I was ready. I would stay calm, collected, and handle the other heirs with the respect and decorum expected of a queen. I may not have officially taken my seat on the throne yet, but I was ready.
I marched down the hall with Stafford by my side. I took a few deep breaths before pushing open the door to the sitting room. The space was packed.
Fritz sat in the same chair he’d sat on the day before wearing a huge grin. To his right was Preston and Wren, heir of Winter Court. To his left Lacey, heir of Spring Court, and some guy I didn’t know stood close together. Questa stood in the middle of the room looking back and forth between everyone.
“Good morning.” I wasn’t going to wait for someone else to address me. We were in my court, and I would be the one in charge.
“Coral, hi.” Lacey looked directly at me. “Sorry to wake you so early, but we couldn’t wait any longer.”
“So early?” Wren laughed dryly. “It’s after ten. Coral, I do apologize for showing up unannounced but we…”
“Go on.” Lacey glared at Wren. “Tell Coral why we are here.”
Wren looked down at her feet and then up again. I thought about what Stafford said, about Wren feeling as uncomfortable as I did. “We need your assistance. We are all going to have to work together on this.”
“On what exactly?” Admittedly it felt great to hear Wren ask for my help. I was trying to be above it, but some parts of ourselves are difficult to change.
“My brother.” Preston sat forward in his seat. “Frost. He’s stuck in another world.”
“What world?” A few days earlier these sorts of questions would have seemed strange and out of place. Now they seemed commonplace. It is amazing how quickly our minds can adjust to new realities.
“Not one I know of.” Questa rubbed her temple. “I am no expert on linguistics, but the place names Wren has used seem similar in composition to the names used by your young guests, Coral. It may be possible they are in the same place.”
“Everything ends up connected in the end,” Stafford murmured. “What do you mean exactly by stuck?”
“Oh. Sorry. This is Stafford, my mate.” I belatedly introduced him.
“I assumed that much.” Wren gave a half smile. “I wish you could meet my mate, but he’s stuck in another world. You can meet Lacey’s mate.”
“Hi, I’m Creighton.” The man next to Lacey bowed ever so slightly. “Nice to meet you.”
“You aren’t from Spring Court, are you?” I knew there was something different about him and his accent.
“No. I’m from Energo.” He brushed some of his dark hair away from his eyes.
Questa grinned. “Isn’t this exciting? I never imagined I’d ever have the opportunity to meet someone from such an ancient world.”
As our world was extremely old, I couldn’t imagine how much older Energo could be, but I chose not to question her. “Great.” I was happy for Questa and all, but we had much bigger issues at hand. I turned to Wren and Lacey. “Do you believe I might be able to help you get Frost back?”
“We all need to work together.” Lacey lightly swung the hand entwined with Creighton’s. “And it’s not just about Frost. It’s about protecting everyone.” There was something different about Lacey. A strength I’d never seen in her before. And way more confidence. “And saving my mother.”
“What happened to your mother?” I asked with far sharper of a tone than intended.
“She is in a coma. I was able to use my healing gift to help another in such a state, but it was not enough for her. However, if the four of us work together, it may be enough.”
Healing gift? That was news.
“The four of us?” I was pretty sure I knew what she was implying, but I couldn’t be too sure. “We need Autumn?”
“Yes. Will you come with us?” Lacey chewed on her bottom lip.
“Of course.” I never expected to be joining forces with Wren and Lacey, but there was no other choice. They were as close to allies as I had. I kept thinking over my conversation with Stafford. He understood these types of situations so well. He may not have grown up as royalty, but he knew so much more than I did about being a leader.
“Wow.” Wren let out a low and slow whistle.
“What?” I felt my brow furrow.
“That was easier than I expected.” She crossed her arms.
“We are no longer children, Wren. It is time that we step up into the roles we were born to have.” I felt a surge of confidence that hadn’t been there a few hours before.
“Whatever it is you’ve done to her, please keep doing it.” Wren looked at Stafford.
I scowled. “This isn’t Stafford’s doing.”
“It was a joke.” Wren shook her head. “I’m going to be vulnerable for a moment, which you know is hard for me to do in your presence. Being so far away from Frost so early on after mating is difficult.”
I felt a pang in my heart. Did I truly feel bad for Wren? “I’m sorry. I am sure it is difficult, but I will do everything I can to help you get him back.” I meant it, and not only for what it could do to help me. I did have an idea what she was going through. I couldn’t imagine being separated from Stafford.
“Should we go find Autumn then?” Lacey’s voice was hopeful.
“Yes. That is if everyone agrees it is the right choice.” I looked at Stafford to get his take.
“I think it is the only choice.” Stafford put a hand on my back. “Not that it is my choice to make.”
“Will you all go?” Questa asked. “I will stay here and see what I can find about that new world you are discussing.”
“Do you need someone to help?” Fritz sprang up from his seat.
Normally I’d have called him out on ditching me, but this research was important. And I wasn’t alone. I had Stafford with me. I stepped closer to his side.
Questa smiled. “That would be helpful.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if her reasoning for having him stay had nothing to do with research, but that was okay. Fritz deserved a life too.
“Then the rest of us will go.” I was still keeping control. While we were in Summer’s borders I called the shots, even if I did look to Stafford for advice when needed.
“Let me restock you all with supplies. And you must eat first,” Questa chatted animatedly. “I know the journey to Autumn Court isn’t all that far from here, but in these times no one can ever really know for sure.”
With full stomachs and packs we left Questa’s quarters and headed north to the Autumn Court border. Saying goodbye to Fritz was harder than I expected. Not that I hadn’t been separated from him before, but because things seemed so out of sorts and messed up, a part of me worried it would be a long time before I was able to see him again.
“You look happy.” Lacey walked directly next to me. Wren was on the other side of her, and all of the wolves walked behind us. “If you don’t mind me saying that.”
“Why would I mind?” I was legitimately puzzled. It was a polite enough statement.
“Because normally you would mind my commenting on anything about you.” Lacey looked away.
“Nah. When you say it it’s fine.”
“Oh? The dislike is only for me?” Wren leaned across Lacey to address me.
“As if you don’t feel the same way,” I shot back.
“Felt past tense.” Wren swung her arms. “I’m over all of that.”
“I really am sorry. That both of you are going through so much.” I felt guilty too, even if none of it was directly my fault. But I couldn’t help wondering if things would be different if Wren and I hadn’t made our feud such a fundamental part of all of our lives. The courts didn’t always get along, but that didn’t mean we needed to be enemies.
“We are all going through so much. Our parents had it so much easier.” Wren knelt down to pick up a stone from the ground.
“Yeah.” I considered her words. “Mostly.”
“Oh.” Wren ran her thumb over the stone, wiping away grime and revealing a sparkling gemstone. “Did something happen?”
Wow, Wren could really see beauty behind the dark. I’d have never even considered picking up that rock. I debated keeping my mouth shut about the current state of things in Summer Court, but somehow I wanted them to know. “My father seems to have run off with his mistress who he got pregnant. Oh, and the mistress is Stafford’s ex.”
“Oh, my.” Lacey put a hand to her mouth.
“I don’t see what her being my ex has anything to do with it,” Stafford interjected.
“Well, it does.” It made it worse. So much worse. “And I also discovered that my father was allowing horrible things to happen within Summer’s borders.” I was haunted by the story Stafford shared. How had my father turned the other way when such disgusting behavior was taking place? “Horrible.”
“What our parents do is not what defines us. We will lead better. Stronger.” Wren straightened up tall.
“Yes, yes we will.” I completely agreed with Wren. There was a first time for everything.
“You think Autumn will be receptive?” Lacey wrapped her arms over her chest. “I don’t know what we will do if she fights us on this.”
“I guess it depends what’s going on there.” Wren turned the gem around in her hand before putting it in her pocket. “Hopefully she hasn’t been through anything traumatic.”
“Think she found her mate?” I asked. “Because it is strange the three of us found ours so close in time. I’ve never heard of that happening.”
“There’s something different about us.” Wren looked over at Lacey and then at me. “Lacey, tell her that thing you heard.”
“Thing?” I was on all ears.
“It’s a verse of some sort I heard from someone when I was using my gift. You are Fae. Fae. One of the four. Earth. Air. Fire. Water. Earth. Air. Fire. Water. First of the Earth. The power to split the earth. Second of Air. The power to transfer through air. Third of Fire. The power of creating light. Fourth of Water. The power to control the seas.”
“And you are saying this is us?”
“Wren can create chasms. Clearly earth.” Lacey pointed to Wren.
“I need you two to fill me in on that.” With everything else going on I had nearly forgotten. “I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it isn’t intentional.”
“Of course not.” Wren frowned. “I am trying to learn to control it.”
“I am fire,” I quickly changed the subject. “I created some even before I mated with Stafford.” Once again it felt so good to get things out. “Which are you, Lacey?”
“Air. I can transfer things through air. Like healing and messages.” She smiled. “It’s pretty cool.”
“Oh. That makes sense. So Autumn is water?” I tried to imagine that. “That’s interesting for Autumn. One would have thought I’d have gotten that and she fire.”
“Yet can anyone be more fiery than you?” Wren grinned.
I laughed, and I didn’t get mad. Maybe this whole burying the hatchet thing could work. There really was no one else who could understand quite how I felt. “So how do you guys feel about your gifts? These are pretty extreme ones.”
“They are,” Lacey agreed. “Intense. But I think it’s because we need them. We are going to be facing so much.”
This whole experience was strange. Incredibly strange. Things weren’t supposed to be amicable between Wren and me. We weren’t all supposed to be mated at the same time. Yet things also felt good. Calm. With everything else a mess, the lack of drama was very much welcomed.
The rest of the trek to the border was quiet and uneventful. I kept expecting to be cornered by some of my father’s messengers, but we met no resistance at all. Before we knew it, the gates of Autumn Court came into view.
“Wow, this place has changed.” It had been a full year since I’d visited Autumn Court, but the entryway looked entirely different. A tall metal fence surrounded it for as far as I could see and attached to a gate, also metal, instead of the wood one with the intricate carvings that had stood for as long as I could remember.
“Yes. Very much so.” Lacey frowned. “And not in a good way.”
We stayed together as a group as we approached the gate. A guard in thick armor approached us. The armor was like none I’d seen before. “State your business.”
“We are here to see Autumn.” I decided to speak for us. “We are the heirs of the other courts.”
“Right this way.” The metal gate started to open. The whole ground rumbled.
I exchanged glances with Lacey and Wren. I felt Stafford move closer to me. The air felt stagnant as we moved into the central area of the court. The orchard—or what used to be the orchard— was gone. In its place were black husks of trees.
“What?” Wren mouthed as we walked past.
I was thinking the same thing. Autumn Court would never let their beloved orchard die. Least of all Autumn. She loved to tend to those trees, day in and day out. I used to tease her about the obsession, but she generally ignored me and kept on going.
“What’s going on around here?” Wren asked the guard as we neared the front gates of the palace.
“What do you mean?”
“What happened to the orchard?” Wren pointed back in the direction we’d come.
“You should know.” The guard continued walking. I glanced back to see another two guards, each wearing the same armor behind us. Stafford nudged my shoulder. I looked to my right and to my left. More soldiers. We were surrounded.
“Where are you taking us?” Lacey asked.
“To see the queen.” The guard knocked to the side of the two story doors, and they slowly opened.
I tried to ignore the tightening in my stomach as we stepped inside what was a nearly completely dark hallway. The Queen of Autumn Court loved everything red, yellow, and orange. Things weren’t as bright as in Summer Court, but they weren’t like this. Not even Winter Court was this dark. It was just cold and icy there.
I wanted to turn around, but the guards were even closer behind us now. All six of us were exchanging glances trying to understand how everything could look so off.
The guard leading us stopped in front of the throne room. He threw open the doors. “I now present you to the queen.”
I walked into the room with Wren on one side and Lacey on the other. They shared confused glances when they saw who was on the throne, but no one was more confused than me. Sitting there in the throne was not Autumn’s mother nor Autumn. It was someone that it took me a full minute to recognize.
“Ana?” I blinked a few times, unable to shake the unmistakable realization that this was a grown up version of the eleven year-old we’d left back at the palace.
On one side of her sat a giant metal wolf. Its piercing red eyes moved from Wren, to Lacey, and me, as if deciding who to attack first.
“Hello, Coral.” Ana stood up. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment.”
“Do you know her?” Lacey whispered.
“Remember those kids I told you about? The ones who showed up in the village that shouldn’t even exist?” I kept my voice to a whisper.
Wren and Lacey both nodded.
“That’s one of them. Just way older.” Every possibility flitted through my head until one pushed out all the others.
“Time ripple.” Stafford spoke what was on the tip of my tongue while he wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t worry. I’m here. We can get through anything together.”
I soaked up the comfort that only Stafford could give before staring right at Ana. “What do you want from us?”