Chapter 32
The more I learned about the Dream Mage, the more terrifying she seemed. Was she a dark sorceress? A necromancer? A witch? Whatever magic she possessed was incredible and deadly, and I’d never heard of a fae powerful enough to conquer kingdoms on her own.
How the hell were we supposed to stop her? We could use stardust to break the curse, yes, but what would keep her from attacking again? She wanted my court. She likely wanted my dragons. And nothing would stop her. Certainly not us, a broken princess and a wicked prince who couldn’t even trust each other.
“Swear to me you will not utter a word of this conversation to another soul,” the hunter said, jolting me from my thoughts, “and I will leave you.”
“I swear it,” Fenn said at once.
“I swear it, too,” I echoed. My blood heated from the power of my words, sealing our bargain.
The hunter nodded once and then withdrew. The mist swallowed him up, obscuring him from view. Fenn and I held perfectly still, listening to the water sloshing as the assassin made his way back across the stream. Then, silence fell.
For a long, tense moment, we said nothing. My heart raced, beating uncontrollably in my chest. My thoughts spun in a chaotic whirlwind of terror and uncertainty.
We couldn’t do this.
We would fail .
The Dream Mage would conquer our kingdoms, just like she’d conquered the Lunar Court.
We were doomed.
My people would die.
My family would die.
I would die.
I couldn’t—I couldn’t—I couldn’t?—
“Aurelia.”
Only then did I realize that my breaths had become sharp, ragged wheezes. I was hunched over, my vision spotty, my head spinning. I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. This damn mist… This whole place was affecting me.
Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t breathe.
“Aurelia!”
Fenn’s warm hands were cupping my face, and the softness of his fingers momentarily jolted me from my panic. I blinked, finding my vision blurry with tears. Gradually, Fenn’s concerned face came into focus.
“That’s it,” he said. “Look at me. Focus only on me.”
My pulse pounded, the rhythm roaring in my ears. I struggled to breathe, but I could only choke.
“Feel me.” Fenn grasped my hand and placed it against his chest. “Feel my breaths.”
I couldn’t focus. All I could hear was my raging pulse, my heart thumping louder and louder.
“Up and down,” Fenn said, his voice low and soothing. “You feel that?”
I closed my eyes, concentrating on the feel of his hard chest against my fingers. He was warm and solid, and I concentrated on that. He was real. He was here.
His chest rose with his inhale. Long and slow. Then it dropped as he exhaled.
I concentrated on that singular movement. Up and down. In and out.
Eventually, the blaring in my ears settled. My pulse slowed, and my breaths calmed to match his. Tears streamed down my face, but I couldn’t even feel the moisture. All I could think about was his chest moving with his calm, steady breaths .
I wasn’t sure how long we stood like that—how long he held my hand to his chest—but after what felt like an eternity, I opened my eyes and looked at him. His emerald eyes shone in the darkness, gazing at me with a tenderness I did not deserve.
I had been terrible to him. I had flung unfair accusations at him and cast judgments I was in no position to make.
As much as I hated to admit it, I needed him. Not just for our bargain or for my own protection, but for myself. He grounded me. He understood me.
I needed him.
My mouth opened, and an apology was on the tip of my tongue. I was ready to unleash everything, my sorrows, my secrets, my trust—I wanted to give it all to him.
But instead of an apology, I blurted, “I attacked the witch clans.”
His brows knitted together. “I beg your pardon?”
I took a deep breath, my head finally clearing, as I said, “Five years ago, I visited the witch clans to find a solution to my blocked fae magic. Samiria refused to treat me, citing some vague and unhelpful reason—which I now know had to do with my witch rune—but one witch wanted to help me. Her name was Shay.” Emotion clogged my throat, and I paused, finding it difficult to swallow. Fenn traced circles along the back of my hand, and I focused on the motion. It pulled me from my chaotic thoughts for long enough for me to continue.
“She cast a spell for me and painted a rune on my hand,” I went on. “It was a rune to awaken.”
Fenn sucked in a sharp breath. He clearly knew what this rune meant.
I nodded, my eyes closing again. “My magic… exploded, setting ablaze all the tents in the encampment. And Shay—Shay—” I broke off with a sob.
“Oh gods, Aurelia,” Fenn whispered, using his free hand to stroke my cheek. “I’m so sorry.”
“She only wanted to help me,” I wailed, my face crumpling with grief. “She was the only one who would help me! She was just an apprentice; she didn’t know any better. And I killed her! I k-killed three witches that day, Fenn. So you were r-right. I’m in no position to judge you for your magic. Because m-mine is far worse. I’m the monster. You were right. I’m unseelie. I have to be. No one else would b-be capable of such destruction and pain.”
“Aurelia,” Fenn said. On his lips, my name was both a comfort and an admonishment. He brought me to his chest, his arms encircling me. He continued tracing those soothing circles along my back. The motion was relaxing, but it was far more than I deserved. I shouldn’t be comforted right now. I should be punished for my crimes. My magic was volatile and dangerous. I needed to be locked up.
How was I any better than the Dream Mage?
I clung to Fenn’s thin tunic, my tears soaking the fabric. I burrowed my face in his firm chest, unleashing all my grief. And still he held me, continuing to rub my back, his cheek against my head as he pressed kisses to my hair.
At long last, I withdrew from him, trying to duck my head to hide my swollen face. But he slid a knuckle under my chin, tilting my face up to meet his. With his other hand, he swiped the tears from my face, his fingers lingering on my cheek.
“Why did you cry when Tyrone died?” he asked.
I blinked. I hadn’t expected him to ask that. “What?”
“Why did you cry for him?”
I frowned, struggling to recall the emotions of that moment. “I—I was in shock. A man died in my arms.”
“But that man was vile,” Fenn said. “He assaulted you. And you probably weren’t the only one. He wasn’t worthy of your tears.”
Not to mention Father made a bargain with him offering either my dragons or my hand in marriage, I thought. Although, it occurred to me that, with the man dead, that bargain had been nullified.
I shook my head. “In that moment, it didn’t matter. He was a protector of his people. Despite the mistakes he made, he was a good king. And with his death, his people lost their ruler. I mourned that.”
Fenn’s eyebrows lifted, a small smile lighting his face. “Exactly.”
My brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You mourned a good king. Not a man who had taken something precious from you. That is the mark of a good person, Aurelia. You are not a monster. You have a power you can’t control, and it just happens to be dangerous. But you didn’t know that. You did not go into that witch encampment with the intent to take lives. It was a tragedy, yes. And those witches who died should be honored. But it was not your fault. ”
“I was careless! I was foolish, and I should have listened to Samiria.”
“You didn’t know what you were capable of! Whoever placed that rune mark on you should have warned you, should have been honest about the power brimming inside you. It is on them , not you, that lives were lost because of it.”
I inhaled shakily and nodded, though I didn’t fully believe his words. How could I? My recklessness had cost Shay her life. I would never forgive myself for that.
But Fenn was right. I did not seek bloodshed and conquest like the Dream Mage did. I did not use my powers with the intent to do harm.
That much I could acknowledge.
“What are we going to do?” I whispered. “You heard the hunter. The Dream Mage can’t be stopped.”
“Do you remember why Tyrone came to your chambers?”
I couldn’t stop an incredulous laugh from bursting free. “Do you always ask non sequitur questions like that?”
He grinned but continued, “Tyrone came to you because he said you were the most powerful fae in the palace. And I’m inclined to agree with him.”
“But I can’t control it.”
He leaned closer, his breath tickling my face as he said, “Yet.” He stepped back, clasping my hands in his. “Our Nightfire fete has many benefits, one of which is bringing our people together from all classes. Including the witches. My mother might not like it, but to turn away one group of people is to turn away them all. She knows this. So, the witches always attend our revels.”
My eyes grew wide as I remembered Samiria’s words. “Only the witches in the Summer Court were sworn to secrecy.”
“Exactly. I think that, with the help of my witches, we can not only unlock your powers, but we can explain who locked them in the first place. ”
I knew the instant we crossed the border to the Star Court. The air darkened around me, the mist cleared, and thousands of stars gleamed from above. I had expected darkness, yes, but not the beauty of the heavens winking down at me. As we sloped down the last of the Mistwood Hills, a wide grassy plain stretched before us. No trees marred my view of the starry expanse above us. I craned my neck to take it all in, my mouth falling open in awe.
“Do you know we have a name for each one?” Fenn asked.
“How?” I breathed. “There are too many to even count!”
“For our astronomers, it’s their job to count them, to study them, to track their growth and movement.”
I stared at him in wonder. “The stars move?”
He laughed. “Of course they do. The sun moves, doesn’t it?”
I swallowed, unable to keep my gaze off the sky for too long. “Yes, well, we don’t see the stars very often. And we don’t study them as your court does.”
“A shame, because some of the constellations have incredible stories behind them.”
“Constellations?” I repeated with a frown.
Fenn grinned, lacing his fingers through mine as he guided us forward. It surprised me how natural and comforting it felt, to have him take my hand like that. Just an unconscious movement. I wasn’t even sure he was aware he did it.
He clicked his tongue, tugging on the horse’s reins with his other hand to urge him forward. The stallion obeyed, tearing himself from a feast of tall grass.
“See that cluster of stars to the north?” Fenn nodded with his head toward the mountain peaks in the distance, above which rested a triangle of stars.
I squinted, trying to make them out. “Yes.”
“That’s known as Luna’s Hourglass.”
“I don’t see an hourglass.”
“Look harder. Right underneath that triangle is another one that’s upside down.”
I tilted my head to see it better, and my eyes widened. Sure enough, a faint smattering of stars rested directly above the mountain peak, and it did indeed represent an upside down triangle. “Wow. What does that mean?”
“Our stories say that Luna fell in love with Solus. The moon and the sun. When Miranya, the Star Goddess, discovered this, she punished Luna and Solus for tampering with the natural order of things. She cursed them, binding their fates to this hourglass. When the sands trickled to the bottom, Luna awoke, and the hourglass turned over. When her time was up, she fell into an enchanted sleep, and Solus took over. They were cursed to forever be apart. The sun and the moon.”
My heart twisted at the words of the story. An enchanted sleep. A week ago, I would have believed it to be a fable. But such an enchantment did, in fact, exist. So, who was to say this story wasn’t real? “That is… tragic.”
“It is,” Fenn agreed. “But legend says that Thora, the goddess of new beginnings, took pity on the couple and blessed them with a few days each year where they could be together. You will notice that on some days, you can see the moon even when the sun is shining.”
“Yes,” I said in surprise. “Yes, that is true. We often see that in the winter.”
Fenn smiled. “On those days, Luna and Solus can only glimpse one another in passing. But on the days of an eclipse, they join together for a singular night of passion, reawakening their love for one another.”
I stared at Fenn, at the way his emerald eyes darkened as he watched me, the way his full lips parted and his throat bobbed as he swallowed. My skin heated, my stomach fluttering from the intensity of his gaze. Despite the vast and open sky before us, I felt too warm, too close, too stifled here with him. Our hands were still entwined, and he was standing so very close to me.
I wet my lips, and his eyes tracked the movement, making my stomach dip with desire. Gods, I knew exactly how that mouth of his felt on my skin, how his tongue tasted…
I blinked and turned away, thinking of the tale he told. It was romantic, yes, but it was also full of sorrow and grief. The couple could never be together. They were too different. They came from different worlds. And even those few days where they could be together would never be enough.
“We should… keep moving,” Fenn said, clearing his throat as his steps continued. I followed, matching his stride, secretly grateful he was still holding my hand, as silly as it seemed.
I thought of the story of the elven king trying to save his kingdom from a horrible curse. In the end, just like the story of Luna and Solus, it was only a fable. A tale to tell one’s children at bedtime. But, just like the story of the stars, there was meaning behind it. Pieces of truth that bled into reality.
The elven king gave his life to save his kingdom and break the curse. I would do the same for mine, should it come to that.
Luna and Solus were punished for their love, destined to be apart forever. Did Fenn and I face a similar fate?
But that was ridiculous. I didn’t love the Midnight Prince, and he certainly didn’t love me.
Even so, my mind kept returning to that tale as we continued onward.
We walked in silence for several minutes, making our way to a forest of spruce trees ahead. Just before we entered the wood, Fenn squeezed my fingers. “I should warn you. We are entering unseelie territory. It’s the only way through. And… relations with the unseelie have been volatile.”
I nodded solemnly. “You said they’ve been attacking your people.”
“Yes.” Fenn’s eyes flared with a mixture of sorrow and anger. “We are on the brink of a civil war between the seelie and the unseelie. To enter these woods is to incite an attack from them. So, draw your dagger. And be ready for anything.”
I glanced at the stallion, who snorted, one ear twitching slightly. “What about him?”
Fenn frowned, glancing at the horse and then the forest. “I don’t want to saddle him just yet. To carry both of us through the entire wood would be too taxing for him. And it’s possible we can make it through undetected, if we are silent enough. But if something feels off, we jump on and ride. Understood?”
“Understood. ”
“Good. Stay close to me.”
I took a deep breath, clinging to his hand in mine while drawing my dagger with the other. He wrapped the reins around his wrist and drew his short sword, which glinted in the moonlight. We shared one last look of determination before we stepped into the dark forest.