Free Summer of Frost by L.P. Dover

though Alston and I had issues that
brought me to hate him sometimes, I was still going to miss him. He
was once my lover and friend, and would always hold a special place
inside me no matter how our relationship ended.
    “ Sarette, I’m sorry I have to do this,
but I need you to tell me where you are and what’s going on. There
will be plenty of time to grieve for Alston, but right now I need
answers. Is Oren okay? He’s not answering me when I speak to
him.”
    “ He’ll be fine. He’s out of it right now,
but he’ll live. His breathing is steady at least.”
    “ Where are you?”
    She shrugged. “I know we’re near the Crystal
Lake in the Mystical Forest. For the most part, I’ve been
pretending to be incoherent, and keeping my head down. They think
I’m you, but once they see my eyes and really get a good look at me
they’re going to know I’m not. I’m afraid of what they’ll do when
they find out.”
    “ Is the dark sorcerer there?” I asked
hesitantly.
    She shook her head. “No, apparently he’s not
even in the Land of the Fae right now. The man who caught us is a
dwarf named Brokk. He’s the one Durin’s been looking for, the same
dwarf who delivered Meliantha’s arrows and the cursed cuff that was
given to Finn. Anyway, I heard him talking about how he wants to
trade me for power. He says that if the dark sorcerer doesn’t agree
to the trade he’s going to tell the courts where to find the sacred
scroll.”
    My eyes went wide at that and she nodded
weakly in return. I could tell that losing Alston was going to take
a huge toll on her, but she was strong. I had to believe she’d get
through it. Taking her by the shoulders, I made sure she was
looking into my eyes when I spoke to her. “Okay, here’s what we’re
going to do. When I wake up, I’m going to tell King Oberon and
Drake everything so we can plan our attack. Whatever you do, keep
your eyes hidden for as long as you can, but also try to keep tabs
on the dwarf. I need to make sure we get him.”
    She nodded in understanding. “Just hurry,
Sorcha. If the dark sorcerer comes back, things are going to get
uglier and more complicated.”
    “ Don’t worry, I’m coming for you. As soon
as I can get through to Oren I’ll tell him what’s going on. I just
need you to be strong for me, and know that no matter what I will
get you out of this,” I assured her. We hugged one more time, and
reluctantly, I let her go. Sarette smiled at me before the dream
closed off and faded into black.
     

     
    Once the dream was over, I flew out of the
bed and into the night. I had to find Drake. I slept with my gear
on, because I knew I wouldn’t want to waste time once I had the
information I needed. The heat flushed my skin the moment I stepped
out of the palace doors, and immediately I began to sweat. The
Summer Court was going to take time to get used to. I knew Drake
didn’t live inside the palace, but just outside of it in his own
dwelling. It didn’t take long to figure out which one was his,
considering there was a dragon emblem on the front door.
    Sunrise had to be only a couple of hours
away, but I couldn’t wait. We needed to get things going as soon as
possible. I knocked on the door, and waited for him to answer. When
he didn’t come, I knocked harder and more persistent. The door
snapped open, revealing a half-naked Drake with a scowl on his
face, and hair mussed up from sleep. I gawked at him like a starved
animal, and couldn’t stop my eyes from taking him all in. His
tanned muscles were sculpted to his lean body, and when he caught
me staring, an amused smirk came across his face and he flexed his
muscles. That brought me out of my stupor.
    “Let’s go! I know where they’re at,” I
blurted out. “We need to get to them quickly.”
    “Calm down,” he murmured gently. “We’ll get
them out safely. Go to the throne room and I’ll have everyone there
in ten minutes.”
    Turning on my heel, I raced back up to the
palace