by Chanda Hahn
It was only a dream, but it felt real. I could feel the brush of his lips across mine. I could see myself through Liam’s eyes, and the forgetting spell took hold. The setting sun behind me blinded him, and he couldn’t focus on me. Then my face and features faded and became less descript. My image blurred, and like a wind catching the seeds of a dandelion—I was gone.
I felt a tear of regret slip down my face.
His confusion hit me first. Gray filled my mind, and he searched for the nameless person. My brows furrowed as he was fighting the spell. So I had to go deeper into his mind, further back, and I erased every memory that included me, until the gray faded away.
“It is done.” I wiped at my tears.
Rhea clutched her dress and wiped away a few of her own. “Why did you do that?”
Mother watched the entire exchange, her face void of emotion. “Because he is the prince and must rule the kingdom of Rya, and Aura cannot survive in his world.”
“Oh,” Rhea said sadly, as she realized what I had known my whole life.
I wiped my hand across my face and stood to face my mother, smoothing my dress, feeling the nervousness wash over me.
“Now, there is something I will need your assistance with. Do you think you can help me?”
“I will help you,” Mother said softly.
Chapter Thirty-One
I checked the wards. They remained undisturbed since my last trek below the fae court. Placing my hand on the stone surface, I let my magic unlock the door, and I slipped into the cell where my mother slept.
Like I had done with Liam, I listened to her dreams. They were restless, filled with pain and anguish as she relived the night of the attack and my presumed death over and over. I sent a sliver of magic her way, spelled on a whispered breath, soothing her turmoil. With a touch, I took her pain as my own, easing her dreams, gently reminding her I was here. That hope was not lost, and that her fae court was coming to life again under my care.
Her breathing evened, and the nightmare faded. I relaxed. Twice a day, I came to check on her and spent time healing her broken and scattered mind.
“What is broken can be fixed,” Mother Eville had said when she helped me create new vaults deep below the never wood trees.
“I can repair her mind,” I promised.
“I believe you. You are more than capable and strong enough to do so. But it will take time. Years, even.”
“Then it will take years.”
Mother Eville nodded, her face solemn as she looked over the new archways built out of stone, and she tested each of the wards along the base of the doors. “I wasn’t referring to the fae queen.” She pointed to the roots of the never tree that hung from the dirt ceiling. “You can rebuild the fae court.”
“Who says I want to? I like the quiet of living alone.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself; but just remember, as an empath, life is inevitably drawn to you. You won’t be alone for long.”
Mother Eville’s words stuck in my mind as I touched the strange woman before me. For that is what she was: a stranger, and not my mother. I focused on a particularly devastating memory and tempered it. Repairing the mind took a delicate hand. Tatiana’s mind was like a vase whose varnish had crackled. Each day, I would mend another crack, but there were thousands of fissures. It really would take me years. But I believed she would be queen of her court again, and I would bring them back to life.
As I left the vault, I turned to the one covered in black sigils and I shivered. I did not check on the dreams of the soul sleeping behind the door, nor would I ever. If I had my way, I would have killed him, but just like Mother Eville, I was not strong enough to follow through. Killing the queen had been an accident, and I could still feel the heavy weight upon my soul from her death, and that of Madam Esme’s. I would not be the instrument of death when it came to King Pharell. So as much as I hated it, I followed in Mother Eville’s footsteps, and wove the strongest sleeping curse I could upon him. A hundred years.
He would be preserved, protected behind the door, and I would guard it, keeping the evil deep inside where that tainted soul could not harm another person.
I walked up the stone steps and came above ground, raising my hands to block out the sun. The never trees had indeed grown under my care, and with the help of a little magic, most of the willow groves had sprung up almost overnight. The streams were already filled with undines as well.
“Dah!” Sneezewort called out in greeting as he waddled over to me, a shovel over his shoulder. Sneezewort and another had made the journey to Rya to help me rebuild the lesser fae court.
“Dah!” I waved back.
Sneezewort pointed at the old hob hill and the home he had just repaired.
“It looks wonderful,” I commended.
“Already occupied.” Sneezewort rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Really?” I placed my hands on my hips and studied the closest hob home.
A female hob with a pile of scraggly red hair, in a dress made of leaves, walked out the front door and shook out an old rug.
“Durn women,” Sneezewort bemoaned woefully, a contrary reaction compared to the rosy color that bloomed along his cheeks.
His murmuring didn’t last long before something caught his eye and he went charging, screaming at the air, swinging his shovel.
“More Pixieees,” Sneezewort howled, taking off after the little pixie who dodged the whack of the shovel and pulled his moss hat over his eyes.
“PFFFFttttt,” the pixie blew his tongue and then flew up to the top of the never tree and hid among the branches of their new home.
“Stupid pixie.” Sneezewort thumbed his nose toward his arch nemesis. He turned back to the hob homes, and his waddle became a little wider as he headed to greet the new occupant.
I couldn’t hold back my own grin as I headed deeper into the firethorn thickets to check on the fairy circles. The firethorns parted, allowing me to pass unharmed, and a blur of gold darted past me, making a beeline straight for the circle of mushrooms.
Hack was my second visitor that traveled all the way north in Sneezewort’s bag. Hack gave me plenty of grief when he arrived and demanded treats. He seemed to settle into life at a faerie court. He rolled around in a patch of dark grass and then strolled over and made a show of chomping on a cowslip. He gave me a perturbed look.
Tastes bad.
“Of course it does. Not everything that grows near a fairy circle is edible, nor does it taste good.”
He glared at me, and his tail gave one flick before he turned away.
Stupid pixie lied.
I held back laughter and tried to hide my amusement.
“Did she?”
She said if I roll in a fairy circle, everything you eat tastes good.
I sighed. All pixies were mischievous. I was going to have a long talk with the pixie after I sorted out the new guardians that had moved to our court. Across the glade, I could hear the three new basajaunak pushing more giant stones toward the entrance with Basa. He was the one who had saved me as a child, and in doing so, his own family had perished. Basa was alone, guarding the fae queen for years. Until I came along. He was thrilled to add the basajaunak to his family, and their marks on his stone.
Mother was right. As an empath, my presence seemed to attract new life to the courts, and fae thoughts didn’t plague me as much as those of the human variety. Maybe because their thoughts were simple or purer of intent.
Hack flicked his tail at me and squinted his eyes.
Hungry.
“You’re a hunter.” I waved my hands at the air. “Go catch something.”
Hack coughed, showing his disdain before he stretched, showing off his feline claws.
Fine. I’ll go catch something. He sauntered off into the brush. And then leave it on your pillow.
“Hack!” I yelled out in feigned irritation, realizing that I was so close to my future of living alone and becoming a crazy cat lady. Except, ins
tead of cats, I collected mischievous fae.
I felt a featherlight tickle poke at my thoughts, and I turned, searching the glade.
There was nothing there but the fields of daylilies I had planted in honor of my mother, and beyond the glade was a wall of firethorns—my own added protection against non-fae, in case they ever thought to attack again.
The feeling didn’t pass, and so I crossed over the fairy circle and walked to the edge of the glade, staring at the wall of thorns.
“I told you I would always find you.”
My heart fluttered in my chest, but I knew I had to be imagining his voice. Slowly, I turned and cupped my hand over my mouth to hold back my sobs.
Liam’s golden hair had grown longer, touching the collar of his shirt. A brown traveling cloak had replaced his red cloak. His tan was more gold, and there were dark circles under his eyes, and scratches from the firethorns across his cheeks and arms.
“What are you doing here?” My voice was barely above a whisper.
“Why . . .” He swallowed, struggling to form his words. “Why did you make me forget you?”
“I had to, Liam, because of who you are.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “I’m still the same person.”
“No, you’re the heir to the throne of Rya. A prince. A king.”
“What difference does that make?”
“I’m not like my sisters. I can’t live in a palace surrounded by hundreds of people. I will go mad.”
“I can shield you.” He grasped my hands and rubbed his thumb over the back of them.
“You can’t shield me constantly without blocking my power. That’s not fair to you, or me. And I can’t go back there. Because that’s where Maeve . . . I lost my sister.”
“I’m so sorry, Aura.” Liam pulled me into a hug and let me grieve. I’d been bottling it in for so long, that once I let it loose, I wasn’t able to contain my sorrow.
He didn’t shield me, instead letting me cry. When I could cry no more, he wiped away my tears with his fingers.
“I only wish I could take away your pain like you do for everyone else.”
“The pain helps me to remember her,” I whispered.
“Then I promise you will never have to step foot in the palace again. I’ll build you a different palace if needed.”
“Thank you. But I found where I belong.” I smiled and gestured to the forest and the fae that were spying on us from the trees and flowers.
“You belong with me.” Liam’s voice was husky as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to mine. The feel of him touching my skin made me dizzy.
“I can’t live my life surrounded by stone walls and thousands of people. It will be a mental prison,” I said.
“Then I don’t want that life either.”
I pulled back in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“As an orphan, I searched my entire life to find my purpose. I thought it was to protect the kingdom of Rya, and I spent years training to do just that. But my purpose is to protect you.”
“But you’re the missing heir. You have to take the throne.”
He grinned. “And who’s to say the heir’s been found? He’s been missing for decades, and no one believes there is an heir, anyway. Let the heir stay a mystery.”
“Then who will repair the palace, run the kingdom?”
“I’m the commander of the guard. The running of the palace falls to me, and I’ve already put someone in charge.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Devin.”
“No,” I gasped.
“He’s ready to kill me. Threatens to every single day. He’s champing at the bit to run away, but I told him he will stay there until I say otherwise. Besides, he is Duke Tallywood’s oldest adopted son by only a few weeks. He’s next in line for the throne.”
“Oh, he is really going to hate you.”
Liam tossed his head back and laughed. “Devin has already whined about not hitting the taverns, and how all the ladies must miss his shining personality and jokes.” Liam’s smile faltered. “Actually, Devin is the reason that I’m here.”
I realized my folly. “I didn’t erase Devin’s memories.”
“No, you didn’t. He kept asking about you, and I had no clue who he was talking about. I had enormous gaps in my memory and had to conclude that someone tampered with them.”
“I’m sorry.” I turned away, feeling the shame of what I had done wash over me.
Liam grabbed my elbow. “No, you’re only sorry because you got caught. But I don’t even care because you haunted my dreams.”
“That’s not possible. I erased myself from your dreams.”
“Not your voice. I remembered the sound, how the pitch would get higher when you were nervous. I could hear your laugh. I listened until I recalled the shape of your eyes, then the color came, then your lips. Until I remembered everything. I remembered you.”
“I was a fool—” I began and stepped away.
“Yes, you are. I swore to protect you, but how can I if you erase yourself from my life?” He closed the distance between us and pulled me against his chest.
I gasped in surprise. My hands pressed against his muscles, and I could feel the beating of his heart matching my own frantic pace.
“Run away, erase yourself from my mind a hundred times over—I will always find you. My heart will lead me back to you. You are unforgettable, Aura.”
He brushed his knuckles down the side of my cheek, his eyes following and lingering on my lips.
My lips parted in excitement.
“Can I kiss you, Aura?”
“Yes,” I whispered and leaned up on my tiptoes, closing the distance.
“Can I kiss you forever?” he asked, pulling away at the last second.
“Only if you marry me,” I teased.
“Are you proposing?” Liam asked, his green eyes suddenly serious.
“No, I . . . uh.” The question rattled me. Heat rushed to my cheeks in embarrassment.
“I accept,” he said firmly.
“Wait, I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to work?”
“So, you don’t want to get married?” Liam’s brows furrowed in confusion. Then I saw his lip twitch as he held back his smile.
She’s so cute when she’s flustered, he thought.
“Am not.” I playfully hit his arm.
“Are you going to kiss me? I’m still waiting.” Liam grinned.
Not letting anything or anyone interrupt us, I wrapped my arms around his neck, and we kissed. My heart that had once broken apart was slowly being repaired.
I love you, Aura. His unshielded thoughts drifted to me.
And I you.
When we broke apart, he wasn’t ready to let me go. Nuzzling the top of my head, he breathed into my ear. “Look.”
I turned and looked at the setting sun and how it cast a halo around us, making the yellow daylilies look like fields of molten gold.
It was just like Liam’s dream. He’d imagined this very moment before it even happened.
“You saw the future?” I whispered in awe.
“No, I see our future.” He left a trail of butterfly kisses across my cheek and threaded his fingers through mine. We turned to face the many fairies, pixies, and hobs that had gathered around to watch our reunion.
Sneezewort was wiping his eyes, and the pixie brought him a large leaf and he loudly blew his nose. The pixie patted his back awkwardly before Sneezewort bowed his head in respect. The female hob and pixies followed. The trees moved as I saw the dryads bend low; the grass shifted as the cù sìth dogs bowed. I even heard Hack cough in response.
“What’s going on?” I asked, confused.
“I may not be able to give you a kingdom, but that doesn’t mean you’re any less a queen to the fae.”
“But I don’t want to be queen,” I whispered.
He chuckled. “You’re the missing heir,” he repeated back to me.
“I’m n
ot ready.” I panicked. “What if I make mistakes?”
“Don’t worry, you will.” Liam wrapped his hand around my waist giving it a squeeze, and I felt his calmness wash over me. “And I’ll be by your side for each one of them. You can’t live in my world, but I can live in yours.”
Epilogue
I couldn’t move. Something trapped me, and I could feel the heat racing across my body. I coughed, my lungs filled with hot air, and I knew I would either bleed out or be killed by the encroaching mage fire. Even now I could feel the fire singe my feathers.
Kraa!
My voice was too weak as I tried to call out to Aura. She had to hear me. She would come after me. I moved my wing, and pain ripped down my side. I saw it was bent at an odd angle which meant it was broken—and that made it dangerous to shift. If I did, there was no telling if I would survive the transformation.
“Well, if this isn’t a surprise?” a deep voice spoke from the darkness. A young man with dark hair and eyes leaned over me, his back silhouetted by the green mage fire.
Kraa! Kraa! I screamed until my voice went hoarse and I could no longer cry out. My vision filled with smoke as two more hooded figures drew near and lifted the body of the dead queen off of me.
I shuddered. Once I was free, I tried to stand, but only collapsed to the ground, unable to rise. I lay there, my heart beating wildly as I waited for them to kill me.
“Is this the one you had the vision of?” the young man asked.
“Yes, Aspen, she is the key. The one whose anger burns like a never-ending fire,” a man with dark green hair said. “She’s the one who called down the mage fire and killed the innocents when the roof collapsed.”
No, I thought weakly. I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.
“She’s the one I want. Bind her and bring her with,” the man with dark green hair ordered.
“We must hurry. The fire is spreading fast, and our way will be blocked.”
The one called Aspen leaned forward and clipped a band to my leg. As soon as the cold metal touched my clawed foot, I could feel my power drain with its spell.