Page 17 of Secrets & Curses of Cerithia

“Where should I stand?” I glanced to see no other space for me up front.

“You can sit with the commoners.” His words made me frown. “Only the royal family can stand here.”

My darkness surged forward before I could contain it. My eyes flashed black, and my father stumbled back slightly.

“And I’m not part of your family.”

“Not in the royal sense,” he clipped before turning his back on me.

Heat filled my cheeks as I stepped down and sat in the front row. The fae sitting closest to me scooted away, so I was alone. I refused to look up when my father greeted everyone. My hands tangled together in my lap as I focused on not being upset.

“We understand there are concerns among the commoners, so we invite you all to tell us what we can do.” My father’s voicewas void of any kindness. He sounded angry that there were complaints. It was a long moment before I heard a fae scuffle up the aisle and stop beside me.

“Your Majesty, I speak for all of us when I say thank you for allowing us to voice our concerns.” The old man stuttered out his words. “Our concerns lie solely with the return of Thea.”

My head snapped up to the old man, my darkness still clinging to me, making my eyes black. I could practically taste the fear of everyone in here once I glanced up.

“What concerns are those?” Gwyn smiled smugly at me.

“Well, she has been missing for years, presumed to be living in Crimson. And now she is here, in our home, and we are concerned about what her intentions are.”

The other fae muttered in agreement with his statement. Why did they all think I was in Crimson? Did my father not tell anyone about my curse?

I looked at my father, but he didn’t even spare me a glance.

“Thea is here because the prophet spoke of her killing kings and crumbling kingdoms. She is here to fight for this kingdom and kill our enemies, including Crimson.”

His words weren’t cruel, but my heart ached slightly at the sound of them. I had hoped he would have told them that this is my home too, and I belong here. Why wouldn’t he tell them about the curse and Cassius tricking me? All the fae thought I had been living happily with Cassius for years. There was no way they would ever forgive me for that. Gwyn stared me down as she opened her mouth.

“Thea is paying off her betrayal by fighting for us. If you are worried she is unpredictable, then do not fear about that. Her father has her on a very small rope; she is never out of our sights.”

My darkness seeped out of me slowly as I listened to her. It sounded like I was their fucking pet. I stood up, pissed off athow they had not said anything truthful. They could have put an end to this hatred from the other faes by telling them what really happened.

“Thea?” my father questioned me.

“Why are you not telling them the truth? That I did not intentionally betray this kingdom. I was tricked and enchanted by Cassius, and I came back immediately once I learned of it. You are letting these fae think I am a traitor. Do they even know that I was cursed?”

Jesper and Gwyn raised their brows at me before glancing at my father, who stared at me.

“Because you are a traitor, Thea. Whether you feel it was intentional or not, you are a traitor to the crown. Do not ever talk to a member of the royal family in that tone again.” His voice was dismissive, which instantly enraged me. My magic was bleeding to the surface, and my skin began to glow with red and orange swirls.

“Witch!” someone yelled, making the room break out in chaos. The fae scrambled from me like I would eat the flesh from their bones.

My father started walking toward me, but unable to face him, I ran out of the room and toward town. My anger was too out of control to talk to him. I knew I would do something that I regretted if I stayed here.

I left the castle and made my way to the main road. My lungs burned as I ran to the city I had not been allowed to visit.

A part of me wanted to see if the fae there would treat me with the same cold indifference that I got from my family and the others at the meeting tonight.

Gods, I missed the cooler air of Crimson. Here, the sun shone so hot that it made everything miserable.

The heat made sweat bead on every part of my skin, and I hated it. It reminded me of Exile.

The path to town wasn’t paved in stone but was instead just a carved-out dirt path. I hadn’t been here yet since my return, and I had hoped that I liked it as much as the Crimson Kingdom’s city. When I got to the outskirts, I stopped and looked at the shambled buildings and homes that lined the dirt roadways. My eyes flowed over the wooden structures that looked in desperate need of repairs. As I moved closer to the town square, the buildings became bigger and were in better condition.

Most of the nicer buildings were made of gray stone, like the castle. I looked around at the fae as they watched me. No one smiled or waved. Instead, they all stared like I was a spectacle, like they were seeing a monster in the flesh. Silence engulfed everything as those around me recognized who I was. I ignored them and continued to explore.

There was no laughter or music. No dancing in the streets as there had been in Crimson. The only beauty that I could see came from a pretty, vine-covered fountain that was covered in blue flowers. It was the prettiest thing I had seen here yet.

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