Chapter 54 – Raelyn
Chapter Fifty-Four
RAELYN
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sera asks for what feels like the millionth time.
“I’m fine . . . just a little uncomfortable.”
And devastated. Broken. Betrayed. It’s starting to feel as if none of my parents ever cared about me; I was just a means to an end for all of them.
To my adoptive—or should I say thieving—father, I was a means of revenge.
To my real father, I was a means of escape.
All so he could be free and find his way back to perhaps the only true love of his life—my real mother.
Will he try to steal her from the paradise of Celestia or find a way to join her?
I don’t even know if such a thing is possible, but the gods’ ways are mysterious.
I suppose I’m about to figure that out . . . if I ever make it out of here.
Light flickers above but hardly reaches me, though anything is better than the pitch-black I sat in for hours and hours.
When I heard Sera’s and Alex’s voices, I cried with relief.
Perhaps I’m too harsh on the sun god. I was only alone here for a few hours and felt madness creeping in—he’d been trapped for nearly three decades.
My mind goes back to the memories Kyros showed me.
My mother’s love for me had felt real, but she’d chosen Kyros in her final moments.
I want to be angry at her for leaving me alone to be raised by a controlling asshole, but if I’d been in her place and that had been Kian with a blade in his chest, would I have chosen differently?
“Talk to me, Rae,” Sera calls down. “I can feel the spiraling from here.”
I close my eyes, leaning against the wall of the pit. “Tell me a story, Sera. One like you used to.”
“Which one would you—”
“It’s time, Sera,” Alex interrupts. “You need to tell her. I doubt you have much of an imagination anyway.”
A soft “oof” comes out of Alex, and I desperately wish I could see them. Did Sera punch him? My lips quirk into a half-grin. I hope she did.
Footsteps stomp away, and the light grows just a bit dimmer.
“Scare him off?” I ask.
Sera peeks her head over the edge. “He’s taking a break or something.”
I shake my head. “You know, Sera, I don’t understand why you have to be so mean to—”
“Shut it, Rae. I don’t want to hear it,” she interrupts.
“What does he want you to tell me?” I ask, a pit forming in my stomach.
“Why we came back.”
“Why did you come back?”
She takes a deep breath. “Lord Astoria is here. They’re laying a trap for Kyros to try and free you.”
Hope and panic flood my body. I’m terrified that something horrible will happen, but staying here indefinitely sounds unbearable. “Why didn’t you say so when you first got here?” I ask.
“I was trying not to worry you. Better to deal with one thing at a time.”
It feels like she’s hiding something, but I’m so tired . . . and panicked. Worrying about Kian . . . and Cary despite my anger toward him.
“Fine. But I really do need a distraction even more now. I feel so helpless down here. Tell me one of the stories about the fae girl in the realm with two suns.”
“If you insist.” Sera clears her throat. “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful fae girl with long, golden hair and sparkling violet eyes . . .”
That sounds kind of like Sera . . .
“She was wandering through an enchanted forest in the realm of Lunesai when she came upon the most beautiful pool of water. The water was unlike any she had ever encountered before, because when she looked into its depths, she saw other realms instead of the reflection of the one around her. Every day, she would visit the water, staring into it and dreaming of adventure. One day, an enchantress wandered by and warned the girl not to get too close. ‘They’ll whisper to you, daring you to get in, but if you do, you could be lost from your home forever.’ This terrified the fae girl, for she loved her home and her family, but still .
. . the pool called to her. It became an obsession.
She would forgo chores and time with friends, continuously drawn to this magical pool in the forest. One day, she sat by the waters, reading, when the water started to ripple and churn.
So startled by the occurrence, she jumped to her feet, dropping the book.
She watched in horror as it slid toward the pool, as if it had a mind of its own.
She couldn’t lose that book! It was her mother’s favorite.
Without thinking, the girl lunged for it, but she was just one moment too slow.
The book slipped out of her grasp and into the pool.
A cry of despair left her lips, but the girl had made a grave error.
As she reached, her fingertips had grazed the water, and an invisible force latched on and pulled her in. ”
I’m lost in the tale, even though I’ve heard it before. Somehow, this part feels even more sinister after what happened to Sera in the lake.
“The fae girl was trapped within the magical waters, falling, falling, falling . . . Realms swept past her, and she feared she would be trapped in that endless abyss for eternity until, finally, she stretched her hand toward one of those lands and was spit out onto a field of flowers. Dazed and confused, she looked to the heavens, hoping for just a moment that she had somehow made her way back home, but there was only one sun in the sky. The fae girl wept and wept, for she was in a strange land with no way home.”
A deep, overwhelming sadness fills my heart at the tale. “But she does make it home eventually, right?” I ask, trying to remember how the story ends.
Sera’s voice is resigned, almost sad. “No, Rae, she never did make it home.”
“What happened to her?” I ask.
Sera props her head on her arms as she looks down into the pit. “She wandered the realm, using a glamour to hide her ears, learned the customs and language, and found a kind family that took her in as their own.”
“I don’t remember the story being this sad,” I say, looking up at her.
“Well, perhaps that’s because I tried to make it a happier tale for you, but this time, I thought you were owed the truth.”
Confusion flares through me. “But it’s a story, right? None of it is true.”
Sera runs her fingers along the edge of the pit. “I’m sorry, Rae. I’m sorry for so many things . . .”
“What are you saying, Sera?” I rise to my feet, if only so I can see her just a bit clearer.
She brushes her hair behind a distinctly pointed ear. I must be imagining things.
“What?” I shout, then start to pace. “Are you telling me you aren’t from this realm? Are you fae?”
Sera utters words in a lyrical tone in a language I have never heard before, but wait . . . My mind flashes back to when she regained consciousness after almost drowning, the nonsensical sounds coming from her mouth. Damn.
“What in the actual hells?” Alex’s voice echoes through the cavernous room. I second his sentiment.
I stop my pacing and look up, a white glow emanating around the pit.
“Sera, what in the realms is going on?” I can only take so many more betrayals before I truly crack.
“I’ve been studying the runes since we got here, and I think I finally understand what they’re saying. They’re an ancient fae enchantment . . . and there’s no way Cary can help us without Kyros’ assistance.”
Alex swears again, and Sera turns, muttering something I can’t quite hear, but I’m sure it’s snarky.
“Wait, so what does this mean?” I yell, trying to get Sera’s attention again.
“It means I might be able to find a way to free you, but it will require a sacrifice.”
Alex finally steps into view, his glower terrifying to behold. “What do you mean, sacrifice?”
Sera winces. “My ancient fae is rusty to say the least, but all magic comes at a cost.”
“Who pays the price?” he demands.
She looks down to me before turning to face him. “Whoever breaks the enchantment takes on the burden of the sacrifice . . . or maybe its ‘curse’? I’m not completely sure.”
“Absolutely not,” Alex says at the same time I say, “Forget it.”
All the hope that had risen in my chest slowly but surely deflates. I have to trust that Kian and Cary will find me a way out. I won’t sacrifice my friend, even if I’m hurt that she’s withheld something so major the entire time I’ve known her.
Sera places her hands on her hips as she glares up at Alex. “You cannot tell me what to do. You’re not my master. Besides, why do you even care? You’ve made your feelings toward me clear.”
“I can’t lose you, Sera!” I exclaim. “Please, I don’t want you to do this. Do you even know what you’d be risking?”
Sera holds her head high, straightening her posture. “There’s not much you can do to stop me from down there.”
“Sera, please. Let’s give Kian and Cary time. Gods willing, they can convince Kyros to return.”
“She can’t stop you, but I’m not beyond removing you from this place by force,” Alex growls.
“You wouldn’t dare.” Sera points a finger at him. “How do you know I won’t go ahead and curse you while I’m at it?”
Can she do that? I know next to nothing about the fae. It’s been millennia since any were known to exist in our realm.
Without warning, a burning pain slices through my stomach, and I scream.
“Rae!” Sera yells. “What’s happening?”
I drop to my knees, my hands pressed to my abdomen, golden blood leaking out around them. “I don’t know.” I gasp. Oh no. Oh no . . . Kyros said—“Kian!”
“That’s it,” Sera says. “I don’t care what you think. I owe her after everything I’ve done. I will pay whatever the cost.”
My vision blurs as pain overtakes me. It requires all my strength to keep my hands on my stomach to staunch the flow.
Distantly, Sera chants in that foreign language, and the runes light up the cavern as they glow brighter and brighter until there’s an explosion of light and a heavy weight lifts from me.
“Sera? Alex?” I cry. “What’s happening?”
“I’m okay,” Sera says, and I breathe a sigh of relief, but what was the cost? What sacrifice did she pay?
“How do we get Rae out?” Alex asks. “She’s nearly bleeding out down there. I don’t think she can climb the rope.”
“I need blood,” I say weakly.
“Lower me down!” Sera yells at Alex while tying the rope around her waist.
It feels like a blink—I’m fighting to stay conscious—but Sera’s worried violet gaze meets mine, and I want to cry.
“I’m here, Rae,” she says calmly as she ties a tunic around my waist. It’s painful but seems to help. “Now that the enchantment is gone, you should be able to heal yourself after you feed.” She slices her wrist and holds it up to my mouth.
I couldn’t resist if I wanted to. Instinct kicks in, and I gulp down the tangy, earthy blood. Strength returns to my body, and the bleeding slows, but fear for Kian takes over, and I pull back before healing completely.
“We need to get to Kian. Kyros said we’re bound, and he’s hurt.”
Sera frowns. “They said they were hiking up to the highest peak, but I don’t know where the path is.”
I wrack my brain for all the studying I’ve done on the gods and their powers.
The problem is, I’m not exactly sure what I am?
Some lesser sun god? Something new? With sudden clarity, I recall reading about gods having the ability to transport themselves through will .
. . Is there any chance I have that gift?
Shakily, I rise to my feet, wrapping my left hand around the glimmering marriage bond, and direct my thoughts to Kian. I remember the sensation of willing my light to do as I bid, but this time, I will the buzzing power within me to take me to my husband.
Light brightens around me, and I step into it.