Page 83 of Dreams and Dragon Wings
I chew over that for but a moment before pointing out, “But that one called meTherya’fey.” Now that I understand the true meaning of the wordfeyra, it is easy enough to deduce the translation for that particular title.
Queen of Fae. Or perhaps Fae Queen.
Velda nods and flutters off, moving toward the carved chest the goblins left behind. “Yes. You are the daughter of Liora, the lastTherya’fey. You are her only child. As my dear sister, Glorana, would say”—she pauses just long enough to heave the chest’s lid open, leaving me marveling at the fact that a person so small can move something so heavy—“technically speaking, that makesyouthe queen of these lands.”
Though I cannot see what is in the chest from my current position, whatever it is causes Velda’s face to crumple and tears to spring to her eyes. She sniffs and dives down into the chest’s interior, disappearing from sight.
“Wait,” I call after her, my brow furrowing. I lift my hand to my face and rub my fingers against my right temple in an attempt to ward off an encroaching headache.
So many scraps of information swirl within my thoughts, leaving me trying to sift through them all—what I can remember from my Drakaran history book, what Velda is telling me now, and what Bene showed me back in Spindleton when I opened my mind to him.
“These lands?” I repeat. “Are we not still in Drakara?”
“We are in the Flora Vale,” Velda calls back, “which is the northern reaches of Drakara. It is now known as the Shadow Lands, but…” Finally, she emerges, bringing with her the most beautiful gown I have ever seen.
The very sight of it steals my breath.
It is a marvel of lavender silk and plum gossamer overlaid with so many crystals and jewels that it looks like the twilight sky itself has been captured within the fabric. A plunging neckline, open back, and a decided lack of sleeves are made modest with more jewels that drip from silver chains, clearly designed to mask the exposed skin that would otherwise lie beneath.
“Oh…” I whisper, shifting to the edge of the bed—careful of my injured leg—so that I can gather the dress onto my lap once Velda flies it over. Woven through the interior of the gown are threads of Earth, Air, and Fire. Their purpose is lost on me.
“This was your mother’s dress,” Velda softly explains, her voice cracking as she speaks.
“My… mother?” I stroke my fingers over the beaded silk. This gown must be older than I, and yet it looks new, with not a hint of wear or tear to be seen.
“Yes!” Velda’s enthusiasm grows as she flits back into the chest and emerges with a pair of shoes spun from mere crystals and Air and then a circlet forged from white gold and starlight—an illusion made possible with a weave of Fire and Mind. “And look! These are her shoes and circlet, too.”
A strange ache settles in my chest as I stare at all these wondrous things. Things from a time I cannot remember. Things that belonged to a woman I never knew.
I realize that I miss her, even though I have no memory by which to miss her.
“But…” Sudden suspicion cuts through my ache. “Where did Malice come by my mother’s things?”
Velda sighs, her mood immediately dimming. “That is what I was telling you.Thisis your home.” She gestures toward the room all around us with its magical fireplace and utter lack of windows, leaving me staring at her while I try to process this latest news. “This is where you were born, Aurelia. But back then, it was known by another name: Castle Illume.”
A sudden knock makes me jump. In the very next moment, Velda winks out of sight, disguising herself with a weave of Mind and Spirit.
Clearing my throat, I uncertainly call out, “Yes?”
The double doors creak open, and the brown-skinned goblin from before shuffles back in. “Therya’fey,” he rasps, his sharp teeth clicking together when he pronounces the wordfey. “Na’therynwould greatly appreciate if you would deign to join him for dinner.”
“Very well,” I whisper, fighting to mask the excitement within my voice. Finally, a chance to escape. “Tell him I will come.”
Chapter 25
Aurelia
It takes longer than I expect to wash and dress myself, even with Velda’s help, but once I am finally following the brown goblin down the dark corridors of what was once my home, I realize the purpose of the magic woven through my mother’s gown.
Though the garment should be heavy beneath the weight of so many gems, it is feather-light against my skin. Though it should be terribly impractical within the cold walls of what I now know is Umbra Castle, I am warm.
Velda’s voice seeps into my thoughts, carried on a delicate thread of Mind.“You should have told me about your leg so we could clean it earlier,”she chides me for not thefirst time from wherever she now darts about unseen within the castle, desperately hunting for any sign of Bene, Brisa, and Glorana.“What are we supposed to do if it festers?”
I draw in a deep breath, taking care to favor my right leg despite the weave of Mind Velda placed around my left to mask the worst of the pain.I’m fine, I think to myself, wondering if she can hear me as Bene did when our minds were linked.
In the silence that follows, I can only assume she cannot.
I turn my attention back to the goblin shuffling before me, his long arms dragging on the floor as he walks. With each step, quiet grunts and groans escape from him, as if even moving is a chore for his gnarled body.
