It retreated, but the fae remained. He crouched beside me. The metal hilt of the dagger fell from my grip, it clanged against the rocks.
I braced myself against the tree and rose with my feet planted firmly on the ground.
My eyes sharpened on the fae’s.
“Who are you?” He scanned me.
“Aelira,” I uttered my name without the title.
He braced my injured arm. I flinched, pulling away from him. The blood spiraled down my arm as I stumbled.
A strip of shredded fabric dangled from my dress. I tore it free. A groan escaped my lips as the fabric flopped about, resisting me as I tried to cover my wound.
“It has to be cleaned, or it’ll get infected,” he said.
He pulled the wrap off and rinsed my arm with water from his flask. I fought to stay silent as my teeth caught on my lip. He laid his hands on my shoulders, easing me back into the tree. “You should thank the stars. It could have chosen to kill you.”
I saw his golden light. Remembered how he stepped aside to give it a clearer path.
“You were going to let it?” I tucked the loose hair that fell from my braid behind my ears. His eyes fixated on them for a moment.
“I couldn’t stop it. If I had tried harder, it may have chosen differently.”
“You were letting it choose my fate?”
“The sylkren have an innate sense of good and evil. Fae stand on their own if they are worthy.” He tied the clean side of my dress bandage around my arm. He pressed firmly around the bandage. “It seems Lythira hadn’t decided on you yet.”
“Because I’m human?”
“You’re not just human. Only fae can cross the divide.” He sneered. “Tell me who you really are and why you are here.”
He knew I had crossed, but I hadn’t seen him anywhere once I had. My legs buckled and I collapsed. With a ragged inhale, I pulled myself up to sit.
“Tell me now,” he commanded.
I flinched. A decision had to be made. I could continue being only Aelira, or I could speak the truth. His glare cut through me as if he already knew.
“I am Princess Aelira of Bailoc.”
His head shook. “No…” He assessed the divide. It pulsed just as it had on the other side, swaying with the wind. “That’s impossible. You can’t be.” He ran his hands through his dark curls, causing them to fall from the leather strand that tied them back.
I took a sip from my water flask. “I assure you, that is exactly who I am.”
“Who sent you?” His nostrils flared and his brow furrowed.
“No one.” I stood, this time notfaltering.
“The King of Bailoc doesn’t know you’re here?” His eyes widened.
It was a dangerous game.
I told him who I was and implied no one was coming for me.
“I’m sure he knows…by now.” Every muscle clenched as pain radiated through me.
A smirk crept across his face. It made my stomach churn.
“They weren’t expecting you to go missing today?”
