Page 70 of A Story of Sinners

Just like Aiden.

Dahlia tipped her head against the tree and relaxed, closing her eyes as she listened to the musical notes of the birds. Her nostrils flexed as she inhaled the sweet scent of the air. I mirrored her, inhaling that spectacular scent, an opulent mixture of amber entwined with lavender, a scent that was entirely her.

She appeared so blissfully happy, so incredibly beautiful, melding into the dreamy environment. I watched her as the minutes passed, not daring to remove my eyes, not even once.

But our time was coming to an end, and Redmond would show at any moment, so I released the dream and opened my eyes.

“You’re late,” Redmond stated, staring down at me. His tone was hurried and tense, but his gaze softened momentarily. “How is she?”

“Happy,” I answered softly.

“Good. We don’t want to be late. Word is that the oracle is a flighty creature, and if we don’t show before daylight, she will disappear, not to be seen until the next full moon, but you already know that.”

“She’s not flighty. She’s cursed, has been since before my mother knew her,” I stated, pushing myself off the floor. Redmond followed as I moved through the doorway.

It wasn’t the future I feared, nor the present. It was the past that haunted me nightly, in the form of strange visions and dark dreams, disembodied voices and the outline of monsters long since dead. Something strange was taking place inside me, and I needed answers.

The oracle held all knowledge.

I grabbed ahold of Redmond and sifted us to the edge of the Faerie Forest, but only to the tree line, as the trees were carved with anti-sifting wards, made by the one and only oracle. The journey through the lilac trees had been fairly enjoyable, as the pixies dove from the leaves and presented me with small grains of sugar—an offering to their king. I was a satchel full of sugar richer, but no closer to the knowledge the oracle might provide.

Redmond held up a map of the woods and held it to the moonlight. “I think we’re getting close.”

I’d been unable to discern the drawings of certain trees, so Redmond had taken over. I held out my arm and motioned for him to lead the way. “I’m glad you can spot the differences between identical trees.”

“They are different…somewhat. You must look closely,” he responded, peering down the lenses of his spectacles at the bark of a tree. He pointed at a faint marking in the bark and said, “There. It’s this way.”

A small dirt trail appeared as we made our way through branches and vines, and I gazed up to the sky, ascertaining the height of the moon in relation to time. One hour until the oracle disappeared, not to be seen until the following full moon. My mother had been close with the female, confided in her, and if anyone would know of her secrets, it would be her.

Though the oracle dealt in visions of the future, much like the seer Matilda, her sight was a broader one, containing very little detail. Her visions were meant to advise a fae of their destiny, whether it be greatness, a life of monotony, love, or riches. The oracle was a glorified fortune teller, but I did not track her to hear of my fortune and fame. I wanted answers. Truth.

Despite what my brother believed, I was not a fool. I knew I was born looking nothing like my father, but he and my mother had been mates, loyal and loving to the very end. The idea of my mother having an affair beneath his nose was as inconceivable as the end of the world. I’d suspected my parentage had been fabricated long before anyone had ever uttered a doubtful word, but I had never been willing to delve into the subject.

At least, not until now.

The visions and dreams of that dark place filled with creatures had haunted me, as well as the whispers of some ungodly voice. My powers—my powers had become volatile, stranger than usual.

At first, I blamed the stress. Stress caused from starting a war. Stress from being apart from my soulmate. When the stress had subsided and my life had slowed to a comfortable pace, though, the issues had only gotten worse. Any moment I fell asleep, I awoke in the Scourged Forest, naked and surrounded by a pile of shade bodies, their wings torn off and shredded on the ground, their heads on spikes. I was a risk Faerie couldn’t afford, not now. I needed to know what was happening to me to lead my fae effectively.

Redmond drew to a stop, and I was so lost in thought that I slammed into his back. He shot me a scathing look, as if sayingwatch where you’re walking,but instead he said, “We’re here.”

My eyes landed on the ramshackle hut of a cottage with busted windows and a yard filled with overgrown weeds. “Lovely.”

Fae lights twinkled through the windows, and I marched to the door and cracked it open, not bothering to knock. It was a task to enter, as the door was low cut, and I had to basically crawl my way in. Redmond followed and dusted himself off after exiting the hole of an entrance.

It was bigger on the inside, elaborately decorated, with a homey feel.

“Where would she be?” Redmond asked, but there was no need to ask as a feminine voice filtered in from what I could only imagine was the kitchen, from the smell of herbal tea.

“Ryken! You made it. I was worried you wouldn’t.”

A short, wiry female stepped out from the kitchen. Her hair was tangled and rough, brushing just beneath her waist, and though she was fae, she appeared to have aged more rapidly than my mother would have. In mortal years, she looked to be forty.

She approached, using her tiny frame to pull me into a hug, though her head barely brushed my chest.

Redmond tilted his head next to me, his eyes lighting in wonder.

“You knew I was coming?”

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