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  Grieve broke in. “I thought that shouldn’t bother you, considering how little regard you seem to have for anyone not part of the Vampire Nation.”

  “Wolf-boy, watch your manners. You may be a king, but I’m Regent and blood brother to the Emissary. We are both nobility.” Lannan crossed his arms, staring with open hostility.

  “Enough!” I was tired of the testosterone games. “The both of you stop this. It’s time to have this out, and you’re both going to listen to me and then shut the fuck up. Yes, I fucked Lannan, and I liked it, and he saved my life. But I’m married to Grieve, whom I love with all my heart and with whom I’ve thrown my lot. Lannan, show some respect to my husband—he is the King of Snow and Ice. And Grieve, Lannan saved my life. Don’t forget it.”

  They stared at me, both openmouthed. After a moment, Lannan shrugged, nodded, and returned to his guards. Grieve stared at him with a shadowed look, but my wolf was silent. I’d had some impact on the pair of them.

  I was about to say something when there was a noise from the direction in which we’d already come. Turning around, I saw a swirl of snow come whirling in—a tiny vortex about four feet high, but fierce and thick. And then the snow twister stopped, and there, in the middle of the cavern, stood the Snow Hag.

  Ulean swept past me. I found her and asked if she would come to us. She agreed. I think she may be able to help, though I don’t know how.

  Thank you—we need all the help we can get.

  Turning to the Snow Hag, I chose my words cautiously. “One might welcome one of the Wilding Fae, though caution her to proceed carefully, for there are many dangers in this place.”

  The Snow Hag grinned, her snaggletooth glistening in the dim light. “And one of the Wilding Fae might question a queen as to what the Winter would have her do.”

  “A bargain might be struck, if one of the Wilding Fae would agree and could help. But the danger is real and the task, great.”

  “The Winter Queen might realize that even the Wilding Fae know that there are times for bargains, and there are times for great deeds. And this would be the latter. What would Winter’s service be?” With a touch of her nose, she as good as offered me her help for free.

  “A few yards farther along, one will find a paralaxium from the plane of Ice. A dangerous beast, and yet, a Winter Queen would choose not to destroy it, but to send it home if possible, unscathed and freed from the snare by which Myst bound it. One might wonder if the Wilding Fae know of a method of doing so?”

  Trying to explain what I wanted in the strange cadence of bargaining speak wasn’t quite so easy, but I had the feeling I had gotten my point across by the look of delight that spread across the Snow Hag’s face.

  With a quicksilver laugh, she whirled, sending a shower of snow to cloak me in white. “Oh, the Queen of Winter might just prove why she is worthy of the crown she wears. Yes, some of the Wilding Fae have the knowledge of how to do this—present company included. So, a queen might wish that the paralaxium return home, safe and free?”

  “If one such as the Snow Hag could manage the deed, then yes, the Winter would bid her to act, but to also keep herself safe.”

  And then, without further word, the Snow Hag set foot ahead. We followed, at a safe distance, and when she came to the paralaxium, the Snow Hag began a singsong chant, in a language that was so old it made me want to weep.

  The paralaxium trumpeted, its trunk rearing into the sky, but it tossed its silky blue mane from side to side in time to the cadence of the Snow Hag’s song. A moment later, it began to fade, growing translucent, and then—with one last, long look at me with those glowing silver eyes—it vanished, and the path was clear.

  “Such an act is done.” The Snow Hag turned to me. “And the paralaxium knows who ordered its freedom. If I were a Queen of Winter, I would expect one day to receive a call from the plane of Ice, a caravan of visitors, to perhaps thank a queen for such a deed as this one.”

  I nodded, feeling both sad to see the creature go—I’d felt incredibly linked to it—and yet, relieved. We didn’t have to fight it, didn’t have to kill it.

  “And now, the Queen of Winter travels forth to the last gate?”

  “Only one gate left, then?” That was news to me, but welcome news.

  “One gate left. And then the hardest journey to come.” And with that the Snow Hag moved to the back of the line. “Perhaps the Wilding Fae will stay for a while, to observe. To lend an ear.”

  Grateful she had decided to stay with us, I motioned for Check to resume his place. “Let’s get on with this. One gate left. And then . . . if we are lucky, we destroy Myst’s heartstone and with it, bring the Long Winter’s end.”

  Chapter 17

  One gate to go, one last leg of the journey and perhaps, the nightmare would be over. The chamber beyond where we’d found the paralaxium sloped up, quickly becoming a narrow tube. Reminiscent of a lava tube, it was ragged and rough on all sides and circular in shape. We could only go one abreast here. Check took the lead, then Hunter and Grieve after him. I came next, then after me: the Snow Hag, Lannan, Fearless, and the other guards.

  The going was harder than crossing the frozen surface in the large cavern. Going uphill was always more of a chore, and the rocks in the tunnel were jagged, thrusting up from the floor as well as from the sides and ceiling. While we weren’t dealing with stalagmites or stalactites, we were facing rubble large as our fists and boulders that had tumbled down the passage from whatever ledge or chamber to which we were heading.

  I glanced back at the Snow Hag, wondering if—with her short stature—she was having a rough go at it, but she appeared to be moving along smoothly. She caught my eye and winked at me, then touched her nose with a crafty grin. I was beginning to like her more and more, and it occurred to me that, once this was over and if we prevailed, she would make a fine ambassador between the Wilding Fae and my Court.

  After another ten minutes of increasingly steep climbing, I asked, “Can you see anything ahead?”

  A moment later, Grieve called over his shoulder, “We are nearing an opening. I expect it’s the last gate, so we’d best be prepared for whatever barrier Myst has erected. Unfortunately, it’s hard to wield a weapon and manage this climb at the same time.”

  He was right. We were no longer even hiking, the grade had grown so steep. In fact, we were nearly at a fifty-degree incline and were forced to use our hands to help us scramble up. The rocks cut into my palms, but gloves would have made the surface too slick. As I pushed yet further, my left foot caught hold of some loose rock and slid out from under me. While I wasn’t in danger of falling, I pressed myself against the path until my heart stopped racing, and then moved on, hoping the pebbles hadn’t rained down on the others.

  “It is a bit of a climb, one would think, but nothing a queen and her company cannot scale.” The Snow Hag’s words echoed from behind me, making me smile.

  “Encouragement is always welcome, from friends and allies alike.” I glanced over my shoulder, grinning.

  “Almost up top!” Check called back. “I don’t see anything at this point, nothing barring the way. I’m going to stick my sword through the opening first, however. Stop climbing for now.”

  We pressed against the side of the tube, and I welcomed the chance to rest. Who knew what we’d be facing once we were through that opening, and after a tough climb, I didn’t want to be thoroughly winded. While we’d managed to pass through the barrier with the paralaxium, thanks to the Snow Hag, I had my doubts we’d come through the final gate without a fight. Or at least, damage. It might not be a sentient guardian, knowing Myst. It might be a trap.

  I waited, but there was no word or sound that Check was engaged in a fight. Whatever was up there apparently was either biding its time, or had somehow managed to miss all our commotion. Again, guardians tended to activate only within a certain radius, so we might have
still been outside its range, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t know we were here.

  “Nothing. I’m going up. Be prepared.” Check’s voice echoed down, and then, at the sound of him scrambling through, I held my breath.

  Please be okay. Please don’t get ambushed. The guard had wormed his way into my heart, and over the years, I had the feeling our friendship would grow. I wanted him there to protect me as time went on. I’d come to trust him, and that was more than I could say of most people I knew.

  A moment later, we heard the welcome sound of his voice. “Come on up.”

  Again, we began to move, and in another moment, Grieve disappeared through the opening, then turned to lend me a hand. I took it, and he pulled me through the mouth of the tunnel, then returned to help the Snow Hag.

  I rolled away from the hole, scrambling to my feet as I pulled out my dagger and looked around. We were on a ledge, all right, next to the entry into the passage out of which we’d just come. Behind me, past the tunnel’s mouth, was the opening into a cavern. Another few feet in the other direction led to the ledge’s end. I cautiously sidled over to the edge to find myself staring down into a dizzying drop into the blackness below.

  Caves within caves within caverns.

  The ledge on which we stood was a good ten feet wide, as rock strewn and harsh as the climb had been. It was solid though—cut into the side of whatever mountain it was the Barrow was buttressed against. Here, in this realm, we were far away from the Golden Wood within this Barrow. I had no idea what realm or plane we’d entered, but then again, within the Barrows time and space were all mutable. At times, with all the realms jostling for position, the whole thing reminded me of a giant game of Tetris.

  Wandering over to Check’s side, I gazed into the mouth of the cave and gasped. “It’s beautiful in there.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty, it is at that.”

  Within the cavern were thousands of tiny lights—blue and pink, purple and luminescent white. The lights twinkled, like Christmas lights, flashing in an array of patterns too hard to follow, but that registered as having some symmetry. The cavern was abuzz, but from where the sound emanated, I didn’t know.

  “Incredible. What are they?”

  The Snow Hag joined me. “One might think one was in the realm of the night sky rather than the heart of the unholy terror. But beauty can be deadly and is often an illusion.”

  I nodded, captivated by the brilliant lights. About to ask what we should do next, once again the reality that everything was up to me hit home. I was in charge. I was the Queen, and it would forever be this way. I might ask advice, I might seek counsel, but from now on, people turned to me instead of me turning to others. A knot formed in my stomach and, overwhelmed, I could only gaze at the lights.

  Then, fingers entwined with mine, and I looked down to see that the Snow Hag had taken my hand in hers. The feel of her skin—so alien and yet so solid—against mine, gave me comfort in a way I had never before felt. She was solid as the ice, solid as the rocks beneath our feet, and yet there was an ethereal cloud around her that reached out to cushion me.

  She squeezed, just lightly, but the energy that raced from her fingers through mine was immense, and it recharged me, strengthening me as I dropped my head back, letting it flow through my body.

  “One might think a queen needs no counsel, but truth is, a queen often needs the most support even as she supports the world that rests upon her shoulders. One might find a friend in the most unlikely of people.”

  Tears sprang to my eyes, and, impulsively, I crouched beside her, resting on my heels. “One might value friendship more than gold. One might say a thank-you, as long as that thank-you is not taken as a bargain nor a debt.”

  “Neither bargain nor debt.” And then the Snow Hag reached out with her long, jointed fingers, and stroked my hair. “Neither bargain, nor debt seals a queen to one of the Wilding Fae. No, simply friendship. And understanding.”

  “Your Highness—look!” Check’s shout startled me out of my thoughts, and I smiled at the Snow Hag before standing again. She squeezed my hand once more, then let go, and I ran over to Check’s side.

  “What is it?”

  “We are all topside now, but look—in the tunnel.”

  I glanced down into the passage through which we’d come. Below, I caught sight of a glistening shimmer, and I could hear the rush of water. The passage was filling up, and it seemed to be . . . could it be?

  “Is the water freezing as it rises? Turning to ice?”

  “I think so. There’s no way back. We have to go forward now. What are your commands, Your Majesty?” He waited, sword point down on the stone floor.

  I considered our options. We had to move on, but the fact that there were no obvious obstacles to entering the cavern with the lights made me nervous. It felt like a trap, and it probably was.

  “Search the outside of the entrance to the cavern, please. Look for anything that might indicate a trap or a snare.”

  Check called over his men and they scoured the edges of the cavern’s entrance. A few minutes later, he shook his head. “We can’t find anything, Your Majesty.”

  That pretty much took care of that. There was nothing to keep us from going through. One last look at the tunnel through which we’d come showed that it was packed full of ice, no longer usable. But at least no one would be coming through after us.

  “Check, you and Mort take the front. Hunter and Grieve next. I will come after, between Lannan and Fearless, then the Snow Hag and the other guards in back of us.”

  And so we formed our marching order and, without further wait, Check and Mort crossed through into the cavern of lights.

  Sparkling lights, twinkling lights, lights everywhere, like the most decorated garden during Christmas. Like the brilliance of a faerie-tale scene. The cavern was not large, but it was mesmerizing. For a moment I stood, gazing up at the illuminated ceiling. Just what the lights were, I didn’t know, but they were everywhere, like a thousand gleaming sparks in the black of night, and they made me want to just stand there, watching in wonder.

  As we moved toward the center of the cavern, I could see an opening on the other side. But I had to wonder: Was Myst’s heartstone hidden in here, beneath the shower of light? Or was it beyond, through the opposite door?

  Ulean, do you sense the—

  Cicely, run—run! Now!

  I froze at her cry, but then stumbled forward as the lights suddenly surged off the walls and ceiling and began swooping down on us. What the hell?

  “Your Majesty—run!” Fearless grabbed for me, but the lights swept down on him, and he was on the ground, rolling and screaming. I turned, meaning to go to him, but then someone grabbed my arm and dragged me forward. It was Lannan, and we were heading for the opposite exit.

  The men were shouting now, but I could barely see anything in the swirl of lights that dipped and swarmed. I struggled against Lannan, desperate to find Grieve, but he was too strong.

  “Grieve! Grieve! Where are you?”

  A scream startled me, and I jerked my head to the side. One of the guards was being stung to death, swelling up like a balloon everywhere the lights stabbed into him.

  “Grieve!” Frantically, I screamed for my love, but he was nowhere in sight.

  Lannan let out a shout. “I have Cicely! Save yourselves!”

  He pulled me through the door, with the lights still swarming after us. One managed to land on my shoulder before I could make it through and sent a shockwave of pain through my body, like the worst sting in the world. I spasmed, screaming in shock, and Lannan scooped me up and swung me over his shoulder, leaping through the door. The second we were out of the cave, the lights stopped trying to follow us.

  Lannan set me down, and I slid to the floor, moaning. Just that one sting had nearly incapacitated me. I thought of the men still in there
and let out another moan.

  “Grieve—Hunter? Are they . . .”

  “I will try to find them.” Lannan knelt beside me, tipping my face up. “Will you be all right for a moment?”

  “Yes, I’m all right. Just a little system shock. Please, see if they made it through?” I didn’t care if I had to get down on my knees and beg. If he could find my men, I’d kiss his feet.

  He patted my shoulder, and then was off again. As he plunged back into the cavern, now a vortex of swirling lights, I gingerly pushed myself to my feet, leaning against the wall for support.

  Cicely? Are you all right?

  Ulean, yes. . . . I will be. Grieve—Hunter? Do you know where they are?

  No, but I cannot leave you unguarded. Lannan is looking, is he not?

  Yes. What are those things?

  I don’t know—it seems they might be some sort of stinging insect. They are deadly, I’m afraid. I know at least two of your guards fell. They don’t seem to be able to harm the vampires though, so maybe there’s hope that Lannan’s men are able to guard some of your men.

  I pray so.

  As I began to look around, trying to see through the shadows cast by the lights from the other chamber, I realized I was in another corridor. I searched my pockets and found a tiny flashlight. Bringing it out, I flicked it on and turned back to the cavern where the insects still swarmed. I couldn’t make out what was going on, other than the hypnotic swirl of the lights. I placed my hand over my stomach and summoned my wolf.

  Grieve, if you can hear me, if you can feel me, let me know. Let me know if you live. Where are you, my love? Are you alive?

  But there was no answer, only the continuous swirl of motion. As I watched, waiting and praying for Lannan to return with good news, a sound caught my attention. It was from the corridor beyond. A gust of cold wind blew past, but it wasn’t stirred by Ulean. I heard a faint laughter.