The Faerie Curses

Chapter Forty-Five: Tick, Tock

"We've got to stop him," Diandre muttered under his breath. "If The Master combines the corrupted power of The Winter Wand with that of The Summer Scepter, it's all over. He could cast any spell that he wants; he could murder us all where we stood in mere moments."

"We've seen worse," I snorted.

I wiped my blood coated hands on the skirt of my ballgown in a useless attempt to make them less slippery as they clutched the hilt of my sword. The result was a scarlet smear that laughed brutally back at me as it stood out against the pure white of the silk fabric. I couldn't help but think of that same color contrast the night my family was murdered, the same stark sheen of red in the snow.

Diandre's gray eyes squinted in concentration as we skidded on the lavish carpets. "We should be just around the corner from the vaults now," He reported.

I nodded in understanding, but a chorus of eerie howling caused my boots to halt. I peered out the wide windows with a concoction of dread and curiosity brewing in my stomach. The sprites still roamed the blood-soaked streets, this time with torches. I watched in horror as a particular group of the iron clad monsters hurled the fire at the roof of an orphanage.

Flames hungrily devoured the wood, streaming high into the night like comet trails. In a blink of an eye, I gasped as the sprites were suddenly tackled to the ground by massive black shapes that prowled in the dark. It wasn't until the creatures sank their fangs through the eye holes of the sprite's iron helmets that I got a good glimpse of them in the blazing firelight.

Wolves. Queen Mab's wolves.

There were hundreds of them leaping on top of the enemy in blurs of raven fur, growling and snapping their viscous jaws. They ran wild through the iced-over streets, cutting down the lives of the sprites as more buildings were consumed in blinding infernos.

That's when I noticed the queen of Winter Court. Her face was molded into her signature scowl as she hiked up the skirts of her diamond gown and approached the burning orphanage. I watched Mab's wings unfurl from her delicate shoulder blades as she cupped her hands around her mouth and sucked in air through her ruby lips.

All of the surrounding bitter cold from The Winter Wand's spell filled her cheeks, and the queen released it in the form of a violent blizzard that wailed towards the orphanage. Clumps of dancing snow settled in the embers, extinguishing the fire until all that remained of it was gray smoke and drifting ash. Slowly, little figures coated in grime crept out the door. The orphans blinked up at Queen Mab in bewilderment and admiration, and in return the queen sneered at them and shooed them towards the safety of the Grimwood.

The winter queen only had a small soft spot, but it was enough to cause me to exhale in relief; Mab was defending Summer Court after all.

"This is it," Diandre announced, pointing to a thick, towering oak door. "The vaults that Queen Titania showed me when I was last here at the palace."

I blinked up at the heavy piece  of wood blocking us from entering. "I don't know if I can break this one down," I huffed doubtfully, testing its thickness by ramming my fist against its surface.

"Try your sword," Diandre suggested, gesturing to the weapon gripped in my hands. "Iron weapons won't work, but maybe ones of magical origin will." He clasped his battle axe to his belt beneath his red robes.