Veiled Fae (Fractured Fae 2)

“I am a flashlight,” I joke, producing a small ball of light. It’s a condensed version of the one I conjured for us in the well in Spring.

“Let me go first,” Gerwyn offers, pulling his sword from his sheath. I have a feeling our magic would do more, but it seems Emrick’s relentless battle teachings have gotten to him.

My heart stops as he walks inside, the door pushing open without a protest. When nothing happens, he beacon

s us forward. I let out a long breath and follow him in. The warmth of being out of the Winter wind is enough to make me want to cry.

I’m surprised to find a long stone hallway on the other side, illuminated by torches. The fire is slightly brighter than normal fire. When I raise my hands to warm them, I realize it gives off little to no heat.

Doors branch off of the hall much like a dorm, but much further apart, likely meaning more space for the families of Winter. The hallway isn’t as tall as the building looked from the outside, so there must be an upper floor to the homes.

“I have to see inside,” I say, the cold forgotten as my curiosity takes me over. Jacob is just as nosy so he’s right behind me as I go into the closest one.

The inside of the home is eerie. It’s like a time capsule of a Winter family and I feel like I’m stepping on someone’s grave. Cobwebs and dust form a layer on nearly everything. Food, clothing, books, tools, pretty much anything they used in everyday life is left out like they would be coming right back to it at any moment. I expected to see more devastation in here from the war, but I guess if the king was the catalyst for the war like I suspect, then it makes sense that it wasn’t fought here.

“I feel so weird looking into these homes. I’m not a creeper," Jacob whines and turns around. I can’t disagree, I’d wanted a glimpse inside but this just feels wrong.

We don’t detour again as we head further into the walls, our footsteps echoing ominously in the silence. This feels more like a ghost hunt than anything.

Finally, we reach a door on the back wall with writing above it that I don’t recognize.

“Barracks," Jacob reads easily. I guess the fae language lessons Andras has been pushing him to take have paid off. Andras wanted to teach the kids and humans to understand the fae written language and pronunciations, I just wish I’d had the chance to attend more than a few classes. But once the realm is safe, I’ll have more time for things like that.

“This should lead to the castle. I’m not familiar with the layout, so it may be a bit tricky," Gerwyn explains as he delicately eases open the heavy wooden door. He’s cautious after watching his brothers turn into ice. When nothing happens as he steps through, we all let out a collective sigh of relief.

The barracks are a confusing maze of corridors, connected rooms, and doors. The first door we try is a standard office, with a plain wooden desk and a conference table. The next few rooms are clearly soldier’s quarters, with thin beds and small chests at the end for belongings. It’s odd that unlike the homes, nothing here looks lost to time. The beds are meticulously made, but half the chests are open and empty. Not a single thing is out of place in the offices, in fact they’re just as barren as the barracks themselves.

“I’m so ready to be out of these creepy walls. No one warned me Winter would be this creepy,” Jacob mutters.

“Hopefully not much further.” Gerwyn sounds as tired as I feel. But I know we can’t just give up or turn in for the night. Not when they’re out in the cold.

We finally find what appears to be the Guard Captain’s office. It’s bigger and fancier than the rest. Large war maps line a tall table in the back. Small figurines are placed on the top map as if they were working on their strategies. Little good it did them since they ruined the entire realm in the process.

There are several bookshelves lined with fae tomes and bronze knick-knacks. Even the desk is ornate and over the top, with stacks of parchment and documents lining the surface. The desk chair is a plush, blue velvet. Apparently he treated his officers well, which is kind of a surprise for me, I’d pegged him as a narcissist.

A large metal door takes up a chunk of the far wall and I make a beeline right for it. The entry to the castle being protected by the highest ranking soldier makes sense.

“Do we think this is warded as well?” I ask the others with a sigh. I’ll never be able to walk through a gate or door again without panicking. At least not in Winter.

“I’ll try it. If I’m frozen as well, you still have a chance. You need Bella’s magic and Gerwyn knows this place better than we do," Jacob says in a determined, don’t argue with me, tone. I can see a bit of unease in his gaze, but it’s also full of the fiery stubbornness that I love.

“Jacob.” Failing to find the right words, his name is all I can mutter as a tear leaks down my cheek. I can’t watch someone else fail, but he’s right. I’m not sure what caused his moment of courage, we’d let Gerwyn lead us this far, but this door just seems different.

When I fail to find better words, he simply crushes me in the perfect, best friend hug.

“Don’t fight me, it has to be this way. I’m sure it’s fine," he whispers reassuringly. I nod, even though I know it’s probably a lie. When he pulls away I feel the loss, an ache forming in my chest.

“I love you, bestie. If you end up frozen, I’ll find a way to fix it," I give him a look of equal determination. I won’t let my best friend and only family become a frozen statue forever.

He walks hesitantly toward the door and I watch in horror as his hands tremble. He reaches for the handle, both Gerwyn and I holding our breath as he turns the knob. An audible click thunders through the silence as he disengages the lock, causing us all to jump. Pushing slowly, the door creaks open. Just as he takes a hesitant step forward, I notice an odd noise and look up to see a glint of metal sailing toward Jacob. Without thought or reaction I lash out with my magic, shoving Jacob through the door with the force of the blast. Missing him by a fraction of an inch, a set of metal spikes unsheathe themselves from the door frame with a metallic thud.

“Jacob?” I call through the gaps in the spikes. I try to peek through but I can’t make out anything beyond the grid of metal teeth.

“I’m okay. That was one hell of a save, Queenie," his voice is strained and wheezy, like my magic winded him. I’ll take winded over dead any day.

“How do we get through?” Gerwyn is already studying the spike trap and doesn’t hear my words. I don’t push further, letting him try to find a way around this. Patience isn’t my strong suit, not with Jacob vulnerable on the other side and after a good ten minutes I can’t take just standing around. Instead I go to the desk and pull out the chair. Even the scrape against the stone floor doesn’t disturb Wyn. There has to be some sort of trigger somewhere, and the desk seems the obvious place. I run my hands along the bottom and down the sides, even in the top of the drawers. They’re filled with documents and a few office supplies, but nothing that will help me free Jacob.

The main bookshelves are taller than I am, so I go to the low hanging shelves and pick through them. More of the same random junk, dusty books, ceramic vases, and a small box with military pendants inside.