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AURELIA
A knock at the door made me jump. I turned to look, my gut tightening.
Grey smiled at me as he strode to the door. “Don’t worry, princess, it’s just Magna.”
My shoulders slumped in relief, but I was still on edge. What would the woman think of the way the sprites and I redecorated Grey’s living room? What would I remember if she was able to get the memory block off?
Is any of this really important? Why does it even matter that I probably lived in Faery as a child?
I squared my shoulders and blew out a breath. It would matter. I would have answers as long as this Magna woman could remove the block.
Grey opened the door and a wizened old woman hobbled in the door. This was Magna? How was she supposed to help me?
Grey reached out to help her into the living room, but she pushed a huge bag at him instead. Grey let out a breath in a whoosh.
“You must be Aurelia,” the old woman said as she hobbled closer to me.
Her blue eyes were so light they were almost white. She moved closer to me quicker than should have been possible at her age. Her hand wrapped around mine and she hummed.
What in the world is going on here?
I glanced up at Grey with wide eyes.
“Yes, there is strong magic here,” Magna said with a hum of disapproval.
I frowned at the woman. What was she?
“What do you mean? My magic?” I asked softly.
Was she talking about my magic and how strong it was or was she saying someone placed strong magic on me?
Why would anyone do that to me? What purpose would it serve to make me forget?
“Not your magic, darling.” Magna smiled at me and patted my hand. “Though your magic is immense as well.”
“Immense?” I asked with a frown.
My magic does not feel immense.
Magna scanned the living room and chuckled at the new decorations. “You think your magic isn’t incredibly strong when you have plants thriving all over poor Grey’s furniture?”
I glared over to the two sprites whose light dimmed only slightly.
“It wasn’t just me,” I said.
“I can feel your magic in every plant in this room so I don’t believe that.” Magna shook her head and hobbled to the mossy couch.
The sprites beamed at her and flitted to land on her shoulders.
Traitors.
Grey set the giant bag on the coffee table and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Fiona and Freya, I think there are other things you could be doing.” Grey raised a brow.
The two sprites tittered and flew into the kitchen. Magna smiled and leaned forward to open her bag.
Grey sat next to me and rested his elbows on his knees. “What do you need to do this?”
Magna glared over at Grey. “I need space. I need time with Aurelia. I’m sure you can find other things to occupy yourself with too.”
Grey’s gaze snapped to Magna and she raised a brow at him. They sat in a silent stand-off until Grey huffed out a breath and stood.
“I’ll be listening in my office. Let me know if there is anything you need for your spell, Magna.” Grey shook his head and left the room.
“There, now that we are alone, how are you holding up, my dear?” Magda turned her light blue gaze on me.
“Holding up?” I asked with a frown. “I don’t know what the hell is going on with anything and the only mother I have ever known was murdered, and they’re blaming me for it. Holding up isn’t something I really understand right now.”
Magna patted my hand and smiled with sympathy. “It is a lot, but I think it’s the way it must be.”
Her cryptic words had me frowning.
What does she mean by that? Why would this be the way things were meant to be?
“Do I have a block on my memory?” I asked to get her back on track.
How did she know so much? I wanted to move away but I felt a strange kinship with the woman.
“Yes, you have a strong block, one I’m not sure I can remove with my magic,” Magna said with a frown.
“Then what are we doing?” I tried to remove my hand from her grip, but she squeezed tighter.
“I may not be able to use magic to loosen the block just yet, but maybe I can do something to jog your memory of the time before you were sent to this world.” Magna said sternly.
“So, how do you think we can loosen the block?” I asked, my chest tightening with apprehension.
If magic can’t do it, then what can she possibly do?
“Never underestimate the power of stories child.” She squeezed my hand.
“Stories?” I asked softly. “What do you mean?”
I flopped back into the soft moss of the back of the couch and waited for her explanation.
“I am much older than I look.” She grinned. “I remember a time before Faery closed off from us.”
Wait? What the fuck is she talking about? Faery closed itself off from who?
Magna shook her head with a sad smile. “I am half-fae and any supernaturals that called Faery their home were expelled and left stuck hiding in the mortal world.”
“And you were there?” I asked softly.
Surely that would make her ancient, right? How can she be that old?
“Please, darling, ask the burning question I see festering in that beautiful head of yours.” Magna said with a shoulder bump.
“There’s way more than a single question,” I said and wrapped my hand around hers.
“Tell me the most pressing,” she prodded.
“What are you?” I blurted. “What did you mean by they kicked us out?”
“I knew that was the question you would latch on to.” She squeezed my hand. “I am a half-breed. The Fae did not look kindly on those of us who weren’t pure like you,” she said the words without malice or censure.
“But if I am full fae, why not blame me for what was done to you?” I asked chewing my lip.
“Was it your actions that resulted in us being kicked out of our home-realm hundreds of years ago, child?” She wrapped an arm around me as I shook my head. “I didn’t think so. I would have remembered a pretty face like that full of hatred and malice.”
“Are my kind... evil?” I asked.
Could I really be the wicked fae my mother always told me I was?
Why did my people make them leave? Are the Fae really as bad as everyone says they are?
“Maybe they are not all the wicked fae they have the reputation for, but there are those who went out of their way to purify their realm of all half-bloods, shifters and witches. They are the ones who are wicked, not you, darling.”
Magna wrapped a frail arm around my shoulders, but it didn’t make me feel any better about the way my kind had treated the others.
Do I want to know about my home anymore? Do I even care?
“It’s important to know where you came from, darling. If you don’t know that then you won’t know which is the correct path forward.” Magna said squeezing me.
“My people are awful. They kicked you all out of your home because you weren’t pure. Why would I want to go back there?” I asked.
“Maybe, you can be the one that changes things for the better, darling.” Magna’s eyes bored into mine.
“Why would I matter in any kind of change?” I asked but she just hummed.
What the fuck was I missing here? I was nothing more than a foster child with a questionable past and an uncertain future.
“I think a story is in order. It may help you with your memories, darling.” Magna said and shifted on the moss-covered couch next to me.
“What kind of story?” I asked with a raised brow.
I loved books whenever I could get my hands on them but that wasn’t often.
“A story about Faery,” she said happily. “A story about the goodness in the realm and the ancient tales.”
“Okay,” I said happily. “I would love to hear them.”
“Millennia ago, Faery was a glorious place where all the supernaturals that live in this realm lived out in the open in peace in Faery. They didn’t have to hide. There were dances and parties. The fae courts were very similar to the human stories.” There was a faraway look in her eyes.
I shifted as I listened to her talk about the beauty in the realm that I was beginning to hate. I glanced at the budding plants that didn’t belong in this world.
Could they be right, and I have been to Faery and because of whatever block is there I don’t remember?
“It was a beautiful place and a beautiful time. But as with all history it didn’t stay that way. The courts were always squabbling, and wars broke out. The elders’ council decided that the other supernaturals of the realm were to blame.” Magna shook her head.
“How were the shifters and witches to blame for the courts warring?” I asked.
“The shifters and witches got along about as well then as they do now, and they were members of rival courts.” Magna shook her head.
That made sense. Even I had seen how shifters and witches reacted to each other with distrust.
“These courts bordered each other and every time a scuffle broke out along their borders, war would follow,” Magna said with a sigh.
“So, basically they gave the elders everything they needed to blame them for the wars that continuously broke out.” I rested my elbows on my knees and sat forward.
I loved learning about my history, but it wasn’t helping me to remember anything. But I kept quiet as she continued her story.
“Eventually the elders of the council of fae decided they were the only ones who deserved to live in their homeland and searched for a way to remove all others from their realm.”
My whole focus was on her as she kept me on the edge of my seat with her story.
“They found a way?” I asked and shook my head. Of course they did.
“They did and the supernaturals who were not full-blooded fae were ejected from the realm.” She shook her head sadly.
“That doesn’t make sense to me though. There are half-blood fae here. How is that possible if they kicked the supernaturals out of their realm?” I asked.
“Some are older than the time we split off. They were expelled along with us. The others, well I only said we were removed, not that they couldn’t come here.” Magna sat back against the couch.
“They can come here but we can’t go there? It hardly seems fair.” I covered my face with my hands and closed my eyes tight.
There was something there just out of reach but the more I tried to grab onto it, the farther away it slipped.
“Nothing about us being kicked out of our home was fair,” Magna said.
“Right, I don’t think this is working, Magna.” I shook my head.
“Close your eyes and clear your mind, darling. Listen to the sound of my voice,” she said softly.
I could do that. It was much like Grey had me do when I was controlling my magic. I took a deep breath and centered myself.
“Think back to your first memories,” her soothing voice hit my ears.
I did as instructed and the memory of being found walking the streets hit me like a freight train. I shivered as I remembered the chill in the air.
“That’s good,” she soothed. “Now push back farther.”
I concentrated but there was a wall there. I tapped at it in my mind, but it was solid.
“I found the block,” I said and with all my mental strength punched a hole straight through it.