I’m too stunned, too shaken to do anything but obey. Gritting my teeth, I focus on my anger to keep my fear at bay, and stalk after Nimue’s retreating form. She leads me down several twists and turns through the coral halls. Zara follows close behind like a vicious shadow, prodding me in the back whenever she deems it necessary. Which is every five seconds. I cut a glare over my shoulder at her only to find a much sharper one being cast back at me. I take the opportunity to assess her lithe body, seeking weaknesses. Between her firm-looking scales, the near-foot of height she has on me, and the sharp claws at the tips of her webbed fingers, I doubt she has any weakness to exploit. Her appearance leaves me unsure if she’s in her seelie or unseelie form. Some fae are harder to tell apart in their different forms. Selkies, like me, have obvious distinctions between our two forms—one being a seal, the other being almost identical to a human. Then there are other kinds of fae with less variances between the two. Some fae walk on two legs in both forms, with only minor differences in skin or hair.
I suppose it doesn’t matter what form Zara wears now, for I’m certain she’d overpower me no matter what. I face forward yet again, fighting my urge to round on the fae, punch her in her scaly face, and tear my sealskin off her shoulders. But, considering I’ve spent most of my life as a rather lazy seal, I’ve no idea how to fight. Steal, yes. Stealing requires being clever, fast, and unseen. Fighting, on the other hand…I wouldn’t know where to begin. My only weapon is my little hair comb, and I doubt that would do much damage. I could enter the Twelfth Court, I suppose. Halt time and retrieve my sealskin, then flee the opposite way down the halls. But where do those corridors end? Will I even find freedom before Zara or Nimue catch up with me?
No, the best thing I can do is stay calm. Follow. The sooner I understand where I am, the sooner I can find a way to get out of here. I narrow my eyes at Nimue’s back, trying to see if she still holds the silver compact Zara threw at her. The one that brought me here by some strange magic. If I can steal it…
Run away and you’ll be dead in ten days.
Then there’s that, of course.
The corridors grow wider the farther we go, the walls more elegant now. Iridescent shells decorate the walls, and conches replace the coral sconces. The orbs of light hovering above them are brighter now. Finally, our path opens into a wide room with a domed coral ceiling. From the center hangs a pearl chandelier glittering with more of the orb lights. The floor is smooth sand with pearlescent pillars lining the perimeter. Between them, more halls branch off. Nimue slithers toward a dais. Upon it rests an enormous open clamshell fitted with a velvet cushion. Flanking it are two large, crystal-blue pools. She lowers onto her seat and beckons me forward. Zara, finding my movements too slow, jabs an elbow into my spine.
I round on her. “Will you quit that?”
She bares her teeth, but before she can respond, Nimue speaks. “Leave us, Zara. Fetch the Sisters.”
Zara snaps her teeth at me and turns on her heel.
I start after her. “Give me back my sealskin, you clam-blasted harpy.”
“Language, daughter,” Nimue says with a titter. “The unseelie sea fae happen to like harpies.”
“Make her give me back my skin. Have you any idea how offensive it is that she’s wearing it like that?”
“You may earn your sealskin back, but in the meantime, I need Zara to keep it safe for you.”
I clench my jaw, fuming as Zara strides out of the room and into one of the adjoining halls. A helpless feeling threatens to paralyze me, pull me into a pool of grief, but I drown it before it grows too deep. Fear won’t help me now. Sorrow won’t either. All I have are my wits. And a year of training as a thief.
With slow steps, I walk toward Nimue, assessing my surroundings with fresh eyes. “Nice throne room you have here,” I say. I’ve only been inside two palaces in my entire life. Bircharbor, of course, although I rarely spent time indoors. And then Selene Palace, seat of the Unseelie Queen of the Lunar Court. That’s where Father sent me to try and wed the queen’s heir before I ran away. I wasn’t there for long, but I was able to study its royal luxury, assess the ways it differed from Bircharbor. The room I’m in now is undoubtedly a throne room, which tells me I’m inside Ginevra Palace.
Hope blooms bright in my heart. I’ve heard of Ginevra Palace, and I know roughly where it is. I’m surprised to find it filled with air and not water, for the palace is rumored to be under the sea. I suppose it makes sense that part of the palace would hold air, though, for there are many kinds of sea fae that require oxygen. Besides, it was built to accommodate both sea fae and land fae alike. Long ago before the first fae war, the palace was ruled by Queen Melusine—Nimue’s mother. Who, I suppose, is also my maternal grandmother. She ruled the sea from Ginevra while her mate, King Herne, ruled the Autumn Court from a palace that was built as close to the sea as a land ruler could be. Bircharbor. My home. The palace Father rules from now. More significant than all of this, though, are the rumors that coral caves once linked the two palaces so the royal lovers could visit each other with ease. The caves are said to have been since destroyed, some filled with air, others with water, all collapsed into dead ends. But still…
I’m close to home. To Father. If I can only—
“Don’t forget what I said, my little pearl.” Nimue watches me through slitted lids. “You’ll find no aid reversing my curse should you try and leave without my blessing. Not even your dear father has magic strong enough to counteract mine. But never mind that. We’re alone for the time. Let us speak freely as mother and daughter.”
“Mother and daughter,” I mutter with scorn.
Nimue ignores the venom in my tone as she continues to smile at me from her throne. “Ask me anything and I will answer, my love.”
I bristle at her use ofmy love. As if she knows the meaning of the word. And yet, I do have questions. I cross my arms, focusing on the feel of the shell comb still clenched in my hand. The smooth mother-of-pearl beneath my fingers gives me something to focus on that isn’t panic. I pop a hip to the side. “You never told me how you found me.”
“Like I said, I’ve been looking for you,” Nimue says. “Ever since your father told me of your power, I’ve cast my magic into the sea every day searching for your essence.”
I quirk a brow. “My…essence?”
“Yes. Please tell me you know something of fae magic.”
“I know about elemental affinities and all that,” I say with a glower.
“Good. As we know, sea fae have a natural affinity for the water element. You must also know that each ruler in Faerwyvae has access to all four elements, to varying degrees.”
I nod, trying to appear like everything she’s saying is old news. The truth is there’s a lot about magic I don’t know. I don’t know how to weave a glamour or make the ocean obey my whims. The only time I ever wield magic myself is when I remove my sealskin, and that only requires a brief touch of magic. I suppose I use it to enter the Twelfth Court too, but that’s still quite a mystery to me.
She continues. “Like other rulers, I can manipulate water, air, fire, and earth. But there’s a fifth element very few fae can touch. It’s the element of spirit. While I may resemble my mother in almost every way, it’s my father’s magic that sets me apart from the other royals. He was a banshee, a death singer, and it is because of him that I can work with the spirit element.Thatis what I mean by essence. As your mother, I need nothing more than my own blood to seek your essence. And four days ago, I felt it. Felt you enter the sea. It was the same day Zara returned with that little trinket you hold now, found at the bottom of the ocean near a shipwreck. It was rich with your essence, and I then knew exactly how to find you.”
I’m perplexed by her mention of spirit magic but try not to let it show. I had no idea that’s what makes her so strong.
“I cast an enchantment so Zara could follow your essence, and she located you. She watched you for a few days, followed you. Then she brought you here.”
