Page 6 of Broken Hearted (Cursed Fae #3)

Isolde

T he train car rocked back and forth in a slow, rhythmic motion as I played cards with Zane. The train ride wasn’t quite as long as the one we took from Soleum to Windreum, but it still took most of the day. We’d boarded the train together early in the morning, just after breakfast and after two more meals, a nap, and some time reading, we were now playing cards to pass the last few moments of the long trip to the Northern Kingdom where we would search for the Wise Ones.

“Random question,” Zane asked.

I peered up at him, fully comfortable in his presence now.

“Ask away,” I said and took a card, shuffling them into my deck to arrange them how I wanted.

“What if the Wise Ones said you had to kill a tiny puppy to save your people? Would you?”

“Zane! Why would you even ask that? Puppies are off limits.”

Zane grinned. “My apologies. This long train ride has caused my mind to go dark with boredom.”

I returned his smile but couldn’t help the unease in my stomach.

He liked me. It was so obvious, and yet … the feeling was unrequited. It made me wonder; did he really like me? Or was he just forcing the issue because when Dawn’s ghostly form had visited me, she’d told the entire room that the princesses of Faerie were sent to hunt their mates, who were the Ethereum lords.

I wasn’t yet sure if I bought into the whole mate concept, but it was clear he did. If I allowed this to go on much longer, this was not going to end well for sweet Zane’s heart.

“Zane?” I asked just as the door to the train car opened, and a messenger came in with a black raven on his shoulder and a rolled up note in his hand.

When the messenger handed the note to Zane I shifted to the edge of my seat as he read it.

Was it from Adrien? Was he asking how I was? Or maybe it was from Dawn or Aribella? I’d do anything to hear from one of them right now.

Zane glanced over the top of the page with a downcast expression, and my stomach sank.

“Is everything all right?”

He sighed. “I sent word to Dawn that I was coming to collect you and intended to take you to the Wise Ones. She’s written back to let me know that both roads to the mountain the Wise Ones live on are … impassable, and we may need to find another way forward or go back to studying the books as an option solving what the Shadow Heart does.”

“Impassable? What happened?” I sat up straighter.

“The curse has gotten worse in the Northern Kingdom, and they’re thinking about evacuating. Black water has flooded the entire northeast border.” Zane seemed shocked, and my heart pinched for Dawn and her people.

“That’s how it is in our world, too. Displaced refugees, crops dying, blackened water. It’s awful,” I told him. “But we must find a way through. Because if the Wise Ones have the answer to end this curse, I have to see them.”

There was a reason Queen Liliana left Aribella before her training was finished and came for me. I could be ruthless and unforgiving when needed, kind of like winter itself. I would not give up on this quest to end the curse, and if finding my way across diseased, blackened waters was how I did that, then so be it.

Zane appraised me with respect. “You want to press on? Even though it’s dangerous.”

I tipped my head back and laughed. “Oh, Zane, you truly do not know me yet. I’m the eldest of seven sisters. A princess of the Winter Court, the most perilous court in all of Faerie. Danger doesn’t scare me.”

He nodded. “Then we find a way.”

“If it’s dangerous, you don’t have to come. I’m so appreciative for how—”

“I’m coming,” he declared in a no-nonsense tone that told me that was the end of that.

Truth be told, I was in a foreign land and so I was grateful for the company. “Okay,” I said, not fighting him on it.

I felt the train slow as I peered out the windows, and pure joy flooded through my body at the sight of the white fluff falling from the sky.

“Snow!” I shouted, like a five-year-old kid, and leaned against the window. My hot breath caused fog to flood the glass and momentarily obscure my view.

Zane chuckled beside me. “I didn’t tell you? The Northern Kingdom is much like your Winter Court.”

Bless the stars for that. Since I’d walked into the portal and landed in this strange place, I finally felt at home. Nothing could beat this moment, a small reprieve from a stressful few days.

“You did not,” I told him. He said the climate would be chilly, but he didn’t say there would be snow. What a lovely surprise.

“Did I also mention that Dawn said she would try to meet us at the train station, even if only for a short while, to see you?” Zane teased.

I spun around with wide eyes. “Are you serious?”

He handed me the letter and pointed to the very bottom.

I read the line as tears clouded my eyes and nearly spilled over onto my cheeks.

P.S. Please tell Isolde I’m going to try to meet you at the train station. I don’t want her feeling alone in this place like I did for so long. Even if it’s only for a hug, I will try to make it.

The train whistled as it came to a stop, and Zane tapped the glass. I followed his gaze to see a beautiful blonde woman sitting atop a black horse. She wore a light blue wool cloak pulled up over her head, and there were a dozen royal guards behind her.

Dawn.

Not caring about decorum at that moment, I burst forward and yanked open the train door. Leaping onto the platform, I smiled as the frigid, snowy wind slapped against my skin.

I bolted around the train car and jumped over the connecting point, grateful I was wearing pants.

“Dawn!” I shouted as I approached her.

She grinned and slipped down from her horse slowly, awkwardly, and it was at that moment that I remembered why. When she turned to face me, her swollen pregnant belly protruded out from the slit in her cloak.

My dearest friend, married and with child. It felt like a dream.

She opened her arms and smiled at me. “I’m pregnant, not contagious. You can hug me.”

With a laugh, I fell into her arms, careful not to press against her belly.

She squeezed me hard.

“I didn’t realize you were so far along,” I said with a giggle when she finally let me go.

She pressed her hand to her stomach and shook her head. “I’m not, but my husband’s family has a history of multiples, so we think that’s why I’m carrying so big. I’m sure you know by now all the Ethereum lords are quads.”

My eyes widened. “Oh, no, Dawn. How many are in there?”

She shrugged as if the thought of having a bunch of babies at once didn’t horrify her and gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t know. But I’m hoping for no more than two.” She waved a hand through the air and changed the subject. “Thank you for not hurting Adrien when you first saw him. They are all such good men. My mother lied to us, Izzy. Thank you for believing me.”

I nodded. “I know. Zane is …” I peered back at the train platform where he was directing his men to unload our bags and put them on horseback. “Wonderful.”

Dawn smiled and wagged her eyebrows a little. “How wonderful?”

I rolled my eyes. “Listen, I’m happy for you and Aribella, but that’s not how this is going for me.” I pointed to her belly and then her wedding ring.

She frowned, looking back at Zane as if she were sure some magic would have had me confessing he was my mate.

“And forget all that. How are things going here? Zane said you are thinking of evacuating?” I asked.

Dawn’s face instantly changed, as if I’d just snapped her back to reality, and she cradled her belly, nodding.

“This land is no longer sustainable. We sent word to Adrien, and he’s agreed to allow our people to stay there in the villages surrounding Soleum, though I sensed some reluctance from his fiancée.” She rolled her eyes then.

“What do you mean?” I asked, curious about her reaction.

“We were told not to have any refugees visible during the wedding.”

I growled. “She’s awful. Why don’t you ask Zane if you can go to Windreum? I’m sure he would be more than happy to take your people in. Then you don’t need to worry about Elisana.”

Dawn shook her head at my response. “We speculate that’s where the curse will hit next. So we intend to get our people as far away as we can.”

Oh. Because she thought Zane was my mate, and the curse always hits in the princess’s mate’s kingdom. At least that’s what Zane told me.

“Well, good luck with Elisana. Not sure what that wench did to deserve Adrien.”

She perked up at my response. “I heard you came out of the portal directly before Adrien and not Zane. That’s interesting.”

I frowned, shifting on my feet. “Interesting how? Those mirror portals can’t be controlled, you know that.”

“Do I?” she said. “I thought I did … but now I’m not sure.”

Okay … whatever that meant.

I peered around the frigid landscape and smiled a little. “The Summer princess living here? You must hate it.”

Dawn gave me a soft smile. “It’s grown on me … but now it doesn’t matter,” she finished, the smile slipping from her face.

I reached for her arm. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

She squeezed my hand. “I know. I just … I did fall in love with this land and its people and now if you don’t find a way to get to the Wise Ones, I fear it might all be lost. Including those I love back home.”

The Summer Court was certainly lost, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. There was no use. Her people were safe in my court for the time being, and that was all that mattered.

“I promise I’ll find a way to them,” I vowed and dropped her hand. “Go evacuate your people. I’m sure Zane will let you use his train. We can manage on our own.”

“Of course you can use the train.” Zane’s strong voice came from behind me and I turned. “Where is my brother?” he asked.

“On his way with the most fragile from our castle,” Dawn said.

We gave each other one last hug and then she shouted something at her guards. They moved out of the way then, and a horde of people I hadn’t noticed, who must have been hiding behind the line of a dozen guards on horseback, began to move forward toward the train.

We stepped back as seelie all but dragged sickly looking unseelie toward the train platform. Black veins grew along their skin, and they limped along if conscious or were carried on a stretcher if not.

“Dawn,” I breathed, emotion clogging my throat.

She tipped her chin high, her bottom lip unwavering. “No pressure, but we’re all really counting on you.”

An unseelie fae with green skin passed by on a stretcher, and Dawn’s eyes lingered on her as if she truly cared.

“I won’t let you down,” I said.

It was in that moment that I realized I was no longer doing this for Faerie alone; I was doing it for Ethereum, too.

Patting the Shadow Heart at my hip, where it sat safely in the satchel, I readied myself for a rough night and day ahead.

* * *

We didn’t get much time to visit, but I briefly got to meet Dawn’s husband, Zander, in real life when he arrived with more refugees. Apparently, his official name was Lord Roan, but his closest friends and family referred to him by his middle name, Zander, instead. Like his brothers, Zander was a handsome man, and even though it was a short introduction, it was enough to convince me of his love and affection for my friend. The way he looked at her, as if she was his whole world, even made my icy heart melt a little. All too soon, though, I had to say goodbye to Dawn and watched glumly as she led a long line of refugees onto Zane’s train.

Dawn gave us a detailed map, but assured me it was impassable with waters as high as a horse.

“You may be able to cross it using your powers, Izzy, but even then … it would take a lot out of you,” she’d told me.

I’d balked at that. Take a lot out of me? In order to tire me, I’d have to freeze half the world. I assured her I’d be fine.

After she was out of sight, Zane and I headed for the mountains where the Wise Ones lived. We only rode for a few hours before it was too dark to travel any longer and so we stayed at an inn that Dawn recommended just outside Noreum, the Northern Kingdom capital. The next morning, after a light breakfast, we were off again for our true full day of travel.

We were well into that tiring day of travel with nighttime approaching, when a man rushed up to us. He had blackened stains up his legs all the way to his hips.

“Go no further,” the fae warned, and I stared at the little serrated points on the tips of his ears and the black horns on his forehead.

I followed the man’s gaze to a sheet of black water that crept forward through what looked like some old farm-lands in the valley in front of us. Trees and cottages were halfway submerged in the dark liquid. It was hard to tell from here exactly how deep it was, but the waters were definitely rising and would eventually reach the high ground where we were.

Zane looked at me in alarm, and I pulled my horse to a stop. The man was traveling with his wife and a small child. The child clung to the arms of his mother, and I noticed that the woman was also covered in the same stains up to her waist. Whatever was in this water, it wasn’t good.

I slid off my horse. “Please take my horse. It’s a day’s ride to the train station in Noreum, but from there, everyone is heading south for safety.”

They wouldn’t be able to make it before dark, because the sun was already low in the sky, but if they were careful and rode through the night, they could reach the station by morning.

The fae man looked at me like I’d grown two heads. “We couldn’t possibly deprive you of your horse, my lady.”

I handed him the reins. “Nonsense. I will ride with my friend. Please make good time so that the waters do not hurt you.”

“And what about you, my lady? Are you heading back to the train station?” he asked me.

“I am not,” I said flatly, hoping he didn’t ask any more questions.

The wife took the reins from me and bowed deeply. “Thank you for this kindness, my lady. We shall not easily forget it. We’ll leave the horse at The Winterside Inn’s stables for you, back in Noreum.”

I unslung my pack and looked up at Zane, wondering if this was all okay with him. It was his horse after all, but he was smiling sweetly at me.

“That’s fine,” he told them.

After the man, woman, and child climbed onto the horse and left, Zane looked down at me. “That was incredibly kind of you,” he told me.

I shrugged. “I have my moments. If my little sisters were here we would be at each other’s throats, so it evens out.” I winked.

Talking with Zane was easy. He was incredibly laid-back and we got along so well. But now I had to share one horse with him and that felt slightly awkward. Why? I had no idea. Was it because I’d sworn off love after my parents’ divorce and now everyone was telling me this guy should be my mate? It wasn’t because of his looks, that was for sure. He was as handsome as they came … and sweet as pie.

But then I had a fleeting thought that I’d rather be trapped on a horse with his brother, and I realized in that moment that was what bothered me about Zane. He looked so much like Adrien. Which made sense, they were brothers. Thinking of Adrien caused my heart to race, my stomach to knot, and guilt to worm its way into me. But he was engaged. And Zane probably believed I was his mate.

Why was this all so complicated? I didn’t want to deal with handsome Ethereum lords who may or may not be my mate. I just wanted to do my part in ending this curse and then return home. Was that really too much to ask?

“If we share this horse, are you going to be a gentleman?” I asked him with a mock glare.

He grinned. “Probably.”

I burst out laughing and then he laughed too.

“Of course I will, Isolde,” he said more seriously. “We have all the time in the world to … get to know each other.”

I was grateful he hadn’t said the M word. Mates. I was going to avoid that subject for as long as possible.

After strapping my pack to his horse, he reached out an arm and pulled me up in front of him. He immediately scooched back as far as he could so that we weren’t pressed too tightly against each other, which I thought was very sweet, and he even handed me the reins.

“I assume we are not going to expect the horse to swim?” he asked, eyeing the black water in the distance. “It would be a lot for her with both of us on her back.”

I chuckled. “We are not.”

Nudging the horse slightly with my heels, the mare took off, and Zane had to reach out and grasp my shoulders to steady himself for a second before mumbling an apology.

I brought the horse right up to the edge of the black water when she began to whinny.

“Whoa.” I pulled the reins and took in a deep breath.

This was it. The survival of both of our worlds depended on my getting to see these Wise Ones, so that’s what I was going to do.

“Head in that direction,” Zane said, pointing toward the mountain jutting high into the sky in the distance. “That’s where we are headed.”

“Okay. Pull up your hood because it’s about to get cold,” I told Zane.

“Colder than it already is?” he asked.

“Yes.”

I was wearing a thin cloak. As a Winter princess, the cold didn’t bother me like it did others, and I’d discovered that I couldn’t freeze to death. Seraphina and I had got in a huge fight once when I was fifteen and she tried to freeze me with her powers, and I turned out to be impervious to such things.

Once I saw that Zane had bundled himself up, I pulled on my power. It was so easy here, since the climate was so similar to the Winter Court. It wasn’t snowing anymore, but the air was crisp and full of humidity.

Aiming my right hand at the black waters before us, I expelled some of my power and watched as the stirring waters stopped and began to ice over.

Zane gasped behind me as the black water froze, creating intricate snowflake designs in the ice as it continued to grow outward. He’d already seen me display my power at the mine, but I guess this was a little different. This was more—

“Beautiful,” he said, finishing my thought.

A frozen pathway grew out before us just as snow began to fall from the sky, and I lightly kicked the mare to get her going. She was hesitant at first, but then started to walk.

Her hoofs clacked against the ice I’d created, but it held, and I heard Zane give a sigh of relief behind me.

I had to concentrate then, using my power to freeze the walkway before us as we moved toward the mountain ahead. The blackened waters were rising higher and higher. Many of the trees were now almost completely submerged, and our journey became all the more challenging as the sun set, and we were left with only moonlight to lead the way. Our horse was navigating the ice path trail so far, and for that I was thankful.

“Once we reach the mountain, we can make camp and then hike to see the Wise Ones in the morning,” Zane told me.

I nodded, grateful for the prospect of some rest. It wasn’t much longer before we reached the base of the mountain, and then I shepherded the mare onto the steep path leading upwards. It was slow going and steep, but we eventually reached a bit of a plateau with a cave well above the water that felt safe to camp in.

Zane slipped off the horse first and then helped me down. My legs were stiff and my fingers ached from holding the reins tightly.

Zane shivered. “I’m going to build a fire,” he said.

I nodded. I wasn’t that cold, but I felt bad that he was.

After the fire was lit, he fed the horse, and then we sat next to each other and shared a loaf of herb bread, some meat and dried fruits. “What do you think the Wise Ones will say?” I asked Zane, beginning to feel nervous.

He considered the question, the firelight casting shadows across his face. “Probably something to do with the Shadow Heart.” He pointed to my satchel.

I nodded. “Probably. But what if they tell me I have to kill you?” I kept my face straight.

He froze, a hand holding some dried fruit halfway to his mouth.

“Would you?” he asked seriously, and I could no longer keep up the ruse. I burst into laughter, and Zane heaved a sigh of relief. “Well, thanks, Isolde. Now I won’t be sleeping tonight.”

My laughter only grew at that. “I’m not killing anyone,” I told him. “I had my chance with Adrien and didn’t take it. I won’t hurt you either. I’m not a monster.”

He shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t fully agree with that assessment. I reached out and smacked his arm, and he grinned, but then the smile faltered. “You know I’ve been wondering … why did you arrive in front of my brother and not me? When you go through your portal, is it random, or …?”

I stiffened. “It’s random,” I said quickly. Of course it was. It had to be. I hadn’t meant to plop myself in front of the tanned, shirtless Ethereum lord. It just happened.

Zane nodded, but stayed quiet and fatigue weighed down my limbs. I yawned and pulled out my bedroll from my pack. “I think I’m going to try to get some sleep,” I told him and pointed to the cave.

He nodded. “All right. Good night, Isolde.”

“Good night, Zane,” I told him, and stepped into the mouth of the cave.

It was shallow, and we’d already checked it for animals so I laid out my bedroll and slid inside. With the train ride yesterday and seeing Dawn and her poor people forced to flee to safety in the south, it was an emotionally taxing journey.

I wondered what Queen Liliana and my mother thought now that I hadn’t come back and if the curse was no doubt wreaking havoc on my land back home.

But just as my eyelids closed, I wondered something else. I wondered what Adrien was doing right now and if he really wanted to marry that hag, Elisana. Something wasn’t right there, but I couldn’t put my finger on what.