Chapter 14
Iwoke to birds chirping cheerily in the treetops and sunlight filtering through the canopy. I reached over to Forrest, my fingers brushing against his arm as it lay across his chest. His body was warm, and his breaths were slow and even. His other arm wrapped around my shoulders, holding me close.
Judging by the height of the sun, it was already mid-morning. I pushed myself up from Forrest’s embrace, checking over the fire, which had died in the night. Nocturna and Astra were gone, likely wandering the forest, terrorizing the small creatures of this new realm.
Wrapping my arms around my legs and resting my chin on my knees, I let out a contented sigh. Beside me, Forrest stirred. I watched over my shoulder as he stretched, shaking off the vestiges of his sleep. He sat up beside me, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
I reached over and tousled his hair. “Good morning. How was your sleep?”
A large yawn escaped him as he turned to me. “It was all right, for sleeping on a forest floor…” He trailed off as he made eye contact with me. His brows furrowed in confusion.
“What is it? Do I have something on my face?” I asked as I patted my cheeks, looking for whatever had caught his attention.
He rubbed his eyes and looked at me again. “It’s your eyes. They aren’t the same colour anymore.”
“Very funny. But seriously, do I have drool or something onmy face?” The pitch of my voice increased as I watched Forrest’s concerned expression remain unchanged.
“No, I’m being serious, Aurelia. Your eyes have changed colour.”
I reached over to my pack and hurriedly fished out the small mirror I had packed among my healing supplies. Looking into the small compact was a familiar set of eyes, with only a slight difference. My unique lavender-grey irises were now a dull, steely grey. A subtle difference, but a change nonetheless. My fingers gently touched my cheekbones, as if my hands were uncertain of what was staring back at me.
A twig snapped nearby, and then another. Forrest sat up, alert. I tossed my compact back into my pack and eyed the forest, my heart racing.
“Forrest,” I whispered, grabbing his leg. “I think someone’s here.”
The muted sound of boots stomping through the damp underbrush and moss carried through the clearing, drawing closer to us with every passing second. As Forrest and I stood, the bushes ahead of us parted, and five large figures clad in silver armour, draped in luxurious emerald cloaks, stepped through, silent and imposing. Their breastplates were all adorned with matching sigils—a golden sun setting over verdant hills, situated above azure waves. Their large, deathly swords were drawn but not raised.
Their leader, a large fae man with hardened brown eyes and silver hair, stepped forward, bowing his head to Forrest. “Prince Sterling,” he said brusquely, rising. “By order of His Majesty King Julian, we are to return you to the Citrine Palace immediately.”
Forrest froze, his hand instinctively touching his head. “I… what?” he murmured.
The guard looked at Forrest, concerned. “Come now, Your Highness. It’s time to return you home.” He eyed me up warily.
Forrest hesitated, words escaping him completely.
I stepped in front of him to shield him. “He’s had an accident.I found him a few weeks ago, injured in the forest near my home. He appeared to have been attacked, and as a result, he has suffered some amnesia.”
The guard took several steps toward Forrest and me, a look of cold calculation now replacing the concern.
Taking a step back, closer to Forrest, I held my hand up to the guard. “Please let me finish explaining what’s happened before you make any snap judgments.”
“Proceed,” the guard ordered, gesturing at me to continue.
“Where I come from, I’m a healer. So I brought Forrest—uh, I mean, Prince Sterling back to my home to care for him.”
I didn’t think now was the time to go into every minute detail of what I had found that night—that the form I had seen Forrest in was not his present one but a fox, and that he had been tied up with what I assumed were magic-infused chains.
“And where exactly is it that you come from, healer?” the guard asked.
I hesitated for a moment, knowing that where I had come from, and subsequently where Forrest had been found, was going to complicate this discussion further. “The village I’m from is called Shadow’s Gate.”
The guard looked unimpressed at my answer. “I’ve never heard of Shadow’s Gate. Where is that?”
A lump formed in my throat, making my next words all the more difficult. “It’s a small village located in the Umbra Valley.”
A look of irritation was now present on the guard’s face, as if this small bit of information still meant nothing to him.
I took a deep breath before forcing the words out. “It’s in the human realm,” I mumbled, staring at the ground. Unexpected waves of embarrassment rolled over me at the confession.
