“Things are actually better here.”
“Seems so.” Kalen Denare smiled. And when he smiled, so did I. “Gaven has really pulled through.”
“Yes, but if it weren’t for you—”
“Kal!” A voice called from further down the street. “Tessa!”
I looked up. Fenella stood at the crest of the hill, waving at us from the path leading into the castle courtyard. She practically beamed, which was a little disconcerting. Fenella was supposed to twirl her daggers and threaten people, not look like she’d just tasted water after a year spent wandering the desert.
She jogged toward us. Kalen picked up his pace. I followed just behind and watched as they embraced, thumping each other on the backs with enough force to knock a hole in a stone wall. When Fenella pulled back, I swore there was a tear in her eye. Just the one, though. No more than that.
Then she looked at me and lowered her head, as if in a partial bow. “Your Highness.”
“Oh, come on,” I said.
She lifted her gaze and grinned. “I told everyone you’re our queen now, so you best get used to it.”
“I think I liked it better when you were threatening to gut me.”
“Don’t worry. I have plenty of threats to throw around, just not toward you anymore. Is it time for us to murder those gods yet?” She patted the twin daggers at her hips. “I have two blades. One for each of Andromeda’s eyeballs.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s the Fenella we know and love.”
“I take it everyone made it here safely?” Kalen asked as he took Fenella’s elbow and started leading her across the castle courtyard. I fell into step beside them, sobering as we waited for an answer.
Fenella frowned. “We lost a few warriors in a fight against one of those scorpion beasts. No civilians, neither storm nor shadow fae, were harmed. “
Hazy moonlight cut a path through the darkness, past ancient statues built by Druids of the natural elements they served. Our boots clicked against the stone, almost drowned out by the sounds of the city. Endir had become a safe haven for so many these past months. Light fae, shadow fae, humans, and storm fae were all crammed inside these ancient walls. It was probably the best place in all of Aesir. Or it would be, if the gods couldn’t fly. As it was, walls would do nothing to keep them from invading.
“Where’s Nellie?” I finally asked. I knew if she was hurt, Fenella would have led with that, but I needed to hear the confirmation. I needed to know my sister was all right.
Fenella smiled strangely. “She’s in the Great Hall with a few others who haven’t yet retired to their chambers for the night. I’ll take you to her.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. When we passed through the doors that led inside the castle proper, the torchlight chased away the dark. Fenella led the way, though I knew the path by now. We swung a left when we came to the grand staircase, and I let the siren call of laughter, cheers, and clinking glasses grab me by the throat and lead me there. I had not been gone long, but it felt like years since I’d heard true joy like that. My heart leapt in response.
But that was nothing compared to the moment I crossed the threshold of the Great Hall and saw my sister—in human form—sitting at the table with a smile so bright it nearly blinded me. Surrounded by Toryn, Gaven, Ruari, and Roisin, as well as tankards and empty plates and playing cards scattered everywhere, she looked at home. Like part of a family.
She glanced my way, then her mouth dropped opened. Jumping to her feet, she exclaimed, “Tessa? Oh, thank the light!”
I grinned and crossed the room in two quick strides, widening my arms as she leapt toward me. She crashed into my chest. With a laugh, I stumbled back, but I did not let go. My sister was here. She was back. The gods could tear me apart, piece by piece, but I would be okay as long as I had her.
She took a long, low sniff against my shoulder, then pulled back, wrinkling her nose. “You smell odd. Like rot or something. How long has it been since you washed these clothes?”
Fenella cackled as she walked up beside us and slung an arm around Nellie’s shoulder. “Nellie might be my new favorite Baran now.”
But Nellie did not smile. Her eyes latched on mine. Understanding flickered across her expression, flattening her thin lips. “You don’t come with good news, do you? What’s happened out there? Wherewereyou?”
I sighed and glanced over my shoulder at Kalen. “That is a very long story. Have any fion to help it go down?”
Twenty-Two
Tessa
Isat on the wooden bench, sandwiched between Nellie and Ruari—it seemed those two got along now—while Kalen took the spot at the head of a table. Fenella tried to insist I take the other end, where an elaborately carved chair sat empty, its seat softened by a plush silk pillow so deep a crimson it reminded me of dried blood. But while I was married to Kalen, I did not yet feel comfortable proclaiming myself his queen. I knew so little about the shadow fae kingdom. I had no experience ruling. And there’d been no ceremony, no formal announcement. Kalen’s wife I proudly was. Just not his queen.
Kalen and I filled the others in on what we’d both been through. It was a difficult story to tell. I choked up a few times. First when recalling the moment Kalen’s blood had spread toward me in Gailfean, and I was unable to do anything but watch the pain on his face. And then again when I had to admit I’d killed a human in Andromeda’s trials. No one seemed to judge me, though I felt something strange—like uneasiness—pass through the bond. But when I examined Kalen’s face, he didn’t look concerned.
“So you were trapped in a cave for days,” Toryn said to Kalen before turning to me. “And you were trapped in Malroch, forced to dance for the gods.”
