Reflection Pond (23 page)

Yesterday, she had let him kiss her.

Today, everything was a jumbled mess, including her feelings for Ash. She kept telling him no, but she knew somewhere inside of her there was a part that wanted to say yes, and it lived right next to the part that wanted Rowan.

It wasn’t fair to either one of them.

Before she could slide her hand from Ash’s, Rowan appeared through the portal. He froze, his eyes going from Ash to Callie, to Ash, and finally coming to rest on Callie. His nostrils flared. “There’s been another murder.”

“What?” Callie said. Her thoughts went to Sapphire. “It wasn’t…”

Rowan must’ve read her mind because he said, “A child.” He frowned and shook his head as though clearing it. “There’s a meeting at the palace and Hazel wants Callie where she can keep an eye on her.” He met Callie’s gaze, a warning, before turning on his heel and retreating back into
Eirensae,
with Callie and Ash right behind him.

***

The fae of
Eirensae
pressed together in the grand entranceway of the palace. Their voices rose over each other and bounced off the ceiling, turning the palace into utter chaos. Hawthorne disappeared as soon as they entered.
Some guard,
Rowan thought bitterly.

Rowan and Ash kept close to Callie, one at each elbow as they pushed into the fray. The crowd was so riled they hardly noticed.

They found Willow near the center of the room, eyes bright with excitement. “I’ve never seen them so angry,” she yelled. On cue, a litany of curses lit the room, followed by an answering string of profanity.

“They’re not angry,”
Rowan said, scanning the room, “they’re scared.” Part of him thought this was a good thing. They’d spent far too long hiding in their city, content in their safety. How long had it been since they’d interacted with the other cities or even acknowledged they existed?

Sai’s dark head bobbed toward them, expression wary as he made his way through the horde. “Willow,” he said with a small smile, touching her shoulder. Her face pinked.

“What’s happening?” Rowan asked.

“One of the children,” Sai said, face grave. “We found her drained of blood. All the markings of the ceremony were there.”

Rowan’s face paled. “An Immortal.” It was as awful as he’d imagined when he’d heard the news. Not only would they face attack from
Fraeburdh,
now there was an Immortal to contend with.

“The Elders are calling for mutiny. Blood for blood against the Fallen,” Sai said. He moved closer to Willow, sliding an arm around her waist. She leaned into him.

“We can’t fight an Immortal,” Rowan said, incredulous. He found himself stepping toward Callie, wishing he could pull her into his side as Sai had done to Willow.

“We don’t fight,” Willow said.
“Ever.” All their eyes went to her. “I mean,” she backtracked, face growing redder, “we haven’t in a long time.”

“Blessed afternoon,” Hazel started. There were few who responded in kind. Her gaze roamed the crowd and Rowan wondered whom she was searching for, but of course, her face relaxed when she found Callie.

Now Rowan did move closer to Callie. She gave him a wide-eyed stare. She looked terrified. He hadn’t wanted to go to her with what he knew, but what choice did he have? She deserved to have some say in her future. If anything, he should’ve told her sooner.

“One of our own, a child, has been slaughtered,” Hazel said. The group shuddered and exploded into furious shouts. Hazel waited them out. “At this time, we do not know the culprit, though there are few suspects to consider.
The Fallen, of course, the fae of
Fraeburdh,
and less so, those of
Macántacht.
I’ve sent scouts to search for clues, but we may find none. We have increased protection in the city. I don’t think there’s any reason to panic. I will dispatch warriors to bring her home, and they will conduct an investigation.”

The air around Rowan sizzled with restrained energy. This was a child, an innocent fae robbed of her life before it’d even begun. Her parents were in the crowd, and though familial ties were secret, Rowan knew they would feel the loss.

A small worry nudged the back of his mind, then grew and grew until he acknowledged it.
Elm.
He was Fallen now.

He could be an Immortal. He could come after Callie and they’d be too weak to stop him.

“We must continue life as usual. Anything else would be giving in. Loss happens,” Hazel said, and her eyes met Rowan’s for a brief moment, “but we must persevere. We send our children into the human world to protect them, yet we know there is always risk. Our hearts are heavy for the sister we lost.”

Her words
were meant to comfort, still the gathering grew more and more unstable the longer Hazel spoke.

“You’ll never be Joshua!” someone yelled, their face hidden in the crowd. The fae murmured and churned as they either accepted or denied his words.

Hazel’s magic buzzed through the room, fogging Rowan’s mind. He hated her power, which muddled the brain and left the victim grasping to find reality. The fae surrounding him groaned. Ash rubbed his forehead and Callie winced. Rowan fought it.

He’d longed for the day that the city questioned Hazel’s rule. Joshua was Hazel’s husband and the previous leader of
Eirensae.
He’d led them through the war, only to fall at the hand of the king of
Fraeburdh.
Hazel had taken her place as leader following his death. No one spoke his name, not unless they wanted to face Hazel’s wrath. Hazel lifted her hands and a stronger wave of energy coursed through the room. Several fae doubled over and held their heads.

“You
dare
bring up Joshua,” she said, moving closer to the man, hands still raised. “You
dare
question my authority. Are you challenging me?” she screamed. Her hair had come loose from her bun. It whipped around her face in the wind created by her power. “Say the words.”

Rowan stepped in front of Callie, panic eating his gut. They had to get her out of here before things got ugly.
What better way for Hazel to stake her claim on Callie than to have her fight in a challenge? They would all have to choose a side to support, and Callie would pick whatever side Sapphire chose. The prophetess was required to support the leader.

“We’ve got to go,” he said, yelling over the crackling static of welling energy.

Around them, fae gathered their powers. The room lit in all colors of energy, citrus yellow, vibrant orange, midnight blue. Most of their faces were turned to the oncoming fight, but a few were looking at Callie. Word had spread of Callie’s power, her ability to explode a mind with her thoughts. Perhaps it was no longer a secret that she would become Hazel’s greatest weapon.

Rowan tucked Callie behind him and turned so that his body blocked her from view. She fit perfectly in the circle of his arms. This close he could see flecks of green in her eyes, which widened.

Rowan’s arms tightened. He could protect her in a physical fight, but not a magical one. Callie was better suited to that. She hadn’t had enough training, a fact that had Rowan ignoring her protests.

“I challenge you!”
The voice crashed through the room, rattling the walls and shaking the floor. It wouldn’t take long for the entranceway to become a war zone.

The palace shuddered now and a deep rumble sounded through the hall.

“Go,” Rowan said, pushing Callie backwards as Ash struggled to shove people out of their way. Rowan lost sight of Willow and Sai, but he couldn’t worry about them. He had to get Callie out. He had to keep his promise to Sapphire.

They’d moved only a few feet when he chanced a look over his shoulder. Sapphire and Cypress had moved behind Hazel.

“Sapphire,” Callie gasped.

“No,” Rowan said as she tried to pry his arms off. “She’ll be fine.” He willed the words to be true. Uncertainty didn’t count as a lie in faerie edict, but he knew Callie would never forgive him if he were wrong. “This is exactly what Hazel wants,” he hissed in her ear.

“I have to help Sapphire.” She fought Rowan harder, trying some of the things he’d taught her during hand-to-hand training. Callie was tough, but Rowan was stronger. “Please,” she said, her voice filled with determination.

Their progress slowed as sconces shook loose from the walls and crashed to the floor. Rowan shoved Callie into Ash, using their combined weight to barrel through people. Callie
stumbled, body pressed against his tight enough that he could feel the ridges of her ribs when she breathed. He kept his arms iron tight around her, lifting her to keep her from falling. They crept toward the door at turtle speed. The fae were choosing sides.

An eerie silence moved through the room, prickling the back of Rowan’s neck. The lights dimmed from the energy surge and went out.

Then the screaming started.

Tremors rocked the room. He kept hold of Callie as he struggled to remain upright in the darkness. Bright colors flashed, illuminating faces with bursts of color, pale green, iridescent violet. Chunks of stone rained down from the ceiling. Glass shattered. People lay prone and he tripped over them.

Callie no longer fought his grip but held on, both arms locked around his chest. Energy sizzled, disorienting Rowan. How far away was the door? Ten feet? A hundred? He couldn’t remember. He wasn’t even sure if Ash was still in front of him. They stumbled forward, blind. Rowan hoped it was the right direction.

A bright, white light exploded above them. It hung suspended, like a frozen moment in a camera’s flash, showing the destruction of the palace. Dust and debris hung in the air, halted in the process of falling. The fae were crushing each other. Arms and legs tangled, glamours were lost. He saw leaves and fur and bark and glowing eyes.

From across the room, he saw Hazel looking right at them.

Rowan swore. The doors were just ahead, hanging open, one of the hinges broken.

Rowan shoved Callie forward just as he felt Hazel’s power probe at his mind. The edges of his vision went blurry and gray. Then he and Callie exploded through the entrance and off of the porch.

His mind cleared but the urgency didn’t leave him. He had to get Callie far away from Hazel until the fight was over.

Maybe Hazel would lose and suddenly
Eirensae
would become a safe place for Callie. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise.

A mottled purple sky hung above them, roiling with thunderheads. The fight had called a storm. Wind blew Callie’s hair into Rowan’s eyes and he realized he hadn’t let her go. He released her and she lurched away from him. They’d lost Ash.

Her eyes were furious. Lightning turned her skin pale as paper and her hair lifted from her scalp, combed by invisible fingers. “What is going on?” She took deep breaths as though trying to calm herself.

Rowan smelled ozone and the oily scent of burnt flesh. The palace rumbled behind him.

“I’m going back,” she said.

“Like hell you are. We’re getting as far away as we can. Didn’t you feel Hazel trying to control you?” He caught her bicep.

Callie’s expression turned murderous. The energy from her skin under his palm nearly scalded his fingers. “Sapphire is in there. She needs me.”

“Sapphire is a marked fae. She can handle herself.” He pulled, but she dug her heels into the grass.

“Let me go,” she hissed, wrenching her arm, still breathing deep.

His fingers turned white. “No.”

The wind blew harder now, sneaking under their clothes and snapping at the fabric. It’d started to rain, but the drops sizzled before reaching the ground, turning to steam. Cries tumbled from the open palace doors.

“It’s my choice,” she argued.

Rowan ignored her.

In the end, he dragged Callie back to Ash’s apartment. He wanted to take her to his place, but it was too far away and the weather had turned nasty. Lightning streaked the sky every few seconds and giant bolts of electricity arced for the forest. The storm howled as it descended on the city, its giant maw ready to consume everything in its path.

Then they were inside Ash’s and Rowan jammed a chair beneath the door handle. Callie stood in the center of the room, shivering. Her blonde hair tangled at her shoulders and her cheeks were red with anger. She wrapped both arms around her middle and glared at him.

Rowan had never wanted to kiss her more. Instead, he ran both hands through his hair and over his face. Everything had gone to hell—Hazel, the child, Elm, all of it. But Callie was with him and she was safe…for now. If they had to run, he’d find a way to break the damn binding spell himself.

CHAPTER
TWELVE

Callie sat on one end of the couch, legs pulled underneath her. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed. The storm continued to pound the windows like a determined, unwelcome visitor. Rowan paced near the door, blade in hand. He slid it absently between his fingers, and she wondered how he didn’t cut himself.