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The three friends had been eager—borderline desperate—to be back on the road. But after some tactless prompting from Freya, they’d decided to make a stop at a village instead. A re-set, that’s what she called it. Something along the lines of, “It’s been ten years since you’ve taken a bath.”
The witch turned out to be full of these delightful little phrases.
There was a lightness to her that hadn’t been there before, a bright optimism that often seemed to grate on Cosette’s nerves. Perhaps it was the fact that she’d finally been granted her long-awaited reunion. Perhaps it was the fact that they’d set her to work in a candy shop so long ago.
The ‘ten years’ joke seemed to particularly amuse her.
It’s been ten years since you combed your hair. It’s been ten years since you sneezed.
If she had any idea what had actually happened in those ten years, it would have wiped the smile right off her face. But seeing as the friends were at a loss themselves, the jokes continued unabated—picking up speed the closer they got into town.
“You know,” she mused aloud, swishing the skirts of her dress as they stepped out of the forest and onto the cobblestone road, “the three of you might want to keep your heads down in public—particularly the fae. It’s been ten years since you’ve swung a sword.”
The others bit back a smile as Ellanden shot her a dry look.
“I’ll try to keep up.”
“I’m serious,” she continued, not noticing the young men who had ventured onto the road to watch her, any more than she noticed the careening grain wagon that almost took her life. “If you run into any trouble, it’s best to leave it to Cosette and me. Cut your losses. Not to keep harping on it, but ten years is an awfully long time...”
His lips thinned and the men vanished back inside. “I’m sure I can manage.”
Evie dug her hands into the pockets of her emerald cloak, walking slowly, enjoying the entire experience a lot more than she was letting on. Yes, the faces of her parents haunted every step. And yes, the survival of the realm was apparently hanging on by a thread.
But even though the witch was only teasing...ten years was a long time.
It felt like ages since the princess had felt the crunch of gravel beneath her boots. Since she’d felt the warm caress of the morning sun. The manic hustle and bustle of the village was a shock to the system, complete overstimulation, but very welcome at the same time. How long had she and the others languished in silence, lost in a tomb of endless shadows, dreaming of the world above?
“—ten years.”
She tuned back in with a smile, just in time to hear Freya finish her latest joke. By now Ellanden looked about ready to strangle her, but before the princess could intervene there was a soft tug on her sleeve, and she looked down to see Cosette walking at her side.
“What did you mean earlier?” the beautiful fae asked shyly. “About killing the world’s oldest snake?”
Evie wrapped an arm around her shoulder with an affectionate smile. While the two fae had always shared a special connection, the princesses had bonded in a way that only girls could. There had been many times, when Kailas decided to visit his childhood home, that the two of them were the only ones at the castle. The age difference would promptly disappear and the two of them would run around the grounds to their hearts’ content, shrieking like banshees, giving even the trained royal guards a run for their money as they tried their best to keep up.
None of that affection had faded. It had simply been on hold for a little while.
And now it seemed the age difference had disappeared for good.
“Do you remember that book we used to have in the nursery?” she prompted. “The one with all the fairytale beasts and monsters of old?”
Cosette glanced up in surprise, then nodded her head.
“I was never allowed to read it; my governess thought it would give me nightmares.” She shot her cousin a sideways glance. “At any rate, Ellanden had already pulled out most of the pages by the time it got to me.”
Evie remembered this with a fleeting smile. The young prince had mounted them on his wall—vowing to find and kill every beast the second he was grown. He’d been nearly inconsolable when he’d learned that most of them were imaginary, just fiction to scare children from sleep.
Years later, it had come as a nasty shock to discover some of them were real.
The princess’ eyes twinkled as she pulled the girl closer.
“...have you ever heard of a basilisk?”
Jaded as she was, Cosette couldn’t help but gasp aloud as she turned from one to the other, freezing in the middle of the bustling street. “You’re joking.”
Ellanden pulled a knife from his belt, twirling it casually between his fingers. “Afraid not. Filthy creatures. I had to kill the thing myself.”
Evie snorted and gave him a shove. “Oh—that was all you, was it? You were the one who took down the snake?”
The fae nodded seriously. “Thank you for acknowledging it.”
She laughed again as Cosette turned incredulously to Asher.
“They’re not exaggerating?” she asked, well used to her cousins’ tendency to stretch the truth when it suited them. “It was an actual basilisk?”
The vampire nodded with a delayed shudder. In truth, he didn’t remember much of the attack; he’d been unconscious when it happened. His memory caught up in the grisly aftermath, waking up to find the giant snake impaled on the cavern floor.
...right before he’d tried to kill the prince.
“It was even bigger than the stories say,” Evie boasted. “Faster, too. Of course, it didn’t matter in the end. The thing got what it deserved.”
Even Freya forgot her incessant teasing, staring between them with wondrous eyes. “And how in seven hells did you manage to kill it?!”
Evie and Ellanden shared a quick grin before strolling down the road.
Ellanden straightened and checked his sword. “That, my dear, is a long story...”
* * *
FOR THE NEXT HOUR THE friends strolled aimlessly down the streets of the village, soaking in all those things they’d missed, regaling the others with their adventurous tale.
They didn’t start with the snake, but at the very beginning—the moment at the carnival when the princess received that fateful surprise. They edited a bit when they got to the sexually aggressive naiads, they edited even more when they got to the would-be village brawl. But the journey through the cursed mineshaft they discussed in great detail...just with a few details left out.
“So where were you during all that time?” Cosette asked curiously, glancing to where Asher was relaxing with the rest beneath a patch of trees. The morning had slipped away and the friends were stretched out on the grass, enjoying a late lunch. “The chance to fight a basilisk? I can’t imagine you’d sit that one out.”
The vampire paused, lowering a cup of blood from his lips. He and Ellanden shared a quick look before he flashed the girl a tight smile. “I was otherwise indisposed.”
...that’s one way of putting it.
“So that’s how you got so hurt,” Freya murmured, remembering that fateful day at the witch’s cottage, when she’d found the fae’s body stashed amongst the ferns. She’d watched as the others carried him inside, laid him fearfully across the table. “I always wondered...”
Ellanden stared at her with a strange expression before moving them quickly along. “And from there it’s been rather uneventful. We broke free of the witch’s clutches, thanks to a little urchin who shall remain unnamed, travelled to the library in Harenthall, fell unceremoniously from the tallest tower, were rescued by a giant bird who turned out to be my adoptive grandfather, then spent the next ten years sleeping it off with the world’s worst roommate.”
Freya opened her mouth excitedly, but he held up a silencing hand.
“Yes—ten years.”
The witch shook her head incredulously, but seemed to take it all in stride. Cosette, on the other hand, had lapsed into thoughtful silence, a little crease down the center of her brow.
After a drawn out moment, Ellanden squeezed her hand and she looked up with a sigh.
“I’m sorry I was so wretched to you—after we left the cave,” she whispered.
He softened immediately, wrapping an arm around her back.
“You were angry. I would have been angry, too.” He bowed his head, then pushed past it—flashing a quick smile. “At any rate, these last few years it sounds like your life has been a great deal more interesting than mine. A certified monster-hunter?” He raised his eyebrows, looking distinctly impressed. “Uncle Kailas and Aunt Serafina let you do that?”
She pulled herself together, flushing with pride. “Certified ‘missing person’s specialist’,” she corrected. “Though monster-hunter was the official title to anyone who asked.” She glanced at Freya appraisingly, flashing a grin. “That being said, we’ve killed our fair share. And it’s not like my parents could exactly object—not when they’d spent so many years doing the exact same thing themselves.”
The whole thing was said quite casually, but Evie couldn’t help but suppose a great deal of conflict had led to that point. The band of heroes she remembered had always been a great deal overprotective of their children. (Overprotective to the point of laying cushions across the entire equestrian ring when they were learning to ride.) And all of that was before three of them were supposedly carried off by a gang of barbarians. In no possible dimension could she see them simply letting Cosette make the decision for herself, letting her walk away.
The fae glanced in her direction, then rolled her eyes—guessing the exact line of thought.
“At any rate, I check in every few weeks. They trained me. They know I can take care of myself. Of course, they second-guessed it when they found out I was travelling with a witch...”
“That’s a vicious lie,” Freya countered. “Your parents love me.” But she deliberately looked away with a dainty sniff. “Even if they haven’t yet figured that out themselves.”
“Wait,” Ellanden said suddenly, “you’ve been to their safe house? You’ve met our parents?”
“I haven’t been to the house, but I saw Prince Kailas and Princess Serafina on the surface of a pond,” she replied, sounding awfully pleased with herself. “I even said hello one day when Cosette was using the stone.”
The intoxicating power of royalty strikes again.
“Ah...” Asher said with a knowing smile. “The prince and princess, eh?”
“You know, we’ve travelled around together for almost two years,” Cosette interjected, sounding borderline offended. “And I’m technically the princess of two separate kingdoms.”
Freya patted her knee sympathetically. “Yes, but now that I actually know you, it’s not as impressive.”
Evie laughed out loud, liking this new adult version of the girl more and more. “Not the same as meeting other royalty?” she quipped.
Freya grinned, though her focus drifted off into space. “Actually, they’re nothing like how I would have imagined...” She caught herself quickly, looking back at her feet. “But then, I guess no one’s really the same as they used to be.”
The conversation trailed into abrupt silence, leaving the friends to wonder what she meant.
After a few minutes, Asher pushed gracefully to his feet—dusting himself off as his dark eyes roved over the little village. The sun was just beginning to slip lower in the sky. The work rush was ending and people were beginning to pack things up and head home.
“Shall we find a room at the tavern?” he asked, shading his eyes as he peered out over the streets. “There’s one about half a mile away.”
“Sounds perfect,” Evie agreed, springing up beside him. “I would kill for an actual bed to sleep on.”
And a hot bath.
The vampire glanced down at her with a wink. “I’ll fight you for it.”
She was still staring up at him, still trying to think of something to say, when Ellanden pushed rudely past her—drawing the eyes of the village with that signature smirk.
“The bed has already been decided,” he declared. “It goes to the one who killed the snake.”
Evie nodded thoughtfully, falling into step alongside him. “So that would be me?”
* * *
THE TAVERN THEY DECIDED upon wasn’t that much different than the one they’d visited in the country town on the other side of the mine. They all looked the same, Evie decided. A coating of smoke on the ceiling, a coating of ale on the floor. And enough intoxicated cutthroats sandwiched in between to almost make her rethink the entire venture upon entering.
But she was tired. And the boys wanted to drink.
“We’ll get a table,” Freya declared, stepping boldly into the commotion as if she was quite used to such things. “The fae can get drinks.”
Evie agreed wholeheartedly, following her and Asher back to a booth. As excited as she was to be back on the road, her body was still fighting off the lingering effects of the wizard’s spell and she was dead on her feet. Not to mention, Cosette was the one carrying all the money.
“This is more like it,” she murmured, sinking with relief onto the sticky wooden bench. “If the rest of you don’t mind carrying me to the Dunes—that would be great.”
Freya’s breathing hitched at the word Dunes, but Asher was staring thoughtfully towards the bar, watching as the two fae elbowed their way to the counter to place an order.
“Do the two of you come to places like this often?” he asked curiously, watching Cosette grab the bartender by the shirt and drag him to the counter. “No one ever gives you a hard time?”
Freya followed his gaze before lowering her finger to the table, inscribing her name in a fiery stream of carefully controlled sparks. “Plenty of people give us a hard time. But I happen to enjoy it. And Cosette writes it off as basic target practice.”
The princess and the vampire shared a quick look over the top of her head.
It was strange enough thinking that that young fae had grown up enough to handle a real-sized bow. Let alone that she was practicing on drunken predators at the local tavern.
And they were not the only ones to have noticed.
“Are you seeing this?” Ellanden slid into the booth beside them, carrying a handful of tiny glasses filled with drinks. He cocked his head back to the counter where no fewer than five grown men were taking advantage of his sudden departure to proposition his cousin. “It’s intolerable! Have they no shame?”
Evie laughed out loud, taking the nearest drink for herself. “Coming from you.” She downed the top third, gesturing around the tavern. “How many of these people have you already slept with? Be honest. No one here is going to judge.”
Freya lowered her eyes to the table, tracing the edge of her mug.
“It isn’t the same thing,” he said stiffly. “She’s sixteen—”
“You’re sixteen,” the princess reminded.
“Yes, but I’m a much older sixteen than Cosette.”
Evie snorted, about to reply, when a quiet voice spoke up from the other side of the table.
“I still can’t believe Michael was banished.”
The smile froze on her face as she turned to Asher—still staring thoughtfully at the bar.
In truth, she had tried very hard not to think about it. Mostly because she couldn’t bear the thought. Of all the fixtures in her childhood, Michael was the one she trusted the most. There was something infallible about him. A man even her fearless father turned to for strength and advice.
...right before he exiled him from the kingdom.
“If you can’t believe he was banished, then I’ve done a terrible job explaining how it’s been since you went away.” Cosette slid into the booth beside them, pressing a glass of fresh blood into Asher’s hand. “Michael had the chance to bring the three of you home, but he didn’t. He refused to tell our parents where you even were. Then ten years went by without a single word.”
She picked up a whiskey and downed it in a single shot.
“He’s lucky banished was the worst of it. I thought Uncle Dylan was going to kill him right there on the castle steps. He probably would have if Petra hadn’t intervened.”
Petra. Evie set down her glass, suddenly feeling sick. I haven’t even thought about Petra.
The three friends fell into a sudden silence, lost in the horrors of past. But the two girls were far more concerned with the future. More specifically, their destination.
“So that’s really where we’re headed?” Cosette asked quietly. “The Dunes?”
Ellanden glanced up quickly before bowing his head with a nod. “From the looks of things, that’s where the prophecy is pointing. The stone is a twin to the one Aunt Kat wears, but while hers is all light this one is dark. As much good as the first brought, the second can plunge the realm into equal despair. It sounds like that’s already been starting.”
The fae nodded slowly, while the witch leaned forward.
“And why do you think that somebody else is after it? There didn’t seem to be anything specific in the prophecy, but you make it sound like some kind of race—”
“Because of the fact that we received the prophecy to begin with,” Asher explained. “These things don’t happen lightly, and they do so at a specific time. The last thing we remember before entering the wizard’s cave was an assassination attempt on the entire royal family. Combine that with the upsurge in rebellions and the fact that the poison came from the Dunes? It seems as though there’s been someone moving against us for quite some time.”
A chilled silence fell over the table.
“...then how do you know they haven’t gotten it already?”
It was a question each of them had been asking themselves since they woke up. Wondering in quiet, stolen moments if it was already too late. If things had already unraveled beyond repair.
“We would know it,” Evie said with quiet certainty. “They would make themselves known.”
Of this she had no doubt.
If there was truly someone out there, working against them to find the stone, it was only a matter of time before they collided. Two such volatile paths were always meant to cross. She could only hope they would be ready, that the stone wouldn’t have already fallen into the wrong hands.
“Let’s not speak of it tonight,” Ellanden said suddenly. “Tonight is ours.”
The others couldn’t help but smile as he lifted a glass.
“To a reunion I didn’t think was possible, one the fates designed themselves.”
There was a clinking of glasses as the others lifted their whiskey into the air.
“To righting past wrongs,” Asher murmured. “To finishing what we started.”
He glanced at the princess, who was staring fixedly at her glass. A sea of faces swam behind her eyes, but though her heart was troubled the course was set and her mind was clear.
“To the future,” she breathed. “May it be protected at any cost.”
Another clink and the five friends drank the toast.
Around them, the bar had dissolved into utter chaos. Drinking, and gambling, and packs of drunken patrons teetering constantly on the edge of a brawl. It swelled the walls and carried into the night with a life of its own, but the friends had no part of it. Their table sat in absolute silence, a small communion of believers set apart from the rest. Each one daunted by the task that lay in front of them. Each one determined to see it through, even at the cost of their own lives.
It was the final toast that resounded within each of them. The promise of a better future for the entire realm. A future where they could finally go home again. A future where they could fulfill whatever destiny had in store for them. Where maybe, one day, they could take up the crown.
But, as it turned out...that future would have to wait.
No sooner had they set their empty glasses back on the table than the door to the tavern burst open with a crash. The wooden frame splintered with the force as no fewer than thirty armed men came pouring inside. All bearing the same insignia. All out for blood.
The princess stared at them in open astonishment, not recognizing the emblem, but Cosette and Freya tensed at the same time, lowering their eyes quickly to the table.
“It’s the Red Hand,” Freya said softly. “One of the most powerful factions around these parts. Just keep quiet and do whatever they tell you. It will be over soon.”
No part of what she was saying registered with the friends.
Keep quiet? Do as you’re told?
“Like hell,” Ellanden muttered, half-pushing to his feet.
But Cosette caught him quickly by the arm, yanking him back down.
“Do you want these people to know exactly who you are?” she hissed, fingers digging into his sleeve. “Do you not understand the concept of keeping a low profile? Sit down and let them get on with it. These people have certain leverage—it will be worse for the entire village if you don’t.”
The entire village? Punished for the defiance of one man?
The fae leaned back slowly in his chair, fighting every immortal instinct to reach for his blade, while Evie pulled in a deep breath, trying to remain calm.
“What are they going to do?”
Cosette let out a quiet sigh as the men began winding through the tavern. “They’re going to rob us.”
