Page 70 of Cold Hearted
Zane looked horrified at that. “Which court would be next in your world?”
I swallowed hard.
“The Fall Court.”
He frowned. “What about here?”
I didn’t know that, but I had a feeling that whoever Aribella’s mate was, his kingdom would befall this curse next if she didn’t complete her task. Which I was now hoping she wouldn’t, because I didn’t want any of Zander’s brothers to die.
“I’ll check on my kingdom and send word,” Zane told us. Zander nodded back, and the brothers embraced one last time before Zane took off, rushing through the crowd and out the ballroom doors. I hoped with everything in me that whatever had happened here tonight wasn’t happening in the other kingdoms. Despite whatever Zander said, I still felt responsible.
I pulled Nysa into my arms, my eyes threatening tears, but I held them back. I was now the ruler of the Northern Kingdom and our people needed me to be strong. Now wasn’t the time to fall apart. Taking Alexandria’s hand in my own, I squeezed it tightly, giving her what comfort I could offer.
“We’ll figure this out,” I promised her.
“We will,” Zander echoed, and then laid a hand on my shoulder. “Together.”
I looked over at him and nodded. We would.
The fall equinox wasn’t for two more moon cycles, but that’s when the portal to Ethereum would open in the Fall Court for princess Aribella. She would come to Ethereum, and then we’d find her and bring her to the Wise Ones. The Wise Ones said that all four princesses would need to complete a task to end this curse, but how could both worlds bear the curse for that long? Maybe Aribella could find a way to destroy this curse once and for all, and then we’d finally see the end of all this pain and suffering… in both realms.
Until then, I’d stand with Zander, my co-ruler, my husband, my mate. We would keep our kingdom together for our people and for each other. I was a princess of Faerie, and he was a lord of Ethereum. Individually, we were strong, but together we were unstoppable.
Epilogue
Aribella
Iturned the page of the astronomy book I was reading when my mother walked into the library and pulled my attention.
“Oh, hello, Moth—”
I stopped when I saw that the blood had drained from her face and her hands shook slightly. I slammed the book shut and sat up straighter.
“What’s wrong? Is Father back from Winter Court? Is he okay?”
My mother clasped her hands together tightly to keep them from shaking and cleared her throat. “He’s fine, I presume. But… the Summer queen, Queen Liliana, is here with her people. They are seeking safe haven from some emergency, and with your father gone I’m not sure what to do.”
I stood, straightening my dress. My mother was a good queen, beloved by her people, but she was used to planning dinner parties and redecorating the ballroom every five years, not dealing with refugees. She didn’t handle stress well.
“I’ll take care of it,” I told her. My father had been training me to take over the kingdom since I was twelve,and I was well read in inter-court law. If the Summer queen needed safe haven because of an emergency, we would certainly offer it.
I crossed the room quickly and met my mother at the door. My father’s secretary stood behind her holding a pencil and paper.
“How many fae are there?” I asked the secretary, now stepping into line beside her as we walked away from the library and toward the main entrance of our castle.
“Over a thousand and more still coming in,” Falana said, her red hair slicked into a bun at the nape of her neck.
I stopped walking. “What kind of emergency displaces over a thousand Summer fae?”
“The curse of Ethereum,” a woman’s cold voice cut down the hallway.
I spun in that direction and my mouth popped open when my gaze landed on the queen of Summer. Normally the regalest of us all, always dripping in expensive silks and gems, she looked downright disheveled. Her pink skirt was stained black as if she’d trudged through ink. Her hair hung in limp wet strands normally the color of cornsilk, now a ruddy brown.
The curse of Ethereum.
My mind felt fuzzy as I processed her reply. “Curse? Isn’t Dawn back?”
The curse of Ethereum fell on Summer Court every hundred years, and they sent a champion to go to the mirror world and take care of it. I knew it was Dawn’s turn to be champion, but I hadn’t spoken to her since summer solstice a few years ago.
