Chapter 10

"You, my friend, are brave. Stupidly so." Sylos shook his head, marveling as we crossed into the Shadow Realm. "Not an insult, mind you. It's part of your peculiar brand of charm. But it will get you killed one day. When I set out to find you, I'd no idea it would be so soon."

The Shadow Court had been my home for more years than I could count. Yet now, sneaking in under the cover of darkness, shrouded in secrecy, it was as foreign to me as if I were breaking into the Elvin Court. Looping down vacant corridors, we evaded resting guards and put the odd one to sleep with an ice dart that would make them forget they had seen us. I'd called in as many favors as I was owed to get in unseen. Favors were currency in this realm, and I made sure there was always someone, somewhere, who owed me.

The building was ostentatious in comparison to the Dwarf's hovel, with its curvaceous turrets, arched doorways, and perpetually darkened walls. They were meant to reflect a shadowy night with stars lining not only the ceiling, but in many rooms, the floors as well. It was what walking in the galaxy must seem like. Never before had I taken note of how much we as royals had, and how little the rest of the realm survived on. The balance was unfairly slanted. Yet my home of gilded rooms and crystal mirrors had been less a welcoming and safe haven than the one-room cottage belonging to Tilak. At least it was solely his. I envied him that. Ever since being sent out of the Winter Court, I'd been without a home—I realized now I'd never truly had one.

As I mounted the curved staircase to the tower where Venus was held, I thought of Lorelei and what might happen to her. There would be no posh accommodation in a safe castle tower if they found her. It wasn't a question of if. It was a question of when. Unless I reached her first.

I dashed up a narrow staircase that ended at a single door. One sole knight stood guard. His mouth fell open and his eyes darkened with recognition just as the ice dart pierced his neck and melted into his bloodstream. Winter Court magic had its benefits.

I stared at the simple wooden door carved with glowing emblems, which read: "Do not enter under punishment of death. By order of King Oberon." My fingers absently traced the symbol for death. It matched the one permanently etched on my back.

"This is it." I turned to Sylos. "You stand guard."

His eyes dropped to the guard, unconscious on the floor. "What shall I do with him?"

"I don't care. Just make sure he isn't seen. I'll be back soon. Tap if you hear anyone approaching."

I slipped in past the spell that surrounded her chamber. It was designed to keep Witches in, not Faeries out, so there was little to prevent me from entering.

Venus lay draped across a pigskin lounger, crimson hair fanned out over the pillow, and a bowl of cherries sitting by her side. Her head turned slowly in my direction when she heard me enter.

Green eyes flashed, lighting the dimness when she saw me. A small frown worked its way across her brow.

"What are you doing in here?" Her voice dripped with contempt. "If you are supposed to be Oberon's idea of a cellmate, I'd rather be chained in the dungeon. With the flesh-eating trolls." She turned her back to me.

"Be careful what you wish for," I said, eying her closely and closing the door behind me.

She looked no worse for wear, despite her predicament. She still radiated the same smug, confident, defiant attitude. That could work in my favor.

I first met Venus long ago, just before the newly appointed king of the Shadow Court was named. Adrius and I were allies then. Friends. We liked to travel to places we were not supposed to venture. Like Noctria, the lair of the Witches. It was forbidden, but we did not abide by the rules everyone else did. We were above them.

Seeing Venus that day in the garden, collecting icicles in a golden basket, her flaming red hair blazing in the cold sunlight…well, neither one of us could have known it would mean the end of our friendship and the beginning of a bitter war that would last for decades—nearly killing us both, and taking her soul down along with our own.

I tilted my head to the side, studying her closely. "I came with a request."

"So Oberon doesn't know you're here." She spun around, green eyes wide and wild. "And you're asking me for a favor? Ha." She laughed with her head thrown back. "That's priceless. How about I ask you for a favor. Since you and your girlfriend are to blame for this mess I'm in…how about you get me out of here?"

"Maybe." I spoke in low tones so as not to be overheard. I trusted the guards to fulfill their oaths to me, but I did not trust them any further than that. In a blink they would turn to Oberon and craft their own deals against me. I couldn't afford to anger him now.

Venus touched her fingers to her lips. "Ooops, I guess I should have said ex-girlfriend." She cocked her head. "Sorry. That must sting a little. Knowing she's off with Adrius doing, well, you can just imagine what, right now. Twice perhaps." She laughed, but behind it was a trickle of venom she couldn't hide from her voice.

I smiled a little, enjoying the fact that in her attempt to infuriate me, she'd inadvertently done it to herself. "Are you going to listen to my request or not?"

A mischievous grin tugged at the corner of her lips as she stood up. "Make me." Her hips swayed a little when she spoke.

She was cocky for someone incarcerated against her will with no sign of release. Oberon would no doubt have her under guard until he could see to it she underwent some sort of personality transformation. Something to undo what had been done to her when I'd brought her back from death. An act I deeply regretted more with each passing moment. Like now for instance, as she stood there, taunting me with open defiance.

She wanted out of this place; I could smell her desperation. Her cherry hair, usually well brushed and styled, was wild and unkempt despite the dressing table laden with an array of grooming items at her disposal. She looked thinner, too. Perhaps she'd gone as far as launching a hunger strike. None of her antics would hold any sway over her father. Like most Faerie nobles, he was impossible to negotiate with.

She flipped her tangled curls over her shoulder and winked. "What? Not up for the challenge?" she said with a fake pout as she prowled toward me. "Too bad. I was looking forward to some distraction from this eternal boredom."

Another change from the girl I’d known before. Before she died and came back as the witch she now was, she was a different sort of Witch entirely. Once she was good. Flirtatious and self-centered, but her heart was open. Now her eyes flirted with crazy, and she walked a very thin line between peril and the abyss of nothingness she so desperately feared falling into.

Death had that effect on the soul. It was different for every being who experienced a forced reincarnation, but in the end that much was always true. It changed you.

I heaved a sigh, pushing her away when she tried to kiss me. Changed you in the worst possible ways. "You can cease with the flirtations, Venus. You and I will never happen again. It was a once in a lifetime occurrence. Like those celestial events humans are always on about. Blood moons and the sort." I waved my hand.

She jutted her lower lip in a real pout this time. Fortunately for me, I no longer had ties to her anymore, magical or otherwise. Unlike Adrius, I was not bound to her, and I did not fall under her spells.

She stepped toward me again, reaching out her hand she pressed into my chest. I let a small push of energy form dry ice where her fingers made contact. With a squeal I found far more satisfying than her offer, she pulled her hand away.

"We don't have to be enemies, my cold-hearted friend. You cared enough about me to bring me back to life once," she said, nursing her frostbitten fingers.

"That was a mistake. One I've been paying for ever since. You're fortunate I don't end your life right now, for everything you put Lorelei through."

Her face changed. Gone was the casual playfulness, and in its place a sneer twisted with jealous rage.

"Lorelei, Lorelei, Lorelei. Her name makes me want to vomit. Preferably all over her," she snapped. "How many protectors does the little witch need anyway?" Her arm swung in a circle in front of her. "And where is the damaged damsel in distress? Not here. Not with you. Nooo, she's off doing naughty things with my knight in shining armor." Her rant ended and she folded her arms, her head cocked to one side. "How does it feel to lose another girl to the good Elvin prince?”

I refused to allow her words to affect me, despite the spark of irritation she'd ignited. Her mind was a shallow pond filled only with thoughts of herself, and I could see she would be of little use to me with her emotions in such disarray. I stepped closer to her, close enough to see the tiny flecks of red in her green irises. Her lips twitched as she obviously assumed the wrong thing.

"You still wish she was dead, don’t you." I leaned in, letting a sliver of cold fall between us. "Wish that you could end Lorelei’s life with your bare hands, watch the life drain from her broken body as you reclaim everything you believe is rightfully yours."

She did not even bother to try to hide the gleam that lit her emerald eyes.

"Isn't it a pity that in doing so, you would suffer the very same fate? An almost poetic irony."

She hissed like a wildcat, then turned away. "I don't want to play with you anymore. You bore me. And if you didn't come to entertain me or rescue me, I have no use for you."

"I did not come to rescue you, but I did come with an offer. One you have not yet heard."

Her body stiffened, but curiosity got the better of her. Slowly she faced me. "What sort of offer?" she asked, wary of any trickery, but unable to not take the bait.

"One you are not required to repay, unless we succeed."

She twisted a lock of her hair around her finger like Lorelei did. Had they always shared that trait? I frowned, mesmerized. For a fraction of a moment, it stirred a yearning from the memories of things past. But those memories turned sour as I remembered which of King Oberon's twins stood before me. No, they were most decidedly different in every possible way.

She seemed pleased by my distraction, so I forced my focus back to the task at hand.

"I will tell you my plan, but you must agree to keep this a secret between us. You cannot divulge it to anyone. Are we in agreement?"

Her eyes danced with excitement, even while she pretended to give my request careful deliberation. She was never the sort to turn down a clandestine offer. Especially not while trapped in Oberon's tower, where the most thrilling encounter she'd have was taunting the servants who delivered her meals.

Finally, she broke into a smile. "Agreed. Now, what is it you want me to do, and more importantly, how quickly will it get me released from this place?"

I gave a knowing nod. "Patience. One thing at a time. If you play your role, we could both get exactly what it is we want most." I sensed her heightened excitement and decided to rephrase. "Assuming that what you want most…is to survive."