by Skye Horn
“You’re not going to read it,” she said without a tone of question. Thea stood, her body hurting with every movement.
“He decided without me. We are…” Thea fought control over the trembling in her voice. “I thought we were soulmates, but if that were true—”
A single tear fell down Thea’s cheek, and Iris wiped it with her thumb. She cradled Thea’s chin in her palm, tilting her head up so that they looked at each other directly, but it seemed to take her a minute to find her words.
“I love Kieran with all of my heart, but sometimes he can be a little hard-headed. You need to do what you feel is right here. Just know that I love you too, and you are never alone.” Iris kissed Thea’s forehead before releasing her. “And, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry he’s doing this to you.”
Thea couldn’t answer. She just nodded in response and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She was bandaged and bruised all over. One of her eyes had turned an ugly shade of purple, and dried blood clumped the hairs of her eyebrows. It all looked like a horror-film scene.
“Will you help me prepare to meet the elders?” she asked Iris, turning herself fully away from the note from Kieran. It felt like a piece of her soul remained on that nightstand, but she could not force herself to read the letter. Whatever he’d written could break her completely, and she could no longer afford to break. If Ainé really was dead and Morrigan had returned, then Thea could not be a brokenhearted princess; she needed to be a queen. Whatever excuse or reasoning Kieran had for breaking her heart could not take her away from that, not after she’d come this far.
“I’ll have Ethel run you a bath, but there is one more thing...” Iris looked at Thea with a look so broken that Thea’s dread returned. “It’s about Faylon.”
“I can’t handle any more bad news, Iris.” Thea’s voice was unsteady and her eyes watered once more, despite how much she fought the tears.
“Kieran was practically dead when we arrived, Thea. His heart hardly had a beat, and…” her voice faded away. She could not meet Thea’s eyes.
A unicorn’s horn is said to be one of the purest sources of magic in our realm, but that magic is their life source. Thea’s heart, which she’d thought couldn’t be broken any further, shattered.
“No!” Thea glared at Iris. This was the cruelest thing she’d said yet. Kieran leaving had been devastating, but this? This was unbelievable.
“Faylon knew you couldn’t survive in a world without your soulmate,” she said quietly.
“My soulmate left me!” Thea’s anger exploded and she crumbled to pieces, because despite the argument she was having with herself, she knew that what Iris had said was true. If Kieran had been dying, Faylon would have done everything in his power to save him.
Someone else had died for her.
“Where is he?” she choked out through the terrible burning in her chest. “I need to say goodbye.”
“I buried him in the gardens,” Iris replied quietly, as if waiting for another explosion from Thea.
Thea controlled herself, trying to remember the last words she’d said to her familiar, wishing she’d said more. She’d expected to never see him again because of her own death, not because of his.
“I’m going to give you time to process, but Ethel will come draw you a bath in a few minutes.” Iris squeezed her hand again before leaving the room. Thea wasn’t sure if Ethel would actually do that. It was clear she was extremely upset with Thea, yet again, for the pain she’d caused. However unbearable the death of her familiar felt, nothing but stopping Morrigan mattered now. She needed to do what Ainé had asked her and unite the four kingdoms. That was her fate.
Thea went to her nightstand while Iris was gone and picked up the letter. She walked to the fireplace, tears filling her eyes, and stared at the flickering flames that warmed her bedroom. They danced and crackled while Thea’s hands shook around the small piece of paper.
“I will not be one of those girls who lets a man break her,” Thea said, tossing the paper into the fire. She knew the words were as much of a lie as saying she and Kieran were not soulmates, but it was a lie she needed to tell herself. She needed to know that she was going to get through this. She needed to remind herself that she could.
I will never leave your side. The broken promise echoed in her thoughts as the paper burned beyond her blurred vision, but a weight lifted from her shoulders all the same. Kieran had made his choice to leave; now she needed to make her own. She heard the door open and turned to find Ethel waiting.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, looking at the floor.
“I’m sorry, too,” Thea replied, and they hugged. “I’m sorry that I’m the reason he left.” It was the first time she’d spoken the thought aloud, but the truth of it made her broken heart ache a little deeper.
“He’s an idiot,” Ethel said as her only response, but both girls smiled just a little. “Come on, you have a bunch of old people to meet soon.”
Thea couldn’t help herself; she laughed despite her broken heart. Ethel took her hand and led her away from the words Thea longed for, now burning away to ashes. Thea knew she needed to stop thinking about the letter, but the unread explanation would haunt her until the day she saw Kieran again—if she ever did. She embraced it, though. She embraced herself as Queen Thea without her right-hand soldier. Despite his pledge to always be by her side, she embraced the new life she would choose to live. Her wings stretched behind her and her eyes cleared of their tears.
“You know what, Ethel? I actually need to do one thing before I get ready to meet the elders. Can you do me a favor and send Mica to meet me in the gardens? I’m going to say goodbye to Faylon, but I need to speak with him about something.”
“Okay, but don’t be too long. Your bath will be cold.” The two girls stared at each other for a moment longer, and Thea gave her an encouraging smile before she turned and walked out of the bedroom. She headed in what she hoped was the right direction to the dining room, but when she reached it, she didn’t stop to see the disaster she’d caused within its four walls. Thea walked past the scorch marks and the broken furniture, ignored the dried blood and shattered windows, and bee-lined straight through the empty kitchens. Although she figured the humans were likely recovering, the castle walls felt creepier without their presence.
With a pang of guilt and regret, she glanced toward the stables where she’d last seen Faylon. She imagined him standing and grazing on some fresh hay outside, knowing he hated to be confined, but all that did was remind her of his now-lifeless body suffocating beneath the soil.
Thea had come outside to say goodbye to him, but more than that, she felt the fresh air on her face. Kieran had told her once that flying was the most amazing feeling in the world, and right now, she needed to feel that freedom. She needed to let go of the emotions that threatened to explode from her. So she turned away from the ghosts that broke her heart and ran as fast as she could away from the stables.
Kieran had said flying was difficult, that it took time to learn, but nothing about it felt difficult to her. She soared into the sky with ease, her muscles aching but reacting by instinct to what she wanted to do. Even with an injured arm, she could keep herself moving. The wind dried her tears, and she warmed the surrounding air with magic. She soared into the clouds, allowing the moisture of them to soak her skin, sticking her hair to her face, and then she shot higher to look out over the entire kingdom of Ivandor.
People crowded the streets of the crumbling village, cheering and laughing below. No one saw the heartbroken princess above; they only felt the joy of freedom and the power of hope—something she had brought to them, despite the cost. She knew that more people would come. They would return home. They would thank her for getting rid of her evil father. The truth was, though, that she had no idea what she was doing. She should be dead, but for some reason, Morrigan had let her live. She remembered the way her own injuries had mirrored the Goddess’, but she still did not understand it.
She didn’t understand how that connection had formed between them, but it was the only clue she had about the reason she lived and how she would stop the Goddess of Death. Nothing but that mattered anymore.
Diving toward the ground, Thea landed in the castle gardens uneasily, and saw Mica stood waiting for her. He said nothing, but he bowed his head as she approached.
“I have a job for you,” Thea said, and despite all the arguments she’d had with herself about this since burning the note, she knew it was what needed to happen. Mica’s face lit up, just like Thea had known it would. “I need you to find Kieran.”
“Find Kieran?” he repeated, a look of confusion crossing his face.
“Yes,” Thea replied, shivering as a breeze of icy air wrapped around her. “And report back to me that he’s safe.”
“You want to know he is safe?”
“I need to know that he’s okay.” Thea’s voice grew tight. “Can I count on you to be discreet?”
Mica straightened up, his eyes meeting Thea’s. He stood like a soldier, just as Kieran would have done, and then nodded his head.
“Of course, Princess Thea.”
Thea wanted to reach out and hug him, but she didn’t. Instead, she kept the posture of a queen and nodded her approval with a small smile of thanks. She knew she was taking advantage of Mica’s good intentions to serve her, but she needed to know that Kieran was okay. She was also curious why Amara was with him, but he’d probably explained that in the letter she’d just burned to ashes.
Thea didn’t want to know why Kieran had left, because if she knew why, then she might break into the million pieces that were being held together by a single thread. However, that didn’t mean she would just forget he existed. His safety mattered to her more than anything.
“I need to get ready to meet the elders,” Thea said.
“I won’t let you down,” Mica replied. They looked at each other one last time before Thea headed back into the castle.
As she walked, she saw the smallest daisy poking out from the deathly looking earth around her. She sighed, kneeling down to look at the beauty trying to withstand the darkness surrounding it, and promised herself that no matter what happened next, she would stop Morrigan and she would bring peace to the land of Faerie.
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Also by Skye Horn
Don’t miss out on more magic, myth, and legend in Book 2
WINGS OF DECEPTION is
Available now on Amazon
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Acknowledgments
I need to start by thanking my incredible, patient husband, Robert. From reading early drafts to listening to me rant about plot lines to making me coffee so that I could stay awake to work—I couldn’t have done it without you, babe.
Second, I’d like to thank my family and friends for their constant love and support. If I could, I’d list you all by name, but I hope that you know who you are because you’ve kept me sane during this entire process by listening to me rant and reminding me that I’m doing what I love.
Last, I’d like to thank the Self-Publishing School coaches and community. They were there for me through each and every question; through cover design; and through launching my debut novel. I honestly would have been lost without you all being there to answer my questions and support my journey. So, thank you.
About the Author
Skye lives in the San Bernardino Mountains with her husband and two fur-babies. She enjoys the beautiful and quiet mountain life, morning writing sessions with a cup of coffee on her home’s large deck, and dancing in her living room to help her creative juices flow. She hopes to inspire a new generation of young writers to always follow their dreams by telling the stories that constantly distract them from reality.
