Night Vision (7 page)

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.

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.

A tear squeezed out of the corner of my eye. I hated disappointing people. “I really am sorry.” I tried to look away, to look down at my feet, but she would not let me.

“And another lesson to learn. A queen, even should she be required to apologize, must never lower her gaze. Never again, Cicely Waters, will you lower your gaze to me, although I expect your obedience until the day you take the throne.” Without waiting for my reply, she dropped her hand, turned, and, without another word, swept back to the Barrow.

Left alone with Grieve, Fearless, and Check, I wasn’t sure what to say. They were all waiting for my word, and I realized that this would always be the way. Although Grieve would be my King, the queen of the realm held the reins of power. From now on, even when I was speechless, I would have to speak. Even when I was uncertain, I would have to make decisions. Because an entire realm would look to me for leadership. And
that
meant showing some measure of wisdom. I’d always felt responsible for keeping my mother and me alive, and now—when I thought I was free of that—I was responsible for an entire kingdom.

“I apologize to you, Fearless, and to you, Check. I put you in needless danger.” I gazed into their faces, as Lainule had told me, and smiled softly.

“We act upon your will, my Lady. As you order, so we shall obey. Whatever you need, we are there.” Check bowed, but I caught his gaze and his eyes were smiling.

Fearless merely bowed and murmured, “As you will, Lady Cicely.”

Grieve waved them back to their posts and held out his arm. I took it, resting my hands on his elbow, and we made our way back to the Barrow. I’d learned a valuable lesson, and I didn’t plan on forgetting it. The fates of others rested on my shoulders. It was time I wrestled my impulsive self under control. Because if I didn’t, my actions would eventually kill someone—and not just the enemy.

In that moment, as we walked under the fading summer night, I felt like I’d aged a lifetime.

Grieve led me to our bedchamber. The bed was a giant four-poster affair, but the mattress wasn’t from Macy’s, that was for sure. It was handmade, and perhaps the most comfortable bed I’d ever slept on. The quilt was thick, heavy, and hand-stitched. In varying shades of blue, purple, silver, white and black, the pattern formed a winter silhouette of the forest and stars.

As the lanterns softly illuminated the room, I turned to Grieve. “Are you angry at me?”

“Angry, my love? Why?” In the blink of an eye, he was naked. The full Fae were able to adapt their clothes from the energy in the air. I couldn’t do it, but I admired the ability.

“Because of what I did. I put the guards in danger.” I slowly unzipped my jeans and slid out of them, along with my panties. As I pulled off my turtleneck and unfastened my bra, Grieve raked my body with his gaze, his dark eyes soaking in the sight of me.

“You did what you will forever and always do—act on your own mind. I have accepted that about you, Cicely. You’re going to shake up the throne, and take the Winter to a place it’s never been before.”

With a laugh, he slid under the covers and reached for me.

I joined him, kneeling on the bed by his side. “Hasn’t Myst already done that? Somehow, I think the Court of Ice and Snow might appreciate someone in charge who isn’t quite so adventuresome as I am.”

“The Court of Ice and Snow has been dead since Myst murdered Tabera. I think the people of Winter just look forward to having someone sane in control.” He slid up to a sitting position and reached out to take my hand in his. “Enough about politics. Come here. I need you.”

And with that, I straddled his lap. Gazing into his face, I stroked the side of his cheek and brushed his hair back
out of his face. A warmth began to steal through me, a heat sparking in my core.

Leaning in, I pressed my lips gently against his, at first only the lightest of pressures, but then my tongue stole between his lips, playing over his teeth, as love turned to lust and the sparks between my thighs blazed to life.

I ached for him, hungered for his touch, his passion, his kiss. All I could think about was how much I needed him inside me, how much I wanted to be at the mercy of his long, silken strokes. Moaning softly, I squirmed on his lap, the blanket between us an annoying impediment.