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Gaia was nearly at my side.
“What is it like?” I whispered.
She twisted a ring around her finger as we walked. Her white mask hid many of her features, but it didn’t cover a tattoo of a crown like bleeding gems on her forehead, right under her hairline. Her blank eyes kept on the streets as our feet kicked up dust. She breathed the words, “It’s like owning a beautiful world you can never be a part of.”
We’d always said the fae realm was beautiful, but this was the first time someone from there had confirmed it. But Gaia’s words carried a shroud of pain spooled so tightly, I wasn’t certain where to pull to start unraveling. So I withdrew.
“I live just over here.” We passed Daven’s home, where the stolen squash still rested beneath the ladder. That moment felt so far away now. I pushed back the iron gate to our small courtyard where Cal’s and Malcom’s sandals were kicked off at the doorway. They must have run ahead.
Tears formed as a new realization bit me. Being queen meant losing them. The privilege came at a steep price, but the reward was Malcom’s security and a life with the fae. It was a painfully joyous trade, one I’d forever celebrate and eternally mourn.
It was with that hallow thought that I entered my home.
“Thea!” Malcom jumped on me and the crown wobbled on my head. Malcom’s hair tickled my cheeks, and his breath warmed my neck as it had many times before. I held tight, closing my eyes against the world for a moment.
Cal stood more composed at the end of the hall, where whisps of light caught in his curls and gleamed from the earring in his ear. His sweetheart, Eliza, stood at his side with her hand woven around his arm. I didn’t know why, but I guessed she was holding him up. Without her, he’d crumble.
Losing my twin brother was the steepest price I’d pay for a taste of the fae realm, but the painful part was knowing it would hurt him more. I’d be fine. I’d be with the fae.
My woven bag sat at their feet, already full. My paintbrushes poked through the top. I carried Malcom down the hall as the fae assembled behind me. “You packed for me?”
Cal shook his head. “Father.”
My brow wrinkled. He’d truly known. I searched for him, but the arched stone halls of our home were empty. I’d find him before I left and demand an explanation.
Cal rubbed a hand under his glossy eyes. “I’ll go fetch him. Saints know where he’s wandered to.” Eliza let him go, sending me a soft ghost of a smile. I promised myself I’d find time to speak with her privately before I left, to be certain she held things together in my absence.
The air stilled, and we all turned as, one by one, the ambassadors’ presence filled the entryway, their steps quiet and their backs tall.
The silver fae came first, her steady gaze sweeping the hall, landing on none of us. The dark fae came next, and his eyes did find us, soaking in each face with an expression of such composure and ease, that for a moment I thought we were in his house and not my own. The third came last, stiff and straight, planting himself close to the door and setting his jaw firm.
His gaze never left mine.
I blinked at the sight of them in my home. I’d painted the fae many times in many places, but this was one place I’d never envisioned them. Gaia stood like a meek cat at their side, rolling her ring between her fingers.
“We need to discuss some things before you become our queen,” the silver fae said. “First, your mask.”
I lifted a hand to my cheek. “Do I have to wear one?”
The masks were beautiful, much like something we’d wear for the yearly masquerade. Each one different in its design, and each equally striking. The way it moved with their expressions was curious, like it shared a mind. The masks left generous room around the eyes, but that wasn’t what unnerved me. If I put one on, I’d look like one of them, instead of like myself. A new realm awaited me and a new life. Now a new face.
I wanted something familiar.
The dark fae produced a satchel I hadn’t seen before. I wasn’t entirely certain he hadn’t pulled it out of the air.
“Always,” he replied. My chest fell, but he didn’t appear to take note as he opened the bag. “Guard it with your life. It is a powerful thing to know one’s true face. Never reveal it if you don’t have to.”
The odd wisdom hung in the air, waiting for me to absorb it.
“You three have seen my face.”
He paused, gazing at me as if seeing me for the first time. His eyes were so dark, I might get lost if I looked too long. “We are remedying that now. In our realm, this mask will be your shield. Select a color.”
I kept a hand in Malcom’s as the fae held out his. Five masks sat in his grasp. One more golden than the sun. One as dark as his eyes. One pure white. One blood red. And one striking silver.
My hand led me to the second one. “That one.”
His jaw twitched. “You’re certain?”
