Dad stood and joined us. “They did, and a lot of them perished because of their selflessness. You see, the creatures from Dásos are powerful beings, but they are nothing without their other halves, meaning if they have no equal to balance their magic with, then they cannot control it. Stryx and his people did not abandon us because they didn’t care, but because they simply weren’t capable without risking their own lives.”
Well, I felt like a jerk for my previous comments.
“I don’t understand why someone has to be predominantly fae to have a bond with the animals. From the sounds of it, the people around here are pretty powerful,” I said.
“Unfortunately, magic is still an unknown, even after centuries of living with it. For every being, it is different, but maybe one day things will change and we can once again come together.” Dad grinned, then leaned over me to steal some of the potatoes on my plate.
Mom took a seat next to Jordan. “Speaking of power, you put off quite the show when you were in transition, but I haven’t felt much coming from you since we arrived. Stryx did an excellent job of teaching you how to control your magic ahead of time. As much as I wished to have been the one to tell you of our world first, this is actually working out better than I predicted.”
“Uhhh, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Stryx didn’t teach me anything about my own magic. He only told me to expect pain during my transition, and he hadn’t been kidding about that.”
Once again, my parents shared a look, but before I could say anything about it, Dad reached out to me and took my hand. “There is definitely heavy power within her. Let’s just be thankful she’s able to control it and figure the rest out together before we make any assumptions. Maybe the necklace did more for her than we thought.”
Searching within myself, I tried to sense whatever my dad had, but I got nothing. Now that it was brought to my attention, I realized the only time I’d experienced anything resembling the feeling of magic was when I touched the water in the fountain.
Maybe I needed Stryx close by for my power to come out in full force. If so, that nocturnal pain in my ass better show his face soon or he was going to be missing a few feathers when I got done with him. He’d shown me this world and promised he’d be here. I’d have a bit of a problem if he broke that.
Jordan nudged me and brought me back to the conversation. “What do you want to do now? I’m sure you’re not tired after the eight-hour nap.”
“I’m actually still kind of sleepy. Plus, it’s dark out, so I’m sure there isn’t much to do. Will I get to see the main parts of town tomorrow, or am I going to need to stay hidden because of the dark fae stuff?” I asked and really hoped the latter wasn’t the case.
Dad nodded. “We can do whatever you’re comfortable with tomorrow. We won’t be keeping you from anyone, and we have a few days before your scheduled training begins, so don’t feel rushed to do anything if you’re still tired. You’ll need all your strength once magic practice starts.”
Ha. It was unlikely I’d be too tired for anything if it meant venturing out. On the way to the house earlier, I’d gotten a small glimpse of the village-style area, but it wasn’t nearly enough to sate my curiosity. Though, his comment at the end did give me pause. Hopefully, I wasn’t about to have my ass beat over and over again by some deranged trainer.
“The council will want to meet you when you’re up for it as well,” Mom added.
“Who is the council exactly? I mean, I know they took over once the hierarchy ended after the Dark Wars, but what do they do?” I asked.
“You mean besides telling people what to do? Not much,” Jordan grumbled, but Mom glared at her. “What? It hasn’t been the same since you and Brooks stepped down. Once I really thought about it, I was actually somewhat relieved when I got assigned to come assist you guys on Earth after I came back from fighting with the dragons.”
Screw learning about the council. That sounded way more interesting. “So, dragons are real, too? Please, tell me they’re friendly nowadays.”
“When we go to the Otherworld, I’ll see if I can track down Yelah. She’s the dragon queen, and I should check in anyway. They were having some issues, but myself, Ryland, and another one of our friends went to help and took care of it. Bastards almost burned my feet off, but I showed them in the end.”
My body shuddered as I considered asking more questions, but even though I’d slept for way too many hours, I was still fairly tired.
“Do you think Ryland is gone?” I asked Jordan.
“Yeah, he’s stubborn, but he’s not an idiot. You won’t find him in your bed just so soon after that little interaction.” She smirked.
“Uh, do I need to know more about this?” Dad asked.
My head shook. “Definitely not. I took care of it. I’ll be back over in the morning and we can head to town.”
Both my parents stood as I slid off my chair and rolled my eyes while Jordan scarfed down the rest of her food like she may not eat again for the next week.
After our goodnights were said, Jordan and I headed out to the guest house together. I was on edge until I double-checked the rooms to confirm Ryland was truly gone. I didn’t understand what about him triggered such strong emotions in me but hoped it would pass.
It wasn’t like I’d never had a boyfriend or been attracted to a guy before. I should have been able to handle things better. For the time being, I was blaming it on my body adjusting to the new world. Some things were bound to be out of sorts.
Jordan was on the couch with her feet up and the TV on already. “Want to dumb down your brain with late night television?”
“We have cable here?” For some reason, that was even more surprising than dragons.
“Yep, and cell phones and so much more. Just you wait. Magic makes almost anything possible. I’ve been looking forward to this day since the week after I arrived on Earth and realized you weren’t going to be the worst thing to ever happen to me.”
Ah, my best friend had absolutely no filter. “Are you saying you didn’t actually want the job to come be my babysitter?” I teased even though, if I was being honest, it hurt a little to feel like I had been forced upon her.
“I’d just gotten back from the fight with dragons, so no, I wasn’t really looking forward to regressing back to a much younger version of myself and having to go to school again. But, once I was there with you, I saw that things really weren’t so bad. You weren’t the princess I pictured you to be and decided our world would be better off with you growing up under my influence as opposed to anyone else’s.”
“Selfless as always, Satan.” I laughed.
“You know it, Chuck.”
Settling on the couch with her, I put the past behind us and accepted that everything happened for a reason. Jordan wasn’t going anywhere even though her assignment was done. Holding on to doubts would only make moving forward in this world all that much harder. There was a deep-rooted feeling within me that I had bigger battles to worry about in my immediate future.
Chapter Seven
Later the next morning, I got ready in the main house with Jordan. The little bit of our stuff that had been snuck over ahead of time was there, and after sleeping like crap the night before, I was too worn out to bring anything out to the guest house.
Stryx hadn’t visited me while I slept. It had been the first time in a year, since I didn’t count the night before with the time change, and I didn’t like the uneasiness that turned within me. My heart was missing him, and I hadn’t realized how much he’d grown on me until I didn’t have him around.
Jordan nudged me. “Come on. We have to meet with the council first, and then I get to show you around town while spilling all the secrets I’ve been dying to for years.”
My smile didn’t reach its full potential, but I did my best to embrace her joy. “And I can’t wait to hear everything.”
After throwing my hair into a ponytail, I took one last look in the mirror and as my eyes
caught my attention, they reminded me of Ryland. That was going to be annoying. He was an enigma I wasn’t sure I had time to solve. Normally, I loved puzzles, but with the threat of the dark fae, I just hoped whatever had my emotions responding so strongly to him died down.
“Alright, let’s go,” I said, looping my arm through hers.
We ventured back downstairs to meet my parents who were grinning like children on Christmas morning. Their excitement of being able to share their home with me was palpable, and I almost felt bad about feeling so disconnected when I woke up.
“You girls ready?” Dad asked, dressed in a white collared shirt and tan dress pants.
Looking over, I realized my mom was also fancier than normal in a navy-blue dress that fit loosely enough to be comfortable, but the small gems embedded into it made it appear more than casual.
Glancing down at myself in jeans and a plain t-shirt made me feel severely underdressed. “Uh, should we change?” I asked.
Mom shook her head. “Not at all. The two of us are staying with the council for a meeting that requires us to be more formal, while both of you are fine to stroll through town just as you are.”
Deciding to take their word for it, I followed them out the door, then quickly realized there was no car out front and no town in sight from the house.
“How do we get around?” I asked Mom as they kept walking down the drive.
“Well, normally we just port to where we need to be, but since it’s your first time exploring, we thought you might appreciate the walk this morning. It’s only about fifteen minutes to town. The trees block most of everything, making it seem a lot further.”
My face pinched. “What is porting?”
“It’s teleporting, essentially, but we can only do it within the world we’re in. Otherwise, we have to take portals through the waterfalls like we did to bring you here.” Jordan laughed at my gaping face when she finished. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll teach you today.”
Right, because moving from one place to another within the blink of an eye was no big deal.
We continued down the path toward town, and I was thankful my parents had wanted to walk. As interesting as porting sounded, nothing could beat the magnificence surrounding me. The area around us was a hybrid of an exotic jungle and the forests back in Oregon. The trees reminded me of the thick woods I was used to, but the vibrant splashes of color from the unique flowers and plants made me think of a jungle.
Animals peeked out and stared but skittered away almost as fast whenever I spotted them. Though, the most intriguing part was just the peacefulness I felt as we silently strolled along. Taking in a deep breath, I could smell the crisp, clean air and hear nothing but the crunch of rock beneath our feet and the rustling of animals.
My skin tingled like it had when I’d touched the water from the fountain, so I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling, trying to draw on it. Supposedly, I had all of this magic within me, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were all wrong, because even as I actively searched for it, there was nothing coming to me except a light prickling sensation along my body.
“Here it is,” Dad said, and my head snapped up.
Sure enough, as we rounded the next bend in the path, a town came into view. Though, it was nothing like any town I’d ever seen. This was a village straight out of a storybook, including a castle-looking structure on the back side of all the smaller buildings.
The dirt path continued to twist downward, and I stopped paying attention to anything else around me, choosing to only stare ahead as my feet picked up pace. With the higher vantage point, I took in the rows of buildings, most of which seemed to be small homes with chimneys popping out of the roofs.
Past the houses were larger structures I assumed to be shops of some sort and couldn’t wait to see inside them all. Then, directly in the middle of everything was the largest stone fountain I’d ever seen. From a distance, it appeared to be made from rocks at the bottom, but as I took in the five layers above the base, they shimmered with something more like sapphires.
Jordan snapped her fingers in my face. “Wipe the drool. You don’t want to look like a newb as soon as we get around the others. I need them to think I trained you better than that.”
My head shook. “So, I need to act right just so you look good?”
“Precisely.”
“You’re insane,” I replied.
“And you’re the princess around here, so you don’t only want to look good for me. Just remember that.” The smirk on her face made mine pale.
For just a little while, I had forgotten all about my royal ancestors. “We’re not still considered royalty around here, are we?” I asked Mom and Dad.
“Well, nobody calls us King and Queen,” Dad answered sheepishly.
“Don’t stress about it, dear. You’re not expected to be anyone other than yourself,” Mom added.
I groaned, realizing that while they didn’t sit on a throne, they still had the power and respect of royalty. That was probably the real reason they were dressed up. I should have known something more was going on.
Deciding to take my mom’s advice, I went back to checking out the village, or more accurately, the castle behind the village. The front had four thick pillars holding up a large overhang that covered a set of stairs.
The exterior appeared crazy old, like the structures I’d seen when spending hours dreaming of visiting Rome. Except here, while the coloring was the same tannish brown, the building had no cracks in it.
I thought we’d have to pass through the town area first, but my parents detoured to a side road before we passed the first building, stating we didn’t have time to be stopped twenty times before meeting with the council.
Ah, the council. I wasn’t sure what to think about them yet. As long as they weren’t power-hungry politician types, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
Taking the stone steps up, we arrived at ornate wooden double doors that had to be at least twice as tall as me. When we entered, people were moving freely through the grand entrance, but they immediately stopped when they saw my parents to offer a slight bow before moving on.
No longer considered royalty, my ass.
My parents didn’t miss a beat. They addressed everyone by name who took a moment to greet them and introduced me before politely excusing us. The way they spoke and held themselves had me feeling like I had no idea who my parents really were. I suddenly felt very nervous about whatever came next.
Jordan must have sensed the shift in my emotions, because she looped her arm through mine and tilted my chin up with her other hand. “You’re going to be okay. Just act like you own the place and don’t let anyone make you feel like anything other than the strong woman I know you to be.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at her, because I really had needed to hear that.
We went up one more set of stairs before entering into a room with three men and two women standing around in blue robes.
“Brooks, Daliah,” an older man with thick white hair and hazel eyes greeted us. “And this must be Kaliah. It’s so nice to finally meet you after all these years.” He reached a hand to me, and I ineptly gave him mine as I stepped away from Jordan.
“Uh, hi.” I had no idea why I was being so awkward.
“Kali, this is Mathias. He took over for me as the leader for the council,” Mom said, and I choked on air.
“You were the leader?”
She grinned. “Before the kingdom was disbanded, we were a monarchy, so it had seemed fitting at the time when the council was first formed to keep some traditions in place.”
That was some of the best information I’d yet to hear, and I really wanted to give my mom a high five but doubted it would be appropriate at the moment. Instead, I greeted Mathias again, this time without the use of “uh” and was promptly introduced to the other four.
Next was Selene, followed by Rosella, Gracin, and Theo. Once introductions were done, the four of us took seat
s across the table from the five of them.
“So, we wanted you to meet Kali today, but we’d rather not get into anything heavy with her as we promised her a couple of days rest before we threw her into training, both physical and knowledge-based. Though, if there is anything pressing, she should be aware before we send her and Jordan on their way…” Dad said, leaving the sentence open for someone to finish.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any news on Alaryk, the dark fae, but if Kali has any questions for us, then we’re happy to answer,” Selene said. Her green eyes flicked to mine, but I couldn’t stop staring at the intricate braids in her ebony hair.
“Nope, no questions. Well, actually, maybe one. How long and how often is this training I’m supposed to do? I’ve spent the last year being told what to do by a feathered tyrant, and I’d like to be mentally prepared for what’s coming.”
She nodded and smiled, dimples appearing on her umber skin. “Understandable. We’d heard Stryx decided to prepare you some. While that’s not conventional, it isn’t entirely bad given your unique situation. For future training, you’ll begin magic training with Ryland, Jordan, and Oliver serving as your guides. They’re some of our finest guardians, and considering your closeness to Jordan, we thought it would be best if she was present as well.”
Ugh, Ryland. I was really hoping to avoid him for as long as possible after our interaction the night before, but apparently, that was only going to last for the two or three days I had off.
Selene continued, “As for how long your training will last, well, that’s up to you. Whenever you feel confident in utilizing your abilities, then we can move on to more specialized aspects, depending on what you’re most interested in doing. As the daughter to Daliah and Brooks, you’ll be able to choose whatever you want.”
Sigh. Of course, I would be able to.
“Thank you for the information. We’ll let the rest of you get to whatever business it is you need to discuss,” I said, then stood at the same time as Jordan.
Of Dreams and Sorcery (Royal Fae Guardians Book 1) Page 5
