Page 9 of Secrets & Curses of Cerithia

“Cassius is powerful, Thea. His elite magic is unheard of, but some fae think he has a second magic. One that can manipulate the minds of others. I don’t know if it is true, but I do know that he used either that or an enchantment against you. Whichever it is, it has worked multiple times.”

“I feel stupid,” I confessed. “I have caused so much chaos unintentionally.”

“Well, I do not hold it against you, but I must warn you that others in Cerithia do not share my forgiveness. This will be a hard journey here.”

“I understand.” I nodded as the sun beat down on us as if it were punishing me for almost betraying my family. “I will do my best to not get upset about it.”

“I know you have asked to go to Crimson to kill Cassius, and I have not been willing. It is only that I fear you will fall for his manipulation again, Thea. I fear losing you. I also know...” he paused, almost unsure of what to say next. “I also know that killing Cassius is the only way to get your memories back.”

The thought of killing Cassius made my stomach churn. It made perfect sense, but I didn’t like the thought of it. My father’s words sank into me. It had been obvious that he was keeping me from anything war-related, but now it all makes sense. Could I be trusted so close to Cassius without my feelings clouding my judgment?

“I don’t blame you, but at some point, you must let me try.”

“I promise,” he said with a soft smile.

We walked through the small gardens in silence, but now it wasn’t awkward. Shame filled me. This must have been so difficult for my family to go through. I had caused so much hurt and heartache for my family and kingdom.

“We sent guards to Exile per your request,” he broke the silence. “They found no trace of the town or the tree with the X carved into it that you described. It must be part of the curse, an illusion of living a normal life with other fae before you get your chance to break the curse.”

Pain seared into me. Sybil and the twins weren’t here anymore. They were gone, and I would never get to say my goodbyes or tell them what happened to me. Tears welled in my eyes at the thought of never hugging them again. My father must have seen my pain because he stopped and wrapped his arms around me, embracing me as I cried about the family I had in Exile.

“I’m sorry, Thea. You have lost everything you knew, but I promise we will do our best to make you feel at home.”

?????

I had never felt more out of place in my life. My father had planned a feast to honor me in front of the kingdom, and I did not want to be here. Everyone stared at me when I walked into the celebration, as if they had hoped I would never show my face here again. Which seemed fitting because not a soul had come over to welcome me back or to say hello.

At first, I hesitated to come at all, but my father insisted that it was good to get me in the public eye again. It was time to try and repair the damage I had done before I was tricked. I was hiding in a corner of the ballroom, where everyone seemed to leave a large space around me. A group of younger fae stood at the food tables, staring at me and laughing. I tried not to show my anger or irritation, but my darkness simmered inside of me.

My father spared no expense in decorating the space with gold and crystals. The amount of food was so vast that I’m sure it could feed the entire city below us, but the smell of the food made my stomach curdle. Most of the guests stood on the outskirts of the dance floor that was in the center of the room. The large crystal chandelier dangled high above us, with ribbons of blue and gold draping from it to the walls.

The sound of laughter floated all around me. It nearly drowned out the soft music that played. My favorite thing about the space was the flowers. Each table was covered in gold tablecloths, and in the center were large flower centerpieces. The white and blue looked so beautiful.

My father and Gwyn had begun to ignore me only two minutes after my arrival, and I hadn’t even seen my half-sisters. Not that they would bring me comfort. I knew my father and Gwyn had to mingle and interact with the others, but I had hoped for my father to at least show me around and help me acclimate. Ishifted back and forth on my feet, wondering how long I needed to stay. Would anyone notice if I just left? I stiffened up when I saw Jesper. Before I could move, he made a beeline right for me, even though I was trying to hide from him.

“Thea, you look remarkable.” He smiled sincerely.

“Thanks,” I half-muttered. I felt uncomfortable in the light blue silk dress I wore. It showed my scars to everyone. Glancing around, I could see the other fae watching Jesper, and I like they couldn’t believe he was so close to me.

“Dance with me.” He held out his hand. I went to refuse, but he grabbed my hand and practically dragged me with him onto the dance floor. Jesper pulled me flush against him. It was too close for my liking. Everyone’s eyes burned into us, and I felt my cheeks getting hot under the scrutiny.

“How are you enjoying your celebration?”

“I would hardly call it my celebration when only you have uttered a word to me. They won’t even come near me.”

Jesper glanced around, seeming to realize all the staring.

“You intimidate them.”

“They look at me like I’m disgusting, like they hate me.” Sighing, I glanced up at Jesper. “Did they treat me like this before I left?”

There was something familiar in the looks of disgust and the contentment of being left alone in a crowd of others. This was not anything new to me, even if I couldn’t remember the details. Jesper stared deeply into my eyes, as if he cared about me.

“No,” he lied. “They just didn’t know you were back, and they don’t know how to interact with you after everything.”

I felt like he was lying. There was no way that these faes had missed me or even cared that I was gone.

“You must remember that you betrayed everyone here by going to Crimson. They will be standoffish until you prove your loyalty.”

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