10. Chapter 10 #2
But it sent a shiver down her spine. She dressed, her thoughts returning to the mysterious man—August. Who was he?
Who had he been to her? If Leo knew of him, then he was also Fae.
How had she crossed paths with August then?
An influx of questions cropped up, leaving her frustrated.
She would meet him soon. Leo had promised.
Due to their busy schedules, Bri and Leo alternated their visits.
At least one would be present for dinner every day—a small gesture that meant a lot to Yareli—and once a week they would have a group dinner.
Yareli and Leo spent the rest of the afternoon cooking up a storm.
They made a creamy truffle soup with sides of salad, sweet potatoes, and chocolate-dipped strawberries—Bri’s favorite.
By the time she arrived, Yareli and Leo had the table set up, waiting for her to begin the feast.
Bri hurried to her seat, exclaiming, “After a long day in the sun, this is a welcome sight.”
Yareli laughed and began to eat. She hummed in appreciation; they had outdone themselves with dinner.
Bri recounted the day’s events, including a young Fae who had gotten himself stuck in a barrel attempting to sneak into a shed for a nap.
Instead of using magic to free himself, he had panicked and fallen over, knocking over other barrels and causing a big ruckus.
As punishment, he ran laps for the remainder of the day.
“You see, Yareli,” Leo said, “despite having magic, Fae are like humans. We, too, have flaws.”
A thrill ran down her spine, and she looked away. Despite her attempts to ignore it, she liked his attention, desiring more every time.
She cleared her throat and said, “But I’m more scared of fools with magic.”
Bri raised her glass of wine. “Agreed.”
Leo grabbed a couple of strawberries. “Speaking of fools, my brother made a move.”
Yareli stiffened. For the past two months, she had feared the inevitable conflict between the three siblings—Endrim, Agatha, and Leo.
“Endrim has ordered Tuom to return under the pretext of the recent attacks near our city.” He pushed away from the table, pausing. The tight grip he had on his chair was anything but casual. “Though I doubt he will attempt anything overt.”
Bri said, “No matter what occurs, we will keep you safe.”
Yareli bit her lip, swallowing her doubts, and smiled, but the mood was ruined.
She cleaned up quietly—the weight of the Earth Court’s strained political state pressing hard against the peace of Leo’s home.
The mention of Endrim reminded Yareli of Leo’s identity.
Third General Leo, the youngest son of Lord Astorius, the Earth Court lord.
Tuom, the First General, was part of his court, serving Leo’s father directly until recently.
With their father on bedrest from an unknown illness, Endrim now oversaw a majority of the Earth Court’s administration.
Confirming that Tuom had a prison full of torture victims had only added to Leo’s suspicions about his brother.
Unfortunately, Yareli was the only evidence that could incriminate Tuom.
His other victims were either dead or unable to recover, and Leo had refused to reveal her presence.
Humans weren’t supposed to be in Izmari, and the Prohibition Decree that restricted travel between Izmari and the human realm banned humans from the island.
Yareli suspected it wasn’t the sole reason why he didn’t denounce his brother.
Leo had shared that his father, although frail, requested the three siblings attend weekly family dinners.
Accusing Endrim, then, would be a big blow to his father.
The silence from the end of dinner persisted, and Yareli pretended to read a novel she randomly chose from the bookshelf.
Bri sharpened a blade, and Leo read government documents for a meeting the next day.
Despite their assurances, Yareli couldn’t help but wonder how much longer the peaceful days would last.
It didn’t last long. The following day, it went to shit.
Neither Leo nor Bri had been able to stop by for long, and Yareli had settled down to try her hand at wood carving before heading to bed.
She had just nicked her thumb when they burst through the door with visible signs of battle—blood stained their clothing, and a bruise colored Bri’s cheek.
Leo stormed toward his office. “My dearest brother murdered my father and sister! He’s taken control of the court.”
A chill washed over Yareli, and she abandoned her work, hurrying to her room to grab the emergency satchel under her bed. She failed to grab the bag with her shaking hands. Once she had it, she struggled to get it over her shoulders, dropping it in frustration. She sank onto her bed.
Her breath came in quick bursts, and she gripped her knees, doing a breathing exercise to calm down. They had planned for this. There was a safe house on the other side of the island in the Water Court. All she had to do was grab her satchel and meet them in the living room. She could do that.
After what felt like an eternity, but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, she had her breathing under control, and she picked up her satchel, throwing Leo’s gift, a wooden wolf, and a tattered scroll of exercises in it.
She tugged on a knitted sweater and walked back to the living room, where Bri tossed confidential documents in the fireplace, the flames curling the pages into ashes.
Leo called her from the kitchen. “Shove some food into your bag and take this too.”
He handed her two sheathed, lightweight daggers. She wedged one into her belt and another in her boot. He helped Bri, and soon, they were all set to leave. Their past few months were reduced to a couple of satchels.
“Ready?” Leo asked.
Yareli nodded, putting on a brave face, but a pang of loss hit her chest. It was too soon. She had gotten accustomed to her life with them, and now she had to watch it burn.
They exited the house together. Yareli and Bri watched in silence as Leo set his own home on fire.
He said nothing of it; he simply set his shoulders back and nodded at Yareli.
He shifted into his animal form—a beautiful white wolf—and bent down for her to climb onto him.
Since she was human, the journey would be on foot.
Yareli leaned forward, lowering her body to make herself as small as possible, and prayed that they would make it to the Water Court without a hitch.
A lone howl sounded in the night, and she shivered despite Leo’s warmth.
The night’s veil of darkness pressed down on her, becoming oppressive despite her usual fondness for it.
It was easier to admire the dark from the safety of her well-lit home. She swallowed.
Leo took off, plunging them into the woods.