The blinding light dimmed and it became apparent my little cottage in the woods had vanished. Adrius, Tilak, and the faeries were missing too. In their place stood someone I hadn’t expected to see again quite this suddenly. Yet there he was… pulsating wickedness — tall and slender, his porcelain skin casting a faint glow in the haze— gazing with eyes like molten lead. Behind him tattered, veined wings beat the air twice, before folding behind him and disappearing.
He swaggered toward me with catlike prowess, although glided would be a more accurate description based on the way he moved. The way he always moved… as though the ground itself was sliding beneath him.
This was not the summer court of Tir Na Nog. It was cold. Colder than cold. The type of weather expected in the winter court. The air here was like dry ice, the kind that burns your lungs when you inhale. Though it was all too evident the chill growing in the pit of my stomach had little to do with the temperature.
The physical appearance of the Unseelie Court bordered on the macabre. Twisted trees forced into unnatural growth by the bitter cold and lack of sunlight scattered haphazardly through the hall, growing through crevices in the floor. Curtains of shadows, stretching from floor to ceiling, only partially hid the blood-soaked corners of the room. Drawn back in the middle, the gaping crevasses revealed unwilling guests captured for the amusement of the court, chained to the wall and to one another. Like flies caught in a spider’s web, their emaciated bodies writhed on the ground while dark faeries raked fingernails over their exposed skin and licked the blood. Despite the waves of nausea I couldn’t look away. The moon shone through a skylight over violent blooms of nightshade and devil’s weed growing along the floor, providing a sinister light to the madness. Plants both beautiful and deadly, with flowers even I knew enough to stay away from covered the frosted walls. Hawthrin said they fed their guests just enough devil’s weed to keep them in an hallucinogenic state to stay willingly. And for those who wouldn’t conform to their sadistic play, they tied them to a Manchineel tree, which is so toxic just standing under it when it rains can cause blindness.
Even the throne of the Shadow Court was shaped like a great shadow dragon, a creature of midnight and darkness, no doubt like the queen herself. And like her son…
“Zanthiel,” I said in an icy tone.
“You may rise.” He smirked down at me.
“I wasn’t kneeling. I lost my balance,” I snapped, barely controlling my anger. I stood up and brushed the dusting of frost from my clothes.
He circled me, his eyes sweeping from head to foot. “Hmm, still no wings after all this time in the summer court.” He sounded disappointed. “Pity… yes, you would be quite beguiling with flight I’d believe.”
I wasn't sure how to reply to that, so I responded with, "Okaaaay."
He stalked around me in a loop, the way faeries do, studying me closely. "Yet…" He circled once more and I followed slowly to keep my eyes on him. "You would make a good one. Far better than I hoped."
He circled again, a smirk playing on the corners of his lips.
Better what than he hoped for? …Faerie? …Princess? …Slave?
"That’s great," I said, narrowing my eyes.
"Quite impressive altogether." A grin crossed his face, mischievous and evil.
“Why am I here?” I asked with forced diplomacy. "Is this another of your twisted games?"
"Do they ever stop?" He chuckled lightly, rubbing his hands together.
He circled me once more. I was starting to get dizzy, but then he stopped and his expression shifted in a way that made my skin crawl. His nose brushed uncomfortably close to my hair.
"You really do smell good."
Okay. Enough. I was done with his games and not impressed by his abduction. “You brought me here for something. So what is it?” I jammed my hands under my arms to keep them warm.
Zanthiel pressed close behind me. “You called for me,” he whispered in my ear. The cold herbal scent of his breath gave me shivers. “Surely my response is no longer a surprise to you,” he added. “So perhaps you should tell me what it is that you want.”
I squinted up at him and frowned. What was it Amaryllis had said about saying his name three times? Pausing for a moment, I peered at my reflection in the silver glimmer of his eyes. In the dimness he was even more feral and wild… much more like a shadow fey.
Bargaining with him had not gone so well in the past, but now I’d run out of options. I needed his help and I’d have to hope he didn’t demand my firstborn child in return.
“There is something I need… want… ” I drew out the words but then fell silent for a moment to navigate the verbal minefield of Faerie favors.
“I need your—”
“You need my help,” he finished, lifting a lock of my hair and letting it fall, sniffing the subtle breeze. “Yes, I know this. It is why I have come. Why I have always come.”
“Why does this place feel so familiar? I’ve never been here before.” I took a step back, suddenly feeling engulfed in a feeling of déjà-vu. You know that acute sense where you know you’ve been somewhere before, but can’t remember when?
“Haven’t you?” He smiled his stunning grin, making it physically difficult to look at him.
But I wasn’t here to be charmed by his glamour or seduced into serving him for all eternity.
“I have not yet decided what I will claim in this bargain. But I can restore your power, Princess Ilyandra.”
Low and sinister his voice skittered across my skin like a million cockroaches.
I shuddered. “Why are you still calling me that?”
“It was your name once,” he replied evenly, taking a step closer.
“My name is and always has been Lorelei. You know that.”
“I’m speaking of a time before that name was given by the pet human your father took up with.” The disdain in his voice was palpable.
“Pets are animals, not people.” I snapped, folding my arms.
“Animals, humans, they are interchangeable. One in the same really.” He shrugged.
"Why do you keep insisting I’ve been here before when I haven’t?"
"Oh, but you have. You were born here, Lorelei. You just do not remember. The same way you have forgotten your magic.” He leaned in. “I can help you remember.”
I stared at the dark faerie I’d known my entire life. With trembling fingers, I clutched the fabric of my skirt. “Where is my father? You promised to keep him alive. Is he here?” I glanced quickly at the depraved scene, hoping he hadn’t been subjected to any like it. But that fragile flicker of hope was dashed in the realization he might be enduring something far worse.
“Shouldn’t you concentrate on saving one parent at a time? And to clarify, you have not yet come close to fulfilling your end of our first bargain,” he said. “Rescuing him in your current state would be impractical. Weak. More human than fey. Unable to access your magic. You would die trying to free him.”
I glared but held my tongue. That would have to be tomorrow’s argument. I couldn’t in all good consciousness risk the lives of my mother and Adrius and all of the Nevermore to run off on a suicide mission for someone I barely knew, even if he was my father. It would have to wait. And I would come back for him. I had to.
If I was going to get another favor from this strangely beautiful shadow fey and escape with my own free will intact, I would have to control my emotions. I took a deep breath.
“Alright. Since you know why I called for you, and you came… I mean, brought me here…” My gaze darted back to the humans squirming in pain and ecstasy, and quickly looked away. “I assume it means you’re willing to help me.”
“I have already offered my help.” He nodded.
I held out my arm tentatively, unsure of what to expect. Amaryllis had said his touch was the only way he could restore my Faerie memory. With my eyes shut tight, I waited, wondering if this particular touch would be painful or feel like his usual iciness.
Zanthiel laughed. The sound was like a cool metallic breeze.
“The magic of a Faerie cannot be restored by a simple touch,” he said, moving closer. “It is in the breath… and must be placed on your lips.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, my eyes springing open. Hairs were already rising on the back of my neck.
“It can only be restored… by a kiss.”
I gasped, retracting my arm. “You want me… to kiss you?” I stammered.
“No,” he said slowly, his lips curling into a smirk. “You want me to kiss you.”
He stepped forward and I stepped back, keeping a safe distance. The chained captors in the corner moaned, crying out in a twisted blend of agony and pleasure. The rusty metallic smell of blood wafted by me and my stomach lurched.
Next to me was an open window, I moved toward it, hoping the cool fresh air might help keep me conscious. Inhaling deeply, the cold penetrated me as I stared at the snowy dystopian surroundings. A forest of white trees littered the ground — dead and leafless. Their branches gnarled and bare, like boney hands desperately reaching for their next victim. Strange, spider-like creatures skittered through the frost-coated grass, leaving a web of glistening, invisible threads behind them. A bird flew into an intricately woven web and was trapped. It flapped wildly for a time, and then fell still, giving in to its inescapable fate. In that moment, I knew exactly how it felt.
How could I kiss someone else when my heart and soul belonged to Adrius? And a Shadow fey of the Unseelie Court… I had no idea what horrors could come from that. My pulse quickened as I turned to look at him. I wanted to wipe the annoying smirk off his ghostly face.
He watched my thoughts play like a movie until I focused, closing my mind to him. It was something I was getting good at, although I’d been doing it my entire life. Shutting out the world… a deadpan poker face pasted on, while school shrinks, counselors, and my mother had all tried to penetrate it. They had encouraged me to give it up… now it would likely save my life.
“I really don’t see that happening,” I said then swallowed. From the corner of my eye I spotted the branches of a tree reaching toward me through the window.
Gnarled limbs coiled around my wrist, vines entangling themselves in my hair. In a moment of panic, I shrieked, ripping them away from me. Shaking them loose I stepped away from the window, and inadvertently closer to Zanthiel.
“You are a curious being,” he said, his head cocked to the side. “You willingly seek the ice sorceress, take company with Dwarves, and refuge in the home of Elves; yet you fear the touch of a fey. It is only a kiss. Why should that frighten you so?” A smirk danced on the edges of his lips. “Perhaps you’re afraid you will enjoy it.”
I gazed up at him under my lashes. Why did he suddenly look so incredibly gorgeous? Was it that slender athletic build, like many of the races in this realm? Like the Fey of the Seelie Court, he shone with a silvery white luminescence. Clearly not mortal, and completely amoral, yet there was something unbearably gripping in the way he gazed at me. I looked away, determined not to be swept up by the powerful glamour he was emitting… another tactic to lure his unsuspecting prey.
“I know what you’re trying to do to me, and it won’t work,” I said to the ground.
“Is my appearance too much for you? Perhaps this will please you more.” In a flash he changed. Standing before me was the same male Faerie, but it wasn’t Zanthiel’s face I saw… it was Davin’s. My stomach jumped.
“Or perhaps another is more becoming to you?”
In a fleeting moment he changed again, his features shifting imperceptibly until I was staring at the face of Adrius. My body went rigid. Although I wished it truly was him, and not this doppelganger illusion, I refused to let my feelings show.
“Your original appearance will suffice,” I said coolly, folding my arms and tucking my hands to hide the slight tremble. I’d never encountered this type of magic. Shapeshifting was another of those mythical occurrences I would have labeled make-believe. Like fairies and witches. But now with the lines between real and imaginary not only blurred, but erased completely, I had to accept anything as possible.
“As you wish…” A stiff breeze filled my nostrils with the scent of lemon and thyme. As I blinked Zanthiel returned to himself. A sight that would be far more appealing was it not for the fact that it was terrifying. It was an irrational fear. He wouldn’t hurt me, not even the darkest fey of the Shadow court would risk provoking the high Elven Council. They had begrudgingly shared a peace bond for centuries. As the prophesized future ruler of Mythlandria I was well protected from physical harm. But that wasn’t what worried me. It was what he could do to my mind that left my nerves raw.
How useful having power like that could be right now… the ability to shapeshift and to manipulate the thoughts of others. I gave my head a shake. There was such a thing as too much power. And although my intentions were good, magic couldn’t be trusted. Something so immense could easily become overpowering, changing me into something I wasn’t. If light and dark lived within everyone, how could I be sure the dark wouldn’t consume me? For a moment, I faltered, almost regretting my decision to take on such magic.
Inhaling sharply, I strained to focus. It was difficult in the dark mist of the Shadow Court. Everything was obscured in a thick pale lavender haze. The air itself was intoxicating, amplifying every fear, magnifying even the nuance of a desire.
“It is only a kiss, Lorelei. If your love of the elf is as true as you claim, what harm can come of it?”
I blinked back the drowsiness and confusion.
“I am not afraid of you or your kiss. I would just prefer doing this another way.”
He laughed, a cruel a biting sound. “You’ve exhausted all other ways. Save one.”
“What is it?”
His silver eyes glinted with mischief, and he leaned toward me. “The only other way to take in the magic of the fey is to consume the raw flesh of one… freshly killed by an iron mortal blade. Devoured, from head to toe.” He paused, raising an eyebrow. “Shall I find you one?” His hand reached for his sword.
I recoiled. My stomach reeled at the thought of what he might do with the slightest encouragement. “No! Please, just… don’t.”
He stared for a moment and then let his hand fall away with a shrug. “This is not something I ask for myself, Lorelei,” he said, arching his brows. “If I was at all interested in kissing you for any purpose other than the one at hand, I would have done so. A long time ago. But it is your choice. Accept this simple solution, or watch the Nevermore and your mother perish.”
Exhaling a sigh like a deflating balloon, my shoulders sank. He had won. I would have to do it his way. My gaze drifted to the window. The lifeless bird hung cocooned in a silvery web, while a spider the size of my fist drained its blood. It was all over for him. I thought of my mother, lying in a hospital bed. Adrius, Tilak, everyone in the Nevermore. And my father. What choice did I have?
“Have you decided then?” His voice felt cool against my cheek. “You haven’t much time left.”
“I want your word nothing bad will happen. That you won’t add any of your own magical twists to this.”
“You ask another favor of a fey. You must have much to give… or nothing to lose.”
“This isn’t a favor, Zanthiel, it’s a condition.” I flattened my palm against his chest. “Promise me. Do I have your word?” I insisted, wondering if the word of a Faerie was worth anything at all.
His eyes held mine and for a fraction of a second I thought I saw them soften. Like a flicker of kindness that faded before I could tell for sure.
"We have an accord then.” He moved closer, until I was pressed against the frosty wall. He towered over me with a satisfied grin. Were it not for the calculating look in his eyes and the hint of cruelty in the set of his lips, he would have been as beautiful as the others.
Long cool fingers stroked gently along my jaw. I stiffened, not from fear, but from cold. His eyes were as icy as his touch. The temperature plummeted and his voice slivered through the air, slicing across my skin like a serrated knife.
“I shall come for my repayment. I have ways, far more than you can fathom, to ensure you will not deny me. Even your elf will not be able to save you."
His eyes probed mine as he examined me for a long moment. “You are ready, then?”
I nodded as my hands balled into fists at my side, and my breathing became erratic.
Zanthiel smiled and lowered his head slowly until the chill of his breath fanned my face. “Are you certain?” he whispered. “There is no undoing that which cannot be undone.”
“Yes,” I whispered, terrified my voice would break.
I closed my eyes and swallowed. Wordlessly, he leaned in, and parting my mouth with his, he placed a kiss on my lips that chilled my spine. It was over within seconds. But the feeling lingered, as though his cold lips were still pressed to mine. I couldn't breathe. I felt the frostiness of his breath on the side of my face and my mind exploded in agony. It was like my soul was being torn from my body alive. A flush of heat rushed to my cheeks. I gasped for air, trying to shake free of him, even though he was now standing at least two feet away. I tried to speak but couldn’t. I had no voice and no strength left to force it. My knees buckled.
A ghost of a smile touched his lips as he watched me. My forehead was clammy and slick with sweat, like waking after a bad dream. Only this wasn’t a nightmare. I hadn’t been dreaming this.
“What… did… you—” I dropped to the ground, my head throbbing in agony, as his voice blanketed the inside of my mind, drawing dark pictures, forcing his thoughts, trying to make his will my own. The pain intensified the more I resisted. But he was unrelenting, until it culminated with an ear-splintering scream that tore through my vocal chords. Only then did his voice stop. The pain subsided leaving nothing but the echo of silence.
Coherent thought evaporated. And then came back with startling clarity.
Sensation raced through me… sizzling. Electric. I could smell the colors, touch the music, taste the time of day, and hear the frost.
Zanthiel stared at me as I wrestled with the deafening whisper of his voice filling my head.
“You are mine. You have come to me at last as prophecy predicted,” it whispered. “Ki vos amar… ki vos voluis… ki vos egeo… I love you… I want you… I need you.” The words chanted in my head with the beat of my pulse, repeating over and over. His voice — or was it mine — grew more insistent with each utterance. “Ve vic'te… Ve'dahni a'mi. Come to me. Give yourself to me.”
I clamped my hands over my ears. “Do you think I can’t hear you?” I hollered. “Stop right now. Over my dead body will I give myself to you!”
He drew back in surprise. “Never before has another, outside of the Shadow Sidhe, understood the unspoken tongue… Nor resisted the spell of compulsion.”
His echoing words filled my head once more, this time weaker, quieter. He tried to convince me of something I knew deep in my heart wasn’t true, and yet, it was like some remote part of me wanted it to be true.
“Ameth-uil, Stay here with me.”
“I will never stay with you,” I said prying my eyes open.
Thick lashes partially covered his icy gaze, glinting with smug satisfaction.
“You will reign, Queen of Fey, Lorelei. Whether you believe in prophecy or not is of no matter. This is not a war you can win.
“You have chosen the wrong side, and I don’t have time for your games,” I said, as evenly as I could manage. Climbing to my feet, I ignored his outstretched hand. “There is no way I would be with you, ever. All of this is for one reason and one reason only. To save the people I love.”
His lips thinned into a harsh line. He spoke each word in a clipped voice. “It is not I who have chosen poorly, but they. Your misguided feelings for the elves have tainted your judgment. It is they who have started this war, but they will not win it. I am merely looking out for my own.
“You are looking out for you.” My voice was filled with detest. “The witch will bring her war to your doorstep if she wins. And you will find, someday soon, even a necromancer needs living allies.”
His voice took on an air of sarcasm. “But she won’t win. Will she? You…” He pointed. “…are going to save the world.” With a grin, that no longer blinded me, but chilled me to my core, he said, “We are being summoned. It is time to go.”
His tattered wings fanned open, folding me within them. In a flurry of battering, we were gone, only to appear in another part of the Unseelie… A more ominous part, despite the room’s celestial appearance. For before us stood the Queen of Air and Darkness, surrounded by at least a dozen soldiers of the shadow court in a vine-strangled room, with floating, crimson clouds in place of a ceiling. On the opposite side of the room stood Adrius, flanked by Julien, Amaryllis, and Tilak… and several of the Drakkon warriors I’d met in Tadaria. I’m not sure what we interrupted, but it looked like some kind of paranormal showdown. Both sides armed to the max with weapons and magic. Only now, I was one of them. I could feel the Faerie magic coursing through my veins, like an electric current buzzing below the surface of my skin.
Instinctively, I ran to Adrius. He embraced me, before placing himself protectively between me and the gothic winter fey.
The queen gave me a cutting scowl and sniffed. “There has been much fervor over nothing.”
Like none of the fey I had seen before, the queen had the same piercing eyes as Amaryllis, translucent cerulean of a still mountain lake. But her hair was long and dark, matching the shadows of the faces around her welcoming us with hungry stares.
“The half breed is fine.” She waved her hand dismissively in my direction. ”And now that she has been returned, you are all free to leave and put this ugly matter behind us,” she said.
Adrius stepped forward, but Julien held him back. His deeply frowned gaze narrowed to mere slits and swept dangerously over the fey of the Unseelie Court.
“Be careful, he’s a seer,” a wild Faerie with shocking red hair and black eyes whispered from behind Zanthiel’s back. I recognized her as one of the fey torturing the chained humans for her pleasure, and the whip dangling at her side was added proof.
Adrius drew in a slow breath, his hands clenched at his sides so tight the veins strained against his skin.
“I have come for Lorelei. It would not bode well for your court should it become known that one of your own has taken Mythlandria’s future queen against her will.”
The heat of his gaze fell squarely on Zanthiel.
Silver eyes met his gaze with cool interest.
“Lord Adrius,” Zanthiel said with mock reverence. His eyes swept over the party. “Lord Julien.” He nodded. “Dwarf —” His gaze turned back to Adrius. “Interesting traveling companions indeed.”
“You have what you came for. The girl is free to leave,” the queen quickly added. “No need for any more unpleasantries. You may return to the Seelie Court unopposed, unless there is something further?”
Adrius slid his hand to his sword.
I sucked in a frigid gasp of air and froze.
Zanthiel’s gaze followed his every movement.
“Adrius… Let’s go,” I pleaded.
His muscles tightened then relaxed slightly and he nodded once.
A dark evil Faerie with piranha-like teeth inched forward, his clawed hand stretched for me as we passed by, catching my sleeve in his taloned nails. “Why leave so soon?” he hissed, spitting through his teeth.
I tried to yank free, but he held fast, his talons twisting into the fabric.
Zanthiel stepped toward the wild Faerie at the same time Adrius turned.
With a burst of flames, the tip of Adrius’s blade pressed against the Faerie’s throat. “Just give me a reason.” His voice scorched the room, smoldering waves of fury rolling off of him.
The Queen narrowed her gaze but said nothing. For a moment everyone froze, gawking in anticipation and dread.
The evil Faerie gulped loudly without budging then slowly lowered his arm and skulked back into the shadows.
“Go, Lorelei.” Adrius glowered.
I glanced at Amaryllis. “We’re ready,” I said quickly, without looking at Zanthiel, though I could feel his gaze drilling into my back.
It was more than an understatement. With a hurricane of blinding pixie dust we were transported back to the balmy green glow of the Summer Court.
When we arrived outside my cottage, Adrius gave me a quick kiss on the forehead before storming off. I tried chasing after him, but Julien caught my arm.
“Let him go. He’ll be back once he cools off.” Julien smirked, then he and Tilak took off for the shore, leaving me alone with Amaryllis.
I’d hoped she would leave as well. I wanted to be alone. My stomach was unsettled, like I’d eaten something that didn’t agree with me. It could have been nerves, but right now I wasn’t in the mood for chitchat.
She hadn’t said a word the entire time, but her eyes had never left mine. It was obvious she suspected what had happened in the shadow court.
“Is there something on your mind, Amaryllis?” I bristled, still feeling raw from… everything. My fingers fluttered up to my lips, which even now were cold and vaguely numb.
Her feline eyes shifted left and right, and then she leaned toward me. “There are none who have survived a kiss of the dark fey with their sanity intact.” Her wide eyes filled with wonder and her voice held a slight tremor. “Can I bring you anything?”
“Yes. My sanity, if you can find it.” I sounded harsher than I wanted to. “As you can see I’m not enslaved,” I said, holding out my arms.
“Does Adrius know?” My voice dropped to a whisper.
She shook her head and I gave her a look that warned her to keep it that way.
“I won’t say anything. I give you my word, but…” She looked around sheepishly, making sure the house brownies weren’t listening.
“What is it?” I snapped, letting my impatience show. I moved to the door, and rested my hand on the glass knob, hoping she’d take the hint already.
“What was it like, will you tell me?” she whispered.
Looking into her innocent childlike face and wide questioning eyes, I searched for the right word.
“Bitter.”
I turned the handle to let Amaryllis out and came face to face with Adrius.
“I wanted to say good night. And give you these.” He handed me a bouquet of wildflowers matching the blooms of my bracelet. “Sorry about my mood. I’m relieved you didn’t do anything crazy in the Unseelie Court. Who knows what kind of depraved bargain Zanthiel would have tried to manipulate you into. Good thing we arrived just in time.”
My stomach somersaulted. Adrius could never find out about what really happened with Zanthiel in the Shadow Court. I shifted my weight from one foot back to the other, tightening my grip on the doorknob.
“Yeah,” I whispered hoarsely. “…Just in time.”