Page 9

Chapter

Nine

The lump in my throat triples in size and my mouth wavers.

“Answer me.” Harek’s tone is filled with ice. “How long have you known you’re fae?”

Tears escape and run down my face.

I’m going to be on my own from here on out. He’s going to abandon me the same day I’ve lost my entire family. It’s time to accept the fact.

“Eira, tell me what’s going on.”

I try to wipe my tears, but it’s fruitless. They’re falling too fast to keep up. “I’m a halfling. I just found out today. My mother’s last words were telling me my father is a fae. You can run from me now. I won’t hold it against you. I understand completely.”

“You… she said you’re a halfling?” Harek’s voice is barely above a whisper.

“No, but I can put two and two together. My father is fae, so I’m a disgusting halfling. She didn’t even have time to tell me what kind of fae he is—what I am. I don’t know anything, other than my palm has started glowing randomly since I found out.”

Silence.

My heart breaks. I should’ve just left without telling Harek anything. Then I’d at least have the comfort of knowing he still cared about me. Now I have to live with his disgust, too.

“Just go,” I say, barely keeping myself together. “Now you know, so leave. You’re going to run at some point, anyway. May as well get it over with. I’m a freak of nature. Despised by everyone. Not fully human, not fully fae. Just… hated. Doomed to live life alone. Not that it’s much different from the life I’ve always known.”

“Eira, I’m not going anywhere.”

“But I’m a halfling . Don’t you get it? I’m worse than a highly contagious deadly disease.”

“You’re no disease.”

“Right, I’m worse. Half fae, half human, fully nothing. An abomination. My father probably wants nothing to do with me. I’m sure my mother spent my whole life trying to make sure nobody ever found out about my true nature because I’m so horrible. Only a creature a mother could love.”

Harek wraps me in a bear hug. “You’re amazing, and the fact that you’re something almost mythical makes you even more special.”

I step back. “You aren’t disgusted? I heard the horror in your voice when you saw my glow.”

“That’s called shock, my friend. I had no clue—fae can’t hide their magic. It doesn’t just show up in adulthood. Your glowy hand never showed before today?”

“Never, because I didn’t know about it.”

“That isn’t how it works.” He sounds completely baffled.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t know?”

I draw in a deep breath. “No. Gunnar never allowed talk of fae in his house.”

“Sorry, I forgot. Fae get their powers regardless of knowledge. I spoke with one who was abandoned at birth and raised by another kind of fae. There was no hiding his true nature—by the time he was a toddler, everyone knew what kind he was.”

“I’m not fully fae—that has to be why.”

“Maybe.” He doesn’t sound like he believes my theory.

“Nothing else makes sense. There’s no other explanation for why mine didn’t show until I found out. My mother told me, then a few hours later my hand started glowing.”

“Could it have anything to do with her death?” he asks.

“You’re trying to blame me for that?”

“Of course not. I just mean, maybe her dying is what triggered your powers. It’s possible.”

Now it’s my turn to be doubtful. “If that was the case, wouldn’t I need my father to awaken my fae side? It isn’t like my mother’s death would pass any powers to me.”

He doesn’t respond.

“See? I’m right.”

“Maybe. Nobody really ever talks about halflings, so I don’t know much about them.”

My stomach sinks. “I’m even rarer than I thought. How am I ever going to figure out anything about myself?”

“I’m sure someone knows something. Our best bet is to find your father. I assume now that we’re heading for a fae metropolis?”

I sigh. “Yeah. I’m going to see if he’s in the nearest one. If not, I’ll keep trying until I find him. All I know is my mother fled while pregnant with me, and she settled in the first human town she came to. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the first fae town I reach will be the right one. These woods are vast, and I don’t know what direction she traveled. You should know this could be a wild goose chase.”

Harek doesn’t respond.

I can’t blame him for having second thoughts. He’ll be a lot safer if he turns around and goes home. At least I have my glowing palm in my favor. So far all the fae who have seen it have fled. Maybe no fae wants anything to do with whatever power I have.

I’ll have to make sure none of them ever find out I’m clueless about it.

“There used to be a popular trail through these woods when we were little,” Harek says. “Nobody ever goes that way anymore, but I wonder if that’s the route your mother took. It would’ve been the right timing.”

“How do you know about it?”

“My parents would point it out when they first started taking me out on hunts. They stopped mentioning it by the time I was big enough to hold my own crossbow, but I always wondered why people stopped using it.”

“It might be worth a try. If nobody uses it anymore, we’ll have less chance of running into more fae.”

“Not that we need to worry about them.”

“Bloodsuckers and shifters?” I ask.

“Did you see the way those two bloodsuckers ran from you? I’ve never seen anyone so scared. There’s something about that orange glow that frightens them. You’re better than any weapon.”

“And you don’t know anything about my glow?”

“No fae I’ve ever seen has done that, but there are many types I’ve never come across. Most stay in the cities and never venture into the woods. It’s the outcasts who spend their time out here where we hunt.”

I lean against a tree and take a moment to absorb everything I’ve just heard.

This is all too much. My mother dying. Having to leave my siblings and home. Discovering my new power.

“Do you want to try the abandoned path?” Harek asks.

“You said something about having a place to sleep? My head is swimming, and my body is exhausted. I think I need a break. Or would we be better off going back to your house for the night and starting over tomorrow?”

“We’re already out here, so we should keep going.”

“Then can we set up camp somewhere?”

“Like I said before, we’re better off resting when the night fae sleep. Otherwise, we’ll be unconscious while they’re roaming around, looking for bloody treats.”

I groan.

“The other option is to sleep in shifts, but that’ll make it harder for us to have the time to travel during the day. If we sleep in the light, we can both sleep at the same time.”

We don’t have any good options.

Harek places a hand on my shoulder. “At this rate, we only have a few more hours until sunrise. We should make the most of it and then we can find somewhere to rest.”

“Let’s do that.” Once we start moving again, my sleepiness will likely wear off—at least for a time. I did get a nap earlier. With any luck, that’ll be enough to keep me going.

“It’ll be for the best,” he reassures me. “You’ll see.”

I hope he’s right.