AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When I opened them again, a faint light glowed above the horizon. I glimpsed a flash out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Sorcha standing in the alcove with me. She stared down at the gargoyle and then reached a hand out to touch the statue.
“Fascinating,” she said.
“You should see the statue of the faerie,” I said.
She glanced at me as though noticing me for the first time.
“Fiona sent me,” she said. “It’s time.”
I stood and let the blanket fall onto the bench. I ran my fingers through my hair and looked down at my rumpled clothes.
“I should change,” I said.
Sorcha waved her hand, and when I looked again, I was wearing a long tunic and leggings, similar to what Sorcha wore. She held out her hand to me.
“Come,” she said.
I placed my hand in hers and braced myself for the empty, airless space. But traveling with Sorcha was different. This time it felt like we’d plunged into a tropical sea. When we surfaced, we were standing in a forest.
Sorcha released my hand and began walking along a dirt path. I followed her between the lush, ancient trees coated with lichen and moss. A break in the trees ahead revealed a clearing filled with Fae. Tiny winged faeries hovered and swarmed above the heads of stunningly beautiful males and females, all lean and lanky and dressed in belted tunics and tapered pants in earth tones. Clustered at their feet and atop boulders were squat creatures with long noses, large, pointy ears, and short wings folded tight to their bodies. Everywhere I looked, I found a new type of Fae to admire.
I tried not to stare and gape too much as Sorcha and I edged around the gathering crowd to join Liam and Arabella next to a glimmering pool at the foot of a rushing waterfall. They stood shoulder to shoulder staring out over the still waters toward the falls. I hoped this meant that they’d resolved their differences. It would make what I was about to do a lot easier.
I stepped beside Liam. He reached for my hand without looking over at me, and my fingers interlaced with his. Sorcha left us standing there and continued walking to a large boulder near the edge of the pool. She stopped at the foot of the boulder and turned to face the crowd. Then she held up her hands to silence those gathered behind us in the clearing.
A hush fell over the assembled Fae. The sound of the waterfall filled the air, broken only by the chirp of a bird or the wind in the treetops above. Two figures appeared near the base of the falls and walked arm in arm around the edge of the still pool. As they approached, I recognized Fiona on the arm of a much older Fae male with bushy white hair and a long white beard. He led her to the boulder, and stopped next to Sorcha.
Sorcha began speaking in a language I couldn’t understand. I guessed it was the language of the Fae, the same language she’d used when she’d spoken with Liam back in Edric’s dungeons. Fiona bowed her head, and the male produced a staff similar to the one Liam had tucked into Flida’s arms after she’d passed.
The old Fae handed the staff to Sorcha, who held it up for all those gathered to see. She said something, and they responded in unison. Then she tapped Fiona’s shoulders with the staff and presented it to her. Fiona accepted the offering and turned to face the gathering. The male reached up and placed an iron crown atop her head. The band was a simple design, made to look like a series of twisted and braided vines.
Fiona let Sorcha and the male help her step up onto the boulder. When she reached the top, she held the staff high and said something. I couldn’t understand her words, but I sensed the emotion behind them. Liam gripped my hand in reaction, then released it when she finished speaking so he could clap and cheer with the crowd.
As the cheering died down, Arabella stepped forward. She knelt at the base of the boulder and bowed to her queen. Fiona descended to stand before Arabella and receive the first Oath from her Sworn.
When Arabella finished speaking, Fiona bent and kissed her forehead. Then Arabella stood and took her place at Fiona’s side. The cheering resumed in response.
With the roar of the crowd in my ears, I stepped forward. Liam hissed, and his fingers brushed my arm as he reached for me, but I moved too fast for him to react. In a moment, I had taken Arabella’s place, kneeling at Fiona’s feet. The assembled Fae fell silent. I didn’t know the proper words, so I improvised.
“I swear my life and my loyalty to the Queen of the Fae.” My heart hammered as I waited for her response.
“This is your decision?”
“It is.”
“Then I accept you as Sworn to the Fae Court.” She bent and placed a kiss on my forehead. Then I stood and found a place next to Arabella.
The Fae in the clearing whispered and clapped but didn’t cheer.
Liam stared at me across the grass. While he hesitated, Sorcha came forward to swear her Oath. I still couldn’t understand a word being spoken, but it didn’t matter. I’d made my decision, and now I had to wait while Liam made his. While Sorcha knelt, Liam never took his eyes off mine. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking; I only wondered what he would decide.
Once Sorcha stood and stepped aside, Liam looked away, locking eyes with Fiona. He took a tentative step forward, paused, then closed the remaining distance. He glanced once more at me before kneeling at Fiona’s feet.
After Liam stood, Fiona addressed the gathering again. Then she turned and retraced her path around the pool toward the base of the waterfall. Arabella fell into step behind her queen. Liam, Sorcha, and I followed. The old Fae remained behind, and the Fae who had gathered to see the coronation began to disburse.
When we reached the base of the waterfall, Liam pulled me aside.
“Why did you do that?” he asked.
