Page 138 of Cursed Evermore

“Then maybe you're pissed because Wolfe left me in charge.”

“You're not in charge ofme, Garrick Galwyther.”

“I beg to differ, but I think you'll find that I am.” His tone oozed the decadent charm of princes and noblemen. “Orders directly from Wolfe himself. So, if Elariya needs anything,anythingat all, she's to see me.” He winked at me playfully, revealing a side to him I hadn't seen before—lighter, more boyish.

While Arielle rolled her eyes at him and shook her head in defeat, I gave him a polite smile.

“Don't mind him.” Arielle tugged on my arm with sisterly protectiveness.

“Come on, ladies, let's go. Vyrenth Hollow awaits.” Garrick threw me a dazzling smile and walked ahead of us with confident strides.

Sirril floated next to him, and I fell in step with Arielle.

Vyrenth Hollow. The name slithered across my mind with quiet wonder, just as it had when I first heard it.

My imagination had conjured a haunting fortress carved from bone and darkness, fitting for a man who commanded shadows. I'd envisioned blackened spires piercing a perpetually gray sky and stone walls where gargoyles perched, keeping watch with ancient hunger. The kind of place death forgot to leave, where nightmares took root and flourished.

An uneasy mix of fear and anticipation made me shiver from within. What indeed awaited me at Wolfe's home? And when would he grace us with his brooding presence?

Garrick escorted us through the quiet harbor. I guessed we were at some sort of private port because no one else was around. Back home, every harbor I knew bustled with life right through the day and sometimes at night. Here, it was only us and the seabirds crying above our heads like lonely spirits.

We merged onto a cobbled path, and my legs wobbled. Arielle quickly linked her arm with mine and gave me a reassuring smile.

“Easy there. I've got you.” She offered a gentle nod, a silent reminder of her earlier promise to help me.

“Thank you.”

She gave me an easy smile and focused ahead. I did the same.

Our path led us to a woodland area where, waiting for us, stood a stunning golden carriage with breathtaking craftsmanship. Attached to it were four majestic Crown Elks. Each had a massive rack of antlers that spanned wider than the carriage itself. The beasts' fur transitioned from midnight black at their muscular legs to a silvery-blue across powerful bodies, with scattered white markings like constellations mapped across their flanks.

Like everything else in this magical realm, I'd only ever seen these magnificent creatures in Grandmother's books. Seeing such majestic beauty in real life left me breathless.

My reaction didn't go unnoticed. Both Sirril and Arielle beamed at me like proud parents.

“Of all the creatures in the realm, these are my favorite,” Sirril grinned, his eyes sparkling with genuine affection.

“Mine too,” Garrick spoke without looking back at me. “I feel honored that the Crown Elk chose to stay in the magical realm after the war divided the realms.”

“They... chose?” There was so much I didn't know, so many gaps in my education. That included the Great war. The meager battles I'd experienced in the mortal realm were nothing compared to that legendary conflict, and no one spoke of it anymore. But Wolfe and his comrades had been around for centuries. They would have grown up on stories about that war, lived through its aftermath.

“All magical beings, including animals, were given a choice. Most stayed because they didn't want to give up their magic as dictated by the Accords.”

His words settled in my mind. Only days ago, I’d worried my mother was going to strip my powers. The choice of being here had never been available to me until now.

Deep down I knew I’d choose to keep my powers too. I’d never want to be without them. Although no plans had been made, I’d always hoped Grandmother would have found a way to allow me to keep them. Now I was here in the place where powers like mine belonged.

“Ladies first,” Garrick announced when we reached the carriage.

He opened the door and stepped aside so that Arielle and I could climb in. He and Sirril followed, the interior spacious enough to accommodate us all comfortably.

I was about to ask if we had a coachman when Garrick uttered a single magical word that seemed to crystallize in the fresh morning air. “Faëlborne,” he'd said, the syllables rolling off his tongue like an ancient incantation.

The command made the Crown Elks' ears twitch with recognition. Antlers rose proudly, and they moved with purposeful grace, pulling the carriage forward as if something primal had awakened within them.

My eyes widened with amazement, and my breath stilled as they picked up speed and galloped along the path without further command.

Their wild power and ethereal beauty rendered me speechless, and I couldn't tear my gaze away from them. Every passing second of watching solid muscle rippling beneath their silver-blue fur pulled me deeper into fascination, and into this world that seemed too beautiful to be real.