by G. Bailey
“Are these paintings of gods?” I ask, my gaze scanning the floor, but I don’t recognise any of the paintings.
“Yes. As a child, I would spend hours playing in here and pretending the gods were my friends. Every tile is a fae depiction of what the gods and titans would have been like.”
“Titans?” I glance at her, frowning in confusion. “What are they?”
I haven’t heard of them before. Eva just smiles and waves her hand for me to follow her. We go to the back of the room where there are five tiles interconnected with each other. In them stands a small woman with long brown hair and to me, she looks human. The five men—no, titans—at her side tower over her with more muscles than should be allowed on one body. But it’s the power they give off that draws me to them like a moth to the flame. It shimmers around them and even though it is just a painting, I can feel the danger they represent.
The destruction.
“The titans made the gods and they are the only creatures who can kill them,” Eva explains with a deep longing in her voice.
“If they’re so powerful, where are they now?” I watch her face closely, and as I do so, blackness snakes up her pale skin all the way to her eyes. What the living fuck is that?
“The titans lost control! All the power, all the world at their feet became too much and there was a price. The price of magic is darkness. They started killing villages full of humans, shadowborn, and fae. They say one woman stopped their madness and lured them into a prison with her. Some say they will rise again with the gods as their slaves.”
“Eva...” I step back, my body filling with unease, but when she turns to me, the blackness is gone.
“Whatever is the matter, dearest sister?” she asks sweetly, her lips twitching into a scathing smile.
I search her for any signs of blackness, but there’s not a trace left behind. “Are you all right, Eva?”
“Shouldn’t you be more concerned if your friend is?” she cruelly asks before laughing and walking away.
I grit my teeth, closing my hands into fists at my side. “Eva!”
She stops, spinning around to face me. I raise my head high, knowing I can’t be the girl from the foster home anymore. That girl would end this with a fight and fuck the consequences. But so much has changed. Too much. I’m the future queen now. And Pitch was right. I may hate this stuck up, princess, cow-face, but I have to keep my thoughts to myself. I bow my head to her and smile.
“Thank you for your time and your council today. I really am looking forward to learning every secret my sister has to tell me.”
Eva bows her head with a sneer before turning around and storming out of the library.
Well, that was rude.
I chuckle to myself and make my way into the empty throne room. I don’t look back as I step through the mirror and into my home of the enchanted forest. I all but happily skip through the trees to the academy and only come to a halt when I see Zander outside the gates, pacing. He spots me at the same time and rushes over.
“I need a favour and it’s a big one,” he starts off, looking nervous.
He runs his hand through his hair and I raise an eyebrow at him. Zander doesn’t usually get this nervous over anything.
“Sure,” I answer, taking his hand. “What’s wrong?”
“My parents demanded I stop ignoring them and come home for a meal tonight, only…” He trails off, his eyes darkening. “Only they wished me to bring you.”
Oh, gods. Meeting his scary ass High Warden mum? I hope he’s kidding.
“Well, we can just ignore them—”
“Ivywood is arranging transport as we speak. My mum is friends with her,” Zander interrupts, looking sheepish and all kinds of nervous.
My grin drops and I nod, knowing I can’t leave Zander alone in this. I made it pretty public how much I like him at the ball, and the last time I checked, Shadow Wardens’ mates are chosen for them at birth. They aren’t allowed to date, let alone a shadowborn like me.
“I can get us out of this if you want,” Zander suggests, “But—”
“No, it’s cool. Give me some time to get ready,” I say and lift myself up on my tiptoes, kissing his cheek reassuringly before heading into the academy.
Days like this I need Sage or Izora, but I guess I need to get used to being alone.
Mr and Mrs Sabhain are waiting for us when the carriage draws to a halt outside their mansion.
I take a surprisingly nervous inhale and step out onto the gravel driveway. The warm smile on their faces puts me momentarily at ease as I follow Zander towards them. It’s a beautiful day to have dinner in the garden. I just hope I don’t mess this up. I’ve never met anyone’s parents before let alone a lover’s. What am I supposed to do? Zander suggested kissing her cheek instead of shaking hands.
“Zee-Zee, my darling!” His mother envelops him in her arms and there’s genuine love on her face.
I take a mental note of the adorable nickname, and when Mrs Sabhain lets Zander go, I reach out my hand. Oh, for Selena’s sake, I’ve fucked up already. And I’ve been here all of two minutes!
“It’s a great honour to meet you, Your Highness,” Mrs Sabhain says, bowing low along with her husband. It makes me feel way more awkward than if she’d gone for a fist bump. “Zee-Zee, you forgot to mention how utterly beautiful the princess is!”
Zander’s cheeks stain pink, as do mine. He turns to shake his father’s hand, who claps him on the shoulder and ruffles his already messy hair. I can tell that Zander has a loving relationship with his parents. I had something like that once with my real parents. Now I just have two power-hungry royals wanting to split me in half. At any rate, it’s nice to see normal families doing normal things to each other.
“I have everything prepared. We shall dine in the garden.” Mrs Sabhain clasps her hands and looks at me. “It’s such a beautiful evening, isn’t it, Princess Corvina?”
I glance at the clear blue sky and smile, basking in its warm rays. “Extremely. It feels great to see the sun like this again.”
“Yes, I’ve heard how dark the academy can be.” Zander’s father holds out his hand and I tentatively shake it. His eyes are normal, unlike Zander’s, and for some reason, they surprise me. I guess I thought his dad would be Draconian. “Theodore Sabhain. Call me Theo. It’s a pleasure to finally meet the young princess who has captured our son’s heart.”
“Dad,” Zander groans, pulling me into the house. “We should eat.”
“Sure thing, Zee-Zee,” I whisper, he grins down at me, placing his hand on my waist.
He leads me through the mansion, all marble with grand ornate furnishings, and into the perfectly manicured garden. A long glass table sits under a rectangular parasol where four plates have been set out. Wine bottles and fresh fruit in silver bowls have been spread over the table. But there’s only one thing in particular that catches my eye, and that’s Echo.
“Echo!” I rush over to him and sweep him into my arms. He’s wearing a thin metal collar around his neck that I’ve never seen before, nor do I approve. I glance at Zander quizzically. “This collar is new.”
Before Zander can answer, his mother says, “The collar is just a precaution. It helps fledglings such as Echo maintain control of their magic while they’re still maturing. Once the Shade matures, he’ll no longer need the collar.”
“Our son insisted on bringing Echo to lunch,” Theodore chimes in, pulling out the chair for his wife, “and we were more than happy to meet him. We just didn’t want Echo turning into a flammable pink dragon in the parlor.”
Mrs Sabhain laughs quietly as she sits down and motions the chair across from her. “Zee-Zee says you found him in the forest, Your Highness?”
“Yes, and please, call me Corvina.” I place Echo on the chair next to me and sit down, keeping my back straight and elbows off the table. “When we found Echo, he was being tormented by a group of Junior Wardens. It was horrible.”
His mother’s pale blu
e eyes darken. “The wardens who were never again found? Yes, I had heard of that.”
“You’re a High Warden, aren’t you?” I ask softly.
“Both Theo and I are. We decided long ago to move from our jurisdiction into Helios.”
“We missed the sun,” Theodore adds, smiling warmly at me. The servers appear with trays of food and they gently place them down. “Please, eat and tell us all about yourself, Corvina.”
To my utter astonishment, I do exactly that while we have lunch. Every mouthful of the delicious food puts me more at ease, and the more relaxed I get, the more I open up to them. I tell them way more than I expected I would, including losing my adopted parents at a young age.
Mrs Sabhain is sympathetic, while Theodore looks a little surprised by that part. And of course, this brings us onto the topic of my real parents, the Queen of Zorya and the King of Helios. That’s when everything begins to make sense—why they’re letting me date their son. Of course. I’m freaking royalty. Their future queen.
“You’re an intelligent woman, Princess Corvina, and I know you understand that wardens have strict rules when it comes to dating. Shadowborns are...” his mother trails off, glancing fleetingly at her husband. “Well, put bluntly, wardens and shadowborns do not mix. It’s quite unheard of in our world.”
“But with you, things are different,” Theodore explains, and I watch Zander tense and look away awkwardly from the table. “Your courtship brings us great joy and honour, and we encourage it.”
Courtship? Courtship!
Talk about an awkward dinner conversation that’s just sent us right back to the 1950s.
No offense, Corvina, but you’re not good enough for our son. Oh, wait, you’re mummy and daddy are the rulers of our world? Well, there you fucking go then, that does change things and now you can bang our son.
I glare into my wine glass. I really need to stop drinking alcohol.
“Thank you for your blessing, Mr and Mrs Sabhain,” I say, forcing a smile.
Sweet Selena, it takes every scrap of willpower not to tell them how I really feel about their antiquated dating rules. Zander should have the right to love whoever his heart chooses, and that goes for all the other wardens out there.
As if sensing my anger, Zander stands from the table and puts his napkin down.
“Echo’s tired. We’re going to put him to bed.”
“By all means,” Theodore says, inclining his head, then turning to me. “Thank you for blessing us with your presence, Your Highness.”
“Don’t sweat it.”
I hurriedly pick Echo up and follow Zander into the house. When the door closes, we both let out a deep breath and burst into laughter.
“That got intense real quick,” Zander says, bumping my shoulder with this. “I thought you were gonna tell my parents to shove their courtship up their arse. In fact, I nearly did it for you.”
He wraps an arm around my shoulders and leads us to the grand butterfly staircase.
“I was considering it. But even though I don’t agree with their rules, I do understand them. Shadowborns are the dregs of magical society. The only reason you were at the academy was to contain us.”
“Contain sounds a bit harsh, my lady.”
“It’s true though, isn’t it? You’re all there to teach us, but also make sure we don’t get into any trouble.”
“You were trouble from the first moment I met you, Vina.”
I grin at him. “Yeah, I can’t argue with that. Where are we going?”
“To my room. It’s the only room my parents can’t get in.”
A giddy feeling rushes through me at the prospect. I’m excited to see Zander’s childhood bedroom. At the top of the staircase, there’s another one, and I bet sliding down its spiral banister would be so much fun. Aside from the palaces and the academy, I’ve never been in somewhere quite so beautiful and posh. The only time I ever really caught a glimpse of how the other half lived was when Sage and I played in their gardens and swam in their pools.
“Who in your family is Draconian?” I probe Zander as we enter the attic. His bedroom is spacious and tastefully decorated, more modern than the rest of the mansion. I set Echo down on the floor and take my heels off, sinking my toes into the plush white carpet. “There must be someone you inherited your dragon side from.”
Zander sweeps into his room and removes his blazer, draping it over the leather sofa beside his four-poster bed. “My mum was married before she met my old man. I don’t remember my biological dad since he was gone before my mum gave birth. I only know that he was King Cyrus’ High General. The Draconians still sing tales of him.”
“What happened to him?”
As I walk over and sit on the sofa, Zander faces the mural covering his feature wall. The water and fire dragons fighting each other are like some kind of kaleidoscopic illusion. They almost look like they could fly right off the mural and over our heads.
“Prison happened to him. The night he disappeared, my mum looked for him—for years, actually—in the hopes she could reunite our broken family, but his trace was gone. It was like he’d just...never existed. Not even the dragon king could recall his name.” He turns and sits on the sofa across from me, draping an ankle over his knee. “Anyway, about a year ago, he showed up again, jailed for murder. My mum never told me this. I found out through a Keeper I was training at the time.”
“Do you know your father’s name?” I ask, wondering if perhaps Gage, now that he works there, can give some insight.
“Zavier.”
I can tell by Zander’s tense shoulders and clenching jaw that this topic is making him extremely uncomfortable. Fortunately, Echo decides to fly over and land on Zander’s head, making us laugh.
“I was surprised when Jonah said he was helping you the other night. I thought you two hated each other.”
Zander reaches up and lifts Echo off his head. He sits him on his lap and rubs his belly with a look of utter adoration on his face. I’m glad Echo’s misbehaving didn’t do permanent damage to their relationship.
“My mum was the High Warden who mentored Jonah.”
I gawk at him. “Wait. You guys were friends before the academy?”
“Yeah. It’s why I hate his guts so much. He drives me bonkers.” He winks at me and I chuckle. “Nah, I love him really. He’s like a brother to me. My mum fostered Jonah and his sister when they were kids. Their real parents died in a village fire about ten years ago. My mum was their godmother and they were staying with us at the time.”
The air feels thick in my lungs. “What was the name of the village?”
“Rosebourne. We lived on an estate in the city and I’d only been to the village once for some kind of fair. It was right on the cusp of the forest if I remember right. It’s just ashes now. Jonah never talks about it.”
Oh, gods.
Oh, gods, oh gods, oh gods, oh gods.
Before reality kicks in, I quickly ask, “So why didn’t Greyhorn adopt them? He was their uncle, right?”
Zander just frowns at me. It’s almost like he can see that I’m hiding something—that I was the one who accidentally set the fire and killed Jonah’s parents.
“Oh yeah,” I say instead, pretending not to notice the confusion on his face. “Greyhorn was a total psychopath who abducted Jane and tried to drain her magic. Of course they’d rather live here.”
“And Greyhorn was also a vegetarian,” Zander grumbles, looking away from the tears in my eyes and down at Echo. “Jonah hates vegetarians, and I don’t really trust them either. Who in the name of Selena doesn’t like meat on their pizza? Munks?”
A laugh builds in my throat, repelling my guilt for a second. “I’ve always wanted to try being vegetarian but I love pepperoni pizza too much.”
With a smile, Zander waves his hand and two pizzas appear on the coffee table sandwiched between us. We sit in slightly awkward silence while the two of us eat the best pepperoni pizza I have ever tasted.
; The longer the silence remains, however, the more my thoughts darken. I try to block them out...try to forget what happened...the memories come flooding back and all I can think about is Jonah and his sister. I had no idea they lived in the same village as me. Jonah Vincent... Vincent...
My stomach recoils. I knew a young boy who had that surname. Michael Vincent. He went into the forest with the faeries before I did and he never came back. He was my friend at school and he must’ve also been Jonah’s brother.
Tears burn my eyes as I think of the pain I caused. It was excruciating knowing no one survived the fire apart from me, but now I know that two did and how they have lost everything because of me... Gods, it’s unbearable.
Finally, Zander shoots up from the sofa and sits beside me. “Okay, something’s wrong. What is it?”
I shake my head and blink my tears away. “N-nothing. I was just thinking about Jonah and Jane and how awful it must’ve been to lose their parents. I’m glad they had you and your family.” My bottom lip quivers and I clench my eyes, the tears escaping from my lashes to roll down my cheeks. “Do you know anything about the God of Life?”
It’s the first thing that comes to my mind when I search for a distraction.
“A little,” Zander answers, draping his arm over my shoulders and hugging me. I lean into his embrace, savoring his warmth. “Why do you want to know, my lady?”
“I’m researching him,” I say, opening my eyes but still leaning against his shoulder. “I checked the school library, even the restricted section, but there was nothing.”
“It’s because Aeon’s a disgraced god. You won’t find any books about him in there.”
“Because he was evil?”
“No…” Zander pauses, gnawing the inside of his cheek. “Not quite evil like Eris. Aeon didn’t kill mortals during the Dark God’s uprising, but he was driven by revenge, and revenge can make people, even gods, do terrible things.”
I open my lips to ask another question and Zander chuckles. I’m relieved to hear the sound. I’d much rather he laugh at my incessant questioning than press why I was on the brink of crying just a moment ago.