A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova

Chapter 33

The momentshe removes her hands from our mouths, Giles exhales a sigh of relief that ends with her name. “Shaye.”

There’s no chance for her to react before his arms are around her, clutching her, holding her as though she’s the last woman on earth. Shaye is clearly startled. Her eyes dart from Raph to myself. I give a small and knowing smile before turning to Raph.

“Why don’t we give them a moment?”

“We don’t need a moment,” Shaye says defensively.

“Shaye.” Giles pulls away with a hard look.

Shaye rolls her eyes, but the small smile at the corner of her mouth betrays her true emotions. “All right, one minute.”

I pat Raph’s shoulder and guide him over to a nearby tree that we stand on the other side of. I lean against it, crossing my arms, and stare out over the sloping forest. My gaze is soon brought up to the High Court, glittering against the night sky, looming above us.

“He likes her a lot.” Raph startles me from my thoughts.

“He does,” I agree.

“She likes him, too, even if she doesn’t want to show it.”

“That’s astute for a kid.” I ruffle his hair. He scowls and combs it back into place. I’ve learned that Raph doesn’t like things that remind him of his age. I must be the worst, because it only makes me want to remind him more.

“One, not a ‘kid,’” he says firmly. “And two, I know a thing’r two about love.”

I snort. “What do you know about love?”

“I know it when I see it.” He puffs out his chest. “Like, that night when you and Prince Davien danced. You two are in love. Anyone could see it.”

A knot in my chest eases as a different one forms in my stomach. I wonder if he’s right and how many people could see it. I wonder how many recognized what was happening well before I did, or even Davien. I wonder if that night, even when he swore to me that there would be no feelings between us, he knew he already loved me and that I loved him.

“Well? Am I right?” Raph presses relentlessly.

“Yes,” I confess with a soft laugh. “You are right.”

“Knew it! And that’s why you’re going to save him.”

“It’s one of the reasons. Saving your kingdom is also a pretty big motivator.” I look back to that tall city looming up on the hill and the sheer wall that encapsulates it. For every one Butcher I see prowling, I’m sure there’s at least five more, hidden away. A whole army of killers, trained from their very first breath. Do we really stand a chance against them?

“Sorry for the delay.” Shaye rejoins us with Giles at her side.

“No apologies necessary.” I push away from the tree.

“Were you two kissing?” Raph waggles his eyebrows.

Shaye leans forward, sticking her nose right near his. “You know, your father and mother aren’t here right now to protect you. You really want to try me, little man?”

Raph’s spine goes rigid as he stands up tall. “No, not in the slightest, sorry, Lady Shaye.”

Shaye hums and straightens away. “I’m watching you, kid.” Funny enough, he doesn’t object to being called “kid” when Shaye is the one to say it. She does have that intimidating aura—one that only grows more intense when she looks up toward the city. “So, you came here with the intent to break into the High Court?”

“Giles tell you?” I ask.

“He didn’t need to, it’s obvious. Why else would you come? Especially with Dreamsong destroyed.” Shaye’s mouth twists into a frown. Her eyes flash with a rage unlike any I have ever seen. This battle has always been personal for her, and Boltov only compounds the reasons she has to fight with his attack on Davien and Dreamsong.

“How did you survive Allor?” I ask.

“Tell you on the way.” Shaye starts up the hillside. “I think I know the best place for us to make our way in.”

As we walk around the circular city, Shaye tells her tale. She engaged with Allor for as long as she could, taking blows so that Davien and I could escape. Once Shaye had reached her limit, she activated a magic that she calls “the dreamless sleep.”

“And what does that do?” I ask.

“It’s a ritual of my own inventing—it’s how I escaped Boltov the first time. Think of it like wrapping myself up in the shroud of death. I can cocoon in it for a short period of time. Doing so stills my breathing and slows my heart to the point that it’s nearly impossible to tell that it’s still beating; it’s a sort of stasis. But if I stay there too long, I actually will perish.”

“So you made Allor believe she killed you and revived yourself after she left.”

“Yes. Butchers are always too eager to believe that they bested their kill. That no one can compare to their skill or ruthlessness. They don’t stay around to give burials or double check their finishing blows.” Shaye shrugs. “It worked once before, it worked again. Then I tried to find you and Davien. When I saw the remnants of a struggle at the keep, I went for Dreamsong.” All that time, Shaye was on her way just several steps behind us. “And, on seeing the ruins, I came straight here. I came to make good on my promise. I had no idea who else survived.”

“You came to kill Boltov,” I finish for her.

“I always said that I would…or, I will at least help the man who does.” Shaye’s gaze falls to my neck. “I take it he didn’t get the powers and that’s why we’re in this mess?”

“No, he didn’t get them. And it was my fault. If I had moved faster—”

“It was the fault of the Butchers that attacked you and Boltov for sending them,” Giles interrupts. “Don’t take blame when it’s not deserved.”

“Bloody Butchers.” Shaye curses under her breath. “Never miss a chance to ruin something, do they?”

We come to stop at a low-lying point in the hillside. A small stream rushes past iron bars set in the wall.

“It’s one of the water sources for the city,” Shaye explains.

“This will work nicely.” Raph scampers over, inspecting the bars.

“Move aside, kid.” Giles approaches. “Leave this to the man with the history of building.”

As I watch Giles begin to set up a small ritual on either side of the narrow riverbank, I feel hopeful for the first time. Giles and his knowledge of construction will help us get into doors, and out of tight situations. Raph is small and nimble. He’s also proved himself to be creative and resourceful—things we’re definitely going to need on the inside. And Shaye, she has the most valuable information out of all of us. She’s lived in the High Court before. If anyone is going to know where they’re holding Davien and how to get to him, it will be her.

I glance over at her, prepared to tell her how grateful I am that she’s here with us. But her solemn expression takes the wind from my sails.

“What is it?” I ask softly, so as not to draw Giles or Raph’s attention. Shaye stares silently up at the city, her chest rising and falling slowly as she breathes deeply—in through her nose and out through her mouth. “Shaye?”

“I can’t believe I’m finally back here,” she admits, bringing her eyes to mine. There’s a searching quality to her gaze, tinged with a frantic worry that I know I can’t calm. “I can’t believe I’m going back in. Willingly.”

“It’s all right if you don’t want to.” Boldly, I rest my hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some amount of comfort. In a small way, I think I can relate to the fringe of what she’s feeling. I imagine what emotions might smother me if I ever stand before my family’s home again. I would be terrified to say the least.

Shaye laughs softly and shakes her head. “I’m not upset. I’m proud of myself for coming back—for being strong enough to make good on my promise.”

“I admire you,” I say softly.

Shaye brings her eyes to mine. “And I admire you. Throughout all this you’ve remained resilient, more than I expected. You’re not so bad…for a human.”

A small pop interrupts our conversation. We both look back to see Giles lifting a section of the grate away. He rests it off to the side. Raph scrambles to try and help, but I can imagine the boy is not doing much in the way of heavy lifting.

“You both ready?” Giles asks, though his eyes are mostly on Shaye.

“Yes.” She strides forward with confidence, grace, and murderous intent. I watch as the woman willingly marches back into the den of her tormentor without the slightest trace of fear. No… That’s not quite true. I saw her eyes. She is afraid. But she’s not letting that fear win—she’s not giving him power over her anymore by allowing him to frighten or intimidate her.

I hope that someday I can be half as strong as Shaye. That I live long enough to try. As I cross beneath the wall of the High Court, I make a silent vow to myself:

I will go back to my family’s home, confront them for what they did. I will tell Laura to leave and to be her own woman—with me or on her own—and then I will leave them behind me forever. I will never be afraid of them again. I will never let them intimidate me again. I will not let the fears they have entrenched in the dark corners of my mind rule me.

Halfway through the tunnel, Shaye pauses, motioning for us to do the same. When she speaks, her voice is nothing more than a whisper. “This is going to drop us right in a busy area. Even at this time of night, there’s going to be people out on the streets—heading to or from taverns, or conducting business.”

“And with the water, there’s no way we can glamour.” Raph stares at his feet.

“Which means there’s no hiding.” Shaye nods.

“No wonder it was left with such meager protections.” Giles strokes his chin in thought. “So what’s the plan?”

“I’m going to make a distraction,” Shaye says.

“No,” Giles tries to interject.

She continues speaking over him. “I have a few more rituals charged. I can make enough chaos that you three can slip into the crowd.”

“I’m not leaving you.” Giles grabs her hand.

“And we’re lost without you,” I say. “You’re the only one who knows the way through the High Court.”

“It’s not hard. And with his keen sense of direction, you’ll have no trouble at all.” Shaye gives a nod toward Raph. “You can do it, right?”

“I…”

“I know you can.” Shaye blows over his hesitation with her fierce determination. “And just because I’m going to make a distraction, doesn’t mean they’re going to catch me. I think I proved by now that I can be pretty slippery, especially when it comes to Boltov’s clutches.”

“I don’t want you to use yourself as bait.” Giles still clings to her. “There’s another way.”

“Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. We can’t risk spending all night debating it. The autumn’s end celebrations are coming to a finale, and if I know Boltov at all, he’s going to use their culmination as his platform to show everyone that the last Aviness has finally died under his grasp.” Shaye shakes her head. “We don’t have time to look for better plans, or second-guess ourselves. We have to just move forward with what the world has given us, and make it up as we go.”

“You’re sounding like me, and I don’t think I like it,” Raph says.

Shaye grins. “You’re not the only one who knows how to make trouble.”

“Fine.” Giles resigns himself to the idea, running a hand through his golden hair on the side of his horns. “But I’m going to help you make the distraction.”

“You should stay with them,” Shaye insists. “If they run into more trouble along the way, you might be needed to combat it.”

“Or, Raph and I will be able to move faster with one less person,” I speak up. “The two of us look pretty nonthreatening.”

“Are you saying I look intimidating? No one has ever called me intimidating before.” Giles seems oddly pleased.

“I was pretty intimidated by you when I first met you.” I grin. The expression quickly falls from my face as my tone turns serious once more. “With two of you making the distraction, it’ll be better than one. And you can look after each other. So hopefully, you can meet up with Raph and me again.”

Shaye locks eyes with Giles. I get the sense that there are unspoken conversations happening between them. She frowns. He nods. She shakes her head; he sticks out his tongue; she rolls her eyes.

“Fine,” Shaye says finally. “Can’t exactly go against my own advice and spend too long debating this. Now, you two, listen up, it’s not hard to get to the castle from anywhere in the High Court…” She tells us the best route to take as we finish our walk through the tunnel, the water masking our words. When she’s finished she doesn’t even bother looking my way. “Did you get all that?”

Raph gives a confident nod. “Leave it to me.”

“How do we get into the castle?” As the light at the end of the tunnel draws nearer, the reality of our plan dawns on me. I’m about to go into enemy fae territory without magic, with a child as my only ally.

“Unfortunately, that’s not something I can help you with.” Shaye frowns. “It’s been so long since I was in the High Court. And I left before I was high enough in the Butchers to know the ins and outs of Boltov’s personal guards. Besides, even if I had, I’m sure he’s changed it by now. You’re just going to have to adapt to whatever you run into.”

“I’ll do my best. One last thing, do you have any idea where they might be holding Davien?”

“If I had to guess, it’d be somewhere deep within the castle, and hard to get to. The power of the hill becomes stronger—making all fae but the king weaker—the deeper you go.” Shaye comes to stop. Raph stays behind as well while Giles slinks toward the bars that cover the entrance of the city. I see him moving around, readying whatever ritual he’s going to use. “Listen to me, Katria, you’re only going to have one shot at this. As soon as Boltov knows that you are in the city, he’s going to do everything he can to hunt you. They already know that there’s some kind of trespasser via the wards on the outer wall. Once he knows it’s the human who’s thwarting him, nothing will stop him from exacting vengeance on you.

“As hard as it will be to stomach, don’t take the first opportunity you have, not unless it’s the right one. If you’re clever and careful you’ll both be able to hide in plain sight. But the second you’re identified, well, you’d better move very quickly from then on. Treat every action as though it might be your last, because it very well could be.”

“I understand.” I nod and grab the necklace around my neck.

“Good.” Shaye claps my shoulder once. “I don’t know if you humans believe in the great Beyond across the Veil, but, if this should all end badly, I hope to see you there.”

“I hope so too, assuming the old gods, or whatever the rulers of that world are, let humans in.”

Shaye chuckles. “For all you’ve done for the fae, I’ll make sure they make an exception for you.”

A smile crosses my lips.

Giles returns. “All right, I’m ready. You three?”

I look to Raph, who says, “Ready. Stay close to me, Katria.”

“I will.”

“You sure you want to do this?” Shaye asks Giles. “You could go with them.”

“You’re not the only one who wants to cause Boltov a little bit of pain.” Giles smirks. “I’ve been waiting for this moment since he murdered my whole court. Don’t deny me my opportunity to wreak havoc now.”

“Never would dream of it.” In the most bold, outward display of affection I’ve seen from her so far, Shaye takes his hand and brings it to her lips. Her eyes flutter closed and she kisses each of his knuckles. “It has been my honor to be by your side.”

“You shall always have a place there.” Giles looks back to the exit. “On the count of three then. One.”

“Two,” Raph says. I see him sink low in his stance. I do the same after I shuffle off to the side to have a clear path to run.

“Three,” Shaye finishes for all of us.

Giles slams his palm against the tunnel and a rumble vibrates from the heart of the wall itself. The ground beneath the exit falls out, and I watch as the grate and half the wall crumbles with it. Shaye doesn’t waste a second. She bolts out into the city beyond and waves a hand. Dark shadows pour from her fingertips, clotting in the air. I hear shouts.

“That’s our cue,” Raph says with a glance toward me. I nod. He sprints ahead and I’m close on his heels as we emerge into the High Court.