Celine was not sure why she carried the letter back to the castle instead of throwing it into the water. Maybe having it with her reminded her how unsafe the Eternity Kingdoms were and that maybe she was a fool to stay. Whatever magic protected the letter from water damage did not protect it from her grip. The paper was crumpled into a tiny ball in her hand.
Her feet were heavy in the sand, and she hung her head as she walked. Receiving death threats were to be expected because the Fata weren’t known to be forgiving. Many Fata would want her dead – some because she had killed Queen Valeska; others because she was the rightful heir to the Everblossom Throne and they did not want a human to rule; and a number of Tarragon’s followers because she’d dethroned him.
“You have no reason to be scared,” Dagan assured her.
He regarded her calmly, but something told her a storm was raging within. Celine used to be cautious around Caynin because he was capricious. She was cautious around Dagan because he was unpredictable and kept his thoughts and his feelings to himself. His warm aura tempted Celine to trust him, to believe when he spoke, but she’d never be foolish enough to trust a faerie again.
They weren’t friends. She didn’t have many friends. Thinking of friends made her miss Eric, who had returned to the human lands, where he would be safe. His mother, Fleur, had stayed in the Everwhite Kingdom because she was Fata. If she were human, she would have left as well.
Eric had wanted Celine to come back with him, even after he had learned her true identity. She could have – no one had forced her to stay. Despite the deal she had made with Dagan, she didn’t think he would force her to keep her word. Coercing her would shatter the relationship he had worked so hard to build. Yet, Celine couldn’t leave because of the guilt in her heart. She had opened a portal to another world and left it ajar for Prenumbras to enter. She could not leave without closing it. That was why she had gone with Dagan – she had hoped he could teach her how to use her magic. Well, she had also left because she did not want to be around Caynin anymore.
“I want to go close the portal,” she said.
“We all want that,” Dagan responded. “I am trying to teach you how.”
“It’s not working,” she snapped. “We have wasted three months already.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
They reached the castle steps, where she stopped. “We go back to the door behind the waterfall. I opened it randomly. Maybe I could close it the same way.”
“Fine,” Dagan said. “We can go first thing tomorrow morning.”
Dagan didn’t pretend to own Celine; he did not treat her like an object. He let her come and go as she pleased, and he gave her whatever she asked for. He was good to her.
After she had sat on her throne and told everyone her real name, some of the Fata had laughed at her. Some had been embarrassed that their true ruler was human, while others had simply despised her. But everyone had believed her as only one with royal blood could wear an Eternity Crown without burning. Dagan had been the only Fata in the room to gaze upon her with admiration, and having him really see her, made her feel fuzzy on the inside.
“Celine.”
After three months of hearing it, her name still sounded strange to her ears. She still felt like Zoey Wright – the human girl raised by human parents. The name Celine LeVane didn’t feel as if it belonged to her.
“Yes?” She met Dagan’s emerald eyes.
“I’m glad you are here.”
Celine was fond of the Evergreen Kingdom – she enjoyed the warmth, the waves, the music, the beauty. She liked that she was far away from Caynin, and although he didn’t know it, she had a soft spot for Dagan. She pretended not to find his jokes funny but smiled when he looked away. She pretended not to find his compliments flattering, but felt warm inside every time he complimented her. She tried to fool him, as much as she tried to fool herself, into believing that she didn’t enjoy being there.
“As am I,” she said.
They climbed the white steps and parted ways after sharing a smile. As Celine went to her room, she passed multiple humans on their knees, washing the stone floors. The moment she saw them, Celine instantly regretted telling Dagan that she was glad to be here. She hated being here! She despised being in a world where humans were slaves.
When she had passed the Three Worthy Trials and earned her wish, she had been foolish and impulsive when she made it. She hadn’t taken time to think it through and get her wording right.
I wish that four Eternity Kingdoms will set every single one of their humans free. Their memories of this place will be wiped, and they will be sent home, alive.
Fata have a way of making wishes come true in the cruelest of ways. Celine should have known better, as she had been warned many times. She knew they were tricksters!
Once she had made her wish, the Princes had freed all their humans, wiped their memories, and sent them home alive. But nothing had stopped them from simply getting new humans and turning them into slaves. Much to her shame, they had outsmarted her.
Celine reached her room and pushed open the white door, with its seashell handle. The sunlight shone in from the big windows that gave her a view of the ocean and the cliffs. This was undoubtedly one of the best views in the castle. Dagan had given her this room to keep her here as long as possible. The bed was too big for one person, its frame was milk white, and the sheets were blue like the ocean.
“Is there anything I can do for you, princess?” The familiar voice came from the door.
Celine turned away from the window and looked toward Bella, who was not a brave Fata, but she was incredibly loyal. She had worked for Celine’s parents, Harmonia and Calico, and she was the reason that Celine was back in the Eternity Kingdoms. When Celine had come here, Bella had followed and taken it upon herself to be Celine’s personal servant. Celine had objected many times, but Bella had not left. Celine had figured that Bella would get bored after a few months. She had never told her to do anything, but it was nice to have her around. Dagan hadn’t dared to send any human servants to Celine’s room.
“Nothing, thank you,” Celine said.
“What’s on your mind?” Bella asked.
Celine was surprised by how easily Bella read her. “Dagan and I are going to try and close the portal tomorrow.”
Bella raised her eyebrows. “I did not know that you had a breakthrough with your magic.”
“I didn’t,” Celine said bitterly and looked toward the window in shame.
“Don’t worry,” Bella said gently. “You’ll get there.”
“Everyone keeps saying so,” Celine mumbled.
Then a white winged rabbit caught her eye, perched on her windowsill, swishing his long tail. It was not the first time she had seen animals there that didn’t belong by the ocean. “Why is there a rabbit on my windowsill?”
Bella shrugged. “It’s a tammer. Sometimes, Fata use animals to do their bidding. They can be used to send letters, steal things, or to offer companionship.”
Had Dagan sent it to keep her company? Did he know how lonely she had become? She tried desperately to hide her feelings from the Fata, in fear that they would use them to manipulate her. If Dagan had sent the tammer, it was not much comfort.
“Is it just you and Dagan going tomorrow?” Bella asked.
Celine nodded, although she was not certain if Flint would join them. Unlike Caynin, Dagan didn’t take orders from his Waerie, and Flint didn’t tag along everywhere he went. Dagan no doubt liked his privacy almost as much as he liked his power.
“Did you want to join?”
Bella shook her head. “I am not much of an adventurer.”
The rabbit grunted, capturing their attention. It watched Celine with beady eyes, as if waiting for something.
“Is Dagan good with animals?” She secretly hoped for confirmation that he sent it.
“He is okay,” Bella replied, “but I think he always envied Tarragon’s skills.” She bit her lip when she said his name, as they had not spoken about him in months. Bella was the one faerie who feared and hated Tarragon as much as Celine did.
“Tarragon is an animal lover?” Celine gaped. She couldn’t picture this cruel male being kind to animals; she could only picture animals fleeing his wrath.
“He is the best,” Bella said. “He has tamed many beasts and ridden them into battle.”
Celine rolled her eyes. So, he only used animals to help him do his evil deeds. She had expected nothing less. He was not the kind of Fata who would cuddle on a couch with a chihuahua. He was the kind of Fata who would teach a chihuahua to kill smaller creatures, like mice or flies.
“I thought Tarragon was only good at murdering innocents,” Celine said.
Bella said, “Oh no. As a warlord he has many skills. He is brilliant at drawing sigils.”
“Sigils?” Celine asked.
“Symbols with magical power,” Bella said. “He can use these symbols to do many things. For example, he can draw a symbol in front of a door that can prevent someone from entering.”
A wave of dizziness washed over her, and Celine touched her forehead.
“But don’t worry,” Bella said. “Tarragon is locked up in the Dark House. No one has ever escaped from there.”
Celine had heard about the Dark House. It was a prison in the Everblossom Kingdom, and only the worst of the worst were sent there. The prisoners rarely received visitors or food as they had been left there to be forgotten. Celine didn’t feel any pity for Tarragon because he had got exactly what he deserved.
***
Celine joined Dagan and Flint for dinner that night. She invited Bella along, but she politely declined. Dinner with Dagan was always fun and informal. They did not always eat at the same, neatly set table like she had with Caynin. Sometimes, they ate up in the towers, and other times, they sat on the rocks. Although Dagan was a powerful prince, he could also be humble. When Celine had first met him, he had been charming. He hadn’t belittled her like the other Fata had, which made her wonder what motivated him.
Once they finished dinner – delicious baked fish, green beans, and fries – Flint left. They sat on the castle wall, overlooking the ocean, from where Celine could see her room window, and another white tammer in front of it.
“Why do you always treat me so… nicely?” Celine asked.
“I assume you think I do it because I can gain something,” he said.
She shrugged but didn’t answer. It was no secret that many Fata had ulterior motives. “You seem to treat everyone below you as your equal.” Except for your human slaves.
Dagan hesitated, and she thought he would not respond. “I was not born into royalty.”
Celine turned her surprised eyes away from the ocean and fixed them on his serious face. “What?”
He nodded. “I was born a slave on Erken.”
A tightness in his voice suggested that he didn’t often speak about this. “How did you get free?”
“I killed my master.” There was no regret in his voice. “I thought I would be punished afterwards – but the other slaves sided with me because when I killed him, I also set them free. They made me their new lord and stayed by my side willingly. With that many supporters, I felt untouchable.”
There had to be more to the story, as he had not told her how he had been crowned Prince yet. She was curious but did not push it.
Did he desire power because he had originally been a slave? He clearly knew what it felt like to be hopeless and weak. Maybe she had more in common with him than she had first thought.
Yet, he still considered himself better than the humans who scrubbed his castle’s floor and cooked his meals. She tried to shove that idea away, and for the first time, she leaned her head against his shoulder. They sat like that, side by side, for a long time.
***
“Wake up, Princess,” Dagan said.
Celine rubbed her eyes. Dagan was sitting on the side of her bed, grinning. He was dressed in brown pants and a black shirt with shoes made for hiking. He had opened her room’s curtains to the rising sun, but the light hadn’t woken her, his voice had.
“I overslept!” Celine said.
She was wearing a too-short nightgown that hung low over her breasts. Summers here were warm, and some nights she slept naked. Celine flung off the blankets, pushed past Dagan, and made her way to the oversized closet filled with clothes Dagan had given her. Dagan’s eyes followed her like a chameleon would a fly.
She did not mind that he saw her in her nightgown. Maybe her pride had been destroyed after she ran through the Everwhite Kingdom in her underwear. She had survived that humiliation. Yet, there was nothing demeaning in the way Dagan observed her, only odd curiosity and desire. Did he consider her pretty? He couldn’t because her beauty was nothing compared to his or those of the other Fata. As a prince, Dagan had many females throwing themselves at him. But, come to think of it, she had never seen him show any interest in them.
She opened her closet door and chose dark pants with a short-sleeved shirt and closed shoes. Dagan was gaping at her, waiting in anticipation to see if she would get dressed in front of him.
“Out,” she said.
He raised his eyebrows, questioning her will.
“Out.” She had grown comfortable – too comfortable – around him. That didn’t mean he was allowed to see her naked.
“I’ll close my eyes,” he said.
“You’re lying.”
“Don’t you trust me?” he asked with innocent eyes.
She regarded him a moment longer, trying to decide if he was lying. She didn’t trust him, thanks to her serious trust issues, but it would be good for their relationship if he believed that she trusted him…
“Very well. Close your eyes,” she decided.
He obeyed, and she studied him before taking off the short night dress. She slipped on her shirt, pants, and shoes, while glancing at him occasionally. He had kept his word, which suggested that he considered trust was important for their relationship to flourish.
“You can open them now,” she said once she was dressed.
Dagan opened his eyes and smiled naughtily at her.
“Why are you smiling? You didn’t see a thing…”
“I have a very good imagination.” He smirked.
She quickly pushed him back so that he fell onto the bed, laughing. She was grinning like an idiot, but stopped smiling before they left the room. They ate bread before finding their piateks, wingless griffins, already saddled as Dagan had commanded. The guards handed them each a sheathed sword to fasten to their waists.
Both piateks were brown with white chests and gigantic claws. They had the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. Celine mounted her piatek and acknowledged that Dagan was a much better rider. She felt clumsy in the saddle and held onto its horn to prevent herself from falling. She missed Chet – the winged leopard who had befriended her. Riding him had been easier, even if they had flown high. Was that because she trusted him?
They rode to the Globetrot-tree – the easiest way to teleport between the four kingdoms. Celine had learned that each tree was situated beyond a castle, so that if enemies were to use it, they could not infiltrate the castle from within. Once they reached the big golden tree, Celine immediately felt the energy radiating off it.
“Did you send word that we are coming?” Celine asked.
“No,” Dagan said.
Why hadn’t he done so? Was it because Caynin would then find out that she had returned to his kingdom? Maybe Dagan did not want her to see Caynin, fearing that she would forgive him and return to his side. Celine wasn’t sure if she wanted to see Caynin, either.
She said nothing more on the matter as Dagan took her hand in his. His hands were rougher than Caynin’s but still unscarred and perfect. His nails were sharp, but clean and neat. He placed his free hand on the Globetrot-tree, and immediately a bright light illuminated his fingers.
“To the Everwhite Kingdom,” he said.
The spinning started, and Celine closed her eyes. It felt as if she was on a roller-coaster that had flown off its tracks. When she opened her eyes again, they were in the Everwhite Kingdom, and Dagan removed his hand from the tree but held hers a little longer.
Celine took in the familiar, snow-covered woods and let go of Dagan’s hand. She took her coat, that she had tied to the saddle, and put it on. Momentarily, she envied Dagan for not feeling the cold the way she did. Then again, he drank human blood to feel the different sensations.
From here on she had to lead the way, away from the snow, to the river and the waterfall. It was still cold by the water – but not freezing. In the human lands, it was summer now, but in the Everwhite Kingdom, it was always winter.
Dagan followed her – following didn’t come naturally to him, but he did not complain. She led him past ice crystals hanging from branches, and the piateks’ feet sank into the snow. They were not adapted to this climate, which was why they lived in the Evergreen Kingdom. They walked until they reached the river, where she had first met Caynin and Rane.
Thinking of Rane made her think of Waeries. “Where is Flint?”
“I told him to stay,” Dagan said. “Since this is not exceptionally dangerous, and we don’t need him.”
Celine couldn’t imagine Rane leaving Caynin’s side for a moment, but not all Waeries were as protective as Rane. Prince Bolt’s Waerie had not even joined them for the Red Festival months ago.
“How much further?” Dagan asked.
“Don’t tell me your bum is saddle sore,” Celine teased.
He was much stronger and faster than she was, and his pride would be hurt if she had better endurance. He shot her a look that suggested his legs were fine.
“We are almost there.”
Celine heard the inviting, cool, soft whooshing before she saw the crystal-clear water, which fell to the sharp rocks in the river. There was no indication of the door hidden behind the waterfall in the rock wall, as the crack she had made was tiny.
“This is it,” Dagan stated, although he had never seen it before. Could he also feel the otherworldly energy where the veil was thin?
Celine dismounted clumsily and nearly fell over once her feet touched the ground. Her piatek swished its long, lion’s tail to show his irritation – a reminder that she didn’t belong between the faeries, magical creatures, or magic.
Celine made her way over the rocks and waded into the cold water until she reached the wall behind the waterfall. To open it the first time, she had pushed it. She couldn’t see a handle – a crack in the rock – which she could grab to close it. She looked toward Dagan, who was suddenly beside her, for aid.
“There is no handle,” she stated.
Dagan laughed. “Of course not. It’s not a real door. It is a portal. Can’t you feel the otherworldly energy?”
Celine could feel the energy. It was as if a living, breathing thing called to her. This energy, and the Prenumbras’ whispering, was what had made her open the door in the first place.
“Focus,” Dagan told her. “You control it. Close the door with your mind.”
She looked at the wall and willed herself to close it. With the veil between worlds thinner, she could feel the magic easier. She could control it…
Then a hand shot out from the portal and grabbed Celine’s hair.
She screamed and reached for the fingers, as strong as iron, and tried to pry them away. She couldn’t. As the hand pulled her closer to the door, she realized it was going to drag her though.
Dagan unsheathed his sword, despite it not being able hurt Prenumbras. She felt wind on her face as the blade sliced through her hair. Celine fell backward, into the pond, with a splash. When Celine emerged, the hand had retracted into the portal, taking her hair with it.
There wasn’t time to calm down because the high-pitched piping of an eagle started, and she tried to see what was upsetting the piateks.
“Dagan…” She did not try to hide the panic in her voice. Four Prenumbras surrounded them now, forming a rectangle. Were they guarding the portal? Were they waiting for her, the key, to return?
Celine felt faint as she looked at Dagan’s useless sword and white knuckles. He jumped off the rock and landed in front of her, trying to shield her with his body.
“We can’t win,” Celine said.
“We can get out of this,” Dagan said.
“How?” Her eyes were on the Prenumbras, who were closing in.
“Open a door,” Dagan said.
“I can’t.”
“You must!”
The Prenumbras were close enough to strike, and Dagan swung his sword into the nearest one. The blade shattered like a glass vase when it touched the Prenumbra’s chest, and the thing looked at it, almost bored, before it shoved Dagan into the water.
“Celine! Close your eyes and think of somewhere safe!” Dagan ordered from where he sat.
She closed her eyes and tried her best not to think about the Prenumbras. She didn’t want to think about death. So, in her memories she went to the happiest, safest place she could and pictured it as if she was there.
Celine opened her eyes when Dagan grabbed her hand. The river had formed an endless flowing circle of water, and in its center was the destination Celine had pictured – a big bed, filled with too many pillows. Some of the pillows had even fallen to the floor – blocking the door of a partially opened closet that revealed racks of clothes. Celine didn’t have any time to process what was happening.
Dagan shoved her through the portal and told the piateks to run before he followed. She fell on her face, on the hard ground, and when she looked up, the portal had closed, leaving the Prenumbras by the river. To her right was Dagan – on his feet thanks to his enviable grace. His fists were balled at his sides, and he was ready to fight.
They were in a bedroom and had woken a fourteen-year-old girl. She was sitting upright in her bed, clutching her blankets to her chest.
“Zoey?” Violet, Celine’s foster sister, said.