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“Don’t worry,” she said. “Nothing a little cleaning spell won’t fix. I want to talk.”
Unsure, I sat down. I sank into the seats, and the weariness of fighting overwhelmed me. My body was heavy. I’d fought, but I’d changed shape, too. My nerve endings were raw, and I felt like a stranger in my own skin.
“Did Dex tell you what happened?” I blurted out. “Is that why I’m here? To be studied like some kind of freak?”
Nylah smiled at me, and her eyes were gentle. I wanted to trust her. It was a bad idea—I didn’t trust anyone—but she exuded warmth and kindness, and I wanted to wrap it around me like a blanket.
“You’re not a freak. You’ve been used. The King asked me to find out how and why. That’s all we’re going to do.”
“How?” I asked. It didn’t sound so bad.
“I’m the high priestess. I have access to powerful magic that others do not.”
I nodded slowly. Nothing about her made me feel the urge to turn and run. I wouldn’t have been able to, anyway. My body had given me all it could. I was done.
“Now, let’s see what we can learn, so we can talk to the King, you and I.” She held out her hand. “May I?”
I hesitated. I had a sudden urge to give her my hand, just as she’d asked. I wanted to please her, and I wasn’t sure why. Her power resonated with something inside me I didn’t understand, but I forced my body to remain still.
“What’s your name?” she asked, dropping her hand, seemingly not offended that I didn’t take it.
“Ellie,” I said.
“Ellie,” Nylah repeated, and she smiled. I liked the way she said my name with warmth in her voice. “How did you get here?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
“Okay. We’re going to figure this out, but I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”
“After being thrown into an arena with a beast who wanted to kill me, being accused of the King’s death, and being put in the body of someone else… Why not? What’s the worst that could happen?”
Nylah chuckled. Her voice was like chimes on the wind when she did. “You have fire in you,” she said. “Do you know who I am and what I can do?” she asked.
“You’ve already told me you’re the high priestess, and I’m not quite sure what you can do. I know that you possess powerful magic, but that’s about all.” I knew it because there was no denying her power. I grew up and worked around Fae. I knew what magic felt like. I’d never felt power so strong before.
“That’s right. You understand how the realms work?”
I nodded. I’d heard about it, but as a serving human, I knew very little about the heavenly realms. The Goddess Terra was the source of the Fae power and had breathed life into all beings. The high priestesses were in closer connection to her than the rest of the Fae, and closer than the mere mortals could ever be.
“The heavens have three realms,” Nylah explained. “Our Goddess Terra resides in the Third Realm, which is all around us. She is all-encompassing and our source of power. High priestesses, like me, move in the Second Realm, closest to the Goddess, but once removed. I connect to her in some ways, finding answers that others may not, and hearing from her when there are questions that require answers she might see fit to give us.”
I nodded. Judging by the power rolling off Nylah, it sounded right. I’d never heard it explained like this, but it worked for me.
“The First Realm is where the priestesses and the royal families live. They are above the Fae in power and status, closer to Terra, but not so close that they don’t need me.”
“And where do I come in?” I asked. “Somewhere under all of that, right? A bottom feeder.”
Nylah’s face changed from surprise to sympathy. “You’re too hard on yourself. The humans live with a different belief system. It doesn’t make you less important.”
I didn’t believe her. We lived intheirworld, so how didn’t what the Fae believed apply? We were their slaves, or their workers. If nothing else, we shared the land.
“What we believe means nothing. It’s all about you, the Fae, and what you need. That’s what we’re here for, right?”
She regarded me, and I couldn’t read her expression. I was angry, frustrated, and scared.
“You’ve had a tough life,” she finally said.
“Is there such a thing as a peaceful life for humans in Jasfin?”
