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“Oh, that much I know,” I interrupted. “I saw Kiera last night, and she told me I’m recovering well. “

“Ah, good. Kiera is the best. You are in good hands.” He glanced out of the balcony doors. “As for where you are, what this grand healing facility is a wing of…Well, little sunshine, you are in the beating heart of the First Kingdom. At the palace of King Viktas and his aerial legion, the famed Flyers of the First Kingdom.”

“I understand you said some words, but if those words have meaning to you, they don’t to me.”

He stopped and stared. “What didn’t make sense? You surely know about the kingdoms, don’t you? The King? What did you not understand?”

“I did know we have a King, but not his name. I know there are twelve kingdoms, our village was in the Fifth. That’s about all I know. ”

Kol gave a low whistle. “I guess I’ll start with the basics, then. King Viktas rules the Twelve Kingdoms. They are each governed by barons who represent the King. This is the First Kingdom, also known as the Dark Kingdom, and this city, Amaya, is the capital of all the kingdoms.”

“Why is it known as the Dark Kingdom?” I asked.

“Good question. The nights here are longer than the other kingdoms. Our night skies are the most beautiful you’ll ever see. You were in the Fifth, which is known as the Desert Kingdom.”

“Is the whole kingdom desert?” I asked, feeling like I knew nothing.

“It’s mostly desert, yes,” Kol confirmed.

“Which kingdom are you from?” I asked cautiously, not sure if the question was offensive.

“The First. My father was the General of the King’s armies, and his father before him, and his father before him. Right back to when the kingdoms were united. Before the Twelve Kingdoms were formed, the lands were divided by the terrain, the climate, how the fae lived, and named accordingly. Those names predate the numbers and have stuck around. Our identities lie in those places.”

“Why did they unite?” I asked when he didn’t elaborate.

“We were at war. The Hundred Years war, between what is now the First Kingdom and the Fourth. Dark and light. The war only ended because the realm was attacked by the Vivi Mortui, an undead army. It was come together or perish. At the time, the King of the First Kingdom held the most power, so they united under the First Kingdom. It was a brutal war against the Vivi Mortui, but the fae were victorious. But the losses were immense across the entire realm, and the kingdoms had to stay united to survive. It was a hard time, but it brought the fae together.” Kol’s voice carried pride. “The legions of flyers who fought in the war became the King’s legion and have been stationed in the First Kingdom ever since.”

“So, there are beasts—dragons in all the kingdoms?”

“Flyers. We aren’t all dragons, and there can be, but we all come to the First Kingdom to train with our flyers. It’s the best way to make sure we all learn together with the best teachers. Which is why you’re here.”

I frowned, understanding, but still aching for my home. For Luka and my parents. “I don’t want to be here, though. I belong with my family.”

“I know.” He got up and sat on the arm of my chair. “But I can promise you this is where you’re meant to be. I don’t know why they took you away, but it wasn’t fair to you or to my brother.”

I didn’t see the point of telling him it was to keep us all safe. The Sisters of the Sands chose to live outside of the rule and law of the rest of society. They were protecting us from the great evils of Uriel. They knew this place to be wicked.

“I know the life you lived is all that you know, but the world outside of your compound is entirely different from what I suspect you were told. And the fae who kept you there… They were hiding you from this world for a reason.”

“I only know they felt it wasn’t safe for them to bring up their children around such…” I didn’t want to use the word ‘sin’ in the face of someone who seemed, on the surface at least, to be kind.

Kol chuckled. “It’s okay, sunshine. Not much is known about the Sisters of the Sands, but I’m aware of the kind of religion they followed and the opinions they likely held of the rest of us. They choose isolation for their own reasons, I’m sure. But the lengths they have gone to in order to conceal you, knowing what you are… They had to be working tirelessly to achieve that. They had to have a really strong reason to go to that much trouble.”

“What I am?”

“Your magic,” he said, like I should have known what that word meant.

“What is magic?"

“Shit.” Kol scrubbed his face. “This is hard. How can I describe magic to someone who has never heard of the concept?”

Was he asking me? I had no clue.

“Okay!” He jumped up, startling me, and went to the table where the healers kept an array of items for their practices. Some were familiar to me from our healer in the village. He picked up a candle and came back, putting it on the low table in front of me. “How do you light this candle?”

I frowned. “What kind of question is that?”

“It’s not a trick. Just tell me how you would light it.”