Page 33 of A Trial of Fate

Rhea, who didn’t approve of our pairing, glared at Gilen, challenging him and stepping in between us to rub my shoulders.

Talon moved behind Rhea and tried to pull her away. “Let them be. They need to figure this out, Rhea,” he whispered.

Before Rhea could release the smart remark butting from her lips, our alpha’s voice boomed over us all. “Shifters. Thank you for answering my call. I asked you all here because…” Alistar suddenly stopped and closed his eyes to the world. His shoulders sagged as he fought against a heavy, invisible weight. Helen came to his side and placed a loving hand on his shoulder. He glanced at her, and they both nodded, giving a silent show of support.

Wow. That was unexpected. Alistar was distressed. I had never seen this side of him before. None of us had. I looked to Gilen, who seemed just as surprised as we were.

“I struggle being your leader and coming here today to ask something I cannot do myself. Our world is dying. The wilt is spreading, and soon, it will consume every inch of our land. The only way it can be stopped is through the Heart of Valdor.”

The what?I racked my brain, trying to recall if I had heard of such a thing from our history lessons, but nothing seemed to stick.

“Shifters were created by the gods,” Alistar continued, “combined with magic from a stone called the Heart of Valdor. Our people are descendants of the fae, becoming our own species that could magically transform into creatures at will. The Mother and Father sought to enhance this ability, and through their combined powers and the magic of the Heart, they created our kind. Linking our spirits to an animal’s, strengthening and connecting us to Valdor beyond what previous fae or any other species could achieve.”

My jaw dropped. Our people were descendants of fae? That was something the history lessons left out.

“When did this all happen?” someone from the crowd shouted.

“Long before the keepers of the archives or scholars of the world knew or understood what time really was.” The voice that graced the meadow was delicately feminine yet also strikingly fierce. It commanded attention, and I knew it could only come from one being… Minaeve, High Queen of the Fae.“Our kind also progressed, thanks to the blessing and gifts from the Mother and Father. Our ancestors branched from the traditional fae and other subspecies of the Inner Kingdom and became a new race of High Fae. Gifted with a deeper and more powerful connection to the magic of Valdor than our predecessors.”

The high queen glided—yes, glided—through the tall grass toward her companions, Daxton and Castor. Stunning would not accurately describe her beauty. Long, thick, wavy black hair flowed freely from a crown of gold decorated with three small shimmering translucent silver crystals draped across her brow. Her skin was a shade darker than Daxton’s, but it held a magical glow that shone golden even in the moonlight. Her black dress flowed behind her, decorated in vibrant purple and silver swirling designs. The exposed back of her gown mimicked the front, flaunting the seductive feminine curves of her thin, elegant body. She wasbeautiful.

Minaeve glanced around at various shifters as she pranced through the crowd. My people parted ways, clearing a wide path for her to meander, and to my surprise, she paused when she reached me and Gilen. I swallowed a lump of anxiety as her luminous sea-green eyes, decorated with purple accents, found their way to me.

Do not fret, young shifters. We are here to help. We will only ask for one.

My eyes widened as I instinctively grasped Gilen’s hand. He looked at me with the same shocked expression on his face. The queen had just spoken to us with her mind.

She continued forward. The rest of the shifters in the meadow were just as shocked as we were. None of us expected to hear another voice inside our minds aside from our alpha or other pack members when we were in our animal forms.

“She said, ‘We will only ask for one…’” I looked to Gilen and then to Rhea with my heart pounding in my head. “What does that mean?”

“Silence, please,” Alistar called out. He gave a slight bow to the high queen and moved to the side so she could speak.

“We braved passing through the magical barrier of the veil because we had no choice,” Minaeve said. “The High Fae can no longer battle to keep the decay of our world at bay, and we need one of you to help end the wilt.” Queen Minaeve wore a polite smile as she glanced around at the shifters standing in the meadow. My breathing was becoming erratic, hanging on every word she spoke. “One of you who has not yet shifted will be chosen to partake in the trials inside the Inner Kingdom.”

The trials? Inner Kingdom? None of these things sounded good to me.

“Why is it a young one that must go? What is the reason for this?” The demand came from the older group of shifters, clutching their children tightly to their chests.

“The signature and intensity of your magic alters when you shift, and the trials will only allow an unchanged shifter presence to enter.” Daxton’s rugged voice boomed into the night. “We will not choose a shifter under the age of eighteen, however.” I released a heavy sigh of relief for all our parents and young ones.

“Thank you, High Prince Daxton,” Minaeve said, glancing over to her right, her eyes tracing over Daxton’s frame head to toe.

I clenched my hands into fists, insulted for the famed warrior to be looked at with such disrespect like he was a decadent meal. I didn’t like that at all, not one bit, and neither did my animal.

It was again Alistar’s turn to speak. “A shifter over the age of eighteen who has not yet changed into their animal form will leave to compete in the trials in the land of the High Fae. It is there that the Heart of Valdor is hidden. Shifters are the only ones that can unlock its power.”

“Yes, Alpha Alistar,” Minaeve agreed. “The Heart will only reveal itself and allow access to its power for a shifter—not a High Fae. We have fought against the dark magic of the decay for as long as possible, but each century, we must ask for your people’s sacrifice. We must ask you to try…”

Sacrifice? Every one hundred years? Wait, how long has this been going on?

“Why have the elders never spoken of this!” a voice cried out from the crowd.

“The elders were all given an alpha’s command to never speak of the trials until the arrival of the High Fae.” Alistar stepped in once more to quiet his people. “Since the divide of our races… the veil has been keeping the majority of the decay at bay. Queen Minaeve and the other royals combat this enemy as best they can, but every century, their magic weakens, and they reach out, hoping one of us can unlock the Heart and heal our world.”

“Which is why we are here,” Minaeve said once more. “We need one of you to do this. I will select a shifter after the full moon ceremony is complete. This is deemed a sacrifice because the shifters chosen in the past have not survived.”

Murmurs and gasps echoed across the meadow.

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