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The silver fae opened the back doors, and the crowds caught sight of us with a loud cheer. They waved banners, shouted my name, and sped up the music. All the mortals dressed in their finest, cooked their finest food, played their finest music, and it all hit me differently now. I’d seen riches greater than this. I’d seen beauty a thousand times grander than what was before me now. I’d smelled food sweeter than what drifted through the air. And it was hard not to cringe at the music.
I’d lost my taste for it all.
Just as the thought of the deceiving fae realm put a sour taste on my tongue, the mortal realm no longer satisfied me. I’d have to live forever in mediocrity, knowing what I was missing.
At least I’d live.
The three ambassadors kept blank faces as they took their spots in a line before a glass bowl, while I scoured for my brothers.
“Thea!”
My breath caught as Malcom reached his little arms out from Cal’s shoulders to wave. They must have come as soon as the sun rose this morning to find a spot at the front of the ceremony, close enough to touch.
I broke an unspoken rule about the decorum of returning queens. I left the ambassadors and fell on my knees on the stage before my brothers. Tears fell down my face.
“Malcom, Cal.” I threw my arms around their necks and squeezed tight. Malcom braved the wrath of the fae by climbing on the stage next to me and onto my lap. He wore a new suit that must have cost a small fortune, and rings on his fingers dug in where he clung to me.
Cal smiled through teary eyes, and then my attention shifted to the figure next to him.
“Father.” I had no words beyond that. My father stood next to Cal, eyes moist and mouth trembling.
“You are every bit as beautiful as a queen should be.” His grey hair had grown out and drifted along his forehead, and that conniving smile was replaced by one that—dare I think it—could be pride.
“Come, Malcom. The fae are looking at us.” Cal reached his arms out for Malcom, who went back to his brother. At their side stood Eliza, dressed in a black slip dress with her hair plaited and lips painted, and her hand wound through Cal’s arm. She gave me a smile.
I smiled back. When I left, I’d asked her to look after them. She’d done well.
“I will see you very soon,” I promised before standing to retake my place beside the fae who were all casting disapproving glances at me.
The silver fae cleared her throat, but I didn’t hear the words she said. I was too busy gazing at my family and touching the watch on my wrist, counting the moments until I could escape and be with them. I’d feel their embrace, hear their laughter, and share my stories of the fae realm as if it hadn’t just broken my heart.
The silver fae continued with her speech, saying how honored they were to have a mortal girl to rule over them and how much they loved their queens. It took all my strength not to spit at the words.
Somewhere in the crowd, I spotted Gaia’s mother, searching for traces of her daughter among us. I tried to pull my attention back to my own family, but it kept going to her. Eventually, our eyes met.
With a heavy heart, I gave her a smile, as if nothing were wrong at all. She smiled back.
I shifted. It was almost time.
“We are ready to select our next Mortal Queen.” The silver fae dipped her hand into the large glass bowl to fish around the names a few times. The crowd hushed, and even my brothers stopped looking at me to look at her.
I reached for my watch. Almost time.
They would get their new queen, then I would be gone.
She selected a name and held it up to the crowd. Then she brought it close to her and opened it slowly. My fingers trembled over the watch.
The silver fae’s smile was radiant. “The fae have selected their next Mortal Queen. Eliza Nadine Nadell, will you rule over us?”
No. No, no, no.
While the center lit up with the cheers of the mortals’ celebration, Eliza’s jaw dropped, and the fae clapped politely. Cal and I looked at each other. There was no joy in his eyes.
It was an honor to be chosen. It was all the girls dreamed of. We wanted it more than anything.
But the charm of it had left Cal. Even the thrill he’d expressed when I’d been selected was absent, and his jaw tightened. He’d given up his sister to the lavish fae realm, but now it asked for too much. Now he’d lose Eliza too. The girl who had been his loyal partner for almost five years. The girl who’d stepped up as a mother for Malcom when I left. The girl who promised me she’d take care of them and had done so faithfully.
It was an honor to be selected. But Cal gripped Eliza with no intention of letting go.
