Fly Free (Light of Faerie Book 1)

by Allison Rose

  She focused on his strong jaw and kind eyes. She tried to see some of herself in him. Her mind would not let her. “I want to hear you say it,” she demanded in a tight voice. “I want to hear the truth.”

  He responded immediately. “You, Jae, are our true daughter, the heir to the legacy of the Day.”

  The shock was less this time, but still Jae’s heart seized and her lungs refused to expand for a few seconds. “And Sevelle?” she pressed him.

  “Sevelle was adopted into our family after we learned of her ability to channel the sun’s magic.”

  “You do not know her parentage?”

  “No,” he answered, but his eyes shifted down slightly as he said it.

  He feels guilty he is lying about it, but that does not make it any better.

  “I did not agree with it,” he rushed to add before explaining, “Shayna recognized more potential in Sevelle and proposed the switch. It was at a time when she was at odds with Taria.” He named the overseer of Muren, a faerie Jae had only seen in passing. “If we were going to remain the rulers of the Day, we needed more power. We needed to show the Day we could provide a better future.”

  Though he told it in a different manner than The Glorious, their stories matched. The knot in Jae’s stomach tightened, her mind turning over the words “more potential in Sevelle.” Tears gathered in her eyes.

  “What am I supposed to do now?” she brokenly asked him the question she had not had the strength to ask The Glorious before rushing out of the room. “What about Sevelle? What will you do with her?”

  The pain on Drake’s face was apparent as he shifted on his feet. He made no move toward Jae. “You should accept your position. There will be only pain if you do not.”

  Jae did not dignify that with a reply.

  “We have made arrangements with the Night to seek out the rebels before they get too far,” Drake informed her quietly. His eyes shifted toward the door as he said it, leading Jae to believe he was not supposed to be telling her this. “I will not order you to remain here, but it would be a good idea.”

  Jae felt a flash of panic. If Lex and Sevelle were captured, they would only be brought back to the Day Court, where nothing good could happen to either of them.

  But a more selfish part of her wondered if Sevelle could keep the heirship upon her return, leaving Jae out of this mess.

  Her mind swam with the new information, failing to make sense of it.

  I need time to sort this out. I need a better plan. One where we all make it out of this without being destroyed.

  Without another word, Jae turned on her heel, spread her wings, and fled the room.

  Chapter 17

  Outside Verity’s hovel, Sevelle crossed her arms and nervously glanced around as Lex and Verity spoke in hushed tones. It had been approaching dark by the time Lex had brought her here the day before, and Sevelle had not been paying as much attention to her surroundings as she was to keeping close to Lex and trying to act normal, to look like she belonged.

  The commoners of Farryn lived in haphazardly spaced hovels built from raising portions of the ground and hollowing them out with the help of land-user Telk. Around the large settlement were thick sections of forest, but where the hovels were built was open to the sky. Some hovels were larger than others, adding to the imbalanced aesthetic that wasn’t entirely noticeable from the sky, but painfully obvious on the ground.

  Sevelle winced. Maybe there is more truth to Jae’s words about the commoners than I have seen.

  Though the area had seemed teeming with life earlier, it was now mostly deserted, as was the sky above.

  The day was bright and clear, and the wind played with the whisps of hair that escaped her hair tie. Sevelle dared a peek above at the sun.

  The first day I didn’t welcome the dawn. She absentmindedly pulled at a thread on the cloth wrapped around her thigh. A part of her felt incomplete without the ritual. But it is not a part of their lives. And I need to fit in.

  Verity stepped back and Sevelle’s attention was drawn back to the faeries next to her. Then Verity lifted her chin at Lex, as if in defiance, though her gaze was respectful. “Fly free,” she said before taking off into the open sky.

  “Fly free,” Lex echoed softly.

  Sevelle watched the peculiar exchange with fascination. Then Lex turned to her.

  “I have something to show you before we go to Farryn,” he said. “Couren will accompany us.”

  “Who?” Sevelle asked.

  “He travels with us,” was all Lex said in a light tone.

  A flash of pink over his shoulder caught Sevelle’s eye as he spoke. A young female of dusty pink came into view. She carried a small bowl of water, placing her feet carefully.

  “Why is she not at the Gathering?” Sevelle wondered.

  Lex followed her gaze to the youth. “She has likely been tasked with getting the water they need. Might take her a while.”

  “And why does she not fly?” The youth’s wings looked sturdy enough, membrane glinting with a healthy sheen as they caught the sunlight.

  “The ground is much safer here.”

  Sevelle gave him a puzzled look. “Why?”

  “Crea limits air traffic. Her protectors bully many out of the sky.”

  Bully? Sevelle opened her mouth to ask more, when a polite greeting came from behind them. “See the Day.”

  She whirled around to come face to face with none other than the green faerie from the forest. This time, he was wearing tight brown flight attire and there was a short spear attached to his belt. Sevelle forgot her manners and her mouth dropped open. Lex smirked, but gave the green faerie a look. “Sunny, this is Couren.”

  The cocky smile never left Couren’s face as he nodded to Sevelle with lowered eyes. “I apologize for not revealing my name before.”

  “Please, call me Sevelle,” she managed tightly.

  Lex gave him a frown. “When did you two meet?”

  “I came across her in the woods yesterday. Put her on the right path.”

  Couren regarded Sevelle thoughtfully, his gaze more teasing than mistrustful at least.

  Lex sighed with a shake of his heavily braided head. “Let’s go.” He gestured ahead and started off on foot.

  Sevelle tried to push aside her anxiety and fell into step beside him as Couren brought up the rear, wishing for all the world that Jae was here to watch the mysterious faerie at her back. “Please tell me where we are going.”

  When her demand was answered with silence, she glanced up at Lex. Guilt pinched his perfect features. “It defies explanation, something the court is not aware of.”

  “You think there is something out here that my mother does not know about?” she asked skeptically.

  A scoff came from behind them. Lex gave her a pitying look. “You will see,” was all he said.

  They entered the more heavily forested area that surrounded the patch of commoner hovels, forcing them to step over branches and bushes. After almost tripping several times, Sevelle concentrated on where her feet were rather than asking questions.

  But then suddenly something occurred to her.

  “Did you send that halkyr after me the other day?”

  What sounded like a choking laugh came from Couren as Lex’s face creased with guilt once more.

  “It was only to get the attention of the court. Ash would never have hurt you, nor would I have ordered him to.”

  Sevelle’s anger warred with the logic that she needed to play nice with this faerie that held her safety in his hands. “He has a name?”

  A perplexed look crossed Lex’s face. “Of course he does.”

  “I hate to intrude,” Couren interrupted, looking truly sorry to be stopping the amusement. “But it will be easier to see from the trees.”

  Sevelle let the subject drop as they climbed through the trees. Couren led the way through the easiest path possible. Lex stayed behind her, whether to make sure she made it or to make sure she did not try
to bolt, she did not know.

  A few minutes later, Couren crouched on a sturdy branch and motioned to look below.

  A shallow pit had been dug out of the ground. Two male faeries stood in the rough dirt, one a pale green and the other a blue that looked almost white. Their only clothing were scraps across their lower halves. Judging by the weapons, Sevelle surmised they were engaged in physical combat. Others stood along the edges, watching in silence. The fighters held crude weapons: short spears shaped of wood and stone. As Sevelle watched, the green one leaned forward and struck with a speed she did not expect, striking the blue before he could duck to the side. The blue male attempted to strike, but the green one blocked the blow, sending the blue one to the dirt. The crowd tensed, but did not cheer.

  “You are preparing them to fight,” Sevelle accused.

  “What?” Lex looked startled. Couren shook his head.

  “We have nothing to do with this,” Lex said, a hard edge to his voice. “These pits have become increasingly popular among the Day. They dig into the ground in an attempt to be closer to the ara. They fight each other so that they might have hopes of getting stronger, more powerful.”

  “That does not make any sense.”

  Lex met Sevelle’s gaze with an intensity that caught her breath. “Magically, no. But they feel as if they should arm themselves by becoming physically stronger and skilled with weapons. Without much magic and Telk, they have no other option.”

  Sevelle looked back down at the fighters below. Their bodies were muscled as if from training hard, yet their wings hung listlessly on their backs. The others that stood around them looked the same. Silvery blood seeped from the wound on the blue faerie, who was now back on his feet. He went back at the green one with ferocity, like he had nothing to lose.

  It did not matter how close these faeries got to the ground, the source of the ara. It would not make them stronger. They were all born with a certain amount of ability, a range of connection to the land around them. Increasingly, more had been born with little magic. Those born with more power rose in the ranks and usually ended up in a position of power, sought out and brought to the court by Sevelle’s mother’s storytellers.

  “How have we not seen this before?” Sevelle muttered.

  “These pits are dug and then filled in within the day. They move around in secret,” Lex answered her personal question.

  “Why exactly are they fighting?” she asked in dread.

  “I do not think they even know. But I imagine that they are thinking that in these uneasy times, it is better to be prepared in any way possible. Especially with the coming Winds. Some intimidate others to secure food and shelter. And Telk.”

  Sevelle shook her head slowly in shock. Then she gave Lex a scrutinizing look. “You are really not asking them to fight for you?”

  “No. We fight our own battles. Besides, physical combat is not the way to take down the Court of the Day,” Lex said with a grim look.

  She had no words for Lex, and so continued to watch in silence, until something peculiar caught her attention. “They are not using their wings,” she said, unable to tear her eyes from the listless way the wings hung on the backs of the faeries below. She compared the scene to her brief memories of watching Jae and Morlan spar, using their wings to move faster and to gain the upper hand in an intricate dance-like pattern.

  “They probably cannot use them anymore.”

  Sevelle turned to stare at Lex in horror. He only met her eyes with a sad expression.

  To not be able to fly…

  “I think we have seen enough.” Lex rose from his crouch and offered Sevelle his hand. His expression was surprisingly sympathetic.

  She took his hand numbly, wondering what else she would see in this land she thought she knew.

  * * *

  Even from afar, the Gathering looked to be teeming with activity. Tables and tents lined the outside in a semicircle for setting up goods to trade. Telk was the main form of currency and power, but for those who could not get their hands on them, an exchange of services was how they survived. And the Gathering was where Farryn came together to trade. Sevelle only knew all this from writings and word of mouth. Her palms tingled in anticipation of actually being able to observe.

  Lex lightly brushed her arm with his fingertips. Sevelle flinched at the contact.

  “You look as though you are being led to your death.” He held up the palm with the symbol of their oath on it. “Remember, no matter what you think of me, I am bound to protect you.”

  Sevelle sighed. “Forgive me if I cannot act so casual about being part of rebel activity.”

  Lex kept his gaze straight ahead, indeed looking casual despite what he had planned. “It will be over before you know it.”

  “I don’t suppose you will explain more now?” Sevelle challenged him.

  “We decided to use Farryn’s weekly Gathering to our advantage,” Lex replied in an easy tone. “The protectors will be there, but we are so quick, they will hardly notice us. Verity and Couren hand over the Telk to the dealers at two locations on each side of the Gathering.”

  “And you?”

  “I call the halkyr and command all the attention,” Lex said with a crooked smile.

  Couren snorted.

  “So they aren’t really attacks, are they?” Sevelle threw a sideways glance at Lex. “No one gets hurt?”

  “No one gets hurt,” Lex promised.

  “What about me?” Sevelle prodded.

  “You will stay with me.”

  “You are really confident you can pull this off,” she said to him, dryly.

  He gave her a sideways smile. “Relax. We know what we’re doing.”

  Sun above, may I make it out of this alive. “And then what?”

  “Then we travel north,” Lex answered. “To Muren and then to the mountains.”

  Sevelle shivered despite the warm day. They fell silent as they walked among a few faeries on foot at that point heading in the same direction. Sevelle unconsciously stepped closer to Lex to avoid them.

  The noise gradually increased as they drew near until Sevelle nearly covered her ears to stop the constant sound of voices.

  Lex led her to a spot along the outside of the tents ringing the throng of faeries. It was conveniently next to the few trees in the vicinity of the Gathering. “You will not actually have to enter,” he assured Sevelle.

  Great, now he thinks I can’t even be around a crowd.

  She pointed up, trying to push down the panic. “I want to see.”

  Lex raised his eyebrows, but gave her a go-ahead gesture. Using her wings for balance, she scrambled up the tree next to them.

  Faeries were everywhere. Faeries of different shades of blues, yellows, reds, oranges, purples, greens, and the occasional gold or silvery complexion. Some were duller than others. Male and female alike shouted propositions and wares or their services to the passerby. The whole thing gave off a vibe of desperation, but it also seemed normal to them. Sevelle noticed a few of the protectors. They crouched on wooden pedestals around the ring of the area, spears at their sides and bows on their backs. There were much more than she remembered seeing on yearly travels through the land.

  Sevelle took in the truth of Farryn. She tried to memorize every detail. To her relief, some of these faeries looked better off in color and stature than the ones she witnessed in the pit. Their wings mostly looked strong too, or at least usable. A barrage of scents wafted up to her nose: flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruits to be traded. It was a different way of life, but perhaps not a totally horrible one.

  And then Sevelle flinched as a fight broke out over what appeared to be a piece of fruit of all things. Fists and angry shouts were flying as those around them were caught in the fight. The protectors merely watched, faces passive. Either this happened enough that they just let it go or they were ordered not to for some reason.

  Mother would have turned up her nose at such heathen behavior.

&n
bsp; “It is time.” Sevelle startled at Lex’s voice and glanced down, then she carefully climbed down to join them once more.

  Lex caught Sevelle’s eye as she landed on the ground, but did not say anything. He managed to look both grim and excited at the same time.

  “Fly free,” Lex said to Couren, who repeated the phrase before melting into the crowd on foot.

  Sevelle felt a little stab of jealousy this time.

  Not that I am a rebel now or anything, she reminded herself.

  Lex looked to the sky and gave a whistle. It was only a moment before the great winged creature burst out of the trees across the Gathering. The halkyr gave a familiar piercing cry. Panicked sounds spread throughout the gathered crowd, and they began to duck for what little cover there was to be had at the Gathering. The protectors immediately jumped off their platforms and stood beneath them.

  They are not even trying to help, Sevelle thought in dismay and confusion.

  The halkyr swooped low over the pandemonium of the Gathering. Sevelle stepped behind Lex, who watched with a concentrated frown. She couldn’t see if anything Lex had described was actually happening.

  And then a group of faeries suddenly flew through the air, some armed with spears and bows, silently descending on the Gathering. The ground itself trembled. And the halkyr’s flight became more erratic as he dodged arrows.

  The Night, Sevelle thought in utter surprise as she took in their brilliant colors, Nym uniforms, and Baron, Ruler of the Night, at their front.

  Why are they here?

  Lex tugged on her arm. “We have to move,” he urged tightly. She tried to control her panic as he guided her back along through the trees.

  The Night and the Day worked together, but neither court interfered in the other’s affairs unless necessary to maintain the balance of Faerie.

  This could only mean one thing: her mother asked the Night to find the rebels.

  Sevelle’s heart beat faster. Panicked faeries were heading into the woods now, and having to weave and dodge fear-driven commoners made their progress slow. Then Sevelle felt a gust of air behind her just as an arm wrapped around her waist.

  She was yanked backward from Lex, her wings then being crushed against a female chest. Sevelle froze both in surprise and as Jae had taught her. “Thrashing will only tear your wings,” she heard Jae’s voice in her head. “Be calm and still.”