Freed (Imprisoned by the Fae 3)

Just like how we couldn’t use a Seelie portal to cut through the Summerlands, we have to head through the woods on foot. Nine could use shadow travel, and I quickly discover Riley’s talent when it comes to shade-walking is pretty astonishing, but that would mean leaving Rys behind and that’s just not happening.

Even if he does offer to split up so that we can get to Scáth faster.

Because that’s our plan. With our only lead that the Winter Queen is still hiding somewhere in her Court otherwise the land would’ve started to thaw once the Summer King returned, Nine decides that visiting the capital and tapping some of his old contacts is our best bet to begin. He also offers to journey ahead, but Riley thinks we should stay together, so we do.

I know from Riley that she’s never been to this part of Faerie but, I’ve gotta say, it definitely agrees with her. While Nine is glowing brighter, his pale skin illuminating a bright silver glow that acts like some kind of flashlight, Riley’s reaction was a little different when we moved into the shadows—though no less noticeable.

One step past the border that separates the two courts and she jolts, almost like she’s been electrocuted. The shadows wrap around her without any prodding, creating a cloak for the half-human, half-fae that rivals the one the imps traded me all those weeks ago. Despite the fact that she slept almost as long as me and Jim did, she’s even more re-energized, bouncing around like she’s had five espressos or something. She zips around the snowy clearing, jumping through the shadows until she gets used to the way they fuel her.

I’m jealous. Jim? He’s amazed. He watches the younger woman so intently that Nine eventually steps in front of him, scowling as he announces, “I don’t like the way you’re watching my mate.”

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it, buddy. We’re cool.”

Riley laughs as she hops from one shadow to the next, appearing right behind him. Nine’s lips twitch, like he wants to smile at her joy but he doesn’t want to back down in front of Jim.

In the end, he just says warningly, “Keep it that way.”

Jim nods and, as if wanting to remind Nine that he has nothing to worry about, he reaches down to grab my hand.

I was expecting it. I know Jim. He wasn’t being a perv any more than I was, watching as Riley shade-walked; like how he marveled at her pointed ears, he was just in awe of how different the fae are from us humans. So of course his first instinct would be to show Nine that he’s here with me.

Before he can slip his fingers between mine, I pretend like my nose is affected by the sudden cold, rubbing the tip of it as I casually move away from him. He pauses for a moment, seems to remember the conversation we had back at Rys’s house, and doesn’t say a thing.

Phew.

It takes Riley a few minutes to burn off the energy. By the time she’s come down from the sudden high, she has a trail of black shadows following behind her. She pulls them toward her, as skillfully as any Unseelie I’ve ever seen, and weaves two more shadowy cloaks out of them. One for me. One for Jim.

Huh. Well that explains why Rys let it slide when the imps didn’t make me one with my new Faerie clothes. Though the imps are amazing tailors, when it comes to weaving with the shadows, Riley’s got them beat.

And he obviously knew that. Just like Riley knows just how much of the dark shadows Rys can tolerate.

Spoiler alert: not much.

Because it would only weaken him, she doesn’t offer Rys one; he pulls on the same dark cloak he was wearing when he rescued me from the Faerie Market. He doesn’t bother with glamour, using the heavy fabric to cover him up instead. Since we’re going to be in the Shadow Realm for much longer than the last time we were here together, he?

?s saving his Seelie magic and his glamour in case we need it later.

Nine keeps on his shadowy duster, the only one of us who doesn’t bother to hide in the darkness.

Once we’re ready, Nine slings his arm over Riley’s shoulders, an easy yet possessive touch as he starts to guide us through the trees. The shadows have reinvigorated him as much as Riley and he’s ready and raring to go. No more rest for him.

Though it’s not my first choice, I walk alongside Jim, keeping my eye on him while also keeping some distance. I can’t help but remember some of the dangers I’ve heard about—and experienced myself—when it comes to these woods. In case one of the faerie folk tries to mess with him, or he starts to stray from the path, I want to be there to help him.

I owe him that much.

Uncharacteristically quiet, Rys brings up the rear, watching our backs. I hope he’s not too tired. The four of us were able to rest inside of the carriage while Rys drove the horses, and I know crossing into the Shadow Realm definitely didn’t do him any favors.

He lost some of his bright shine within minutes of moving into the dark. When I pointed it out, he brushed me off, agreeing with Nine that we should move quicker just in case one of Oberon’s enemies watched us go.

We take a quick break after a few hours. Now that we’re in the Shadow Realm, Nine reaches into his own pocket to provide us with our next meal and some crisp Faerie water. Since we don’t know exactly how long we’ll be here, Rys wants to conserve as much of his power as he can.

The shadows suck. Seriously. The last time me and Rys were here together, we only had to travel for two days before we were back in the Seelie Court. Rys didn’t worry about how the shadows were affecting his light because the second we crossed courts, he recovered his strength. It’s at least a five-day trek to Scáth, and that’s if we go straight there. He needs to be careful that the shadows don’t drain him too much. That includes creating a portal to retrieve any of his own supplies.

Before we left, he promised he’d be fine. And maybe I’m worrying too much. He could survive days at a time being imprisoned in the oubliette. When he was a soldier for the queen, he had to visit the Winter Court on occasion. Besides, Oberon is also Seelie. He wouldn’t send Rys into the Shadow Realm if he couldn’t handle it, right?

Unless he was testing his loyalty.

Which… I’m pretty sure he is.