by Allison Rose
Jae stared at him. “You know as well as I do the power of air is not entirely useful.”
“It may protect some from the Winds,” he pointed out.
“Those of the court do not need protection from the Winds. You know this Telk will never actually leave the court and do the commoners who need it any good.”
Morlan’s shoulders tightened almost imperceptibly.
Jae clamped her mouth shut. That was not wise, she berated herself.
He turned his attention to her, narrowing his dark eyes. “What did you say?”
What can I tell him that he will believe?
She looked away, folding her legs as she gracefully lowered herself to the ground near the pile of unmarked stones.
“Only to keep the court honest,” she said, trying to keep her voice light.
He gave her a disbelieving grunt, but then a water-user approached from among the large circular leaves of the ferns surrounding them. With a nervous glance at Morlan, he knelt to carefully place his Telk stones onto the pile.
Perfect timing, Jae thought as Morlan spoke with the courtier.
Picking up an unmarked stone, she smoothed her thumb over the surface, willing the power of the air into it, so that it would do the bidding of whoever held it for a short time. And to be gentle to the commoners that might use it and not know how to wield it.
“You know better than to say such things,” Morlan admonished her when the courtier was out of earshot.
I should’ve known he wouldn’t let it drop. Two years older, and thinks he is so wise.
“You know I am right,” she muttered, still looking down.
“The court provides for the commoners, as it does us all.”
Right. Like being trapped here is a blessing.
Wind swirled into a sudden gust in her lap, forcing her head up. “What?” she bit out.
His scrutiny made her want to squirm. “You are agitated today.”
Jae sighed. “I would rather be training.”
“In that, we agree.”
His winds released her chin, and she put her head down once more. Jae leaned forward and tossed her finished Telk stone, now marked with three circles within each other, onto the other pile.
The uncomfortable silence between them continued as she selected another smooth stone and sat back. It was odd seeing him in this capacity—so mundane. She didn’t know what to say to him when they weren’t focused on combat.
She had added her fifth stone to the pile when she felt Sevelle’s presence. She always registered to Jae’s senses as the equivalent of a warm breeze, just barely disturbing the air around her but enough that Jae sensed the change. Sevelle’s normal warmth was replaced with a chill Jae felt before her charge’s form appeared, gliding into the trees from the balcony.
Jae rushed to stand, relieved to soon be rid of her awkward task. She glanced at Morlan.
The intensity on his face led her to believe he wanted to say something, but then he nodded. An odd feeling passed through Jae, and she quickly turned away.
Spreading her wings, Jae went after Sevelle.
Chapter 3
Sevelle’s mother had barely turned from dismissing Jae before she fixed her with a piercing gaze. Though used to her mother’s power, Sevelle could not stop herself from flinching. Cool magic seeped through her, reaching every part of her heart and soul. It left her chilled as it departed.
She knew she was blameless, yet her mother’s power always made her feel as if she was guilty of something.
Sevelle’s mother lowered herself stiffly into a chair by the cluttered table in the middle of the room. “It is time I told you more about these rebels,” she said without looking at Sevelle. Several collections of ancient writing sat on the table, the pages scattered. Frowning, her mother picked through them hastily as if searching for something of use.
Sevelle sat to the other side of the table. “We will not work on my magic today?”
“Today, we talk strategy.”
Her mother spoke flatly as she sifted through the knowledge before her. “In addition to this blight, a faction of rebels, among them some with the beast affinity, have gathered together to stir up chaos in the Day territories. More halkyr are leaving the mountains and traveling south with them. This faction is certainly daring.” Her mouth grew tighter as she spoke. “They are stealing from village stores and redistributing Telk, giving far too much power to those who cannot handle it. They spread dangerous lies along with this magic.”
Sevelle’s heart began to pound. “Do you know who they are? Perhaps they can be reasoned with.”
Blue eyes snapped up to Sevelle’s. She suppressed a flinch. “Peaceful talks may not fix this court,” her mother said coldly.
Sevelle held her gaze, her insides raw with terror. “Violence will cause the court and the land to suffer even more than we already are. We should try for peace.”
There was a glint of interest in her mother’s gaze. “And how do you suppose we go about that?”
Frantically, Sevelle sifted through her thoughts. “If we speak to the commoners—”
“The commoners do not know what will help them. Their ignorance has only escalated the conflict.”
“They could lead us to the rebels—”
“And straight into danger.”
A sinking feeling started in Sevelle’s stomach. “Surely these rebels do not deserve such a harsh punishment. If we can work with them—”
“I have seen more of the hearts of the faerie than you, Sevelle.” A dark look passed over her mother’s face. “Things have escalated. There will be no peace until we take them down. The land cannot take another Silver Dusk. Though this is not killing faeries or the land with the speed of the dark magic created by the Great Destroyers, it could potentially wipe out the Day Court all the same.”
“You think they are capable of that?” Sevelle asked in awe.
“They are disturbing the peace and stirring up the commoners.” Her mother’s voice was flat. “And they have a dark magic such that we have never seen before, a magic that disconnects us from the land that keeps us alive.” Her eyes bore into Sevelle’s as she spoke, causing guilt to course through Sevelle. “Anything can happen.”
“When you find them, let me try to speak with some of the rebels. Perhaps at least tell me the reason for this uprising,” Sevelle said in a calm that did not match the nerves inside her.
Her mother slowly looked up with raised eyebrows.
Stay strong and still, Sevelle commanded her body.
After a long moment, her mother leaned back in her chair. “The halkyr attacks have been in the villages so far. What does that tell you, Sevelle?”
Sevelle felt like a cornered beast, but she knew her mother would be even more merciless if she backed down from this challenge. “The rebels are trying to get our attention—”
“They are targeting the commoners as well. These stunts cause pandemonium in the villages. If we do not strike back, we will look weak. We would be handing them the power to destroy us.” Her mother said the words slowly and with importance.
The moment we strike without any attempt at appeasing those we rule, we give up our credibility as rulers.
But Sevelle kept this thought to herself. She was painfully aware of the sheltered life she lived at the court, seeing the commoners of the Day on a yearly journey throughout the land and almost never speaking with them.
“So many of the court are disconnected from the ara,” Sevelle reminded her mother in a small voice.
“All the more reason to strike before more fall to the blight,” was her mother’s tight reply. “We have no other option, if your power continues to be elusive.”
Guilt threatened to overwhelm Sevelle.
Since I am useless, we may have no choice but to strike out in violence.
“Maybe there is another way I can help.”
“Sevelle, a ruler knows when to act and when to sit back in order not to be a burden.”
She gave Sevelle that pointed look again.
“May I leave?” she asked abruptly.
Her mother let out a harsh sigh. “Yes, go.”
Sevelle rose from her chair and tried to hide her tears as she rushed out of the room.
They spilled over as she flew through the halls, and Sevelle hastily wiped her cheeks as she touched down in the garden.
Ducking around bushes and weaving through the trees with ease, Sevelle headed toward the very center. A cluster of trees stood there, emanating a powerful energy. The largest, the beloved of her ancestor Analare of the First, towered over the stone walls of the court, its roots spreading underneath the structure and up the walls. Other trees belonging to her family surrounded it, each unique and proud in its own way. They were the foundation of the court’s power, and those of the royal family were connected to them even after they returned to the land at death.
Her mother’s tree was the second tallest, its branches intertwined with the sturdy, full one that was Sevelle’s father’s. And off to the right was a much smaller one with beautiful light bark and brilliant green leaves that Sevelle called her own.
It had grown and flourished as she had. Her father had marveled at its health, though it was much smaller than it could be. “Your connection to the ara is strong,” he once said. “You will make our ancestors proud one day.”
She paused to touch a hand to her tree. It emanated a warm, comforting energy she felt in her core. A small smile tugged at her lips as she remembered the day she was named heir three years before, at the start of her fourteenth year of life and Jae’s thirteenth. That day, before all of the court, her mother had used her power to magically connect Sevelle to the tree, only a small sapling then. The magic had startled her at first, feeling foreign and creating a sort of pressure in her core. But then it had settled, and a sense of purpose swelled within her, of belonging.
Who would I be if not the heir?
Sevelle’s smile slipped. With determination, she strode the few paces to Analare’s tree. Its bark was nearly white, flaking off in parts. Sevelle hesitated before she ran one finger along the bark, then placed her entire palm on it.
I need guidance. Analare, please help me to heal my court. Anything.
“You think it will have answers for you?” Jae’s voice came from behind her.
Sevelle’s eyes flew open, and she turned to Jae with a frown.
“There is always a possibility.”
Forcing down the frustration that had welled up, Sevelle turned back to Analare’s tree. She gently placed her hand against the bark once again, careful not to disturb the delicate flaky areas.
Please.
She breathed deep, and waited.
The seconds ticked by.
And nothing happened.
I don’t know what else to do.
With a weary sigh, Sevelle touched her forehead to the rough bark.
And no one can help me.
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
“If I were no longer heir, would you stand by me?” Sevelle blurted, whirling around.
Jae blinked. The air around them stilled, though it breezed through the leaves of the garden.
She is disguising our conversation.
Sevelle narrowed her gaze as she studied her guardian, though she could discern nothing from Jae’s expression.
“The Glorious is desperate,” Jae said. “I do not think she would strip you of your position.”
“But if she did?” Sevelle pressed.
Jae’s lips parted, but she looked at a loss for words. Sevelle looked up through the branches to the sky.
“What if we flew away right now?” Sevelle asked.
“Not yet.”
Startled, Sevelle looked at her guardian. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Just what I said.”
Jae dropped the winds, effectively stopping their conversation.
Sevelle opened her mouth to prod her more, then promptly shut it.
Keep your secrets for now, she thought. At least I know someone is on my side.
She turned and climbed back up her own tree, sitting among the branches up top with a view of the clear azure sky, while Jae stood guard below.
I am so tired, she thought as she looked to the sky. But there is no rest for the chosen.
Removing a Telk stone with the symbol of water, she clasped it in her hand and willed its energy into her to connect with the energy at her core. The weariness that had permeated her body slowly subsided as the energy refreshed her. Next, she untied a stone with the swirl symbol for spirit. Drawing the energy within, she willed herself to calm.
When her chest no longer felt tight and she breathed with ease, Sevelle thought of the sun, the warmth of its rays. She urged the ara within her to awaken.
It has to be within me. I am the problem.
After nearly an hour of intense concentration, the ara at her core had only stirred once.
Sevelle pressed her lips together as the emotions the spirit stone had soothed crashed back into her. She suddenly felt constricted, smothered. With jerky movements, one by one, she untied the Telk from her arms and body, piling them in the crook of her tree.
These are clearly not the answer.
She turned her gaze upward.
I will have to find some other way to save the court and my future.
Chapter 4
Jae stood slightly behind Sevelle on the top deck of the court as they greeted another dawn. Two days had passed, and no action against the rebels had been taken. Jae could sense the tension in the ruling family. Not only was it apparent in their stiff postures, but they hardly said a word to each other. The courtiers were restless as well, shifting and sighing as they faced the horizon.
Jae’s thoughts wandered, Sevelle’s words from the other day refusing to leave her alone: “What if we flew away right now?”
If only I could do exactly that. Though my plan never involved taking her with me.
She barely heard The Glorious welcome the day, barely registered the sunlight arriving to grace their presence.
Sevelle remained staring at the horizon as the rest of the court shuffled off to either confinement or their duties. The Glorious and Drake swept off without speaking. Morlan gave Jae a slight nod as he passed. The guards slowly left to take their positions in other parts of the court, leaving Sevelle and Jae alone.
The wind swirled restlessly around them, matching the state of Jae’s thoughts as she cast a quick glance at the sky, checking for any sort of threat. It was clear and empty, as it had been since the blight ensued. If not for the slightly rotten stench that lingered from the affected courtiers, the atmosphere might have been peaceful.
Sevelle’s long hair and the flowy cloth of her skirt whipped behind her. The Telk stones were gone, and in their absence, she appeared more vulnerable. Standing alone on the deck only added to the vision.
She may be as restless as I am now. But her future is still tied to this court. Still, maybe she would listen—
Suddenly, a beastly caw pierced the air, a sound that could only be one beast: halkyr.
Whipping her gaze toward the sky, Jae clasped the spear from over her shoulder and brought it over and forward. The shadow of its great wingspan fell over them as the brown-and-white feathered beast dove, large talons extended.
Sevelle looked up and shrunk down, crying out.
Jae poised to strike—and froze as she noticed the familiar white streak down one side of the halkyr’s face and recognized the intelligence of his gaze.
Why is he here? she thought in panic. Her thoughts raced as she tried to make sense of the scene before her.
And then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Morlan hurl back onto the deck and take aim with his spear.
No!
Moving fast, Jae ducked over Sevelle, pushing her down at the same time. She flipped her spear sideways and gritted her teeth as she threw all of her strength into pushing the flat end
against the halkyr’s side underneath one of his great wings.
Her blow knocked the beast sideways and threw her off balance. His talons swept harmlessly over them as she righted herself just before she could crush Sevelle beneath her. Whipping her head around, she saw Morlan’s spear narrowly miss the halkyr and sail past.
Now fly! And don’t come back, she thought, though the beast could not hear her.
Jae’s pulse raced as she straightened, one hand on Sevelle’s shoulder to keep her down, and watched the halkyr dive into the trees and out of sight.
“Are there more?”
“The Light!”
Panicked voices alerted Jae to the growing crowd of onlookers. Dread turned to fear as she reached down to help Sevelle up. She briefly looked Sevelle over before Sevelle turned away, attention on the trees where the halkyr had disappeared.
All the while, Jae’s thoughts swirled into a panic.
He attacked the Light. I should have killed him, not drove him away.
“Down below!” The Glorious ordered over the panicked rambling of the courtiers. “The Throne Room. Immediately!”
Did she see? Jae forced herself to look up at The Glorious. The ruler’s expression was as dark as a storm, but her focus was elsewhere. All Jae saw of Drake was his brown wings as he guided the courtiers back into the court.
Then Jae looked to Morlan.
Her stomach dropped at the suspicion in his gaze.
What have I done?
Chapter 5
Sevelle stood stunned as her mother ordered the court down below. The great beast had disappeared into the tree line beyond, almost as if the attack had never happened to begin with. As her awareness slowly came back to her, she noticed her knees ached from where they had hit the stone, though the beast’s talons appeared to have missed her.
She glanced at Jae, gaze roaming over her guardian, and was relieved to see she appeared to be unharmed as well.
Why would they be so brazen as to attack the court?
An insistent tug in her core broke her away from her thoughts. She frowned as she felt the connection to her tree pulse.
