Chapter 6
Elariya
“A Daughter of the Hourglass”
Igazed through my bedroom window at the light rain falling outside, a shower of tears from the sky. The dreariness suited my mood, inside and out.
I was perched on the window bay like a little bird, my head resting against the wall, my hands limp in my lap.
The confusion from last night still coiled tightly in my stomach, a vise made of too many questions and not enough answers. I didn’t even know how I fell asleep last night without shattering to pieces. I must have been so drained I succumbed to tiredness.
I didn’t sleep for long, though. I was up before dawn and watched the sun rise. Foolishly, I’d hoped to leave my worries in the dark. It didn’t happen.
There was already so much to worry about as it was, but after what happened last night, my troubles had multiplied a hundredfold.
Seeing those silver threads would have been enough to rattle my brain.
But the Fae male?
I didn’t know what to think of encountering him.
Had he even been real?
That was the main question on my mind from the moment he disappeared in the alley.
He left the tavern. There was only one door and one way he could have gone.
So, maybe I’d followed a ghost of my imagination.
Portaling could really make your head spin. As I knew. So, seeing a handsome Fae stranger and dancing silver threads could just be another side effect of using high-level magic.
If I were to tell my family what I saw, I was certain they’d think I’d imagined it. Grandmother had never talked about seeing silver threads in magic. And as for seeing a Fae?
My assessment was the same as it had been last night.
They had no need to come to the mortal lands, let alone a place like Stormfell. There was nothing here for them.
The Fae kingdoms like Galaythia and Thalyrius were the largest continents in Vaelthorne, rumored to be the most beautiful in the world, where you could get everything.
Father used to describe his visits there for his assignments as heavenly.
He’d always have some exciting story to share about magical creatures and the landscape which was so different from ours.
He’d made it sound like something from a dream, so I couldn’t begin to think of any reason that would have brought the Fae here.
They knew they were most hated in towns like Stormfell. The more religious the town, the more despised a magical being was because magic challenged their beliefs.
Only the Gods were supposed to have powers. Anyone else with such power was seen as a threat to be eliminated regardless of the Accords and treaties between realms.
That was why we had ambassadors like my father, who ensured peace. At least where they could.
I closed my eyes. Silver-blue eyes instantly stared back at me from inside my head. It was like I’d gone back to last night and was sitting across from him again in the tavern.
Those haunting eyes, alive with mystery and desire, sent shivers racing down my spine. My entire body tingled with carnal energy.
Crazy or not, real or imagined, my body still burned with that uncontrollable heat.
It was the way the handsome Fae stranger had looked at me.
Those eyes held me in place, scanning over me as if he was committing every inch of my body to memory. The rawness in his stare had reached past my mind and made me forget life for those moments in all the right ways.
I was certain no one had ever looked at me that way before. If they had after the curse, I would have noted it in my journals. That’s not the sort of thing a girl wants to forget.
How could I have had such a vivid imagination of a man I’d never seen before? Especially if I’d never seen Fae before.
It was almost easier to believe I’d imagined him than consider the possibility that he was real. There were less questions, less to think about, less to figure out.
Did it even matter?
Thayden would be here before sundown, then I’d have to cast everything to the back of the beyond and think about starting my new life with him.
It all just felt like fucking shit.
Maybe I should listen to Emabelle and get laid. She may throw me into a tailspin with her zany suggestions, but she wasn’t wrong.
Didn’t she say getting laid would fix my mood, clear my head, and remind me I was still alive? Gods, I needed all of that. There was just one small problem.
The next few days would be like living in a prison with everyone keeping a closer eye on me. There would also be extra people around for the engagement celebrations.
A knock on the door nearly made me jump out of my skin.
Regardless of the hour, Emabelle never knocked, so I knew it had to be either Mother or Grandmother. The servants wouldn’t come up here this early.
I straightened at the possibility of speaking to my mother or grandmother. In my heart I hoped it was Grandmother. I prayed she’d finally accepted my apology.
I’d never had any kind of argument with her. Then again, I’d never put myself in the sort of danger I had on the night of the Phantom Moon. Us not speaking had broken my heart.
“Come in.” My voice was hoarse with a slight quiver of anticipation.
The door swung open and Mother walked in. My heart squeezed a little, disappointed that Grandmother hadn’t come, but I was happy all the same to see my mother.
Her face was softer than it had been in days.
She also appeared more like herself in her pastel gown with her hair down in graceful waves.
Opposite to the stern-faced woman she had to present for the likes of Chancellor Blackthorneand Friar Jamesen.
I saw remnants of myself in her face when she was like this.
“Morning.” She smiled, her eyes brightening as she came closer. “I heard you moving around earlier, so I thought I’d come and check on you.”
“Thanks.”
She ambled over and sat in the space opposite me, holding up a little snowbell rose to the sunlight. I hadn’t noticed it before.
“Thought you might like this.” She held it out for me to take.
I took it and admired the blue and white twists of color before smiling back at her. “They’ve started blooming.”
“The first sign of spring. Although it will still be cold for a few more weeks yet. It may even snow.” She sounded more like herself, too.
“These are my favorites. Thanks.” I stuck the flower in my hair and Mother’s smile widened.
“Your father loved them too. They were his favorite gift to me.”
“At least I remember that.”
The look in her eyes dulled to the sadness I felt whenever my father was mentioned.
“Before I left the Ravenwood Realm, he’d always bring me these flowers.
They’re incredibly rare here, so he thought he was bringing me a wonderful gift.
” She chuckled lightly at the nostalgic memory.
“I had not the heart to tell him that they grew like weed across the realm.”
I gave her a small smile, but my stomach tensed. I hoped this conversation wasn’t her way of broaching the idea that Father could be dead again. Or that she was going to get Grandmother to strip my powers.
“I miss him.” My lungs burned as the words fell from my lips.
“Me too. I wish that things were different, but they aren’t. We now have to do what we must.”
As if I needed the reminder. “Of course.”
She reached out to take my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Be strong for today. I know your concerns about Thayden, but you’ll be in good hands. And things will be better for us here.”
I nodded but said nothing. There was nothing more to say that hadn’t already been said.
“Last night, I received the formal decree from the Master of Laws detailing Mattieu’s ascent to Regent Consort of Stormfell. It will be signed once you and Thayden are married.”
Whoa. That was fast. I’d thought the paperwork wouldn’t be done until after the wedding. Being Regent Consort of Stormfell gave Mattieu rule over the South until the rightful lord—my father—returned. It was more like safeguarding the position and my father’s lands.
“Everything is happening so fast.” I sighed.
“The speed is a relief, love. This will stop Chancellor Blackthornein his tracks from swaying King Varis before the wedding.”
“Then it couldn’t have happened fast enough.” I gave her a small smile.
“Thank the Blessed Mother King Varis was true to us.”
Although I’d often found myself beseeching the Blessed Mother, I wanted to tell my mother she had nothing to do with this. We owed our thanks to King Varis’ lifelong friendship with my father. As such he couldn’t be swayed so easily into believing Father was dead.
The king even knew my father’s disappearance was linked to dark magic—though he didn’t know about my curse. He believed Father had been taken captive somewhere. That’s what I thought too. That he was trapped against his will with no way out.
King Varis and his men searched for my father in both realms for over three years before eventually declaring the trail cold, but he hadn’t given up. He still had men who watched and waited.
“Mattieu has also offered to triple the resources he’ll be sending us this spring and is sending men to rebuild our army.”
This gave me pause. They had been in discussion about the terms of our marriage, but that was quite substantial. And to rebuild the army, too…
Father would be more than grateful for Mattieu’s kindness. It made me feel like an ungrateful child.
It was because of Mattieu that we’d been able to eat and survive for the last five years.
All the money we had went to rebuilding after the storms that caused damage to most of the property.
Then after the storms came crimson vein fever from the infected water.
It killed most of the staff. After that, we got in debt, and Mother had to put the manor up as collateral.
We may live in this manner, have servants, and a beautiful carriage with pedigree Shire horses, but all of that came from Mattieu and Thayden.
Sometimes I’m thankful that I don’t remember any of it, but I know that’s the coward’s way out.