Page 7 of Broken Hearted (Cursed Fae #3)

I awoke to Zane shaking my shoulders. My eyelids snapped open, and I gasped.

Black water lapped at our feet.

I shot out of my bedroll so fast I got dizzy as I threw my hands out and pushed the water back out of the cave, freezing it as I did so that it created a wall.

The mare, who I’d learned was named Orchid, was still with us, thank the stars, but was whinnying nervously.

“That was close.” Zane brushed a hand through his hair.

“We should hurry, or by the time I see these Wise Ones we won’t be able to get back,” I said. It had to be early in the morning because the sky was only starting to lighten, but we didn’t have any time to waste.

Zane nodded, grabbing his now soaking pack, and called the mare over with a click of his tongue.

After grabbing Orchid’s bridle, we began a steep trek up the side of the mountain.

“According to the map, this isn’t the usual path to get to the Wise Ones. It’s longer, but it will have to do.”

I nodded, still in shock at how much of the land the water had eaten up. Poor Dawnie. All of these people … their livelihoods. Gone.

We rode on for hours and hours, but eventually, the path became too narrow and we had no option but to leave Orchid while we continued on foot. My legs burned, but I didn’t complain as we walked slowly in a zigzag pattern up the mountain path.

We traveled for most of the day and I was about to ask for another break when Zane stopped before an open cave. When I peeked inside, I couldn’t see a thing. It was pitch-black.

“We’re here,” he said.

Oh, thank the stars. I wanted to get this over with and get out of this flooding kingdom. I moved to step inside when Zane hooked me by the arm. “Remember—”

“One question. Asked perfectly. I know,” I said.

He’d told me all about the Wise Ones, and Dawn explained a little bit about what this would be like. A disorienting darkness and then voices that come from their minds.

I was ready.

* * *

I had not been ready.

Even after the voices faded and light appeared behind my closed eyelids, I stayed hunched on the ground with my hands over my ears, and my eyes squeezed tightly shut. In the sudden silence, I could hear the blood rushing through my veins with every fast beat of my heart. My ragged breaths sounded like the banging of drums.

I had never been called a coward, but in that moment, I felt like one because I couldn’t force myself to open my eyelids and face the Wise Ones. And it wasn’t just because walking through the black void with disembodied voices ringing in my head had been terrifying. It was because when I picked up some of their whispers, they’d known things.

Not just my name, but my fears as well. It was as if they’d cracked open my head, dug through my mind, and then whispered my fears back to me.

“ Worried she’ ll never be loved .”

“ Afraid to believe mates are real .”

“ Doesn’t want to end up like her parents .”

My darkest thoughts still bounced around in my head, even though the Wise Ones’ voices had long since gone silent.

“ Princess Isolde of the Winter Court. Daughter of broken vows, child of ice, spell breaker. You have nothing to fear here . Rise and face us ,” a voice commanded.

I didn’t want to. If these unseelie knew my deepest fears and secrets, what other fragmented pieces of myself had they seen? I felt stripped bare, raw and exposed, but even so, I knew I had no choice. I had to face them. For Faerie, for Ethereum, and for myself.

Sucking in a fortifying breath, I forced myself to lower my hands from my ears and open my eyes. In a semicircle in front of me were four beings. Male, with pale white skin, who looked seelie except for the two small horns upon each of their heads. They were unnaturally still, and their neutral facial expressions made it impossible for me to gauge their thoughts, which was unsettling.

The Wise Ones were short in stature, but their height wasn’t an indication of their power. I could feel their magic. It filled every corner of the candlelit room and pressed up against me, even as they sat on their stone thrones, looking down on me with their cloudy eyes.

Gathering my courage, I rose to my full height. “Wise Ones,” I started. “I’m here to ask my question.”

“ We know why you are here ,” one of them said.

None of their mouths moved, but I somehow knew it was the one on the far left who had spoken. “ The Fall princess succeeded in finding the Shadow Heart .”

“She has,” I said, even though it was a statement rather than a question. I reached into my satchel and dug out the crystal. “I brought it with me,” I said, holding it up for them to see.

For the first time, I saw some hint of life in the beings’ milky eyes, and one even went so far as to lean forward.

“I don’t know what we are supposed to do with it,” I said, taking a step forward as I held the crystal out in front of me toward them.

“ Put it away! ” The voice of the Wise One in front of me cracked sharply, startling me. His fingers wrapped around the arms of his throne and tightened until I heard the stone crack beneath his hand. He shifted forward, and it seemed like his grip on his throne was the only thing keeping him from leaping at me.

I quickly shoved the crystal back into my satchel, and it felt like the Wise Ones let out a collective sigh of relief.

What just happened?

“ The crystal carries more power than you can imagine ,” another Wise One said. This time, the one who was seated on the far right. “ Its magic is … tempting ,” he said, by way of an explanation.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize,” I said, not knowing how else to respond. I looked down at my satchel, where the Shadow Heart was now hidden from view. I knew that it was supposed to be powerful. I’d learned that much from the book Zane had given me, but I hadn’t felt anything from the crystal myself.

“ The magic inside the crystal is concealed ,” he replied. “ Not very many fae would recognize its power .”

But they had.

A shiver ran down my spine. Just how powerful were these unseelie? I’d always been told the queens of the courts of Faerie and the Ethereum lords were the most powerful fae alive, but standing in front of these four had me questioning that.

“ You have come to us for a purpose ,” the Wise One in front of me prompted. The one who almost flew out of his seat at me before. He wasn’t my favorite, even though looking at him now, his stance and facial expression were identical to the others.

“Right, yes,” I said, and then cleared my throat. This was it. This was my one question. So much was riding on this single sentence that my voice shook a little as I asked, “What do I need to do in order to destroy the curse that is affecting both Ethereum and Faerie?”

The Wise Ones nodded as if pleased with my question.

“ The Shadow Heart’s magic must be unlocked in order for it to be used to destroy the curse .”

This thing in my bag right now was what could destroy the curse? I was about to ask how to unlock it, when another spoke up.

“ To unlock the Shadow Heart, you need to take it to the belly of the sea and combine your magic with your mate’s .”

The breath stilled in my lungs and when no one else spoke after that, I started to panic a little.

Take it to the belly of the sea. What did that mean? And combine my magic with my mate’s magic? How was I supposed to do that? And then what was I supposed to do with the crystal after?

It felt like I had more questions than answers, but that might be all they were going to tell me since I’d just used my one question.

Maybe, hopefully, Zane knew what they meant by ‘the belly of the sea’. That would at least give us a place to start.

Zane. My heart dropped into my gut. I’d had doubts that he was my mate since the beginning. And now if he wasn’t, we wouldn’t be able to unlock the Shadow Heart. I had to know if he was the one.

“We don’t have mates in Faerie, but I know you do here in Ethereum, so when you say, ‘my mate’, you mean Zane, right?” I asked, praying they would answer. If they would just tell me who they thought my mate was, this would be so clear.

“ We’ve already answered your one question ,” the Wise One stated, and disappointment flooded me. Then he added, “ But if you look inside your heart, you already know the answer to your second .”

A nervous laugh bubbled up in my throat. “Umm, no. I can assure you I don’t know.”

The Wise Ones just stared back at me, unblinking.

“Please,” I begged. “You have to give me more information. If Zane isn’t my mate, then I will fail.”

“ We’ve given you all the information we are going to ,” the Wise One on the left said. “ We will not see you again .”

And then the room went pitch-black, and they were gone.

* * *

“Isolde,” Zane called the moment I emerged from the cave and then rushed to my side. “What did they say?”

I quickly told him everything the Wise Ones had said. “Do you know where the belly of the sea is?” I asked, and he looked thoughtful.

He shook his head. “I don’t. But we should send a message to Adrien. No one knows the seas better than my brother.”

A little jolt of something shot through my body at the thought of Adrien. A trickle of unease ran through me. I hadn’t told Zane that I questioned the Wise Ones about who my mate was, but I knew I couldn’t put off this conversation any longer.

“Look Zane … this whole mate thing is new to me. We don’t have mates where we come from. And my parents are divorced, so love … isn’t really something I’m looking for.”

His face fell, but he nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I can understand that mates are a foreign concept for you. That’s why I haven’t been pushing anything on you.”

I nodded. “Yes, and I truly appreciate that,” I said truthfully. “But …”

His eyebrows pinched, and I could tell he didn’t know where I was going with this. I had to just lay it out there.

“I think you are amazing,” I started. “One of the most genuine men I’ve ever met. Kind, thoughtful, strong, and handsome. You make me laugh, and I feel so comfortable around you. Any woman would be so fortunate to be mated to you.”

“I can’t help but feel there is another but coming,” he said with a frown.

I gave him a small smile. Zane wasn’t stupid. “But if mates are real and if I need one to unlock the Shadow Heart … I’m not sure it’s you. It just feels like there’s something missing.”

The moment the words were out of my mouth hurt flashed across Zane’s face, but closely after that, a completely different expression appeared. One I had a hard time interpreting. Relief?

“I asked the Wise Ones if you were my mate,” I plowed forward before Zane could say anything. “But they wouldn’t tell me. I just wish there was a way to know for sure. Especially since, according to them, I have to combine my power with my mate’s to unlock the Shadow Heart and end the curse. I know you think it’s you but … I’m sorry, I just … I’m not sure. What if we go to the belly of the sea and combine our magic, only to find out we’re not really mates? The curse will then eventually overtake not only Faerie, but Ethereum as well. All will be lost.”

Zane seemed slightly distressed, but I could tell he was hearing what I was saying and taking me seriously. Another way he was proving he was the perfect guy. But the nagging feeling that he wasn’t my perfect guy still wouldn’t leave me.

“There is a way to determine whether or not we are mates,” he confessed.

“There is?” I asked, my back straightening.

Zane cleared his throat, suddenly looking slightly uncomfortable. “A kiss.”

I froze at that. “What do you mean?”

His eyes bore into mine. “When we kiss our mate, we know. There’s a magical reaction. Undeniable physical proof.”

My heart hammered in my chest, and I knew what needed to be done.

“Okay. Then kiss me.”

Zane looked shocked at my forwardness; he peered at the path leading down the mountain as if he wanted to run away.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “We need to see if you’re my mate. So kiss me. A small chaste kiss should prove your theory, correct?”

He seemed unsure now. “You are beautiful. Funny. Kind.”

It was like he felt deep inside that I wasn’t the one for him either, but he was trying to convince himself I was.

“Thank you. Now kiss me to prove whether we are or are not mates.” I stepped forward, pursed my lips and closed my eyes. Best to just get this over with right away. We didn’t have time to waste.

I felt Zane move closer. He took my face gently between his hands right before he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. We stayed like that for a good five seconds. It reminded me of when I was younger and would kiss my mom and dad on the lips.

But nothing more.

No spark, no heat, nothing close to what I read about in the romance novels. I popped one eye open just as he did the same. He peered at the space around us as if expecting to see something and then pulled away from me frowning.

“You’re not … but … what does that mean?” He sounded fragile, so I didn’t want to kick him while he was down.

Reaching out, I took his hand in mine. “It means, if Dawn’s theory is right, that the Ethereum lords and Faerie princesses are mates, Princess Lorelei of the Spring Court is your mate. Not me.”

What that also meant was that if Zane wasn’t my mate, then Adrien was, and that felt … surprisingly right.

But Adrien was engaged. And that didn’t feel good at all.

A barrage of emotions suddenly slammed into me. Fear. Excitement. Dread. Joy. It took a moment, but I wrestled all my feelings into submission, cramming them deep down inside until I had the luxury of examining them.

The important thing was that now I knew Zane and I weren’t mates. All the friendship vibes I felt around him made sense. We needed to move forward from this and focus on what needed to be done to end the curse.

Looking up at Zane, he still seemed a little lost, but at least he wasn’t arguing with me.

“Lorelei is amazing,” I said. “I can already picture the two of you together.”

He started to relax a little at that, as if not having a mate at all would have sent him into a spiral, but hearing that he’d just gotten stuck with the wrong one for a bit was okay.

“That means Adrien is yours,” he said, and we both just let the giant unsaid words linger in the air.

And he’s engaged to marry someone else.

“That kiss was mortifying,” he graciously changed the subject. “We never speak of it again.”

I laughed. “Like pecking my mother.”

“Hey,” he scolded. “I’m an amazing kisser, given better circumstances.”

I grinned at him. “I’ll bet you are. With Lorelei.”

He shook his head, a look of chagrin on his face.

“We should go,” I said. “I have to figure out not only how to get to the belly of the sea, but convince Adrien to come with me.”

I turned to leave, but Zane stayed rooted in place, his gaze fixed on the dark cave opening.

“Zane?” I asked, and he glanced over at me.

“I need to know something,” he said. “Will you wait here for me?”

“You want to see the Wise Ones?” I asked.

He nodded. “I’m here. And you’re not my mate. I need to ask them—” He cut himself off before revealing what his question was. I wanted to know what he felt he needed to ask the Wise Ones, but it wasn’t my place. And I think I already knew …

“Yes. Of course I’ll wait,” I said.

With a grim but determined look on his face, Zane turned and walked into the cave. He was swallowed by darkness immediately. A chill ran over me when he disappeared so suddenly from view, but I hoped that whatever Zane felt like he needed to know, the Wise Ones would tell him.