The hall was a scene of utter chaos—the broken throne behind the king, the frost spreading over the flagstones, and fae screaming.
The chill in my body started to fade, and an emerald haze filled my vision. When I inhaled, it was as if I’d been plunged into the depths of a forest. The scent of wet earth filled my nose, and I felt the warmth of the sun on my skin, heard the calls of insects, the chirping of birds. Vines hung from the ceiling; moss covered the dais.
The vernal scene faded once more as the cold overtook me.
The granite throne was icy through the fabric of my dress. The frost was nearly at my thighs, my skin freezing.
“I want to go home,” I whispered.
I closed my eyes.
A warm rush of magic flowed through my chest and limbs and into the stone beneath me. My body began to thaw, healing on the throne.
My back arched involuntarily. A summer sun kissed my skin, and the smell of wet moss enveloped me, until the throne itself seemed to dissolve beneath me, and I plunged into warm, clear water.
Home. Take me home.
It lived in the darkest recesses of my mind, imprinted on my soul, the place where I’d been born.
The enchantment of the forest.
I felt myself sinking deeper, my lungs burning. I glimpsed the clear rays of golden light piercing the water from above.
I kicked my legs, swimming up to the light, to life. My fingernails dug into the dirt, and I hoisted myself over the edge of the watery portal, onto the mossy earth. I dropped flat on my back, gasping for breath. Deliciously warm air filled my lungs, the scent of life. Amber light broke through the tree branches above me, flecking the earth with gold.
Home.
I sat up, trying to get my bearings. I’d asked the throne to take me home, and it had brought me here…
But where was I?
Thick green vines emblazoned with red blossoms curled around the bases of the towering trees. The air was warm and intensely humid, as if I’d stepped into a sauna. It was fragrant, too, brimming with exotic perfumes and floral scents I didn’t recognize.
An enchanted forest.
The scent of the place unearthed a memory buried in the hollows of my mind, the sense that I’d been here before. Déjà vu, maybe.
Water soaked my green dress and dripped into the earth. I should be utterly panicked, but it was simply hard to get past the beauty. Before me were more shades of green than I’d ever seen in my life—emerald, lime, jade, sage, chartreuse, and olive foliage, so rich and variegated, it took my breath away.
And when I looked down at my shoulders, I found that even my hair had turned a gorgeous bluish shade of green.
I scrambled to a standing position and slowly turned, trying to work out where I was, but in every direction, thick undergrowth obscured my view.
Above me, vegetation extended hundreds of feet, twining around massive tree trunks and branches as thick as a Doric column. An enchanted, primordial forest.
I folded my arms, wondering how I’d get back to Faerie, or anywhere familiar.
A distant screech rent the air, and I saw a flash of red and blue wings in my peripheral vision. Something large, a bird maybe, flew between tree trunks, and the forest went quiet. Then there came a distant, caterwauling shriek. The sound of an animal dying.
This is not good.
Hugging myself, I stepped away from the portal. I spotted movement on a branch maybe ten feet in front of me. It was hard to see through the foliage, but I caught a glimpse of brown fur—a spider the size of a small dog, with six glittering black eyes and a very large pair of fangs.
I took another step backward. Across from me, the spider’s fangs began to twitch excitedly.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I said under my breath. The spider mirrored my movements.
I turned, heading back for the portal. Maybe it could take me back? Or at least take me somewhere else?
But as I stood over the water, I caught a glimpse of my reflection, and my heart went still.
Because there, protruding from my green hair, was a golden pair of horns.
I couldn’t breathe.
A word knelled in the hollows of my mind as I realized why the pendant had rejected me.
Unseelie.
I’d asked to come home, and this was where the magic had brought me.
My real home—the realm of the wild beasts.
It seemed I was a changeling after all.
