Page 14 of Royal Ransom (Princess Procedural #4)

Taliyah

Maverick was a spectacular spellcaster—a prodigy of potions and a maestro in most forms of magic.

Any flattering alliterative way to describe himself usually applied. But when it came to stepping through the Autumn court, he was inexperienced.

Inexperienced enough to drop me into an out-of-the-way corridor in the bowels of Blood Rose alongside Basil, but not himself. Normally, stepping through your court felt like going home. I’d only cut through Winter a few times in my life, and each had been memorable. It didn’t feel like stepping through a door into a new place; it felt more like wading through molasses, forcing yourself to resist the urge to stay in Faerie. It was easier said than done, even for the most experienced Sidhe. It didn’t shock me that Mav had a steep learning curve.

What shocked me was the feeling of cold, obstinate stone in our way. One moment, we’d been sifting through, and the next, Maverick had hit a wall. I sensed he’d flung his arms wide, pushing us forward from whatever had blocked him.

I landed painfully near the empty plinth where a marble bust used to rest. Not even a week had passed, and the vultures had already swept through the carcass of the castle, clearing what they could. If Blood Rose was anything like the Ivy League institutions my incubus ex attended, much of the art and property had been donated by wealthy or influential people. Now that it had been embroiled in fresh scandal and closed for a season, people had come back, demanding restitution and stealing what they could. I doubted Astrid would have anywhere near the army of statues the Grimsbanes kept on hand by the time this school opened up in Haven Hollow.

I pushed up from the cold stone floor, rubbing the grit from my hands and my flannel shirt and denim pants. Basil had insisted we dress warmly for the journey; the weather was unpredictable in this castle, as it was completely unmoored from human norms. It appeared winter had come to the gloomy old place in our absence. I was grateful for that now. I wasn’t picking any gravel out of my knees after spinning out. Basil wasn’t as lucky, skinning his forearms on the stone before he could come to a complete stop.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. “They know we’re here.”

I whipped toward him, feeling the winter gather around me like a protective shawl. The pain from my bruised body felt distant, buried under layers of soft, insulating snow. The cold seeped into my words when I spoke.

“How?” Then something occurred to me and my eyes narrowed. “If you set us up…”

Basil’s eyes narrowed in turn. “Of course not! Believe it or not, Chief Morgan , I have some damn good reasons to want you on the throne. Don’t go pointing fingers before you even understand what’s going on.”

“Then explain,” I said, wrapping my arms against my chest.

“That was an exclusion ward,” Basil said. “Think of it as a crude tripwire. Whoever is waiting for us knows they can’t stop us from traveling through Faerie; it just alerts them that someone has stepped through. Maverick was pushed ahead. He was stopped closer to the ward. I imagine he’s acting as bait to lure them away.”

Of course. The man had never met a sword he wouldn’t throw himself onto for his loved ones. I would have to teach him to be a little wary of jumping headfirst into danger. I wanted to keep him alive long enough to...

To what? Marry him? I’d already done that. In my mind, marriage had always been the culmination, not the beginning. He held a piece of me. Magically, spiritually, physically. He was mine, and I was his. We loved each other. I wanted a future with him, no matter how uncertain it was.

I was saved from further awkward personal revelations by the scratching of long, sharp talons running along the stone floor ahead. I couldn’t see well enough in the gloom to make out what was lurking, but I could smell it. The stench preceded it, as though it had recently rolled around in fresh roadkill. Fluids and other foul things had soaked into heavy, musky fur and marinated in sweat. I almost pulled the collar of my shirt up to shield my face but remembered just in time to keep my hand free to cast. Magic was a lot like gun-slinging; there was a preferred method to the madness.

Basil was on his feet in a movement too swift to track. Logically, I knew he couldn’t have teleported. That was a Sidhe gift, and not everyone with it excelled—Exhibit A, Maverick. But Basil was out of his crouch and moving down the hall so fast he almost left an afterimage behind. I spat a curse and followed, casting my power forward like a bowling ball, acting on Olwen’s gut instinct. The chunk of ice grew in size as it sped toward the opposite end of the hall. By the time it exploded against the haunch of a monstrous, shaggy white beast, it was the size of a beach ball. It took the creature out at the knees, and I was able to skirt past before it could wrap an arm around my neck and pop my head off like a champagne cork.

I didn’t get a good look at what it was as we rushed by. Basil had assured me the passage would be easy to access. It was hidden beneath his personal quarters. He’d installed a trapdoor beneath his bedroll. He only had to fling the flimsy thing away to open it. One leap, and we’d tumble into winter. Easy. Unless you had a yeti and other sundry winter creatures hot on your tail.

“Son of a bitch!” I swore, picking up the pace. Ice oozed from me like a pale carpet, so I half-glided past the downed creature. I caught up with Basil in seconds, sweeping him along for the ride. To his credit, he balanced well, as though we’d planned to do a little synchronized skating if we had the chance.

“I can’t tell if it’s a mountain troll or a yeti from this angle,” he said mildly, ducking just in time to avoid a chunk of stone the creature hurled at our heads. I couldn’t help but cry out when a hail of granite splinters hit my thighs.

“I don’t care what it is,” I panted. “I just want to grab Maverick and get back. Do you have any idea where he could have gone?”

“No,” Basil replied simply. “And if we can’t find him soon, I don’t think we’ll discover him alive. Janara cast her net wide, going wherever she thought you might flee. That beast won’t be the only thing guarding this castle. It might be best if you escape into winter while you still can.”

And abandon Maverick to whatever fate awaited him in these halls? I’d seen what Janara was willing to send after me. Not only no, but hell no.

Basil must have read the answer on my face because he sighed. “Very well. We’ll do this your way. Let’s slay the beast. But I warn you, my way is faster.”

“Your way stinks worse than the fuzzball back there. I’ll take my chances with the monster, thanks.”

Another sigh. “Mad, all of you.”

Basil cracked his knuckles, and red-gold sparks flashed like fireflies in the dark. The shadows receded little by little as he conjured fire into his hand. He offered me the other without looking my way.

“Come along then, your highness. We don’t have time to waste.”