The Ascension Read Online Free PDF

fountains built on a gratuitously large scale lined the approach to the main doors.
    “Wel , this is certainly more impressive than my castle,” Gem muttered. “We’l have to renovate once I get back.”
    The Summer Queen let out a delicate laugh at that, but beside Gem, Sparks was silent.
    “What’s wrong?” Gem asked. “Or is that a stupid question?”
    “It’s just so much at once,” the boy said. “It’s al so strange.”
    As if to punctuate the point, a trio of watery figures leapt from one fountain to another.
    “Nixies,” The Summer Queen supplied. More figures stepped briefly from the house, managing to look, if anything, even more beautiful than the others.
    “Nymphs.”
    The Summer Queen turned to Sparks. “I know this must be difficult for you, my son.” Sparks was silent for a moment, but then nodded, Gem slipped her hand into his.

    “It’s… like this means that my life, everything back on the ranch, was a lie. None of it was real.” The Summer Queen shook her head.
    “It was real. It could stil be real. But it is the life of a human, and you are not. I know that there is pain now, but time wil salve it, and then you wil be able to see this as your true destiny. You wil be the Summer King in time, and wil choose a Summer Queen to rule beside you.”
    Gem caught the smal glance Sparks gave her as the Summer Queen said that. The fairy woman smiled, and there was a wistful edge to it.
    “Just be sure to choose wisely, because she may end up ruling longer than you, as I have done with m y king. Stil , for now, you don’t have to worry about that. You only have your duties as the Summer Prince to worry about.”
    “What sort of duties?” Sparks asked. The Summer Queen’s expression turned serious for a moment.
    “The main one is to fight against the encroachments of the Winter Court. They would make the whole world a thing of ice if they could.
    Fight their minions where you find them. Beyond that, Fight their minions where you find them. Beyond that, try to raise the spirits of our people where you can.
    The fight has been hard, and Winter has gained ground, recently.”
    “Is that al of it?” Gem asked. “Only, we’re supposed to be looking for someone…”
    The Summer Queen turned that bril iant smile on her.
    “Oh, don’t worry, girl. There is some pleasure in his duties. After al , he must seek out the one to be his Queen.”
    She clapped her hands.
    “Now, before the mood turns maudlin , let us celebrate. My son is returned to me, and I plan to rejoice in that fact. Dancing! There must be dancing at once!”
    Gem watched her whirl off to give a flurry of orders. Sparks leaned in close to Gem.
    “So, now what?”
    “You heard her,” Gem replied. “We dance.”

Chapter 4

    A party thrown by mythical creatures should have been an ebullient occasion. Certainly, the last few hours had seen plenty of activity, with dancing, singing, feasting and games. For Rio though, tucked away in a corner of the Summer Queen’s feasting hal beside a pair of tables that seemed to have been grown whole from living trees, it was proving to be anything but joyous. As inhumanly beautiful figures danced and whirled to a seemingly incessant stream of music from a quartet of musicians in one corner, Rio found himself just picking at the nuts and summer fruits that formed most of the food there.
    It wasn’t the dance itself that was the problem.
    Although Rio abstained from the gavottes and gal iards, waltzes and stranger dances, he had to admit that the sight of the fairy folk joining them was a beautiful one. Nor was the rest of the hospitality the issue. Rio found glasses of summer juice that looked like liquid gold and tasted like sunlight pressed into his hands, while the feast would have been a gourmand’s delight in other circumstances. Rio was no glutton , but normal y he would have enjoyed the contents of the elegant silver plates with relish.
    It was hard to do that, though, when Rio