Chapter 14 Trust
Reiya looked at the paper in her hand and scoured over the contents.
It was a map of Elysia! This wasn’t just a map of the location, though.
It had a structured picture of the entire grounds.
Why would they have a map like this? In the wrong hands, this could be very dangerous.
What scared Reiya the most was that pitted thought that maybe it was already in the wrong hands.
“Who would have made this?” Reiya breathed out, looking up at Brody and Chelsie.
“Leviathan or the Sage. Those are the only two who have been there enough to make an accurate representation such as this,” Chelsie hissed out in distaste.
“I don’t believe Leviathan would have done something like this.” A small frown formed over Brody’s lips as he continued to scan over the contents of the map.
“Why not? He’s a dragon. His number one loyalty will always be to dragons.” Chelsie shrugged. This just made sense. To her, it seemed obvious that Leviathan had the map made.
“No, Reiya is the person he chose to protect. He gave her powers as her summon. I don’t believe he would do anything to betray her.” Brody shook his head, not believing that Leviathan could hurt her.
“Maybe that’s just it, though. Maybe he chose Reiya in order to learn more about the fairy kingdom and gather important information.” Chelsie’s natural distrust toward others made her certain she wasn’t wrong about Leviathan.
Brody shook his head again. “No, I’m telling you … he wouldn’t. He didn’t even want Reiya to stay here. He could have visited Elysia, even without involving Reiya.”
“So, maybe Reiya is just the icing on his cake … I don’t know. Maybe he was just pretending he didn’t want her staying here. I just know that this explanation makes the most sense,” Chelsie said pointedly.
Reiya sat there, feeling a bit numb. She was listening to the two of them talking, and she knew what they were both saying.
But she trusted Lee … was she wrong to trust him?
Was her confidence in him jeopardizing her people?
What really bothered her was the reason for such a map.
This was the question she feared to ask but knew she must.
“Why would someone create a map like this?” Reiya bit her bottom lip and braced for the answer she knew was coming.
“Why do you think? This is a war map. This is something you would want to have if you ever planned to attack the fairy kingdom. So, the real question isn’t what it’s for …
no, it’s who it’s for.” Chelsie squinted her eyes and then continued.
“What I mean by this is, are the dragons already in league with the demons? A map like this would be very valuable to the demons.”
Reiya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Was she being betrayed? Was Xander in on this? Was this something in the works with Lee, Xander, and Grandpa Sage? She trusted them. She felt connected to Xander and Lee. Was she wrong? Was she making a mistake trusting them?
“That’s enough, Chelsie. We don’t know enough to make such a bold judgment call.
” Brody noticed how tense Reiya was and immediately tried to make it better.
It was true, though. They didn’t know enough to understand why there was a map like this.
Maybe it was just for their own intelligence.
What if it was for their protection? Besides, with Reiya there, she could have a map made of the dragon kingdom just as easily.
It didn’t make much sense to make the map for malicious reasons. Still, it also couldn’t be refuted.
“And what gives you so much confidence in the dragons? Have you bonded so much with them that your new best friends couldn’t possibly be up to no good?” Chelsie rolled her eyes at Brody. Surely he wasn’t na?ve enough to believe that the dragons weren’t up to anything wicked.
Brody growled at Chelsie’s attitude. “It’s better than being like you, who believes that everyone is out to get you and no one can possibly be good.”
“Enough, please.” Reiya rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the tension.
She then rolled up the map and stood up, setting the contents back onto the desk.
“For now, let’s just sit on this and be alert.
” It would be pointless to just ask them about the map.
After all, they could easily lie about it.
No, the best thing to do would be to observe things around them and see if anything seemed suspicious.
Brody pulled Reiya into his arms and held her gently.
He knew she was feeling distressed and uneasy.
“Try not to overthink things, Reiya. I’m sure there’s a reason for this.
Please don’t be depressed.” Brody wasn’t the biggest fan of the dragons.
Still, he had reason to believe they didn’t mean Reiya or the fairy kingdom any harm.
At least Leviathan, Xander, and the Great Sage didn’t.
That didn’t mean there weren’t other dragons who might be a problem.
Brody knew her too well. She was feeling confused and depressed. Confused as to why they would have a map like that. Baffled as to why she was so trusting. Bewildered at her feelings toward both Lee and Xander. And he was right.
Could she not trust her feelings? It was such a stabbing sensation deep inside her when she thought they might be up to no good.
Her chest clenched and it felt hard to take in air.
In the depths of her soul, she knew something else, too, though she would keep that to herself for now.
A restlessness stirred from within her. She could almost feel her …
she could almost feel her wolf. She felt certain she would be revealing herself soon.
“I think we should use caution but try to be positive about this. For now, I think keeping silent is best in order to not draw any suspicion.” Reiya gave Brody and Chelsie a weak smile before she walked out of the room.
She really didn’t know what to think, but it hurt her heart to suspect them of something foul.
For the sake of her people, though, she would do her best to find out the reason for the map.
A couple of guards were facing away from the group as they walked to the main hall. The guards were talking in excitement over the banquet that was being held tonight.
“Is tonight any different from the other nights?” Reiya asked, and she noticed the two men practically jumped when they heard her voice. They stiffened up and stood in a very professional manner.
“At ease, gentlemen. You don’t need to worry about being so formal with me.” Reiya smiled as she watched them begin to relax.
“Nothing much different, but another group of dragons arrived today. This means that there are new ladies that could end up being our mates.” One of the guards smiled wryly, with a bit of a red stain creeping over his cheeks.
“I hope you find them tonight.” Reiya smiled and walked past them.
“Where are you heading, Reiya?” Brody asked as his eyes nervously shot toward the door to the outside, where she was heading.
“I’m bored. I want to go explore.” Reiya gave Brody a crooked smile.
“Yeah! That’s my girl. You’re your own person. You should do what you want to, not what the reptiles want you to do.” Chelsie felt more energized hearing Reiya going against orders.
“Reiya, I don’t think—” Brody began but was interrupted by Chelsie.
“Pooh Bear, shouldn’t you be raiding a honey tree right about now?” Chelsie scoffed with a dramatic eye roll. Since when was Brody the lapdog for the dragons?
“Can it, Chels. They wouldn’t have recommended her staying in for no reason. They said it’s for her safety.”
“I’m perfectly capable of keeping myself safe, Brody.” Reiya snorted and reached for the door.
“Besides, isn’t that your job?” Chelsie smirked as she glanced over at Brody.
Brody placed his hand on the door to stop it from opening. He shot Chelsie a pointed look before returning his gaze to Reiya. “You can explore another time. A new group of dragons has arrived. You heard the guards. It’s best if you stay inside. I insist you stay inside.”
Reiya glared at Brody and furrowed her brows at him. “I see. So you’re my boss now?”
“Reiya ...” Brody sighed, seeing she was getting agitated.
“Can I not make decisions for myself? Even if something is dangerous … do I not get to make my decisions? If it’s a bad decision, then let it be my bad decision.
” Reiya was very annoyed at this point. Brody was her brother—her guardian—but he wasn’t her boss.
Neither were the dragons. No one could tell her what to do.
They could suggest it, and they had made their suggestions.
She’d just decided she wasn’t going to follow them.
She did have that right, didn’t she? Or were those orders?
If so, who were they to order her? No. They wouldn’t order her to do anything, and this was her making that statement.
The truth was, she wasn’t afraid either.
She might not have her wolf, but she wasn’t weak.
She was the future queen of the fairies and a water elemental.
Not to mention she could summon Lee in an instant if she really needed to.
She also had Brody and Chelsie with her.
Chelsie might be selfish and high class, but she would come to Reiya’s aid if she thought she was in danger.
Kelpies were not a type of fairy to be messed with.
She also had Brody. Between the three of them, she was certain she was safe to walk around the grounds.
Before Brody could respond, Reiya pinned her blue gaze on him. “I’m going out, Brody. Either you come with me or stay here, but I’m going for a walk.”
Brody muttered under his breath and snorted angrily. He lifted his hand away from the door and pointed at her. “Fine, but let’s not venture too far.”
“Okay.” Reiya grinned triumphantly and pulled the door open. After all, too far was a matter of opinion, and she had her own opinion of what that meant. To her, venturing too far would mean leaving the dragon territory, which she didn’t plan on doing, so agreeing to this was easy.