I didn’t look back as I left the room, feeling Orion and Sorrell following as we made our way to the stables. As Orion disappeared to find stable hands to assist in readying our mounts, I sucked in a lungful of icy air and pushed it out in a rush. Seconds later, I felt the niggling of eyes on me. Turning slightly, I caught a glimpse of the very bitch I’d exiled.
“What do you want?” I asked, calling Ariana from her hiding place.
After a moment, she gave up pretending and slowly slid around the corner, her eyes turned towards the ground.
“Spit it out,” Sorrell snapped, just as through with her as I was. “We don’t have all day.”
“Is it really true?” she asked. “That I won’t be allowed back into the Court of Crimson?”
“You put my betrothed at risk, you attempted to kill her, and only by her mercy are you even alive,” I growled. “Yes, it is true. If ever you show your face in our Court again, I will have you shackled in silver and then burned at the stake.”
Her head jerked up and she took a step forward, her hand reaching out blindly. “Roan—”
Without stopping to think, I took the few steps to reach her, raised my palm, and backhanded her across the face. Ariana fell to the ground, her hand coming up to cover her face as tears tracked down her cheeks. A hollowness filled me. Something twisted and dark. Cress would have been so angry had she seen my actions, and yet, I didn’t care.
“Do not speak to me so disrespectfully, peasant,” I snapped. “I am a Royal and you are nothing. I am a future King of the Crimson Court and you will address me as such. If I ever see your face again, I can promise you nothing but pain and misery. Your home is now the Court of Frost. You are not welcome anywhere else.”
I turned my back on her and walked over to my horse as Orion and two stable hands came around the opposite corner, each with a mount in hand. There wasn’t a single feeling of remorse, I noted, as her quiet sobs followed me. Sorrell didn’t say a word as we each took our steeds and headed out. A sick sinister feeling coated my every movement and I blinked, turning my nose down and sniffing at myself. But no, I had to be imagining it. Every ounce of hatred I had for Ariana, every modicum of disgust, had finally seeped out of me. It was only my anger that had caused my actions.
Still, my eyes slid towards Orion as he mounted his horse and took the reins. Regardless of my behavior, we had more important things to attend to. Our focus needed to be on getting back to the Court of Crimson and then to the human realm. Cress was waiting.
Chapter Three
Sorrell
The Court of Crimson appeared over the hill and, as if the others felt the same renewed sense of urgency at the sight of it, our pace increased. With just the three of us, we'd managed to keep our mounts through the Pass and were now so very close to our Court and our way back to the human realm. Sweat slicked the back of my neck as my mind rolled with thoughts, possibilities, and plans.
How long had Tyr been preparing for this betrayal? His treachery didn't come as a surprise, but … my gaze slid to Orion on the other side of Roan. Cold fury burned hot inside my core. He would regret his deception, that much I would make sure of.
The front gates of the Court of Crimson opened and I slowed as Roan passed through first, then Orion, and I brought up the back. Roan rode towards the stables and we followed. I slipped from the saddle, handing the reins over to a stable hand without a second thought.
"The Lanuaet," I said as I turned towards the castle's front entrance. Orion and Roan followed behind as we made our way into the front corridor.
"Your majesties!" a familiar voice called out.
"Groffet." Roan stepped forward as the short dwarf hobbled towards us.
"How—" The old man stopped and adjusted the spectacles at the end of his bulbous nose, glancing behind us. "Where is the Changeling?"
"She has been stolen," Orion stated, his voice lowering. I cut a look towards him as the scent of ash and doom intensified in the immediate area.
Groffet's eyes widened and he glanced back over his shoulder as if waiting for something to appear. "Should I tell the..." He let his sentence trail off, but we knew who he meant. Cressida's human friend.
I gritted my teeth. "No," I said with a shake of my head. "We will be moving the castle today. Make sure she remains with you. Do not let the girl out of your sight."
Groffet nodded but remained right where he was. "Do you have the energy to move the castle?" he asked a moment later.
I saw Roan's back stiffen before I felt mine do the same. My jaw clenched. The answer was not an easy one. Truth be told, I wasn't sure if we could or if we did, what the results of the strain on our bodies would be. It didn't matter. We had to get back. We had to find her. Though we'd cut our trip short by traveling with just the three of us on horseback—it had still taken us nearly a day and a half to return. Added to the fact that none of us had slept or eaten much since the Changeling had been taken … we were not at our most powerful.
"It will happen," Roan stated before pushing past the dwarf. "We will find a way."
With that, he took off. Orion didn't hesitate to follow him, and I was left standing between their retreating backs and Groffet's knowing look. I leveled him with a glare when still he hadn't said anything. "Speak your piece," I commanded. "And then be gone."
He sighed, shaking his head. "If you overexert your strengths—even between the three of you—it may damage your magic abilities," he stated. "You're all still young. You are powerful, but none of you have yet come into your full potential. If you damage your bodies now, you may never reach it."
I knew he was right, loathe as I was to admit it, but it no longer mattered. I would push my body to the brink of death if it meant saving that damn Changeling. She had weaseled her way into our Court, into my throne brothers' beds, and into our lives. When I didn't respond, he heaved another great sigh and turned around to waddle away.
My feet carried me to the Lanuaet chamber where Orion and Roan were already waiting. As soon as I stepped inside, their heads lifted and their eyes met mine.
"We will need replenishment when we get there," I stated as we gathered around the orb above us. It buzzed with barely repressed magical energy. The feel of it was like lightning grazing my skin as I moved closer.
"You may take a lover," Roan grunted as he lifted his arms, "but I will not."
"No." The word barked out of my mouth, harsh and violent. Roan's arms paused and his head turned towards me. He arched one singular brow. "I will take matters into my own hands as I suspect you will as well."
"It will not be enough," Orion said.
No, it wouldn't. Masturbation only did so much for the healing of sexual energy, but then again, I had waited long enough—repressed my attraction to the Changeling long enough—that nothing else would do now. There wasn't a single body within the walls of our Court that I wanted but hers, and I'd finally decided that I would have it or no other.
Orion took a step closer to the Lanuaet. I closed my eyes and lifted my arms. Already, I could feel the orbs need to devour. "To the human realm," I said, reopening them and fixing my gaze on the clouded magical element hovering just out of physical reach. It had all started with this sacred piece of Fae energy. The Lanuaet had landed us in the middle of Amnestia and we'd found who was likely the last of her line. This time, it would bring us back to her or her back to us. Either way, it didn't matter so long as she was within our reach once more.