Revealed

by Riana Lucas

  Rowan and Anna both step back, holding hands once more. They nod their agreement and murmur their good-byes one last time.

  I turn to face my group of friends.

  “Everyone ready?” I wait for the others to nod before finishing. “Let’s go find Holly.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The beginning of the mission started out pretty much as any of the others. We left the Court on foot, deciding against shimmering anywhere within the Faery Forest. Hopefully, Holly would have stuck somewhat close to home since she just left — walking would be our best bet at finding her quickly. As always, we take up formation and begin making our way through the forest, keeping our senses wide open for any indication of Holly or any possible threats.

  Now we have been searching the forest inch by inch for hours. Fae do not usually live by the concept of time. Our lives stretch out over hundreds of years, and to keep track of time in the way of minutes and hours, even days would be almost impossible and extremely frustrating. A Fae who is over one hundred years old would only remember the significance of events, not the time in which they took place. But as we search for Holly and each minute passes without finding her, I find myself counting every minute.

  After meeting Reed, finding out who my mother and father are, and Rho’s death, my time has become precious to me. Before coming to the Seelie Court, my life really had no purpose, giving me no reason to recount events or where my time was spent. Now I treasure each and every one of those minutes that I am able to spend with my family and friends. It is amazing how time has changed me.

  No matter the reason, I am now painfully aware that we have been searching for Holly for over four hours. That is much more time than I would like to admit. I had hoped that we would have found her by now, and she would be well on her way to being treated for the disease.

  I glance back at the others. We have maintained our basic formation, although we have traveled farther apart from one another in hopes of covering more ground at a much faster rate. They look as tired as I feel, but each one of them still wears a look of determination on their faces. None of us will give up until we have found our friend.

  Turning back to the task, I continue walking but my ears perk when I think I hear a twig snap. I stop walking for a moment to listen better. It could have been any one of my group memebrs, but we are all usually very stealthy and rarely make a mistake like that. Everyone else notices my stillness. They all freeze and turn their focus to me.

  After a few moments of silence I shake my head, silently telling them it was nothing and we all continue on our way. A few moments pass before there is another sound. This one is unmistakable.

  It is the sound of Willow screaming.

  It takes a moment for the scene before me to register. Willow’s screams have turned into yelling and pleading. She has drawn her knife but is not moving it toward her attacker. Instead, her armed hand is high in the air while she is trying to defend herself with the other. I move toward her, confused. Willow is not as strong as the rest of us, but she has been training daily, and her skills have improved immensely. On top of that, her attacker seems to be smaller than she is. I cannot understand why she is only defending herself and not counterattacking.

  Gideon reaches her side before I do. Knowing he will protect her, I stop to watch the odd scene take place before me.

  The attacker is smaller than Willow in both height and weight. I can only see the back of them, so I am unsure if it is male or female, but I can tell by its speed and skill that it is definitely Fae. Its hair is black and hanging down its back, reaching almost to the back of its knees. It is snarled and filled with leaves and twigs, probably from an extended time in the forest. The only other thing I can make out is the fact that it is much thinner and paler than most Fae. I can also see by the way it is swiping at Willow that its nails are deadly sharp. It appears to be an Unclaimed.

  Willow pushes it back with her empty hand, not succeeding very well in putting much space between them because she is more focused on keeping the knife out of the way. Gideon is trying to pull Willow back so he may get to the threat, but Willow keeps stepping in front of him, blocking any access to the attacker.

  “Willow!” Gideon yells at her. “Move out of the way. You are going to get yourself killed!”

  “No! Stop! You’re going to scare her!”

  I can feel my eyebrows crinkle in surprise and confusion over Willow’s words. For some reason she was trying not to harm her attacker, but to not scare her is even more confusing.

  “I don’t care if I scare her!” Gideon yells back at Willow. “She is trying to kill you for Faery’s sake!” Gideon tries to pull Willow back once more, but she elbows him in the stomach rather hard, causing him to fall back a step.

  In the meantime, the attacker, which I now know is a girl, takes advantage of Willow’s distraction with Gideon. She swipes her left hand once again at Willow’s face with those razor sharp claws. Willow ducks out of the way and tries to grab the Fae’s arm. She misses, as well, causing her to lose her balance and tumble to the side, allowing her attacker a free shot at Willow’s right side. The Unclaimed Fae then swipes at Willow with her right hand as Willow stumbles past, slicing deeply into Willow’s side. Willow lets out another scream as she falls to the ground.

  Although none of us had interfered, we all had been watching vigilantly from a safe distance. Now we all move as one as we rush the rest of the way to help. Gideon is at Willow’s side on the ground immediately, assessing the damage. Thorne and Reed both tackle the Unclaimed Fae to the ground, just as she was going after Willow again. I glance at Reed, who nods that he has everything under control before I move to Willow’s other side.

  Just as I am kneeling to look at her wounds myself, Gideon goes flying to the ground and Willow is flailing around, trying to right herself once again.

  I quickly put my hand on her shoulders to make her focus on me. “What are you doing? You are injured.”

  “I’m fine. I need to make sure she’s okay!” Willow says as she still tries to get away from me.

  Not wanting to risk further injury, I immediately release her. As she stumbles back to her feet, I stay close in case she needs assistance.

  Gideon huffs on the ground next to us and slowly picks himself up off the ground, brushing dirt and other debris from his clothing. I shoot him a questioning look, but he just shrugs and follows behind us, scowling at Willow’s back the entire time.

  “Be careful! You’re going to hurt her! Thorne, get off her!”

  Willow is now tugging on Thorne, who is sitting on the Unclaimed Fae’s back with her wrists held together above her head by one of his hands. She appears even smaller now, when compared to Thorne’s larger body. Thorne seems to be bored with the entire situation. Reed, who is standing close by, appears the same.

  I shake my head and clear my thoughts. This confusion has gone on for long enough. We are dealing with an Unclaimed Fae who tried to kill Willow, and she is trying to protect her.

  “Willow!” I shout so I can be heard over her complaining and pleading with Thorne.

  She abruptly stops pestering Thorne and turns to face me. Her breathing is heavy, and she is covered in dirt. Her hair is no longer in a tight braid like mine. It is loose and flowing wildly all around her, and she has blood seeping out of her side. It is not a deep wound, but definitely will need to be tended to sooner rather than later.

  “What is going on? Why are you trying to protect this Unclaimed?” I cannot help the underlying accusation in my questions.

  She gestures to the Unclaimed, who is still struggling below Thorne. “He is going to hurt her.” She is pleading with me now, and I still do not get it.

  “She just tried to kill you, Willow.” I wave to her bloody side to emphasize my point. “I think you should be more worried about yourself.”

  “I’m fine. It is only a scratch.” Gideon grunts behind me, but I do not take my eyes from Willow. She quickly cuts her eyes towa
rd him, but then looks back to me. “I really am fine, Poppy. I can cure this in just a few minutes, but I don’t want them to hurt her. She is only a child.”

  This gets my attention, and my spine stiffens at her revelation. I knew she was smaller than Willow, but I had not even considered her age. I turn my focus on the small Fae that has finally given up struggling below Thorne and now appears to be trembling.

  Willow refocuses on the small Fae, as well. “See, now she is crying. Thorne, let her up this instant!” Willow has her hands firmly on her hips and stomps her foot to punctuate her words. I have to admit that with her hair flowing freely and her rumbled appearance, she looks a little intimidating.

  I sigh. “Okay guys. Let her up, but,” I emphasize the word for Willow’s sake, “do not let go of her. It would probably be best if both Reed and Thorne keep a firm grip on her. I know she is only a child, but the Unclaimed can be extremely strong.”

  Willow lets out a puff of air in annoyance, but does not argue with my orders.

  Reed moves to Thorne’s side. He reaches down to secure the hands of the Unclaimed before Thorne picks himself up off the ground. Now with Thorne’s immense weight off her, I had expected her to try and escape, but she does not.

  “Get up,” Thorne demands, but she does not move. She is still lying facedown in the dirt, and I can see her whole body is trembling uncontrollably. Willow squeaks in distress and makes a move toward the Unclaimed. I swing my arm out to stop her, but there is no need. Gideon grabs her around the waist and pulls her to his side, not removing his hand once she is firmly in place.

  “Gideon!” she almost shrieks. “Release me at once! The child needs me!”

  “No,” he says sternly, looking down into her pleading eyes. He does not waiver. She gives up her pout and huffs as she crosses her arms over her chest, realizing that she is not going anywhere.

  I cannot help but smile at the two of them.

  That smile dies when I turn back to Reed, Thorne, and the Unclaimed. They have pulled her up off the ground between the two of them. Reed still has her arms firmly behind her back, and Thorne has one hand on her left shoulder and the other on her right arm. Seeing her stand between the two of them, I can now truly see just how tiny she is. Her head is bowed so her long black hair is forming a veil around her face, obstructing it completely from my view. By her size alone, I would guess her to be in her early teens. A wave of sadness moves through me. She is only a baby and is already dealing with the disease.

  I try to relax as I slowly approach her. I do not want her to sense any hostility from me, causing her anger to flare up. I see Reed tense as I get closer, but I shake my head.

  “I do not want to scare her. She is calm now. I saw this with Holly. I think the disease is new in her. If I do not give her cause to be defensive, she should be fine. Just relax and trust me,” I say to him mentally.

  “That’s kinda hard when you’re approaching an Unclaimed Fae that just tried to kill Willow!” His voice is annoyed but I can tell he is trying to cover his fear.

  I tilt my head to the side and give him an equally annoyed look. “Will you just trust me on this?”

  He sighs out loud, causing Thorne to give each of us a dirty look.

  “Fine.”

  “Thank you. Now stop, Thorne is giving us dirty looks.”

  Reed glances at Thorne but does not say anything further.

  During our mental conversation, I had reached the Unclaimed child. I stand in front of her for a moment, giving her a chance to get used to my nearness. After a few more minutes, she finally begins to lift her head. I cannot help the gasp that escapes my lips. She really is just a child.

  Her features are soft and innocent. Soft green eyes, which are rounded in confusion and fear, have tears leaking steadily out of them. Her cheeks are pink from crying, giving her face the appearance of a baby. Her tiny lips are trembling.

  “How old are you?”

  “Twelve.” The word is a soft whisper, but we all hear it. The others all let out curses around me, feeling the same sorrow and helplessness that I am feeling. This poor child has developed this horrible disease and is all alone.

  “What is your name?”

  “Jessamine.” The word is another barely audible whisper. She has not stopped shaking.

  I know immediately what I must do. “Hello, Jessamine. I am Poppy. These are my friends Reed, Thorne, Gideon, and Willow. We would like to help you. Will you let us?”

  She nods her head, but does not speak.

  I turn to Gideon and Willow. I keep my voice soft and soothing so that I do not frighten the young Fae. “Take her back to the Court immediately. Take her directly to Rowan and tell him to help her. Go now while she is calm.”

  No one argues or questions me. We all know that there is no other choice but to help this child, and we have to move quickly. If she gets excited or scared, we will never get her to the Court. Gideon cautiously moves Willow to Jessamine’s side, making sure not to startle her. They politely say hello before both taking one of her hands and shimmering directly to where help awaits them.

  “Will they be okay?” Reed asks from beside me.

  “I think so. Once Holly calmed down, she seemed to be okay for a while. They are there by now anyway, and I am sure that neither Rowan nor Willow will let any harm come to her or anyone else.”

  “Okay. Let’s find Holly then and get home. The sooner the better. I don’t like it being just the three of us out here without more backup.”

  I nod my agreement, which is mirrored by Thorne. We turn to continue down the path we were already on when Holly steps out from behind a large tree right in front of us.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Reed and I both stop in our tracks at the sight of Holly before us. Thorne, however, does not. He purposefully moves toward her — what his intentions are, I am unsure. Holly does not allow this, though. She extends her arm out, palm facing us. Thorne freezes.

  “Don’t come any closer,” she says to him before turning to look at me. There is confusion, hurt, fear, and longing all mixed within her eyes. A pang of sympathy slices at my heart for her. I completely understand her noble actions, but I also feel her pain at being separated from the ones she loves. “What are you doing here?” Her words are an accusation.

  “We came to take you home,” Thorne says with a tone I have never heard from him before. His normal joking self is completely gone. His voice is serious and pleading when he speaks to Holly.

  She winces, but does not otherwise acknowledge that he spoke. Her gaze is fixed on me, and there is anger there now. “I thought you, out of all of them, would truly understand and help to keep them all away. How could you endanger them and yourself like this?” Her arms are loose at her sides, but I can see that her hands are balled into tight fists. I watch her eyes closely for any sign of the disease taking over, but they remain clear and bright.

  “I do understand, completely. It is you that does not understand. We can help you. Reed’s father is an Unclaimed Fae, and he knows how to tamp down the disease. He knows how to control it. You just have to come home.” I try to remain calm and confident, but I can even hear the pleading in my voice.

  She tilts her head to the side and looks over at Reed. “Your father, huh?”

  “Yeah. We sorta just met, but he’s pretty cool. I guess he’s pretty old, though. I didn’t realize you guys could live for so long.” He chuckles and so does Holly. She also begins to relax. Thorne and I both remain silent, allowing Reed to work his charm and hopefully win Holly over.

  “What does your mother think about all of this?” she asks curiously.

  Reed chuckles again. “She’s pretty happy if the smile on her face and the fact that she won’t leave his side is any indication.” He wrinkles his nose. “It’s kinda gross, though.”

  Holly chuckles again at his words. “Good. I’m happy this is all working out for you.”

  His eyes glance over to me but move back to Holly before
I can read them. “Yeah, me too.” She smiles knowingly at him, and I clear my throat to help them get back to the topic at hand.

  “So…” Reed drawls out. “My dad seems pretty smart about all this.” He gestures toward Holly but encompasses the area around her, as well. “He’s an Unclaimed, himself. He says he can help you.”

  “How?” She has grown still and serious. Her voice is soft, and I can hear a hint of hopefulness behind her disbelief. I take a deep breath. If she is hopeful then maybe that means she is not fully lost to us.

  “Honestly?” She nods when he pauses. “I have no idea how it all works.” He gives a self-conscious laugh but continues his explanation. “It has something to do with what’s in your genetic makeup and human blood. Apparently, I can’t get it because I’m half-human and my mom’s blood keeps it away. My dad has been giving himself blood transfusions with human blood, and it helps him to control the disease.”

  “Okay,” she says distractedly. I can see she is trying to figure it out in her head as Reed tells her the basics.

  “He wants to find a cure, but says it will take time. The queen is going to help. She’s going to give him the space and the things he needs. But for now, if you come back with us, he will help you control it. You can come home and live a normal life.”

  Holly snorts at the last comment. “Normal? How is taking human blood into my body normal? And how can I know for sure that it will work? What if it doesn’t, and I hurt someone?” Her eyes glance to me, and I can see the desperation in them.

  Desperation for this to actually work.

  I finally speak again. “I will not allow you to harm anyone. You have my vow.” I stare into her eyes, willing her to believe me.

  She stares back for a long moment. No one speaks or takes a breath. Not until she finally blinks her eyes and turns her head away.

  Without looking at any of us, she answers. “Fine. I’ll come with you now, but not for the hope of a cure. I’ll come back only because I found one of Damien’s guards earlier in the woods. Before I killed him, I retrieved some information.” I shiver at the blood-thirsty look that is now in her eyes when she looks at me again. It is not out of fear, but out of familiarity. I know I would appear the same way after such an encounter. “Damien plans to attack the Seelie Court in three days’ time. I think now would be the best time to surprise him with an attack of our own. He is preparing for battle and would not be expecting us, and I have no intention of missing out on the opportunity to assist in his or any of the other Unseelie deaths.”