Page 72 of The Light Falls
Waving my hand, I make a copy of the treaty and leave it in the vault. I take the original with me. Next, I skim through the rest of the information. They truly underestimated the time, effort, and lives this rebellion would cost the light Fae.
Turning around, I marvel at the history surrounding me. The Fae have been around for thousands and thousands of years. It’s quite intimidating for someone who never felt like they had a heritage. To see it here in front of me makes me want to cry. I’m sure Nyssa knew every document in here, every war, the winners and losers, and the evolution of this remarkable heritage. One which now includes me.
Pondering the idea of learning more, I step out of the vault and tuck the papers in my pocket. The blank wall appears behind me. Not bad for an afternoon of research.
We’re halfway back to my wing of the palace when a piercing alarm sounds. Kian immediately pulls me to him, Galen positions himself at my back, and we rush through the hallways until we get to my room.
“What is it?” I ask loudly. Concerned, I push my magic out and through the hallways to look for the disturbance. It’s completely empty, but I can’t help feeling something is off.
“Portal alarm. Someone unauthorized opened a portal to the palace,” Kian explains. He opens the door to my room and quickly scours it for intruders. When he doesn’t find any, he motions for me to enter and closes the door.
Three minutes later, the alarm is turned off.
I open the door. “Are we safe?”
A tiny furrow between Kian’s brow tells me how worried he is right now. “We were given an all clear.”
“That’s good, right? So, why are you frowning?” I ask him.
“The last time it happened, we were under threat of war, and Queen Nyssa died,” he says, avoiding my eyes. “I was on duty that day.”
He feels responsible for not saving Nyssa. “I see.” I look down the hallway. “I want to check on Solandis.” When he hesitates, I correct myself. “I’m going to check on Solandis. Do you wish to stay here or come with me?” Not waiting for an answer, I sweep out of my room and down the hall.
He snaps to attention and follows me.
We get to Solandis’ room, and I knock on the door. It opens, but instead of her maid, it’s a huge shadowy male. “Callyx!” I launch myself into his arms and squeeze him tightly. “Cousin. Where have you been? I thought you were going to be here days ago.”
His brows lower. “So did I. Bastard is harder to track down than I expected.”
Oooh, there aren’t many who can elude Callyx. “What did he do?”
Callyx eyes my forehead. “I can’t tell you. You’re not officially a part of the Underworld anymore.” He snorts at the look on my face. “Unofficially, I’m tracking a monster who escaped from Below.” He throws an arm around me. “Come in and tell me everything that’s been going on.”
I know he didn’t mean it the way it sounded, but the idea of not being a part of the Underworld breaks my heart. I love the world I grew up in. It’s ugly, harsh, and filled with the most unscrupulous races in the world. I miss my home.
“Like the ones in The Pit?”
He sees me shudder and pulls me tightly into his arms. Rubbing my back, he makes odd sounds.
“What are you doing?” I choke out, barely able to contain my laughter.
“I know how The Pit makes you feel,” he says, giving me a concerned look. “I was comforting you.”
My laughter explodes. “Maybe you need to work on that a bit.” His mouth turns down. “Sorry. Thank you. I’m doing better with it, though.” Thanks to Madoc. “Tell me what this monster of yours looks like.”
“I’ve never seen him, but Lucifer describes him as a tall, shaggy beast with a brand on his back,” Callyx says with a shrug. “He’s damn elusive. I’ve been tracking him all over the place.”
I pat his hand. “You’ll find him.” I look around. “How’s Solandis doing?”
Callyx shakes his head. “She says she’s not feeling well, but I think Estrella’s betrayal hit her hard. They’ve been friends their entire lives. I’m not sure she can lose another person she calls family.”
I stretch up and place a kiss on his cheek. “I hope she feels better soon. It’s going to take a lot to get through this betrayal. I’ll see you both at dinner.” My voice rises to speak over the portal alarm going off. “That’s the second time today.”
Sword drawn, Callyx opens the door to look outside, but only finds Kian. “Stay alert.”
Kian peers around Callyx to find me. “Queen Meri, we need to go back to your room.”
With a deeply felt sigh, I kiss Callyx on the cheek and follow Kian down the hall. On the way back, the alarm stops, then starts again a minute later. “Any updates on the alarm?”
