Chapter One
It was well known that faeries loved to dance, and yet Maescia was not dancing. She stuck her elbows out to ward off the others as she made her way through the crowd. The harder she pushed to get through, the tighter they closed in.
Her breath came faster. She needed to get free. She needed to be alone.
Normally, Maescia would have loved nothing more than to join their cavorting, but nothing was normal anymore.
Long fingers grasped her waist and tried to tug her into a twirl, but Maescia planted her feet and refused to move. She bared her teeth at the other faery, and he stumbled, his shoulder knocking into a serving tray. The glasses flew into the air, and a golden shower rained down on them, the sweet liquid drenching her hair and sliding down her skin.
But finally, the faeries parted to let her through. Had she known this was the trick to carving a path to freedom, she would have upended some drinks ages ago.
Maescia dove through the bodies to the outer edge of the courtyard where shadows clung to the crumbling walls and tucked herself into a corner. She pulled her bony knees up to her chest and let her green-hued hair hang around her like a curtain—a dirty curtain. The spilled drink had turned the strands into sticky clumps. A single drop rolled down her cheek, but she made no move to brush it away.
The music changed tempo, shifting into something slower that better fit her melancholy mood. Maescia picked at a scab on her knee, her bottom lip poking out in a sulk. This had all started when her friends had promised to visit her, and yet not one of them had. She might forgive the new elven queen for the slight, but not the others. They had no excuse other than that they had simply forgotten.
Then the Summer King forgot her too.
Maescia sighed, her gaze lifting over the crowd to the raised dais at the center of the courtyard. The Summer King lounged on his throne with a human man perched on the arm. The man swayed ever so slightly to the music, like a drunkard. His cheekbones stood out in stark relief, and shadows pooled under his eyes, yet he gazed longingly—almost hungrily—at the dancers below. The second the Summer King bid him to go, he would be down among the others, not caring about the coveted position he had given up. Her eyes slid away from him. She didn’t care about the human man. No, she was looking for another faery.
She spotted Astraea kneeling on the Summer King’s right side. Today she wore a dress of the palest blue, a color better fit for the Winter Court. Astraea lifted her pointed face to stare up at the Summer King, her rose-colored curls falling back over her shoulder. A single ivory horn was visible on the right side of her head. There was a matching one on the left side.
Oh, how Maescia envied those horns. All the prettiest faeries had them.
She pulled further into the shadows so no one would see her watching her nemesis. Going unnoticed was her best skill. It had always made her the Summer King’s first choice for important business. Until now.
The King shooed the human away and watched him scurry off the dais. Once he was swallowed up by the dancers, the Summer King leaned toward Astraea. He must be saying something, but from this angle, Maescia couldn’t see his lips. Instead, she had to stare at Astraea. The faery girl tipped her chin and her mouth moved to form a response when a figure stepped in front of Maescia, blocking her view.
She growled.
“What are you doing over here, Mae?” the faery boy who had tried to dance with her earlier asked.
She ignored his question. “Move.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Not until you tell me why you aren’t dancing?”
“It’s none of your business.” Maescia pulled herself to her feet and brushed past him.
On the dais, the Summer King was still talking to Astraea. One copper hand dipped inside his favorite red velvet coat and withdrew something. From here, Maescia couldn’t see the object, but she would wager it was a vial of potion. Exactly which potion it was, she couldn’t have said.
“Mae,” a hand tentatively brushed her shoulder, “if this is about—”
“It’s not,” she said, cutting him off. “Worry about yourself, Corym.”
He dropped his hand but didn’t give up. “I’m sorry about the mess with the drinks.”
Maescia shot a glare over her shoulder. He probably couldn’t see it in the dark, but she hoped he would finally get the hint and leave her alone. She may have wanted the Summer King’s attention and that of her friends, but his she could do without.
Astraea nodded; her fingers wrapped around whatever the Summer King had given her. Thanks to Corym, Maescia had missed most of the conversation.
“I see,” he said close to her ear. “You’re jealous.”
Maescia seethed.
“You’re green with envy. Anyone could see it.” He chuckled at his own joke.
Of course, she was jealous. That had been her up there with the Summer King until one day he had chosen Astraea instead. She had hoped it would only be once, but he chose her again and again.
What sorts of things was he asking her to do that Maescia couldn’t have done better? She was going to find out, and then she was going to take back her place at the Summer King’s side.
Corym flicked out a finger and wiped away the drop of liquid sunshine that still clung to her cheek like a tear.
“Please, go away.” Maescia never said please, but she was desperate.
He studied her face. “If that is what you wish. I’ll leave you to your brooding,” he said. Then he stepped back and melted into the crowd of faeries.
When Maescia dragged her eyes away from where he had disappeared, Astraea was no longer on the dais. She cursed Corym as she frantically scanned the area. She was about to give up when the flash of rose-colored curls caught her eye before Astraea disappeared into the trees.
Now where could she be off to?
Maescia edged her way around the courtyard and ducked into the trees. The darkness was near complete, and there was no sign of Astraea. She inhaled a deep breath of the loamy air and pushed a low hanging branch out of her way, scanning the night. Silver pixie wings flickered in and out like bursts of starlight.
Then, between the trunks to her right, a flash of blue.
Maescia zeroed in on that little spot of color and carefully picked her way toward it until Astraea’s figure appeared. Her dress made her look like a wraith haunting the woods.
Now that she was close, Maescia reduced her pace. It wouldn’t do to crash through the branches and let Astraea know she was being followed. The music from the courtyard faded, replaced by forest sounds and the occasional squeak of a pixie. She stepped lightly through the underbrush, her feet sinking in the soft soil. It had rained not two days past which made tracking someone all the easier.
Maescia knew the forest better than anyone, and it wasn’t long before she figured out where they were heading. The abandoned houses were a common crossroads for those entering or leaving the Summer Court and was the very spot where she had first greeted the human seer, Seraiah, who she now counted among her friends.
Astraea slowed when she reached the road, coming to a stop in the center.
Maescia darted between the empty houses until she was only two away from where Astraea stood. She pressed herself against the wall and used the leafy vines clinging to the stone as cover as she peered at the other faery girl. She didn’t seem to be doing anything but standing there. Then as Maescia watched, Astraea began turning in a circle, eyeing the surrounding houses like she was looking for someone.
Maescia pulled back as Astraea’s gaze swept over the house where she was hiding. The leaves tickled the back of her neck, but she didn’t dare move a muscle.
Astraea finished her scan and seeming satisfied, pulled something from her pocket. Maescia parted the leaves and leaned closer for a better look. It had to be whatever the Summer King had given her. If she turned ever so slightly to the left, Maescia would be able to see what it was.
She was contemplating the merits of moving closer for a better look when the crack of a branch split the silence. Astraea whipped around toward the sound, and Maescia had to scuttle back around the corner to avoid being seen.
She held her breath, listening hard for someone’s approach. Odds were good it was only an animal, but if Astraea decided to investigate, Maescia could be caught.
Seconds passed, and the forest resumed its normal noises.
The tension left Maescia’s shoulders, and she took one step back toward where she had last seen Astraea when a hand clamped over her mouth and a voice whispered in her ear, “Found you.”
For one terrifying moment, Maescia thought it was Astraea who had found her, but then her brain caught up, and she realized that wasn’t Astraea’s voice, nor did those long fingers belong to her.
Maescia drove her elbow into the soft flesh of her attacker’s stomach and with a soft oof, he let her go. She twisted away from Corym and darted around the corner, hoping her nemesis hadn’t heard the commotion.
The road where Astraea had been standing was empty. She was gone.
Maescia whirled on Corym, fingers forming fists. She had half a mind to punch him.
“You’re welcome,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. A pixie flitted around his head, tugging on strands of his black hair.
She stomped up to him and stabbed him in the shoulder with her finger. “How dare you. I told you to leave me alone. Now look what you’ve done. You’ve ruined everything.” The last words came out in a hiss.
“I saved you.”
“You what?” she sputtered.
His eyebrows rose. “Did you think I was the only one who noticed you left right after Astraea did?”
“No one else would care.” She folded her arms over her chest, mirroring him. Everyone else had forgotten her, she thought but didn’t say.
“I don’t think so. There are some who would be extremely interested in your activities, especially the Summer King.”
Maescia snorted. Now she knew Corym had no idea what he was talking about. The Summer King didn’t care about her anymore. She wouldn’t be out here chasing after Astraea if he did.
“There is more going on here then you know.”
“Oh really?”
He nodded. “I’ve heard things.”
“Like what?”
Corym pressed his lips together, his fangs making a brief appearance.
“That’s what I thought. You don’t know anything. You’re only here to torment me. Did Astraea put you up to this? I bet she did. What favors did she promise you?”
Without a word, he stepped closer and lowered his face near hers. There was a challenge in his eyes.
Maescia held her ground, refusing to be intimidated.
Corym grinned and then bent toward her neck, scraping his fangs over her skin.
She gave a startled cry, shoving him away with one hand and pressing the other to her neck. “You—you bit me!”
“You’ll thank me for it tomorrow,” he said before turning on his heel and retreating into the forest.
Maescia could only stare in shock at his retreating figure.
