Marked (The Coldest Fae Book 3) by Katerina Martinez (novel24 .txt) 📗

the look on their faces to mean they had known about this for some time and had possibly been looking forward to my reaction.

“No,” she said, “I can’t do this all the time. Maybe just a few times a month, but it should last the whole day when I do it.”

“Gull… this is incredible. I never thought—I mean, I had no idea this was possible.”

“I didn’t either, but it’s kind of neat isn’t it?”

I got close to her, close enough to smell her. The strength of her aura, her scent, was a lot more powerful now. It reminded me of spring, of flowers reaching their prime, of beautiful gardens. Trembling, I hugged her, and she hugged me. Tears fell almost instantly. She was my best friend in the world, and I had never been able to hug her.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how much I needed something like this,” I said.

“I thought you might like it,” she said. “It’s pretty nice not to have to constantly look up at everyone. I mean, I still kind of do, but it’s different, you know? Now I’m just short.”

“It’s cute,” I said, wiping my tears away, “I like this. I liked you before, but this is also… it’s good to be able to hug you.”

Gullie pulled away. She was crying, too—her tears weren’t green, though. I brushed her hair behind her pointed ear. We looked more alike now than ever before, like sisters, really. I couldn’t put into words just how full it made me feel to be this close to her.

“Have you noticed how Mira hasn’t tried to break this up?” Mel asked.

“I’m allowing them a moment,” Mira said, “We have time… even if we are on a schedule.”

“Right,” I said, letting Gullie go. “Yes, impending doom, Veridian, all that stuff. Serious time. Can someone tell me about this plan everybody seems to know about except me?”

Mel and Mira looked at each other, then at me. “Do you know what you have to do?” Mel asked.

“Win the Royal Selection.”

She nodded. “That’s it. That’s your part of the plan. Make sure you don’t lose.”

“Wait, but… that’s not the whole plan, right?”

“It’s not. The moon children are planning an attack on the castle, but it’s heavily fortified. If we were to attack head on, we’d lose half our number before we even made it to the castle itself.”

“That’s why you need to win the Royal Selection and restore the Prince,” Mira said, “We need him on our side.”

“But that’s…” I said, “What if he’s not even in there anymore?”

“We have to hope he is, and that you can bring him back out. He has the power to disable some of the more powerful wards protecting the castle from attack. If he can do that, we stand a much better chance of making it to the palace.”

“And what are we hoping to achieve in the palace?”

Mira paused. “The King has to die.”

My heart sank into the cold pit my stomach had become. “You want to… kill King Yidgam?”

“Radulf, the Veridian—he is the one who set this all in motion. He is the one with aspirations of conquest and domination. He needs the Prince to lead the army, but the idea, the order, was his. We need to remove him from the board.”

“And then we need the frost stone,” Mel put in.

“Why do we need that?” I asked.

“Every story the moon children have been told about the white wolf includes talk of the stone, and how it can purge the Veridian from the land. If the Veridian is tightening its hold around the castle, then the stone is directly under it right now.”

“Making right now the perfect time to strike,” Mira added, “But we have to strike quickly, before the Prince can mobilize the army and set out on his crusade.”

“You think that by using the frost stone we can destroy the storm?” I asked, “And save the Prince?”

“Without the Prince, I’m not sure even you can use the frost stone. You need to save him first.”

“And if I can’t?”

“Then we’re doomed,” Gullie said, “But that’s not the right attitude, is it? So, how about we just think positive, happy thoughts?”

I took a deep breath. “A lot can go wrong,” I said, “But Gull is right… we can do this. I know we can. When do we leave?”

“I’m packed and ready to go,” Mira said, “The moon children found our carriage and have prepared it on the other side of the stones… we can leave whenever you’re ready.”

“Now is a good a time as any,” I said, “Shall we?”

Mira nodded and headed past me, but Mel stood back. “I’m staying,” she said.

I frowned. “Staying?”

She nodded. “Mira is your custodian, so she has to go with you, but someone needs to help the moon children when they hit Windhelm. I know the castle inside and out. They’ll need my help getting in.”

I walked over to her. “Are you sure about this?”

Melina smiled. “They’ve been good to me, Dee. I’ve learned so much from them. I kind of feel like I may have found my tribe, even if we’re probably worlds apart.”

“What about your family? They’re probably worried about you.”

“They knew I was leaving. They didn’t know where—I wasn’t clear with them. But for now, they’re safe. If I was to show up with you, though, that might change.”

“And if the Prince has decided to seize them?”

“If that’s happened, then it’s already happened, but my priority is making sure this attack goes off as smoothly as possible.”

Nodding, I embraced her. “I understand,” I said, “Just, take care of yourself, okay?”

She returned the hug. “We’ll see each other again soon.”

I pulled away slightly. “How will you know when to attack?”

A sly grin spread across her lips. “We’ll know,” she said. “Just get it done, Dee. He’s still in there, and he needs you.”

My throat tightened. “That’s what scares me… but you’re right.” I moved over to the tent’s opening, giving Mel one last look. “Gull?” I asked,