Page 96 of Black Hearted
“Okay,” he agreed, gesturing for me to sit, and when I did, he pulled the silver dome off a plate to reveal poached eggs, hashed potatoes, and strips of bacon.
We tucked into our breakfast, my heart full and hopeful about the future.
“I got my dagger back last night, so we have all four faestones now,” I told him. Although my court and Zane’s kingdom hadn’t experienced the effects of the curse and so I didn’t think we would need my faestone to heal our lands, I wanted it with us just in case.
He nodded. “We’ll travel to each court in Faerie, healing it, and move on to the next. If the Wise Ones were right, the kingdoms here in Ethereum should start healing as well.”
“I hope that’s true.”
“We’ll see,” he said.
After breakfast, I had a quick visit with Aribella and Isolde again, along with their husbands, who I had to admit were amazing. Then I went to check on Dawn. I’d learned last night how she was keeping the babies alive outside the womb at such a youngage, and it was clearly taking a toll on her. She looked exhausted and so I kept my visit with her brief.
Finally, Zane and I grabbed our packed bags and went to the throne room, easily slipping through the portal and into the Spring Court. Nellie, who’d stayed with my sisters last night, was waiting for us, her backpack slung over her shoulders and a traveling cloak wrapped around her.
Zane cast me a questioning look, as if asking whether I’d told her she could come. I shook my head lightly.
“Nellie, we’re only going to be gone a short time. A couple weeks at most,” Zane told her.
She pointed a finger at him. “You promised we’d be together now, and I can help you if anyone gets hurt.”
Zane looked at me. “Lorelei can heal me if I get hurt.”
Zane had told me about her magic and how, in order to heal someone, she took on their injury. I hoped to work with her on being able to heal without that awful side effect, but I felt we needed to build a better rapport first. In order to truly help her, she needed to trust me first.
“I think I will need an assistant,” I said.
Zane raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you two ganging up on me?”
Nellie ran to my side, folding her arms over her chest, and nodded. “I’m going. I’m Lorelei’s assistant.”
Zane broke into a grin. It was clear he had such a soft spot for her. She was already family to him, and I loved that about him.
“Fine,” he relented.
With that and my mother’s blessing, we grabbed mounted horses and headed for the Summer Court.
We reached the border between the Spring and Summer Courts sooner than I had expected. From there, we could see the dry and cracked soil where the curse had tried, and failed, to bleed into the Spring Court. A shiver ran down my spine when I remembered trying to escape Queen Liliana. How the air had been filled with ash and the ground leeched completely of life.
We rode for another hour into the desolate lands before stopping. We wanted to make sure we were well enough into the Summer Court for the faestone to heal the land, but we were hesitant to travel any further considering the condition the curse had left it in. It didn’t feel safe.
Nellie scanned the surroundings with a frown and a touch of fear in her eyes.
“Nellie,” I called, drawing her attention. “I know Zane has offered you a room in his castle, but I would like to offer you a place to stay in the Spring Palace as well. My sisters and parents have already grown so fond of you. They wanted you to know you’ll always have a place there.”
She and my sister Octavia had become quite close, as my mother had told me. Nellie’s eyes grew misty. “I’d like that sometimes. Like having a sleepover?”
I nodded. “Yes, like that. Anytime you want.”
She swallowed hard and then rushed into my arms, hugging me. I met Zane’s gaze over her head to find him giving me an adoring look.
When she pulled away, Zane brought out the faestones fromthe daggers that had been melted down, along with the daggers that were still whole. He held them in front of us.
“All right,” he said, “the Wise Ones mentioned the dagger and our combined power. I’m guessing Dawn’s faestone would heal this land?”
“I think so, yes,” I agreed.
Zane handed me Dawn’s orange faestone before putting away the others.
