Page 69 of Cold Hearted
Zander released a low groan as he tracked the movement with his eyes. “I’ve shared my wife long enough tonight,” he said, and a thrill shot through me when he called me his wife. “The fae here are deep enough into their cups. They will hardly notice our absence.”
Yes.Finally.
Taking my hand, Zander led me around the edge of the room, dodging and hiding from the guests as he went. It wasn’t long before we were at the entrance doors, and by the time the first firework exploded high in the night sky, Zander and I were already out of the ballroom and rushing down the hall. A second firework exploded, and the lights shone through the windows, casting the hallway and Zander in pink and purple lights. I giggled and he grinned back at me.
I opened my mouth to tell Zander how much I loved him, how magical this night had been for me, when a scream split the night air. We froze. The scream seemed to have come from the ballroom behind us.
Another firework was set off, and then more screams and shouts followed. We looked at each other, and then immediately sprinted back to the ballroom. When we rushed through the doors, we froze again, taking in the scene in front of us.
The room was chaos. Fae were shouting and running and crying in between the bodies of fallen fae who were scattered across the room. The fireworks were still going off, adding to the madness.
I scanned the room, trying to figure out what was wrong, and spotted a pair of delicate wings off to my right.
Alexandria.
Without telling Zander, I took off, sprinting down the steps and then running toward my friend. When I reached her, she was bent over a green-skinned fae, Nysa. I laid a hand on Alexandria’s shoulder, and when she turned I gasped. Black veins shot out from around her eyes. I looked around her and saw that the snaking black streaks also covered Nysa’s arms and face. Nysa was unconscious, but I could see her chest still moving up and down.
“Alexandria, what’s happening?” I asked as I fell to my knees beside her.
“I don’t know!” she wailed. “Nysa just fell to the ground. And now I feel weird. Like some part of me is being taken away from me.”
Were they poisoned? I felt fine, and we all ate the same food.
“They’re all magically ill,” Zander said, suddenly appearing next to me.
Alexandria gasped.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Their magic is being drained from them,” Zander explained with a grimace. Lifting my gaze, I took in all the fae who were lying on the floor, some even writhing in apparent pain, or sitting with black veins on their faces or limbs.
“Will they be all right?” I asked, scared for my friends, but also scared for our people.
Zander didn’t get to answer before Zane suddenly appeared behind him.“It’s the unseelie. All of them seem to have been afflicted with same magic illness at the same time,” he said.
I looked over the crowds, and it confirmed what he said to be true. All the fae who seemed to be afflicted had wings or horns or scales or different-colored skin. Not a single seelie appeared affected.
Just then I remembered something the Wise Ones had told me. When they said they’d been waiting eons for that day, and I asked them what that meant they’d answered, “The prophesized day when the daughter of Faerie and the son of Ethereum would bond, starting the healing of both kingdoms.”
I was confused that they’d said “kingdoms” at the time, because only Faerie was cursed, but what if this is what they were talking about? A Summer princess had always returned to Faerie with the black heart of an Ethereum lord—up until now. Whatever was happening tonight started at midnight, the moment when the portal closed for me. What if my not bringing a black heart back to Faerie had triggered a curse here in Ethereum as well?
I looked up at Zander, horrified, and he dropped to his knees next to me. “What is it?” he asked.
“What if this is my fault?” I said, and then quickly explained my theory to him.
Zander’s face grew darker and darker.
“You didn’t do this, Dawn.”
“This is not a normal sickness, Zander. This is magical. You said so yourself. It has to be. Everyone was struck down at the same time.”
“This may very well be the curse, but that doesn’t mean it’s your fault. It’s just further proof this curse needs to be destroyed.”
“I have to go,” Zane cut in, having just heard every word. “I need to see if this has happened to my people as well.”
Zander nodded in understanding. “Send word when you reach so we know how widespread this illness is.”
I held up a hand, trying to assure Zane. “If this is anything like the curse of my people, it starts in one court and bleeds slowly to the rest one at a time.”
