Page 38 of The Fae Lord

I bite my lip. “But how?” I ask tentatively. “The Sunborne are so powerful, and we... we don’t have any magic of our own.”

Finn smiles then, a smile that’s equal parts reassuring and mischievous. “That’s where you’re wrong. We have the elves on our side, and the Leafborne, and you.”

“Me?”

Finn grasps my hands. “Perhaps Kayan’s death wasn’t in vain. Perhaps everything that happened was to allow your powers – his powers – to be set free so you can help us.” He squeezes tighter, kissing my forehead. “Think of what you did when you got us out of there, Alana. The others might not see it, but I do. You saved us. We’d never have survived the tunnels if it wasn’t for you.”

I step back from him, adjusting my clothes. “And what of the elves?” I ask, my mind swimming as I try to picture myself coming head-to-head with Eldrion again. “They have always been neutral, always stayed out of fae politics.”

“Not anymore,” Finn says. “Don’t get me wrong, they are completely self-interested. They aren’t helping us because they believe in our cause, merely because they want positions of power in the new order.”

Order. Power.

These are not words that sit well with me. They make me feel... uneasy.

Finn stalks over to me, fastening his belt, then leans in close, his forehead pressing against mine. “The elves, and you, and the Leafborne. Plus the Shadowkind’s determination and will to fight.” He grins at me. “We’ve got this. We can do this.”

I close my eyes, letting his words wash over me. The idea of it, the sheer audacity of his plan, is both terrifying and exhilarating. To be part of something so much bigger than myself, to fight not just for my own freedom, but for the freedom of all fae...

“How do you know we can trust them?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. “The elves, I mean. How do you know they won’t betray us?”

Maybe that is who Kayan was talking about. Don’t trust them.

“They’ve already shared knowledge with me, spells and incantations that I never even knew existed. They want this just as much as we do.”

He squeezes my hands. “I know it’s a lot to take in. I know it seems impossible. But Alana, we have to try. And now is the time. While Eldrion is...” He trails off.

I open my eyes. “What? What is Eldrion doing?”

Finn shakes his head. “I don’t want to scare you.”

“Do not patronise me, Finn. You can’t want me as your star player in this battle, then refuse to share information with me. Especially if it’s concerning me.”

Finn’s lips twitch into a smile. “I love it when you’re forceful,” he says playfully. When I do not smile back, he adds, through gritted teeth, “Eldrion is looking for you, Alana. The elves tell me he’s obsessed. He can think of nothing other than stealing you back.” Finn’s eyes darken. “I think he knew all along what you were capable of.” He scratches his chin and begins to pace up and down. “I think that’s why he had me follow you, why he bought you at auction. Because he knew what you were. Because he wanted your power.”

“My power?”

“Think about it...” Finn is speaking quickly now. “If he could somehow have access to your powers, and learn to absorb the power of other fae, he could destroy everyone. The Leafborne, the Mountainside fae... He could have complete control over the entire kingdom.”

As Finn speaks, my blood runs cold. I lace my fingers together and squeeze until my knuckles whiten with the pressure.

Perhaps this is what Eldrion is trying to do in the dreams he sends me. Perhaps this is his way of trying to infiltrate my mind.

“He will never have me,” I snap. “Never.”

Finn meets my gaze. “So, I can count on you? You’re with us?”

I square my shoulders and tilt my chin. A glimmer of the way I felt in those tunnels, and when I bent the waterfall to my will, and took away the Leafborne’s pain, flickers in my stomach.

“Lord Eldrion has no idea who he’s up against,” I say darkly. “And he has no idea what he’s about to lose.”

SEVENTEEN

Eldrion

The sun hangs low on the horizon, decorating the shoreline with shades of orange and violet. The pale shade of purple does not possess the vibrancy of Alana’s wings. But it makes me think of her all the same. And that makes me ride harder.

Beneath me, the horse’s hooves pound rhythmically on the sand. A drumbeat that matches the pulsing in my temples.

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