Page 10 of Ruthless Fae King

I shrugged, acting nonchalant. Since seeing Erol, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. What was it that drew me to him? I’d felt something from him—a spark of life. Was that even possible? He was a Conjurite, his very essence rooted in darkness. How could I have felt something like that if it wasn’t supposed to exist?

A part of me wanted to ask Nylah or Ellie if it was possible, but I was a little shy to admit that I was drawn to Erol.

“How does Conjurite magic work?” I asked instead. “I mean, I know that Fae have to give up their light for it, but doesn’t that by definition mean they don’t have any light left?”

“That’s right,” Nylah said. “It’s exactly how it works. Terra withdraws completely.”

“So, without Terra’s light, darkness rules. What about what’s in each of us that doesn’t have anything to do with darkness and light?”

“What do you mean?” Nylah asked, looking confused.

“We’re souls in our own right. We can exist either with the light or without it, which makes us free agents, right? What about that part, the inherent foundation? Can that still be good, even when the light leaves?”

Nylah mulled over it. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it, or asked Terra about it. You’re right, we are all beings despite which side we choose, and that never ceases to exist.”

“Erol does have a form of goodness in him,” Ellie offered. “It’s why Rainier decided to let him rule in his place.”

That answered my question, but only to a point. I couldn’t ask more without telling them what I’d felt. Still, something didn’t make sense to me. I’d felt something with Erol—he’d had light. Not just goodness, butlight. But he was so deeply rooted in dark magic, his Conjurite side took over seemingly with a life of its own.

It didn’t make any sense.

“When we heal them, we take away the darkness and return that light to them,” Ellie added. “That’s why this is such a big thing, even if we only started with a handful of people. To be able to give that back to them…” She sighed.

It had been a long road for all of us, fighting the darkness that had come with the Conjurites and the war between Jasfin and Palgia. Even though the war was over, we still had a long way to go, and we all felt that weight acutely.

“Does that mean there isn’t light left in them at all when they turn away from Terra?” I asked.

Nylah and Ellie both nodded.

I shook my head. It still didn’t make sense.

“How, then, do they return to the light so easily?” I pressed.

“It’s not easy at all,” Nylah replied. “It’s like being reborn, I guess. It’s a miracle that it’s possible at all.”

“But there has to be light inside them to be able to return to it, right?”

Nylah frowned. “I don’t think so, Hazel. It can be hard to wrap your mind around, because we’re rooted in light, and we never even considered life without it.”

It wasn’t easy to wrap my mind around it, but that wasn’t because I couldn’t imagine what it had to be like to give up the light and live a Conjurite life. What I’d felt from Erol…it just didn’t add up.

Pressing even more would let the others realize there was more to my question, so I tried to let it go.

“Speaking of letting go…” Ellie glanced at us, making eye contact with each of us with a secretive smile. “I’m pregnant.”

We stared at her, blinking, before Nylah was the one to break the silence.

“What?” She clapped her hands to her mouth.

Ellie nodded, a smile stretched from ear to ear. “I’m not very far along. I’m not due for another eight months or so. I should have kept it quiet for longer—Ren and I agreed to that—but I just couldn’t keep it back from you anymore! We just won’t let the kingdom know until I am further along.”

“Oh, Goddess, it’s wonderful news!” Nylah cried out and jumped up. She pulled Ellie into a hug. “The royal family is expanding!”

Ellie giggled, and we all gushed and congratulated her, taking turns to stand and hug her.

“It’s not nearly official yet, so don’t tell anyone, okay?” she said. “The only reason I’m telling you is because you’re my family.”

“We won’t tell a soul!” I promised. “I can’t believe I am going to be an aunt!”

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