Falling For Fire

by Talia Jager

  Laughing, I pulled back and said, “I could absolutely kiss her forever, but I suppose I can stop for a minute.”

  Raina, Lumi, and Kailani were all squealing and looking at the ring. Dune and Keir congratulated me.

  “May I offer my best wishes,” Isolde said.

  “Thank you,” Aurora responded.

  “Yes. Thank you,” I said, shaking her hand again.

  The other royals congratulated us as well. Queen Bluma said, “You should announce it as soon as you can. Many faeries will find comfort in this.”

  “As soon as Aurora has enough strength—”

  “I can do it if you help me,” Aurora insisted.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  I left the room and waited while the girls helped her into something more presentable than her nightgown. She came out in an ice-blue dress that was lower in the back than the front. Her arm was still in the sling and her blackened veins stood out in her neck. I ran my finger over them. “You’re sure it doesn’t hurt.”

  “It doesn’t. I’m fine.”

  Leo announced us, and the crowd was silent until they saw Aurora, and then cheers and applause broke out.

  Once they settled down, I said, “I am pleased to announce that Queen Aurora has accepted my marriage proposal. We will be married as soon as she is back to herself, and things can be arranged.”

  Facing her, I planted a kiss on her lips. She smiled and said, “I love you.” She turned to the fae. “We won’t stop looking for Eira and her group of rogue fae. I have faith they will be caught because we are all working together. Until then, let’s focus on our duties, education, training, and, most of all, relationships.” She glanced at Kailani; Kailani winked and Aurora continued, “While I was in the human realm, I learned that those who love each other, help each other, and care about each other are ohana. That means family. You are all my ohana, no matter the Season you’re from. My dream is for us all to feel like ohana to one another.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone say something to Keir, who then leaned in my ear and whispered. Smiling, I nodded, and when Aurora was done talking, I said, “I just received word that nature is back to normal. Thank you to all of the nature faeries who made that happen.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Aurora

  Our group reunited at the falls several weeks later. I glanced around as everyone hugged. All the regulars were there: Raina, Keir, Navin, Jora, Linden, Ivy, Cedar, and Sorin and I, of course, but we included some others as well: Lumi, Tannon, Dune, Aya, Kailani, Roux, and Kiona.

  “This is so cool,” Lumi said. “You really snuck out and came here?”

  “Yup. Every month for years.”

  “Wow. I had no idea.”

  “What’s the big ice wall for?” Navin asked, pointing at the wall of ice near Winter Land.

  “You’ll see soon. I asked the royals and Isolde to join us for a special surprise,” I said to the group as they quieted down. “We’ve come a long way from sneaking out in the middle of the night.”

  “We had a lot of close calls!” Navin laughed.

  “We built great friendships,” Jora said.

  “Shared many secrets,” Keir added.

  “Watched the two of you fall in love,” Raina said with a smile, and everyone laughed.

  “Remember how we used to talk about uniting the realm?” Ivy asked.

  “And you made it happen,” Linden finished.

  “I just wish Iris could be here,” Navin said with a sigh.

  “Hey, Rory, do your thing for her, you know she loved it,” Keir said.

  I held out my hands, cupping them side-by-side. Snow flew into my hand, creating a ball. Placing my hands on each side of the snowball, I pulled my hand away quick, which created snowflakes of all different shapes and sizes. I smiled when my hands dropped down to my waist because I knew how much Iris loved this. I wiggled my finger, and the snowflakes twisted and turned all around us. I cupped my hands back together, and all the snowflakes came back to me and formed once again a giant snowball. Then I sent the snow traveling to Winter Land.

  “I have an idea,” Aya said, bending down to the ground and creating a few irises for everyone there. We all grabbed one, and then I smiled, knowing what she intended for us to do. Every Winter faerie blew on our flowers, covering them in frost and turning them into ice as they were graced with our Winter magick. The Summer Fae’s flowers turned into beautiful embers. Autumn created one made of rock. And Spring kept a freshly bloomed iris blessed to always blow in the wind.

  As we all placed our flowers in our Seasons where they would stay forever, a gentle breeze blew through the falls.

  Tears filled my eyes as I thought about Iris and how I failed to get to her in time.

  Sensing my sadness, Sorin put his arm around me and whispered, “It’s not your fault.”

  I nodded and continued, “We lost a lot of faeries in the past couple of years, but we united the realm. I hope that means the deaths of our family and friends weren’t for nothing.”

  Walking around, I talked to everyone to make sure things were okay. When I got to Kailani, she asked, “What happens when a faerie dies? Why aren’t there graves?”

  “It depends on the Season they’re from. Winter faeries like us, our bodies turn to snow, Summer to hot embers, Spring to flowers, and Autumn to dirt. Then a wind comes along and the remains turn to ash, which is then carried to their homeland where the ash settles into the earth, giving back to the land as their final act.”

  Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was in a little o shape. “Okay then.”

  “So what do you think of it here so far? Do you want to go back?” I asked.

  “I love it here. I think I should check in once in a while, but I can’t see ever going back for good. I mean…look at these wings! To give them up? Nah.”

  Laughing, I said, “I know what you mean. It’s a good thing I didn’t remember, because when I finally did, it felt as if I was missing a body part. I’m glad you’re staying, and when you do go to visit, maybe I’ll go too. It would be nice to see Anela, Kika, and Akoni. Anything else holding you here?” I asked with a knowing smile.

  Her face lit up. “Maybe.”

  “Good. I’m happy for you and him.”

  “Rory?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you think I’m crazy?” she asked.

  I arched a brow. “Why would I think that?”

  “Because I’m already falling in love with him.”

  “Why would that make you crazy?”

  “It’s happened so fast.”

  “Out of all of the faeries here, I have no room to judge who they fall in love with or how quickly it happens. If you love him, it’s all that matters.”

  “Thank you.” She threw her arms around me and then ran to Keir.

  A few minutes after the Spring and Autumn royals showed up, Isolde, Marick, Duston, and Lola came.

  “Welcome.” Sorin gestured for them to come closer. “Please follow us.”

  Sorin and I led everyone over to the area of land in between the stream and the Spring falls. The stream bordered Winter Land, but the area between the stream and Spring falls was considered neutral.

  We stood in front of the ice wall. “Isolde, as you know, the four corners is where all four lands come together. It’s also a place where the uniting of fae was talked about and where we fell in love. Since there’s no actual Iron Fae territory, we wanted to have something here to represent the Iron Fae. We wanted to do something for you to show that you’re a part of us too.”

  I made a sweeping gesture with my hands, and the ice melted, revealing an Iron Fae display made of stone and shaped like a pentagon. Each of the pentagon walls represented a Season with the bottom being the Iron Fae and containing metal-like elements that was safe for us too.

  “Thank you, Rory. This means so much to us.” She smiled sincerely.

  “You are welcome here any
time.”

  “What are the irises for in each land?” Isolde asked.

  “For our friend Iris, who died in the last battle.”

  “I am sorry.” She walked over to Navin. “May I have a couple of those flowers, please?”

  “Sure.” He bent down, and two irises popped out of the ground.

  Isolde took the two perfectly bloomed flowers and brought them to her new display, where she bent the metal and covered the irises with it, making them into sleek, metal-safe flowers. She placed it on her display.

  I nodded at her and whispered an emotional “Thank you.”

  After the royals left, I took out a basket of Merry Berries, and the faces of our friends lit up. I popped one in my mouth—just enough to make me giddy. I offered the basket to Isolde, who smiled and took a few. “Are these what I think they are?”

  “If you think they’re Merry Berries, then yes.”

  She looked elated and popped them into her mouth.

  Everyone seemed to get back to normal. Navin and Cedar played catch with the mitts and baseball. Lumi and Tannon sat under a tree. Linden, Jora, and Kiona talked. Dune and Aya shared a kiss.

  Keir and I brought out a black panel. “We rigged this up for Kailani’s iPod.”

  “What is it?” Kailani asked.

  “Lay the iPod on it, and it will charge.”

  Kailani squealed. “That’s so cool.”

  “Marick helped us.” He gestured to the Iron Fae.

  Kailani placed her iPod on it, and after it charged for a few minutes, she turned the music on, leaving it charging.

  Sorin took my hand, and we started moving to the music. Dune led Aya to where we were dancing, and others came too. Raina walked up to Roux, who didn’t know what to do with himself, and said, “Want to dance?”

  He looked up in surprise, but said, “I don’t know…”

  “Come on. You have such a long face. Live it up a little.”

  For a moment, I thought he was offended, but then a small smile appeared on his lips, and he followed her to the dance area.

  We stayed until dawn, this time watching the sunrise from the falls. Once it was all the way up, the others started leaving. Sorin and I stayed behind at the top of the Winter falls. I scanned the horizon. The fact that Eira was still out there bothered me. Sorin wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck. “What are you looking for?”

  “Nothing.” I turned and kissed him. “I’ve got everything I want.”

  The End

  Acknowledgements:

  There are a few people who are close to my heart that I thank every time I release a book. If it wasn’t for these people, I seriously wouldn’t be able to write. My husband, Michael, who has been supportive, loving, and picked up more than his share of household duties while I’m buried in my fantasy worlds. Michael, I will love you and cherish you all the days of our lives.

  My children, all six of them, who I love with all my heart. There’s never a dull day in our house with these guys. They keep me on my toes and young at heart. I couldn’t do this without their love and support.

  My friend and muse, Montana Stockwell. She is my go-to for character development. We brainstorm what they look like, dress like, and act like. Whenever I’m stuck, she rescues me with an idea, picture, or music. Montana sets up playlists for each book. She also pins anything that might give me inspiration on Pinterest, whether it be a scene or an outfit. She also loves to pick celebrities who would make good fits if any of these books turned into a movie.

  My friend, Keri Reames, who has seen the good and the bad and stuck with me. She is a huge fan and I love her for sharing my books with her students and being supportive. It was Keri who went with me to a tattoo shop to get a snowflake tattoo for this book and kept my mind off the needle permanently coloring my body as she told me some crazy stories.

  My fans. You guys are amazing! Your messages to me always brighten my day. I hope those of you who are fans of my other faerie book will become a fan of this book as well.

  My team, which includes cover artist and formatter: Streetlight Graphics, my editor: Christine LePorte, and my beta readers, who took time out of their busy lives to read for me: Hope Bailey, Chrissy Harris, Joyce Riske, Gloria Jean, and Annette Erickson.

  Author Bio:

  When Talia isn’t hiding in the bathroom from her six children munching on a chocolate bar, she enjoys hiking the red rocks in Utah or sitting on the beach with a Kindle in her hands and her toes in the ocean.

  Talia has written a number of books for young adults, including Damaged: Natalie’s Story, Teagan’s Story: Her Battle With Epilepsy, If I Die Young, Secret Bloodline, Lost and Found, and The Gifted Teens Series. She also co-wrote The Between Worlds Series and Mesmerized.

  Connect with Talia:

  Website: www.taliajager.com

  Blog: taliajager.blogspot.com

  Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/taliajager

  Facebook author profile: www.facebook.com/authortaliajager

  Twitter: www.twitter.com/taliajager

  Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/taliajager

  Instagram: @TaliaJager

  Email: taliajager@taliajager.com