Page 55 of Winter Queen
I nod towards the abandoned dais. Everybody has left; Crispin is mingling, my Guardians are on their way to the Western Gate, and Tamara must be busy tallying up the Gods on our side.
I pull two chairs away from the table and the tempting desserts still waiting there for my attention and take a seat, inviting Epona to do the same.
“I’m a Goddess of War,” she begins without preamble. “Not like the Morrigan. I fight for a reason, not for the sake of killing. I don’t sacrifice my people for purposes I don’t believe in. I have created and trained every Guardian in my Realm myself, they’re the best of the best. If they are to fight for you, I need to know that there is a point to this conflict.”
I’m a bit confused. Flora gave all the reasons for why we fight earlier. Was Epona absent during that speech?
As if she can read my thoughts, she adds, “I want to hear it from you, Princess. If I’m fighting under your banner, I want you to be the one to tell me why I send my warriors into battle.”
I nod. I get it. She’s committed to the safety of her people, and that’s admirable. I don’t think all the Gods in here take as much care of their Guardians as Epona seems to do. If she really trains them all herself, they must be a formidable force.
“My mother is weakened,” I say, not wanting to hide the truth. “With the Morrigan’s help, Angus is stronger than ever before. Without help from our allies, they’d easily be able to invade the Winter Realm. The Morrigan would take over and rule this Realm, disrupting the delicate balance. All our magic depends on the balance. If it gets destroyed, the magic will malfunction. Nobody knows what effect that could have.”
“Those are noble reasons,” Epona replies. “But they aren’t reasons my people would fight for. Give me something to believe in.”
I think for a moment. What makes me hate the Morrigan the most? Why do I despise Angus?
“The Morrigan killed my adoptive mum,” I say quietly. “She tortured my boyfriend. My father is still in her clutches. They tried to assassinate me and my mother. Both the Morrigan and Angus have attacked my family, and I’m not going to rest until I’ve punished them for it. I’m going to avenge my mum and make sure that they’ll never hurt anyone ever again.”
Epona looks at me for a moment and I’m almost at the point of wondering whether she’ll get up and leave, when she stretches out a hand for me to shake.
“You’ll have my support, Princess. Let’s make the Morrigan suffer like she has made you suffer.”
Her grip is firm and strong; there’s a lot of power in her touch. She’ll be a valuable ally.
“Thank you, Epona. I will do what I can to keep your people safe.”
“I know you will.” She gets up and smiles. “Once all this is over, please come and visit my Realm. I think you’d like it there. It’s a little less formal than this place.”
That sounds good. A holiday with my Guardians… I think I’ve earned that. Once we’ve beaten the Morrigan. First things first.
Chapter Seventeen
It’s strange to only have Crispin in my bed. Usually, there’s at least three Guardians sleeping with me, or four, if none of them has to do guard duties overnight. Tonight, Crispin is the only one touching me, his arms around my waist, his chest pressed against my shoulder. He’s sleeping deeply, his breath slow and regular.
I’m exhausted, but sleep isn’t coming. I wonder where the others are now. Have they reached the Gate yet?
I look at my watch. Four hours since they left. They should be on Earth by now. Another few hours and they’ll reach Castle Tioram. Hopefully they’ll be able to step through the Gate there without having to fight. Although that’s a feeble hope; I’m sure there’s demons guarding the entrance to their Realm.
For a moment, I remember Chesca. Without her, we wouldn’t know that the Morrigan has taken over the Demon Realm. She died at the hands of one of our guards, and I still feel bad for that. I couldn’t have prevented it; for them, she was just another demon. I can’t really blame them. They were doing their job, protecting our borders. At least she managed to get her message across before she died. As much as I despise demons, I can’t help but feel like they don’t deserve being ruled by the Morrigan. There must be good ones among them, like Chesca, like some of the demons she and Aodh rehabilitated. If she was still alive, she might have been able to infiltrate the Demon Realm and spy for us. But it’s too late now. She’s dead, buried close to the Gate where she was killed.
When I arrived here a few weeks ago, I never could have imagined I’d be fighting in a war soon after. Or that my mother would be lying in her bed, completely without magic, without her usual strength. Or that my mum would be dead.
When did life become so crazy?
Suddenly, light flashes in front of my eyes and I’m thrown into Frost’s head. I know immediately that it’s him; itfeelslike him.
He’s standing in front of a ruined castle. The morning light is only just beginning to shine through the trees surrounding the loch the castle island is surrounded by. It’s an imposing structure, even though it’s got no roof and some of the walls have crumbled significantly.
A thin causeway spreads out before my men, leading towards the castle. They must have timed their arrival well because the tide is out, allowing them easy access to the little island.
How are they here already? It should have taken them longer… but I remember now, time flows slightly different on Earth than it does here. They may have already been in Scotland for hours.
As quickly as I was thrown into Frost’s head, I’m out again and back in my bed. What was the point of that? Well, I guess I know now that they got there okay, but Arc was going to let his contact know anyway. Hopefully, this isn’t the last time I get to see through Frost’s eyes.
Wait… when this happened before, he was in my head while I was in his. Does that mean he felt Crispin pressed against him? I smile. Poor Frost. But then a darker thought grips my mind. If he’s in my mind, is he defenceless in his own body? Gods, I hope not.
I don’t know why these weird mind swaps are happening, and how to control them. They can’t happen in battle, I won’t let them. Somehow. Maybe if I strengthen my mental barriers that will prevent them from happening? As much as I want to see what Frost and the others are up to, it’s not worth risking Frost’s life.
