Tarron appeared next to me, then Aeri and Declan.
“What the hell just happened back there?” Tarron asked. “The false queen actually arrived there, didn’t she? It wasn’t just an illusion.”
“Yeah.” Horror opened a hole in my chest. “She’s so powerful she was able to transport into that stronghold.”
“Do you believe Perisea?” Aeri asked Tarron. “That the false queen has infiltrated your realm?”
“I will check.” He raised his wrist to his lips and spoke into his comms charm. “Luna? Are you there?”
“King Tarron!” Relief sounded in Luna’s voice. “We’ve been trying to reach you. The Unseelie queen has somehow gotten her hooks into our court. Her magic has polluted the minds of some of your subjects.”
Shit. So it was true. And it must have happened while he was unconscious in the dragons’ slate caverns.
“How many?” he asked.
“Twenty percent, maybe. And counting. It’s worse in the Unseelie Realm. Everyone who is not in the Resistance is on her side. With the way her strength is growing, we don’t have much longer.”
I looked between my companions, dread unfurling within me. I’d gotten as much magic as I was going to get for this battle.
I drew in a deep breath. “This is as good as it’s going to get. It’s time to join the Resistance.”
Aeri’s jaw firmed. “You’re stronger than you think you are, Mari. I know you didn’t get what you went for—not all of it, at least—but Perisea is right. There must be another way.”
“What is it, then?” I asked, desperation fueling me.
“You’ll find it.” Aeri gripped my arm, and I could feel her trying to feed a sense of comfort into me. “But until then, I’ve got your back. We all do.”
“And we all need to head to the Unseelie Realm.” Declan looked at his watch. “We’ve about an hour until the sun rises there. The portal will open then.”
I nodded, driving back the fear. It was time to fight.
Tarron nodded. “I must visit my realm, if only briefly. I need to gather the rest of the palace guard. We’ll bring troops to the Unseelie realm.”
I nodded. “I need to collect some things from my house. We’ll meet you at Puck’s Glen.”
He nodded, then strode toward me. As he gripped my arms and pulled me to him, Aeri and Declan strode up the stairs to our house, giving us space.
“You saved me.” His green eyes met mine. “Thank you, Mari.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. My throat tightened as I spoke. “I’m just so glad it worked.”
“I had faith in you.”
“Otherwise you wouldn’t have come along.” He’d have locked himself away if he thought he were an unsalvageable risk to me or his people.
“Yes.” He pressed a kiss to my lips, an urgency in him that I had never felt before. I fell into this kiss, wishing it could last forever. Finally, he pulled back, his gaze intense. “And if we survive what is to come, I want to spend a life with you.”
My jaw slackened. “Really?”
“You’re surprised?”
Given the depth of feeling that surged within me, well… “No, actually. I love you, Tarron. More than I’ll ever love anyone.”
He pressed one more kiss to my lips, then pulled back. “Good. I will see you at Puck’s Glen in thirty minutes.”
I nodded, savoring the sight of him before he disappeared.
Quickly, I turned and raced up the stairs to join Aeri and Declan. I could hear them in her apartment, and I headed to mine. As fast as I could, I changed clothes and repacked my potions bag. I checked to make sure that the Aranthian Crystal was still in there, and was grateful to see that it was. I didn’t know how exactly we’d use it against the false queen, but Perisea had been clear.
Anyway, as strong as the false queen was, we were going to need all the weapons we could get.
11
Thirty minutes later, we met Tarron and his army in the clearing at Puck’s Glen. There had to be at least fifty Seelie Fae, all armed to the teeth. Serious expressions set their features into stern lines, and their clothing was meant for battle. Simple, with chain mail and leather armor.
I strode to Tarron. “Ready?”
“Ready. More of my troops are in the Unseelie realm with the Resistance. More will come once we know the lay of the land.”
I nodded, then turned to the circle of rowan trees that surrounded us. We’d explored this glen before and found that each tree was marked with a knot of wood labeled with a number written in the Fae language. Once I found number one, it was easy to remember the order.
“Sun is coming up.” Tarron pointed to the glow on the horizon.
I could feel it in my bones, my Fae power announcing its arrival.
As the rays of light began to shoot through the sky, I sliced my fingertip with my sharp thumbnail and swiped my black blood over the first tree knot. I moved from one tree to the next, going in order, until I’d rubbed my blood on each of the thirteen trees. Last, I moved to the huge flat stone in the middle of the clearing.
Tarron joined me. As I spilled my blood on the stone, he began to chant, reciting the Fae words carved in the stone. Magic sparked on the air, and I stood, stepping back.
Silver branches appeared, forming an archway. Dozens of golden apples dripped from the boughs, magic sparking from them.
Tarron turned to his men, his voice ringing with authority. “Troop leaders, each take an apple as you enter. On the other side, it will create a portal if you need to leave the Unseelie realm.”
The men nodded their understanding, and Tarron turned back to me. “Ready?”
“Ready.” I drew my sword and shield from the ether and turned to the archway, stepping through without hesitation. The ether sucked me in and spun me through space. When it spat me out on the other side, the sun shined brightly through the trees, an odd welcome to the creepy forest that reeked of the false queen’s magic.
Such a strange combo.
I moved into the clearing, blade raised as I searched for Unseelie guards.
Tarron appeared next to me, followed by Aeri and Declan.
All three assumed fighting stances as they fanned out.
“No one here,” I murmured. “Too good to be true.”
A tall Fae stepped out from behind a tree about twenty feet away. “Depends on which side you’re on.”
His dark hair and sharp features were distinctly Unseelie, but his eyes appeared to be clear of the false queen’s influence.
“Are you with the Resistance?” I didn’t lower my sword.
“I am.” His gaze traveled over me. “And you are our missing true queen.”
“That I am.” Though I didn’t like the sound of it, I kept my mouth shut on that point. I searched the trees around him. “Where is Brielle, the Resistance leader? Or Claire, Connor? Luna, the Seelie Fae warrior?”
The Fae raised his wrist to his lips and spoke softly into the charm. “They’ll be here in just a moment.”
The tension didn’t fade from my shoulders as I waited. We were on enemy ground and we would be until I took out the false queen. It would never be safe. “Where are the Unseelie guards? The false queen’s warriors?”