Epilogue

Etienne

Up ahead, I saw the glowing circle of stones—the portal. The fading moonlight cascaded through the canopy of trees as if it energized the portal.

I stepped into the circle. Bright light flashed all around me like thousands of pulsating strobes. I spun, falling down so fast that dizziness washed over me. My eyes squeezed shut as I traveled through heat and cold.

Wind whirred in my ears. There was so much pressure on my body and my head.

At last I slowed until my feet hit something solid.

My eyes whipped open, and I went still. Darkness shrouded me. Snow billowed against my legs. I shivered. Fear entangled me like a net. I was back in Winter.

My eyes adjusted to the blackness, and I saw a gazebo. I’d made it. This must be Salome’s grandparents’ house. As if sensing our arrival, an old woman hurried toward me, carrying a walking stick that glowed.

“Who’s there?” she called. When she got closer, she came up short. Her eyes widened to the size of oranges. “You’re alive.”

Confused, I stared at her. “Yes… The Winter Queen held me prisoner in her kingdom. But I bring news of your granddaughter. She lives, and she lives well as the Queen of Summer.”

Doris smiled. “So it has come to pass. She chose Nevin and Summer. And Kadie betrayed her.”

I nodded.

“Come along then—let’s get you out of the cold,” she said.

I followed Doris’ hunched form onto the deck and into the house. Heat warmed my cool skin the moment we stepped inside.

“Who’s this?” An older man, who I assumed was Salome’s grandpa, met us at the door.

“This is Etienne of Spring. He will be staying with us for a while,” she said, turning to stare at me. “And where are my manners? I’m Doris, and this is my husband Frank.”

Doris hung her thick gray coat up on a hook, and then she caught my arm and led me to a hidden room. She slipped into the cluttered office, complete with rollaway desk, large ledgers, books, and jars of herbs. She grabbed one of the sconces next to the desk, and the wall slid open.

She retrieved a candle from a shelf and lit it with a match. The light bounced off marble stairs that descended into the dark.

I came up short, staring at Doris. “I recognize you now. You’re the Grand Matron of Faerie, the Archivist to the Queen of Faerie. You disappeared hundreds of years ago.”

Doris smiled. “Because I was needed here. The queen foresaw it. I used to guard our antiquities and our borders against stray humans coming into Faerie. Now I guard the humans against our kind.”

“Then you knew this day would come? That your granddaughter would become Summer Queen?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m guessing there’s more to Salome than being Summer Queen.”

“Much more.” Doris ushered me down the curving stairs to a long, marble corridor.

Paintings of battles and gardens and the different seasons hung along the wall, while ancient statues lined the way beneath the house.

I gaped at the mahogany furniture and cases of jewels.

“These are things I saved from the Ruined Court.”

I stepped ahead of her into a well-lit room, where rows of swords, bows, and armor hung. “You’ve got weapons.”

“War’s coming, Your Highness. We must all be prepared. The queen told me this was to be my task.”

My pulse thundered in my ears. It’d all come down to this—a final battle. And whether I wanted to be or not, I was a part of it. Doris turned to me, then brought me into her arms and hugged me tight.

“I can guess what you endured to make it this far…The things you must have sacrificed to survive.”

“I could’ve done more,” I whispered.

She brushed hair from my face. “So could we all, Etienne of Spring. But we do the best we can with what we’re given. You did what you had to do to help keep your people safe, and now, you will have a chance to avenge those you couldn’t.”

I held tight to her. For the first time in months, I felt safe. And even though I knew this was far from over, I could breathe again. When I took the field of battle, Grisselle wouldn’t know what hit her. She would pay for all that she’d done to Faerie—for all the innocent lives she’d taken over the years from both my world and the human world.

When Doris let me go she said, “Everything will be okay, now.”

And somehow, I believed her. Trying times were ahead, but for this moment, I basked in the warmth of Doris’ house, of being free from Grisselle. Tonight I’d relax for the first time in years, and tomorrow, I’d wait for my people to arrive.

Grisselle

My mirror shimmered as I took in the scene before me. Nevin had taken the human girl as his queen. Etienne had betrayed me for Summer. Oh, he’d thought he could hide his betrayal from me, but I’d felt him leave Faerie. He thought he was so clever, trying to sneak off. Just like a man to do something like that.

My fingers tingled with magic. They’d all pay for it, though. Darkness washed over me as I dipped my fingers into the black essence on my vanity.

“If I can’t win here then I’ll take this fight somewhere I can.” I spun to face the Nobles of Winter. My new sister Kadie stood by my side. “By week’s end, we march on the human world. Call up our armies, trolls, goblins, ghosts…I want all our people ready to go.”

Summer would regret the day they went against me. And the human girl Salome would be the first to go. Or maybe I’d save her for last—let her watch everyone she loved succumb to death. Succumb to me. Succumb to Winter.