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Arthas stepped forward and held out his hand.

  “What?” I asked, confused.

  “You don’t need to drink it, my dear Shade. You paint it on the five points of your body to make it work. Let me.” He held his hand out again, giving it a shake. I hesitated, hoping he wasn’t trying to trick me.

  Try to kill me once, and you’re forever on my blacklist. Did he not know this? I couldn’t trust him, ever, even if I wanted to. He seemed to know this and leaned forward, grasping my arm and pulling me closer, his lips grazing the tip of my ear as I fought the urge to jerk away.

  He grinned, and a twinkle flashed in his eyes. “Oh, Shade,” he whispered, “I never tried to kill you. That was Kilara. I wanted you very much alive.”

  I flinched and stepped away as Dylan approached, glaring at the Ancient, a hunting blade in his hand. Without looking, Arthas backed up and held his hand out again, waiting patiently.

  “I’ll do it,” Dylan snapped.

  Arthas scoffed. “You don’t know what symbols to paint on her body. Do it wrong and she’ll die.”

  Dammit. He was right. I hadn’t seen any symbols mentioned in Brendan’s grimoire. But maybe Arthas was full of it.

  “How would you know what symbols are required, Unseelie scum?” Benton spat on the ground near the Ancient, his eyes searing into Arthas.

  “Benton!” I hissed at my brother. Insulting Arthas wasn’t the way to get him to cooperate. Hell, now that he’d mentioned it, and knowing he hadn’t been the one to try to kill me, I felt conflicted. “It’s okay. I’ll handle this.”

  Arthas rolled his eyes at my younger brother and turned back toward me to answer. “I know what symbols to paint because I helped Brendan the first time he was here. It’s an old Celtic symbol, forgotten to the world, but I’m older than that.”

  We all stared at Arthas in shock. What? How had he met Brendan? My uncle had never written about it.

  “What?” Arthas stated more than asked. “You think I didn’t track down my wayward offspring at all? Until I was put to slumber by Kilara, Rowan, and Corb—against my will, might I add—I knew who my heirs were, even the distant ones who barely held any of my blood. Don’t worry. It wasn’t Brendan who held my blood, but his wife. Their child was part faery, and they didn’t even know it. Apparently, the power was so recessive, it didn’t surface until Shade was born.”

  I swallowed. The hell? My lineage was a big fat mess and made my head ache something terrible. “If this is true, why didn’t he write about any of this in his grimoires?” I asked.

  Arthas licked his lips. It was a simple but grotesque action. “It was part of our deal. If I helped him, he promised to never reveal my role.”

  I frowned. I didn’t want to know what else Brendan had agreed to in exchange for Arthas’s help. I slapped the bottle into his palm. “All right. Do it. Just don’t get too touchy-feely. You give me the creeps sometimes, you know? You’re practically my grandfather.”

  He scowled, uncorked the bottle, and pressed a finger to the top of it. “I’m too far removed to be anyone’s grandfather, especially yours. All people in this world are that far removed from each other. Go back far enough, and everyone is related in some way, human and fey alike. It keeps the lineages strong to mix in a little human blood now and then. I am not your family, Shade. Don’t forget that, or I’ll remind you of it.”

  Dark red blood dripped from his fingertip, and he reached out and began painting my forehead. Then he took hold of my hands, doing the same to the tops of them, before he made me remove my shoes to paint the tops of my feet. His finger glided gently across my skin, pressing with just enough pressure to let me feel his warmth. With the cold blood dripping down his arm, I watched him, mesmerized and unable to look away. His touch tickled slightly, but it felt good all at the same time. I shivered from the cool fluid dripping off his fingers as they brushed against me but tried my best to shake off the odd emotions he stirred up within.

  When he was through, he recorked the bottle and grinned, standing back up to meet me eye to eye. “There. All gorgeous again.”

  I frowned and stared down at the symbols painted on my hands. It was a star with a dot in the middle and two lines. One ran along the top of the star while the other sat just under the bottom edges of it.

  “What does it mean?” I asked.

  “It means ‘Child of the Earth’ to the fey. ‘Human’ in English. You have five points to your body, the head, two arms, and two legs. You need to be human to enter, and this symbol makes The Heart recognize you as only human. You are disguised as a mere mortal, like your brother.”

  I glanced at Benton. “You led me to believe no one could enter without the Ancient blood. You mean any human could have gone in at any time?”

  Arthas laughed. “No, Shade. This barrier is Brendan’s, and he drew on the existing magic to erect it. Normally a human could go in with only fire and ice magic. It’d be difficult without the Ancient blood, but one with enough willpower could do it. Brendan saw to it that no one could pass his barrier without the symbols, not even a human.”

  I nodded and dropped my hands to my side. “Okay, time to enter.”

  Benton stepped forward. “Should I go in too?”

  I was about to nod my head but changed my mind. “No. You’re my backup. It won’t do to have us both taken out at the same time. If something happens to me, you need to enter and get whatever magic is there and just hope it’s the right thing we need for Kilara. If we both fail to return, it’s over.”

  He gave me a curt tilt of his head, but instead of moving away, he reached out and pulled me into a hug.

  “Be careful, sis. That bad feeling we get when we know something major is coming, don’t let it win. We can get this done. We just have to hold on. You can do it.”

  I nodded, tears stinging my eyes as I squeezed my brother back, hugging him tightly.

  “Okay. I’ll be fine. I’ve got you here, right?” I choked out a nervous laugh and held him at arm’s length. “Mom would be proud of you, Anna, and James, you know?”

  “Ah. She’d be puffed up like a proud mother hen at you. Look at you, sis, you best us all without lifting a finger.”

  “Nah. I love you.” I hugged him once more, his eyes shiny with unshed tears.

  “Love you too. Now, go get it.”

  I turned and stared into the black doorway that seemed to absorb all the light, like a black hole. I closed my eyes and felt Dylan come to me and give me a hug. I turned and kissed his lips. I felt my tension ease when Soap came in for an embrace too, after Dylan let go. I wanted to be home at The Scren with them both, lounging under the sun and expecting our babies. But I couldn’t have that. It was such a simple life, not meant for a young woman like me. Faerie wasn’t about to let it be so easy.

  Fate had something else planned for me, whether I wanted it or not.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Dylan

  I watched Shade step up to the black, filmy barrier. We all held our breaths, including the Ancients, who didn’t seem as impressed by the dark magic enveloping the place. My heart jumped with each step she took.

  She reached out to touch the barrier, and I watched as her hand sank into it, like touching water, sending ripples outward in circles. She let her hand disappear into the inky darkness, exhaling with relief like the rest of us. After that, confident that it would be okay, Shade advanced and stepped fully into the mass.

  Once she reached the other side, the barrier went from opaque to transparent, with a slight dark coloring to it. We could see her from the other side, and I stepped closer to keep an eye on her as she moved forward. My breath seized hard enough to give my chest a thudding pain. This all was insanity. Kilara should’ve just done this herself, and now the old Ancient was risking the life of not only my beloved but those of our children as well. This was unacceptable.

  Shade turned around, examining the empty room. There didn’t seem to be anything in the carved obsidian cavern.

  “W
here’s The Heart? There’s nothing here.” She spun to face the entrance and shook her head as she continued to study the place. “It’s empty.”

  Arthas moved forward and paused at the barrier. “Now that you’re inside, you can manipulate the magic. Allow me entrance.”

  Shade furrowed her brow, confused. “What? How do I do that?”

  “Just ask it to let me in, Shade. You know how. Just let The Heart guide you.”

  Shade pressed her lips tight, still unsure of what to do. After a moment, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. As she stood still as a statue, the air began to move in a circular whirlwind around her, lifting the tips of her tresses and the edges of her shirt sleeves.

  “What’s happening?” I asked, wanting to run to her, but I knew the barrier wouldn’t allow me through. “Why you, Arthas?” I snapped. “What do you know that we do not?” Requesting to allow one Ancient into the chamber was suspicious. I didn’t trust the guy as far as I could throw him.

  “Patience, Teleen. There is always a method to my madness.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Tsk, tsk. You’re quite volatile. Do you think Shade adores that trait in you? Maybe it’s what chased her away.”

  “You mother f—”

  “Enough!” Isolde, along with Benton, stepped between us, ready to draw their weapons. I backed away but kept an eye trained on Arthas. The Ancient was asking for the beating of his life, and I was ready, willing, and able to give that to him. I couldn’t wait. When this was all over…. I swore under my breath.

  The barrier flashed, disappearing for a moment as Arthas stepped through, and it shut immediately behind him, before I could even try to enter.

  Dammit.

  “You can’t be the only one to go in there with her. Shade?” I called out to my beloved, but she didn’t respond. My panic flooded my senses as I stayed put, a couple inches from the barrier. Shade was frozen, with her eyes still closed.

  “Open the barrier for me as well, Shade.” A voice demanded behind us.

  I turned to find Kilara shoving everyone aside. She immediately stepped through the barrier as though it had not even been there. What was going on? What was she doing there?

  “Shade? Let us in too, what’s going on?” I pleaded to her, but the barrier returned to its previously darkened state, transparent yet shaded just enough to let us know that it wasn’t safe to cross. How had the Ancients crossed so quickly? How had they known when it would fluctuate to a safe state to go through? I was mad with confusion.

  “She’ll be fine, Dylan. Just wait here. Whatever you do, do not touch the barrier, or you will die immediately. That includes anyone else.” Corb held the flask of blood Shade had used to enter in his hand, having swiped it from Shade before she’d entered. If he had it and also entered, there was no way Benton could get past without its magic.

  “No! Give me the flask, Corb!” Benton called out, but it was too late. The moment Corb was a second from passing through the barrier, it flashed to let him in and then resumed its previous state, none of us dared to touch it. If they warned us it would kill us, they were right. There was no testing the theory.

  Shoot!

  “Shade!” I called out, breathing hard from the panic surging through me. “Shade, they’re surrounding you. Wake up!”

  Shade snapped her eyes open and stared coolly at me before she passed her gaze around toward the three Ancients standing next to her. A moment later, Rowan shoved me to the ground and entered the chamber as well.

  “Sorry, loverboy. Some things are not for mere mortals or faeries. Thank you for bringing her here. We’ll take care of the rest.”

  What the hell was going on?

  I shook my head, scuttling to my feet as Soap stared helplessly through the barrier as well. I turned and found that Ciaran had snuck off and was now gone. Dammit. The entire mission was falling apart.

  “Camulus, can you get through into the room?”

  He eyed the goings-on with wide, shocked eyes, shaking his head. “No. My magic is muted here. I am powerless.”

  “Damn!” I slammed my hand against the rock, feeling the sharp obsidian cut into my palm. I ignored it and stared at my beloved, who stood silently frozen and staring blankly ahead. The four Ancients surrounded her. Rowan reached out and produced a knife. I screamed at the door, yelling at her to stop. If she killed Shade, I would hunt her down the rest of her pathetic, eternal life.

  “Shade,” Rowan said, “The Heart called you here, for blood magic is its fuel, and we hold a vial of all our blood except that of Kilara. To transfer the magic she needs to live, we must add hers as well as yours, a descendant of her line, to restore her power and stop the withering.”

  “I understand.” Shade stated, her voice monotone, like she was hypnotized.

  “Here, Kilara, add your blood to the vial, and we can begin.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. All four of the Ancients were in on this together. They had somehow been communicating, making sure everything fell into place. Had all of this been one big setup?

  Kilara plucked the knife from Rowan’s hand and slid it across her palm. “At last, I will be renewed by the blood of my heir. I ask The Heart of Fire and Ice to use its magic to replenish what is wasted within me, so that Faerie may thrive forevermore.” She dropped the knife, squeezed several droplets into the flask, and handed it back to Rowan, who then handed it to Shade. Shade robotically took the vial and held it out at arm’s length.

  “No, Shade! Don’t do it, it’s a trap!” I called out to her, but I was afraid she couldn’t hear me in her catatonic state. Her eyes remained glazed, her mouth slightly parted as she turned the flask over and spilled the blood onto the obsidian ground.

  Nothing happened at first. Moments passed as each Ancient watched her closely, surrounding her in a circle. I found it odd the four were working together, and I knew it couldn’t be anything good for Shade. What were they planning? What would happen to her?

  “Stop this at once! I demand you let Shade go!” I called out, my voice hoarse from the yelling.

  Soap reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. His sad eyes told me he’d already assumed the worst. But I would not give up. I brushed his hand off and scowled.

  “I won’t give up on her!”

  Suddenly, the floor began steaming, and crystals grew from the droplets. Long, sharp crystals rose from the floor, threatening to impale Shade as they surround her up to her thighs. They were blood red, and my stomach twisted as I comprehended the source of their color. They stopped short as they touched the cloth of her pants. When they halted, Shade snapped back into herself and blinked, turning in place and then noticing with horror the crystals imprisoning her in a tight circle.

  “What’s this?”

  Kilara reached out and plucked a crystal from the bunch. As it came away in her hand, I realized that it had just barely punctured Shade’s skin. She let it go, and it hovered in the air. She flicked her wrist, and it oozed liquid-like until it had formed into an amulet. She reached into a pocket, brought out a thread of leather string, and fed it through a hole now at one end, the sharp end of the amulet hung down as she let it slide over her head and around her neck.

  She sighed and closed her eyes, her paleness blossoming into a pink, rosy hue. Her lips, once pale and ashen, brightened to red, and her rich, dark brown tresses thickened, brightening with the renewed power she had received.

  “Thank you, Shade. Your sacrifice has been well received. You have saved me.” Kilara’s wicked smile returned, as though she had never been sick.

  “What? What did you do to me?” Shade tried to step forward. The crystals continued to grow, more slowly now, but they had reached her hips. “You’ve traded me for power? How dare you?”

  “It was the only way. You’re the only one whose blood was strong enough with those of my brethren here to save me.”

  Arthas snickered as Rowan began a low, resonating cackle. Corb alone was silent,
but he refused to look at Kilara.

  Kilara snapped her glare at them, narrowing her eyes. “What’s so funny?”

  “You forget that magic demands a high price,” Arthas said. “Even for an Ancient that has been cast out of favor.”

  Rowan laughed. “Indeed, it does.”

  “It’s true, my love,” Corb muttered, his voice low and full of pain. “You have upset the balance of the Land of Faerie, and it now demands a price.”

  Kilara eyed Corb, disdain dripping from her frown. “How dare you threaten me, Corb? You are nothing to me. I am not your love. Stop saying that!”

  Arthas stepped forward and plucked a long spear from the crystals, ran his fingers along its edges and then held it out to Shade. “Unfortunately, he’s right. You are no longer in the favor of Faerie, and we must comply with what it wants.”

  “And what is that?” Kilara hissed.

  Corb turned toward her, tears staining his cheeks. “You are no longer the chosen Summer Ancient. Your ashes are to be claimed by The Heart of Fire and Ice, your magic transferred to Shade.”

  “What? Impossible!”

  “You knew this would happen,” Rowan said, the tiny, wicked smile on her lips once more betraying her insanity. “I told you centuries ago it would. You never believed me. You never listened to me, sister.”

  “You’re insane. Why would I ever believe any of you?”

  “Because I accept the position as Summer Ancient.” Shade stepped forward, the crystals shattering against her legs without leaving any marks. “And it starts now.”

  Shade plunged a length of crimson crystal right into Kilara’s chest, straight to her heart. Kilara gasped, staggering backward, grasping at the shard. But the crystal wouldn’t come out. It continued to grow as it touched her blood, spreading across her body like a cancer, crystallizing her flesh as the stain expanded.

  Her eyes widened, and she looked at Shade with not just contempt but fear, and it increased as the poison in the crystal spread through her body. “You dare try to kill me? I will haunt you….” Kilara whispered as the crystals moved and grew, crawling over her torso and back, hardening into place.