“I’ll go too, of course,” said Dorian. “Nothing I love more than a winter’s journey.”

Rurik and Shaya exchanged glances at this. “Your Majesties ...” she said carefully. “Is it wise ... is it wise for you both to go? For either of you to go? The risks ...”

“I’d rather die trying to save my kingdom than watch it wither around me,” said Dorian, in a rare show of fierceness. “If I die in the attempt, the land will simply find someone else to bond with. Perhaps he or she will then be able to succeed where I didn’t. Either way, a triumphant ending.”

I wasn’t so sure I’d call that triumphant, but I could hardly chastise Dorian for going when I was signing up for the same risks. What I was not so open to was Jasmine volunteering.

“Why not?” she asked when I began to protest. “I’m pretty badass, you know.”

I shook my head. “That’s not in dispute. Someone has to stay and commune with the lands. You’re the only alternative.”

“Dorian’s leaving his kingdom,” she pointed out. “And he doesn’t have backup.”

It was a fair point, one I didn’t have a ready answer for. “The land can go well over a month without me,” he remarked. “Especially in these conditions.”

“Wouldn’t it need more help in these conditions?” I argued.

“Oh, it needs you, no question. But the land isn’t thriving in its normal way. It’s in a kind of stasis. If we’re away longer than we expect, you and the land will miss each other ... but let’s face it, the land can’t get too much worse if we’re a couple weeks late.” Jasmine had hinted at that, I recalled now. The laconic smile on Dorian’s face contrasted weirdly with his next words. “Besides, these kingdoms won’t survive in two months anyway. No harm done.”

“Gee, you have a cheery way of looking at everything,” I muttered.

He grinned at me and nodded to Jasmine. “On a more practical note, we’re going to have to travel through some pretty miserable conditions. Having two weather-working sisters along would be welcome.”

It was another good point. Certainly I’d eased my journey with Roland earlier. Jasmine’s specialty was magic tied to moisture, which would come in handy with the snow. Dorian’s comment also provided cover for something else I’d wanted to bring up. I turned to Pagiel.

“I suppose he’s right. And by that same reasoning, we could really use you if your air magic can combat any of this,” I said. I hesitated and frowned before continuing. “Although, I hate to drag you into it. If your mother gave me grief for my doctor’s visits, God only knows what she’ll say about this.”

Pagiel’s eyes were stormy. “I’m too old for her to tell me what to do! I don’t care if it’s dangerous. You need me, and I’m going.”

It was hard to keep a straight face. Something amusing flashed in Dorian’s eyes, and I knew he’d guessed my ruse. Score one for Eugenie and reverse psychology. In truth, I actually wasn’t thrilled about exposing Pagiel to this dangerous journey. It was simply a matter of choosing the lesser of evils, however. If Pagiel was with me, he wasn’t out attacking humans. I’d been afraid suggesting he go with us to the Yew Land would make him suspicious, but he seemed pretty confident it was all his decision. I hoped this boded well for my future parenting skills.

After further discussion, the only two people not going were Roland and Shaya. Roland, though not a fan of the Otherworld, had volunteered to help. I’d declined the offer and given him a look that said I’d explain later. That was enough for him. Shaya, however, was much harder to convince. Although she was strong and a good healer, I wanted her back here to manage the fragile state of affairs in my kingdoms. Rurik, being the macho but good-hearted husband he was, simply wanted her kept safe. That was what she took issue with.

“I’m not made of glass!” she exclaimed to him. “I used to be a warrior in the Oak Land’s royal guard.”

“And now you’re my wife, so trust me when I say you’re better off here,” Rurik said. I think he had noble intentions, but the heavy-handed words weren’t the best thing he could’ve chosen. She grew more incensed, and it was only my command that got her to back down. From the way she kept glaring at him, it was clear she held him responsible, and I suspected Rurik would be sleeping on the proverbial couch.

Once the rest of us, along with some handpicked fighters, were committed to go, our meeting dispersed. We planned on leaving tomorrow, and everyone had individual preparations to make. Roland intended to go back to Tucson now and reluctantly agreed to let some of my guards escort him to the gate so that he could go on horseback.

“I’d love to have you in the Yew Land,” I told him as I walked him out. “But honestly ... I’m worried that while Pagiel’s gone, some of his cronies might get the same idea about ‘shopping trips’ to the human world.”

Roland grimaced. “I hope it doesn’t come to that. He’s a bright boy, the kind others follow.... Hopefully none of them will have the initiative to act on their own. I’ll be on watch, though.”

Outdoors, the same bitter cold greeted us. Roland was bundled up again, but I’d foolishly ventured out in just my jeans and sweater. Not far from the door, his escort waited discreetly and patiently. I wrapped my arms around myself.

“Roland ... if something happens to me ...”

“Eugenie ...”

“I know, I know. It sounds pessimistic, but well ... everything’s changed. There are things we have to plan for.”

“The twins,” he said grimly.

I nodded. “If something happens to me, then I totally trust you to do whatever you think is best. If that means leaving them where they’re at, fine. If you and Mom want to take them, fine too. Whatever will give them a good life and keep them safe from my enemies.”

Roland’s face showed he didn’t like this conversation but knew it was necessary. “I hate to echo Dorian, but if something does happen to you, you probably won’t have many enemies left to come after them.”

“Then something good comes out of this, right?”

He gave his head a rueful shake. “Be careful, Eugenie, so that we never have to find out the answers to any of these things.” He hugged me and then shooed me inside. “Get back in there and get warm. If you think about it, send that fiend of yours to me every once in a while with an update.”

“I will,” I said. It was difficult watching him go. He was my last bit of contact with humanity. I was now once again fully enmeshed in Otherworldly affairs.

Before I returned inside, I caught the attention of a sentry standing a little ways down the hall. She inclined her head politely at my notice. “Your Majesty.”

I glanced back at the door and frowned. “When I first ruled here—back when the desert took out all the crops and water—we had refugees showing up here. And for the war too. Why hasn’t anyone come this time? They’re in just as bad a shape, right?”

The sentry’s face fell. “I’d say they’re in worse shape, Your Majesty. The blight has killed more people than either of those times. For many, journeying here through these conditions would prove far more deadly than making do where they’re at, no matter how miserable.”

I thanked her and went upstairs, her words hitting me hard.

Since my party’s plan was to depart from the Thorn Land tomorrow, I set out tonight for a quick journey to the Rowan Land to do what I could for it. An escort of guards went with me, and we again rode to save time. I also continued using my magic to clear the snow. Some part of me worried about expending my energy, but I felt strong and couldn’t stand to watch the men and horses struggle.

The people in the Rowan castle bore the same looks of hope that their Thorn brethren had. I was glad to give them something positive in these dreary times but worried once more about whether I could deliver. They were equally excited to hear my children had been born safely and were hidden away among humans. The gentry nodded along as though there was nothing weird about this, and thinking once more about fairy tales, I wondered if maybe those stories had some basis in history.

Communing with the land had to be done outdoors, so while my men warmed up inside, I bundled up and sat down in the courtyard. I reached out to the land and received an answer—and better understood what Jasmine and Dorian had described. It took a lot of energy to reach the land’s heart and establish any sort of connection, explaining why she’d been wiped out. But, I could also feel what she’d meant about the land not burning through energy very quickly. It needed the power and welcomed my support, but in the blight’s hibernation, the land mostly used my energy to keep its core strong. Nothing was being expended on the living, breathing, day-to-day maintenance of the kingdom. This saddened me, but I hoped it would mean the land really could survive a while without me.

Once that was done, we had little time to dally. My men and I traveled back to the Thorn Land, and there, in the evening darkness, I performed the same type of magical connection with my kingdom. The response was the same, and when I was finally able to trudge into my bedroom, I was certain I’d fall right to sleep. Normally, I felt flustered when servants waited on me, but tonight I was grateful someone else was off packing and taking care of my supplies for tomorrow.

Those same servants had piled the fire high in my room, bringing the temperature to a level that might even be too hot later—but which was wonderful now. The staff had also taken pains to pile my bed with blankets and pillows. What I was pretty sure they had not placed on my bed, however, was Dorian.

I sighed. “What are you doing here?”

He was sprawled on top of the covers, propped up on some of the pillows with his hands resting behind his head. From the way he’d been gazing upward, he had the look of someone lost in dreams and imaginings. Or world-dominating machinations.