Page 29 of The Book of Legends
She’s gorgeous. Delicate. Almost human if it weren’t for the color of her eyes and pointy ears. She reminds me of art I’ve seen online come to life.
“Nymph,” she corrects. “I’m what is called a Nymph.”
“Do Nymphs have wings?”
Her expression falls. “We used to have wings. Centuries ago, when Nymphs and Faeries mated, some of the offspring had wings depending on what trait was inherited.”
“What happened?”
She looks away, closes her eyes like she is remembering something awful. “When the war began,” she begins, “my people came to defend Elariya from the invasion. No one knew where they had come from, but they came—wyverns, dark shadows, and beasts killing everything and anything in their path. No one expected it. No one was prepared. Before, there was peace between our countries. There was no Elariya without Nythia. But when the king from Elariya died, and the royal family of Nythia was slaughtered…” She trails off when two large tears at the bottom of her lashes glisten like diamonds.
She takes a moment and blinks them away. “No one knew who to trust. The King of Elariya had two sons who never got along. One didn’t think the other was fit to take over the throne; the other hated his brother’s existence. He called him a traitor to the throne because he was born out of wedlock. His argument was his lineage—a mistake, a disgrace to the people of Elariya, and he should be banished. So, he fled, and the other, naturally, took the throne and crowned himself king. But it was too late; both kingdoms were ruined. Nythia burned to ash.” She shakes her head. “There was so much death. So much loss. Eventually, everyone took sides. They looked for hope, but faith was lost, and no one knew who to blame or why it happened. All thatmattered was who was going to lead—to have power. So, the Gods intervened. They cursed Elariya and Nithia.”
“The dragons?” I ask, piecing everything together.
The Gods are dragons.
“Yes, they are the ones who granted the power and peace to coexist centuries ago. After the war, they cursed the land; they divided Elariya and Nithya by the same river that separated them, turning it crimson.”
“The river of blood.”
She nods, staring at her dainty fingers. “Blood divided them. So, the kingdoms were divided. No one can cross to either side, and if they do, they’re considered the enemy. If they make it, some don’t.”
Tired of hearing about death, I change the subject and ask, “So none of your kind have wings?”
I was curious as to why she was stuck here with the dark prince. I had so many questions but didn’t know how much to ask.
A sadness creeps into her amber eyes. Her eyebrows dip. “The curse,” she says softly. “It affected us all. We lost some of our magic, and the others fled, leaving us vulnerable. Nithya went dark. The curse caused the earth to turn black with ash and Elariya to an eternal winter.”
“Is there a way to break it?” I ask, for her sake more than mine.
She shakes her head and gives a half-shrug. “No one knows. We’re all just trying to survive.”
“Great, I woke up in a different world at war. To top it all off, siblings who hate each other.” I sigh, taking it all in. “I wonder what the other one is like?”
Her eyes widen in fear. “If Kainen is dark, his brother is cold. Kainen knows what it is to suffer, but his brother...” She trails off and shakes her head, as if he’s a coldhearted monster.
There’s a sudden knock that echoes in the room. I jolt, my heart lunging into my throat.
The door swings open, revealing a towering beast. Black fur, burly arms, gleaming horns. His crimson eyes land on me with undisguised hatred.
“She isn’t ready?” he growls, giving Nieve an accusing glare.
Nieve scrambles to her feet, panic bleeding into her movements. “I’m sorry. She’ll be right down.”
My eyes narrow. “The whole point of knocking is knowing when to come in.”
The beast turns to me slowly, his nostrils flaring, his lips pulling back over sharp teeth. “You’re lucky you still have a tongue, human.”
I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms. “And you’re lucky I don’t throw up every time I smell you.”
Nieve sucks in a breath.
The beast's eyes glow a violent red. I should be scared, but I know he won’t do anything unless Kainen tells him to.
“You know he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
I raise my chin. “I’ll be down when I’m ready. You can tell him I said that.”
