“Rose is really strong,” he says. “She’s sneaky, too. She got into Dark Falls, so I trusted her when she said she’d take the book to Luther.”
“What’s going to happen when she reaches him?” Tulip asks. It’s a question I hoped she wouldn’t ask because I’ve had a few hours to consider the answer. It’s not something I’d wish on anyone.
“It’s not going to be pretty,” Greg grumbles, and Tulip shoots him a sharp look.
“What do you mean?” She asks anxiously.
“Oh, Tulip,” I quickly urge. “Just stay calm, okay? You’re still recovering.”
Now it’s her turn to glare at me.
“Tell me what he means.”
“I mean there’s going to be a war,” Greg shrugs.
“The kingdoms are already at war,” Tulip says.
“No, they aren’t,” Greg shakes his head.
They aren’t?
“Rose thought the same thing,” he explains. “Which is a little strange. No one in Dark Falls thinks there’s a war, but I guess Wyatt started a rumor that the vampires, the demons, and even the fallen angels are fighting with each other.”
“Isn’t that why we’re forbidden from entering the capital city?” I ask.
“The king isn’t an ordinary fae, you know,” Greg cocks his head. “He’s a dark fae, like we are.”
“Then why the ban on dark faes?”
“There’s no ban. That’s a rumor. A lie. Wyatt started these stories last year so he could have more control over the cities, over the world. By the time he launched his campaign against the king, he would have already turned everyone against each other.”
So that’s it, is it?
We’ve been locked away in our own town, fearful of the outside world, and for nothing?
We haven’t ventured to the capital city or wandered to Dark Town or done anything at all because we’ve been under the impression that our town, ruled by vampires, is inescapable?
“What’s going to happen now?” Tulip whispers. The realization that our lives have been a lie is terrifying. Neither one of us likes the idea that we’ve been tricked for so long. It’s hard to believe that Wyatt, advisor to the king, has somehow damaged the world so immensely that he’s separated it without us even realizing what has happened.
What was once a single, wonderful kingdom ruled by the Fairy King has now become separated.
And our sister could be in danger.
“Daisy,” Tulip whispers.
“We have to warn people.”
“What?” Greg looks confused. “Why?”
“Because if a real war is coming, they need to be ready.”
“What does that have to do with us?” Greg asks, and I know that he must be a little scared. He’s a brave kid. He did just travel all the way here, after all, and I have no idea how he managed to find Tulip and I. Although Dark Village is not especially big, it’s still a reasonably sized town full of vampires and monsters. It’s not the type of place I’d let a little kid go play. It’s not the type of place I’d send a child on his own.
But my sister let him come because she believed in him.
She believed in his strength, in his courage.
I need to help him remember that courage.