Page 17

“Don’t call me that. After all we have been through, I’m just Kian.

” He chuckles, the sound not holding much humor.

“Just plain Kian. I’ve lost my throne. Hell’s teeth, for years and years, I didn’t even remember who I was.

I thought I was the son of a fisherman. That I left my village because I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps.

” Kian’s eyes have gone hazy with old memories.

“I only made it as far as the next village, where I started work as a striker. I didn’t much like it, so I left and traveled some more, working odd jobs in each of the villages.

When a band of mercenaries swept through a village I was working in at the time, I talked them into taking me on.

I was later captured and taken to the Emptyfae Court to work in the mines.

To think I missed the little village I grew up in, as well as my mother and father.

I missed people who never existed. A part of me still does.

” By now, his eyes are blazing. “It was all a lie, McColl. I never grew up in a fishing village. I’m not the son of a fisherman and his wife.

None of it is real. I had an evil spell cast on me to make me believe all the false memories.

The false identity. That I was human. I’m not, I never was. ”

“You’re a king.”

He nods once. “I am…or will be once more when we defeat Snow. I swear that I never lied to you. It was black magic. We were hidden in plain sight. It explains so much. Like how I knew things…things I should never have known. Like how a regular, everyday smithy hammer would break the chain of your amulet. I knew I would survive the ordeal. I’ve learned over the years to trust my gut.

That’s what I called it…my gut. I told myself that I had good instincts.

It had nothing to do with good instincts.

I knew because I had been taught, or had seen, or had experienced first-hand.

It was never my gut; it was my suppressed memories coming to the fore in drips and drabs.

A spell, no matter how intricately woven, will never fully dull all memories. It can’t. Only most of them.”

There is sincerity burning in his eyes, and I believe him.

Thinking back, I can still see the shock on his face when he realized who he was. When he realized that he was a fae.

“How is it that you can wield magic?”

“How is it that you have access to more magic than you did before?” He lifts his brows.

“That’s different; you could never wield magic previously?”

He shakes his head. “No, definitely not, hence my struggle to control it and to actually do something with it.”

“You’ve done very well, considering that you’ve had no formal training.” I smile.

“This last time, fighting those fae… It felt out of control. There is no way I could hold a masking spell now.” He looks down at his hands. “I have power, but it’s…too much. That’s something I hope to change…with your help.”

I laugh. “I had many years of hard training.”

“We don’t have nearly that long, but I’ll take what I can get. I’m not sure how it happened, only that it all changed when I broke the chain around your neck and was struck.”

“It changed for me, too.”

“Maybe it was also the eclipse.” He shrugs. “I don’t know. All I know is that I need your help to control it. I need some lessons while we are here. You heard Orion; the valley is a safe haven. It’s safe from her prying eyes. She can’t sense us here, even if we use our magic.”

“I will help you.” I swallow thickly. “I owe you that much. What is the plan?”

“We rest up, and then we stick to the original plan. I will take you home.” He looks me in the eye. “But first, let me introduce you to the others.” He glances at the cabin.

“You want to stick to the original plan and take me back yourself?” I roll my eyes. “There’s only one thing better to a coven than killing a fae; it’s stringing up a fae king. The target on your back would be bigger than ever. You need to actually stay alive if you hope to defeat Snow.”

“Our only hope of winning this war is if everyone works together. Humans, fae…witches, too. I want a chance to talk to your people. To convince them that united we will rise, but apart…we will never hope to beat her.”

“Fae, humans, and witches, all on the same side?” I laugh. “Now that I would love to see.”

“It’s how it has to be. We fight side by side against a common enemy, McColl. United by the same goal.”

“You’re delusional, but I like it.” I smile at him.

“So, you want to use me to get an audience with my people? I have to warn you: I don’t hold much clout.

I would have very little say over what would happen to you once we got there.

” I think of my mother. Of how hard she is.

How unbending. “My mother is the leader of our coven.”

“Even better.”

“You don’t understand.” I shake my head. “I doubt that there is much I would be able to do for you.”

“Let me worry about winning them over. Your job would be to get me there and to stand up for me. The rest would be on me.”

“It’s your funeral pyre.”

“It will work out. You’ll see. Let’s go inside…” He turns back toward the cabin. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a hot meal.”

I groan. “That sounds good.”

We walk back to the cabin. I notice a large chicken coop just to the side of the barn.

Chickens cluck and move around inside. There seem to be plenty of them.

There’s a flourishing vegetable garden on the other side.

I’m sure there is an orchard of fruit trees in the distance.

I’m pretty sure a couple of them are bearing fruit.

It’s like we found a sliver of paradise.

As we draw nearer, I hear muted conversation from inside the cabin.

Kian knocks on the door to the cabin as we arrive, then he opens the door, standing back so that I can enter first.

The men stand as we enter, along with a tall, willowy woman who stands, too.

Her dark hair flows freely about her shoulders.

She’s very pretty, even though she is dressed like a man, in breeches and a tunic.

She stands next to the male with the white hair, Damon.

If memory serves, he is the Icefae King.

We were expected to learn about all the different fae in school.

Know thy enemy.

I know of them all.

I remember my teachings.

Damon became the king when his brother was struck down by Snow’s evil stepmother. It’s when Snow became corrupted and turned into a tyrant.

The only person who remains sitting is the heavily pregnant woman; she has curly blonde hair and big, bright blue eyes. Her hands are resting on her enormous belly. She’s dressed in a pretty yellow dress that flows to the ground.

“It’s about time you woke up and joined us,” Damon says as he walks up to Kian. They hug. It’s over quickly. “This is my soon-to-be wife, Kyrie.” His whole stance softens as he looks at the dark-haired beauty.

Kian shakes her outstretched hand.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Her gaze moves to me. “I’m Kyrie.”

“McColl. I’m…um…a…I’m a friend of Kian’s.” It feels weird to call myself his friend, and even weirder to say his actual name out loud.

“Good to meet you,” Kyrie says. We briefly clasp hands.

“I’m Maya,” the pregnant lady says. She is smiling broadly. “Excuse me, but I’ll stay sitting. Is that okay?”

“Maya is my wife,” Orion says, getting on his knees before the woman in question. He nuzzles his face into her belly. “And this is my unborn child. Due any day now.”

“I certainly hope so,” Maya says, looking tired. “It feels like I have been pregnant for an age.” She rubs a lazy circle on her belly as soon as Orion gets back to his feet. I note how he keeps his hand on his wife’s shoulder. “It shouldn’t be long at all.” She gives Orion a stern look.

“I made it back, sweetheart.” He looks over at us.

“My wife was afraid that I would miss the birth of our child if I rescued you two. We could sense where you were. It was long enough for me to find you. If I could find you, then so could she . I had no choice, love. It was a good thing I went, or they would have been captured.” He squeezes his wife’s shoulder.

“So, you almost left us to rot,” Kian says, his voice laced with good humor.

Orion smiles. “It was touch and go.”

“Looks like a lot has happened while I…was lost,” Kian says, looking at each of them in turn.

“Indeed,” Damon says.

“Where are my manners?” Kyrie says. “You must be starving.”

“Famished,” I say. “Wielding magic will do that to a person.” My stomach grumbles, and I put a hand on it.

Kyrie’s eyes narrow and then dart to my ears.

“McColl is a witch,” Kian says, sounding gruff. “She was captured by the emptyfae – same as me – who were using her to extract magic from my people. She is—”

“You’re a witch?” Kyrie says, her eyes still narrowed with suspicion.

“McColl helped me escape,” Kian says. “If we hadn’t worked together, I wouldn’t be here. I assure you that she is trustworthy and someone I am honored to call a friend.”

“A friend?” Orion says, a smile toying with the corners of his mouth. His eyes glint.

“Yes, a friend.” Kian’s eyes blaze. “I would appreciate it if you would accept her…that you welcome her without prejudice.”

“Very well. If she is a friend of yours, then we extend a welcome,” Kyrie concedes with a nod.

Damon still eyes me with suspicion.

“Very well,” Orion says. “But know that my top priority is to keep my family safe. I won’t hesitate to—”

“None of that will be necessary,” Kian says, his jaw tight.

They don’t want me here. That much is clear. I don’t want to cause any trouble. “If you would prefer I leave, I can go. All I ask is for some—”

“No,” Kian says in a clipped tone. “You can stay. I need your help learning how to wield my newly accessible magic. Then I need your help with the other thing we discussed.”

Getting him an audience with my coven.

“Magic?” Orion and Damon say together.

“You don’t have access to your magic?” Damon says, frowning. “Last I checked, you were an emptyfae.”

A horse whinnies, followed by another. Then there is the distinct sound of horse hooves and…something else. Sounds like a…cart.

“That would be Xander and his wife, Thesha,” Orion says. “I am sure he would also love to hear all about it.”