AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A part of me wondered if she knew the rules of our realm. Her words held great power even if she didn’t live in the Land of the Fae. She’d have to keep her promise no matter what.
“You do realize what you’re asking, right?” I said, regarding her curiously.
Lerissa nodded mutely, her face charred and blistered from the fire’s flames. “I’ll do anything to get away from this fire. Besides, there isn’t much I know.”
I extended my hand, knowing that was how humans usually sealed deals. “I promise to help you,” I announced.
When Lerissa hesitated for a moment, I wiggled my fingers invitingly, daring her to seal the promise. She finally grasped my hand and looked me in the eyes. “I promise, too.”
A warm energy ran from my palm into hers when our skin connected, healing her blistered and burned body until it was as good as new. Lerissa gasped and stepped back in shock, staring at her healed hands with wide eyes.
Aidan put out the blaze with ease and Lerissa sighed in relief. “Thank you,” she whispered gratefully to Aidan and me. Then turning to me again, she asked, “How did you heal me?”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s one of the gifts I was given.”
She smiled knowingly and looked around at the destruction left behind by the fire. Bending down, I placed a hand gently on the ground and sent my healing magic through the land. The burnt ground turned back into bright green grass with a ring of colorful flowers.
Lerissa watched with fascination. “Must be nice to be royal.”
I smirked and stepped back up to her. “It has its advantages. Now back to the question you didn’t want to answer. Who do you think the siren is?”
Lerissa’s happiness faded and she hung her head. “This is hard for me. I haven’t spoken any of this out loud . . . ever. My own mother doesn’t know what’s going on.” She blew out a sigh and glanced over at Aidan before turning back to me. “When I started feeling the magic pulling me here, I thought it was a sign. I’ve wanted to find a way for my family to get out of the mortal realm for years. There was a time when we lived in the Land of the Fae. I wanted to see how we could make that happen again.” She averted her gaze to the ground and blew out a shaky breath. “There’s only one person who has the power to do that, and I have a feeling she’s the one I’ve been searching for.”
My pulse quickened and Aidan’s eyes widened. I wanted to hear Lerissa say the name.
“Who?” I asked.
Lerissa lifted her gaze to mine. “Diawen. She’s my grandmother.”
Chapter17
Lia
That was it. That was the name I wanted to hear.
Lerissa’s face darkened with realization and her brows furrowed like a storm cloud gathering on her forehead.
“Something tells me you’ve already heard that name before,” she said, her words slow and measured.
“We have,” I said, nodding. “She’s the one who created the Tyvar. And if she’s here, she’s the one I need to find. She has something of mine.” I stepped closer, my voice growing quiet and serious. “And you are going to help me find her.”
Lerissa drew herself up, lifting her chin defiantly. “I promised to help you, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let you hurt my family. I may not have met my great-great- however many greats, grandmother, but she’s still family to me. I need her help.”
“So do I,” I agreed. “Her being dead doesn’t do me any good, so if what I’m thinking is correct, she has two of my men with her for some unknown reason. I’m going to need her help to break the Tyvar curse and as she’s the one who made it, she should know how to break it as well.”
Lerissa cocked her head to the side, her gaze narrowing as she sized me up. “Fine. I’ll help you find my grandmother, but in exchange for my help, I need you to keep me safe and permit me to stay in this land while we search. From what I’ve heard, no one of my kind is welcome here.”
“I will keep you safe,” I said in a low voice. “But if you so much as try to turn on me in any way, I will kill you. Don’t mistake my niceness for weakness.”
Lerissa held up her hands in surrender. “I never thought you were nice to begin with,” she said dryly, “not with watching my skin about to bubble off my bones.”
Aidan came to my side, his expression serious as he studied Lerissa. “We want to find your grandmother to break the Tyvar curse and you want to find her to conspire a way to live within our land. Where exactly do you plan on that being if she finds a way? Glimmerglass Lake has dried up.”
Lerissa’s face paled and she bit her lip. “I was really hoping that question wouldn’t be asked. And, of course, I can’t lie to you.” Aidan’s eyes shifted to his dragon and she stepped back, releasing a shaky breath. “Whatever you do, just keep your fire away from me. I’ll tell you the truth, but I know it won’t do anything in this case.” She huffed and glanced at us both. “There’s one place my family has dreamed of going to. We’ve heard of its beauty and its vast oceans.” A knowing look passed across Aidan’s face, and I already had a feeling I knew where she was talking about.
Aidan chuckled darkly and shook his head. “The Summer Court.” Lerissa bit her lip and looked away. Aidan’s smile faded and he huffed. “Diawen just lured two innocent elves to their deaths in just a day. No matter how powerful she is, she won’t have enough magic to get past our defenses or convince any of the fae to let your people stay. My family and I control what goes in and out of our courts, not her.”
Lerissa nodded slowly. “I know. All of the summer courts are out of the question, especially with you, your parents, and your sister being dragons. As you can see, fire is what sirens are most afraid of.”
