Night Vision

Only it didn’t work the way he thought it would.

First mistake: He picked the wrong person to turn. He sought out Myst, who wasn’t the Unseelie Queen, who wasn’t even the Winter Queen of the area, but who thought herself a likely candidate. She had a thirst for power of her own and wasn’t one to knuckle under someone else’s rule. She agreed to the bargain, and—being the brilliant leader she was—she let Geoffrey think she would go willingly into his control.

Second mistake: When Geoffrey turned her, he didn’t count on the fact that turning the Cambyra doesn’t result in the same end as turning a yummanii. He fed on her to the point of death, and then she fed on him. So far, so good, as far as the vampires were concerned.

But Myst didn’t die. Myst didn’t die, and she didn’t respond to Geoffrey as her sire, as one of the yummanii would.

Instead, she began to heal. And her healing was fast and furious. As she returned to life, she changed. She rose from her deathbed, dark and terrible with black eyes filled with stars. Her skin took on a cerulean glow. And her powers were greater than the sum of both her heritage and Geoffrey’s.

Myst rose from her deathbed and fed on the vampires keeping watch over her—draining them dry of both blood and energy. And then she turned those of her own kind, and so the Indigo Court was born, and the war between the vampires and the Indigo Court took hold.

But the Vampiric Fae had one up on the true vampires: They could breed. And the first child born to Myst was a daughter named Cherish.

And Cherish…was me.

Fast-forward to centuries later. A new land—one uninhabited except by a tribal culture who could not fight those of us belonging to the Indigo Court.

I was out for a morning walk when I smelled fresh prey on the wind. Summer grass and apples, oak moss and sunlight…and so I pounced. But my prey—a gorgeous young Cambyra prince named Shy—caught hold of me by the heart. A bond formed almost immediately, one we could neither explain nor deny. And so we ran away together, but our people followed, both sides furious. They hunted us down, and at the end, before they could kill us, we drank a potion to bind our souls and reunite us in a future life. We died in each other’s arms.

And so, here we are. Brought together by a love forged long, long ago.

But Myst is rising to power. And behind her swarm the Shadow Hunters—the Vampiric Fae of the Indigo Court. We’ve slaughtered hundreds of them, but they are regrouping. They flock to their mistress, monstrous creatures who turn into ravaging beasts, who bite to the bone, chewing muscle and gristle, reveling in the blood of the fallen, siphoning the life force away from all they capture.

Maybe this time around, Grieve and I can put an end to it. Maybe we can have our happy ending, and help out the world, too. At least, that’s the plan.

“We need to sleep, love.” Grieve stroked my face. “You promised to help Luna and Peyton up at the house tomorrow.”

I nodded. “Give me a few minutes, would you? I want to take a moment by myself.”

“Be careful, then. I will wait for you by the Barrow.” Grieve kissed the top of my hand, then took off. I waited till he rounded the curve in the path before turning toward the Twin Oaks that formed the portal leading to the outer world.

A noise behind me made me stop, and I quickly spun around to find myself facing Check, one of the guards assigned to keeping an eye on me. I recognized him from when we routed the Shadow Hunters from the Barrow.

“Your Highness, please, don’t go out there alone.” He moved to my side and gazed down at me, a soft smile playing on his lips. All the men in Lainule’s service were gorgeous—and his eyes were the same cornflower blue that Grieve’s had once been. He was wearing leather armor, and a long sword by his side glistened with silver trim.

I paused, not wanting to cause him distress. “Check, you know that I’m not full-blooded Cambyra. Does that bother you? Do you mind that I’ll be taking the throne?”

He frowned, then cocked his head. “No, Your Ladyship. I think…the days are over when the Cambyra can hide from the world. And someone who is born to both worlds might just be the way to forge that merger.”

“Then, as you state, since I am not entirely from the Cambyra world, things will change. And one thing that has to change is that I won’t live my life locked away in a tower. I’ll take on the robes, I’ll move to the Barrow, I’ll lead the people in the best way that I can, but I won’t be a prisoner. I’ll be cautious.” I stopped and smiled at him. “I’ll be good. I won’t try to ditch the guards. But I come from the world out there. And I need to come and go as I please. Do you understand?”

He cracked another smile. “I think I do, my Lady. But understand my sacred duty—I cannot let you go alone, not and mind my conscience. Please forgive me, but I plan on escorting you, and Fearless as well.”

His companion stepped from behind a nearby tree. Fearless was as good as his name. Grieve had told me that he was paired with Check because Check always kept him in balance. They were both brave, and true to the Court of Rivers and Rushes. If anybody was going to protect me, I knew they would.

“The former Regent still walks abroad, and it is the night, when he will be waking,” Check whispered, leaning closer.

That decided me. This was as far as I could sanely push the matter. Either they went with me, or I went back to the Barrow, because even though I chafed at the restraints, the truth was—Geoffrey and Leo were out to wreak havoc on us. And Myst was out to kill us. And I couldn’t count on any place being truly safe at this point.

“Thanks, Check. I’d…appreciate the company.” I led the way to the portal, although when we got there, Check slipped in front of me and insisted on going through first. I gratefully stepped back and let him.

The energy of the portal was like a brilliant, sparkling vortex, and I was slowly getting used to it. As I emerged from the net of magic between the Twin Oaks, I saw that Check was kneeling on the ground about ten yards ahead, examining the snow. The look on his face was one of worry.

Shivering, I realized that in my hurry, I’d forgotten to bring my coat. Once out of the realm of Summer, Myst’s fury and vengeance had returned.

As I breathed in a lungful of cold air, Check stood, his face blank and stern. “We must return to the Barrow, Your Highness. Now.”

“What’s going on? What is it?” I hurried over to his side and leaned down. There, against the pale snow, was a patch of blood and bone, staining it pink. The size of my fist, the bone was fresh, and the blood on it still fluid and red.

Quickly, I pulled out my dagger.

Ulean, what do you sense? What’s out there?”

She swept around me, agitated. Cicely, get back into the realm of Summer. Now. There are dangers here.

Before I could move, the bushes parted and a doglike creature broke through, jaw unhinging as it lunged for me. As I screamed, startled, Check pushed me out of the way. The Shadow Hunter snapped air, his jaws clenching on nothing, and then I saw behind him a great creature, pale white and looming like a mountain of flesh, with glaring eyes the color of dawn and features that were bulbous and fat.

“What the fuck is that?” I stared up at the creature as it lumbered toward us. I stumbled away, trying to get out of its path.

“Ice troll!” Fearless jumped forward, his sword out.

“Where did Myst find an ice troll?” Check grabbed him by the arm. “We can’t engage. Our first duty—ensure the safety of the Queen. Walk away and live to fight another day, brother.”

A look of frustration washed over Fearless’s expression, but he immediately turned and grabbed me up, unceremoniously holding me by the waist. As we raced toward the portal, Check guarded our back.

I wanted to go fight—wanted to send them running. I could do it, too. I could summon up a hurricane if I wanted to, but the guards weren’t giving me a chance. When we were at the portal, though, Fearless had to put me down.

Whirling, I saw the troll and the Shadow Hunter hot on our heels. I closed my eyes and summoned the winds.

No, Cicely—let it be, just go through the portal!

But I wasn’t listening to Ulean. A swell of fury welled up. I was sick of the whole fucking war. Sick of Myst and her army. Of Geoffrey and Leo. I was stick-a-fork-in-me done with everybody who was trying to kill us.

“Gale Force…” My whisper echoed through the air, and the next moment, the wind caught me up. The whirl of air grew within me, raising me tall against the night sky, and I was no longer myself, but now queen of the winds, queen of the air—the heart of the storm.

I grabbed control of the swirl of wind and snow and set it to spin, driving the falling flakes that whitened the sky into a frenzied dance. The vortex caught me up and I rode the crest of the energy, the ripples and currents widening to form a train in my wake, as I pushed the growing storm before me. The fog and mist rose at my feet to buoy me up, and I towered over the forest, my arms wide, gathering the winds.

In case she was listening, I whispered, sending my voice spiraling into the slipstream. “You want to play with the cold, Myst? I’ll show you what it means to truly be the Queen of Winter.”

The ice troll and the Shadow Hunter stopped, staring up at me as I loomed over them, dark and beautiful and feeling my power.

Rein it in, Cicely. Rein it in—you know the storm can take over. Bring the winds back. Ulean was frantic, and her voice finally penetrated my thoughts, which were a swirl of power and energy.

But I couldn’t. Not yet. I had vengeance to pay. I swept down, bent at the waist from my place in the treetops, as a whirling twister sprang up between my fingers. I set it on the ground, in front of the ice troll and the Shadow Hunter, and watched impassively as it thundered toward them, a terrifying tornado filled with ice shards and biting snow.

The Shadow Hunter screamed and the troll just looked confused as the icy twister rolled over them, ripping them up and into the center of the maelstrom. A shout of glee echoed from my lips as I watched the vortex rip them from limb to limb.

As Ulean pleaded with me, I thought—for just a moment—how easy it would be to give in to the power and allow it to carry me away. To become the heart of the storm and forget everything else.

But then Grieve’s face flashed before my eyes. My wolf howled with worry. Placing my hand against my tattoo, I remembered why I had to remain Cicely Waters—magic-born, and Uwilahsidhe. Tentatively, and then with a firm hand, I reined in the storm, pulled the winds back inside me, and returned to my body.

I turned to find Fearless and Check staring at me. They said nothing as we returned to the Barrow, but I had the sense that they’d never look at me the same way again. They seemed almost…afraid. And I didn’t much care for that feeling.

Chapter 3

Grieve was right inside the portal. Lainule stood directly behind him. Her eyes flashed as she gave me a look that made me feel two inches tall. She was pissed. She’d been concerned enough when the power over the winds had first transferred from a magical fan into my soul. And she’d already warned me against using the storms.

“Every time you use the power of the winds like that, you come closer to permanently shifting yourself into the Elemental plane of Air. And there, you would go mad. Yes, you’d be Queen of the Winds, but Cicely…I am not joking when I tell you that should that happen, no longer would you control your own mind or your destiny. You would belong to the wind itself.” Lainule’s voice echoed like thunder and I dropped to my knees, cowering at my feet from the force of her words.

“I’m sorry—I was so angry…”

Lainule let out a deep sigh. “Get up, girl, and listen to me.”

I stood, hanging my head, too embarrassed to look at Grieve or the guards.

Lainule crossed her arms, watching me intently. “Cicely…anger unchecked leads to the forces that created Myst. If she hadn’t been so jealous, she wouldn’t have ever agreed to Geoffrey’s plans. But she was furious at the world. Furious at her lot in life. She wanted to be the Winter Queen so badly that she was willing to put her soul on the line for her desires.”

I’d never heard this part of the story. Cautiously, I looked up at her impassive face. “I didn’t know that.”

“Myst would have changed, yes, had Geoffrey turned her unwillingly. She might have been driven to madness. But…I do not think she would have become so ruthless. There is no way of knowing for certain, of course, but look at Grieve—he has found a way to harness the Shadow Hunter within. He wanted to harness it. Myst’s fury, her jealousy and her anger drove her to become the monster she is.” Lainule was more agitated than I’d ever seen her.

Angry with myself that I was the cause, I slowly knelt in front of her. “Lady, please, forgive me. You warned me about the powers of the wind, but I didn’t think. I acted on impulse.” I bit my lip, feeling like a chastised child who’d been caught with her hand in the candy jar after she’d been told No.

Lainule paused, taking a deep breath. She let it out slowly. “Child, understand. I am not scolding you to be contrary. I am trying to save your life and your sanity. The last thing we need is a crazed queen of the winds on our hands. It’s bad enough with one monster out there. We need you as the Queen of Winter. You have obligations and responsibilities now, and if you ignore them, you put everyone in danger. I’m fading. I’ll be leaving soon, and then…only you and your cousin will remain to cope with Myst and her Shadow Hunters.”

She placed a gentle hand under my chin and tipped it up. I gazed into her eyes, which were as old as time. She was beautiful, and ageless, but the tips of her golden hair were now fading into an auburn red, and the faintest of lines marred the flawless skin on her face. Summer was fading into the autumn of her years.