Page 64 of Cold Hearted
Stars help me. My hands shook as I looped the question over and over in my head, trying to ensure I wouldn’t get distracted and screw up like I had when I came through the mirror portal to Ethereum.
I took a deep breath. “What can I, or anyone else, do to heal the curse of Faerie and save my people?” I realized my error and rushed out the rest. “Besides taking the heart of an Ethereum lord?”
The lips of one of the Wise Ones quirked and then they all shared a look, nodding one by one as if sharing one mind. I hoped I had asked the right question, that it was worded in a way that would yield the most descriptive answer.
There was movement to my right, and the Wise One startled me by stepping off of his rock throne and approaching me. I steeled myself, praying I would obtain the answer I’d sought after for so long.
“Dawn Ambrose, daughter of Summer, mother of children yet to be conceived, wife of Lord Zander Warrick yet to be wed.” The Wise One circled me and my breath caught in my throat at the long title. It was proof that these men did see the future, my future wedding to Zander. A wedding I had yet to tell anyone about.
His mouth didn’t move and yet his voice was so close it was as if he were speaking right into my ear.
“You have completed one part in a four-part puzzle to break the curse over your people forever.”
I gasped, trying not to react or meet his gaze. He walked with perfect precision as he circled me.“When you, a Faerie princess, bonded to an Ethereum lord rather than take his life like so many before you, the curse was weakened.”
Zander and I bonding was all I had to do? That was the easiest thing in the world. I wanted to shout out with joy, but kept my lips shut, knowing I had one question and would only be given one answer.
He stopped in front of me. “Three more tasks must be completed by the champions of Fall, Winter, and Spring for the curse to break forever and your worlds to be restored.”
Fall, Winter, and Spring? Did he mean the other princesses of Faerie? They had a role in this as well?
I didn’t move, didn’t breathe. I didn’t want to miss a word about what the final three tasks would be.
He nodded, and then walked back over to his rock throne, climbing up the two steps and sitting down.
“Uh, do you mean the other princesses? What are the three tasks they need to complete?” I asked.
The Wise One who had spoken to me before, frowned. “Your question has been answered. No more will be allowed. Farewell, Dawn.”
They all bowed, and I ran forward frantically.
“No! You don’t understand—” Everything went black then, the night sky above disappeared, along with the Wise Ones, and any source of light. I was thrown into complete darkness.
“Please. I need to know how to save my people,” I whimpered, feeling the panic rising up inside of me.
“Dawn!” Zander called out somewhere far off.
Feeling defeated but with a little bit of hope, I started back, my hands out in front of me.
They had answered my question, technically. There was four tasks needed to save my people, and I’d already completed mine. They’d also confirmed there was a way to break the curse, once and for all.
I just wished they’d given me a little something else so that I could be proactive and help. Never before had a princess from the Winter, Fall, and Spring Courts entered Ethereum, so the Wise Ones mention of them having their own task to complete felt shocking.
“Dawn!” Zander’s sharp voice came to my right, and then suddenly the darkness was lifted, and he was there, pulling me into his arms. I clung to him, burying my face in his chest and inhaling his sandalwood scent.
Pulling back, he brushed the hair from my forehead and looked down at me with wild eyes.
“What did they say? Did you figure out how we can help your people?” The concern in his voice made my heart melt. He didn’t even know my people. For all intents and purposes he should hate them. We’d hunted his kind and killed them for centuries. But because I loved them, so did he. He was a true mate.
“Well, that’s the good news.” I roused a small smile, threading his fingers through mine. “Our bonding was a piece of the puzzle that needed to happen in order to break the curse.”
He smiled then, a full smile that made my knees weak.
“That’s wonderful.”
I swallowed hard and nodded, and Zander’s face darkened. “But?”
I heaved a sigh. “But the other three princesses of Faerie have a part to play in ending the curse as well. They each have tasks to complete, but I don’t know what they are because I’d already used my question.”
