Page 67 of Their War

Grateful for the hint, I couldn't help but suspect that she was on our side, though she was trying hard not to show it. “Thank you,” I told her as she left the room, followed by her mate.

A door opened, and a young female entered. Her hair was just as dark and sleek as Revna's, but her skin was just a shade lighter. They shared the same purple eyes, and I could easily see the resemblance. If I had to guess, this was Revna's daughter. Thankfully, the daughter was wearing a little more than her mother, her breasts covered with a light leather material that was split down the middle. She wore leather pants in the same material, with wide stitching along the sides of the pants that revealed plenty of blue and white tattoos. Bowing slightly in greeting before us, she said, “I'm Cyerra, please follow me.”

Bowing in return out of instinct, I said, “Thanks. I'm Rhowyn and this is apparently my True Mate, Brannoc.” My words dripped with irritation and earned a gasp from Cyerra.

“Your True Mate? Really?” Her wide eyes bounced between us.

“So, I've been told,” I told her with a forced smile, still not happy with the secret Brannoc had kept from me.

“This is truly unheard of. A human for a True Mate! What is this world coming to now?” She jabbered on as she led the way out of the council room.

“She's not human,” Brannoc hissed at her, clearly not happy with the way I was being regarded.

“Really? She looks so much like one!”

“It's a glamor,” I assured her. “I'm actually High Fae. At least that's what I've been told.” The last part was murmured under my breath because, at this point, how could I be certain? It seemed that everything about me broke all the laws of magic so far. Perhaps this would be just one more thing that made me an outlier among the Fae.

“It's a strong glamor, for sure. I would never have guessed had you not told me,” she said, oblivious to the fact that her comments could be taken as insensitive.

“Yup. Hence the reason it's still in place.” I smiled forcefully at her. Really, it wasn't her fault, and I couldn't exactly take out my ire on her. If anything, she seemed like she might be a fount of information that I could use to my advantage.

“Wow! Still, to have found your True Mate among the High Fae. Maybe times really are changing like Mother said. Too many of us are going our whole lives without finding our True Mates, so maybe the answer is to go searching among the rest of the fae,” she babbled on, a romantic sigh leaving her. “I'd give anything to be able to find my True Mate. Mother says I will, but I'm just not as sure. Do you think it's possible that I have one among the fae as well?” she asked me, halting our march along the wooden walkways, her face full of hope. There was no way I could crush those dreams.

“It's possible. I mean, we've been chosen by Avalonia herself to be mated, so maybe yours is out there somewhere too,” I assured her.

“However, it would be unwise to leave the enclave to search for your mate without the approval of your Chieftain,” Brannoc rushed in, dashing the young girl's hopes.

“Mother would never allow me to leave the enclave,” she murmured despondently.

Glaring at Brannoc for his insensitive words, I tried to buoy her spirits again. “Who knows, crazier things have happened. You may just get her approval after all. Maybe, when I'm Queen, we can try to assimilate more of the Ravens among the fae.”

“Really?” she gasped, her face so full of hope again.

“Really.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful! To not be hunted just for what we are. To be able to be safe among the others would be a dream. There's so much of the world I want to see, but I've been stuck here all my life. Mother says it's too dangerous for me to leave, what with me being next in line for the throne,” she rambled as she led us from one tree to the next, the forest floor far below us.

Everyone else avoided us, pausing to eye us as we passed or taking other pathways so as not to come near us. Nearly everyone who caught sight of my rounded ears glared at me with disdain. Curious as to why the Ravens appeared to despise humans even more than the fae, I decided to ask Cyerra. “Why is everyone looking at me as if I'm lower than pond scum?”

“Oh, that's because you look human.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her statement. Thanks, Captain Obvious. “And why does everyone seem to hate humans?” I clarified.

“Oh. Oooh. You don't know?” She turned to me in shock.

“No. I was raised among humans on Earth and only recently found out I was fae,” I explained to her.

“Well, once, the High Fae loved to visit Earth and bring humans back to live among us. The humans were enamored of us and our magic. The High Fae were amused at the primitive nature of humans, finding grand entertainment in showing them our ways. The humans saw us as Gods. Many chose to stay and live among us for their entirely short lives, but after a couple of centuries, the humans had nearly overpopulated us. Their birth rates far exceeded our own, and it wasn't long until they had the numbers to force a rebellion. A few of the human leaders had decided that they were no longer satisfied with their mundane lives and went about seeking ways to steal our magics from us.

“Many people died in that war, mostly humans, but the Ravens suffered greatly as well. See, we are not originally from here, and once the fae saw how easily the humans had turned on them, they began to view us suspiciously as well. It wasn't long until the fae began hunting us, killing any of the Ravens that they saw as too powerful.

“Avalonia took mercy on us and granted us this small pocket of land. We're technically part of Avalon and yet not. We're hidden from the fae as long as we protect the source of Avalonia's power. Our lives are tied together in balance, because if one of us were to perish, the other would quickly follow,” Cyerra explained.

She paused at a door, opening it and indicating we should enter. Her hand landed on my forearm as I moved to pass by her and into the room, halting my progress. “Did you mean it when you said you wanted us to be able to rejoin the fae lands, to be safe amongst your kind?”

Placing my hand on top of hers, I said, “I did.” Turning to glance at Brannoc still behind me, I continued. “It seems that Avalonia wishes that to be since she gave me Brannoc. I have a feeling that it's all part of her grand plan.” I smiled reassuringly at her.

Nodding with a beaming smile, she said, “I'll leave you two here to rest. Please enjoy your stay. I'll be back to gather you two for dinner in about an hour. You'll find a change of clothes for both of you inside should you wish to freshen up beforehand.”

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