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Chapter Fifteen

The king of the dark woods paced his moonlit palace, fearful that his bride would be hurt in the dark world that he’d brought her to, but she dared to shine on in the shadows, defying every evil curse that lingered in his woods.

—Anon., Tales from the Twilight Court

B abbitt and Kate materialized by the sea, the sand shimmering like diamond dust around them as the waves rolled in.

“Stay here, Mistress Kate!” Babbitt vanished, leaving Kate to stare up at the towering palace of the Twilight Court.

“Kate?” A deep, familiar voice had her spinning around. Patch and Magda were rushing across the sandy beach toward her. She embraced the troll and even hugged the ever-grumpy kobold.

“What happened, girl? The earth is speaking to me... it screams of blood and death,” the kobold said. “Something bad’s happened, hasn’t it?”

“The Seelie attacked the dwarves,” said Kate. “Roan sent me with Babbitt. I was supposed to hide with Eudora and Rath, but?—”

The brownie reappeared on the beach, but she wasn’t alone. Lady Eudora and Rath were with her. Behind them was a small boy with blond hair and large, worried eyes. The child unsettled her. There was something about him that Kate didn’t like.

“Kate, where is this cave you spoke of?” Eudora asked.

“Over there.” Kate pointed to the cave entrance, half hidden in the distance.

“Everyone inside the cave, now,” Rath ordered.

He scooped the child into his arms, and they all ran for the shelter of the cave entrance.

Eudora clutched a silver bow, and a quiver of arrows was strapped to her back.

Gone was the princess’s beautiful crown and dress.

Instead, she wore a white shirt tucked into black trousers, along with a slender silver chest plate.

A fierce light filled her eyes. She was a Fae warrior princess.

“I should be at Roan’s side,” Eudora said, her usually soft voice now steeled with resolve. “But he has commanded us to protect you and Caden, which means keeping far away from the battle.”

“Caden?” Kate said the name, not knowing who the Fae princess meant.

Eudora’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, Caden. Your brother.” She pointed at the boy Rath had been carrying, now back on his own feet. The boy was staring at her, just as confused as she was.

“I don’t have a brother,” Kate said. “I don’t have.

..” She was certain she had no brother.

.. she was certain she didn’t even have a family.

She had no family, no one... except Roan.

But that didn’t make sense. Surely she’d had a father.

A mother... Was she an orphan? Why couldn’t she remember her parents. .. or even the lack of them?

“Kate?” The little boy reached for her hand. “You don’t remember me?”

Kate jerked away from the child and stepped back. “No. I don’t know you... I mean... please leave me alone.” She didn’t want to look at those eyes staring at her with such pain.

A sudden throbbing in her head made her wince and close her eyes.

“How could he do this?” Eudora hissed at Rath. “He’s robbed her of her memories.”

That didn’t make sense. Roan wouldn’t do that. It wasn’t even possible. Was it?

“We have no time to worry about that now. Follow me, everyone. We need to put distance between us and the palace,” Rath said. The glowworms above them began to shine, pulsing as they pointed inward, away from the cave opening.

The tall Fae warrior led the way, following the glowworm trail that lit a winding path through the cave.

They walked in single file, but Kate fell behind, looking back at the distant cave entrance one more time.

She couldn’t just leave Roan like this.

.. but there was no way to get back. It would take too long to scale the cliffside again, and most likely he wasn’t even in the palace anymore. War had come to the land of magic.

“Roan, be careful,” she breathed.

When she turned back to follow the others, they were gone. She was alone in the dark caves.

“What? How?” Kate asked. She’d only looked away a moment. They couldn’t have gotten that far. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Eudora! Patch! Magda!” The silence was punctuated by the sound of dripping water from a great distance.

“No,” she whispered. “No... no, no...” She looked back toward the cave entrance, but it had vanished as well. She was lost... in the dark.

Kate ran blindly through the caves, shouting their names. Her hands got scraped whenever she collided against a wall in the dark or stumbled over the jutting crystals. Their once vibrant green glow had faded to a dull milky white and was barely visible.

“Help!” Kate shouted until her voice grew hoarse. When she stopped, her legs shook hard enough that she could barely keep moving. Had she been here for hours? Days?

She lost all sense of time as she leaned against one of the walls and sank down to sit on the floor.

Despair filled her, making it hard to breathe.

She was alone, with no way out and no way to help Roan.

Even the glowworms had abandoned her, their lights so dull far above her that she wondered if she’d ever see them shine again.

This way, a voice whispered in the dark. This way...

The glowworms above her began to pulse brighter, like newborn stars in the night sky.

As if in a dream, she moved in the direction of the voice.

The dark world around her transformed into a silver forest of ghostly aspen trees and a mist that reflected shimmering mirages of herself in every direction.

Where was she? The cave was gone. She was alone in a forest she’d never seen before. Was this part of the labyrinth?

A gentle, melodic voice echoed in the mist around her. “We meet at last... Kate of the Winslows.”

Kate stood still, holding her breath as a figure made of starlight appeared.

The figure who came toward her was so beautiful it hurt to look at her.

She glowed with a light that made Kate think of sunlight rather than moonlight.

The blue gown she wore was the color of a perfect summer sky.

It was the color of Roan’s eyes when he smiled.

“Who are you?”

The woman stopped a short distance away from Kate. “My name is Thalia.” She smiled as she took another few steps in Kate’s direction. Kate gasped. A trail of brightly colored flowers bloomed in the wake of the woman’s footprints.

“Thalia... you’re Roan and Eudora’s mother.” Kate looked around at the silver woods. Was this a place out of space and time, as Roan had said? Goosebumps broke out on her arms as she realized this place did feel strange. It felt as though nothing moved or ever changed here.

“I am.” The woman held out a hand. For reasons she couldn’t explain, Kate instantly trusted her. She placed her hand in Thalia’s. Something about her gentle grip stirred feelings within Kate’s chest that made her heart ache. She was supposed to remember…but remember what?

“Roan needs you.” What compelled her to say that, Kate didn’t know, but part of her feared she might upset Roan’s mother. “You have to come back.”

Thalia didn’t seem upset. “My son has always been alone. Born with the magic of Seelie and Unseelie, he has never felt he could be accepted... just as you have felt most of your life. Standing alone made you both strong. You share that same strength of people born to such vast loneliness. But you cannot survive alone forever. Even the mightiest of trees still grow strongest when in the midst of a forest. You and Roan are stronger together.”

Kate shook her head. “I’m not strong. I can’t fight at his side. I can’t protect him. I have no power here. I’m just... human .”

Thalia shook her head. “He doesn’t need you to carry a sword. You possess far greater weapons, greater ways to protect those you care about.”

Thalia began to walk and Kate followed, still holding the woman’s hand. The fear and anxiety she’d felt in the cave were long gone. She was safe in the silver woods with this woman who felt so much like a mother to her. If she’d had a mother...

“What weapons do I have?” Kate asked.

“Love,” Thalia said. “It is the first magic, the truest magic... and it can be wielded by anyone. Come with me. I wish to show you something.”

They stopped beside a river that ran through the woods. Kate watched the clear water rush over the smooth river stones. It was strange, but she seemed unable to conjure up any worries or fears.

“Before I show you, we must discuss what’s happened to you.” Thalia placed her hands on Kate’s shoulders, peering into her eyes.

Kate blinked. “I don’t understand.”

“My son has done something to you. Something many would see as unforgiveable.”

That was impossible. He’d only ever shown her pleasure and taken care of her. She couldn’t imagine what he’d done to her that would be unforgiveable.

“In his misguided attempt to protect you, he has stolen something precious from you.”

“He hasn’t, he?—”

Eudora’s voice came back to her. He’s robbed her of her memories.

At the time she’d been so worried about Roan and the battle with the Seelie that she hadn’t stopped to process what Eudora had said.

“Yes,” Thalia said gently, as if she’d heard Eudora’s voice in her head. “He took away everything dark and sorrowful. Everything memory he believed you would be better off without. He also believed that if you couldn’t remember your life, your brother, that you’d choose to stay with him forever.”

He’d taken away something that had hurt her.

How could that be unforgiveable? She didn’t want memories that hurt her.

Why would anyone? And he’d done it to keep her here with him.

She should be angry about that, that he’d do something like that control her emotions, but…

he’d taken away the pain. How could she be angry at him for that?