Page 11 of The Light Falls
My eyes widen in horror at the idea of using children as leverage. “What the fuck?” It’s absolutely incomprehensible to me. Even in the Underworld, we had lines. Standards.
Her eyes are intent when they look at me. “The Fae will do anything to preserve their way of life. The tactic served a dual purpose. It immediately ended the Fire Fae Rebellion and served as a powerful reminder to other Lesser Fae of the consequences of fighting for their independence.”
My voice is hoarse when I ask, “What happened to the children?”
She tilts her head to the garden. “Rivan. He made a bargain. In exchange for the lives of the elite phoenix squad, including his own, the children would be released to their families.” Her lips turn down. “The rulers agreed to the bargain with one caveat. Rivan would watch the execution of his squad, but to ensure future generations didn’t rise up, Rivan would remain a prisoner here for the rest of his life. He agreed.”
Bitterness coats my mouth. “A prisoner forced to live with the enemy who can’t even kill himself to escape. I can’t begin to imagine the hell he’s endured at the hands of the light Fae. No wonder he wears so many runes of protection.”
And Nyssa was the worst one of all, although I don’t say those words out loud. His flinch at the sight of my crown says it all.
Solandis reaches out and grasps my hand. “I fell in love with a demon, and I had to choose between him and my kingdom. For me, it was an easy choice. Not for a second did I think about staying. But I wasn’t queen, and my powers weren’t dependent on the kingdom.” She shakes her head sadly. “Fae will never condone a relationship between the two of you, not even one of friendship. I’m sorry.”
The worried look on Solandis’ face prompts me to respond. “Thank you. I know it wasn’t easy telling me. The last thing I want to do is cause Rivan more pain, and our friendship would only put an even larger target on his back,” I assure her. “Let’s go inside and find an outfit for me to wear to the council meeting.”
I know what it’s like to spend hundreds of years with one abuser. Thousands of years is too great a sacrifice. I can’t imagine being the target of unending hate day in and day out for the rest of my immortal life.
The number of people who mean something to me are so few, I wouldn’t even need to use all ten of my fingers to count them. Leaving a friend to endure this kind of humiliation and torture isn’t in me, not even if it was Cormal. There must be something I can do to help Rivan. But what?
CHAPTERSIX
MERI
Pain pools at the balls of my feet. The black stilettos with four-inch heels that looked so incredibly sexy when Eris brought them out are freaking killing me. How in the hell do women strut through life wearing these things? Don’t get me wrong, the additional height is an adrenalin shot for a shorty like me who’s barely over five feet, but I can’t take another second of this torture.
Solandis eyes my pinched face and leans down to fuss with my mauve-colored silk blouse. “Magic, darling. Use it.” With a wink, she straightens and smooths a hand down her hip.
Of course. Feeling stupid, I swirl a finger toward my feet and it’s as if I’m suddenly walking on clouds. When the pain disperses, I sigh in relief. “Thank you.”
She starts to say something but eyes the two guards waiting for us and decides against it.
I know what she’s going to say, but it’s like my brain can’t comprehend the enormity of the change inside me. Understandable, I guess.
When I was young, I had zero magic. None. But it’s not an uncommon occurrence for some supernatural children. Magic often comes with maturity. I waited and waited. My days were filled with pacifying Leandra, hiding from whoever she wronged, and generally surviving the Underworld without magic.
Just as I was about to turn ninety-four, well past the age of maturity, I suddenly gained the ability to mimic others’ powers. Ecstatic, I went around borrowing powers from everyone I met. But when I tried to use them later, they were gone. My magic had a huge limitation—I could only use those powers when I was around the person I was mimicking. It felt like a trick.
But the cruelest joke… it didn’t work on everyone, especially not the one I needed protection from the most. The sorceress seemed to be immune to my every attempt.
For almost nine hundred and ninety-three years of my life, I couldn’t count on magic. Everything had to be done the hard way, the human way. There were no shortcuts for me. Bitterness ate at me for the longest time until I learned to work the system and get what I wanted without magic.
If I needed something done, a simple mention of Leandra’s or Cormal’s name, and people jumped through hoops for me. Necessities like food, clothes, or a bottle of wine, I either bargained for or stole them. Cormal’s men taught me how to fight dirty and defend myself against the predators I encountered in the Underworld.
Three months ago, I inherited more magic than I ever dreamed of getting. Last night, I gained the power to rule. Three months and one day compared to nine hundred and ninety-three years. No wonder my brain can’t remember I have magic. The only time it seems effortless is when I get angry.
Solandis has been working with me, but as someone who never had to learn magic, it’s tough for her to understand why it doesn’t flow so easily for me.
My chest begins to buzz, and my magic spikes. With every step, it grows worse. Pressing my hand to my chest, I stop and try to breathe it away.
“Something’s wrong. I think I’m having a magical heart attack. Is there such a thing?” It sounds weird to say out loud. There’s no pain, only an incredible pressure and a massive amount of adrenaline.
Solandis grasps each side of my head with her hands and forces my gaze up to meet hers. “It’s the power. When you get close to a large group of light Fae, your power will spike. It serves many purposes—a warning system, an impenetrable shield, an additional pool of power. For example, if you were to go to war, the spike would be enormous, giving you access to deep reserves of power to use against your enemies or shield your army.” Her cool hand wipes the hair back from my face. “I’m so sorry, darling. I didn’t think to warn you. As royalty, I got used to it long ago. Can you control it?”
I hold my hand out. It’s steady. All the weird stuff is happening inside me, but it’s not showing on the outside. “Yes.”
She releases me and moves back to my side.
At my nod, the guard rushes ahead to open the oak doors.
