A Court of Hells and Stars

Chapter 2: Fire Night

49 years after the Masquerade

I shot up in bed, my heart pounding. I blinked the sleep from my eyes, the dim room coming into focus. Amarantha didn't even stir as I sat there, gasping for breath. 

I inhaled deeply and ran a hand through my hair, the strands slick with sweat. The dreams haunted my every living moment now. Only days ago, they'd begun showing me things that were impossible. Things that I shouldn't be seeing from a mortal's eye, much less this mortal girl I'd been dreaming of for years. Fae. The Bogge, the Naga, creatures that didn't exist on her side of the wall. Which could only mean one thing. 

She was in Prythian. The dreams had steadily become more clear, more vibrant, as if a fog had been wiped away. I could only assume the blur had been the wall. And now that we were on the same side... 

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and tore my hands through my hair. I sorted through the images I'd seen in my mind. The Bogge. A forest. The Naga, and a similar landscape. The Suriel. A river. And... green hills, littered with unlit bonfires. 

I shot to my feet, reaching blindly for my clothes and throwing them on. Calanmai. It was the only possibility. If she was really in Prythian, she'd be there on Fire Night. I knew those hills. The Spring Court. She was in Prythian, and she was in the Spring Court. 

I had to find her. Just once... just to see if she was real. 

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I could smell her. 

Her scent was always in my mind, but now it was real. It was here. 

I walked carefully among the crowd, following the lilac-and-pear-scented trail through the faeries. The firelight flickered on countless faces, reflecting off of hair and metal masks as the Spring Court fae danced to the heavy beat of the drums. The crowd was steadily growing, non-masked fae arriving to join in the celebration. 

I'd never been particularly fond of Calanmai. But today, I'd never been more thankful for an excuse to leave Under the Mountain. It hadn't taken much convincing for Amarantha to let me come. With the deadline so close at hand, she was restless. I'd promised I'd bring back traitors, anyone who'd be conspiring with Tamlin to end her curse. 

So, in a way, I had two missions tonight. Find and capture any "traitors." And... find the mortal who'd occupied my dreams for the past two years. 

I stopped in the middle of the dancing crowd, right next to the huge bonfire, searching the gathered faeries for anyone out of place. Her scent had never been stronger. I didn't know if my heart could take the anxiety of it, of the what if. What if she's really here? What if I find her? 

Oh, Mother above. What am I going to do if I find her? 

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, my racing heart. Her scent filled my lungs. So close. She was so close.  I turned on the spot, my eyes skipping listlessly over the faeries surrounding me. Where are you? 

And then I saw her. Near the forest's edge, a slight female figure stood, wearing a hooded cloak. I knew instantly. It was her. And she wasn't alone. 

My vision tunneled when one of the three faeries surrounding her reached out and slid a bony hand down her side. She jerked backward, falling into another, who ran his fingers through her hair, sneering. 

I was so angry, so terrified, I was moving before I even had time to think about the consequences of my actions. I was going to kill them. I was going to slaughter them--