Slowly, I raised my hands and swallowed hard, my mind tripping overitself.
How had this happened? What had I done? If I screamed, would anyone hearme?
“Those images you saw in your mind?” the fae asked with a cruel smile. “Those will all come true if you do not come with me now. Put your hands behind your back and walk out of these gates. Do this or we will kill themall.”
Chapter Twenty-One
My armsand wrists were bound, and only a thin rope kept me tied to the horse that galloped across the snow-drenched lands. I squeezed my eyes tight and tried to use my powers to communicate with the animal. But nothing happened. In the past, I’d always felt as if a warmth had surrounded my mind when I attempted to communicate. Now, I felt nothing but a pure sheet ofice.
When I opened my eyes, I found the Prince glancing over his shoulder and frowning at me. “Your animal magic cannot work on the creatures of myrealm.”
I narrowed my eyes, wishing I could spit at the Prince who had tricked me. The Prince who had lied to me. Unfortunately, the stupid cloth in my mouth kept me from doing anything of thesort.
We came to a sudden stop at the bottom of the hill. We’d entered a circular formation. It reminded me of the Faerie Ring that I’d first used when travelling from the human realm to Otherworld. But this time, instead of brilliant blooming flowers, the ring was made of jagged blackrocks.
The Prince steered my horse into the circle. Suddenly, the snowy world blinked away. In its place was a land like I’d never seen before. A buzz of insects rose up around us like a chorus of the night. A big bulbous moon hung low in the sky, ten times larger than any moon I’d seen in my life. It filled the sky with its brilliance, casting an eerie glow on the silveryland.
The grass was incandescent, and the trees were twisting branches that curled overhead. Silver insects shot through the night, as if dancing to the tune of the crickets. As much as I wanted to hate everything about this place, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at the beauty ofit.
Once again, the Prince caught my expression. “Don’t look so surprised. I know you’ve grown to believe that everything about us is wrong and evil, but we love our beautiful realm just as you love yours. Though ours is, of course, objectivelybetter.”
I had to roll my eyes atthat.
One of the Prince’s guards trotted up beside him and flicked his reins. “We need to get a move on, Prince Taveon. The King eagerly awaits the arrival of thegirl.”
The Prince frowned but gave a nod. I wished I could understand what he was playing at here. First, he’d spent months spying on me. And then, he’d come to warn me about his father. Now, he’d captured me after battling the Winter Court. Why would he warn me if he never meant tohelp?
We reached the castle a short while later, a hulking mask of steel gray buildings, its highest peaks narrowing into sharp points that cut through the bulging clouds. I shivered as I stared up at it. While this realm might be beautiful, the castle sorely wasn’t. In fact, it looked downrightominous.
“My father had this place built three hundred years ago,” Prince Taveon said as he helped me off of my horse. “He wanted to something that reflected his approach to ruling this kingdom. Something intimidating and cruel. As you can see, he succeeded in finding the appropriate architecture forthat.”
“Lovely,” I said, my voice dripping with disdain. “I truly can’t wait to meet the fae behind this...thing.”
* * *
“So.”King Midas sneered down on me from a throne made of skulls. “This is the great daughter of Marin. I’ll have to admit that I’m disappointed. I thought it would take far longer for my miserable son to captureyou.”
I kept my face blank, my gaze steady. King Midas was more like what I’d expected from these lands. Cruel and harsh, his entire body brimming with the taste of pure chaos. This was all a game to him. And he’dwon.
I lifted my chin and met his sharp gaze. “Why am I here? If you want me dead, then why didn’t you have your son kill me on thebattlefield?”
He let out a low chuckle, one that sounded like knives scraping down an old chalkboard. “I don’t want you dead. You’re a Greater Fae who has been infected by the Redcap virus. I want to study you. Use you. There is no telling how much energy a fae like you could extract from the human realm with yourpowers.”
Despite my urge to remain constant and calm, a shiver went down my spine. I glanced at the Prince beside me. His face was a mask of indifference. That or he just didn’t care, regardless of what he’d said that day on themountain.
The wicked smile on the King’s face widened, and he motioned to the steward on his left. A moment later, he brought out a girl, her wrists bound together behind her back. I let out a sharp cry of surprise, stumbling back. The slices down her cheek were deep and bloodied, and her hair was matted like chunks of fur. But I’d recognize that face anywhere, and that defiant look, the angryeyes.
It was the Redcap girl who had attacked me. The changeling I had replaced when I’d beenborn.
Confusion rippled through me. How had the King gotten her? Andwhy?
The King’s laugh echoed through the expansive room when he saw the look on my face. “I see you haven’t even realized how I’ve defeatedyou.”
My heart thumped hard, but I didn’t ask the question I knew he wanted me to voice. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction ofthat.
The smile vanished from his face. “I sent this Redcap after you. The abandoned changeling whose fate is inexplicably tied to yours. You see, if it weren’t for you, her life would be so much different. Safer. Happier. She’d have herself a mate. It wasn’t difficult to encourage her to turn her anger in your direction. And now here weare.”
“Let me go,” she hissed, her cheeks splotched with red. “I did everything you asked me todo.”
