Falling For Fire

by Talia Jager

  “Locked up,” Aurora told her.

  “Will you be dealing with her, or do we all need to do that?”

  “I’ll deal with her in due time.”

  A piskie flew by and circled around all of us. I got the feeling she was checking us out to see if it was safe or if we were going to attack each other.

  “Say we help you. How do we know by doing this, by helping you, that it will benefit all of us and not just the two of you?” King Newland questioned.

  “Because you both know if we do this, if we come together, we have to make it work. There won’t be a ‘next’ time.”

  “What we all agree on here today has to benefit all of the fae and all four lands, not just the Summer and Winter fae,” the Spring king insisted.

  “Absolutely,” Sorin agreed.

  “We wouldn’t have it any other way,” I added.

  King Newland looked at his queen and then the Autumn royals and said, “All right. We’ll give you a chance. What’s the plan?”

  Sorin smiled and explained, “First we’re going to join our castles on the Winter–Summer border, then we’re going to restore our lands and train the faeries to fight the Iron Fae. As one, we will go out to find them. We must do this quickly. If they know we’re united, they may go farther into hiding or be better prepared.”

  “Join your castles?” Queen Bluma asked. “Interesting.”

  “Don’t go get any ideas,” King Newland said. “I like where our castle is.”

  Queen Bluma laughed. “I only said it was interesting.”

  “What do you need us to do?” Queen Crisanta asked.

  “We could use your best earth benders,” Sorin said.

  “Consider it done,” Queen Crisanta said. “We’ll send them in the morning.”

  “Thank you.”

  The Spring and Autumn royals left, and Sorin took me in his arms. “They agreed.”

  “They certainly did. You’re good at this,” I complimented.

  He cupped my face in his hands. “It’s getting late. I must get going, but I will be back bright and early in the morning.”

  I stuck out my lower lip, but said, “Okay. I’ll miss you.”

  He gave me a sweet, sexy smile, but before his lips could touch mine again, Skye burst into the room. “Can I stay here with Rory? Please. Oh, please! Sorin?”

  Sorin looked into my eyes, and I gave a slight nod. “Will you be a good girl?”

  “Yes!”

  “Okay. I want Dune to stay here too for my peace of mind.”

  “Sure. He can stay in the chambers next to Kailani’s.”

  Sorin took me in his arms for a long embrace. “Tomorrow we will be together, but know tonight, you are my life, Aurora. I love you, and I will never let you go.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  That night, after tucking Neige and Skye in, I slipped between the covers of my bed. As I pushed my hand under the pillow, my hand brushed against something crinkly. Sitting up, I picked up the pillow and found a note. I turned on the lantern and unfolded the sheet of paper.

  “Dearest Aurora,

  “If you are reading this, we have passed on, and you have returned to the faerie realm to take your place as queen. Nothing can ever change what happened. We can’t go back in time. However, we wanted you to know that from the moment you disappeared in the portal, we realized how wrong we were. We fought to get you back.

  “I’m so sorry the last memory of your father and me that you’ll have is one filled with pain, hurt, anger, and abandonment. Not a day goes by that I don’t regret our decision. Never forget how much your father and I loved you. I hope one day you can forgive us. I am so proud of you. I’m proud because you had the courage to be the type of person I always wanted to be but could never find that courage within myself to try. You have that courage coursing through your veins. Hold on to that, Aurora. It’s what will make you an amazing queen, the type of queen they’ll tell stories about, stories that will last forever. Make them remember your name for the right reasons and not for the reasons they will remember mine.

  “Good-bye, my sweet girl. I wish you nothing but happiness, love, and to live the best life possible. I will be with you always.

  “Love,

  “Mother”

  I burst into tears. My parents were gone and never coming back. I loved and missed them but also was angry, which only made me cry harder. I was a basket case. I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel. I curled up in a ball and rocked back and forth, trying to get ahold of myself, but failing. I didn’t know how long I’d been crying when I heard a gentle knock at the door.

  “Rory?” I heard Dune ask as he carefully opened the door.

  Quickly, I tried to wipe away my tears, but I knew it was pointless since my face was probably tearstained and blotchy and my eyes red and puffy.

  “Are you all right?” he asked when he got a good look at me.

  “I don’t know.” I handed him the letter.

  I watched him read the letter, and no doubt, he was also missing his own mother and father despite what they had done. “Would you like me to get your sister?”

  I thought about it for a second and then shook my head. “No. I just need to cry and get it out. Lumi will be amazing and try to make it better so I won’t cry, but I need this.”

  “Okay. Is there anything else I can get you?”

  “You could stay.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No. It would just be nice having someone here in case I need him.”

  He smiled lightly. “That I can do. I’ll stay until you fall asleep.” He grabbed a book and a throw blanket off a chair and sat on the opposite side of the bed, against the headboard, on top of my blankets. Then he reached over and turned on the lantern on that side of the bed as I turned mine off.

  I curled up on my side facing away from him. Silent tears fell down my face and every once in a while, a sob would escape, causing my body to shake.

  After a few moments of silence, Dune spoke once more. “You’re allowed to be mad at them, Rory. Just because they died doesn’t mean what they did shouldn’t matter anymore. Yes, you loved them, and they loved you, just as my parents loved Sorin. But what they did was wrong, and it’s normal to miss them even though you’re mad. I know I do. One day you will forgive them. It may not be tomorrow or next week or even in a year, but it’ll come. I’ve had longer to deal and come to terms with what they did than you, and I’m still not completely over it, but I’m closer now than I was a few months ago. It’s okay to be mad; eventually it gets better. And just because you’re mad doesn’t mean you didn’t love them. They were your parents.”

  I reached over to squeeze Dune’s hand. His words seemed to give me permission to feel however I wanted, and silent tears poured down my face until I drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Aurora

  When I opened my eyes, I let out a big yawn and stretched my arms. I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept so well. Sitting up in bed, I rubbed my face, as if doing so would get rid of the sleepiness that still lingered.

  I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, pushed up, and walked over to the balcony door. The view that had once been beautiful was now war-torn. Sadness filled my heart and I vowed to make it beautiful again.

  In the bathroom, I washed up. I left my hair cascading down my back. I didn’t bother changing out of my pajamas. There wasn’t anything I needed to do till Sorin returned.

  I spotted my mother’s note on the bed. I took it and tucked it into a drawer to read again when I had a better handle on my emotions.

  I heard laughter outside of my bedroom and opened my door to find Skye and my little brother playing in the corridor that connected my bedroom to my personal work area below me. There was a desk full bookshelves and small dancing space downstairs.

  “What are you two doing?” I asked with a playful smile.

  “Waiting for you to
get up,” Neige responded.

  “Why didn’t you just come in and get me?”

  “Dune said not to. That you needed sleep.”

  That was nice of him. “What did you guys want?”

  “For you to eat breakfast with us.”

  I laughed. “Well, what should we eat?”

  “Waffles!”

  “Strawberries!”

  “How about—” I started to say when I felt a slight rumble.

  The kids felt it too because they started toward the corridor that would lead them away from the living chambers. Barking could be heard in the distance. Something felt off, so I lightly jogged after them. “Hey, you two, wait up.”

  They stopped and turned to look at me. Then it was as if everything happened in slow motion. I glanced up and away from the kids. Coming around the corner were a set of Iron Fae. I ran full speed to the kids, throwing myself in front of them to shield them, flinging water as a ball of fire made its way to us. But the water never intercepted the fire. Instead, the fire stopped, hovering right in front of my hand.

  Shock rang through my body, and my arm tingled, but I didn’t have time to figure out why.

  “Rory! How are you doing that?” Neige asked.

  Before I could respond, one of the Iron Fae shouted, “The Winter queen is an Elemental! Get her!”

  I clenched my fist, turning the fire into a ball of ice, then I hurled it at one of the Iron Fae, knocking him over. Glancing at the kids, I said, “Run and find Dune. Go downstairs and through my study. It’s the only way not blocked.”

  “But Rory—”

  “Go now!”

  Neige grabbed Skye’s hand and yanked her along while I blocked attacks from the Iron Fae. I turned my head for a second and yelled, “Hurry!”

  The distraction was enough of an opening for the Iron Fae. A burning sensation exploded on my ribs with a force that sent me flying into a wall. It felt as though there was a huge weight on my chest. I couldn’t catch my breath, and the burn on my ribs wasn’t helping any. I placed my hand on my ribs, creating a frost over my burns.

  “Rory!” Skye yelled.

  My head snapped to the right and panic rose in my chest. They hadn’t gotten out yet!

  Placing my hands on the ground, I created a solid sheet of ice, causing the Iron Fae to fall. I forced myself up. “Run!” I yelled to the kids, pushing them toward the stairs and following. I waited at the top, holding off the Iron Fae long enough to give Skye and Neige time to make it down the stairs.

  Just as I turned to go down myself, all of my senses where completely consumed by a thunderous explosion as I was hurled down the stairs into the study. Debris piled on top of me. Pain racked my whole body. I had been burned, slammed into a wall, and thrown down a flight of stairs all within a day of being back home. After kicking some of the debris off of my body, I tried to push myself up but couldn’t. I had no sense of balance. It was as if my equilibrium was off, and I was seeing double. The ringing had to stop! Placing my hands over my ears, I squeezed my eyes shut and pleaded for the constant high-pitched ringing to stop.

  Blinking a few times, I made out a figure headed for me. Not sure who it was, I started to push away, as if that would stop an Iron Fae. A voice came through the ringing, but I couldn’t make it out. I rubbed my eyes and realized it was Dune. He held out his hand and helped me up to a standing position. I put my arm around his neck, and he put his around my waist. I looked to see Skye and Neige safe beside him.

  “Lumi!” I yelled. “Kailani!” I began wildly looking around for them.

  Dune grabbed me, and I saw his lips moving but only heard muffled noises.

  “What!” I yelled.

  “We need to go!” he yelled. Dune helped me hobble to the balcony doors in my study.

  He looked at Neige. “Think you can you do it?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right, bud, get to it.”

  I watched as my little brother started bending the snow below and stood amazed as it rose until it made its way up to the balcony. Neige twisted his arms and hands, turning it into ice.

  That when I understood what he had made, a giant slide leading from the balcony to the ground.

  “Good job. You two go first,” Dune said to his sister and Neige.

  The kids climbed onto the slide and headed down.

  “Okay, now our turn.” Dune scooped me up and set me in front of him on the slide and pushed us down. The ice was slick, and we were sliding to the bottom way too fast. As we got closer, I saw Neige use his bending to slow our descent.

  We landed softly on the ground. Dune helped me up, and I wobbled again. A group of Winter and Summer knights rushed over to us.

  One of the Summer knights spoke. “Your Highness, Your Majesty, are you all right?”

  “We’re fine,” Dune answered.

  I looked at the fae, who looked unconvinced about me. “I’ll live.” I started looking around for Lumi and Kailani but couldn’t find them.

  Zev came up to sniff me but then whimpered and lay at my feet. I didn’t have the energy to pet him.

  The knight looked back at Dune and said, “You get the queen, the children, and yourself on a boat and make your way to Spring.”

  “I’m not going anywhere without Lumi, Kailani, and Raina!”

  “Rory, trust Tannon. He’ll get them to safety,” Dune said.

  “But—”

  “He protected Lumi and Raina while you were gone, right?”

  “Right.”

  “He’s got this.”

  Taking a shuddering breath, I nodded. “Fine. But we can help here,” I argued.

  “No, you can’t, Your Majesty. Excuse my bluntness, but you can’t even stand on your own two feet right now. And my job is to make sure the royals stay safe, so that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  Thinking of the intrusion in my castle and the explosion that had just happened, I contemplated making a comeback on how they weren’t doing a very good job, but then decided it wouldn’t be appropriate. He was right about me though. I couldn’t stand, and my head was pounding. If I stayed as injured as I was, I’d only be a distraction to everyone. I nodded once and with that he said, “Now go.”

  Dune loaded us all into a boat and, grabbing an oar, started rowing, but the boat didn’t move nearly as fast as he wanted. “Hey, Neige, would you help me out a bit?”

  Neige stood up in a sideways stance, threw his arms forward, and then raked them back. He kept doing it over and over, causing the boat to be pushed by the water toward Spring.

  Slowly I examined my tingling arm. The four elemental markings were on my left arm. Only water was colored. The rest were there, but they were black. As a wave of dizziness came again, I put my head in my hands and closed my eyes.

  We made it to the Spring docks, where we were greeted by guards who escorted us into the castle. Dune explained the situation to the Spring royals. They immediately dispatched guards and knights to help with the Iron Fae.

  “Queen Aurora, we think it best to send you all to Autumn Land. It will put more land between you and the Iron Fae. Knowing you are an Elemental and that you’re injured, they will try to come for you.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll be sending my eldest child, my daughter Aya, with you. Going by boat will get you there faster, and she can use her bending to get you there even quicker.”

  As if on cue, Aya walked into the room. She was just as pretty as I remembered, with a head of pink curls that cascaded down her back. Her beige dress was soft and flowy with a lace bodice. I looked over at Dune, who was fidgeting with his clothes and running a hand through his hair. Arching a brow, I whispered, “She sure is pretty.”

  “Don’t start,” he said, trying not to smile.

  “Queen Aurora, Prince Dune,” she said with a slight curtsy.

  “Wonderful to see you again,” I said to her.

  “Princess Aya,” Dune said and bowed his head.

  When he looked at he
r, I noticed a beautiful blush now gracing the skin on her cheeks.

  She turned to say good-bye to her parents, and I bumped Dune. “Did you see that?”

  “Shush.”

  “Dune, she likes you. She blushed.”

  “I think you hit your head too hard.”

  We all loaded back into the boat, said good-bye, and made our way to Autumn. It didn’t take too long to get there. When we arrived, the Autumn faeries were waiting to escort us inside.

  The royals took one look at me and said, “Laurel! Opal! Take the Winter queen to the guest chambers and heal her.”

  “I’m not leaving the children,” I said.

  “I’ll take care of them,” both Aya and Dune said at the same time.

  I closed my eyes for a second. I couldn’t think with my head pounding the way it was. “Rory?” Neige called my name.

  “Yeah?”

  “Please don’t die.”

  I opened my eyes and looked at my little brother. “I won’t.” Shifting my attention to the healers, I nodded and said, “Let’s go.”

  They helped me to the guest chambers and had me lie on the bed. The one with dark auburn hair, Laurel, started healing my head while Opal worked on the burned area. When they were done with those, they moved around my body, making sure not to miss anything.

  “How is that?” Laurel asked.

  The pounding in my head was gone, my vision was clear, and I didn’t have pain anywhere. “Much better. Thank you.”

  “You can get washed up through that door,” Opal said.

  “Perfect.” I got up and went into the other room. As I was washing up, I stared at the four symbols on my arm and muttered, “Unbelievable.”

  Back in the room, I found a long dark green gown lying on the bed. My nightclothes had been pretty much destroyed. I slipped into the gown and glanced in the mirror.

  There was a soft knock at the door. “Come in.”

  Laurel entered and said, “I can lead you back to the great hall if you’re ready.”

  “Thank you.” I followed her back, and after checking on Neige and Skye, stood in front of King Septimus and Queen Crisanta. I filled them in on exactly what had happened.

  “We should be prepared in case they attack here,” King Septimus said.