My duties stretched out to the corners of my mind, giving me motivation to live. I was the only true heir, the only good leader to take over the kingdom when my father would die. Without me, Magaelor would go to my cousin, whose passivity and uneducated notions of “peace” would lose our nation to Berovia. I had to find a way to live, to fight through this pain, and get back home. The kingdom would one day need a queen, and for that, I had to survive.
I forced myself to stay awake, but every part of me wanted to slip into the comfort of unconsciousness. I bit down on the inside of my cheek, pushing the pain to keep me alert.
“She’s a fighter,” the man said, pressing me to keep going.
I whimpered when ointment hit the wound on my leg. Heat pushed up through my veins, setting every nerve ending on fire.
“This will put her to sleep,” a woman’s voice said.
My mouth was forced open. I tried to shout no as a foul-tasting liquid was forced down my throat, but it was too late. I fought the waves of tiredness, but they relentlessly wore me down, pulling me to the edge of slumber I was afraid I would not awaken from.
“We’ll be in Berovia soon!” a man shouted, robbing me from any relief as I drifted into nothingness.
SIX
A cloudless sky greeted me upon my awakening. I rubbed my temples, to feel some relief from the throbbing inside my skull, and pulled myself up into a sitting position. I yelped as I breathed through a pinched pain in my stomach. The memory of the men on the ship aiding me floated in my mind. Unable to focus on one shred for long enough to piece together everything, I sighed. All I knew was I’d been bitten by a mercreature and then saved by who-knew. All I remember was drifting in and out of consciousness, I was in a cabin on a ship, and someone kept giving me medicine saying it was for the bite, medicine that made me sleepy.
I looked down at my legs. The skirt of my dress had been torn. Its tattered and frayed edges of blue nestled around my thighs. On my left leg was a clear bite mark. Pinpricked spots of red and pink ran in a circle. An inch above my ankles was a wound accompanying the bite. I reached down and touched it, then flinched, ready for pain that didn’t come. Whatever they used to heal the wounds had worked. I hardly felt a thing, which was shocking considering the depth of them. There was one on my arm too, but it was already a thin scar. I was lucky. Mercreatures were not known to leave anything left of their meals, and out of the few survivors who had escaped their attacks, most had later died from their venomous bites. I marveled at the marks, feeling high from the invincibility that came with narrowly escaping death.
“It’s about time you woke up.”
I hadn’t noticed him before now. I’d been too busy inside my head. I instinctively reached around me for my staff, then remembered I’d stupidly left it behind. I reached up to touch my crown, but it was gone. Lost to the ocean, I imagined.
He stepped around into view. I flinched at his presence. Gold strands of his hair feathered over his forehead.
“I’m Cedric.”
I squeezed my eyelids shut. I needed comfort in the blackness for a moment. When I opened them again, he was still standing there. I wouldn’t usually be shocked. I had seen many fae when I visited Lepidus, but this one was different. His wings shone gold, matching his brilliant eyes. A thousand shades of red and orange glistened behind him as a breathtaking sunrise matched his demeanor.
He held his hand out to help me up, but I couldn’t stop staring at him.
“Take my hand,” he said.
I stared at his palm.
“Where am I?”
He lowered his hand. “The Gardens of Aeternum.” When I didn’t respond, he elaborated. “We’re not far from the Royal Castle.”
I held my breath. We were close to the coast. I could see the golden sands in the distance.
Anxiety washed over me as the final words I had heard before passing out floated back into my head, bringing with them a terrifying revelation: I was in Berovia.
Panic silenced my next question.
I couldn’t be there, or I’d be dead already.
Whoever had saved me had taken me right into enemy territory, meaning they weren’t sailors with the Magaelorean Navy. They must’ve been pirates, but I had to find out for sure.
Cedric watched me with mild amusement. “You look like you’ve been through hell.”
My mouth pinched, and my fingers curled. They were the people who had killed my brother and attacked us. I eyed him with daggers but quickly bit down on my lip, repressing my base urges. Every second I stayed brought me closer to death. I had no staff and no allies there.
“Who brought me here?”
He scratched the back of his neck and flushed red. “Uhm. Some friends of mine… They said they found you in the waters. Left you in my care.”
“What else did they say?”
His eye twitched. “Nothing of importance.”
I didn’t like the way he’d skirted around my questions twice. “Where are they now?”
He hesitated, carefully regarding my question. “They could be anywhere.”
I ground my teeth. “Can you find them?”
His eyebrows knit together. “What do you need from them?”
“What does it matter to you?”
Sunlight spilled onto his face, gilding his sharp features. “What were you doing out in the sea?”
“Um…” I pulled my fingers up to my mouth and chewed on my nails. I needed to get out of there before I got tangled into something I couldn’t get myself out of.
“Can I get you anything?” He asked when I didn’t respond.
I would not play to its charm; I knew fae, and they were elusive creatures with a compulsion to lure and charm.
As I looked around at the gardens, I realized how outstandingly perfect they were. Vast stretches of trimmed grass surrounded us. Healthy green blades sprouted from clearly fertile soil. Nothing was out of place. Every flower was as beautiful as the next, the colors fading into one another as if they were planted to be that way.
“Hello?” He snapped his fingers in front of my eyes, making me scowl. A grin unfurled across his face. “Anyone home?” He pushed his fingers through his golden-brown hair. As the strands were pushed back, I caught a glimpse of the pointed top of his ear.
“I need to go.”
Worry replaced the amusement on his features. “Let me at least take you.” His wings fluttered. Fae could fly short distances, not far enough to take me across an entire ocean. “They made me promise to take care of you.”
“No.”
His eyes narrowed. “It’s not every day I offer to fly someone home, you know.”
I inhaled sharply. “Thank you for the offer, but I need the walk.”
My chest heaved as I took him in. His gaze matched mine in intensity. Neither of us looked away. He was captivating, luring me to fall deep into the pools of gold in his eyes. I shifted my gaze up to the clouds.
“Will you at least tell me your name, mystery girl from the sea?”
“Winter,” I told him, forgetting myself. I knew the pulls of a fae’s allure, and this one felt intensified by the danger I was in. The free spirit inside me burned with curiosity. For a moment, I recognized the part of me that was brought out in mine and Jasper’s stolen moments.
“Are you sure I can’t accompany you?” he asked. “You really don’t look well.” He eyed my cuts and torn dress.
“Maybe another time,” I said, knowing full well I’d never see him again. I quickly turned away before he could badger me further.
I didn’t look back. The paths were nestled between beautiful beds of flowers. Golden sanitas bloomed under the sunshine. Berovia was beautiful, unlike Magaelor. The sun soaked into my neck and shoulders. Everything shined like pixie dust, and the weather was perfect.
It was a beautiful illusion, a trap for sorcerers like me.
I ran until I reached the shore. Not stopping to look at anyone, but I could feel them all watching me. My
heart was pounding loudly, my hands clammy. The sun beat down relentlessly, tiring me quickly. I couldn’t be in Berovia. It had to be a dream…a nightmare. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I was preparing myself as heir to the throne. I was about to unite the kingdoms with a marriage alliance. It had been taken away from me, because I fell asleep on an island where dark creatures roamed at night. I couldn’t have hated myself more in that moment. I was going to lose everything because I couldn’t follow the rules.
SEVEN
The blue pendant on my necklace swung back and forth when I leaned forward to tie the laces on my boots. I tilted my head up and looked at the dangerous ocean that sat between me and my beloved staff. Every sorcerer got one−the lunas did anyway, because we practiced ancestral magic−and it was unique to them. It could not be used by anyone else. Our magic was beautiful, entwining our souls with the sorcerers who came before us. Being without it felt like a part of my body was missing. My magic was an extension of myself.
There was a cool breeze in the air. The beach was sparse of sorcerers, who were used to temperatures much hotter than this. Everything I had read about Berovia boasted of its hot weather and golden beaches. I looked out at the horizon, desperate to see the tell-tale black sails of a pirate’s ship, or any ship, but there were none. The faery had been right; my rescuers were gone.
Tight-lipped, I sat on the beach, then curled my toes into the warm sand. I examined my wounds again, carefully running my fingers along the scars. I fingered my necklace, using my other hand to push against my thigh.
Behind me, a couple of teenage girls giggled as they walked. I curled my knees up to my chest. I wanted to blend into the background, but in my current attire, I stuck out. At least I had my pendant, which looked enough like a relic used by solises to channel their powers. Perhaps I could be mistaken for one of them.
I watched the few people who were enjoying their sun, and I frowned. Magic was a sorcerer’s given right, a gift to be used with pride, not controlled or hidden away. They might have used their powers differently than us, choosing to draw theirs from the four elements instead, but it was their rules that separated us, making us lunas and them solises. They refused to see the beauty in ancestral magic. They saw it as unnatural. They were ignorant. All life must end, and using the energy left behind, channeling through wood taken from the burial grounds of our families, was the most natural thing in the world.
Because of those differences, our two kingdoms had been at war since anyone could remember. The fae in Berovia naturally sided with the solises and lived peacefully with them as they, too, lived by a strict string of rules when it came to faery magic. They both looked down upon us and the fae they called dark. I hated all of them. They spoke of peace and love, but they had attacked us first, ruthlessly killing thousands of my people, including my brother, tearing our family apart.
Although there was no magical difference between the fae, light or dark, they were named due to their natures. The dark fae more darkly inclined than the light. I could see it from Blaise, but there were others who didn’t seem that way, like Jasper or Amara.
I exhaled slowly, letting out my frustration. I couldn’t show my hatred there; not while I was so vulnerable.
The heat hugged my skin as the midday sun took its place in the blue sky. I licked my chapped lips and waited for a sign of what to do next. I tried to reach my ancestors by focusing my thoughts, hoping to receive a whisper of what I needed to do, but not even our dead wanted to set foot in Berovia. A strand of hair tickled my forehead. I pushed it away, wiping sweat onto the back of my hand.
“Hi,” a squeaky voice said from behind me. A girl stepped up next to me. She held out her hand.
I leaned over to push myself up with my arm. I dusted the sand off my hands before shaking hers. It was unusual for me to shake someone’s hand. Usually, people bowed and kissed mine, but I was undercover.
“Hello,” I said woodenly.
I looked down at the state of my dress. My next priority was to find new clothes to wear.
The girl looked no older than eighteen. It was the first time I had come face-to-face with a solis.
I bit the inside of my cheek until I could taste blood. Against my instincts, I forced a smile.
She did not look threatening, but looks could be deceiving. She had a heart-shaped face, a long, straight nose, and darker skin, which contrasted in comparison to my pale appearance. Her big brown eyes looked up at me. She couldn’t be more than five feet tall. She flicked her black wavy strands over her shoulder.
“I’m Isabelle.” Her lips curved upward into an innocent smile.
“Hi. I’m…” I paused at my name. I had told Cedric my real name, but that had been a mistake and one I shouldn’t repeat. “Summer.”
She beamed. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Uh, you too.” I wondered what the point of this discussion was. “Can I help you with something?”
“Oh.” She flushed. “Sorry, I had to say hello because you are unlike anyone I’ve ever met,” she said with admirable honesty.
I raised both eyebrows. “How so?” I asked, feeling paranoid. Aside from my torn dress and knotted hair, I hoped I could pass as one of them.
“You just look…different.”
My eyes widened. “Oh.”
A man with dark-brown hair and piercing green eyes approached us. He wrapped his arm around Isabelle’s waist when he reached us and looked me up and down.
“Who’s this?” he asked, glaring.
There was something about him that rang familiar to my senses, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“Summer.”
“Uh-huh…” he replied, seeming unsure.
Isabella interjected. “This is Damien, my partner.”
I couldn’t stop staring at him. Curiosity kept me rooted to the spot. His green gaze latched onto mine, like a snake staring at its dinner. Did he recognize something in me too? We couldn’t have met, being from rival kingdoms, but… That was it! I could sense it all over him. There was something unique about a person touched by ancestral magic; they weren’t the same after. Power like ours always left a trace, and Damien had at some point used it. I wondered if he could sense it on me too. He wasn’t about to say, even if he did. Outing me would incriminate him too.
We eyed each other with caution until Isabelle broke the silence.
“What brings you to the beach? I’ve not seen you here before.”
I rolled my shoulders back. Damien had me on edge. “Do you keep track of everyone who ever visits this beach?”
Damien grimaced. “Someone’s defensive.”
“It’s been a long day.” I let out a small sigh, reining in my annoyance. “I should go.”
I walked away quickly, avoiding eye contact with anyone else who might mistake it for an invitation to talk.
I ambled through a small town, feeling the cobbled stone through the soles of my boots. The sun had peaked high in the sky, the only upside to being trapped here. I hurried quickly, wanting to avoid anymore conversations with strangers.
Nervousness buzzed through me as I thought about Blaise. I had met my fiancé twice, the first time when I was five. My memories of him had faded with my childhood, but the lure of the fae court stuck with me into my teenage years. Everything shone like stars, and the entire area beat with magic. It was different than ours, the natural magic, the same used by pixies, unicorns, and other earthly creatures.
The second time I met Blaise was after our engagement was announced and it was very brief. Going to the court where Jasper had lived felt wrong; the ghost of him had echoed in every room. He was reflected in the eyes of his brothers and sisters, whom I met for the first time. I kissed their cheeks with lips that held the secret of their brother’s murder, a lie I would have to keep swallowed for the sake of my rule. They thought he was living his best life with a lover on a long-lost island. That was the official story, a complete cover-up, but then who’d be
lieve an immortal had been murdered? That would be absurd. No matter how much I’d looked into it, I never did find out how my father did it.
It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t tell me. As long as I was going to a court where every creature could tell if I was lying, he’d never give me his secrets.
Blaise wasn’t unlike Jasper with his flirtation and charm, but there was something else about him that was different than any fae I had ever met. Red had flashed in his menacing stare when I looked at him, something I bet others noticed as well. He had a sharp tongue and a voice that melted like honey. It was a beautiful danger, something to lure in the reckless and needy; a poison that ran through him, one many would willingly drink. He was a good reason why they called them the dark fae. His very being made me feel on edge.
However, despite my uncertainties, Blaise and I were the thread that could make Magaelor whole again, and for that reason, he was at the top of my priorities, even if the word marriage instilled fear into me. I had to get back home. If they thought me dead, it wouldn’t be long before they married Blaise to another. The fae were already opposed to it, so me going missing would be the final nail in the coffin. My duties to my people were all that mattered now.
A seashell crunched under my heel. An old, rusting sign now in front of me read: Kings Bay Harbor. I walked across the creaking boards to look out over the dark water. I scrunched up my nose as the stench of seaweed and fish hit my nostrils. Sunrays hit the small puddles of water left behind by fishermen getting off their boats.
A man who couldn’t be much older than my father paused to talk to one of the fishermen. He had dropped a pouch tied tightly at the top. It was made of brown leather and had his initials marked on it: ER. I grabbed it before anyone could see, then shoved it down the front of my dress, between my cleavage. A foghorn sounded, making me jump. I looked around. The man was still talking to the fisherman. I hurried along the wooden planks and back onto the cobbled streets toward a more populated area. The town was old; I could tell from the pinstriped awnings over stores and wooden doors that had rotted at the sides. Signs hung in grimy windows. I walked past them, looking for a clothing store.
The Fate of Crowns: The Complete Trilogy: A YA Epic Fantasy Boxset Page 5
