by Zora Marie
His lord nodded. Sitting forward, he steepled his fingers on his desk—a sure sign he was about to throw Arlen’s life into a whirlwind of madness. “Trazar has taken to calling Rina the Queen Come Again. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to realize that Fen’s her mate yet.”
“Do you believe him?”
“She has the royal bloodline’s power, the power of light itself.”
“But do you believe him?” Arlen asked, desperate for this not to be her burden to bear.
“I don’t want to, but Sadoren and Sealar argued it yesterday as well. Sealar even went so far as to send me one of the old prophecy scrolls this morning. Arlen, I don’t want it for Rina and Fen anymore than you do, but Fen’s the most powerful male on this continent in generations and we’ve known it for a while. Him being her mate…” He shook his head.
Arlen blinked at Farin. “But she grew up as human and has a head injury.”
“I know, Arlen, but she fits the prophecy. She’ll never be safe now that the rumors have been spread. No one else will be able to claim the throne while she lives with that power. She and Fen will be a threat to all of them whether they rule or not and they’re already almost of age. Even without the rumors, we won’t be able to hide their power or their mating bond forever.”
“But I don’t even know if she really understands what a mating bond is.”
“That’s why I don’t think telling her all of this right now is a good choice. We should wait until her head heals at least.”
“Even then, this is a lot to take in. She can’t even read yet, Farin.”
Ash sat forward in her chair. “I think you should tell her. She’ll know you’re keeping things from her. She may not be able to read words on a page yet, but she can read all of you like an open book.”
Arlen groaned. He hated when Ash was right.
“And you need to stop hiding things from Fen too. He needs to know how powerful he really is and why you haven’t gifted him with any of your power yet,” Ash added.
“You spoke with Sadoren and Sealar this morning, didn’t you?” Farin asked dryly.
“They have a point. It’s only a matter of time now before Trazar and the others find out.”
“Fine. Then we’ll tell them together, but I’ll remind Fen that she needs to recognize their bond in her own time.”
26
Rina
As soon as Arlen came back to their quarters, Rina turned to look at him. “So what’s the verdict?” she asked.
“We’re all meeting in the living room.”
She nodded and stood, the world swimming around the edges as she did so.
“Rina?” Dorn held the back of her arm to steady her.
The moment the spell passed, she shrugged out of his grasp. “I’m fine and I need to know.”
He glared at her and she gave it right back. It was strange to not have to look up at him. She was almost as tall as he was in this form.
Sighing in exasperation, Arlen started down the hallway, She turned to follow, matching his strides without a bit of effort. Glancing down at her pants, she frowned at how they barely went down to her ankles now. It seemed she’d have to go shopping again with Ash and Amber…
At the other end of the manor, they entered a room she hadn’t been in before. The wooden walls made it feel warm and cozy, while the plush couches offered them all a place to sit, though Ash still perched on the edge of a bar’s countertop. Holding a tall glass up to her face, she pursed her lips as she read its label. Fen sat beside Farin. He met Dorn’s and Arlen’s gazes, but not her own, making her wonder if she’d done something to upset him.
“Ash, you can go.”
“Oh, come on.”
“Ash,” Farin said, a warning undertone to his voice.
“Fine. Yell if you need me.” Ash slid from the counter. “Just try not to scare the living daylights out of me if you do.”
“And where’s the fun in that?” Farin flashed Ash a smile before she disappeared into the hallway.
Nerves jittered through Rina and she fought to keep still. She sat in the spot across from Fen. Dorn and Arlen settled down on either side of her—that action alone put her on edge as there was plenty of room for them to sit next to each other on both sides of the couch.
“How’s your head?” Farin asked.
“Sore, but I’ll be fine.” Rina hid her smile as she sat back. “Do you all not talk to each other? I’m certain I told Arlen and Dorn that.”
Farin restrained his smile, the corners of his lips twitching, as both Dorn and Arlen shook their heads in exasperation. “They did tell me, but I wanted to find out for myself. Do you know anything about the late king and queen?”
“Only that their line died out years ago. Why?”
“Because the power you used yesterday is of the royal line. That’s why you broke through Lord Trazar’s shield so easily. No one has had that power since Queen Nexi died.”
“All right… So what does that mean? How do I have the power of a royal line when they died out? I thought powers were inherited, like shifting abilities.”
Farin shrugged. “Perhaps Rye or Lyra had an ancestor who was a distant cousin of the royal family or perhaps it’s just fate. It’s hard telling. As for what it means, Lord Trazar has already started spreading rumors that you’re the Queen Come Again. And if you’re one to believe in prophecies, you are the heir to the throne and your mate will be the king. They also say that the new king will be the most powerful fae in generations.”
“Wait…” Rina paused and took a shaky breath as her head hurt more than it had all morning, Despite the pain, though, she felt Fen’s emotions mirroring her own confusion and surprise. “You mean to tell me that I’m not just the heir to Lord Trazar’s court, but I’m meant to be the ruler of all fae? I didn’t even know that I was fae until a few days ago.”
“That’s actually mentioned in the prophecy. Sealar even dug out his family’s copy of it to prove it to me.”
Rina closed her eyes, her head throbbing with the effort to absorb what Farin was saying. She didn’t want to be the ruler of anything. She just wanted to live a quiet little life here with Dorn and Arlen, away from the rest of the world. She’d be happy here with them and some simple task to keep her busy.
“Rina, are you all right?” Farin asked.
“Fine,” she lied. Nothing was all right anymore. “I just… need to go for a walk.” She stood and passed Dorn on her way to the door. She knew he or Arlen would follow her, and she honestly didn’t care which. She needed space and time to think.
Storming into the backyard, her long legs ate up ground with no destination in mind.
“We shouldn’t stray too far from the house,” Dorn said as the back door closed behind him.
She was about to reply when she caught a hint of a male’s scent on the wind. Scent? I can scent someone from this far away? She glanced across the yard to the far end of the training field. The trees on the far end were clear and crisp despite her throbbing migraine. Moving her gaze across the yard, Rina spotted a bird high up in a tree. It wasn’t Trazar, but it wasn’t Amber either. It was smaller, its markings a coppery brown.
“It’s just one of the new guards. That one’s an old friend.”
Rina nodded and silently cursed herself for doing so. She would have been better off having someone thump on the back of the head like it was a drum. Beside her, Dorn leaned toward the house, like he wanted her to go back inside. But it wasn’t like going inside would make her head stop hurting or even keep her safe. Besides, she needed the openness and familiarity of the outdoors, not the suffocating walls of the house. She was glad Dorn was with her. She wanted to talk, to understand everything that was going on, but she didn’t know what to say or if she even could in front of the others. So, she walked in silence, her thoughts addled with pain.
She swayed into him.
“Rina.” Dorn grabbed hold of her arm before she could fall.
“I’m fine,”
she whispered as she sank down against the trunk of a tree.
“No, you’re not. You really shouldn’t be up walking around.”
“I know, it just usually helps clear my head. The forest is always where I feel safest.” The urge to climb up in a tree and hide away from the world and all its problems made her fingers tingle.
He sat and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I know this is a lot to take in, but I trust Farin will do what he thinks is best to keep you safe. Not because of a prophecy or power, but because you are family and that’s what family is supposed to do. Just like you fought to protect Arlen.”
“But Dorn, what if I don’t want any of this?”
He was quiet for a long moment before he asked, “Then what do you want?”
“To live in peace for once in my life, for Tomilin’s death not to be meaningless.”
Dorn let out a long slow breath. “As much as I’d like to be able to give you that, I can’t. Trazar took away any chance we had.”
“So what happens now?”
“For the moment, you need to heal and learn. Let Farin deal with the other courts for now, but please stay close to the house and don’t wander alone.”
Rina sighed. She hated this, all of it. Some small part of her wished she could go back to how things were with her and Tomilin. The rest of her was disgusted at the thought of Tomilin suffering just for the sake of being there for her. He would’ve wanted her to make the best of this situation. He would’ve told her things would get better—were better than they’d ever been.
Still, her skin crawled with the need to get away from it all. Panic rose within her, choking off her airway. No. Not now. Panic won’t help. The words were a chant in her head as she struggled to remind herself what to do. She was her own master, not the panic. Breathe, she commanded herself, but her body didn’t respond. Please. Long slow breaths, that’s all I ask. She soothed her own mind and body like she had so many times before. It’ll be all right. Everything will be fine.
Slowly, her body finally heeded her wishes. Everything was a jumbled mess. She was a queen, or princess she supposed, that couldn’t even protect her own brother. Stop, she scolded herself for trying to think that way. She’d done the best she could and no one said she had to lead right now. Pushing all that away, she focused on the other things she’d learned.
There was the matter of her mate, this supposedly all powerful fae. She didn’t like the sound of that. She’d kill herself sooner than be stuck with someone like Trazar, power meant nothing to her. Someone like Fen though… She shook her head. No matter what she did, her thoughts circled back to him. She could feel his frustration and ire rising and falling even this far from the house.
The arm around her shoulders tightened and she leaned into Dorn a bit more as she pushed her rampaging thoughts to the side. She didn’t know what she wanted in the midst of all this, but she could figure that out along the way. Perhaps she’d even find a way to honour Tomilin’s suffering by helping others like him—like them.
As some of the tension in her neck eased, the throbbing in her head ebbed back to a dull roar. She could do this. For Tomilin.
“You ready to go back to the house? I thought that if you’re feeling up to it, we could work on reading.”
“Really?” A chill went through her and she latched onto the positive half of his suggestions. She didn’t want to go inside, but the chance to learn was too good to pass up. Will I finally be able to read all of those books Mother had spoken so fondly of? Perhaps this way I can learn something before Fen teaches me. I can surprise him—or at the very least not sound like a complete idiot.
“Yes, but if your head is bothering you too much, you have to tell me.”
She gave a slight nod, causing a stinging pain to shoot through her head. Even though she hid her grimace with a smile, Dorn glared at her. Fear ran through her at that look, at the thought that he might change his mind because of her pain. She had to learn to read. If she wasn’t allowed outside by herself, she had to escape somehow and repeating mother’s stories had always helped. Surely books would help just as much.
“Rina, don’t forget that I can tell when you’re in pain. But you really want to read that badly?”
“Of course I do. Mother used to talk about books like they were the greatest thing in the world even though we couldn’t have them. Well, we had one book she would read to me in the glade, but by the time I managed to go back there after she’d died, it wasn’t in the tree she’d hidden it in.” She paused, excitement building inside her. “Dorn, did Arlen find a book in the glade the first time he went searching for her?”
“Yes, he keeps it in our roo…” Dorn trailed off and a smile came to his lips. “Come on, I’ll get it for you.”
She grinned. “And here I always figured an animal had taken off with it. Well, I guess technically one did if he was in wolf form.”
Dorn chuckled as he helped her to her feet. “Just don’t tell him you said that.”
“Oh, come now, he’s a cute wolf. No wonder you fell for him.” She gave Dorn a little nudge and his laugh made her feel like everything was going to be okay.
27
Fen
Taking breath after breath, Fen reminded himself that he did not actually want to throttle his father for keeping things from him. Confident he wasn’t about to bolt after Rina or shake some sense into his father, Fen turned to face Farin. “How powerful am I?”
“Did you ever wonder why you could shadow walk so easily?” Farin asked instead.
Fen fumed at his father, tempted to demand a straight answer, but he could play along. “No, well maybe a bit, but you and Rye always made it seem easy.”
Farin sighed. “It was only easy for Rye because I’d gifted him some power so he could help keep track of you. Even I couldn’t shadow walk as easily as you before becoming a lord.”
Searching for any signs of deceit, Fen stared at his father. “Is that why you never let me work with other shadow walkers to learn more?”
Nodding, Farin said, “Yes, though most of them are very private about their abilities. There’s a reason we guard the knowledge of how shadow walking works.”
“All right… That still doesn’t answer my question. If I’m so powerful, why has no one noticed?”
“Because I’ve been keeping a damper and cloak on your magic since you were born. Your mother and I knew you would be powerful the moment we conceived you and planned for it.”
“Mother knew?”
A fragile, sorrowful, look overtook Farin as he nodded. “Extremely powerful children develop magic early on, the moment you had a heartbeat she felt a drop of power within you.”
“Who else knows?” Fen slid his gaze to Arlen, who gave him a sheepish smile.
“Wafren and Sealar both helped with your birth. We told Sadoren later so if something happened to me, you’d have allies to help you.”
“Our family knows,” Arlen said, “so we knew what we were dealing with while training you.”
“Your power is why you’ve only really trained with those of us within these walls.”
“And the girls.”
Farin nodded. “Their power is about two thirds of what yours is, still far more than most fae. It allowed them to coach you through how to control your magic without making it seem like an unusual struggle.”
Fen stared at his father as he sorted this new information out. It made sense, yet how could he believe his father after a lifetime of lies? Later, he’d think that through later.
“How solid is the prophecy?”
“It was written by the royal line’s own seers. While they were not flawless, they have rarely been wrong.”
Nodded, Fen mulled it over. “What happens if she accepts her new title? Will Trazar try to go to war anyway?”
“Probably. He has always been greedy for power.”
Fen leaned back into the cushions, wishing he didn’t need to ask despite needing to know. “What happens i
f she rejects me?”
Farin and Arlen shared a look. “You would learn to move forward eventually. Then she’d be forced to marry someone.”
The thought of her being forced to marry someone, even him, left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Wait here, I’ll make a copy of the prophecy for you.”
Fen watched his father go and found he didn’t know what to do with himself in his absence. Across from him, Arlen yawned for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.
“Did you not get any sleep last night?”
Arlen made a grumble that clearly meant no.
“Why? Any of us could have taken a turn watching over Rina.” He stopped himself before he could add that he would have loved to. He really needed to get ahold of himself before he said or did something stupid.
“I know, but…” Arlen let out a long sigh.
“Arlen, what would you tell me if I were the one not sleeping every time you turned around?”
He grumbled again and stood. Farin came back to the living room as Arlen left. “What did you do?” Farin asked and held a scroll out to him.
“Just pointed out that he needs to sleep, too. What’s this?” He took the scroll, thankful to find that it was a translated copy.
“I figured you would want to read it for yourself, just keep in mind that prophecies always seem vague and written like riddles until everything is said and done. As for Arlen, please don’t push his buttons. We’re all dealing with a lot right now.”
“You’re right, I’ll go apologize.”
“That’s my boy.”
Farin ruffled Fen’s hair and headed toward his study. Fen ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it as he stood to trail after Arlen. He hoped to find that Arlen hadn’t gone to his rooms just yet. He followed Arlen’s scent and found him on the back porch.
“Sorry if I was short with you,” Arlen said.
“No, I’m the one who should be apologizing. I know you’ve been doing everything you can to be there for Rina. I just wish it didn’t feel like I’m not allowed to be around her.”