Chapter 16
I flew into the night
sky, winging my way into the heavens as Anadey and Peyton shouted
from below—Anadey yelling at me, while Peyton was shaking her
mother’s shoulders. No way was I going back and chancing getting
caught by Anadey again. Shaken, confused from the drugs and the
spell, I headed in the direction I thought was home, terrified I’d
transform midflight and go tumbling to the ground.
As I soared over the
streets, my head began to clear and all of a sudden, I could hear
Ulean. She was riding the currents beside me.
Cicely, Cicely? Can you hear me yet?
Ulean! Oh, Ulean, help me. I’m so confused and not sure
where I’m going.
Keep on in this direction and I’ll get you
help.
And then, her
presence was gone. I focused as best as I could, following the
breeze as it carried me aloft. The night was chill, but no snow was
falling and the clouds parted to allow the moon to shine through.
What was I going to do? She could have killed me. She could have
killed both Grieve and me if she’d succeeded with her spell. But
how much damage had she done?
And then it hit me. I
thought about Grieve, and my heart didn’t skip a beat. I thought
about my love, and realized that I felt numb. I tried to summon my
wolf, but in owl form I couldn’t connect with it. Thoroughly
defeated and afraid, all I could do was keep flying.
At that moment,
another owl came gliding in from behind me. The great horned owl.
Ulean was riding the slipstream along beside his wing.
Help me—something’s happened to me and I don’t know
what.
Follow me. His thoughts came through clear and he
turned, heading toward Dovetail Lake. I turned on my wing,
following him, able to take direction better than make my own
decisions at this point.
We flew under the
moon until we reached the lake. A shimmer resonated through the
night and the great horned owl flew into the light. It glimmered
like summer, like warm leaves and dusky dreams, and a steady breeze
that carried roses and night-blooming honeysuckle soothed my
senses. I followed the owl through the portal and blinked as the
land beneath us opened up, with rich grass untouched by snow, and
lakeshore waters lapping gently.
The owl slowly
spiraled down to land on a low branch near Lainule’s throne, and I
followed suit. I’d never been in the realm of Summer while in owl
form and now, every breath, every sound, every movement was
magnified.
A moment later, the
Queen of Rivers and Rushes appeared, dressed in gossamer white. She
steadily approached the throne and looked up at the two of us.
After a moment, she let out a long sigh and slowly inclined her
head.
“Cicely, take
form.”
I flew to the ground,
and then, trying to focus through the fear, I shifted back into
myself, naked and cold and shivering. As I stood, I found I wasn’t
ashamed or even embarrassed—I was too worried and miserable to care
about what I was wearing. Or not
wearing.
Lainule considered me
for a moment, then removed her own cloak from her shoulders and
gently wrapped me in it. The thin shawl was surprisingly warm, and
my breath slowed as I began to let go of my immediate fear. She
nodded to the great horned owl and he flew to the ground. A moment
later, I was staring up at a gorgeous man with jet-black hair. He
wore clothes, so he must be full Cambyra Fae—but his clothing
matched the shimmer of Lainule’s own gown and as I gazed at him, I
realized that this was no ordinary Fae.
Lainule pressed her
lips together and looked terribly sad, but then she tossed her hair
back and straightened her shoulders. “Cicely, say hello to my
Consort, the King of Rivers and Rushes. He has been guarding you
since you returned. Bow before your father, Wrath, Lord of
Summer.”
I let out a sharp
gasp as her words ran through me like an electric current.
My father, Wrath. I’d had some inkling
the great horned owl might be my father—I hadn’t been sure, but the
thought had crossed my mind. But . . . Wrath was the Lord of
Summer? Lainule’s consort?
“Aren’t you going to
say something?” She gave me a short look, and I wasn’t sure if she
was perturbed or merely curious.
“I . . . I’m not sure
what to say,” I whispered, looking up into Wrath’s eyes. They were
kindly, but stern. Ancient and wise, as were Lainule’s, and lit by
a vivid light that knew no sense of mortality. “I was hoping to
meet you . . .”
“I did not want this
meeting to happen yet—there is too much at stake, but my Lord would
never bring you here were matters not grave.”
And with her words,
Anadey’s betrayal came sweeping back and I slid to the grass, tears
flowing down my face. “Everything’s so dark right now. I can’t find
my way. Anadey did something to me—the spell didn’t fully take, but
I know she did something to
me.”
“Tell us what
happened, Cicely. We have all the time in the world to discuss the
fact that I’m your father. But this . . . you say Anadey betrayed
you?”
I nodded, my face red
and hot. “I trusted her.” And then, before I could stop myself, I
spilled out everything. My plan to rescue Grieve, my need to be
with him, the worry over hurting my friends because of being
ensnared by his venom, Leo’s suggestion that Anadey might help, and
the choice I’d made to see if we could neutralize that effect. “I
just wanted to be thinking with a clear head. But now . .
.”
Placing my hands on
my wolf, I sought for him, sought for the connection, but there was
nothing. The tattoo was so much ink on my belly.
“Describe the spell
that she cast.” Lainule neither comforted me nor chided
me.
Biting my lip, I did
my best to describe everything that happened. So much was fuzzy—the
drug she’d given me had been strong, but here in the realm of
Summer, it seemed to be negated and I was able to focus more
easily.
Lainule glanced up at
Wrath and I could sense some conversation, unspoken, going on
between the two. After a few moments, she stood. “Stay here. Talk
with your father for a few moments. I am going to bring you
something that will help.”
She glided away, a
mist of shadow in the night.
Wrath watched her go,
his eyes longing and loving. As I stared at him, all I could think
of was one question. “Why my mother? Why, when you are Lainule’s
consort, would you sleep with my mother?”
He turned to me, his
smile steady but firm. “Because my love requested it. We have
watched over your family for years. The boneseer told us you should
return to life in this family as a half-breed, and so we chose the
time and place of your birth. Myst has been waiting for your return
all the years since you and Grieve—Shy died. If she found you first
. . . it would not be good.”
I bit my lip. My
birth had been planned. “You seduced my mother?”
“Not a difficult
task. She was comely, if terribly shy and self-conscious. I could
not stay with her, of course. Nor could she know who I was. We did
not expect her to run and take you with her. However, perhaps that
was best. Myst came to find both Geoffrey and you, but you were not
here. So she turned her sight on the vampires and left it at that
for a while.”
“Ulean said that she
belonged to Lainule before she was bound to me.”
“Ulean was Lainule’s
personal Elemental, as the fan you carry was hers. The pendant, I
enchanted. We knew you would come home, Cicely, and did what we
could to prepare for your return.”
I wrapped my arms
around my legs and stared up at the sky. “Can I stay here? Can
Rhiannon and I just come live in the realm of Summer and be safe?”
It was a wistful question, I knew, and futile, but I had to
ask.
“You have bound
yourself to the vampires, so no—we could not let you shirk your
oath. And you and Grieve must find one another again.”
“How did I meet him
in the first place? My mother was Myst . . .”
“You will remember in
time. This is no war that can be won lightly. This is no skirmish.
We are in for the long haul. The important thing is to mitigate our
losses as much as we can at this point.” He laughed and stretched
out on the grass beside me. “You grew up lovely, my dear. I’m so
glad that I was finally able to tell you. Cicely Waters, you are
the daughter of a king. And yet you have not asked me for
anything—for money or jewels or power.”
I stared bitterly
into the darkness. “Money will not buy freedom for Grieve, nor
jewels. And power . . . power corrupts. I hate the fight I’m
immersed in, but I will persevere. Because there’s no other option.
I am not the daughter of a king, with all respect, Your Majesty. I
prefer to think of myself as the daughter of a witch and an
owl-shifter. That suits my nature far more than the robes of a
princess.”
He reached out then
and took my hand. His fingers were long and thin, with sharp nails,
and he squeezed gently. “Your answer pleases me more than you can
possibly imagine. And just so you know: Lainule does not resent
you. I speak the truth when I say your birth was her idea. We are
not so beholden to having only one mate in the realm of Rivers and
Rushes. You and Grieve are somewhat of an anomaly.”
Just then, Lainule
returned, a serving girl behind her who carried a steaming mug that
smelled like raspberries and lemon. She handed it to me and when I
inhaled, the scent washed through me.
“Drink deep. I give
you my word of honor, it will only help you, not hurt you. Leave
Anadey to me. Do not pursue the matter.”
“She mentioned this
had something to do with her exhusband, Rex, and the fact that he’s
got ‘powerful allies’ and is back in town. I think she’s afraid
he’ll lure Peyton away from her after all these years.” I
hesitantly brought the drink to my lips and sipped. The flavor ran
through me like sweet wine, and I upturned the mug and emptied it
down.
As the liquid spread
through me, it felt like it was undoing knots and gnarls in my
aura, and I relaxed a little. I found myself smiling, feeling free,
and my wolf began to warm again. I placed my hand on the tattoo and
felt a low rumble.
“Grieve . . . he’s
back . . .”
Lainule reached out
and shook my shoulder. “I have reversed her spell, but you must
listen to me. You must not follow
through on your plan to rescue Grieve. I offer you this bargain: We
will rescue him, but in our time, in our own way. Until then,
pretend that Anadey’s spell succeeded. We want to ferret out who
she’s working with, and if they see that it didn’t take, they might
fade away to avoid being noticed.”
That made sense,
although something felt off, but I couldn’t put my finger on
it.
“All right, I
promise.” Again, the feeling that I’d been locked in, thoroughly
and tight, rang through me. Promises to the Fae, even by a
half-Fae, were binding.
I thought about what
it entailed—lying to Rhiannon and the others—but I couldn’t take
the chance that one of them might be working against me. Leo, for
example. I wouldn’t put it past him to have been behind this mess.
Now that I knew Anadey was all too willing to betray me, I couldn’t
be sure of anybody. Suddenly feeling much more alone in the world,
I hung my head.
“I can’t trust anyone
now, can I?”
“You can trust
yourself, child.” Wrath patted my shoulder. “I’m proud of you.
You’ve struggled against so many hardships over the years, and look
at the strength that you’ve evolved. You make me proud to be your
father.”
Gazing up at him, I
saw the kindly fire in his eyes. He’d never be one to hug me tight,
or take in a ball game with me, but he meant what he said and that
was more important to me than all the father-daughter outings in
the world.
“Thank you,” I
whispered. “But what will I say to them? I ran out on
Anadey.”
“Keep away from her.
She was trying to remove your connection to Grieve. Do your best to
pretend that the venom enchantment has been severed. Let them see
it’s led you to reconsider rescuing him. Continue with your
business. If Grieve tries to contact you, don’t tell anyone and
instruct him to do the same.”
I told them what
happened when Myst beat Grieve. “I took on his
injuries.”
Lainule pressed her
lips together, then let out a long sigh. “Obviously, we cannot just
leave him with her. Not if it’s going to hurt you. I feared this
might come to pass. We have to move quickly. Go home, do as we bid,
and we’ll be in touch with you soon. And meanwhile, keep your
heritage secret. If Myst finds out you are Wrath’s daughter, she
will throw all her efforts into capturing you. She would ignore the
vampires and come after you directly.”
“This is why you
didn’t tell me about my father isn’t it? You were afraid I couldn’t
keep my mouth shut?”
“No, Cicely,” Lainule
said softly. “I feared she’d torture it out of you and then all
would be lost.”
Wrath walked me back
to the edge of the portal. “You will have to tread carefully with
what has happened. One misstep and we all lose. I wanted to tell
you earlier, you know—about the fact that I’m your father—but we
couldn’t take the chance letting you know. Now you
do.”
“Now I know,” I
repeated softly. Then, without thinking, I threw my arms around him
and gave him a long hug. “Thank you. Thank you for being my
father.”
“Don’t thank me yet,
Cicely. It’s too soon to tell what the fallout of everything is
going to be. But know I am watching over you—that’s why I spend so
much time in owl form.”
He opened the portal.
A dark green sedan was waiting for me. I frowned, staring at it,
then looked back at him.
Wrath nodded. “The
car will see you safely home. Don’t ask questions, don’t tip the
driver. Just get in, be silent, and leave silent.”
I slipped into the
backseat and as the driver glanced at me through the rearview
mirror, I caught a glimpse of his face. Whatever he was, in the
mirror it didn’t translate as human. But I said nothing, just
nodded, and as the car pulled out from the parking lot, I settled
back for the short but silent ride home.
After I climbed out
of the car, I stood watching it speed off into the night. Then,
turning back, I stared up at the Veil House. Had Leo been in on
Anadey’s little plan? Who was backing her? All answers I needed to
know. Steeling myself, I entered the house.
Peyton was there,
along with Rhiannon and Kaylin, both of whom looked terribly
worried. They rushed over as soon as they saw me.
“Cicely—I’m so sorry.
I drove your car home for you and brought your clothes and purse.
What did my mother do to you? I knew something was wrong. Why the
fuck did I leave when she told me to?” Peyton’s eyes were
glittering with tears.
I bit my lip. The
last thing I needed was for Peyton to confront Anadey. I hated
lying to my friends, to my cousin, but there was no help for it
until we found out who might be working with the older
witch.
“Your mother broke
the venom enchantment, like we wanted. I just don’t like the way
she did it—she scared me. I want nothing to do with her for now.” I
held her gaze, willing myself to go through with this. “She pissed
me off, although I can’t remember much of what
happened.”
Peyton paused,
sucking in a deep breath. “I’m so sorry. How are you feeling,
physically?”
I hesitated, as if
searching my feelings, then slowly shook my head. “I don’t know.
Numb, I guess. All I know is she drugged me and tied me down—isn’t
that enough? No spell should involve that sort of behavior, not
when it’s cast on a friend.”
It bothered me to
keep it from Peyton that Anadey was working to ensure that her
father was out of commission, but there was too much at stake to
come clean over that.
Peyton waited another
beat, then slowly nodded. “Yeah, I hear you. Loud and clear. Maybe
I’ll stay over here for the night—that is, if you don’t mind me
being here after what happened.”
I shrugged. “No, you
weren’t the one who did that to me.”
Rhiannon and Kaylin
pummeled me with questions, but I played dumb and managed to get
out of any protracted conversation by pleading exhaustion. Rhia
followed me upstairs, and as I drew a bath, she pulled out my
nightgown and robe for me. I wanted to break down, to tell her
everything that was happening, but a spark of fear held me
back.
Lainule and Wrath
were going to rescue Grieve, and they were going to find out who
was behind Anadey’s bizarre behavior. I couldn’t sell them out just
because Rhia was my cousin. I felt like I was walking a razor’s
edge—so many conflicting forces, so many potential enemies. But as
soon as they gave the okay, I would sit her down and tell her
everything.
My wolf growled
slightly, but I forced my hands to keep away from my stomach. I
pulled off my clothes and stepped into the bubbling tub of lavender
and lemon, sliding down into the comforting water as the steam
loosened my joints. Rhia sat on the edge of the tub.
“Do you want me
here?” She bit her lip, looking torn. “I can leave if you want to
be alone.”
“Nah, that’s okay.” I
blinked back tears, thinking I’d cried all too much in the past few
weeks. But these were tears of weariness and of joy. Meeting Wrath
had brought with it an underlying sense of peace, even though it
left me with more questions than ever. Such as: How had he enticed
my mother? Had he cared for her at all, or was it simply a mission
to ensure that I return as Cambyra Fae? And Krystal . . . had she
fallen for him, only to be left alone and pregnant?
“Anadey . . . I don’t
know what to think about this. Did her spell work, though? Do you
think the venom from Grieve will still intoxicate you? Or did she .
. . did she do anything else to you?” Rhia was astute, that much I
already knew. And she knew something was going on.
I closed my eyes,
leaning back against the warm porcelain as the water soaked through
my aching muscles. After a moment, I shrugged. “I doubt the venom
will be a bother anymore.”
“Peyton says you flew
away into the night. Were you wearing your pendant? I thought you
left it at home.”
“No . . . I had it
with me. But the transformations are getting easier.” I sat very
still.
“You’re changing,
evolving. Very quickly. I hope it’s not too much for
you.”
“I think I’d like to
just relax now,” I said, closing my eyes. “Can you light a candle
and turn off the overhead on your way out?”
Rhia stood, brushing
the front of her skirt nervously. “Cicely, are you going to go
after Anadey for what she did to you?”
And then I realized
she was afraid I’d attack the older woman, that I’d go off
half-cocked and kill her or something. I laughed softly. “No, don’t
worry yourself over that. Trust me. I don’t really consider her a
friend right now—not after drugging me—but attack her? No.”
At least not now.
With a sigh of
relief, Rhiannon lit a candle and turned to leave, softly closing
the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, I let everything go
and suddenly found myself weeping, silently and uncontrollably. I
let the tears run down my face, not bothering to wipe them away. I
was crying for Grieve and our people—the Cambyra Fae. I cried for
Chatter, whom I’d betrayed in my former life. And for Rhiannon and
Heather. For Anadey, who had proved herself to be false-tongued. I
cried for Leo, so caught up in his need for validation that he’d
actually slap a woman. I cried for Kaylin, tied to the Bat People,
who seemed so very harsh.
And lastly, I cried
for myself . . . because I had no clue how we were going to come
out of this with any sense of happiness. In fact, happiness seemed
a million miles away.