to somewhere private.
My eyes blurred with tears. It wasn’t going to happen, and I had no idea why.
As soon as a volunteer guided my reindeer to a halt, I moved to flee, knowing my tears had flooded the dam of my lower lids and I could no longer hold back the deluge of my grief. I had to get out of there and fast.
But there was a reason the boys always drove the sleighs. My skirts tangled around my legs as I tried to descend, and my heel caught in the hem. I tripped off the step. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to use my wings to break my fall. I landed on my stomach and elbows in the frozen grass.
Two leather shoes appeared in front of me, and I stared up into a leprechaun’s pitiless, laughing face. Mr. Delaney’s face. Seven’s father.
“Pity it came to this, but Seven did you a favor tonight,” he said. “Now you know your place, pixie. You’d do well to remember it.”
He left without helping me up.
ChapterFive
We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like? — Jean Cocteau
Isnap out of my reverie when a firefly ignites between Arden and me, the horrific, humiliating memory fading with its phosphorescent glow. My heart leaps. All is not lost. “Keep your eyes open, Arden. You’re in for a show.”
“Huh?” She blinks tiredly at me.
Flash. Thousands of fireflies ignite at once, turning night into day. I pop off the suitcase and whirl. There it is! The circular stone gate was right behind me all along. How had I missed it before?
The fireflies fade, and everything goes dark again. The gate blends away into the night.
“What the hell?” Arden gasps. “Those little guys give off serious wattage! Is that normal?”
“For these fireflies it is. They’re a rare synchronous variety that feed on fairy energy.” I point in the direction of the circle of stones. “We’re here. The portal is through the moon gate.”
She sidles up to me, suitcase in hand. “Where? I don’t see anything.”
“I can’t either. It’s invisible in the darkness, but it’s there. Wait for it…”
The fireflies ignite again, bathing the forest in their warm golden light. The gate appears again. “Come!” I take her hand and step forward but stop short when Arden squeezes tighter, her hand partially slipping from mine.
“I…can’t,”she says. “It feels like there’s something in front of me. I can’t move forward.”
The light fades into velvety midnight blue again, and I back up to her. I was afraid this would happen. Fuck that driver. I thought she said someone was coming to help us.
Flash!Like a lightning strike, the forest glows again.
We are not alone.
No, no no no. Nothim. My breath hitches. Of all the people Godmother might have sent to meet us, why oh why did it have to behim?
