Larnika led the way, deciding a route that would keep us away from the main towns and cities. We didn’t want the fae to see us if we could help it.

  This world is beautiful, Cerys thought, sweeping through the air.

  It is, I replied, trying to hold on to my hair. It’s a different sight from up here, so very pretty.

  Layanna, Larnika interrupted my reverie. There’s a small forest before us. We shall land here and make our plans to head towards the palace of Althea in the morning.

  It had taken us almost a whole day to fly south. The dragons had stuck close together in a wonderful flying formation. My heart had soared as high as we flew when we crossed the boundary line into Althea.

  I was home.

  Very well, I replied to Larnika as Cerys followed my guard’s orders.

  Each dragon dropped from the sky, sweeping down behind Larnika and Peeras and joining them on the ground just outside the woods. Heavy thuds made my bones shudder as they landed, the sound vibrating through the trees in front of us.

  Take cover, but don’t go too far in, I thought to them. We need to check that it's safe for us to make camp here.

  They shifted their feet, walking under the huge trees that towered high above my head. I had never seen such tall trees in my life. They stretched higher than I could see, the tips disappearing into an invisible sky. The dragons’ heads reached halfway up, their own height no match for the branches.

  “Those are cedar wood trees,” Larnika said, helping me down from Cerys as I descended. “They're famous in this part of Althea. We're on the border of Falonia here, so I want to scout the woods and make sure there's no Unseelie around.”

  Nodding, I slung my satchel over my back and marched further into the woods. Before I could go far, Sarsia and Trenton stepped in front of me. They blocked my way with a smile, their expression hard under the fake joviality. Sarsia held her hands on her hips, cocking one to the side.

  “Go on,” I said, trying to go past them. “Tell me that I can't go, and I'll pretend to listen to you.”

  Something wrapped around my wrist, pulling me back. I glanced down, frowning when Sarsia giggled quietly. A vine extended from her palm, trapping me in its embrace. Oh great, my friends had their magic back. The witch used her magic to cast an elemental spell, even though she was a seer witch. I was about to ask her to let me go when her hand fell and her eyes suddenly bulged.

  “She's having a vision,” Larnika said, reaching her just as her head dropped back.

  His arms supported her body as it shook violently. It had been over a month since she'd had a vision, what would this one show? Was it wrong of me to hope that a peaceful ending might be had by all? I highly doubted it, even if my heart squeezed at the thought of hurting Jordeek. Treacherous heart, it was falling into the hands of the prophecy far too easily.

  Before I had the chance to reach her, Sarsia threw her head forward and blinked several times. Her breath was shallow as she gripped Larnika, her hands shaking so hard, she could barely hold on.

  “Are you well?” I trod towards her, determined to lend my support.

  She shook her head and frowned, turning to look over her shoulder at the dragons. “You need to get them to stay here. Danger lies ahead, but I couldn't see what it was. We must make it safe before anyone sees the dragons.”

  Larnika passed her into my waiting arms as he went to Peeras. “You must stay here,” he told his new dragon. “Only come if you're called by Layanna.”

  The dragon lowered his head, glancing at me to confirm the guard's orders. Inclining my head, I smiled as Sarsia pulled from my arms and shook herself.

  “You must try to stay hidden in the trees. The sooner Jordeek knows that we're here, the quicker he'll come for us.”

  Yes, my Queen, Peeras said, slinking away to hide with the other dragons.

  I turned to Trenton, who clicked his fingers before swirling into his small size and flying around my head. I laughed, relieved that they had their magic back. An urge to test my own magic almost overwhelmed me, but a noise in the distance caused us to fall silent.

  “We need to go,” Sarsia said, taking her sword out of her sheath and indicating that Larnika lead the way.

  Trenton zipped ahead of us, his green fairy dust trailing behind. It had been so long since I had seen him as his true size, I had forgotten how tiny he was. I could only see him because of his bright dust.

  My stomach clenched as I remembered the black fairy. Her dust had helped me to reach the witch, but our encounter in the cave reminded me of my dealings with Jordeek. The skin on my arms warmed as I reached up and brushed my lips, remembering the softness of my enemy’s lips when pressed against mine.

  “What did you see?” I asked Sarsia as we walked behind Larnika.

  Taking my arm, she used me for support. Her dark blue eyes swept over me before looking ahead at the men.

  Trenton re-joined Larnika, his size returned to normal. Well, what I had come to know as normal, anyway. They whispered amongst themselves as Sarsia pulled me to a halt.

  “Not telling them is a risk,” she said quietly. “I saw you face to face with Jordeek. The dragons were with you. You...” She pursed her lips. “...You hesitated when Jordeek pushed his men forward.”

  “Hesitated?” Shaking my head, I wrapped my cloak tighter around me.

  I would never stop trying to right the wrongs that Jordeek Glyneria had bestowed upon Althea. My bloodline wouldn't allow it... but would my heart?

  “I can't tell them.” Gesturing to the men when they paused to wait for us, I swallowed in panic. “They would probably kill me themselves.”

  “It is your choice,” Sarsia said, looking out through the heavily wooded area, her eyes searching the undergrowth.

  Taking her words as a dismissal of the conversation, I joined the men. My hand rested on the hilt of my sword as we searched the area, going deeper into the woods. Something wasn't right, the birds above us grew quieter the further we progressed. My hands shook slightly when a fox darted out from behind a tree and ran across our way.

  “That's an omen,” I whispered. “My spirit animal-”

  The sound of an arrow whistling past my ear made me duck.

  A shout followed as thuds of footsteps alerted us to the presence of others. We spun, each one of us pulling our weapons.

  A group of strange looking creatures came for us, their snarls loud in the woods around us.

  Is everything well? Cerys’s voice drifted into my mind.

  Stay where you are, I demanded as the first lot of Unseelie Fae reached us.

  I couldn't risk the dragons, no matter how tempting it was to use them for every fight.

  Ducking, I swung away from a troll, who threw out his arm. Gripping my cloak, he ripped it right off my back, the tearing sound making me grit my teeth. My sword flung in a circle before I thought about what I was doing. I couldn't thank Geraldine enough for her transference of fighting skills.

  “You bitch!” the troll screamed when my bright sword sliced through his gut.

  Falling to the ground, he clutched himself as blood spurted from the wound.

  A growl nearby made me forget my victim as I turned to face a handsome fae man. He launched at me, his dagger thrusting near my shoulder. Kicking out, my foot connected with his knee, the force from my foot forcing a cracking sound that had the fae howling as he dropped to his knees.

  “Who are you?” he asked, his pale blue eyes widening when he saw the vivid swirls on my sword. “It's you!”

  So, the Unseelie knew about the sword of Althea? For some reason, that shocked me. I thought they wouldn't be interested in the Seelie Court considering it was nothing to do with them.

  A grunt from Trenton made me look over to the others.

  Sarsia had bound several men with vines, her concentration fully focused as she tied another with the flick of her wrist. The witch had some magic skills, that was evident.

  “Layanna!” Larnika shouted. “Watch out!”

  A rush of wind caught me off balance as arms wrapped around my legs. The male fae had taken advantage of my distraction, forcing me to the ground. He wrestled with me, all the while grimacing in pain. My wrists were caught as I pushed and shoved, trying to get him off me.

  “You shouldn't resist,” he said through his teeth. “I've got magic, too. My shifting animal is a wolf.”

  His grin made me shudder. A wolf had attacked us on Dragonscale, but there was no way this man was that wolf.

  “Not only that.” His words were tense as I kicked my knee up, dislodging him from me. “We want to help you, Queen Layanna.”

  The fight left me as my energy faded. Exhaustion overtook as he pinned me to the ground, his weight heavy on top of me. He seemed eager in his pleading, almost desperate.

  “Get off me, and I'll call off the others,” I said, jostling him.

  He crawled back, unable to get to his feet. I couldn't see clearly through his brown breeches, but his leg was hanging at an awkward angle.

  It was good to know that after my trek through Althea, I had the ability to defend myself from the Unseelie. The fae’s words had stopped me in my attack. Why would the Unseelie want to help me?

  “Larnika,” I called. “Retreat!”

  My fae guard grunted as his sword was pulled from a dwarf’s stomach. The Unseelie fell to the ground, clutching the wound that would surely lead to his demise. I felt no pity for him, he had attacked us after all.

  The thought made my stomach churn. Since when had I relished the death of other beings?

  “My Queen?” Larnika said, coming to stand by me as the others thrust away from their combats.

  The male fae whistled, gesturing for his people to retreat, which they did, scowls still intact.

  I was about to step forward when a smirk crossed the fae’s lips, his eyes narrowing on me.

  Something fell on top of us, trapping us. A net bigger than all four of us, tumbled from above. We struggled against it as a troll, ten times our height, gathered it up, hauling us into the air.

  Sarsia’s back was pressed against my face, and Trenton’s foot was kicking my hip as we bustled together.

  Laughter in all pitches resounded around us, the sound making my skin creep. The beastly creatures had tricked us into relenting, only to take us prisoner.

  “As if we’d help you!” one of the pixie’s said, aiming an arrow at my eye when the net was fastened to the thick branch of a tree.

  A scowl from the lead fae caused the pixie to glide to the ground, a sneer on his face as he put his bow and arrow away.

  “We need them alive,” he said loudly. “King Jordeek will pay a high price for these folk. He’s been searching for the brunette for months.”

  “Maybe he’ll give us citizenship!” Another pixie jumped up and down, clapping his hands.

  Why would the Unseelie want citizenship? Jordeek had told me about the brutal ways of the King of Falonia, but surely they wanted to return home?

  “Let us down this instant!” I demanded, managing to get hold of the rope and move myself so I could see the Unseelie below.

  That same laughter rang around the trees, echoing through my ears as they burned with anger. How dare they capture the real Queen of Althea so unceremoniously? How could I have been such a gullible fool to believe they wanted to help me? Sarsia’s reprimand rang loudly in my head, even though she didn’t speak it.

  Layanna, Larnika thought. Call Cerys.

  My initial instinct had been to call on the dragons, but something stopped me. The dragons were too powerful, they would burn down the whole forest with their fire. I couldn’t risk the land of Althea, there was already too much taken by the Shroud.

  I will not call the dragons yet, I replied to all of them, grateful for our gift of telepathy. I have a plan.

  “Shall I fly to the palace and inform his majesty of our catch? King Salvadia has passed back into Falonia, so it should be safe to talk to the Seelie King.” A pixie hopped on his little feet, his wings flapping, ready to take him away.

  Waving a hand, the fae with the broken knee shook his head. “Salvadia might have sent some of his scouts, we’d better lay low for a while longer. Let them wait out for the night, they’re not going anywhere.”

  Turning, he gestured for his men to follow him. They did, their chattering loud in the quiet woods as they disappeared through the growth.

  A tall troll stayed close by, ruining my hope that we would be left alone. He sat against the tree near us, a big yawn sending smelly breath over us.

  I’m sorry, Trenton thought, giggling gently when a smell worse than the troll’s breath surrounded us. I tried to hold it in.

  Screwing up my nose, I held onto the rope when Sarsia started to buck against our binds, a grunt showing her frustration. It was extremely uncomfortable, being pressed against my closest friends. In spite of how much we had been through together, I hadn’t imagined we’d be so intimately close.

  What’s your strategy? Sarsia murmured in my mind, the fight leaving her as she slumped, defeated.

  Our arms were too tightly pressed together to allow us freedom to take out our weapons. Just one slice of a sword, and we would be free to take down the troll together.

  Let him fall asleep, I replied, watching the troll as he yawned again, trying to fight the drooping of his eyelids. When he’s unconscious, I’ll summon Cerys.

  “Why are you here?” The troll’s slow deep voice made us all jolt.

  Larnika lurched, his body thumping against mine as the Unseelie creature rested an arm on his raised knee. He watched us with large brown eyes, the lashes as long as Trenton when he was in his fairy size.

  “I’m the true Queen of Althea,” I replied, smiling kindly at him. “We’re here to reclaim my throne. Why are you here?”

  Sarsia nudged me in the ribs, warning me against something. I ignored her, preferring my own way of trying to win the troll over to my side.

  “I’m keeping watch over you.” Resting his head against the tree trunk, the troll chewed on his lip before going on. “My people fled Falonia because Jordeek promised us a safer life in Althea.”

  “He did?” Trenton blurted. “How kind of him!”

  Quiet, I ordered the fairy softly.

  “It was kind of him.” Yawning once again, the troll chomped on his teeth, the grating loud in our ears. “Our king kills Unseelie with no regard. We might not be innocent, but we don’t deserve to be slaughtered.”

  “Slaughtered?” My voice was calm, coaxing.

  He grunted an affirmative. “Yes. He started to massacre us for no reason. Claimed that he was cleansing the population. Killed dozens of Unseelie in the streets of the city, his army picking them off one by one as they walked past.”

  Jordeek’s story came into my mind. His mother had been treated appallingly, by someone they trusted. A ruler should never hurt their people, certainly not purposefully. Pushing the memory of Jordeek away, I focused on the troll.

  “Why would he do such a thing?” A shudder moved my muscles, the idea of such tyranny causing my stomach to churn.

  Shrugging his wide shoulders, the troll rested his head against the tree trunk. “Because he’s gone mad. King Jordeek witnessed the terror in Falonia and promised to help us. He’s a good king.”

  His eyes fluttered closed as his breathing evened, moving his giant chest up and down. He had succumbed to sleep quickly, which made life easier.

  “Shall-?”

  Don’t wake him up! Sarsia almost screamed in our heads, a scowl aimed at Trenton.

  Well, excuse me for daring to speak, the fairy answered back.

  Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I regained composure, ready to tell them my plan. Before I could think, a snap sent the net falling out from under us, releasing us to the ground.

  Thumping on top of Sarsia, I tried my hardest not to make a sound as the earth met us, the force sending the air out of my lungs.

  What on earth? Trenton heaved me and Sarsia away from him.

  Larnika was on his feet, sword in hand. A grin lined his face as he watched the troll, who hadn’t flinched on our release. He had evidently cut the net surreptitiously. He had indeed been quiet in the net, which was unlike the Althean Guard.

  Well done, Larnika, I whispered in our minds.

  Of course, Trenton started, tripping as he got tangled in the rope of the net. Larnika saves the day. I was about to turn to my real size and slice the rope with my-

  We don’t have time to stand around carping, Sarsia thought as she slipped past the sleepy troll. We have to get back to the dragons.

  Following her lead, we trotted carefully and silently across the forest floor, trying not to break twigs underfoot.

  My heartbeat was loud in my head as the troll took a shuddery breath, but settled back into slumber.

  Cerys, I called to my dragon. We’re coming back, be ready to leave immediately.

  I was just starting to worry, my Queen, she replied. We shall be ready.

  Ducking through the trees, we picked up our pace, one following the other. Trenton and Larnika were behind us, bringing up the rear. A shout behind us made me halt. Oh no, the troll had awoken.

  My legs pushed me forward despite the protest of my muscles. I dug deep for energy to drive me across the forest floor. The others were there beside me, running as fast as me.

  Turning when thunderous footsteps shook the ground, Sarsia threw up her hand and chanted a spell. I didn’t bother to look and see what she had done, but the crack of a tree trunk breaking and tumbling made me put my hands over my head. The sound vibrated through the forest, probably attracting the rest of the Unseelie.

  My Queen? Cerys called in my mind. What was that?

  We’ll be there in moments, I thought, ignoring her question.

  Sarsia spun to run with us again, a smirk on her face when a frustrated growl echoed through the trees.

  Larnika dropped back, his sword in hand, just in case the pixies caught up with us.

  Crashing and crunching grew louder from behind as the light ahead blossomed brighter. I could see the glistening yellow hide of Cerys through the gaps where the trees thinned. The edge of the forest was so close.