by Alexia Purdy
“I don’t believe it,” Shade whispered.
“Believe it, girl,” Draden snickered from the entrance of the room. “There is nothing but truth here, or did you forget that we do not lie?” He leaned on the doorframe and appeared rather bored by her show of weakness.
Shade looked up toward the warrior. “You say you knew my father well? Well then, what happened to him? Where is he, and why did he leave my mother?” She wiped a spilled tear which had pooled in her eyes. She slowly straightened and sat up, giving a hard stare which bore right back at Draden, awaiting his answers.
“He was killed, Shade. Queen Aveta captured him, and he was executed in her Court. There was nothing I could have done to save him. I failed him, and I paid for it dearly. I had to join her ranks of Unseelie soldiers or die. When I found out you were alive, and, therefore, an heir, my brother and I deserted her army. We were lost before that, without hope. We returned to the Northern Realm where we heard Prince Lotinar had returned and was eager for fighters. I will not rest until Queen Aveta pays for what she has done. He was like a brother to me.” His face was stone cold serious.
Shade nodded at his explanation. “What of the Southern Realm? Who rules it now? Who’s in charge down there since I haven’t claimed it?” Shade sniffled. She hated getting a runny nose in the middle of such a serious conversation. She pulled her pack off and reached inside for a cloth to wipe her face.
“There is no ruler. A lesser Queen named Ariana has stepped up to help out until the rightful ruler comes. She is not strong enough to fight Aveta’s evil armies. They are growing by the thousands. Sluagh, scores of Orcs, Demons, and lesser fey are assembling on Aveta’s side, along with the Unseelie soldiers, as we speak. We have to claim back the crown, Shade and build our armies to defeat her. Prince Lotinar is already allying with Queen Zinara. With you at their side, they will be hard to beat. It will be three of the great realms against one.” Her indifference agitated him, causing him to want to run across the room and give her a good shake.
“I—I just don’t know. It’s all so sudden. I can’t even fathom having a father who’s a Changeling and a King! I don’t know if I have any of his powers. If I did, they haven’t shown up yet, and I have no idea how to make them surface. I’m not a Queen, Princess or anything. I can’t win a Faerie war! I have so little to give and so much to lose. Why do you guys, once again, have to pin your hopes on me? I’m not the one you need.” Shade stood up and huffed out of the room, feeling a lot less faint. Anger made her heart race as the knots in her stomach clenched. She paced the hallway outside the door as she tried to figure things out. Lately, she was getting to know these feelings a bit too well.
“Shade?” Dylan appeared in the doorway.
“What!?” She heard her voice echo in the hall, angry and desperate.
“Why don’t we get a bite to eat? I’m starved, and I can tell you need something to munch on while we figure it out. How about it?” He waited, letting her vent her confusion. As she paced, her heart slowed, and her thoughts cleared. Finally, she stopped and sighed. Rubbing her temples, she nodded at Dylan. She motioned for him to lead the way.
The murmurs of conversation seemed to fade down to nothing as they took their seats. The rest of her friends were already seated and eating. She was sure her emotions were written plainly on her face. She sat and stared at her empty plate, not sure she really had the stomach for food but knew she should eat for energy. She helped herself to some fruit and croissants but picked at them with her fork. She barely noticed Dylan pouring her some orange juice and nudging her to eat. Sighing, she stuffed a grape into her dry mouth and attempted to chew.
“Shade, is everything alright? Did something happen?” Sary leaned over, whispering to her so that only the ones at their table could hear them.
Shade nodded and looked up at the beautiful warrior. Shade cracked a pathetic attempt at a smile and blinked back to her plate. Dylan rapidly fired off the details to the others as they continued to eat. She could feel their eyes darting to her as he spoke but tried not to get any more upset. She was relieved Ursad and Camulus weren’t at their table.
Soap sat across from her and watched her sulk. She glanced up at him a couple times, feeling suddenly guilty about her feelings for Dylan. Soap looked at her with great concern splayed across his face and eyes full of love. She could sense his desire to run to her and hold her tight. She felt his restraint like an iron chain that strapped him to his chair. He would never do in front of the others, he was too proud for that. Dylan was prouder still. At least, Soap’s wall was not as hard to get through as Dylan’s. She wanted to hear Soap’s voice right now, cracking jokes and being pathetic just to make her laugh and smile.
Glancing at Dylan, she realized how different the two men were. They both were Teleen, part Teleen in Soap’s case. Nevertheless, both wielded the magical blue lightning fires which burned white-hot under their skin. That was where their similarities ended. Soap could also change into whomever or whatever he wished. He had mentioned he could look like any person she wanted him to. He was sweet, easy going and made no secret of his desire to be with her. Dylan’s concern and care for her, and not to mention the way he made her heart flip with one glance, made it hard to choose between them. Soap’s gleaming, green eyes watched her as she thought about them both, almost twinkling as they transformed to a honey-brown when filling up with slight mischief.
He knows I’m thinking about him. How does he do that?
Shade suddenly felt so invaded by his penetrating stare, she had to pry her eyes away. She looked back at her plate of food. Popping another piece of fruit into her mouth helped to distract her from her present company. Dylan and Soap were getting harder to ignore, which was what she wanted to do. She’d rather think about what Draden had said about her family and the Scren Seelie Court which was rightfully hers. She didn’t know how in the heck she was supposed to be a ruler. She almost choked on the grape as she thought about it, and took a swig of juice to wash it down.
“It’s okay, Shade, just breathe,” Dylan interrupted. “I know you didn’t expect this, and it’s all sudden, but you have got to get a grip on yourself or you’re going to choke on your breakfast!” Dylan’s urgent whisper in her ear brought a flush to her face. She turned toward him, pressing her lips into a straight line.
“I know that. Just back off, okay? I’m just a little in shock. I have to digest what Draden told me. I don’t even know who I am, and that scares the crap out of me. Tell me you wouldn’t feel the same way. You’ve never had to deal with this kind of stuff in your entire immortal life, so you can just leave me alone.” She stood up and glanced down the way toward Prince Ursad’s table where he was also watching her. She felt the weight of a thousand eyes bearing down on her, and the room was spinning, and she instantly regretted her decision to stand up so fast.
She sucked her breath as her balance wavered. The Prince whispered something into Camulus’s ear. The green Elven-Pixie glanced at Shade and nodded his head. In a flash, he was at her side, catching her and gripping her in his arms gently but firmly. Another flashing swirl swam around her and brought her back to her room. She was still at the glass castle, in the bed she’d slept in the night before. Camulus helped her slip under the soft sheets.
“Shade, it’s okay, you’re in your room. Prince Lotinar wanted me to make sure you made it here safely because you don’t look well. I will return with Sary momentarily.” He was readying himself to teleport out of the room when Shade stopped him.
“Wait!”
He returned to the bedside and bent down toward her, awaiting her words. “Yes? Is there something you need?” His orange-fire eyes blank of any emotion, he seemed like a colder version of himself within the castle walls than when they had first met out in the forest of Faerie.
“Thank you, Camulus. I feel better now. Sary doesn’t have to come right away. I just think I’m overwhelmed with all of this. Thanks anyway.” She stopped because his apathetic
face seemed so foreign and unfriendly at that moment. “I’ll see you later,” she said as she lay back against the pillow and watched him swirl away like a dream in the night.
Chapter Eight