Her.
She loosed a breath and leaned against the stone battlement. This was a lot to take in. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t have long to mull over everything she’d learned. Now was not the time for thinking. It was time to actually get out there and act.
“All right,” she said with a nod, despite the wobbling of her knees. She could do this. The world itself depended on her. No pressure, right? “Any idea how I can close them, then? Do I just...go over to the rings and force them shut or something?”
Norah’s lips flattened. “Yeah, about that. I don’t think you’re going to like this part.”
“Norah,” Bree said slowly. “I didn’t like the first part.”
“Sure, but this is worse.” When Bree winced, Norah patted her arm. “Sorry. I don’t like it much either, but it’s the only idea I have.”
“Out with it.”
“There is only one group of...people, for lack of a better term, who know how all this happened.” She swallowed. “We need to infiltrate the demon army.”
For a moment, Bree could do nothing but gape at her friend. She’d heard the words. She knew what each of them meant. But put together, it sounded like absolute nonsense. Infiltrate the demon army? Had she gone mad?
“Norah,” Bree said.
“Bree.”
“Did you hit your head on something?”
“Come.” Norah pulled her away from the wall and toward the stairs leading down from the battlements. With a glance over her shoulder at the approaching army, Bree sighed and turned her back on the fight. She followed Norah into the castle corridors and into the empty throne room. The chill of the empty castle seeped into her bones.
“I feel like I’m abandoning them,” Bree said, her steps slowing. “I should be out there, ready to fight.”
“You won’t feel that way in a second.” Norah glanced around, closed her eyes, and then sighed. “Did you know that Autumn fae have the power to cast illusions?”
Bree raised her brows. “Erm, yes. That’s what your necklace did. The one your mom gave you. It tried to hide what your powers were.”
“Exactly,” Norah said. “It cast an illusion.”
“I’m not following.”
She blew out a breath. “I have the powers of all of the seasonal courts, which means I have Autumn fae power, too. I can cast an illusion. I can make it seem like you’re one of them.”
Bree drew back, hissing between clenched teeth. “Wait a minute. Are you telling me you want to glamor me to look like a demon so that I can infiltrate their army?”
“There it is.”
“Ha!” Bree shoved her hands into her hair and stared at her friend. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Norah.”
“I have, unfortunately, never been more serious in my life.” She sighed again. “I would never ask this of you if I did not think it was the only way. We need to find out how to merge the realms and close the gates. We won’t win this fight, so we have to stop this army some other way.”
“And so I’m...what, exactly? Supposed to wear an illusion and just saunter on in there? Why would any of them even speak to me? I’d be a random soldier.”
“Well.” She shifted on her feet. “That’s where Taveon comes in.”
“Where I come into what?” Taveon asked smoothly as he strode into the throne room with the grace of a tiger. He prowled around the room, sizing up Norah with a suspicious eye. He’d heard every word of their conversation through the bond—Bree no longer wanted to close herself off to him at all. Everything she saw, he saw, if he wanted to.
“Don’t act coy,” Norah said. “I know you two are linked.”
“Right to the point. I like that.” He nodded. “However, if you think I’m going to let Bree go anywhere near that army, then you aren’t the ruler I thought you’d be.”
“Let?” Bree asked, scoffing.
Taveon frowned. “You could be killed.”
