Page 108 of Fate and Flame
“No, queen sir. Beyond The Bog. North. The Winterlands is a great city of hidden fae. And churches and trade shops and good foods.”
“There’s an entire city?” I asked.
Oravan shook his head. “It isn’t possible. If there were a city in the Wind Court, Autus would know. He would have destroyed it long ago.”
“Wards,” the giant answered. “No one comes and no one leaves. The Winterlands is hidden.”
“How did you leave? Why?”
“They tell stories to the children. I knew I wanted to come to the warm. So, one day, I left. I walked through The Bog and kept going.”
“Why don’t others leave?” I asked.
“Heva doesn’t let them. Says it is to protect everyone. But I snuck out.” He kicked his toe on the ground. “If they find out, they will have me killed.”
“Don’t worry, Grey.” Ara reached to pat his arm. “They will never know it came from you. I promise.”She locked eyes with me and tilted her head toward the door. We left Oravan and the giant to continue their work. She paced in front of us for several moments.“Tell me about your magic, Nadra,” she said finally. “I’ve been waiting for you to come to me, but you haven’t.”
“You’ve been gone.” The pitch of Nadra’s voice rose as she became defensive. “I’ve barely had a chance to say hello to you. I might have changed, but you haven’t.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been a rotten friend, but it’s complicated,” she answered. “It’s time though. I want the whole story.”
So Nadra told her. Everything. More than I would have, including our time in the dungeon and the loss of her mother. The mountain top, the glass maker, all of it.
Ara reached for her hand, examining it.“Who else knows?”
“Everyone who lives in the castle. That’s it.”
“Tell no one else.” She squeezed Nadra’s hand and released it. “We’re a team, a family. We will keep you safe.”
“Temir and Rhogan keep me safe,” Nadra answered.
“Then welcome to the family,” she said to me. “I need to ask you to do something for me. I need someone from the Wind Court.”
“You want me to find the Winterlands and ask them to join us.”
“I do. And I want you to leave Nadra behind. It won’t be safe for her there.”
“Rhogan stays with her,” I answered. “It’s not that I don’t trust the rest of you, but I know him. He will want to be here.”
“If that’s your wish,” she replied. “I’m sending Gaea also. You can choose your team. In and out. Don’t take no for an answer.”
“You need to contact the Weaver. She needs to come south.”
“I already have.” She walked away before I could reply.
“I don’t like this,” Nadra said, pulling back slightly. “I want to go.”
“You know she’s right.”
“Listen, last time I got left behind, Greeve almost died, and I didn’t think you were even coming back at all.” She crossed her hands over her chest.
“But I did, and we both know war is coming. We need to be prepared.”
She bit her lip but conceded.
Later that night, everyone showed up for dinner in the hall. The older female from the kitchens fussed and snipped as she filled the table with food. I surveyed the fae around the room and realized Ara was right, this was a family. Maybe not my own, but they certainly were. They bickered like siblings and laughed at memories, and I wondered what that felt like. Until I saw Rhogan and Nadra teasing each other and realized I was the only one distancing myself.
War was coming. The closer we became to one another, the worse it was going to hurt everyone when someone died. I looked to Gaea filling Greeve’s plate. How easily she had fit in here, with them. As if this is where she was meant to be. I just didn’t think this was it for me. A step in my journey, that was all.
