For a moment, neither one of them spoke. Bree’s mind spun. What were the odds that both fae realms were exactly the same? She needed to look at a map to confirm it, but…there had to be something in it. She could feel the truth of it in her gut.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything, Bree.”
Taveon murmured in the back of her mind. She closed her eyes and turned to him. He pushed an image into her mind. A map of Otherworld, the corners lit up by each fae court. And then that image dropped away, replaced by another.
One that was identical to the first.
Underworld.
It was the exact same shape. Even the mountain ridges were the same, along with the the placement of forests. Bree sucked in a breath and flipped open her eyes.
Rafferty leaned his close, his brows furrowed. “Were you talking to Taveon? Is everything all right back at the castle?”
“He showed me a map,” she said excitedly. “It’s exactly the same. All of it.”
She jumped up to her feet and began to pace around the fire, her hands twisted together. Underworld and Otherworld were exactly the same. Except for one little thing. One was plunged in forever darkness. The other was stuck in seasons.
“Rafe,” she said. “Underworld experiences seasons.”
“That’s right.” He slowly stood. “Most of Otherworld doesn’t.”
“So, you see where I’m going with this, right?”
“Our worlds are opposites.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Otherworld gets light and dark. But some of it is stuck. In seasons. Underworld is stuck. In darkness. But what is stuck here is not stuck there and what is stuck there is not stuck here.”
Rafe watched Bree pace as his brows pinched together. “Bree, I love you, but you’re making very little sense.”
“Underworld and Otherworld are connected. They are two sides of the same coin. A coin I’m starting to think was melted together at once point. All one land. All one single world. And parts of it all got stuck when it was ripped apart.”
Rafe gave Bree a blank stare. He watched her continue to pace, mind whirring. She was jumping to conclusions, but it was that map. It made so much sense that it almost knocked her off her feet. Why else would Underworld be drenched in darkness? Why else would part of Otherworld be stuck in ice and snow?
“All right,” Rafferty finally nodded. “I can see how that might be possible. There are still a lot of questions in my mind, though. How and why? And what can that do for us?”
Bree stilled. She knew exactly how it could help. “We find a way to rejoin the fae realms.”
* * *
Of course, there were still some holes in Bree’s plan. Holes she pondered over as they continued their trek south to Munlin. How did one rejoin entire realms? It seemed impossible and far beyond anything even Taveon could do. And even if they managed, then what? They still had the same problem as before. The demons could just wait for nightfall before attacking.
After two days spent wandering through the fields, a city rose on a distant hill, back-lit by a shimmering sea. Moonlight danced along the waves, joyful and free. But the city itself was something out of a nightmare. Every building was made from slate grey rock in utilitarian squares. An endless expanse of them, bunched up together in the shadow of a spiky tower. Splashes of red painted every wall. Brown and dried, like old blood.
Bree wrinkled her nose as the stench of rot reached them.
“What the hell is this place?” she muttered.
“This is Munlin. The home of King Worm. He hates visitors and likes to spend every moment hidden away in his tower. The court leaves him alone. None of the dark fae like being around him, either.”
“Why?” Bree almost hated to ask. If the horned dark fae didn’t like King Worm, then there was something horribly wrong with him.
“You’ll see,” Rafferty murmured. “Just…be on your guard. He enjoys showing off his library, but he can be a little unpredictable.”
They approached the city on tired feet. Even with the enhanced power Bree had gained, she still grew weary, like any ordinary human. She could use a bed and a feast, but she had a feeling she would get neither of those here.
The city walls were piles of dried mud. Two guards lazed at the gated entrance. When Bree and Rafe drew closer, they snapped to attention.
“Who are you?” one of them barked, face hidden behind a steel helmet. He levelled a spear at them. “State your intentions here.”
