Page 19 of Fae Trials

Sicily wouldn’t have wished me to become a half-blood. She was more likely to transport me to live with the Lumberjacks of Switzerland. This had to be the work of the dark faerie who had cursed me with his dying breath.

Forcing down a mouthful of scrambled eggs, I shook my head and sighed. If the bargain was never struck, the dark faeries didn’t have the right to hold Sicily.

About ten minutes later, a tall faerie with white hair flowing down the front of his royal blue robes like a scarf swept into sight. He stood behind the bars, examining me with soft, mauve eyes.

I straightened. “Can you help me, I’m a human—”

“My name is Osamund Gladiolus,” he said in a voice louder than mine. “I’m the admissions officer for the Royal Fae Academy and here to assess your suitability for remedial classes.”

I dropped my croissant onto its plate. “There’s been a mistake. Last night—”

He held up his hand, making me clamp my mouth shut. “I’ve spoken at length with the King’s Guard and researched your predicament.”

“Alright,” I said, trying to keep the shake out of my voice. “Did you find out how to break the curse?”

He grimaced, as though what he was about to say would be awkward. “They checked the human census, and there’s no entry of a Unity or Sicily Quayle.”

“That can’t be right—”

“Kieran Quayle and Kathleen Quayle née Diorval didn’t have children.”

I frowned. “But—”

“And the address you gave the guards is occupied by a Mrs. Florence Yates and her two daughters, Cecily and Eunice.”

I shook my head. “Mrs. Yates never had children.”

The human girl from before scurried into my cell and placed a pile of clothes on my bed. A glance at the items told me it was the Royal Fae Academy uniform of a white shirt, a wine-and-violet tartan skirt, and a matching tie.

My heart sank into my stomach, which threatened to throw up its contents. I couldn’t see any way back to my former life. “The dark faerie must have altered reality.”

“Nonsense,” said Gladiolus. “Any fae powerful enough to perform such heinous acts are locked safely away in a prison within the Otherworld. You are clearly the product of a Fae Lord’s liaison with a human who has been deemed unfit to bear your father’s name.”

“Then why do I remember my human life?” I blurted. “My sister’s out there—”

“Enchanted memories, my dear girl. There was no sister and no human existence.” He sighed with a depth of sorrow unusual for a fae. “Unfortunately, the higher the rank, the more complete the casting-out. Be fortunate that your Lord father only altered your memories. Some in your position aren’t permitted to live.”

“No.” I clapped a hand to my chest.

Gladiolus waved his fingers, and magic penetrated my skin. It wasn’t the suffocating sensation of the dark fae’s dying curse, but a gentle tingling.

He stared down at me like he was trying to solve a complicated puzzle. My skin crawled, and I shrank into my tightening stomach. Anyone associated with the Royal Fae Academy had to be powerful, right? Maybe he would see the truth of my existence and point me in the right direction to find Sicily.

After several moments, he whispered, “Fascinating.”

“Sir?” My throat flexed.

“I can’t reach your inner core, which suggests that your power was bound by an individual much stronger than I.”

“Do you think it’s because I never had any kind of fairy magic?”

He continued as though I hadn’t spoken. “With a year or two of remedial classes, you should be able to ease out enough power to mate and bear magical children.”

“But I need to find my sister.”

“You need to face the truth of your fabricated memories.” He placed his hands on his hips and rocked back and forth on his heels. “Young ladies with the appearance of a royal fae but without an ounce of power cannot secure appropriate mates. At best, you’ll be a Lord’s plaything, and at worst, you could end up working in a brothel.”

I slid off the bed. Talking to this faerie wasn’t getting me anywhere. If I wanted to find Sicily, I’d have to infiltrate their world. “If I join your academy, can I go inside the Mound?”