Page 127 of Crown of Slumber

“At first, we all believed you would be the savior of Valora,” said Jade in her low, steady voice. “How could you not? Your power had protected us for so long.”

“But then, your inner beast emerged,” Ruby said. “And we feared the worst.”

I shook my head. “I don’t understand. Witches—Witches are not unseelie. They cannot shift. This is impossible.”

“We all possess a modicum of unseelie blood,” said Sapphire. “Yours must have come from the shifter line. Occasionally, it is possible. Rare, but possible.”

Oh gods, I was truly going to be sick. This couldn’t be happening.

“It was your idea to cast the spell,” Ruby continued. “You were our leader. We could not refuse.”

“Each of us contributed a gift to make the spell come to life,” said Sapphire. “Mine was the gift of forgetting. I knew it would destroy you, to knowingly give up your powers, and it would be better if you did not know the truth. So I blessed you with blissful ignorance.”

“My gift was the suppression of your powers,” said Ruby. “To protect the realm from your wrath.”

“And my gift was the blood of the Summer fae,” said Jade, “where the sun would help mask your Night Fae blood.”

Night Fae blood.I belonged to the Night Fae.

No.No.This could not be true.

“We did not fully understand the consequences of such gifts,” Ruby went on, her voice full of sorrow. “When you departed for the Summer Court, the dragons went with you. The Midnight Court accused Summer of thievery, claiming they stole the dragons. This ignited the war between the two kingdoms.”

I shook my head, tasting bile in my throat. No. This was a lie. A vicious lie. These insane witches thoughtIwas the cause of the feud with the Midnight Court? No. It was ludicrous.

“You were smuggled into the Summer Court, disguised as a royal and entrusted to the king and queen for safekeeping,” said Sapphire.“We wanted to provide you with as comfortable a life as we could. A life away from magic, so your powers would not be awakened. When the king and queen realized they had access to powerful dragons, they were more than willing to protect you and conceal your identity in exchange.”

I closed my eyes. Suddenly, I didn’t want to hear anymore. This was a cruel joke. I couldn’t bear it…

“Despite the power of the spell, your memories kept returning,” Jade continued, oblivious to my turmoil. “One generation after the next, the royal family contacted us, begging us to suppress your powers again. We would cast the spell, wipe your memories once more, and you would begin your life anew, oblivious to your past. To avoid suspicion, the king and queen kept you confined to the Summer Court, claiming you were a distant cousin of the royal family, so none of the other kingdoms would see your face.”

“But after many years, we knew this could not go on,” said Ruby. “We pleaded with the Summer witches for help. They had just discovered a powerful runic magic that could help. With a binding rune, they were able to permanently entrap your magic, only to be unlocked by the magic of your ancestral home. The Star Court.”

I thought of how Fenn and I passed through the mist protecting the Star Court. Not because I was traveling with Fenn, but because I possessed Night Fae blood.

The visions of my past life hadn’t begun until I’d entered the Star Court.

And my inner dragon—she could only come to life here.

“We swore the Summer witches to secrecy,” Ruby said. “And we left you to live out your life, confident this time the magic would hold you. And from the rumors we’ve heard, it seems the king and queen became more lax, claiming you as their daughter, allowing you to travel to other courts, and even making plans to abdicate the throne to you. It seemed our plan was working, and you had truly become a daughter of the Summer Court.”

“Why?” I bit out, unable to contain my rage. “Why did you want me to come back here? Why unlock my powers at all?”

“Because of the Dream Mage.” Sapphire’s voice was low and solemn, and the air seemed to ripple around her. “She is gaining power. She has overcome our clan. We need you to return, to save this realm as you were born to do.”

I barked out a harsh laugh, surprising even myself. Laughing was the last thing I should be doing right now. Even so, it was so ridiculous, sofoolish, that I couldn’t help myself. “So you cage me for hundreds of years, wiping my memories again and again, forcing me to live a new life every time, clueless about what’s happening to me… only to beg me to return and save your sorry asses from this stupid Dream Mage? I don’t believe it.”

“Aurelia,” Fenn murmured. Only then did I realize he was trembling, his arms still wrapped around me. But the fear in his voice was stark.

He believed them.

I whirled to face him with a look of incredulity. “Don’t tell me you’re swallowing this delirious tale. It cannot be true!”

“What’s your explanation?” he challenged. “Your magic is volatile and unexplainable. You have a connection with the dragons. Your dragon form looksjust like Mal.You share a kinship with him. It explains this terrible feud between our kingdoms, why the Dream Mage would go after your kingdom, go afteryouspecifically?—”

“No!” I roared, jumping to my feet, ignoring the dizziness that swelled, making me teeter. Fenn rose, reaching to steady me, but I pushed him away. “If this is true, then I—I—” My voice broke as the realization crashed into me.

I was not my parents’ daughter.

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