Chapter One
My skin tingles a moment before a slash of white light flashes at the front of the lecture hall. I grit my teeth and keep my eyes locked on my scantron, refusing to acknowledge the fae entering my world through that fissure. I donāt give a damn if itās the king himself, I will pass this test tonight.
I darken in C on my answer sheet and then read the next question.
āMcKenzie.ā
Itās Kyol. Of course the Court would send him.
āMcKenzie,ā he says. āWe must go.ā No one else can hear or see him even though he towers over my professor, who stands less than two feet to his left. All the other students remain bowed over their desks, completely focused on their final exams. I grip my pencil and bubble in another circle.
The fae climbs the steps to my fifth-row seat. Still not meeting his eyes, I shake my head. I told himāI told all of themānot to call on me this week, but none of the fae understand why I need this degree, not when the Court takes care of all my needs. I tried to explain Iām human. I have human dreams and need a human life, and it shouldnāt take anyone eight years to earn a Bachelor of Arts in English. They hadnāt listened. At least, Kyol hadnāt.
Not now! I want to scream, but even the softest whisper will disturb the quiet in the lecture hall. I stare down at my exam, letting my long hair brush the top of my desk. It forms a brown curtain, cutting off my view of Kyol as I reread question ten. The Courtās war can wait until I finish.
Kyol lays a hand on my shoulder, and a pleasant warmth expands beneath the thin strap of my purple cami. If we were alone, Iād lean into his touch, soak in his heat, his scentāsoak in himābut not here, not now in the middle of a test I have to pass. I shift, trying to get away. When his hand remains, I slam my fist down on my desk.
My classmates turn their heads to stare and Dr. Embry frowns. Fantastic.
āNumber ten,ā I say with a nervous laugh. āItās a doozy.ā It isnāt. Itās on the works of C. S. Lewis. Easy. I bubble in A.
Kyol pulls on my shoulder and I squirm again. Thereās no way in hell Iām flunking this course a third time. I need it to graduate, and I donāt care if Kyol drops his invisibility in front of all my classmates, my ass isnāt budging until I finish my test and triple check my answers.
āWeāve no time to waste,ā Kyol says. āThe rebels have found you.ā
I suck in a frigid breath, hold it as I close my eyes for one brief, fragile moment, then I exhale, stuff my pencil into my backpack, and stand.
āIām sorry,ā I say to my surprised professor. āI have to go.ā
By the time I turn to hurry up the steps, Kyolās already waiting by the exit. I brace for the surge of emotion I know is coming and finally meet his silver eyes. Most people donāt see past his hard, unyielding scowl, but I do. Iāve seen his eyes soften and sparkle in the moonlight. Iāve seen a smile crack those lips, heard a laugh ring from that broad chest. And yet, even in those few, untroubled moments, thereās always a certain gravitas to him, like he could stand in the middle of a battle and part the enemyās line with one cool glare.
He reaches for the door. I lock down my feelings and cut him off, not wanting my classmates to see it swing open seemingly on its own. He glances down at me, and a bolt of blue lightning skitters from his jaw to his temple before disappearing into his dark hair. Another bolt zigzags across the hand he rests on his swordās hilt. Theyāre chaos lusters, visual reminders that the fae donāt belong in this world, and theyāre beautiful, mesmerizing. With his quiet, strong confidence,heāsmesmerizing.
āWhere should I go?ā I ask after the door thumps shut.
āThe River Bend.ā He seizes my arm and pulls me after him.
God, heās really worried. Just how close are the rebels? I scan up and down the hallway, but thereās only one other person in sight, a student asleep against the wall, newspaper pillowed under his head. I wish I could be oblivious like him, but I canāt. If the rebels donāt kill me on sight, theyāll use me to hunt down the Courtās officers one by one, just like Iāve hunted them down over the years.
My skin tingles again. I tense, then relax when three fae wearing the Courtās jaedric armor join us, stepping through fissures to take up position around me. Escape would be easy if I could travel through one of those strips of narrow light, but Iām only human. I canāt use a fissure unless itās opened at a gate and a fae escorts me through: not if I want to survive the trip.
Kyol speaks to his soldiers in their language. They nod, acknowledging his orders, and we set off down the hall. I shove my worry aside and hurry to keep up with their quick strides, telling myself everything will be okay, Kyol will take care of me. He always takes care of me.
Outside, a faint orange and pink haze smears the lowest portion of the sky. The growing darkness triggers the campus lights. They clank on, illuminating the faces of the students sitting on cement benches or walking alone or in groups of two or three. Even after dusk, this part of campus is always crowded because of the library. The River Bend Gate is about a mile northeast of it, past the construction for a new engineering building.
I hitch my backpack up on my shoulders. Itās not heavy. I left most of my books at home and brought only the essentials: my English Lit notes, sketchbook, cell phone, and the small, drawstring pouch that contains a handful of imprinted anchor-stones. Iāll need the latter to pass through the gate unless Kyol gives me a new stone to use.
I jog to keep up. When students start to stare, I try to free my hand from Kyolās. Itās not completely unusual to see someone run across campus, but my gait is awkward because heās pulling me, and Iām sure theyāre wondering what the hell Iām doing with my arm.
āKyol,ā I whisper.
His gaze darts to the humans who donāt see me holding his hand; they see me clutching wildly at the air. His jaw clenches before he lets me go. āIām sorry, kaesha.ā
I catch my breath. Kaesha. Itās a term of endearment he calls me only when weāre alone. I donāt think he knows he said itāthereās no hitch in his stride as he leads me across the courtyardābut if his soldiers overhear, if they report back to the kingā¦
An unnatural wind cuts through the previously still air, rustling through the trees and skittering a soda can across the cement. The hair at the nape of my neck stands on end and goose bumps prickle across my skin. The rebels are here. Theyāre watching. Theyāre hiding. Theyāreā
Arrows whistle through the air.