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PROLOGUE
“What say you, Rian?”
“I’ve never lain with this woman. You are judging the wrong person. I stand by my innocence.” Rian’s heart hammered in his chest, and he narrowed his eyes at the crowd, searching for anything unusual. Did the true culprit lie hidden in the audience, watching as the High Court of the Danula Fae handed down a sentence to an innocent man?
His own people had turned on him.
Rian, as head of magicks training for the Earth Fae, was standing trial for allegedly having an affair with the wife of one of the Royal Fae. It wasn’t true, not even close, and the unfairness of the situation he now found himself in made his stomach burn. It was a wrongdoing to lay with another’s fated mate, and the crime was often punishable by the stripping of one’s powers. However, when it came to the royals, the price was much higher.
Exile.
Now, Rian faced having to leave his family, his homeland, and his people – all because someone had supposedly seen him near the royal’s home when the crime was discovered. The evidence was tenuous at best, and Rian wanted to scream as the supposed witness stood up before the court.
The hearing took place deep in the bowels of the castle of the Danula Fae, the rulers of the various factions of the Elemental Fae, so that should any punishment need to be administered quickly, the convicted would have no option for escape. White marble walls with no windows, high ceilings, and gleaming gold light fixtures highlighted the starkness of the room. Long benches lay in three rows in front of a large gold table where the judging committee met to overhear cases. Rian’s eyes lit on one woman in the audience, and his breath caught in his throat.
She was furiously, stunningly beautiful.
And if looks could kill, well, Rian would be eviscerated on the spot.
A hammered gold circlet of leaves held back shining brown curls that tumbled over her shoulders, and green silk caressed her softly curved body. Eyes the color of her dress glared at him, and Rian could feel her anger from across the room. Judged and found guilty, Rian realized. It was a good thing this woman wasn’t on the committee, or he’d likely be put to his death.
She was Terra, leader of the Earth Fae, and Rian had only ever seen her from afar. Unlike other factions of Fae, where rulers were ever present in daily life, Terra took a more nuanced approach, preferring to lead with a soft touch from the forests that surrounded their castle. She wasn’t one for pomp and circumstance, and now, seeing how she commanded attention even while sitting silently in the audience, Rian understood that he’d grossly underestimated the power she wielded. He wondered who this royal philanderer was to her.
A sob drew his attention, and his stomach twisted. Rian’s mother sat, her arms clutched around her frail body, tears streaming down her cheeks. While she believed his story, wholeheartedly, they both understood that the royals always got what they wanted. Whatever secretive agenda was at play here would unfold as they saw fit, no matter what lives they sacrificed in doing so. Rage slid more deeply through him, becoming sinister and dark, as he was commanded to stand.
“Any final words, Rian, Ruler of Magicks?” This from the head of council, a man that Rian did not know, whose face remained placid as though he was asking after the weather.
“I did not commit this crime you’ve accused me of. I’m an honest man, a proud Earth Fae, and I live a humble life in service to my mother. I’m all she has, you understand. I would never do anything to jeopardize my position in caring for her.” Rian infused his voice with sincerity, though the sticky anger that clung to him made him want to shout. “There is no crime to be walking down a street at night. You’ve accused the wrong man, and I beg of you to reconsider your accusations … or…”
“Or what?” The council leader raised his chin, a considering light in his eyes.
“You’ll regret the day you exiled the wrong man.” The anger won out, and a frigid wave swept the room at his words, causing the crowd to gasp as a sheet of ice coated the gold high table. Rian saw his mother close her eyes, and he knew, in that moment, that he’d let his emotions decide his future. Perhaps if he had managed to hide the level of his powers, or the depth of his rage, he would have walked out a free man.
Tempering who he was had never been his strong suit.
“We don’t take kindly to threats.” The council leader sniffed and turned to the others, who all nodded their heads. “Rian, Earth Fae and Ruler of Magicks, you are found guilty and exiled from our lands at once. You may have a moment to say goodbye to your mother.”
Iron cuffs slipped around his wrists, binding his magick and stinging his skin. Rian didn’t care about the burn, no, it was the only thing he could feel at the moment as his anger threatened to overtake him. A guard stepped forward and took his arm, drawing him from the stand and toward his mother.
“Rian.” Aster, a slim woman with steely determination, wrapped her arms around him. As her tears soaked his tunic, Rian’s heart broke into a thousand pieces only to be soldered with ice. Aster was sick, and they both knew this was more than a goodbye-for-now.
This would be the last time he saw his mother alive.
“I will avenge this,” Rian whispered into her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“Don’t, Rian. For what purpose? I’ll be…” Aster lifted tired eyes to his. “Promise me you’ll seek your happiness. Wherever you land. There’s more to this world than the Fae realms, and you may very well live a happy and fulfilled life elsewhere. Promise me you’ll try.”
“I … how can I make that promise? This is wrong. What they’re doing iswrong,” Rian protested.
“And I’ll continue to fight for you here, darling. I won’t let this go, and if it’s the last thing I do … I’ll try to get you home. But in the meantime, I can’t… I can’t go on if I know you’re unhappy. You’ve always been a bright boy, strong, and you’ve brought so much joy to my life. Promise me you’ll try?” Aster clung to him as the guard tugged his arm.
“I… I promise, Mother. I’ll do my best to find happiness.”Which will come from seeking vengeance.He bit his tongue as his mother leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek.
“May love carry you in strength,” Aster whispered.
“May love carry you in strength,” Rian repeated. The guard pulled him away.
“Rian,” Aster said. He turned, his eyes locking on hers.
