SELENE TRIED NOT TO tremble when the Queen told her to stay behind as the rest of the crowd filed out of the throne room. She still had Giselle beside her, but the princess looked just as afraid to face her. If she caught on to their real intentions, she could only imagine what would happen, and judging by her scowl, she had to assume that was the case.

"Glad you're still alive, Giselle," the Queen said when the room was empty.

Giselle bowed her head, then tossed a glance to Selene as if she were asking for help. She shrugged, she'd no idea what to say, either.

The Queen took their silence as an invitation to continue. "Why are you really here? Be honest."

Giselle's head snapped back up, and Selene knew exactly what she was thinking when she looked at her again. This time, Selene nodded, albeit a bit hesitant. The Queen didn't deserve to be lied to, at least.

The princess screwed her mouth before she spoke up. "Because I don't have much of a choice. It's either this or I stop being the Vernal Princess and I stop being your daughter."

"So you don't want to fight alongside Titania."

Giselle gulped, then shook her head. "No," she murmured, soft enough that Selene herself barely heard it. "But I will if I have to."

The Queen contemplated. "Good," she said. Both of them looked at her with surprise, and she smirked. "I told all my men to focus on defense of the Vernal Court, no matter who you defend it against. Didn't you hear me say that? Titania is an oppressor, she has kept us all beneath her boot for so long, it's affected the very workings of our species. Why do you think our glamour has a limit?"

Selene was flabbergasted. "I thought you couldn't fight against Titania no matter what."

"That's what she told us," the Queen said. "We don't know if it's really true because we've been too scared to try. We cannot attack her directly, we know that much. But if she attempts to hurt our people, we have every right to defend. And if that means we damage her, then so be it. We'll be discreet, but this is our chance to protest. And that is exactly what we'll do."

A breath of relief left Selene's lungs, and she finally worked up the courage to clutch Giselle's hand. This made things much easier to have the Queen on their side, as much as she could be.

"Will you send an army to battle the Unseelies?" Selene asked.

"We are too small in number," she said. "Our people have been ravaged by the disease the hardest, no one knows why. We will fight on the defense, the Summer Court are the warriors of the Seelies. We will be attacked, but we won't attack. We can't afford to send any soldiers onto the field."

"Allow me to help, then," said Selene. "I can protect the palace with you and Giselle, I'll guard your family with my life."

The Queen stepped down from her throne, allowing herself to relax. "That is exactly where I wanted you. I appreciate your enthusiasm."

Giselle looked up at her with sad eyes. "Thank you, my love," she hummed. "But please, do not give up on the fight should you lose your footing, don't be eager to sacrifice yourself. That is a last resort, do you understand me?"

Selene was prepared to give it all for Giselle and her people, but she knew how the princess's heart would shatter if she ever lost her. "I understand, Princess. I'll do my best. But so must you."

Before anyone else could get a word in, a loud, jarring bellow of horns rang throughout the kingdom, from every angle of the palace and echoing through her head, sending chills down her spine. The sound was mournful and empowering all at once, like the war cry of a banshee. It made her dizzy with fear and determination, like she was cast under a spell to give her courage. All at once, the world was quiet, and all of Faerie knew of the carnage to come.

"There it is," the Queen breathed. "The Call. I've never heard it before, only heard of it in stories. I thought I'd never know the sound. Say your goodbyes and strap on your armor, my children, for the Grand War has begun."

* * *

Eurion's hands shook as she slipped the daggers into the belt slung across her chest. Her sturdy leather vest was tight against her body, but her loose sleeves allowed her the movement she'd require if she had any hopes of taking on the Seelies. She was covered all over in straps and belts and pouches to hold her weapons, and even the insides of her boots had a place for blades and spikes.

"Are you ready?" Chalice asked from behind her, voice still. While everyone else had been shaken up by the Call, they were as calm as they could be, as if the thought of a war dreaded for millennia by some of the most powerful spirits known to man was not enough to sway them, as if they were sure it would all be fine.

Eurion chuckled. "I'm never going to be ready," she admitted. "But I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"You're human," Chalice said. "You have every right not to do this and I'm sure everyone would understand. But you're fighting this fight because you care, and I admire that. You could've left the moment you completed your deal with that Seelie, but you stayed. For that, and everything else, I love you, Eurion."

She froze in her tracks. She couldn't remember the last time anyone told her they loved her and meant it, and maybe that was her own fault. She made friends everywhere she went, but love was never something she wanted to settle for. It didn't seem to occur to her that a friend could love her as deeply as anyone else, and it didn't occur to her that it was exactly what she needed.

"I love you, too, Chalice," she said. "Don't die today, okay?"

The druid's eyes dropped. "I don't think I could if I wanted to. You, on the other hand, need to take your own advice. Don't die."

Eurion's eyes traveled to Chalice's chest, and the memory of the Seelie's blade plunging through their chest haunted her mind again. This was the worst time to think of such a thing, but she couldn't help it. "Are you sure?" she asked. "If I have to watch you fall again, I'm never fighting another battle for someone else."

"I'm sure," said Chalice. "Don't you fall, either. No offense to the others, but you're my favorite."

That brought a smile to her face, for the first time in too long. "I won't tell, but maybe we should go find them now."

Mab was giving Lionel a lecture when they found her, and Kit and Morgana were standing on opposite ends of the room, the former looking like a kicked puppy while the latter was completely devoid of any feeling. It was a little terrifying.

"You're here," the Queen said when she saw them there. "Lionel, remember what I said, okay? Now that we're all here, it's time to make our plan. Chalice, do you have the Grail?"

The druid pulled it from their bag, and Eurion had to avert her eyes from the sheer glory of it.

"Excellent. I still have no idea how the he'll we're going to heal all of Faerie with it, but we should have it with us anyways." She turned to Eurion. "I hope you have no less than twelve knives on your person."

"I have all the ones that you gave me, and then more weapons I found," Eurion assured her. "I'm set."

"Good." Mab tossed her gaze between the men, but decided against speaking to them, and Eurion knew it was the wise choice. "In that case, I'm going ahead to gather my armies and pick up the Winter Court. They're suffering, I can feel it, and I need to protect them. I'll work with the Autumn Court too, but they can manage themselves well. You lot, get to the palace. Take down Titania from the inside. I can get you there with this."

She pulled out six stones from her pocket, placing one in every hand but her own. They were smooth and cold and translucent, with a faint buzz that rang against Eurion's palm.

"Crush them, and think of the palace. You'll get there, I promise."

"Thank you," Chalice said, and Eurion and Lionel echoed them.

Mab nodded, then looked at the two men one more time. "You two, just figure it out. I can't help you any more than I already have."

As she turned to leave, Morgana finally spoke up, stopping her in his tracks.

"I need to make one request," he said, and Mab raised a brow at him. "Please, spare the Vernal Court, as much as you can. They don't like violence, either."

Mab gave him a sad smile. "I'll do what I can, but if they attack, we'll be forced to retaliate. I'm sorry, Morgana."

He swallowed, and Eurion thought she caught a flicker of emotion on his face, only for a moment. He said nothing more, just ducked his head and nodded in resignation. There wasn't anything he could do but hope.

"I'll be off, then," said Mab. "Don't die before I can come save your asses again, do you understand me?"

There was a chorus of laughs and nods and goodbyes as Mab vanished into the darkness of the nearest tunnel, and Eurion could feel her presence fade rapidly. She hadn't realized how much she'd grown used to it in the past several days until it was gone completely, and that steady thrum of magic was gone.

It was all settling in now. Once again, they were heading for the fight of their lives. This one was bigger than their last, and they would still be fighting against the Summer Court, not to mention the Seelie Queen in her own home, where Eurion was sure she was stronger.

In one careless move, she pulled Chalice's thin frame into her arms, burying her face into their long neck. "Good luck," she breathed into their skin.

Chalice held her back with a comforting hand on the back of her head. "Good luck, Eurion. It's going to be okay."

She could spend forever in their arms, but it wasn't an option right now. They had a place to be. When she pulled away, she was tearful, but nothing spilled over her cheeks. Kit was nearby, and she took him next, pressing her cheek against his chest. "Don't do anything too stupid."

"No promises," he said with a gentle chuckle.

When he pulled back and looked at Morgana, the whole room was filled with tangible tension. Kit stared for awhile longer until he finally turned away, but then, in a moment of great surprise to everyone in the room, Morgana yanked him back and smashed their lips together, and Eurion had to hold back a victorious squeal. She knew they'd kissed, and she heard them messing around more than once in Mab's palace, but it was unexpected for it to happen in front of everyone.

"I still hate you," the faery grumbled, and Kit looked at him like nothing else mattered in the world but him.

With that, they moved into a circle, clutching their stones in their hands. Eurion thought hard and long about the palace, about the place she so dreaded, about Titania and Namyra and how badly she wanted everything to be okay again. She crushed the stone in her hand, and with a dizzying shake, the world blurred and shifted beneath her feet, rocking back and forth and side to side until the ground turned from hard rock to soft grass and the damp, stale air became warm and fresh.

Her eyes fluttered open and her heart stopped. They were there, standing before the palace. The war hadn't touched it, though she could see a battle in the distance. It was the eye of the hurricane, a peaceful haven untouched by the carnage yet so filled with it at the same time. She was terrified, she thought, maybe this would be her end.

When she looked up, she saw the Seelie Queen.