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HAZEL
“It’s only ten people,” my mom said, shaking her head.
“Progress is progress, Vanya,” Nylah replied. “It’sten people. Every life we save from Conjurite magic is worth it. Even if it’s just one life.”
“We need more than that,” my mom said again.
“I know,” Nylah said gently. “But we’ll get there. I understand your impatience. I understand your need to make things right as soon as you can. But we must trust that we’re on the right path. Terra won’t lead us astray.”
My mom sighed and nodded. Nylah, the High Priestess of Jasfin, the woman with direct contact to the Goddess Terra herself, was never wrong when it came to matters like this.
“Ten means we’re doing something right, Mom,” I offered. “If it was only one or two, we could still call it a fluke. But now that we know we’re doing something right, we just have to expand ourreach, if you will.”
It had been months since the war between Palgia and Jasfin had officially ended. The war had left a lot of destruction in its wake, with small towns that had to rebuild, and Fae who had lost their loved ones were still in mourning. But good had come in the months that had followed—events that proved that good prevailed.
Mom had started working with Nylah, training to be a priestess. She was still at the start of her journey, and although her power was strong, she had much to learn. But she showed a lot of potential.
I had healing power, too. It must have come from my mother, passed down through our blood. Nylah was also teaching me how to use it, but I wasn’t going to be a priestess. I didn’t know what I would be yet. My whole life, I’d felt like I was just wandering around, not knowing where I was meant be or what I was meant to do.
Living at the palace with my mom and Ellie, with Nylah teaching us and Rainier and Dex as kind to us as they were, at least I felt like I knew where I belonged.
“You’re right,” Mom finally said. “We are doing something right. It’s just been so long since the war ended, and we still have a whole kingdom filled with people bound by Conjurite magic, and I ache for them.”
I walked to her and hugged her. She was such a beautiful soul, always willing to be there for others, even at her own expense. Learning to be a priestess was the right thing for her—she could help so many people.
“We should go,” Mom told me. “We still have to get dressed before dinner.”
I nodded, and we said our goodbyes to Nylah.
Nylah stayed in the cathedral adjacent to the palace, where she had living quarters of her own, an office where she researched old scrolls and studied prophecies and spent a lot of time in prayer to the Goddess Terra.
Mom and I walked through the palace to our own living quarters. As we walked, I hummed a song she had sung to me since I was a child. Mom hummed along with me, and I felt close to her. Since I’d been born, it had only been the two of us, and we’d fought for our survival, standing side by side no matter what.
Now that we were at the palace, we had support and love from Ellie—my half-sister—and her husband King Rainier, from Nylah and Dex, the king’s general. It was wonderful not to have to fight alone anymore, but the bond I had with my mother would never break.
“I’ll see you at dinner,” Mom said when we stopped at her room.
I nodded and went onto my room alone, locking myself in. My dress was already laid out on the bed, shoes ready, and the jewelry had been chosen. I still had to get used to being waited on hand and foot by servants like this.
Life at the palace was luxurious and nothing like what I was accustomed to. I’d spent a lot of time sleeping under bridges, getting something to eat only every few days, and wearing whatever there was to cover up. Now, I had a soft pillow for my head every night, the finest silk clothing, and three meals a day with family and friends, so that it wasn’t just about eating—we grew closer as we spent quality time together.
Tonight’s dinner was bigger than just a family gathering. We would have guests.
Just thinking about the dinner made me feel sick. Rainier hadn’t hosted a lot of parties and grand balls since the war had been over. We’d all been living in the lap of luxury, but we’d still been isolated from the rest of the world. Tonight, though, we had a guest of honor, and Rainier had pulled out all the stops.
My stomach twisted with nerves.
Instead of getting ready as I should have, I pushed open the French doors that led out to my private garden.
When Ellie had given me this room, the garden had drawn me more than the vast space, the luxury furniture, or the bathroom that was big enough to house a family of four if it had to.
Since then, I’d used my magic to cultivate the garden into a lush sanctuary.
Now, when I stepped through the doors and into the sunlight, I was surrounded by evergreen plants, flowers that burst with color, and a carpet of soft green grass that invited anyone to lay down on it and stare up at the sky.
I walked to a corner where I’d been growing Lettles. The plants had deep green heart-shaped leaves and fine white flowers that looked almost like snow when there were a lot of them put together, but what I liked most about them was the way they sparkled in the sun.
