Phelan’s gaze was piercing as he studied me, cocking his head as he scanned my body from head to toe. The confidence I’d felt before began to falter under the scrutiny. Why was he looking at me like that? As if I were some kind of insect he wanted to pluck apart? I shifted uncomfortably on my feet, moving just the slightest bit closer to Liam.
“So, you are like our good Queen Marin. How has this happened? Why have we not heard of a changeling who possesses gifts of all four courts?” That last bit was directed at Liam.
Liam had stiffened as I’d let the truth about myself become known, despite the fact he’d given me the nod of approval to do so.
Liam sucked a deep breath in through his nose, and then blew it out just as heavily. “Alwyn Adair, our Head Instructor, wanted to keep this information hidden, but…as it stands, I think it might benefit us all if the Summers know the truth. Alwyn is of the opinion that the Autumn Court will make attempts on Norah’s life if they hear about her powers. They’d consider her a threat. If the other courts found out that another Greater Fae exists, they might rally behind her. I’m inclined to agree. Queen Viola would do anything to stop that.”
“A Greater Fae?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “What the hell is that?”
“It’s the name of what you are, Norah. A fae who can control the magic of all four seasons.”
Phelan scoffed. “It’s a nice little vision you have, Liam. I can’t fault you for that. A united realm, back under the rule of another Greater Fae. But Norah is no Marin. She doesn’t have that same royal blood running through her veins. She’s a changeling. She barely knows anything about our realm, and her powers are yet to be refined. I cannot imagine the realm uniting behind her the way you think. Truth is, she’s nothing.”
“Hey.” My voice was sharp. “I’m standing right here. If I were you, I’d stop insulting the ‘nothing’ changeling who came all this way to help you.”
My heart beat hard as I glared at him, but his words hit hard. Mostly because I knew he was right. As much as I wanted to be a badass fae warrior, I was just a normal girl who’d lucked out with a few extra powers.
He merely rolled his eyes. “Fine. Come inside out of this mess. I’ll tell you what it is we need you to do.”
* * *
We strode into a large expansive hall with vaulted ceilings painted in a kaleidoscope of the colors of summer: greens, yellows, violets, and oranges. Thick green vines were painted up the sides to match the exterior walls. Our footsteps echoed on the marble floors, highlighting the emptiness of the place.
The Hunters were waiting for us, clustered around a dining table that had been transformed into a war planning table. A parchment map of Otherworld was spread across it, and miniature wooden pieces were being pushed around, this way and that, as if the Hunters couldn’t find the perfect location for them.
They glanced up when Liam and I joined them.
“I see the changeling made it out of that insanity alive,” Alastar said before turning his eyes on me. “Do you have any idea how idiotic that was? You could have ruined our entire plan if you’d gotten yourself killed saving some damn horses.”
I bristled at his words. “They’re innocent creatures who didn’t deserve to die just because we couldn’t be bothered to get them to safety.”
“I can’t believe this is what we’re dealing with,” one of the other Hunters muttered.
“Maybe if you’d taken them to safety yourselves, instead of abandoning them, I wouldn’t have had to risk my life.”
The Hunters fell silent. An eerie, uncomfortable kind of silence that made me shift on my feet. Finally, Phelan plucked a wooden square piece from the map and held it before my eyes.
“Do you know what this is?” he asked. When I shook my head, he continued. “This is you. Doesn’t look like much, right? Just a boring old little wooden block. Well, somehow, this one pesky little block is pretty much all we have right now. The future of the Summer Court depends on this stupid little block. Hell, the future of the entire realm could depend on this block. Do you understand me?”
My heart thundered in my chest, but I couldn’t stop the next words from popping out of my mouth. “Are you calling me a stupid wooden block?”
“For the love of the forest.” Phelan threw up his hands and stalked away, shoving his hands into his thick red hair. The truth was, his words had terrified me, though I couldn’t let him see that. How could the future of the realm depend on me? Like he’d said, I was only a first-year changeling who had only just begun to grasp her powers. What the hell could I do against an entire court of devious fae?
“What Norah means is that of course she wants to help.” Liam cut his eyes toward me. “Right, Norah?”
“Of course I’ll help. Just don’t expect me to keep my mouth shut when you insult me.”
“Fine. Whatever.” Phelan stalked back toward the map and slammed the ‘stupid wooden block’ down into the center of the Autumn woods. “This here is the perimeter of the Autumn woods.”
I nodded. “Yes, I’ve been there before.”
He arched his eyebrow. “Good. Then, you’ll know that these woods are often patrolled by two opposing factions. Queen Viola’s guards and personal collection of Hunters.”
“And the rebels,” I said.
He looked surprised that I could actually offer up some insight into the Autumn woods. For a second—the teensiest, tiniest of seconds—he didn’t look as though the very sight of me repulsed him. “That’s correct. According to our sources, the rebels have been keeping their heads low the past few weeks. They directly oppose Viola, but they are very calculating, and they won’t make a move unless they think it’s the right time. So, I doubt they’ll pose much of a threat during your trek into the forest. The fae you’re going to have to watch out for are the Autumn Hunters.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I held my hands up and took a step back from the map. “I think you skipped over some important information here. Like the fact you expect me to go into the Autumn realm? And…do what exactly? Try to attack the Queen? I’m all for helping. I want to do everything I can. But there’s no way I’m going to go on some kind of revenge assassination mission.”
