Aērelis was a truly colorful and majestic kingdom. With its tall, lime green mountains, orange and pink grass, purple dancing forests, and mystical turquoise seas, it contained more magic than the rest of the realm combined. It was a shame my race could no longer access that magic.
Its splendor was made all the more palpable as Aedan and I witnessed it from above. It had been so long since I’d taken a moment to just fly around the land and appreciate our home—no aerial attack lessons, no strategy exercises, no battle trials. I missed it. Not to mention this experience was made ten times more special because I was with my bestie, and it was his first time flying.
House of Mar Faeries had never been given wings by Goddess Danu. Instead, they had gills to breathe underwater, and sometimes fins that appeared or retracted when they needed them—even if they no longer had the ability to manipulate water—which made Aedan an incredible swimmer.
“This is the most beautiful kingdom I’ve ever seen…” he spoke over the breeze, causing a smile of agreement to curve my lips. It was definitely a sight to behold.
The statement wasn’t really true since neither of us had ever crossed the Red Guardian to be able to see any other territory or court in our realm, but I understood the sentiment.
Only the Aērelis Warriors sent by the queen to serve other kingdoms made it out without being obliterated by its potency, and that was due to the Solara Priestesses’ teleportation power.
They helped our kingdom in sisterhood, so they took the hired warriors wherever our queen wanted them transported. The only other thing that could protect them from the dark spell, was a potion with the queen’s blood, but it was rarely used because once on the other side of the Red Guardian, the dangerous trek to their new homes began.
Not only did they have to cross the Ring of Death—once part of our lands—but the possibility of encountering the ˈlēTHəl was a very real and frightening one. The evil creatures hadn’t been seen since our Savior Queen single-handedly defeated them, yet that didn’t mean they weren’t still out there… waiting for revenge.
Everyone else had grown up bound to Aērelis, within its protective walls so this was all we knew. Though, honestly, I loved this place, and as far as I was concerned, we didn’t need anything else.
“I know,” I finally answered, taking a generous breath and allowing the sweet aromas of the fruity bushes below to fill my lungs. “We should probably go back. We still have to shower and change for the end-of-the-month banquet.”
“Okay.” The sadness was clear in his voice, and I wished I could channel the earth’s strength more often to share this with him whenever he wanted. “Shite. The banquet!” He glanced up at me with urgency as the falling colors of the sunset warmed his skin. “C, we are already late for dinner, and Grandpa warned me to be there early because we had special guests this month. He is going to kill me.”
Crap.
“Let’s go around Dragonfly Cove, that will give us a shortcut back to the academy,” I assured, knowing the path like the back of my hand, and hooked my arms tighter around his chest, swerving before we reached the trees.
We were far from the school, almost at the other side of the kingdom, but there was a tunnel in the cove that cut straight through the mountains we had flown around on our way here, so that would definitely save us time.
The only downside was the cove was at the very edge of the land, next to the Red Guardian.
Bright blue, glimmering waters and purple glowing dragonflies greeted us as soon as we reached the lake. Rainbow fish jumped from the fresh waters, going into them again, their colors dimmed by the red radiance emitting from the barrier.
I focused on the mountainside, searching for the natural passageway. Overgrown shrubs and moss clung to the hill while my gaze swiftly went over every detail, but the freaking cave entrance never appeared.
“I don’t understand, I’ve been through it a million times. Where is it?”
“You can’t see it?”
“No.”
“Are you sure it’s here?”
“Yes. It’s been a while since I last used it, but I’m not lost. It’s here.” Confusion gripped me the longer I searched, to no avail.
“Maybe we should just go back the way we came.”
“We could, but then we will really be late. It’ll take us forev—” the words caught when my searching eyes glanced through the barrier, to see withering trees on the other side. They didn’t seem like they had been dead for centuries like everything else in the Ring of Death that surrounded us, some of the branches were just turning brown, purple leaves darkening to black. “That’s odd.”
“What?”
“Those trees look as though they were swallowed by the curse recently, not thousands of years ago.”
Aedan’s keen eyes—much like those of his grandfather—swept the area ahead, finding the same thing I did. “Maybe the curse is not as strong here and this part of the land has taken much longer to perish?”
We exchanged a glance, and our gazes said the same. Investigate.
Landing by the lake, I looked at the mountainside from a closer vantage point, trying to figure out if the foliage had maybe covered the entrance to the tunnel we needed, while my friend crouched near the water, inspecting the soil.
“Everything looks fine, C,” he mumbled, standing again and focusing on the trees I’d pointed out to him across the barrier. “But you are right, that part of land doesn’t seem to have been exposed to the curse during the war.”
The splashes from the rainbow fish increased behind us, falling to the background as I lifted my hand to the rocky hill. That passageway had been there. I was as certain of it as I was of my name.
Why couldn’t I find it?
Going back a few paces for a wider angle, I took in my surroundings, remembering the green berry bush that usually guided me to the mouth of the cave. Turning in a slow circle I found it, and walked toward it, following the markers. Berry bush. Crooked tree. Boulders cluster. Mountain wall. Entrance. Where the hell was it?
“Something is going on, C. Those fishes aren’t just swimming. The way they are acting, it’s almost like they are scared.”
I turned to face him just as an animal screech reverberated nearby. Instinct and training took over us, the bow and arrow appearing in my grasp as I whirled around, swiftly knocking an arrow while sharp twin swords appeared in Aedan’s grip.
Our backs pressed together, and we slowly turned in a circle, assessing our surroundings. The animal shriek cut off as soon as it began, no growling or whimpering followed like it would if it was a territorial fight, and there was nothing else here that would cause such distress in the animals.
Something caught my attention on the mountain, my eyes widening just as a pool of rainbow fish suddenly crashed near our feet, having jumped clear out of the lake.
Gasping, I stepped back, and finally found the entrance to the tunnel… on the other side of the barrier.
“The Red Guardian is moving!”
“They are trying to escape!”
Aedan spoke at the same time, but the ground shook underneath our feet the next second, the hissing and crackling of the earth as it was scorched drowning our voices. We watched in absolute horror as the barrier supposed to protect us advanced into our land, pushed forward by the deathly magic.
“Go!” Aedan shouted and we ran in the opposite direction.
My arms swiftly hooked around his torso an instant before I pulled us into the sky, taking the long way to the academy while flying us there as fast as I could. We had to warn the headmaster.
The old ˈlēTHəl’s curse was closing in on us.
“Out of our way!” I warned, pushing a few juniors to the side while my best friend and I ran like mad people through the academy.
Heavy bronze doors slammed against the stone walls when we burst into the banquet hall, the thunderous sound calling everyone’s attention. One by one, the heads turned in our direction, but we ignored their glares, running to the front of the hall where the headmaster should have been.
A large group of royal guards gathered around Mr. Kavanagh and his special guests, yet the wild beating of my heart didn’t allow me to care about anything else but what we had just witnessed.
At our frantic approach, the five guards whirled and suddenly appeared before us, seizing us before we could reach their charge.
“Let us go!” Aedan demanded, jerking in the man’s hold. “We need to speak to the headmaster!”
Given our erratic behavior, we probably looked like we meant harm to their charge, but the danger was more real than they realized, it just wasn’t us.
The special guests faced us, and shock rippled through me. Solara Priestesses in the flesh. Their race was formed of only women, red-headed, gorgeous, and powerful Fae who lent their magic to our kingdom in an act of eternal solidarity, but I had never seen one before.
In fact, I doubted anyone else here had, except maybe the headmaster.
Long red curls fell over their shoulders and back, grazing delicate blue gowns and the embroidered white cloaks they wore, making them look every bit the hallowed priestesses they were. An intrigued gleam entered their amber eyes as they glanced at me, but it was the enraged expression on Mr. Kavanagh that almost made our desperation fizzle. Almost.
“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded with a look that said we might both be thrown out of the academy for our behavior, but the instant he noticed the true alarm in our faces, the ire left him.
“Let them go.” A woman’s voice gave the order as the headmaster hurried toward us.
He gripped Aedan’s shoulders with worry. “What has happened?”
“Dragonfly Cove,” I blurted, my mind running faster than my mouth could.
“What were you doing so close to the edge?” Mr. Kavanagh demanded, his disapproval returning.
“We went flying after the tour and decided to take the tunnel back here—” his grandson began to explain, but there was no time for that.
“The ˈlēTHəl’s curse is alive again!” I shouted, my words reverberating along the entire ballroom, and every sound died.
“What?!” Mr. Kavanagh’s voice rose too.
“It’s pushing the Red Guardian into our lands, burning through everything it touches,” Aedan informed while I nodded.
“Impossible!” one of the Solara Priestesses argued, stepping closer.
“I swear to you, we don’t lie,” I declared, adrenaline racing through my veins at the implications. “It’s swallowing the mountain, killing animals, scorching trees, even the earth itself.”
The tortured cry of the animal as the curse killed it returned to our ears, and Aedan regarded me with the same worry I felt. “We saw it with our own eyes. Please, we have to do something.”
“Show me,” the order came from behind the Solara Priestesses, and they stepped aside, finally revealing the woman with them.
A gasp escaped my lips, and every inch of my body trembled in reverence when Queen Daetha stopped before us.
All breath left me at the sight of her, and I dropped to one knee, lowering my head in respect. “Savior Queen,” my best friend and I recited like a prayer—he was on his knee next to me.
“There will be time for reverence later, dear. Right now, I need you to show me,” the queen urged me to stand, but before I could answer, the Solara Priestesses surrounded us, each of them taking hold of one of us.
Queen Daetha’s hand gripped my arm at the same time that one of the priestesses took hers. Another’s hand curled around the headmaster’s wrist while the other woman took hold of Aedan. The rest paired with a guard each as they all reached for their white cloaks and flared them around us.
The earth beneath us moved as though we had twirled together, and by the time the cloaks lowered again, we stood at Dragonfly Cove. Gasps left the Solara Priestesses and guards when their gazes confirmed what we had told them. To our right, a giant tree seemed cut in half—one side stood tall, adorned with beautifully luscious foliage while on the other branches curled into themselves, drying off and breaking like they’d spent years without water or nourishment.
“No…” Queen Daetha exhaled next to me, as though the sight was pulling the life out of her too.
The expression on her face depicted the woman reliving that terrible day. Yet, the agony that entered her violet irises only lasted a split second, the fierce queen swiftly taking control.
She whirled around to face her guard. “Pull men and women from the army and send them to stand and monitor the Red Guardian. I want one guard every fifty feet, covering the entire span of Aērelis,” she ordered, walking closer to Mr. Kavanagh. “Oran, I need you to give me an accurate—”
“Aaah!” The ragged scream sent everyone into action.
The guards locked the queen between them protectively, while the Solara Priestesses surrounded us. Gripping their cloaks, they prepared to take us away as easily as they had brought us there, but Aedan and I jumped past them, weapons in hand once again.
“Movement behind the trees,” I alerted my best friend as we took our warrior stances side by side, like we had done through every battle exercise in the last four years, except this was no exercise.
I nocked two arrows, slowly pulling them back against my cheek and willing my focused eyes to see beyond the leaves. Whoever had screamed, couldn’t have come from Aērelis, for our towns were too far from this cove.
The sound of crunching leaves rose from the trees and Aedan motioned between us, signaling that we should split up. He would take the left, and I would take the right, scouting the area until we both converged on the other side, ambushing the monster.
With a nod, we began to move.
“Ignite,” I whispered to my arrows, seeing the arrowheads become ablaze while bright flames licked the length of Aedan’s enchanted swords. Our steps advanced us with precision in opposite directions as the queen was transported out of there.
Not only was she our queen, but also the only Elemental Faery left with full control of her abilities, we needed to shield her at all costs. If the ˈlēTHəl had returned, she was the only one who could truly protect our people.
With one brief look behind me, I noticed three of the Solara Priestesses had stayed, as well as the headmaster. The women’s hands buzzed with magic, ready to fire at any moment, and it was nice to know they had our backs. Aedan’s grandfather nodded at us, conveying his belief in our ability to handle this, and regarding each other briefly, Aedan and I entered the forest.
My heart slammed against my ribs like a wild unicorn wanting to escape its captors, so it was pointless to say I wasn’t scared, but my warrior spirit pushed me forward.
I focused on stabilizing my breathing while moving toward the sound, the flaming arrows aimed at the possible threat. The heat from the red barrier radiated toward me, so close that I could almost feel it burning me, but I kept going… until something came at me from the bushes.
My arrows flew instantly, one of them going through the man’s chest, but he fell on me, his heavy frame pinning me to the ground. Without hesitation, I pushed him off me with all my might, rolling away while pulling out the dagger from my thigh’s holster, and crouched over him—the blade pressed against his neck.
Crystal green eyes suddenly bore into mine, stealing my nerve, and the full sight of the intruder gave me pause. He was young, like Aedan and I were, massive in muscles and height, but that wasn’t what startled me. Angry burns covered half his body, blisters peppering his pale skin.
Holy shit. He had crossed the barrier.
But how had he gone through it and survived?
His hand gripped my waist and he squeezed it, bringing my attention back to his eyes and the agony wavering inside them.
“Help me…” the young man rasped, a moment before darkness pulled him away.