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But I can’t do any of that. And there’s no time to think of another option. There’s only one choice.

I leap off the isle.

Air hurtles up at me, blowing my hair back and drying my eyes. My stomach’s gone so far past my throat, I don’t think I have one anymore. Every nerve in my body is screaming at me to stop this but I can’t.

Farron’s right below me. His arms are splayed, silken clothing flapping in the wind like his own wings. There’s a serene smile on his face as he blinks up at me.

Horror, hot and sour, floods through me, but I have to push it down. Farron. I need to get to him. Fighting the wind, I force my head down, feet up, and tuck my arms and legs tight to my body, trying to angle myself as vertically as possible. My speed picks up, and tears stream from my eyes. Farron’s billowing clothes and wide stance have slowed his descent. I can catch him.

Gritting my teeth, I spread out my arms. Farron reaches for me. We crash together, spiraling, hands clawing for purchase.

I loop my arms around his waist, the impact of our bodies making our descent feel more frenzied. But this one point of contact with him steadies me enough. There’s no time to waste. Trying to see over our flapping clothes and wild hair, I scan the open air. We passed so many islands on our way up…

There. A small isle in the distance. I fling my arm out, holding on to Farron with the other, and feel the grip of a briar sink itself into the stone. I whip it toward me⁠—

But we’re careening too fast, the briar darting uselessly above us. Okay, okay, okay, I just have to try again. I have to try⁠—

Farron grabs my face, forcing me to stare at him. He wears an all-too-tranquil expression. “There’s more to you, Rosalina. There’s always been more to you. You are part of Airaleth.”

“What?”

“Look inside!” he calls, then pushes hard on my shoulders, sending me tumbling away from him. “And fly!”

“Farron!” I scream.

What is he doing? What is he talking about? I need to save us! Why won’t he let me save us?

But there’s such a peaceful expression on his face as he falls next to me.

He knows I will save us. He believes in me.

Now I need to too.

Fly.

I may not be my mother, but her blood surges through my veins. The fae parts of me were concealed for so long. What if there’s more to me?

What if I was meant to…

“Fly!” I scream the words and, in the same moment, reach for that deep magic. Not the magic of my briars or my white flames or my healing powers. And not for the heavy and ancient magic of transformation that I’ve used before.

No, this is something stronger than that. Something beyond magic. Something that’s part of my bones and my blood.

This is ancestry.

And I’m not afraid of it anymore.

It’s as if fireworks are being lit across my back. A bright glimmer shines all around. A weight tugs on me, and I’m yanked upward. Gusts of air caress my cheek and tremble over my arms, my shoulders, my…

My wings.

I look behind me to see a large, golden set of wings, tapered like a butterfly’s and glowing as if lit from within. They’re translucent, but patterns run across them like falling rose petals.

Oh my goodness. If only the residents of Orca Cove could see me now. The O’Connells and their fairy stories indeed.

Farron’s laughter shakes me back to my free-falling present. His serene expression has split into a beaming smile. “A leap of faith! What did I say? That’s right, Rosalina!”

A shaky smile appears on my own face. But wings or not, we’re still plummeting. I close my eyes and focus my breathing. It’s a part of you. Like your briars became a part of you.