It would be her or no one, until my last breath.
And she didn’t want me.
My knuckles rubbed at my sternum, the ache returning to my chest as I flew over the sea, the castle visible in the distance. The sun was setting on the horizon, painting the ocean with its reflection of fiery orange, and it suddenly dawned on me that I could see the sun.
The sun.
Today had been clear, free of the rain that Ara created in her turmoil, and for the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe. A very small breath.
As the sky darkened and stars twinkled to life, I neared the castle and spotted Alden and Ara strolling down the slope that led to Draig Hearth. My breath caught in my throat.
Why are they outside the gates?Adrenaline poured through my veins like liquid fire, my heart racing.Surely, Alden is not so foolish as to try and help her escape again.
As much as it pained me, we still needed her to save Ravaryn.
I followed behind them, hidden in the shadows, as they made their way down to the shore, loaded onto a boat, and paddled out.
Before long, they docked at a small island. My eyebrows furrowed with confusion. There were several plateau islands scattered about the coast, but none were ever visited because unless you had wings, it was almost impossible to reach the top. Every isle was enclosed in sheer cliffs that dropped off on all sides…
My eyes bulged as they disappeared into the rock.
I flew closer, just out of sight, to see a small, hidden staircase and my heart thundered. Landing at the top, I perched in a tree and waited.
They crested the top step within a few minutes, Ara following behind Alden. They stopped, surveying the island.
“Vaelor used to bring your mother here for privacy.”
My heart stilled. I suddenly felt wrong for eavesdropping as sadness pressed into her features, but I couldn’t pull myself away. It had been days since I’d seen her face.
She sat on the ground and carefully reached out to a rounded stone as if her mere touch would ruin it. Her fingers traced the E carved in it.
The ache in my chest wrenched as Alden spoke of Vaelor and Elora’s love for each other. Not only did my father deprive me of ever experiencing that, but he took it from Ara as well.
Did he say his son?My breath left me in a whoosh.Alden… was Vaelor’s father? I hadn’t known that. How had I not known that?
Then Ara said the name Adrastus and my focus snapped back to her. She was asking about Vaelor’s death. Surely she already knew my father killed him, but the story was gruesome and devastating.
My eyes never left her face as Alden told the story. Tear after tear slid down her cheeks as she listened in silence. The wood under my palms cracked and popped with the force of my restraint. I wanted to run to her, hold her, wipe the tears from her cheeks. Do anything to staunch the pain she was feeling. But I didn’t. I sat, watching, against every screaming instinct.
After what felt like an eternity, Alden finished his story and they sat in silence for a moment before they stood, strolling to the circle in the far corner of the island. I followed behind, skirting along the edge of the tree line. Once we neared the stones, my eyes immediately spotted King Vaelor’s crest carved into the stone.
This must have been where he trained and developed his magic.
Scooting closer, I listened as he explained the symbol and what a Storm Bringer was. What he said afterward, however, caught me by surprise. I hadn’t even considered the strength of her magic and what it meant for her to wield it, as a half-Fae, but as he explained how the Goddess must favor her… It all made complete and total sense. She favored Ara.
That explained why I was able to break an unbreakable curse. Because the Goddess didn’t want it there.
Why hadn’t Alden spoken to me of any of this?
I didn’t have time to consider the question before Ara began speaking of the dream she had in Blackburn. We hadn’t discussed it after she woke and I hadn’t cared enough at the time to ask, but now, listening to its contents, there was no denying it was tied to her magic. If Vaelor had the same dream, it meant something. Nothing ever happened by coincidence.
Something nagged at me and I dropped my eyes in thought. Everything that had happened to her, with us, the breaking of her curse. She was the same, but entirely different. She was human, but not—
My head whipped back to the ring, eyes quickly finding the sharp point of her ear, and it was as if the wool had been pulled from my eyes at this very moment.
I could not give her back. She would no longer pass for human. Evander would kill her the moment he saw her. Panic swarmed me, heating the air, as she stepped into the circle and small blue sparks danced along her fingertips.
She did not belong in Auryna anymore.