AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What scared me more than anything wasn’t the magic. It was that, in the dream, I’d been the Alina everyone expected. I’d felt her resolve. Whatever she’d been doing, her action hadn’t only been for the fae but for the entire realm. Now I wasn’t so sure I was the wrong girl, not anymore. Which made my head want to implode.
“What happened?” she asked, bringing me back to the present. “Your eyes glazed over, and you wouldn’t respond. The only reason I even knew you were somewhat conscious was that I watched the plants form a chair to prevent you from falling. You said you had a dream?”
“Yeah.” Then I told her everything I’d seen. As my story progressed, her expression became more and more strained. Once I reached the end, I asked, “What’s wrong?”
She rubbed her temples. “I don’t think that was a dream. I think that was a memory of your life before. The violet-haired woman sounds like Abba, the priestess of Terrea, who speaks and acts on the instructions of Mother Terrea, the goddess of our world. The chalice sounds like part of the sacrifice you and one woman from each of the other lands in Terrea made to save all the realms.”
The urge to run the fuck away soared through me again. Training had depleted my excess energy, but learning I could actually be Alina petrified me more than the thought of dying. I didn’t want that responsibility or burden. I wanted to go back in time and not go to Vegas. I’d give anything to be at the community gym, teaching teenagers how to protect themselves.
“Ivy, I know that look.” Maeve mashed her lips together. “Running away is the worst thing you could do. Believe me. All you’ll find is trouble, especially when everyone hunts for you. You can’t fly, and Talamh isn’t huge. Besides, we’ve sparred every day, and you’re getting better. Your speed and reflexes are improving, which will serve you well with everything we’ve gone over.”
“Not good enough. And I never asked for any of this.” I didn’t want what they said to be true. It had to be a dream, maybe some sort of magic juju they’d done to make me believe. “I don’t want to be a prisoner.”
I’d hoped that maybe I could run away and be free. But Maeve was right. For whatever reason, the fae would hunt me. Orla because she viewed me as a threat—I could see it in the way she looked at me—and the High Court because they did not want to appear as if they weren’t in control. Maybe that was why they forced people to kill one another to be part of their club.
Maeve hung her head. “You have no idea how many times we had this same conversation when you were here before, but unfortunately, the responsibility still falls on you. At least, in this life, the queenship doesn’t depend on you.”
Tensing, I tilted my head, observing her. “Wait. Are you saying you believe I’m her and that you were here to have those conversations with former me?”
She nodded. “Since I was half human and weak, Dad trained me to be a superior warrior. Over two hundred complete season cycles ago, I joined the guard here, and I was assigned to train you to protect yourself. Royals, especially the rightful ruling monarch, have many enemies and need to be prepared to defend themselves, even with guards. Fae are ruthless creatures when they covet power.”
Here I’d thought humankind was the worst of the worst.
“We were friends, weren’t we?” That had to be why she’d waited for me my first night here.
“Eh, more like we came to respect one another.” She smiled sadly.
That I hadn’t expected. “What do you mean?”
She adjusted her bow across her armor, a tic that revealed she was uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if messing with a weapon was an assertion of power that served as a reminder she was dangerous or if she needed a reason to avert her eyes without appearing passive.
“Summer Fae aren’t big fans of halflings. They prefer purebreds and perfect powers, not diluted magic. However, my dad was respected here as a High Fae, and he got me a job as a guard. You didn’t like me, but because I was the best, you accepted that I was your lead guard. Eventually, you saw beyond my human half and asked me for advice from time to time. We’d meet here in secret for those conversations, so I knew it was a place you favored to hide and take a breath without someone watching you.” She shrugged. “When our training got tense, you were afraid you’d fail, and you couldn’t bear the thought.”
Lovely. I’d been arrogant. That had to be a trait all fae had. “I’m sorry.” The words slipped from my mouth. If I hadn’t known better, it would’ve sounded like I was admitting to being Alina. “Even if I’m not her, no one should ever make you feel unworthy.” I touched her arm, and she looked into my eyes. “I know you said not to thank you, so I won’t. But know that in our short time together, you’ve been the closest thing I’ve had to a friend here, and you’re the only person I trust.”
Her bottom lip quivered as she lifted her chin. “I think warmly of you as well, but I’m sorry is as detrimental as thank you here. Never say either phrase again.” She cleared her throat. “We both should go to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and you’ll need your rest. Even when you aren’t fighting, you’ll need to pay attention to your competitors and surroundings. You’ll never be safe.”
I hoped this wasn’t her version of a pep talk. If so, we needed to work on her skills. “I’ll see you in the morning?”
“At the stone circle.” She patted my arm then left, going deeper into the garden.
When she vanished, the blue lights swirled around me. I could feel the energy of their buzzing deep within my soul. The concern inside me receded some, and I forced myself to go back to my bedroom.
The next morning, I hurried to the stone circle. Maeve always beat me there, and I questioned if she ever slept.
This morning, Lilidh dressed me in armor. I wasn’t sure that I preferred it to the training leather. The armor was a dark gold, similar to Maeve’s, but mine had leaves woven into it. When I breathed deeply, my chest pressed against the metal, and sweat was already pooling at the nape of my neck. Wearing it while the sun beamed on me heated my skin uncomfortably.
A whooshing startled me. It reminded me of a bird’s flapping wings, but … bigger.
A lump formed in my throat.
Maeve had mentioned I’d be fighting someone who could fly, so I looked skyward.
Sure enough, Dallas was there. Despite the distance, our eyes met. Then he wrapped his wings around himself and dropped toward me.
I had no clue how to fight that—which was the point—so I went with my gut. I removed my bow from my body and nocked an arrow. When I aimed at Dallas, he was about one hundred yards away from me and closing in fast, so I did my best and loosed the arrow.
As soon as the arrow left my fingertips, I grabbed another one, nocking it as I watched the first arrow hit him in the arm.
