Outcast

by Allison Rose

  Or you could leave in peace.

  There was a definite way to save her family and all of the Night. But it would mean sacrificing everything she held dear, perhaps even her life if the humans got to her.

  As she contemplated the alternate path, the vision suddenly changed. She saw the Great Room once more, her parents and Kallyn in it. They were whole and well. Her parents sat on their thrones, Kallyn leaning a little too casually against their mother’s. They listened as a faerie stood before them and voiced some concern Kelty couldn’t hear. Business as usual. And when the faerie left and her parents rose and left through the opposite doorway, Kallyn sank heavily onto the throne with an unhappy look in her eyes.

  Tears flowed freely down Kelty’s cheeks as she realized what that meant. They are alive and well because I am not there.

  The vision faded to be replaced by the cold reality of The Glorious standing before her in the halls of her own court. Kelty met her piercing gaze, not even bothering to wipe at the tears. The ruler of the Day stared back almost kindly.

  She has won. And she knows it. She always wins.

  This is what she wanted. But I am the one making the choice.

  I will accept my banishment. I will save them all.

  “Step aside,” Kelty demanded in a surprisingly strong voice.

  Chapter 14

  The Glorious turned sideways with a regal nod and satisfied smile.

  Kelty kept her eyes forward as she hurried past on foot, gaze set on the entrance to the Great Room down the hall.

  I will not have their deaths on my hands. I will not hand her the power to take over the Night. I hold all of the power here. And I will decide my own fate. It is not time. Not yet. We cannot win yet.

  One step. And another. The hall seemed impossibly long. It was both agony and relief. With every step, Kelty recalled memories of this place; flying through the halls, her and Kallyn laughing as they tried to dodge Lakera, their antics actually coaxing a smile out of their father, the pride on her mother’s face as Kelty accepted her position as heir of the Night. Kelty tried to hold on to them, but they slipped away.

  If The Glorious, her sister, or Lakera followed, she did not hear them. Her eyes immediately found her parents as she rounded the corner. She sought her mother’s gaze first, hoping to convey all the love and gratitude she had for the faerie who was willing to fight for her.

  Her heart broke as she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  “Kelty.” Her mother started toward her with a frown and fear shining in her eyes. Her father followed, concern creasing his features.

  Kelty focused on him. He was not in agreement with starting a war over her. He would be the one to defy his partner if Kelty wished it.

  “I will live as an outcast,” she said the words in a strong voice, and despite it being something like the end, it felt right.

  “No!” From the corner of her eye, she saw her mother’s face transform into anguish. Her father’s face was emotionless, but he nodded once. Her mother’s eyes widened and she frantically went to grab her partner’s arm as he pulled a Telk stone with the symbol of Faerie on it from the folds of his garment.

  The Glorious’ voice rang out from behind Kelty. “She has spoken, Kye.”

  Her mother froze, expression turning to rage as she looked over Kelty’s shoulder.

  No, they cannot fight over me.

  Kelty turned pleading eyes to her father.

  Quickly, he reached for her hand and pressed the stone against her palm, keeping hold of it as he did so.

  Then he spoke the words, “Forevermore an outcast,” and it was done before anyone could stop it.

  Kelty closed her eyes against the sudden light, gripping her father’s hand. And just before the magic took her, she heard The Glorious’ voice in her ear.

  “I will make sure all of Faerie knows what you have done. You may have avoided a war, but you will never return home.”

  Chapter 15

  It felt like the air was being squeezed out of Kelty, the harsh light shining through her eyelids.

  Gradually, the magic of the pathway lessened its grip on her breath and her father’s hand dropped hers as she tumbled to the ground.

  She opened her eyes to a world of trees and plants that was nothing like her home. It was night, but there were no brilliant colors. The glow of the green life was faint. As tears fell to the soil below, she tried desperately to connect with the ara within the living things around her. It responded, but barely. It felt dull, muffled.

  Foreign sounds met her ears; loud, grating sounds that couldn’t be made by anything in these woods. Something crunched under her feet as she stood. In a daze, she picked up the crushed, papery object. It looked to be some sort of bowl or cup, but the thin, almost smooth nature of it, along with the bright red and yellow against the white background, was unnatural.

  What have I done?

  Tears falling faster, she let the human object fall from her hand and scrambled up the closest tree. The leaves were small and didn’t offer much cover, but she didn’t have the energy to care.

  Kelty sobbed for the life she had lost. She cursed Briar’s name. She cursed the humans she had yet to see and this prison of a world.

  The words of The Glorious came back to her. I will make sure all of Faerie knows what you have done. You may have avoided a war, but you will never return home.

  Will I be trapped here until my last breath?

  The terror that came with that thought threatened to do her in.

  Then it morphed into anger. If I ever see Briar again, he will pay.

  And once the flash of anger subsided into a bone-deep tiredness, she buried her head to her chest until she could bear to look up at this world again.

  It was then that Kelty noticed the moon shining through the leaves. She reached a tentative hand to gently brush away the branches in her view. It was smaller and not as bright as the moon of Faerie, but it called to her nonetheless.

  She stared at it until her tears finally subsided.

  I will not give The Glorious what she wants.

  She will ruin my name, but that doesn’t mean the damage couldn’t be undone. Mother will find a way to bring me back.

  Those of Faerie did not forgive easily, but she had so much still to give them.

  I will not give in.

  Epilogue

  They stood below, concealed by a wall of shimmering moisture and unheard by the outcast in the treetop above.

  “She is exquisite,” said the taller, willowy faerie with yellow-gold skin and white hair that was escaping the loose bun it was tied in.

  “Careful,” Briar warned. “She is fragile right now.”

  “She is anything but fragile.” The yellow-gold one turned his gaze back to Briar. “She sought to thwart the recruits for the Day?”

  “Yes,” Briar answered. Short answers were better; there was always some truth to them.

  “And what of my daughter?”

  Briar clenched his toes into the soil as he thought of the trick Kelty pulled growing a whole tree around Verity. “This one intervened.” He nodded up at Kelty. “I had to leave her.”

  For a moment, Briar thought the yellow-gold one would be upset, but then his gamble that he would be too distracted by Kelty to notice paid off. The gold one smiled up at the outcast.

  “A fighter and a leader. She is perfect. Someday she will lead the outcasts to glory.”

  From the Author

  Thank you for reading Outcast!

  If you have a few moments, I would really appreciate it if you could leave me an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, or BookBub. Even just a sentence or two really helps out authors like me. Just swipe until the end of this book (for the e-book version) or search for Outcast by Allison Rose.

  Again, thank you. The opinions of readers really mean the world to me.

  Happy reading,

  Allison Rose

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to everyone who b
elieved in me throughout the creation of my books. I would be nowhere without my family, friends, editors, and other writers whose encouragement has got me through days where I wanted to quit.

  A special thank you to my fiancé, Gary, for putting up with me while I spent a lot of my free time working toward this dream. And also my mom, my biggest cheerleader.

  To Loni, Alex, Amanda, Naomi, Pagan, and the members of the street team, I couldn’t have done this without you. Your advise and expertise has always been exactly what I needed.

  Last but not least, thank you to all the readers out there who believe that books are magic. You give me hope.

  About the Author

  Driven by a lifelong passion for words and reading fantasy novels, Allison Rose writes YA fantasy stories featuring faeries, magic, and strong heroines. She has a BA in psychology and is fascinated by how other people think, but her love for reading and writing is greater. When Allison isn’t writing, she is proofreading the works of others. Allison lives with her fiancé, collie mix, bunny, and chinchilla in the place of wild weather also known as Buffalo, New York.

  You can connect with me on:

  https://www.allisonroseauthor.com

  https://www.facebook.com/allisonroseauthor

  https://www.instagram.com/allison.rose.author

  Subscribe to my newsletter:

  http://eepurl.com/de-nQL

  Also by Allison Rose

  Curious about the first human Kelty meets? Read Discovery for free by signing up for my monthly e-newsletter at www.allisonroseauthor.com. In my newsletter, you will also receive exclusive sneak peeks from my works in progress, reviews of other YA fantasy books, and discounted/free book deals.

  Then, the story continues in The Nameless, where the worlds of faeries and humans collide. Available on Amazon.

  Discovery

  There is a world beyond human sight. A world of magic and winged beings.

  When Nola stole a strange substance from her father’s basement lab, she never dreamed it would make her the target of blackmail or that it would leave her forever changed.

  Or that she would encounter a faerie in the woods.

  But there is no going back.

  Read for free by joining my e-mail list at http://eepurl.com/de-nQL

  The Nameless

  Outcasts of Faerie have lived unseen and secluded from humans. Until now.

  When a strange dark magic threatens the human world, sixteen-year-old Nola seeks the help of Kelty, an outcast faerie she discovered with her rare magic sight, to help her stop it.

  Reluctant and wary, Kelty must choose between turning her back on the helpless humans or sacrificing her chance to return to Faerie, which is only possible if she remains untainted by human contact.

  The outcast responsible for Kelty’s banishment is playing his own dangerous game. He might be the answer to defeating the dark magic. He also might destroy them both.

  Will the truth be discovered before the dark magic is unleashed upon the human world?

  For fans of dark YA fantasy, complicated romance, and breathtaking magic, The Nameless is a tale unlike any other.

  Grab your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LC4D1HY