Faerie Realm: The Changeling Chronicles, #3

By Emma L. Adams

I feared that using my magic would bring me closer to the faerie realm I tried so desperately to escape. I was right.

 

I made a promise to a faerie, and they've come to deliver. A powerful talisman has disappeared, and without it, the faeries in this realm are losing their magic. Getting involved wasn't on my plan, but if I refuse to help the faeries find the talisman, I'll die.

 

To make things more complicated, shifters are being killed by a mysterious masked faerie, and all signs point to a connection with the missing talisman. To find the killer and help the half-faeries, I must unlock the full extent of the magic I once feared, even if it means leaving the Mage Lord determined to stand at my side. Even if it takes me to Faerie's most dangerous path…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emma Adams
• Release date: May 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201799687

Emma L. Adams

Emma L. Adams spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing fantasy novels. She has a BA in English Literature with Creative Writing from Lancaster University, where she spent three years exploring the Lake District and penning strange fantastical adventures. Now, Emma lives in the middle of England and is the international bestselling author of over 50 novels including the world-hopping Alliance series, the urban fantasy Changeling Chronicles series, and the fantasy adventure Relics of Power trilogy. When she's not immersed in her own fictional universes, Emma can be found with her head in a book, playing video games, or wandering around the world in search of adventure. Visit www.emmaladams.com to find out more about Emma's books.

Book preview

1

Istood ankle-deep in a swamp, the Mage Lord at my side. A circle of iron surrounded us. Considering we were here to meet a faerie who’d tried to kill us once already, we had damn good reason to be prepared.

I tapped a foot. She’s late to her own appointment.

Maybe it’s a trick. Vance studied the oak tree in the clearing’s centre. Can you see anything unusual?

I tilted my head. No. Unlike me, Vance didn’t have the Sight—the ability to see faerie magic and glamours, amongst other things. I didn’t know any humans who did, aside from me. One of many side effects of carrying the magic of a Sidhe lord.

The Lady of the Tree didn’t know how I’d got my magic—at least, she hadn’t the last time we’d met. I owed her a favour because I’d come here asking for information on where to find two missing children. She’d screwed us over and given us misleading directions into an evil faerie’s trap. But because of the way promises and favours worked, the spell binding me to her was still in effect, and she could call upon me for her own favour whenever she wanted.

Naturally, she’d decided to call me when Vance and I were making out. You could always count on faeries to have the worst sense of timing.

What manner of faerie is she? he asked. Not Sidhe?

A dryad, I said. But an ancient one. She must have a hell of a lot of power to be able to use the vow on me after being away from Faerie for so long. I’ve never heard of it happening here before. In Faerie, words were power. The Sidhe—the highest class of Faerie, with egos to match—could literally command the world to rearrange itself on a whim.

She came here in the invasion?

Must have. She said this realm’s killing her, but she managed to drag me over here. I shrugged. Unless I imagined the spell, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have run off of my own accord.

He shot me a grin, then returned his attention to the giant sprawling oak tree. This area, now called Pleasance Park, was abandoned, forest having taken over the once carefully tamed woodland. The giant tree lay in the same place as last time, but no creepy face peered at us from the bark. The iron ring ought to protect us if she decided to stab me to death with a tree root again, but I’d learned the hard way never to underestimate faeries.

I’d forgotten all about the vow I’d made, because so much crap had happened since then. Not least the fact that I’d died twice, and nearly witnessed the end of the world as we knew it. Luckily, I’d killed the half-faerie Calder and sealed the magic he’d unleashed, and we’d lived to see another day. Just as I’d got my head together and recovered from my trip over to the wrong side of the veil, I’d been dragged out here to fulfil my end of a bargain I’d never wanted to make. Considering the reward I’d received, I didn’t expect the Lady of the Tree’s request to be any more pleasant.

I wanted a goddamn break from nearly dying. Some low-key jobs like catching runaway imps. Hell, maybe even a proper date with Vance. I stood as close to him as humanly possible considering the marshy ground. As per usual, his smart suit was covered in a dirt-repelling spell, while I had to balance on top of a raised part of ground to stop the water leaking into my boots. For twenty minutes and counting.

A rustling sounded. I tensed, one hand going to the sword strapped to my waist. Irene’s blade gleamed in the weak sunlight streaming through a gap in the grey cloud cover. The forest’s silence amplified any noise, setting my nerves on edge.

The nearest tree root began to stir, creeping along the ground. I glanced down to check the iron ring surrounding us remained unbroken. Then I looked back at the tree and damn near fell out of the ring. A face stared back at me. Not the broken old faerie woman I’d seen last time, but a complete stranger. This face was youthful, beautiful as any faerie queen, with high cheekbones and velvety green eyes. Her full lips curled in a smile. Curly brown hair framed her elegant features.

Ivy Lane, she crooned.

My mouth fell open. This was the Lady of the Tree—but not as I’d seen her before. A young and beautiful stranger, not an ageing crone who’d told me she was dying.

You—what happened? Shock had obliterated my filter. Not that I was usually polite to people who’d tried to kill me, but I couldn’t not comment.

I have my immortality back.

How? In the corner of my eye, I saw Vance shift on his feet as though preparing for an attack.

She smiled. I made it back to Faerie when the veil opened.

My jaw hung slack. Uh… what?

No way. The path to Faerie had opened to the Grey Vale, not Summer or Winter. They were on another plane entirely to the dark forest where the Sidhe sent outcasts and exiles. The faerie who’d opened the veil—Calder, son of Avakis—hadn’t known the difference. Neither did most half-faeries. Probably for the best they didn’t. The Grey Vale was a life-sucking death trap, and I’d been lucky to escape it twice.

I went to Faerie, said the Lady of the Tree. I regained my life, but something is wrong. The heart of one of the Great Oaks of Summer is missing.

I frowned. Okay… if that’s the case, why come to me? I’ve never been to Seelie territory. I physically can’t. I thought you couldn’t, either.

The layers between the worlds were thin when the veil opened, said the Lady of the Tree. I was greatly weakened from my time here when I returned, but I did… and my home is dying. Her beautiful face crumpled, and tears streamed from her bright green eyes. Their brightness told me her magic was at its peak—or as powerful as it could be here in this realm, anyway.

Why—why did you come back here?

The heart of a Great Oak Tree of Summer was stolen. Her eyes locked onto mine. And it was taken into this realm.

I frowned, risking a look at Vance. He’d gone still, and I couldn’t see his expression. This realm? How do you know?

I know. Her voice rose on the words. I am the Lady of the Great Oak, and I felt the heart when someone tore it from its tree. Someone stole it, and brought it here.

That’s—awful, if it’s true, but how am I supposed to find it? I’m human.

You have the magic of a Sidhe lord.

Ice slid through my veins. How d’you know? I couldn’t deny it any longer considering so many people knew already, but I didn’t want my circle of enemies to grow any bigger.

He told me, she whispered. You killed him.

Calder. My spine stiffened. "You talked to Calder? When he was alive?"

The boy came to me for a favour. The poor thing. He was desperate to return home, but that was a gift I couldn’t give.

You helped him. If not for the ring of iron protecting me, I’d have stormed off there and then. No freaking way was I doing anyone a favour who’d worked with Avakis’s dickhead of a son.

I gave him one favour, as I did to you.

What, you sent him into a creepy factory and nearly got him killed?

My hands clenched on the hilt of my sword. Fucking faeries and their absolute lack of morals.

The words were for him alone, said the Lady of the Tree. As is our agreement.

How noble of you, I spat. Yeah, I’m not doing you a favour. You can forget it.

The promise is binding, said the Lady of the Tree. If you fail to bring me what I desire, you will die.

Well, crap.

Damn, I said. I have to go back to Faerie? I already booked a holiday.

She gave me a blank look. Figures. Sarcasm rarely made sense to literal-minded faeries.

How am I supposed to find this heart if I don’t know what it looks like?

You will know it when you find it, she said.

"And what’s stopping you from finding it? I looked her up and down. You have your youth and magic back."

Not all my magic. The ground trembled underfoot, and I unsheathed my sword, feet braced. I am no longer in Faerie.

But you said you knew where the heart was when someone took it. I sure as hell don’t. I didn’t have a built-in faerie magic equivalent of a metal detector. I kept one eye on the root snaking along the ground. Sounds like you just want me to do your dirty work for you. There’s no reason why you can’t find it yourself.

"As of today, the vow is in effect. You and I are bound, and you will bring me the talisman."

Beside me, Vance snarled. The roots moved alongside his side of the circle, and alarm rang through me—the Lady of the Tree needed me. Not the Mage Lord.

I’ll kill your mage first, Calder’s voice whispered in my ear.

My words are not for him, said the Lady of the Tree.

The ground burst open, sending me stumbling from my precarious balance. Vance, meanwhile, leaped out of the iron circle as two roots stabbed through the ground underneath where he’d stood.

Hey! I yelled. That’s not playing fair.

Vance jumped out of reach of the tree roots, his own gleaming blade pointed at the Lady of the Tree. Anger suffused his expression, manifesting in the form of black scales spreading from his weapon hand down to the hilt of the sword.

The weapon disappeared in a flash, cutting at the tree’s root, and a furious scream rent the air. I ran to join Vance and smacked into another tree root rising in front of me. My sword bit into it before it could grab me, but the sword didn’t cut all the way through. She was tougher than before.

A sharp noise at my heels made me spin around with another diagonal swipe. Red-blue blood spurted out of the tree root, and a shrill scream came from the Lady of the Tree.

Quit attacking us and we’ll stop fighting back, I said, though Vance didn’t show any signs of stopping. His blade appeared and reappeared, leaving a trail of blue-tinted faerie blood wherever it struck.

Get out, snarled the Lady. Get out or I’ll change my mind about killing you.

A root latched around my ankle like a whipcord, hoisting me up into the air. Oh, no. Not again. I swiped and slashed, freeing myself and flipping to land on my feet. Vance, meanwhile, was surrounded by stabbing roots like giant earthworms.

Hey! I ran at them, brandishing my sword.

A crooning laugh echoed from behind. Anger sparked, and I whipped one of Isabel’s explosive spells from my pocket and hurled it at the Lady’s face.

Unsurprisingly, the spell dissolved before it made contact with the trunk. Should have figured she had a defence line. A shimmering green barrier appeared, confirming my theory. Her Summer magic might not entirely be back, but she had enough of it left to ruin my day.

The tree roots, meanwhile, continued to circle Vance, slicing and stabbing. The Mage Lord moved quicker, cutting off any attempts to grab him, but with trees surrounding us on all sides, we’d have to get past the web of fast-moving roots to escape.

A tugging sensation lurched through my body, pulling me towards the oak tree.

Shit, I said. Vance. Stop the attack. She’s using the vow.

A faerie’s word was binding. All she had to do was twist the words slightly and I’d be her slave forever. I wouldn’t put it past the evil old hag.

For a heartbeat, I fought against the bindings, then Vance stopped, sword held defensively between himself and the tree roots.

My feet stopped moving forward. I glared at the Lady of the Tree. You’ll get your promise, but if you hurt either of us, you’ll regret it. If you kill me, you’ll have to face a pissed-off ghost. I know how much you faeries hate remembering your mortality.

A deafening shriek rang through the forest as the Lady threw back her head and roared with anger. I raised my hands, my own magic reacting to defend me, but Vance’s hand closed around my arm, and the world disappeared in a whirl of motion.

I staggered away from Vance, leaning against a fence. We’d landed on a road, not one I recognised at first.

Damn, I said, shaking bits of soil off my clothes. That was a close call.

Vance’s mouth was a tight line, and black scales covered his wrists and hands.

Vance?

He shook his head. Gradually, the claws replacing his hands began to recede, until the sharp scales disappeared into skin.

Does that hurt? The scales?

No.

I raised an eyebrow at the slightly dismissive hint to his tone.

Not anymore, he elaborated. Shifting is… uncomfortable, at first, though no more so than magic is.

Magic, I said. "Yeah. Mine pulled me into Death, when I first used it, so I get it. Anyway, I don’t know how to use it to find this… Summer magic thingymajig."

Sounds like a talisman, said Vance. Is that not what witches call a store of their power?

Well, yeah, but talismans are impermanent, I said. "The magic leaks away if left unattended. A natural source of faerie magic… god knows what chaos it’s causing here in this realm."

Vance’s grey eyes darkened. Such a source wouldn’t go unnoticed for long, but the type of people who seek it out are no doubt the ones we least want to get their hands on a store of Faerie’s power.

Tell me about it, I muttered, thinking of Calder. Okay. Guess we’ll have to talk to the Chief again. I looked around at the terraced houses alongside the road. Where are we? Judging by the neat lawns and three-storey houses, even the occasional car parked in a driveway, I’d say mage territory.

Two roads from the manor. This area was nearly evacuated last week.

Ah. We stood near the intersection with Acacia Road, and half-blood territory. What d’you reckon? Will the Chief know?

He should, Vance said tightly. I would hope the last two weeks have opened his eyes to the serious damage his people can cause in this realm.

Yeah. Better hope so. I re-sheathed my blade, then brushed some stray bits of dirt from my new jeans. The whole outfit was new, actually, down to the leather jacket and boots. Vance had—completely without my permission—replaced all my clothes the other week. I hadn’t begun to consider how I’d repay him for it, though I appreciated how he’d respected my taste rather than forcing me to adopt the style of the mages. I’d look ridiculous in a smart suit, though Vance pulled it off absurdly well.

I sent people to raid those places the ingredients for the serum were delivered to, said Vance. The Chief of the half-faeries made several arrests. Maybe he knows something.

He’s Seelie, I said. Well, half of one. Maybe he’ll be able to tell where this Summer magic store is, because I’m clueless.

Perhaps, said Vance. If not, he can no longer prevent me from using magic on his territory. His refusal to accept my help cost many lives. He has blood on his hands, and he knows it.

Damn. What with spending the last week in recovery mode, I hadn’t seen the full aftermath of the chaos. Doesn’t mean he’ll be pleased to see us, though. Last I saw of him, we were both dead.

Vance’s eyes darkened. No, you weren’t. And I won’t let that happen again.

Damn if it didn’t warm me all over to hear the protective undercurrent to his voice. Don’t worry. I don’t plan on dying anytime soon. I checked my sword and the daggers on the sheaths inside my sleeves were in place. I generally carried two at a time, firmly strapped to me so they wouldn’t get dislodged, say, when a faerie dangled me upside-down.

Ready? asked Vance.

As I’ll ever be.

Which is to say, not at all. What an absolute mess. If the Lady of the Tree had gone back to Faerie, had others, too? Had someone sneaked into Summer and stolen the tree’s heart, or had the thief been in Faerie itself? I’d always thought the human and faerie worlds were far enough apart that people in this realm, even faeries and half-bloods, were generally unaware of what was happening over the other side of the veil.

Except them. Velkas, and Avakis, and Calder, and whoever else had taken advantage of the thinning veil. Might other Sidhe have come here, like they had during the invasion? Unfortunately, yes. But why the hell would anyone steal a powerful magical object and bring it into the mortal world? The Sidhe hated our realm, and their power sources were all but useless this side of the veil.

Unless someone wanted the Sidhe to lose their power.

Someone like… a lord of the Grey Vale.

2

Even with the dominating presence of the Mage Lord nearby, I checked for hidden traps as we approached half-blood district. High hedges lay in place of fences, while the wooden gate was deceptively strong. Nobody waited outside, but at a small gesture from Vance, the gate slid open.

How’d you do that? I squinted at the thick hedges to either side of the gate, but saw no weird mechanisms. No faeries, either, but sometimes they left their gates unguarded. I was fairly sure they had tripwires in place if anyone came here intending harm.

Minor displacing spell on the lock, Vance said.

There’s a lock?

If you look closely.

I grinned. So that’s how you opened the gate last time. Didn’t know you were into breaking and entering.

He flashed a smile at me. Let’s say I had no concept of limits when I was first exploring my powers.

Wow. I suspected it’d take a while to get used to the idea of being this deep in the Mage Lord’s life, and him being so deep in mine. Not just because Vance was head mage, but the idea of someone knowing and understanding the hell the faeries had put me through, and persisting anyway, was at total odds with everything I’d experienced over the last ten years since my return from Faerie. Vance was also my employer, technically, but I worked freelance and the mages didn’t really function like regular employers. I’d once been a lowly mercenary working for Larsen Crawley. Now, as a reluctant expert in all things faerie, I did the same job for ten times the pay and the added bonus of insurance should something nasty cause me a life-threatening injury.

Speaking of life-threatening… a voice from inside half-faerie territory shouted, Mage Lord!

The word rippled through the gathering crowd on the lawns up to a path alongside the buildings at the far end. The territory always looked slightly different each time I came here, because reality tended to warp inexplicably around fey magic. With the thick smell of decaying leaves in the air and the frigid wind as we crossed the threshold, the territory was out of summer and well on the way to winter. Half-faeries—most of whom looked like eerily beautiful human teenagers—watched us enter. Most were dressed casually in regular human clothes, but several amongst them wore the armoured coats of guards.

I rolled my eyes at Vance. If you wanted to sneak in without being noticed, you missed your chance.

That wasn’t my intention.

Sure it wasn’t. I returned my attention to the crowd clustering around us. My heart dipped when I heard my name twice, three times. They all knew me.

They knew I had faerie magic.

Most, however, looked more curious than afraid—with the exception of the guards, who eyed my blade with tight-lipped expressions. There were no boundaries between Summer and Winter here. Seelie knights favoured leaf-coloured armour like their chief, while the younger crowd wore bright colours. Some also had wings. Unseelie faeries were even more on the inhuman side, with spiked dark-coloured armour, long limbs, and the occasional tail.

Vance strode forward. We’re here to speak to the Chief about a confidential matter.

Chieftain Taive is too busy to speak with mortals, said a silver-haired guard I vaguely recognised as the guy who’d given me my first introduction to half-blood territory.

That’s his name, huh, I said. Well, the Chief and I have an understanding. Namely, that he knew had the magic of a Sidhe lord, and I’d sincerely prefer it if he didn’t tell anyone else the details. Having faerie magic was one thing. Killing a Sidhe lord, even an exiled one, was the very crime a faerie could be exiled for in the first place. Some half-faeries would hate me on principle for it, if they didn’t already.

You’re carrying iron, said the guard.

I have reason to expect to defend myself. I scanned the group. Alain wasn’t amongst them, and her half-troll boyfriend was presumably locked up for murder, if not dead. He was the one who’d set a kelpie on me once.

Angry whispers passed amongst the half-faeries. Vance spoke over them. As leader of the Mage Lords, I request an audience for Ivy and myself with the Chief.

Casting furious looks at the hilt of my visible blade, two guards stepped forward. We will take you to him. If you use iron, we will treat you as we would a criminal and take action.

That won’t be necessary, said Vance, a slight breeze accompanying his words. He hadn’t brought his whole Mage Lord