Then it was there, right in front of us, a ghost-like figure of a Water Faerie. Its eyes were two empty holes, its white fabric body trailing on the ground, and when we passed by it, it opened its gaping-hole-of-mouth, and let out a breathless scream. I clutched onto Alex’s arm as the Water Faerie turned and followed after us. It didn’t try to touch or communicate with us; it just trailed behind, tormenting us with its presence.

Then came another one, then another, and suddenly Water Faeries were everywhere, flying around us like freakishly large butterflies, only they weren’t butterflies but undead fey. Pieces of them kept swinging in my face, and I wanted to shoo them away, but my pulsating fear stopped me from doing so. We just kept walking and walking, further down the dark tunnel, and I prayed to God that it was the right way, because turning back meant we would have to endure the faeries’ torment even longer. It was as if they got some sick pleasure in my uneasiness, swirling and dancing over my head—they were probably laughing on the inside.

And just as I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, the tunnel opened up into a room. Well, not a room but a cave. The cave. The rock-shaped throne was in front of us, but the Queen wasn’t sitting in it. It was then that I realized something was wrong. We weren’t supposed to enter the cave ourselves, but be brought in by a faerie. I froze and Alex tensed up beside me.

“What is it?” He gave me a quizzical look. “What’s wrong?”

“This isn’t how it works,” I said, fear skyrocketing in me, which seemed to be causing chaos to rise among the Water Faeries. “We don’t come in here by ourselves. We’re brought in by a Water Faerie.” Someone cleared their voice from behind us and we both turned around. It was the Queen. Her long white hair draped down her back, and her hollow eyes were tinted with a spark of delight.

“Well, it looks like I have some unexpected visitors,” she said. “Coming here willingly to be tortured in my world—let the Fey take you as they will? I have to say you two are brave little souls”

This was all wrong. This was not what I had seen.

Something had shifted.

And Alex and I were screwed.

Chapter 33

Back during my first visit to the City of Crystal, Dyvinius had explained to me how visions work. He said that if a vision wasn’t read correctly then the world as we knew it could shift. I never considered that we just might be playing with fire when Nicholas and I had been bouncing around in and out of visions.

And the vision where I took Nicholas and myself to The Underworld had never really been finished.

Nicholas had freaked out and made me take us back to Adessa’s before I was able to see the entire outcome of the vision. I have been so stupid not realizing this, and now I have dragged Alex into a mess he hadn’t known he was getting dragged into.

Crap. I couldn’t believe this was happening. What other things had changed because I hadn’t been careful? Playing with visions was such a risky thing.

And now I had no idea what was going to happen.

“I have to say,” said the Queen. “It isn’t every day that someone voluntarily enters my world. Usually, it’s with much force and fussing. And yet you two are here, entering it on your own free will. Tell me, what has brought you here?” She wasn’t being kind; she was taunting us—I could hear it in her voice.

“We came here to get something,” Alex told her in a firm voice.

“Ah, I see.” She eyed us over with her empty eyes and then turned around and motioned to us to follow her.

While she had her back turned, I leaned over and whispered in Alex’s ear. “This isn’t right.” He gave me a look like I was insane. “What isn’t right?”

“This isn’t how I saw the vision go,” I whispered, and his eyes widened.

We followed the Queen back down the tunnel, past the cluster of floating Water Faeries, and up a set of marble stairs, which led us to a room that had a long antique table trailing down the center, and a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There were no crystals decorating the chandelier, but pieces of thorn-covered wire that were bended and turned in every direction. Covering the dirt walls were twisted pieces of vines that looked like seaweed.

“Have a seat,” the Queen told us, gesturing to the chairs trimming the table.

Alex and I did what she asked, and then she took a seat at the head of the table. There was a long pause while she sat, watching us.

“So you’ve come here for something, have you?” she finally asked.

“Someone, actually,” Alex told her. “Her name is Jocelyn Lucas.”

I could tell right away that the Queen knew who we were talking about—you could see it in her face.

“Tell me boy, what is your name?” the Queen asked.

“Alex Avery,” Alex said with some hesitance.

“Ah, I see. You’re a Keeper.” She moved her attention to me. “And you? What is your name?”

“Gemma Lucas,” I told her, forcing my voice to come out steady.

Darkness masked her face. “So you are what? The daughter of Jocelyn?”

I nodded. God, I hoped she knew nothing of the star.

“I see.” The Queen tapped her sharp fingernails on the top of the table. “So what did you expect? That you would come down here and demand I give you my best slave, all because you asked?”

“No,” Alex said, “We’ve actually brought something to trade for Jocelyn’s freedom.”

“I can assure you, Alex, that you have nothing I want,” the Queen replied with a disdainful manner.

Alex slipped the sapphire teardrop diamond out of his pocket and held it up for the Queen to see. “Not even for this.”

She looked surprised, which I took as a good sign…at first. But then she started to laugh, the high pitched laugh that rang sorely against my eardrums and shook at the chandelier.

I gave Alex a glance, and he shrugged.

The Queen stopped laughing and her laughter swiftly shifted to anger. “You think that you can come down here, and try to make a bargain with me with something the Keepers took from me to begin with.” She rose from her chair, towering over us. “How dare you insult me. You are just like your father. Taking whatever you want and doing whatever you please.” I wanted to bang my head against the table. Was there anyone who didn’t have a grudge against Stephan? Probably not, but still …

“I have been waiting for the day when I would see your father again and settle what he started a long time ago.” The Queen sauntered toward us, her eyes locked on Alex.

Alex, being Alex, held her petrifying gaze. “I understand that you may have had some issues with my father, but I can assure you that—”

“Silence.” The Queen’s loud voice caused the dirt walls to quake. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. I always swore to myself that one day I would get even with Stephan, whatever it took. And here you are…It’s the perfect opportunity. A much smaller version of him, of course, but still it’ll do.”

“He’s nothing like his father,” I said abruptly, and then shrank back when the Queen focused her attention on me. My body quivered but I pressed on.

“And he only came down here because I asked him to

—so I could get my mother.”

The Queen’s face was not full of anger, but of inquisitiveness. She walked back to her chair, but didn’t sit down. “You know Jocelyn has never mentioned having a daughter, so I find it rather peculiar that someone would show up with the son of one of my sworn enemies and claim to be her daughter.”

“Well, I am,” I assured her. “And I want to take her back with me.”

“Take her back?” She started laughing again. “Oh, I’m afraid there’s no way I can do that. You see, you can’t take her back with you, because you yourself are never leaving.”

“No, we can leave,” I told her, but my certainty that I really could was questionable. “I came here through the Ira, and you can’t keep us here—there are laws that say you can’t.”