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It was dark, now. The suns of Feyland, which had hung so pendulously in the sky, had vanished, leaving in their place twinned silver moons. One was white and whispering – as cold and still as the Winter Kingdom. The other, closer and bigger, was a vague yellow, giving off a faintly golden glow. We had traveled for miles through the kingdom, following Kian's directions as best we could. We ascended up the tall mountains and found the stream of which Kian had spoken of, near a village where we were able to pick up some much-needed food and water. Logan and I had fallen into a pattern of silence. Our exhaustion mingled with our awkwardness, and we didn't even speak to each other over our bowls of hastily sipped fairy fruit juice. For my part, it was a relief to eat something other than kelpie soup – it felt that my dormant taste buds had at last begun to spring to life.
Logan and I continued on in silence, until at last – when the twinned moons hung directly above us – we came across a jagged, tall tower – like a desiccated branch – dotting the horizon.
“That's it!” I whispered. “That's Kian's tower – I can feel it!” And indeed my heart began seizing as I experienced a pang of longing at once instantaneous and overwhelming. “Keep close!”
We kept as close to the branches and bushes as we could, not wanting to be seen. The shadows of the foliage cast a cloak of darkness over us. Coral stopped short, rearing up upon her hooves.
“What is it!” Logan whispered.
Then we saw it – the unmistakable emerald shimmer of a snake glistening in the grass. Coral reared up in terror – just enough to distract us from the two assailants coming in from behind.
We responded instantly, our adrenaline pumping through us. Fists came at us from all sides – the great blows of a large figure and the light, agile kicks and sword-thrusts of a smaller one. Logan and I went back-to-back, coordinating our blows as if we were able to look into each other's minds. They had not expected us to respond so quickly or so well, and before long I was able to seize the smaller attacker, grabbing his torso so tightly that the sword clattered out of his hand and into the ground. Logan, for his part, was squaring away with the larger figure, baring his teeth with wolf-like intensity. I grabbed the smaller figure and put my hands squarely on his neck.
“Stop!” I shouted. “Or he dies.” My voice only faltered a little – I hoped the larger assailant wouldn't call me on my bluff.
The larger figure stopped and hesitated as my fingers trembled and tightened on my hostage's pulse, where I could hear the heartbeat rapidly fluttering against my fingers.
“What you will!” The larger man's voice was warm, soft, and unmistakably familiar. “Only let her go!” He thrust down his sword.
I knew that voice. And I knew that the figure with him was the one he would do anything for.
Shasta?
I whirled around my own captive to face me. Glamour could disguise a face, but it couldn't trick away those tiny, bird-like bones. No wonder she was so small.
“Take off your glamour right now, Shasta” I cried. “I know it's you!”
Shasta's glamour fell down like a curtain, revealing the Winter Princess herself in all her cold, haughty beauty. Once she had been a friend of mine – and I had admired her easy, regal confidence, but now her eyes were filled with rage against me. What had I done?
“Rodney?” Logan's voice broke the silence as Rodney too revealed himself – his mop of curly red hair appearing from the shadowy disguise. Rodney too looked angry, stern – his handsome features distorted by the absence of a smile. Once a knight of my court, Rodney had defected due to his love for Shasta.
What was going on?
“What are you doing?” I asked, as soon as I got my voice back.
“Saving my brother,” said Shasta simply. Her tone was harsh and strong. Her piercing eyes stared out at me from beneath her head of unruly dark hair. “The new Summer Queen, apparently, cares more for her crown than she does for her friends.”
“What?” I said.
“She apparently refuses to negotiate Prince Kian’s release under any conditions!”
“Negotiate?” My mouth fell open. “What negotiations?”
“Oh, please,” said Shasta. “Cease your excuses. My mother sent messengers and messengers, so many of them to negotiate – but you turned them away without even bothering to see them. And we heard that my brother was held prisoner, awaiting his execution!”
“It's not true!” I protested. “I was never told of these messengers – I promise you, Shasta! I'm trying to save Kian, too. It's why I'm here now.”
“Really?” Shasta raised an eyebrow.
“Really – you know how much I...” I caught myself just in time. “I care for your brother deeply – so deeply that I'm risking everything by being here right now to save him.”
“Then why didn't you...?”
“Wort's knights. His men. I've been a prisoner in my own palace – with no power to make any decisions, no abilities – I've been poisoned by kelpie soup, kept weak and sleepy and exhausted so I couldn't reign. That's why I escaped.”
Shasta's face darkened. “And now you've come to help save him!”
“It's true!” Logan said. “I know her – I know Breena. And she'd do whatever it takes to help Kian. Why else would she be out here alone, in secret, in a knight's costume?”
“Why indeed?” said Shasta.
“To save Kian!” I shouted.
“If you wanted to save him, you could have issued an order.”
“I can't do a thing publicly! The people of Summer are baying for Kian's blood. Aside from Wort, publicly freeing Kian would mean risking my own life. No thanks to you! Your assassination of the Summer Queen is what caused all of this in the first place! You're the reason your brother is in prison – for your crimes, I might add! So don't get all haughty on me, Shasta!”
“She was going to execute Rodney,” Shasta cried. “If I hadn't stopped her...”
“There are consequences for your actions, Shasta,” said Logan gravely. “Breena may have become queen, but it is but a title. She has no real power in a kingdom so divided by factions and strife. The old Summer Queen's advisers are behind the war against the Winter Court, they were from the first. And now we are further away from peace than ever before! Even with Breena herself on the throne.”
“The Winter Queen is furious with Summer for capturing Kian, and ignoring all attempts at negotiating for his release.” She bit her lips and looked down, before propping up her chin and taking a good hard look at me. “Kian does not know how much Mother actually cares. She is prepared to gather an army to storm the Sumer Court if Kian is hurt.”
Rodney broke in at last. “I convinced Shasta to help me rescue Kian before it comes to that. I cannot have my friends and family at the Summer Kingdom killed. That's why we're here.”
“I see,” I said. “Then perhaps we could work together after all.”
I gave a nervous laugh – but it was not echoed by the others around me. It was clear that the tensions among the four of us would be a serious barrier to saving Kian. Once, we had all been friends together, and had danced together at the Winter Ball. But such days seemed far behind us now. Is this what the world had in store for us now? Would we too become enemies like our parents?
Was this how War happened?