Prologue

Snow fell outside, piling up on the deck, the trees bending beneath the harsh winds. Every winter seemed worse than the last. The bitter chill. The darkness. The attempts to break through the gate surrounding our property.

My gaze flitted to where Salome and Kadie sat playing with their Barbies on the floor, unaware of what hid in the shadows, waiting to burst inside. As much as I wanted to keep Salome ignorant of what lurked in the woods, she needed to know. And soon.

Salome turned her gray-blue eyes on me then set her toys on the floor. “Grandma, will you tell us a story?”

I smiled, setting down my cup of tea. “Well I suppose I could. Why don’t you two come sit up on the couch while I go and grab a book and some hot cocoa for you?”

Once I had the girls settled in with their warm drinks, I hurried to the hidden room, where I produced a key from my necklace. I made sure the girls were occupied before shoving the door open. The last thing I needed was for them to try to sneak inside. There were too many dangerous, magical things bound up in here.

The scent of herbs washed over me as I went to the shelf and pulled the ancient leather bound book down. It had been a long time since I’d had this tome out in the open. Not since I’d recorded the information and put it away for safekeeping. My hand trembled as I held it against me. Perhaps I ought to pick a different story. Maybe one with less darkness.

No. Salome needs to hear this one.

When I got back to the living room, I found Salome and Kadie bundled up in a blanket, sipping their cocoa.

“Are you two ready?”

“Yeah. You can sit right here.” Salome patted a small spot between her and Kadie.

When I got comfortable, I opened the book. The scent of roses washed over me as if I’d strolled into a summer garden. I cleared my throat.

“Once upon a time, there was a small girl who wandered into the land of Faerie. She’d followed the glowing fluttering wings of what she thought were lightning bugs into the woods and up the hill. But little did she know that dangerous creatures stalked her from the shadows. Pixies, red caps, goblins, trolls…they’d recognized her human scent as soon as she crossed the border between lands. And they hungered for her.”

“What are red caps?” Kadie asked, her dark brown eyes wide.

I hesitated, not wanting to scare the girls. “Red caps are a type of goblin. They have red eyes, pointy ears, and wear a red cap, which they keep dyed with human blood.”

Salome scooted closer to me. “Eww…is that true?”

“Yes. Well at least in our story it is.” I prayed that they never ran into any sort of creature like this. Before I could continue, the girls went on to ask more questions about the pixies, goblins, and trolls and after I described each one, I saw the fear on their faces. Better to have them scared than unaware.

“There are lots of monsters in Faerie,” Salome said. “I don’t think I’d ever want to go there.”

I smiled, ruffling her pale blond hair. “Oh, not everything in Faerie is bad. There are beautiful castles, waterfalls, magical horses, tiny fairies who grant wishes, handsome princes, and strong queens. There is darkness, but also light.” My hands gripped tighter to the page. “Maybe I should tell you about the Faerie Queen Genissa and how she saved her people.”

“Wait, what about the girl who followed the lightning bugs into Faerie, what happened to her?” Kadie said, trying to pull a giant marshmallow out of her cup.

“Actually, their stories kind of crossover and intertwine. You see, this girl would become the only one who could save Faerie. Perhaps all of us. Not by fate. Not by destiny. It would be by necessity.”

Salome cocked her head. “But if she’s not the chosen one…”

I couldn’t blame her for being confused. This was a fairytale unlike any she’d ever heard, because this one was true.

“Let me explain,” I said. “There was an evil queen who was trying to destroy all the courts within the fairyland. And the Queen of Faerie knew she had to stop the bad things from spreading. So this child, the one who followed the lightning bugs, when she came into Faerie, Genissa decided to give the girl all of her power and send her into hiding. She knew that one day, this child would grow up into a strong woman and come back and save everyone. But this special girl would become the target of all the bad faeries and they’d want to gobble her up. So Genissa appointed her a guardian to keep her locked away and safe, until just the right moment. You see, Genissa loved her people very much.”

Kadie and Salome both stared at the pictures in the text, then back to me.

“Hey, Salome, the little girl looks kind of like you.” Kadie giggled.

“She’s got yellow hair like me,” Salome said, holding up strands of her pale hair to compare it to the child’s in the book.

To them, this was just a story—some fairytale. But they didn’t know how real it was. How real the monsters were.

I snuck the cloaked child past the sentries posted along the castle walls, hoping no one realized I harbored a human. If they did, it could mean the end for her—and I’d be labeled as a sympathizer. She’d wandered into Faerie and right into a nest of pixies. If I hadn’t been out for a walk, I wasn’t sure what would’ve happened to her; maybe she would’ve died or perhaps they would’ve led her deep into the forest and left her there. But no matter the outcome, I knew she wouldn’t be here now, if I hadn’t found her.

“Quickly, child,” I said, tugging her arm.

Her gray-blue eyes met mine. “Where are we going?”

“Shh…don’t talk. We’re almost there.” We came to a garden, and my hands slid along the wood as I searched for the secret door. I brushed my fingers against the hidden handle, and I produced a key from the pocket in my cloak, pushing into the private courtyard of Genissa, the Queen of Faerie. The scent of roses clung to the air around us, flowers and unruly vines spread about our feet, while water sprayed in the nearby fountain. A sharp contrast to the creatures that loomed in the forest outside the castle.

A curtain pulled back at the window and the queen peeked outside. A moment later, she opened the door to her rooms, allowing me to enter. “Dorsinae, what is it?”

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Your Highness.” I lowered the hood of my cloak. “But you told me to come to you if I ever found a human child within the borders of Faerie.”

Her eyes widened. “Come closer, child, I will do you no harm.” She held out her hand to the little girl.

The girl stepped forward. The cloak I’d thrown over her slipped from her head. She raised her small head, her eyes shimmering in the moonlight as she stared around her.

Genissa gasped. “She’s come to us at last, the one I was waiting for.”

“What do you mean?” My fingers trembled as I toyed with the ribbon on the sleeve of my dress, my skin still ink-stained from the archives.

“Grisselle has grown more powerful. She’s embraced the darkness. Already Winter begins to spread it claws. Soon, I will be no match for her—my only hope is to slow her progress.”

“But you’re the Queen of Faerie, are you not more powerful than your sister?” My gaze met hers; fear coiled in my stomach.

“Maybe once upon a time. But she meddles with things beyond our comprehension. She will destroy me. I’ve foreseen it.”

“Then we must whisk you away, put you into hiding,” I said. “You know the Spring, Summer, and Autumn courts will aid you.”

“No. I will not run away. I will not forsake our kingdom. The Faerie Court will fall into ruin. Dark times will be upon us—but there will be hope. A tiny spark that you shall keep safe for me.”

“Genissa, please, I beg you—be reasonable.” Whatever my friend planned on doing, I knew it would cost her everything.

“My duty as queen is to protect our lands—our people. I would never forgive myself if I deserted my post.” She clasped my hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I need to know that you’ll do exactly what I tell you to. That you will promise to obey the commands I’m about to give you.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “You know I’d do anything for you, Genissa. You need only ask.”

“This child will be the key to everything. Tonight, I shall give her all my powers. They will lie dormant inside her until the time comes.”

“No, Gen—I— if you do this, it will leave you unprotected. There must be another way.”

“There isn’t. I’ve seen the future, and if we seek to save any part of our world, I must make this sacrifice.” She leaned down, taking the girl’s shoulders in her hands. “You’re brave. I sense strength in you. And one day you will be greater than even me. But your courage will be tested, just as mine is now. You will face many horrible things, yet they will make you stronger. So my young queenling, I gift to you the power of Faerie. That you may embrace the light and fight the darkness. All you’ll ever need to know is right here.” She placed her hand over the girl’s heart.

The child’s eyes widened. She swayed on her feet, clutching tight to Genissa’s arms. “I want to go home,” she whimpered. “I’m scared.”

“Shh…it’s okay, child. The queen won’t hurt you,” I said.

The ground beneath us quaked, sending bits of rock from the stone gates to the ground. Thunder boomed overhead like giants tromping through the woods. Leaves and rain and snow swept about the courtyard as the door banged open beneath the heavy gusts of wind. The air tasted of magic.

The Queen looked at me. “With the last of my power, I will put a sleeping spell on her. You must hide with her in the human world. She is not to be awakened until after you have a daughter who is barren.”

“As you wish,” I said. My throat thickened and I took a deep breath. “My life is forfeit for whatever task you ask of me.”

“You will insert yourself into this child’s human family. Glamour yourself as her elder. One of them has recently passed. If you hurry, you can replace her before anyone finds her. Then make sure the girl disappears until she’s needed.”

My voice shook. “I’ll have to absorb the elder’s remaining essence, won’t I?”

“Yes. You must take her memories and make them your own. You will become that person. Which is another reason you must be quick. The longer you delay, the less of her essence will remain. Otherwise, you may only use your magic to set up safe boundaries around your homestead.” She led me into her room and flung open her closets. “To keep her safe, you will have to lock the child away in this.” She gestured to a marble coffin with a glass lid. “I want you to transfer things from Faerie that you will need in the coming days. Weapons. Artifacts. My scrolls. Whatever you feel you may need to rebuild our kingdom.”

“What if I fail?”

She helped the girl to sit on the floor then clutched me to her chest, pressing her lips to my forehead. “You cannot fail, Dorsinae. I trust you. You will leave Faerie and not look back. Not until the stars align.”

I’d never been away from Faerie. The human world was but a tale to me. The only knowledge I had of it was from books and papers I’d studied as a scholar. But it was one thing to study a place, and quite another to live there. “I will do my best to honor you.”

“There are a few friends I trust in our court, I will make sure they watch after you and the child in the human world. The place you take as your home will be guarded by protection spells. You will be this girl’s light. Love her as if she were your own.”

Bells rang in the distance, signaling the midnight hour.

“I will.”

Genissa released me, knelt next to the child once more, and stroked her blond hair. “Sleep well my beautiful girl. May the blessings of Faerie be upon you.”

With that, the girl’s eyes drifted shut and Genissa placed her in my arms. “You must go now, the changing of the guards is taking place—you’ll be able to slip through unnoticed.”

“Will I see you again?”

Genissa gave me a sad smile. “Go, friend. Let us not linger on things that cannot be changed. Great things are at stake.”

With a wave of her hand, the top of the coffin slid open and I put the small body inside. It’d be years before I’d see it opened again. And Faerie would be on the brink of destruction—my dearest friend long gone, but not forgotten.

“Grandma, are you okay?” Salome tugged on my sleeve, bringing me back to the present.

“Yes, of course, dear.” And after all this time, I actually was okay. “I think maybe that’s enough stories for today. Why don’t you two come help me make some cookies?”