I was lost in a cloudy, dreamless sleep for hours until heated shouting from upstairs awakened me slowly. There was an impressive amount of cursing from the residents of the apartments, and my eyes blinked open, adjusting to the light in Lorely's spare bedroom. I flicked a clump of my hair away from my face. Sunlight filtered through the ratty curtains, and with a groan I sat up. My muscles were sore and aching, and I stretched my wings. They unfurled gently, soaking in the warmth of the summer day. Despite the pleasure in my wings, I really wished that it was winter. I was beginning to miss the snow.
Lacing up my boots, I pulled back the curtains and discovered that it was nearly sunset over the dumpsters. I did a double take.
Had I really slept that long?
My mouthed formed a grim line. There wasn't much time, we needed to find The Summer Scepter. Tonight. I shouldered my bag quickly, and just as my fingers brushed the doorknob, I heard the frantic pounding of footsteps down the hall. Abruptly, the door was flung open and whacked me in the shoulder.
"Ow!" I exclaimed. Glen was standing in the doorway, but before I could yell at him I saw his expression and froze. He looked worried. Glen wasn't easily worried. "What is it?" I asked him, my voice tinged with concern.
"We've got company." He responded.
Lightning struck in my nerves.
"Who? The sprites?"
In response, Glen grabbed my shoulders and pushed me deeper inside the room. He peered out my window through the curtains.
"No one is out there." I told him, folding my arms across my chest. "As far as I know. Now what is-"
Glen put a finger over his lips. I took that as my cue to shut up. Reaching inside my bag, I pulled out my ice sword and waited. I found comfort holding a weapon, in control even though I had no idea what was happening.
The apartment was utterly silent. Then, someone knocked at Lorely's front door. I could hear it from down the hall, chills crawling up my spine as the rapping of knuckles continued. I braced myself, and beside me I noticed Glen's wings twitching in anticipation. Lorely passed through the hall, glancing at us through the open bedroom door.
"Leave." She whispered, so soft I could barely hear it.
I turned to Glen.
What about Diandre? I mouthed. His face paled.
Before he could answer, I heard the sound of the front door creaking open.
"Good evening," Lorely rasped. "How can I help The Winter Fae?"
I froze.
The Winter Fae? What could they possibly be doing here?
A voice spoke, drifting towards me. It was so familiar it made my jaw drop.
"I believe you know the answer to that, Lorely." It replied. "We have detected activity in one of the mirror portals in Colorado, and then in yours."
"That's odd," Lorely said innocently. "I thought you had closed them down."
The voice went on. "When we went to the source of this disruption, we discovered that it was inside a sprite lair that had been evacuated only hours before." A pause. "At the same time of this portal interference, dozens of abducted children were mysteriously returned to a police station. You must have a guess on who's behind this, Lorely."
I wilted with relief for a moment. The children were home safe.
"Is there something you're getting at?" Lorely hostily exclaimed.
"Yes, there is." Another voice cut in. This one was female. "You are suspected for harboring three fugitives."
Lorely cackled. "You mean the three fugitives that are doing your job better than you can?"
The female's voice was icy like steel. "A delinquent prince, a traitor sprite, and a rogue knight. They're not hard to miss, witch."
"Delinquent?" Glen muttered under his breath. "I had no idea how much Winter Court hated me."
I gave him a pointed look.
"Until I met you, of course." Glen added with a soft chuckle.
"Oh, now I seem to remember." Lorely croaked. "The memory of a hag is very poor, but I seem to recall those three leaving my apartment a long time ago."
"I doubt that." The female voice hissed. "Guards, seize this witch."
With the pounding of feet, I heard Lorely let out a shrill cry.
"Get your hands off of me!" She screeched.
"Tell us where you're hiding them." The female voice spat venomously.
The curiosity was too much. I leaned my head slightly out of the doorway. In the hall, I could see Lorely roughly held by two burly Winter guards, and standing in front of them was a vicious looking female knight with streaked blonde hair. Beside her, the familiar person I had recognized, was Noel. He was dressed in glittering armor, his hair tied back over his pointed ears. His expression was slightly guilty as he watched the guards haul Lorely deeper into the apartment.
I stared, unable to move, as the witch reached into her shawl and pulled out a pendant. With a roar of rage, she flashed it in one of the guard's faces, and with a bloodcurdling scream, he transformed into a hissing snake. It had green scales and a forked tongue, and Lorely stomped on it with her slippers.
Her lip curling in rage, the female knight seized the witch around the neck. Her eyes were flashing like ice as she dragged Lorely past the spare bedroom. I shrank back into the shadows as the Winter Fae passed, fury boiling inside me. Light danced between Glen's fingers.
"Now," seethed the female knight. "I'll ask you again. Where are the fugitives?"
In response, Lorely spat in her face. The female knight ruthlessly shoved Lorely to the floor. She then reached into the plates of her armor and drew a match. The female knight's face hardened.
"We need that sprite who has allied himself with the prince and the knight. Queen Mab believes that he will be very useful to her in revealing information regarding the sprites and their plot. Now, witch, if you don't tell me where he is, along with the others, I'll treat you the way your kind should be treated." The match flicked between her fingers. "With a burning."
My gut churned with horror. From inside the other room, Noel's eyes went wide with shock.
"We need to stop this." Glen whispered to me. "Lorely is going to get killed if we don't do something."
"I know," I replied softly. "But we need to find Diandre as well."
I was terribly torn. Lorely shouldn't have to give up her life for us, but where had Diandre gone off to?
Meanwhile, Lorely turned her face up to the female knight. Her wrinkled face was lifted into a bitter smile.
"Go ahead and burn me," She taunted. "But you must tell your precious queen that war is coming. You're far behind the sprite's plan, the only ones that can catch up are those fugitives of yours." Lorely chuckled. "I'll go down in flames, just like your kingdom."
The female knight took a fierce step forward.
"You're taking this too far." Noel snapped at her. "You can't just murder an old woman."
"Oh yes I can," The female knight responded icily. "She is a traitor to the winter crown."
In a fluid motion, the female knight struck the match. The flame flickered hungrily, mirroring the expression behind her eyes. The fire danced on the match in a dangerous circle. Glen and I both shared a look, and jumped out of the room. We sprinted down the hall, our magic pulsing, but Diandre stopped us in our tracks. He stepped into view, his gray eyes narrowed like a churning storm.
"Don't hurt her." He ordered the female knight. He held up his hands. "I'm what you came for, just let the witch go."
"Diandre!" I shouted helplessly as the other guard and Noel pinned Diandre's arms behind his back. Noel, his face now expressionless, snapped metal shackles around his wrists. The female sprite smirked with satisfaction when she noticed Glen and I behind Diandre. Lorely lay limply on the ground.
"When I play with a little fire, everyone comes running." The female knight said smugly.
"And now it's your turn to start running," I shot back. "Away."
She threw back her blonde hair and laughed. The sound had no humor.
"It seems as if we'll have to take all of you in." The female knight remarked. "Although I will enjoy executing this sprite." She cupped Diandre's chin in her fingers. "Such a handsome life that will go to waste when Queen Mab is through with him."
"What about me?" Glen exclaimed. "I'm handsome."
I rolled my eyes with a groan. "You can't possibly be doing this right now."
The guard continued to hold Diandre, while Noel and the female knight advanced towards Glen and I.
"Stop this," Diandre commanded the female knight, not making a move to break free from his shackles. "Don't waste your time with Marissa or the prince. Its me that you want the most. Not them. Not Lorely. I'm what you came for."
His dark hair fluttered in the breeze that blew through the window.
"Shut up." Growled the other guard, and kicked Diandre in the back. He fell to his knees with a wince.
My eyes met Noel's.
"Noel," I told him calmly as he drew his sword. "We're trying to help you here. If you don't let us go, the sprites will find The Objects of Power first. They'll destroy the entire realm."
"The Objects of Power? How is that possible?" He asked, his eyes narrowing skeptically. Behind his irises I could see hurt flashing like fireworks.
"The Master will use them to attack the fae." Glen explained, his eyes not leaving the female knight. "Unless we stop them."
"What makes you think that you three will stop him?" Noel snapped, looking at me with raw betrayal. "You abandoned Winter Academy, Marissa. Headmaster Terron is devastated. You left everyone, and me, just to chase after some glory quest."
I felt a pang of sympathy for Noel. As odd as it was, I felt bad for him. He was my friend. And now he was making me his enemy.
"Listen, there isn't much time." I told Noel desperately. "If you want to protect the kingdoms, you need to let us all go. We're trying to help you."
His face contorted, conflicted, and the female knight glared at him.
"Don't listen to her, Noel. She's manipulating you. Just kill her, she's of no value to us."
Noel's hands shook where they gripped his sword. He brought the blade closer to me.
"No!" Diandre yelled, thrashing against the arms of the guard.
"Get away from her!" Glen growled, making a move to jump in front of me, but the female knight thrusted him against the wall in a mighty grip.
I stared into Noel's eyes. It was just him and me now. He trembled.
"Kill her." The female knight repeated again, hatred tinting her words.
I could see Noel's mind reeling through his memories of me, and the way he had cheered for me in the fighting ring, the way he had stood by my side during Nicholas' funeral. I thought of his words he had spoken to me after I had punched my knuckles raw with guilt in the training room.
You're hiding from everyone, aren't you? You need to stop blaming yourself. Nicholas' death wasn't your fault.
"You know that I blamed myself for what happened to Nicholas." I whispered to him, ignoring the sword. "You were right. I did. For a long time. But I made a promise to his parents, and I don't feel blame anymore. I feel responsibility. That's why I'm doing this, Noel. I'm doing this because avenging Nicholas, avenging my parents, saving everything I care about is my responsibility. You feel it, too. I know that you do."
Slowly, the sword clattered to the ground. Noel's eyes were swimming.
"I can't do this."
The female knight snarled.
"Weakling," She spat to Noel. "I'll do it myself."
She whipped her bow out towards me, and knocked an arrow of ice in a blur of movement. I unfurled my wings and leaped into the air. My enormous wings sent vials of potions smashing to the floor as I surged towards the female knight. Her teeth flashed in anger, and she fired. The arrow whizzed in a whistling line straight towards me. I unsheathed my sword, and with a slice, the arrow was split by my blade.
"Nice try," I growled at the female knight as I hovered in the air. "Although you can't fight ice with ice."
Meanwhile, Glen had his oak staff pointed straight at Noel.
"Nothing personal, but if you move I'll kill you."
Noel's gaze darkened, his face reddening.
"Just because I didn't kill Marissa doesn't mean I'll give you the same treatment." He snapped, diving for his sword.
My eyes slid across the room, where the other guard was dragging Diandre out the door. Diandre struggled in his grasp, but the guard dwarfed him in size and strength. He was helpless.
The female knight's smirk forced my attention back to her.
"You know that the moment you left the walls of Winter Academy, you were dead to begin with." She said. "I'm just the one with the honor of reuniting you with your weak family. All of you are feeble fools. It's not surprising that you won't live very long, just like your brother and parents."
My nerves seemed to crack and splinter, exploding across my arms that gripped my sword hilt. The female knight braced herself for me to attack her, but instead I cleared my mind and whirled around to face Diandre.
"Duck!" I hollered, launching my sword straight at the guard restraining him. Understanding dawned on Diandre's face, and he dropped to the floor. Just as Diandre was out of range, my sword buried itself in the guard's chest. With a gasp of surprise, he slumped to the floor, blood pooling around him.
The female knight crashed into me, her armor knocking the wind out of me. My head violently smacked into the leg of a table. Black blobs popped in my eyes. I thrashed on the ground, desperately searching for something to use as a weapon. The female knight took her metal knuckle plates and drove them into my wrists. I cried out in pain, and in a burst of anger I scratched my nails across her face. They dug hard into her skin, drawing blood, and the female knight screamed in agony. In her moment of distraction, Diandre snatched up my bloodied ice sword from the body of the guard in his shackled hands, and swung it straight at her.
There was a terrible screeching noise as the sword completely severed the female knight's armor. Metal sheets fell off her body, and she was now exposed. I took that moment to punch her as hard as I could. The female knight sprang to her feet, seething, and so did I.
Beside me, Glen and Noel were locked in battle that was similar to an intricate dance. Noel was stepping forward, backward, side to side, swiping his sword blade as Glen nimbly dodged him. Finding his chance, Glen used his oak staff and swung it at Noel's head. Knocked off balance, Noel stumbled over Lorely's sofa.
The witch herself was twitching on the ground weakly. Her fingers lightly trembled.
"You'll pay for what you have done!" Screamed the female knight. One side of her face was completely covered in blood. Droplets dripped obsenly down her cheeks and splattered on her armor. Jerking forward in rage, she struck another match and hurled it at Lorely.
"Lorely!" I shouted in warning, but it was too late. The match soared towards the fallen witch, the flame at the top withering. All at once, the fire made contact with Lorely's shawl. Greedily, the flames ignited in a bright blast, feasting hungrily on the witch.
"No!" Glen yelled desperately.
I watched as Lorely's form, silhouetted in the menacing light, reached a hand out towards me.
"I finally get to become beautiful again." I heard her whisper.
Then, the witch dissolved into ash. The fire abruptly died, satisfied, and all that was left was a fine gray powder that was gently lifted into the air and carried out the window. It was blown over the city, disappearing into the sunset. I stood frozen, feeling as if someone had blanketed my mind in a thick, hazy fog. I couldn't think straight. All I could do was stare at the remains of the woman who had helped us. Glen and Diandre were standing still in an equal silence, heavy and suffocating, not processing what had just happened.
The female knight turned to Noel sharply.
"Take the sprite." She ordered venomously, and Noel, who looked horrified, seized Diandre.
"You killed her." Diandre breathed. His voice grew louder, more furious. "YOU KILLED HER!"
Suddenly, a bone-chilling yowl filled the apartment. A streak of black shot into the air, launching itself at the female knight. With a start I realized that it was Lorely's cat, hissing and clawing at her bloodied face. Ruthlessly, the female knight took the scruff of the cat's neck in her fist and hurled it at the wall. The animal thudded into the wallpaper, and silently fell among the spilled potions and toppled spell books, dead.
Both Noel and the female sprite grabbed Diandre by his bound arms and hauled him towards the window.
"You murderers!" Glen yelled, darting after them. "How dare you-!"
Swiftly, the female knight and Noel shoved Diandre through the window. He dropped out of the building with a shout, and opening their wings, the two faeries jumped off of the window sill behind him. Glen and I sprinted to the window, our faces mirroring each other's terror as the female knight and Noel caught Diandre as he was free falling towards the street far below.
Holding him captive between them, they flew off, vanishing behind the towering skyscrapers.
"DIANDRE!" I screamed. My voice was lost among the wailing of the sirens and the honking of cars, the collective noise of millions of other people.
Diandre was gone. They had taken him. And now Lorely was dead, all because of us.
Glen clenched his fists, shaking. I spun away from the window, my vision red as I stalked over to the guard's body. I drew my bloodied sword from his chest. I pulled myself onto the window sill without a second thought, vengeance pulsing through me like a powerful drumbeat.
"I've got to go after them." I said murderously. "I'm going to kill that knight for what she did."
I was ready to jump when Glen's hand closed around my wrist.
"Marissa," he told me, his expression urgent. "It's almost nightfall."
I turned my head to look at him as I stood on the edge of the building.
"What does that have to do with anything?" I exclaimed in ager. "Every second that we waste time, Diandre will be taken closer and closer to Mab's palace. They'll torture him for information." I gazed out at the approaching twilight. "They'll execute him."
"You have to listen to me," Glen persisted. The importance of his words forced me to look into his eyes. "Lorely said that we can only retrieve the Summer Scepter at nightfall once it's high tide. We don't have much longer until that time comes."
I looked out at the city that was slowly fading into darkness. I wished that the night would hold back, stay at bay for a while longer. A clock ticked off the precious moments in my head.
Tick.
I needed to save Diandre.
Tock.
I needed to find the Summer Scepter.
Tick.
There was only time for one.
Tock.
I realized that Glen's hand was still locked around my wrist, holding me back.
Tick.
I guided him onto the window sill next to me, letting the wind caress our wings.
Tock.
I looked back at Lorely's apartment, at the spot where she had been standing just hours before, living and breathing. Smiling as her eyes twinkled in the candlelight. Wetness formed in my eyes.
Tick.
I opened my wings to their full length, watching the waning sunlight wash them in color. "When have we ever turned down a challenge, flower boy?" I asked Glen.
Tock.
"Never."
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