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“I’m sorry.” Though I didn’t know Maeve well, I felt like we were becoming friends. Maybe that was because she was half human.
She continued fidgeting with her bow, which wasn’t like her. I’d made her uncomfortable.
I needed to change the subject. “What’s my biggest weakness in the tournament? My lack of magic?”
“No.” She looked up at me. “We’ve worked on that. Your greatest weakness is the one thing I can’t prepare you for, but we’ll train with Dallas on it in the morning.”
My stomach dropped. “You haven’t trained me on something? The tournament is tomorrow!”
“We had to get the basics down, and though they’re still not perfect, you’ve gotten a lot better. Tomorrow, you’ll fight Dallas while he flies and uses his magic against you.”
My heart leaped into my throat. “How many fae can fly?” Here, I’d been feeling not quite as panicked, and now I’d learned that Orla wasn’t the only one who could fucking fly.
“All the High Fae, which will be every person in the Comortas.” Maeve stretched out her arms. “Only High Fae are eligible to enter the tournament. You should have wings too—that’s one reason I keep kicking you like I have been—but they haven’t appeared.”
Could this get any worse? I was slower and unmagical. Now, we’d added wingless to the mix.
“Which is why you should go to bed and rest.” Maeve walked over and placed a hand on my arm. “The odds are stacked against you, but when our land was dying, you faced worse odds and came out on top. I believe in you, and I’ll be there every step of the way possible.”
I started to get flustered, but then my vision went black.
Chapter Eight
As the darkness merged around me, light flashed like a strobe. Colors blended and swirled, and I found myself transported to a place I’d never visited before.
A woman stood in front of a pond, her lavender gaze locked on mine as she held out a golden chalice. Her bright-violet curls contrasted with the magical blue glow of the water and the white gown she wore.
I moved toward her, my heels clicking against the stone floor, my lungs burning as if I were drowning. My heart pounded faster, and my mind screamed at me to run, but my legs carried me forward.
Taking the chalice from the woman, I said, “In gratitude for all you’ve done, I offer warmth and sun in return. Take my magic and balance our world.” The words were foreign to me, but they hit deep within my soul.
As I lifted the chalice to my lips and sipped the cool, refreshing liquid, a rosy crystal on the chalice flashed. I took the crystal between my thumb and finger and tugged, removing a short dagger. I held it tightly, but before I could see beyond the priestess, darkness surrounded me once more.
“Ivy.” Maeve’s voice sounded thick with concern. “Alina.”
My body jerked, and I blinked as the garden came back into focus. Maeve was squatting in front of me, hands on my shoulders, shaking me.
I clutched my head, trying to understand what the hell had happened. As I straightened in my seat, my hand brushed against vines and leaves.
What the?—
Glancing down, I found myself sitting on a seat of plants in the midst of flowers, vines, and dirt. My heart dropped into my stomach, and I jumped to my feet. When I turned to assess the damage to the flowers, my pulse skipped a beat.
It looked as if the plants had parted around me, protecting the flowers, but as I stepped back, vines with thick leaves shifted to where I’d been seconds ago. Right before my eyes, the plants moved, returning to their original places, and the seat disappeared.
“Did you do that?” I stared, trying to understand what I’d seen. Maeve had used her magic when we’d fought, but nothing to that degree. She must have been holding back.
“That was all you.” Maeve moved up beside me, staring at the spot I’d been sitting in. “The plants wrapped around you when you …” She sighed and shrugged. “When you did whatever the winter you just did, and then they eased you into the seat you made. Are you okay?”
I snorted. That was a loaded question with so many possible answers. “Let’s see. A freaky vision hit me while I was wide awake, and I woke up with plants that created a seat for me. And the first thing I was concerned with was whether I’d injured a flower. I’m pretty sure that’s the opposite of okay, but hey, I’m alive … for now.”
She arched a brow. “None of that is funny, and you use the strangest gestures and words sometimes.” She waved at the plants as if I might have forgotten what had happened just moments ago. “And look, this is a good thing. Your magic must be returning.”
“Good?” I flailed my hands. “I’m not sure that’s the word I’d use. Even if I did do it, it happened while I was unconscious.”
“You have to start somewhere, and at least it’s returning.” She crossed her arms and stared me down, challenging me to contradict her.
Stan popped into my head, and my chest ached. Had he been here, he’d tell me not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He loved dropping Southern aphorisms at every opportunity.
