Page 85 of Royal Lies

"She's seen the Duchess of Autumn," I breathed out picking up the detached eye as I heard Eli belch once more. Snow frowned, popping up a blue sapphire embroidered handkerchief to cover her nose with, I suppose magic could only do so much.

"And what does that mean?" He gasped out as he hurled his guts into his magical bucket. Too bad that bucket doesn't prevent the smell of acid lingering in the air.

"It means if we can get a glimpse of this so-called Duchess of Autumn and a look into how she tortured the girl. No doubt by using her magic, which means we'd get a first-hand account of how her magic looks. You should know that by now, Eli. Every magic has a signature. And we can access the sight from this here eye-" I winced as I watched the sight of my dear brother’s face turn even more sickly green.I guess the sight of a red-tinted eye in my hand was too much for him?

"We would be able to see this new ruler. However, it seems that the pupils had been dissected. Hmm, how odd, only a few people know how to evade the spell..." I trailed off as I gazed harder at the little hole carved in the eye. It was like a small drill had been used to pierce through the center of the appendage.

"So?" Eli mopped the bile off from the corners of his mouth with a flick of his hands.

"So, without the pupil, one can't use any spell to see anything. The spell requires the pupils and the iris. The pupil lets the light into your eyes as the muscles of the iris change the amount of light seen. Cut one off and you might as well cut the other. Hmm..." A scowl marred my face, brows scrunched as I peered back into the box.

"Brother could you give me a dagger please," I asked as Eli frowned, popping up an ice dagger. Handing me the blade I slit open the mangled squashed head. Cutting a straight line across the forehead of the disembodied head. It was rather soft, which meant despite my sister's snow magic the thing was still decaying just at a slower rate. Ripping out the pink organ as I watched my brother cover his mouth once more before flashing back his ice sapphire-encrusted bucket.

"Well, it's a good thing we still have this. We can peek through the memories. A bit intrusive but I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem with that right brother?" I arched a brow back at his frowning slightly greenish face. His lips tilted in a near snarl at my connotations. Flicking up his middle finger towards me he narrowed his eyes across the bucket at me before he rolled them as if to say I knew nothing of his reasons. As ifIwas being the petulant child, "I did what was best for her." Even when he was vomiting the man still managed to look angry. What a famous scowling face he certainly has.

I rolled my own blue eyes as I tilted my head at him ready to call him out on what I was suspecting had formed from hisscrambled feelings, "Do you love her?" I asked but before he could answer Snow sighed quite heavily and loudly.

"Enough with the poking. We have bigger matters at hand than some banter you two might have. Who cares how he feels, we both knowwhoshelikes, now calm your bloody ass down before I tear you both a new one. Besides Eli hashismate to care about, don't you." Snow turned her frosty cool glare on Eli, effectively silencing the both of us before the fight could even begin. Clearing his throat Eli nodded, as if he was ashamed. I too decided it might be best to concede for now. Snow was right, we do have bigger matters to handle right now. First, I had to make sure Everetta was better.

"I should head back. Check up on her pulse. See how she's doing." I started only to have Eli stepping up.

"I'll come with you-" but before he could finish his death sentence Snow intruded.

She might have just saved his life.

My eyes narrowed in on my so-called brother.

"Eli and I will handle the nobles. They should be able to talk with their new king after all. Us being a united font right now would help smooth out your transitioning." Snow sharply pointed her ice-blue eyes at our brother. Looking bashful for once in his life, Eli straightened as he cleared his throat. Regaining his composure Eli nodded as if he hadn't just challenged me, “Right, of course. But please Flyn- Fletcher, do keep me informed. I- I'm just worried about her. I truly did not mean for things to go this way. Please." I sighed nodding. I do understand where he was coming from. He was the other half of her soul. That tends to tie two fae together. But if he had answered my question before, I don't think I could’ve let him leave that room, at least not alive.

Chapter 26

Subconscious Everetta

It was dark—a cold, barren landscape of nothing but emptiness. Bending down, I reached out, touching the cool, obsidian-like sand. I watched as the small grains slipped through my fingers. Looking up I smiled, this was perfect. It was exactly where I—where we needed to be.

Looks like I did it. My consciousness should be here somewhere. The only problem now is to find her.

Tracking across the grounds in my gold strap lace-up sandals, I stared bitterly across at the contrast between my present self and me, the past.

She doesn't understand. How can she? She doesn't have her memories. She's gone through so many different experiences. She doesn't know the realm like I do. She was still able to cling to her naivety. She was too trusting, innocent, or as innocent as one could be growing up in the Fae Realm.

Magics, what has Eli done?

Honestly, I'm always the one cleaning uphismesses.

In a situation with Aki, leave it to Everetta to fix it. A problem with a spell, leave it to Everetta. Need a bargain to be made, Everetta you're up. I always helped him; I trusted him, to some extent. Ok fine I didn’t but, I never would have expectedhimto dothis. I mean the man stole my memories. That was a total invasion of privacy!

Magics, what did he see?! Shit, I hope he didn't go too far down the rabbit hole that is my mind. I donotneedthosesecrets coming out anytime soon. If he found out I dressed as a man once to go to a ball, Eli would have an aneurysm.

Speaking of aneurysms I’m shocked I didn't have one, ok maybe they aren'tthatrelated but they’re both deadly. The thingis, with us fae—rumor has it that a fae without their mates for an extended time would go mad, and not in the red angry sort of way. More like the crazy kind. It's a good thing I didn't go insane, not like that man Ihaveto call father, the Mad Prince of the Griffin Court, who left his crown and daughter to chase a ghost, who abandoned his family and responsibilities to flee after a commoner with no origins.

Why wasn't I impacted? For one I wasn't bonded yet, whereas my sperm donor was. Since hewaslinked, he lost his mind; drowned in magic and love. He went insane trying to find something he could never have again. Deep down I think he knew that ifshedidn't want to be found that egg donor of mine wouldn't be. So instead of staying with what was left of his union with his bonded, he left. He went off on some grand adventure to find a fae he wasn’t even sure was alive or not.

He should have stayed to care for the one hedidknow lived. Curling my hands into a fist I took a deep breath in. The past was in the past, besides it wasn't as if I didn't have a parent. I was lucky the queen took me in and gave me all the necessary teachings I needed to survive.

Now, where was she? I need to find theconsciousside of me or in truth the side Eli's molded into his little marionette doll.

Besides Eli couldn't have been planning that right? He wouldn't keep me from Fletcher, right? He knows what that could do to me. I just don't understand his train of thought sometimes. I mean I know he was grieving but what in the world could he be thinking in trying to hold my memories from me? Couldn’t he have, like, grieved by not backstabbing me?

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