by J. Conrad
Dafina appeared at the right, craning her neck and squinting at me. “Elin! Is it truly you?”
I smiled. “Yes. My grandmother helped me with the gown.” Dafina leaned forward, embracing me in a swift, light hug. I laughed at the unexpected gesture.
“You were always meant for better things, Elin. I’m happy for you.” She curtsied to Prince Tarian. “Your Highness.” She turned and made her way to the stairs.
King Odswin cleared his throat. Raising an eyebrow in our direction, he said, “Now, with business taken care of, let’s resume our celebration.” He almost rolled his eyes as he waved flippantly at the musicians. Turning his back to us, he walked to the throne on the dais, where he could sit beside the queen and watch the ball.
Trystan took my hand and we resumed dancing together. “I think he’s given up trying to get me to dance with other women.”
I laughed, looking up into his orange eyes. I had so much to tell him, but I’d have to be patient and save the story of finding my mother alive in the Fae Realm for later. Perhaps one day soon we could go there together and free her. A little distance behind Trystan, a woman with silver hair and bright blue eyes regarded us. She winked at me before vanishing behind the stairwell, almost as if she had never been there at all.
Eiriana had once told me that not everyone is worthy of trust. She and Trystan had proven their worthiness today, and something told me they would continue to do so for many years to come.
The End
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CHAPTER 1
The day I learned I wouldn’t be marrying Trystan after all was the day I lost my faith. I would add “in humanity,” except it was the Fae who did this to me. Those creatures aren’t human. The Fae are slippery, treacherous, immortal beings who always seem to have a different agenda than everyone else, and they never bother to tell anyone until their plans are already happening. And no, the fact that I’m part Fae myself doesn’t make getting stabbed in the back feel any better.
Only three days ago, I thought I’d never be parted from my wolf again. That was the night of the royal ball, and I’d always remember what happened at midnight. The first chime of the grandfather clock against the wall had sent shivers through my body. I had pried myself from Trystan’s arms, whirling in my dazzling, blue gown to find the nearest exit.
“Elin!” he had called, reaching out for me.
“I have to go. Remember what I told you,” I had said, biting my lip as my eyes fell apologetically.
“I’ll come with you,” he had said.
Knowing I’d be unclad in about nine seconds, I hadn’t time to argue with him. I had darted up the stairs where my stepmother and her daughters retreated only hours ago. Running delicately in the glass slippers, I had passed the guards and navigated the wide, stone stairs leading to the lane where my golden carriage waited. It had been the only place I could think of where I’d be safe when Eiriana’s magic wore off—except that it too had been supposed to disappear in a matter of seconds.
The brisk, winter air had stung my cheeks as the glass high heels ground into the pebbled lane. Maybe, I had thought, if the horses were fast enough, they could take me far enough from the castle that no one would see my transformation.
“Elin!” Trystan had called again. How terrible he must have thought me, running from him like that.
I had reached the carriage, the possum-turned-footman regarding me with dark eyes in his narrow face. He had gripped the handle and swung open the door. But just as I had taken his hand and stepped up on the footplate, everything began to unravel. With a puff of glittery dust, the thin man with grey hair holding the door had turned back into a marsupial. Baring his little teeth, he had hissed at me before skittering off into the woods. The white horses had stomped their hooves as their snowy coats turned chestnut brown. The harnesses which held them, along with bridles and bits, had faded and dis-appeared. Free of their trappings, the animals had cantered down the road away from the castle. Meanwhile, the driver had turned back into a tiny, field mouse as the golden carriage, in all its splendor, began disintegrating. Within a green grow, it had returned to its true form: a large, dented pumpkin. Looking down, I’d seen snow and winter berries swirling around my gown. The cerulean blue skirt with its overlay of silvery netting had faded away until I was standing there in nothing but my corset and petticoat. Eiriana’s glass slippers had disappeared last of all. At least I still had my white, court shoes.
“Elin, wait!” Trystan implored, and he had almost reached me. But by that time, I had been running for the woods at breakneck speed. The other attendees had spilled through the doors and poured down the stairs. They had tried to glimpse the prince chasing after his mystery woman, but they were too late. I’d slipped into the trees unseen.
Trystan had followed, tugging off his waistcoat and wrapping me in it beneath the snowy trees. We had switched to thought-speak, with Trystan explaining how I was to re-enter the castle at a rear door near the courtyard and how long to wait before doing so. That plan had gone well, except for one chambermaid glimpsing me sneaking in. She saw a blonde girl with disheveled hair, half-naked beneath a man’s waistcoat bearing the Hennion crest. And thus, my round of unpopularity at the castle had begun.
Now, but three days later, I sat on a golden bench beside my grandmother Eiriana in Imurgura, the Fae Realm. From Hennion Castle, she had transported us here by magic. As still as a statue, she rested her hands on her lap. Her too-young face was unreadable beneath her silver hair pulled into a curled updo. I was so angry I couldn’t look at her. Eiriana, the Fae. Eiriana, the unpredictable. Eiriana, the liar. She was the one who had “regrettably” broken the bad news to me last night. But I couldn’t do anything about her right now. I refused to meet her eyes and tried to focus my attention on my surroundings instead.
We were inside a large, circular room with an open ceiling. Beneath our feet lay a gleaming floor of an iridescent material like mother of pearl. Above us was the dazzling sky of the Fae Realm, the swirling cobalt with its scattering of stars and a pale, soft sun. In the center of the chamber was a lectern which appeared to be carved directly from the trunk of a massive tree. The bark remained, and yet finely engraved carvings were woven in and out of its rough mantle. There were no windows in the room, only smooth walls of velvety silver. I had no idea what they were made of, but I got the idea that if I touched them, they would feel like a newborn rabbit’s fur. Around the perimeter, deep green ivy wound itself in a flowing river which here and there had stretched out tendrils upwards or outwards. None of the decor matched, and yet in a bizarre way it all fit together. It was the Fae Realm after all, and the rule here was that there were no rules. About anything, apparently.
Before we had come, Eiriana told me we’d been summoned, and we had no choice but to wait here for the Fae Queen’s appearance.
What is Her Majesty’s name? I asked my grandmother in thought-speak. You never told me.
Her name is Queen Imurgura. The Fae Realm always bears the name of its present ruler, and a single Fae or a married couple may rule for thousands of years, Eiriana thought back to me.
Queen Imurgura... thousands of years, I repeated in my mind.
As I clutched my skirt to quell my anger, the air shimmered behind the lectern. A woman with blonde hair coiled into a massive array of twists atop her head materialized from a cloud of fairy dust. She wore a dark silver gown with a deep plum cloak spilling down her back. A few white gems twinkled between her curls. Her skin was smooth and young, yet at the same time her eyes betrayed an age to which I would be hard-pressed to assign a number.
I inhaled sharply and sat up straighter. I wondered why the monarch of Imurgura would come alone, until I noticed perha
ps a hundred tiny fairies fluttering down from the open ceiling. The sprites, no larger than apples, drifted down from the ether in colors of green, orange, red and light blue. Their shimmering wings made a steady hum like a swarm of dragonflies. None of them landed but continued to hover behind and around the royal lady like an otherworldly queen’s guard.
Without turning her head, Eiriana said under her breath, “Rise.”
I ground my teeth together. I had almost grown to love my grandmother—almost—until I found out she lied to me. All the beauty and magic in the world meant nothing if I couldn’t trust someone. And I had a pretty good idea of what was coming. My empty stomach growled, and I stood up numbly, my hands hanging limp at my sides. I wished Trystan were here, but he had left for Dunkrist this morning. His absence was yet another thorn in my side.
“Your Majesty,” Eiriana began. Facing the queen, she gave a slight bow. “May I present Lady Elin Kendrick of Blaenwood, the chosen girl of the old line.”
The queen’s sea-blue eyes seemed to grow brighter as she glared at me, searching me and penetrating my soul. I wondered if her gaze found my resentment.
“Lady Elin,” Eiriana said, waving her hand outward in a gentle arc. “Her Majesty the Queen of Imurgura.”
I held the queen’s stare, raising the corners of my mouth ever so slightly. “Your Majesty.” The even tone of my voice surprised me. My eyes didn’t flinch as I gave a respectful bow as my grandmother had done. I added a bit flatly, “It is an honor.” Eiriana’s gaze flicked at my face like a gnat I wished I could swat away.
Without blinking, without speaking, the queen regarded me for a few seconds. Those seconds felt eternal. I swallowed, clasping my hands together politely as I waited. I tried to draw a good breath, but my corset prevented me, and I had to stop at half full. After the shocking conversation with Eiriana last night, I wanted this nonsense to be over. The blood pounded in my ears and my face flushed. For now, I needed to remain calm. Or at least look like I was.
Before the Fae Queen replied, her entourage of fairies shifted their hovering position. The muted sunlight sparkled on their wings like water droplets on spider webs. The sprites moved together in a loosely formed cloud, almost like a swarm of bees.
“Do you know why you’re here?” the Fae Queen asked. Her voice was softly feminine, but the air of authority was unmistakable. I stared at her, unable to answer at first. Was it a trick question? Did she think I didn’t know the answer, or was I actually not supposed to?
“My grandmother tells me I’ve been summoned due to the cancellation of my upcoming marriage to Trystan of the Draugosero,” I said, blinking.
The Fae Queen inhaled, almost huffed, whether from humor or disdain I couldn’t tell. She lifted her chin and held the whisper of a smile on her face. “Your upcoming marriage to ‘Trystan.’” She emphasized his name with a hint of scorn. Well, what did she expect me to call him? Prince Tarian? That wasn’t even his real name, although he was a prince. The queen said, “Yes. That is correct. Tell me, Elin of Blaenwood, why should you be the one to wed the Draugosero heir to the throne?”
My breath caught in my throat like a half-swallowed bread roll. I opened my mouth to speak, but for a second my outrage silenced me. Marrying Trystan, although I wanted it more than anything, wasn’t originally my idea. Eiriana had schemed and plotted for this before I even knew who Trystan was, gaining my cooperation over time while barely explaining things as I tried to escape my stepmother. It was only recently when I discovered the wolf I loved, and the prince were one and the same. Yet now I had been called here and was being asked to give reason for Trystan and myself being together. I snapped my mouth closed, pursing my lips. Eiriana flicked her irritating gnat-gaze at me again. My fingertips trembled as I squeezed my clasped hands together. The upper half of me heated, sweat beading on my brow.
“Your Majesty, I’m given to understand that by marrying Trystan—Prince Tarian—two feuding lines will be joined. The Fae and the Draugosero may then unite in the war against the Calek. My grandmother tells me I am the chosen Fae girl, as there is no one else of the proper blood.”
“You understand correctly,” the Fae Queen said. She smiled, and as she did so the fairy cloud shifted again, circling around her in a rippling wave as they moved closer to the floor and back up again. A light red fairy alighted on the lectern and faced me, his pair of fiery-orange, double wings thrumming to a halt. He crossed his arms, glaring at me. Could he feel my outrage? Could he also perceive why I felt it? I couldn’t hear his thoughts, but as I’d learned among the wolves, it was possible to hide thought-speak when one wanted to.
The queen continued. “Unfortunately, beyond your grandmother’s word that you are her blood, we have no proof of your lineage. And Lysidia’s word is well... flimsy as best.”
Lysidia was my grandmother’s real name, unless Fae had more than one of those. In the human world she went by Eiriana, and that was the physical form she assumed at this moment. I gave my grandmother a sidelong glance, watching her nod politely. A little wrinkle sprang up between her brows. “Forgive me for any misunderstanding I may have caused, but Elin truly is my daughter’s daughter. She—”
The queen frowned and waved her hand. “No. As I’ve already told you, your assurances aren’t good enough. What proof have you that this girl is of your line? Has she demonstrated Fae gifts? Any at all?”
Eiriana straightened. “Elin has the gift of animal empathy and thought-speak—the strongest I’ve seen. And as she is one-quarter Fae, with training she will surely manifest other abilities. It will take but a little time.”
“Animal empathy. How convenient,” the Fae Queen said. “You must have had no trouble charming your wolf prince, I assume.” She tilted her head slightly, and the swarm of fairies around her made chittering sounds, almost like laughter. Then I realized that yes, they were laughing. Within their living cloud, they appeared to shiver as the sunlight touched their bright, slender bodies.
I said, “With all due respect, I didn’t even know Trystan was the Draugosero heir. This, along with knowledge of my own bloodline, had been kept from me. I knew only that Trystan was the same wolf I met the day my mother was captured by the Calek.” I stole another sidelong glance at my grandmother. “A great deal has transpired between then and now and much of it was against my will. My grandmother came close to forcing me if I didn’t agree to the marriage, so you must forgive me if I don’t understand why now my role is being questioned.”
“Again, I see your grandmother has neglected to tell you all,” the queen said. She turned her eyes to the silver-haired Fae beside me.
“Your Majesty, in keeping with your royal edict, I wasn’t permitted to reveal certain details due to our agreement concerning my daughter, Cara Kendrick, and her imprisonment here,” Eiriana said.
“Yes, yes. But it isn’t that of which I speak. You failed to mention the girl would be tested. A Fae of less than half blood has never been permitted in such a high station. With two worlds at stake and so much time already wasted, we can’t afford another error,” the queen said.
“Two Worlds?” I asked, immediately regretting speaking out of turn. But with the lump in my throat and the fire still in my cheeks, I blurted, “Are there not three worlds at stake? The Fae Realm, the spirit world, and Edim—the human world?”
The queen exhaled sharply. “The Banal? It’s no concern of mine. The only reason I’m invested in the Draugosero is because the Calek now encroach upon our realm. This was something we had never dreamed possible. But, as I’m sure your grandmother told you—” She pursed her lips, knowing Eiriana tells me little. “The Calek’s reach has grown long. We don’t measure the passage of time the same way your kind does. However, more than once within one of your banal years, some of their order managed to enter Imurgura. And once, less than eight of your moons ago, one of them walked among us, posing as a Fae and doing harm to others. He went undetected for three moons before we destroyed him. If unchecked, that
was only the beginning. Dead or not, that Calek spy no doubt learned things about our world and imparted at least some of his knowledge to his order before we killed him.”
I nodded. “I understand.”
“No, human girl. I’m afraid you don’t understand at all. There is far more at stake than your mortal mind is capable of comprehending. To truly unite the Fae and the Draugosero, we Fae must confirm your lineage. Can you demonstrate proof of your Fae blood to me here and now in this chamber? If you can do so, it will settle the matter, and we’ll proceed,” the queen said.
My cheeks flamed anew with crimson, this time from embarrassment. The fine layer of sweat on my brow felt cold. “No. I can’t demonstrate any such proof as I have no Fae abilities. None, besides thought-speak, of which I’m aware.” The words came out quieter, and I felt small. The velvety, grey walls towered around me like the high parapets of a castle. The pearly floor stretched out like a sea before a storm. And the Fae Queen, with her golden light and glittering gems and flawless, ageless beauty seemed more like a goddess than the same type of being as my own grandmother. I clenched my jaw, my arms stiffening.
“I thought as much. Very well then, we’ll put you to a test. If you pass, you will have proven yourself and the marriage will commence. If not, I will arrange a more suitable wife for the Draugosero heir.”
CHAPTER 2
My stomach plummeted. A rush of shock surged from my skull to my extremities as I stood there, reeling. “A more suitable wife? But who? The only other person of the proper line is my mo—” I snapped my mouth closed, teetering back a step. My calves collided with the golden bench, and I put a hand out to steady myself before I toppled over backward. Eiriana grabbed my bicep and squeezed, narrowing her eyes at me. Maybe the queen hadn’t meant my mother. I was jumping to conclusions because I was already so upset. There must be other part-Fae humans; my mother and I couldn’t be the only ones.