Yasmine Galenorn - Night's End

Thanks to the usual suspects: my husband, Samwise; my agent, Meredith Bernstein; my editor, Kate Seaver; and my cover artist, Tony Mauro. To my assistants: Andria Holley, Marc Mullinex, and Jenn Pricefor keeping me on track. To my Street Team for spreading the word!

A thank-you to my Galenorn Gurlz, who make writing a lot more fun with their purrs and meows. Most reverent devotion to Ukkowho rules over the wind and sky, Rauniqueen of the harvest, Tapiothe Hunter in the forest, and Mielikkigoddess of the Woodlands and Dark Fae Queen in her own right, my spiritual guardians. To the Cauldron of Changes, my coven. And to the Faeboth dark and lightwho walk this world beside us, may we see you in the shadows, and in the shimmer of ice. My spiritual grounding keeps me centered and focused.

And thank you to my Moon Stalkersmy fans and my readersfor your support and enthusiasm. You can find me on the net at Galenorn En/Visions: galenorn.com. If you write to me snail mail (see website for address or write via publisher), please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like a reply. Lots of cool promo goodies are availablesee website.

There came a time when Myst, Queen of the Indigo Court, rode in on a glacial tide, attempting to devour all who opposed her. Battles were waged, alliances were formed, and a small faction stood the front line against her. Cicely, Queen of Snow and Ice, and her cousin Rhiannon, Queen of Rivers and Rushes, were there to meet the challenge. Behind them stood their loves, their people, and an alliance of vampires and the magic-born. Together, they faced the Vampiric Fae Queens onslaught as Myst attempted to silence the balance of fire and ice. Some survived . . . but there were losses. . . .

From The Last Days of the Indigo Court

I stood on a hillock near the Barrow. The land was covered with snow and ice, the horizon stretching out in a vast panorama of winter. It was the perfect picture. The snow gleamed under an overcast sky, sparkling with the cold. Here and there, patches of ice glistened, a sheen rippling across the landscape, casting pale blue shadows to blanket the world. Evergreensfirs and cedarsstood cloaked in white, the snow weighing down their limbs so they brushed the ground.

My breath emerged in puffs, visible in the early dusk, a cloud of white every time I exhaled. But the pristine chill that made the very air shimmer barely penetrated the feathered cloak I wore. And what little of the cold that did make it through had ceased to bother me over the weeks. For I was the Queen of Snow and Ice now, and cold was no longer my enemy.

As I surveyed the land around my Barrow, I was aware that not ten yards away, Check, my personal guard, kept watch. Beside him stood Fearless, who had thankfully recovered from his wounds. Cambyra Fae healed quickly, and Fearless had mended right up, even with the severe wounds hed sustained from the Shadow Hunters. While he had been in great pain for several weeks, now he was back in action. I had noticed a side effect of the attack that was both welcome and curious: His attitude toward me had shifted. Where before he had simply been doing his duty, now I sensed loyalty mingled in with that duty; an impression of respect that he hadnt offered me before.

As I stood there, I plunged myself into the slipstream, searching for information. The realm of Snow and Ice might be mine to command, but we were terribly vulnerable. While Myst was still out there, we were in danger, and we couldnt let down our guard. I trusted the scouts and my advisors, but ever since my coronation, my awareness had heightened. If I listened carefully enough, I could reach out, almost touch Mysts energy. After all, we were bound together from a lifetime long before this one. She had been my mother, and I had been her daughter Cherish, the shining star and hope of the Indigo Court, until I betrayed both her and my people.

Ulean, my Wind Elemental, swept around me. She was stronger here, in our frozen realm. The winter kingdom agreed with her. While Id always heard her clearlyfrom the very beginning when we were first bound togetherhere I had become even more aware of her.

At times, I thought I could catch a glimpse of her. Strict, my advisor, had told me it was one of the side effects of taking the crown. One more in a long line of shifts and changes that I had been going through. Some days, I looked in the mirror and wasnt entirely sure of who I was.

Cicely, there is danger close by. A looming shadow. I believe Myst is on the rise again. Ulean swept past me, swirling snow in the gust of her wake.

It was only a matter of time. We knew she was regrouping. Ive been hoping she would hold off until Rhiannon and I were more settled in our positionsthat it would take her more time to re-strengthen her forces, but I dont think we have that leeway. Im afraid well be fighting her sooner than wed hoped.

Shivering, but not from the cold, I pulled my cloak tightly around my shoulders. The owl feathers used to make the cape had been gathered one by one, hand-sewn by a talented seamstress. My Uwilahsidhe brethren had gifted it to me for my wedding, an honor that meant theyd accepted me into their people. My people. I was half magic-born, and half Uwilahsidhethe owl-shifters, a branch of the Cambyra Sidhe. Id only discovered the latter half of my heritage six weeks before. Everything I thought Id known about myself had changed in that time.

We will do as we must. If we fail, Myst will extend her reach. She will take control of this realm and drive the eternal winter into the world to blanket the land with ice and snow. She will loose the ravenous appetites of her Shadow Hunters on anyone who stands in her way. We cannot let her win, Cicely, or everyonethe magic-born and the Weres and the yummaniiwill all be so much prey for the Vampiric Fae. Even the true vampires, Lannan and Reginas people, will fall to her fury if we dont stop her.

I reached out, trying to sense the danger Ulean had mentioned. It was like stretching a new musclenot a physical one, but mental. Focusing, I sent out feelers, probing the landscape. They crept like vines through the slipstream. There, I could sense an arctic fox, and over therethe hare it was stalking. A ways beyond I felt the silent passage of a group of Ice Elementals, their focus so distant and alien that I couldnt have deciphered their intent if you paid me to. But the creatures were my subjects, they were aligned to me, and so I simply touched their energy before I passed on.

Beyond the Ice Elementals, I came to a tree line, and the dark sentinels of the woodlands whispered rumors in my ears. There were creatures in the woodsmonsters who did not belong here, even though they, too, were born of winter and hearkened to the dark months of the year.

I softly began to move forward, my attention drawn by a familiar presence in a stand of snow-covered bushes nearby. As I approached the Wilding FaeI knew who she wasCheck and Fearless flanked my sides.

Ulean laughed. Your friend wishes to speak with you. You have won the hearts of the Wilding Fae, and that is a double-edged blessing.

The Wilding Fae were dangerous, a breed unto themselves. Ancient even by the standards of the Cambyra Fae, they were feral, belonging only to themselves, aligned with no one. But they had chosen to live in the realm of Snow and Ice when I took the throne. Bargaining with them could prove dangerous, but once theyd accepted my rule, they knew better than to try to trip me up with their deals. A good thing, too, considering my lack of bargaining skills.