Page 57 of Secrets & Curses of Cerithia

She turned a melancholy gray as if to say she couldn't, which I knew already.

“There are things that I’m not understanding correctly.” I glanced at her, and she turned a bright orange. “Do I give them to Cassius at this meeting? What if he tells everyone that I betrayed them?”

Orange burned brightly around her, letting me know that I had the answer I had been waiting for. Lavtan was from Crimson, and I hoped Cassius ripped that man’s head from his body. I turned to ask Wisp another question, but she was gone. I closed my mouth with irritation. I did not understand why she kept going to him. It was part of the reason I knew I was missing something. She was supposed to be my friend, and she sought him out instead.

I sighed, knowing that I would have to give Cassius the letters somehow at the meeting, and hoped he cared enough to warn the other kingdoms. Even if he exposed my betrayal, I was fine with the consequences of dying.

I kneeled next to my bed and cut a hole in the side of it, slipping the letters inside among the stuffing.

Was it worth the risk? Yes, if it saved innocent fae throughout Elloryon. If I died trying, then at least I tried to do good before I died.

Chapter 18

Jesper and the king had ignored me since they barbed my magic inside of me. That was three days ago. I was thankful that I did not have to pretend to care for them any longer.

The king of Cerithia was equally as silent as we rode through a darkened forest in the carriage on our way to the meeting of the kingdoms. I stared out the small window and wished they had let me ride on my horse instead of sitting in this painful silence. The letters I had shoved into my trousers practically burned against my skin with every bump on the road.

I was sure I could get these letters into the hands of someone who would care. When I asked what kind of meeting this was, I was ignored. So, I kept my mouth shut. The king had made me take off my cloak and leave it at the castle, stating that he wanted everyone to see the colors of his kingdom on my uniform. In reality, though, it was so they could see that I belonged to him.

My jaw clenched tightly as the bumps irritated the magic barbs winding around each of my wrists like a bracelet. They wouldn’t stop bleeding, and my skin burned and itched badly.

I perked up when I saw a white castle in the distance after riding for nearly a day and a half. We were visiting a new kingdom, and I thought it would be exciting to at least see something new. There was snow on the ground here. The bare trees were covered in frost, making the boughs bend downward toward the ground. It was stunning, even if the air was too cold and there were no flowers. The cold instantly made me think of Haden.

The town surrounding the castle was charming, with its lovely cottages and a light dusting of snow. The fae here stood and watched as our carriage passed by, most with light hair and bundled in large clothing. I took in their happy faces as they walked the stone streets. They appeared to be happier than Cerithia fae.

My fire magic didn’t seem to enjoy the cold temperatures, but gods, this place was beautiful.

My breath was visible in the carriage due to the drop in temperature. Snow flurried around us, and I couldn't help but smile. It felt like a dream.

“The kingdom of Akecia,” the king said, breaking the silence as our carriage rounded the front entrance. The Crimson Castle, with its black stone, was always stunning, but this castle, with its dominating white stone, was a close second. My mouth hung open as I craned my head back to admire the grand building. Snow fell on my face, and I closed my eyes, savoring the peacefulness of this place. I didn't know what awaited me once I entered through the doors.

My cloak would have been nice in the cold winter air, but we were ushered inside before I was done admiring outside. I stood to the side of my father as a man approached us. He wore allwhite with an icy blue crest over his heart on his robes. I shook my head—a perfect target.

“King Luren and Prince Jesper, welcome to my home. We were all sorry to hear your father has become more ill, Jesper.” This was their king?

His hair was white as the snow outside, but he was only my age, if not a few years older. His beard was large but trimmed nicely. His dark eyes turned to look at me, and he stepped back slightly at the sight of me.

“Thank you for hosting, King Sybrien.” Jesper bowed. “Are the others here?”

“Yes, we are all ready to start.” His eyes shifted to me again, and confusion filled his expression. I tried to give him a small, reassuring smile, but he turned away from me quickly. “Follow me.”

He headed down a long hallway. Everything was so... white. Silver also adorned some fixtures, but the castle definitely reflected the snow outside. It was not decorated with expensive things like the one in Cerithia. It was somewhat more modest, even though they could likely afford to decorate it expensively. The king of Cerithia followed King Sybrien first, then Jesper, and then I walked behind.

We made our way across the grand floor of a beautiful room and towards a large set of double doors. The guards on either side pulled them open as we approached. Discussions that had been going on ceased immediately when we walked in. My eyes instinctively landed on Cassius first, like they could sense him before I registered it. His eyes were black as they immediately dismissed my presence.

I would be lying if I said my body had no reaction to seeing him. Something bloomed deep in my stomach at the sight of him. My darkness practically purred when I glanced at him, which only confirmed that I made the wrong decisionby choosing my father. The King of Crimson stared at me with a deep crease in his brows. Then I saw Haden, Kace, and Zade standing by them as well. I looked away from them quickly before my feelings could show on my face. Emotions immediately stirred in my chest, making my darkness swirl.

Wisp chose this time to make her appearance again. Or maybe she had come with Cassius. She swirled around him in her pretty, dark green color, happy to see him. His hair moved slightly at the breeze that she made, and his eyes finally found mine. I still didn’t understand how he was the only other fae who could see her.

I was actually thankful that the magic barbs were on at that moment because my darkness would have left me at the sight of them. Knowing what I did now, I realized that I should have gone to Crimson with Cassius when he asked me to.

I was almost ashamed for him to see me like this, with my face still cut and bruised by the guards that held me down the other night. My eyes shifted to the others grouped here. All five kingdoms were in attendance. My heart was beating so loudly that I wondered if they could all hear it. Maybe that was why all of them were staring at me right now, not because of my black eyes and glowing swirls on my arms.

My father sat in a chair next to Jesper and pointed for me to stand next to them. I did as I was told. My eyes immediately shifted to Cassius again as he whispered to his father. Then I met Haden’s eyes as he stared openly at me, frowning as I stood stoic. The king had drilled it into my head this morning that I would be on my best behavior. My darkness was clawing at my chest, wanting to go to Cassius. It was painful.

King Sybrien stood and held his arms up, calling attention to him. “Thank you all for coming to this meeting of kingdoms. Today, we are here to discuss the rising violence between Crimson and Cerithia in hopes of deterring them from the pathof war. To hopefully find a peaceful solution, so that we may all stop losing men and resources.”

This made all the kings nod their heads, except for Luren and Jesper.

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