I would love to punch her right in her stupid…
“Ah!” Enzo cried backing away. He was clutching his arm, the skin bright red and blistering where I had blocked his most recent blow.
“Oh God, Enzo. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
Mom rushed over to check the wound. “We need to get you to the medical bay now.”
She led him away. Stupid! I should have been paying attention.
I caught Roxy staring, eyes wide with shock. Turning away, I hurried below deck. I needed to check that Enzo was okay.
Mom was bandaging his arm as I came in. “Is he okay?” I asked.
“Wait outside for a minute, Nova,” she said.
Frustrated, I left the room and paced the corridor. Alwyn came down the corridor. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“I accidentally burned Enzo when we were sparring,” I said.
“Oh. I’ve never dealt with a burn before,” he replied, heading in to take a look.
Mom finally emerged, several long minutes later. “He’s okay. I’ve treated the burns and bandaged the wound.”
“I didn’t mean to do it.”
“I know. It was an accident, he knows that.”
“I should talk to him.”
She let me into the room, where Enzo was lying on one of the cots. Motioning to Alwyn, he left the room with her so we could talk.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s nothing,” he said, but I saw the wound. It could have been a lot worse too.
“It’s not nothing. I really didn’t mean to hurt you,” I said.
“I know that. Honestly, I’ll be fine.” I wasn’t sure if he was being honest or trying to save face.
Taking a seat on the end of the cot, I sighed. “Just another reason to hate me.”
“Nova I don’t hate you. I just…” he trailed off and shrugged.
“No, finish that thought.”
“I hate that you lied to us. And I know you had your reasons, good reasons, but…” He sighed. “We had each other’s backs out there. You could have told me. Maybe not in the beginning, but later.”
“I didn’t want you to reject me. All of you, I mean.” They were all I had after I escaped.
“But we didn’t. We’re all still here. Apart from Lydia, we still want to work with you. Rat loves you.”
“Because you think I’m going to save you all,” I muttered.
“No, because the rules still apply. We still have your back.”
He reached out and placed his hand on mine. “I mean it, Nova.”
Tears threatened to fall, but I managed to hold them back. “Okay. You should get some rest.”
He nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back training in no time.”
“Back to me kicking your ass, more like,” I joked.
He laughed. “We’ll see.”
As I came up on deck, feeling better than I had in a while, I could hear laughing. Lydia and Travis were giggling like school children. They were huddled together near the lifeboats.
Has she moved on already?
The boat lurched and Lydia stumbled, dropping a while bottle from her hand. It rolled across the deck, coming to a stop by my foot. I picked up the bottle and read the label.
It was oxycodone. This was what Lydia was taking from that pharmacy we stopped at. What she tried to hide from me.
They were both high.
“Give that back,” Lydia snapped, stalking toward me.
“I don’t think I will. Does The General know you are taking drugs? Maybe I should tell him?”
“You’re not telling him anything,” Lydia said, snatching the bottle from my hand. I tried to grab it back, but she shoved me.
“Don’t test me, Lydia.”
She grabbed me by the hair, yanking it back. “What are you going to do about it?”
I swung my fist into her stomach. If she wanted another fight, then she could have one and this time I was going to kick every inch of her bony ass.
She staggered back from the blow and Travis took a step toward us.
“No!” she said, holding up her hand to stop him. “I don’t need any help.”
“You might want to rethink that,” I snapped.
We circled each other, looking for an opening. Finally, Lydia screamed in rage and ran at me instead. She hit me and I stumbled back into the railing behind me.
I lost my balance and we both went over the railing and into the water below.
Chapter 17
The shock of hitting the water made me gasp and I swallowed some of it. Choking, I kicked my way to the surface.
I broke the surface, sputtering water. There was no sign of Lydia.
Did she drown? I can’t believe she did that. Crazy bitch. I was definitely telling The General what she was doing now.
There were shouts from above as they scrambled to rescue us. Where the hell was Lydia? She still hadn’t come up.
If she drowns, I’m sure I’ll get the blame.
Taking a deep breath, I dived under to look for her. It took two dives before I spotted her, floating in the water unconscious.
I kicked out, closing the gap between us. As I reached out to grab her, someone else landed in the water, and brought Lydia to the surface. I followed. It was one of the soldiers. He supported her, keeping her head above water.
A winch was sent down to pull us up. I went last and by the time I reached the deck, Mom was performing CPR on Lydia. Alwyn stood nearby, watching her work.
Travis stood nearby, looking dazed. I noticed he didn’t go in the water, probably too high to swim. How long were the two of them doing this? Was he her replacement for Enzo, since he wasn’t interested? Hope he knows what he’s getting himself into.
A spluttering cough drew my attention back to Lydia. Mom rolled her onto her side as she spat out sea water.
Yay, she’s alive, I thought sarcastically.
I wrung out my t-shirt. My back hurt where I hit the railing, but otherwise I was unhurt.
“How did this happen?” The General barked, striding toward us.
“She did it!” Travis said, pointing at me. “She shoved Lydia over the railing.”
“No, I didn’t. She hit me,” I yelled.
“She’s lying. That crazy Fae bitch wanted Lydia dead.”
I ran at Travis, but Thorn grabbed me and pulled me away. “Get off me,” I snarled.
“Let it go, Nova. They’re not worth it,” he said.
“She attacked me,” I said, shaking him off.
“I know. But like it or not, you are stronger than her, than everyone on this boat. Humans will always look at us like we are predators. They fear us, so they hate us.”
We headed back to my bunk. “Lydia has hated me from the start. If she tells them that I started the fight…”
“They’ll what? Throw you off the boat?” he said.
“They could lock me up. Say it is for people’s protection.” Another cell? No chance.
“They wouldn’t dare. Besides, you could just melt the locks.”
I sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. “I’m so sick of this. Suspicion, accusations, does it ever end?”
“Now you know what it was like back in the day.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most of us lived in plain sight, using glamors to hide what we were. Of course, we had magic, so we were usually the families with the best farms, the ones who avoided illnesses. More than a few Fae were accused of sorcery and some were executed because of it.”
“That’s awful. Couldn’t you use magic to escape?”
He looked at the ground. “We needed to blend in. If we revealed ourselves, it would have made things worse.”
“Even if I save them, even if I bring down the Queen, they’ll never trust me. What am I supposed to do?”
Thorn put a hand on my shoulder. “Stop fighting what you are. Embrace it. I can teach you what it is to be Fae. Once you do, you’ll realize that yo
u don’t need any of them. You’ll finally be free.”
Free. If only…
***
Thorn
Many Years Ago…
Mother rushed into the house, looking distressed. She quickly closed the door behind her and moved to the window to look out.
“Ivy has just been arrested. They are accusing her of sorcery.”
I got up from the fire, where I had been helping to prepare dinner. Ivy was our neighbor and a Fae.
“Who accused her?” I asked.
Mother wrung her hands. “I don’t know. What are her family going to do? She’ll hang for this.”
Ivy had three children, it was likely they would starve without her. Her husband died a few years back, he got into a fight with a troll and was killed.
“It was those humans,” Father spat. “They are always trying to find ways to bring us down.”
Mother said nothing, but I saw her cast a worried glance at him. If he got drunk enough, he might decide to go out and get payback. We didn’t need that kind of attention on us.
“We need to keep our heads down,” Mother said. “Don’t give anyone a reason to suspect anything.”
Father slammed a hand down on the table. “I am not going to hide. This is my home and I will smite all those miserable humans if I have to.”
“I’m going to collect more wood,” I said, abruptly, hurrying out the door. It was better not to stick around when he got mad. If he couldn’t find a human to punish, he might turn on us.
My mother was the main target, then usually me. My brothers were grown now and strong enough to fight back. Father didn’t want that, he wanted people who would cower and beg.
It would be better if we found a place with just our own kind. Then these things wouldn’t happen.
Father argued that this land was good for farming and he wasn’t being driven out by anyone.
I avoided humans as much as possible. Not because I distrusted them, it was because Father might see me talking to one of them and beat me.
I would watch them from afar though. Not having to disguise myself around them, made me feel somewhat normal.
Heading into the trees, I started gathering fallen branches for the fire. It was early evening and the air was warm. I loved taking walks alone when I could. It got me away from my family.
Moving further in, I heard someone talking. I was going to walk around, to avoid eavesdropping, but I heard Ivy’s name mentioned.
Curious, I placed the bundle of wood on the ground and snuck up behind them.
“Think she’ll hang?” one asked.
“I hope so. That’s the last time she steals food from our farm.”
The conversation wasn’t surprising. The people having it were two Fae women. They turned on one of their own over some food.
And the humans are supposed to be the evil ones.
***
Oberon
Many Years Ago…
Standing before the Fae, I stared out at their faces, not quite believing what was happening. After nearly a year in a cell, I expected to be executed, to lose my head for my betrayal. Only now, as I spoke the oath and the crown was placed on my head, I found myself as the new King of the Fae.
Rook died of his wounds shortly after my visit from Asteria, leaving me as the last male heir. Rather than have the kingdom fall to chaos, the royal advisors spoke with my mother and I was pardoned.
I searched the crowd for Asteria, but she wasn’t there. When she found out, she flew into a rage and locked herself away in her room.
“As the King of the Fae, it is your solemn duty to protect your subjects to the best of your ability,” my advisor intoned.
I nodded to show I understood, but in my mind, I knew that it was my job to protect all the people of this land, not just the Fae.
There would be no more wars, we would learn to live in harmony.
As I walked through the crowd of Fae, heading for my throne, I finally spotted Asteria. She was in the far corner of the room, hiding behind a column.
I have never seen such hatred before. She was livid when she discovered she would be passed over for her traitor brother.
I need to try and make amends with her. If we are to live in harmony, I need her to understand and adhere to the rules.
The festivities lasted well into the night and I found it hard to sneak away. When one of the guests began to sing loudly, drawing the attention of the others, I slipped out of the hall in search of Asteria.
She was walking the halls of the castle, a bottle of mead in her hand. Swaying wildly, she spotted me and spat on the ground.
“Is that anyway to greet your king?” I asked.
“You are not my king, you are a traitor!” she slurred.
Her hair was wild and her white dress dirty. I was used to seeing her look immaculate but since that was for the benefit of the advisors in the hope she would become Queen, it was now a thing of the past.
“You are drunk. I suggest you go and get some sleep,” I said. I did not want to argue with her, it had been a long day.
“Are you happy now? Now you get to live with all your primitive friends. Father would have hunted them for sport!”
“Father is gone. I am ruler now and you will do as I say.”
She staggered toward me and stabbed a finger into my chest. “How do you think you got the throne? Do you think Father died of natural causes?”
My brow furrowed. “You…you killed him?”
“Of course I did! He was a relic, I should be wearing that crown now.”
She said she would do it, but I never thought she would actually go through with it.
“You really are beyond help.”
She shoved me hard. “I think I will go out and play with your little friends. Maybe I will eat some of them. How does that sound?”
“You are forbidden from harming them. That is an order.”
“I don’t take my orders from you!” she screamed.
“Get out! I want you gone.”
“Fine! But this is not the end. I will make you pay for this.”
With that, she turned and fled into the night.
Chapter 18
I spent all my time with Thorn, listening to his Fae stories and learning more about what I was. I liked spending time with him. He looked at me like I was a regular person and he was on my side. Which was more than I could say for everyone else. Every time I set foot outside my room, someone would be whispering and staring at me. No doubt Lydia had spread it around the crew about what I did.
She spent a couple of days in the infirmary before being released. According to Alwyn, she was milking it for all it was worth, insisting on staying in her bunk.
As long as she stays away from me, I don’t care where she is.
With Thorn’s help, I was starting to feel like I was in control of my power at long last. He told me how he learned to use his. It took years for him to get to grips with it. I didn’t have that long. Every day I would practice calling the power, then pushing it back down when I was finished using it. I didn’t want to injure anyone else.
I was heading up on deck for some air, when someone grabbed my arm.
“Nova, I need to talk to you,” Enzo said, leading me away from the stairs.
“If you are here about Lydia…”
“I’m not. I’m sure whatever she said happened is far from the truth.”
I looked at him in surprise. “Oh. Well, thanks I guess.”
“You really should keep training with me,” he said.
“I don’t think that is a good idea.” I stared down at my shoes. I could practice with Thorn, I didn’t need Enzo’s help anymore.
“We will be in England soon, you need all the help you can get.”
Sighing, I said, “Thorn has been teaching me how to use my powers. He understands them better than I do.”
His expression changed, but he tried to keep his voice light. “Oh. Good. I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“Well I don’t have a choice in this. I have to fight her.”
“I know. And you need to know that I’ve got your back, okay?”
He seemed sincere. “And after?”
“After?”
“The fight. When this is all over and the Queen is dead. Will you still have my back then?”
“Always. I like you, Nova. You have to know that.” He was actually blushing. I remembered our kiss back at the base. That blissful moment when I actually thought things might turn out okay.
He likes me? Even after everything?
“I um, I have a tough time trusting anyone right now,” I said finally.
He placed a hand on my cheek, pushing a stray lock of hair back. “You can trust me.”
“Ah!” I cried, as pain ripped through my back.
Enzo took a step back. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t…ah!” The pain was horrendous. I staggered across the deck and collapsed to my knees.
Thorn raced toward us. “What did you do to her?” he snapped at Enzo.
“Nothing!”
“It’s my back,” I cried. “The pain is awful. Do something.”
“I’ll get her mom,” Enzo said, hurrying away.
A crowd had gathered around me. Thorn let out a gasp and got to his feet.
“Everybody stand back!” he ordered.
What is he doing? Am I going to explode or something?
A split second before it happened, I remembered where I felt this pain before. It was when my wings came in, back in the cell that Phillip put me in.
I turned my head to try and get a better look, just as two brand new wings erupted from the stumps on my back. The pain was too much. Everything went black.
Chapter 19
Pain woke me. My eyes fluttered open and I found myself in the infirmary. Mom was sitting beside the bed, chewing her thumbnail.
“What happened?” I asked.
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