House of Shadows (Royal Houses 2)

She gasped as she felt her, even two stories away. She tugged on the signature and pulled.

Zina came into the spirit plane with ease. But something else reached for her. Kerrigan gasped. Her eyes flying open. She’d never felt another presence in the spirit plane like this. They were supposed to be safe in the circle, contained in this house.

“Kerrigan?” Zina called, concern in her voice.

Then, something touched her hand, and she disappeared from Black House.

30

The Camp

Mei tramped through a dirty war camp. She was in mud up to her ankles and wanted nothing more than to rid herself of this place. Nothing had gone as planned. No one would listen. Ten long years, they’d been at war with no end in sight until tonight. Tonight, the war could end.

She brushed a hand back through her hair. She wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for her daughter. She had joined up like the rest of the youth who thought they could make a difference and had no idea of what war was actually like. So self-righteous and certain that they were going to change the world.

Fae should have been slow to go to war and quick to retreat. The long lives afforded them space to see reason. But no one would see reason.

The tent flap shoved open before Mei could do so. Her daughter stepped out. They were nearly the same height with the same black hair and dark brown eyes. She had none of her father in her. Only twenty turns of the sun and dragon bound. How had she failed her so completely?

“What do you want, Mother?” her daughter sneered.

“You know why I’m here.”

“I won’t go with you. You’re a coward.”

Mei winced. The words hit hard despite the youth in them.

“You have no idea what you speak of.”

“I’m here to help us win this war against those barbarians. What are you doing, Mother?”

Mei clenched her hands into fists. “Please, come with me.”

“Where? Where are you running off to? How dare you run away from your obligation to the Society.”

“I have no obligation to the Society,” she snarled. “The Society only cares for itself.”

Her daughter took a step backward. “You include me in that assessment.”

“Yes,” she bit out.

“Then we’re done. Trulian will never leave either. How does he not see you for what you are?”

“Your father has nothing to do with this.”

Her daughter narrowed her eyes. “He is not my father.”

“We don’t have to go through this again.”

“I have no parents.”

“Please,” Mei whispered, broken.

She knew what she had to do. She had to go to Cavour. She had to put up the wall that would end this war. She didn’t know what would happen when she did it, if it was even possible. But she knew what would happen if she didn’t try.

She had seen it.

Everyone would die.

“Please,” she repeated.

“Good-bye, Mother.” The girl turned away from her and flipped the tent flap back open.

“Zahina, please …”

But she was already gone.

And Mei had to save the world.

Kerrigan jolted back into her body full force. She rocketed forward, pushing Zina over and breaking their protective circle. The spirits zoomed in all around them. The wind picked up, and the spirits grabbed at both of them. The energy was so erratic that Kerrigan couldn’t help the scream that ripped from her throat.

Zina jumped to her feet and threw her hands out. “Cease.”

The spirits popped out of the space, leaving everything suddenly empty. She smothered the skittering flames and spilled candle wax before turning back to Kerrigan, who was huddled on the floor in a ball, shaking.

“What happened?” Zina asked, calm but firm.

“I don’t know.” She squeezed her eyes shut.

“One minute, you pulled me into the spirit world, and the next minute, you disappeared.”

“I was… I was pulled into a vision.”

Zina sat back on her heels. “A vision? Have you had one before?”

Kerrigan nodded.

“Helly didn’t tell me.”

“She’s been protecting me,” Kerrigan said, slowly coming up to a sitting position. She wiped the stray tears from her cheeks. “I’ve had a few visions of the future in the last couple years.”

“Harbinger,” Zina whispered.

“That’s what Gelryn said. And recently, I had visions of the past.”

“What have you seen?”

Kerrigan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I saw your mother.”

Because it was clear that was what she had witnessed. The night that Mei had put up the magical barrier around the House of Shadows, she had gone to her daughter. A daughter named Zahina with black hair and dark brown eyes. The woman sitting right before her.

“My mother?” Zahina whispered, coming back to a seated position.

“Mei.”

Zina exhaled. “I haven’t heard that name in a thousand years.”

“I saw you arguing in a war camp during the Great War. She asked you to leave.”

Zina held up her hand. A tear welled in her eye. “I have relived that night more times than I care to recount. She disappeared that night. The Society… they said she was killed in the war. But I know my mother… and she was already leaving.”