Page 64 of To No End

Her honesty reminded me of the truth I had told myself during the thirty days before being delivered to the king. If my parents truly wanted to, they had plenty of time to bear more heirs.

Now that Nori had shared this piece of herself with me, I felt our connection growing. I couldn’t really explain my feelings. Perhaps it was the absence of Versa that made me long for another sisterly bond, but with each encounter with Nori, I found myself feeling more protective of her in the same way I was of my own sister. Still, not even I was naive enough to believe I could shield her from this place.

“Please be careful,” were the only words I could offer her. She didn’t say it, but I heard it quietly in her thoughts,They can only make you a monster if you let them.

The hour-long break passed quickly, and we soon joined the others in the common room just as Saryn had requested. “Follow me and keep up,” he demanded.

Once more, we paced behind Saryn and Theory through the winding halls of Basdie. My eagerness to explore and uncover where they were taking us was hampered by heavy thoughts of Nori and what they might do to her if she continued to resist.

We arrived at a large door, and when it opened, I raised my arm to my face to shield my eyes from the blinding brightness. It was unfiltered daylight and the crisp air blew through the corridor. We walked toward the light, eventually making our way outside.

The fresh mountain air overtook me and I inhaled deeply, letting the sunlight blanket me and warm my skin. A stone landing had been carved into the side of the mountain. I deduced this was the opposite side of the mountain that we had entered from. The ledge overlooked a valley of dense forest with tall gray mountains jutting up on all sides. Once my eyes adjusted to the natural light, I squinted, noticing a tiny river carving its way through the trees in the lower valley; runoff from the mighty waterfall within.

Saryn stood at Theory’s side, a remarkable mountainscape as their backdrop. “Some of you might be shy or embarrassed about this, depending on how you were raised. Some of you won’t care. In either case, it’s time to get over any of those sensitivities immediately. This valley will also be your training ground—and sky. Show me your wings, now.”

The impropriety of her instruction was outrageous. The last time someone had seen my wings, I was with Trace, and that was an accident. Before that, I don’t recall the last time anyone but family had seen them. Aster’s words echoed in the back of my mind. All of us stood there with similar reactions, unwilling to acquiesce.

Unexpectedly, I heard footsteps scraping against the rocky ground as Trace stepped forward.

“Ahh, at least one of you is going to make this easy,” Theory remarked with a pleased look in his direction.

Trace waited for a moment, looking out upon the valley, his gaze turning upward toward the steep mountains. He turned his head slightly and locked eyes with me, narrowing his attentionso it was as if we were the only two people here on this landing. Suddenly, his shoulders flexed and his wings spanned out. Wide, strong, giant wings covered in black feathers of all sizes, just like the one he had gifted me.

The sunlight highlighted the green iridescence that shimmered across each feather as they blew lightly in the breeze. He continued to hold my gaze and I felt like I was the only one witnessing his beauty.

We were interrupted when Saryn impatiently called out, “Alright, who’s next?”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Trace. I was bothered that everyone else was being allowed to look upon him like this, but I knew we had no choice. This was just one more step in breaking us down and forcing us to leave behind the ways of our pasts.

Cairis stepped forward and, without hesitation, he unfurled his wings. They were slightly larger than Trace’s and different in every way. His were heavy looking, whereas Trace’s were light like a bird’s. Cairis’ wings were also black, but thick, almost like leather, and only when the sun hit them at a certain angle could you see a hint of light trying to shine through in the thinner spots. At the top of each wing sat a sharp curved talon, and on the bottom ends were pointed tips. He did not appear shy at all; in fact, that smirk of his indicated he was putting on quite a show like a preening youth.

Varro then stepped forward, giving himself space away from the splayed wingspans of Trace and Cairis. In typical male behavior, neither of them tucked their wings, continuing to keep them spread wide on display as if this were some sort of pageant.

Varro looked to Theory, then called forth his wings. When they appeared, I think my jaw might have dropped. They were light and wispy, a transparent blue-green. Equal parts aggressive and delicate. The tips appeared like a serrated fin that you might see on a more exotic species of sea creature. Thelonger I looked, the more I got lost in the swirling shades of aqua and teal. Every time the light hit them; it was like seeing the sparkle that appears on the horizon line where the ocean meets the sun.

I was suddenly taken back to the few times I had witnessed such a horizon, and I was lost in the memory of a place I longed to be.

And I was finally seeing Varro in direct sunlight, and just like I had imagined, his golden skin glowed with even more vibrancy. He looked like he could melt a frozen pond with just the touch of his palm. I tried to imagine all of the Sea Fae and how wondrous they must look with their wings out like this.

I stood a fair distance from him, but time seemed unmoving; I could feel the urge in my fingertips to reach out and touch them. As if he could hear me thinking it, Varro turned to meet my stare, and in those crystal blue eyes of his was the look of pleading. But pleading for what?

Distracted by the sound of Trace rustling his wings, I turned to see who might be next. Should I go? I was still trying to build up the courage, though the others had taken to the assignment without much hesitation.

I stepped forward in line next to Varro, keeping a fair distance and trying to ignore all the wonderful colors I could see reflecting off the panels of his wings. He gave me an encouraging nod, and my brow furrowed in confusion. What was with this guy? One minute he’s jumping down my throat, the next he’s showing me some semblance of kindness.

I inhaled another breath of cool mountain air, focusing and trying to clear my mind of all distractions. It took me longer than the others, but I could finally feel them stirring below the surface as I did my best to will them forth. Finally, they answered my call, and the iridescent green with hints of yellow and gold was bright in the sunlight; the same type of wingsmany in the southern Riverlands bore. Never in my life had I seen such a display of how different the Fae could be. It all depended on where they were born and what the generations of Fae before them needed to survive, blend in, or coexist with their surroundings.

The Nightwings of the North, the Sea Fae of the Endless Tides, and the Leatherwings hailing from the rocky cave territories in the Northeast. It was fascinating to see in person rather than just illustrated on the pages of a textbook. My excitement overwhelmed me, and we hadn’t even seen everyone’s yet.

I had no idea what Ilithyia would think of Fae showing their wings, but I was relieved to see Nori step forward in compliance. She looked at me and permitted herself a small smile before a set of perfectly petite wings burst forth from her tiny shoulders. Hers were the smallest amongst us, but if they had been any larger, then she might have toppled over from the weight.

They were stunning in their own right; milky white and sparkling, giving the appearance of tiny clear crystals speckled across every panel. If anyone should be proud of their wings, it was her—they were truly something special to behold, as if they were made by the hands of the Eternal Mother herself.

We all stood there baring ourselves to each other and the mountaintops. Nowhere to hide and nothing to be ashamed of. In one sense, it was freeing, and I started to wonder why there had ever been any etiquette around wings at all. This was our natural state, why should we hide from it or each other?

There was only one of us left to complete the exercise, and I turned to Gia, surprised that given her boisterous attitude, she hadn’t been the first to show off the goods. But to my confusion, she looked truly distraught. She stepped forward slowly, and I felt a lump in my throat building. I couldn’t help what happened next, it just…happened. I found myself slipping into Gia’s mindduring her moment of weakness while her mental shields were down.

I gasped at the flashes of her pain. Pain that felt like a hundred daggers were splicing through my own heart. She had a broken bond. A mate. Gia stared straight ahead, refusing to look at any of us. I could see the droplets of tears now streaming down her face as they crested the ridge of her cheek. Her hands were shaking despite her clasping them tightly together.

---