Page 6

Evelina

She planted her seeds beneath the oak tree, one for each who had died.

Today, she didn’t linger. Instead, she floated through the small lunaria garden in Lilium Glade. Their silvery coin-like pods glowed against the setting sun.

She sat on the ground in the center of the shimmering plants. The tallest ones were higher than her head and left her tucked away in the safety of nature, hidden away from the world.

The glade made her think of Daimon, of all the times she hid away here with him. She hadn’t seen him since they were children, and now could pass right by him, not realizing it was him.

Of course, she didn’t know what she would say even if she did see him.

She grieved in silence and focused on a game she’d always played. Daimon had taught it to her when they were children—for when she needed an escape. It wasn’t a complex, thought-provoking game. But she could play it anywhere, anytime .

“A game of pretend,” he said one night. Carwyn had just scolded Evelina for wearing the wrong shoes again. “For when I’m not here to give you a dream.”

“Isn’t that just daydreaming?” Evelina countered with a raised brow, but it was her eyes that gave her away. The glimmer of interest that came to life in her gaze when he was near.

“This is just for us,” he said with a grin, his hair long and mussed from running around Nox Grove all morning. “Something no one else can have.”

Evelina opened her eyes, flustered by the memory.

Letting her mind wander to these things was easier than thinking about the deaths of those she couldn’t save. Easier than knowing the rebels were getting closer to the palace. With her family being targeted and her people killed, the thought of the rebels growing stronger was terrifying.

“I know you’re here, Evelina.” Annora’s light and gentle voice called into the garden.

Evelina could already hear the soft pad of boots against the dirt. Flowers rustled and shook, disturbing some of the butterflies that had stopped to rest on them. Annora’s bright eyes and slender frame appeared. She sat down in front of Evelina, and her hands fidgeted, her fingers tapping against her black gown. Silver stitching had been woven into swirls across the skirt.

“Did you hear about the attack?” Annora whispered.

Evelina reached out and grabbed her hand. “I went with Gloriana and Lorene. We tried to—” She took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry we couldn’t save them.”

And she was. Sorry that no progress had been made, that the war was dragging on for so long, and for all the lives lost.

Annora gripped her hand back as fiercely as Evelina held hers. They sat in silence together, not needing to fill the quiet with small talk. What was left to say ?

Instead, they sat in the comfort of each other. Together in their grief and frustration.

Annora pulled her knees to her chest and picked at a blade of grass. Evelina watched her quietly.

“I’m starting to get why you and Daimon always came here as kids.” Annora gestured to the flowers around them. “I forget how quiet the world can be sometimes.”

There were other larger and more ornate gardens in the glade. This one was small—forgotten. But for them, it was a place of hope and tranquility, without worry or interruption.

“Evelina, I need your help,” Annora said abruptly.

Evelina immediately nodded her head. “Anything.”

Annora took a deep breath. She was never one to shy away from being honest or saying something that would make others uncomfortable—that was one of the reasons Evelina trusted her so much.

“The autumn equinox is tomorrow night,” Annora whispered.

Evelina nodded again. The autumn equinox was sacred. Cherished. It was the night soulbonding ceremonies were held—when two mates decided to accept the soulbond.

Annora looked down to the ground, her fingers picking apart blades of grass into tiny pieces. “The war has been stalling for years now,” she continued. “No side is making any real gains. And with each battle, we lose someone.”

Evelina nodded. She knew all of these things but didn’t understand what it had to do with the equinox. “We’ve lost a lot of lives—too many,” she agreed.

“Exactly!” Annora threw her hands into the air. “We’re immortal to the natural aging process, and yet we’ve been to more luxes than the average human.”

Evelina missed the time when years would go by without a lux, without having to attend the celebration of a fae passing onto Caelum. There had never been a time where more fae passed than humans—not until the war .

Annora reached forward and gripped Evelina’s hand. “While our lives may not be short, they are numbered,” she said softly. “And that’s why I need your help.”

Evelina’s gaze shot back to Annora, and she found determination across her friend’s face. She knew that look; it was one she’d seen Annora use on countless fae.

“I’ve been keeping a secret from you,” she whispered. “About Aldric.”

The corners of Evelina’s mouth twitched upward. She’d been watching Annora and Aldric sneak around for nearly a year now. She’d noticed the way their eyes sought each other out the moment they entered the same room, how they found small excuses to touch each other, and how his eyes never left her.

And then everything Annora had been saying clicked into place.

This time, Evelina did smile. The first real one in a week. In this desolate, war-ridden land, her friend had found happiness—had found the purest form of love.

“You’re going to bond with him.” Evelina’s chest warmed, the heaviness against it briefly lifting.

Annora’s eyes widened. “Yes,” she breathed out. “You knew?”

Evelina laughed, her joy mixing with her tears. “I saw you two in the Radix Room, way up at the top of the Mother Tree.”

“But we haven’t been to the Mother Tree in months…” Realization cut across Annora’s face. “You’ve known this long?”

Evelina shrugged. “I knew you would tell me when you were ready.” She gave Annora a comforting smile, one that said she understood why her friend kept it to herself. Then she raised a brow, a soft smile still tilting her lips up. “So I’m guessing you need my blood to get you in.”

All of those with Manor blood had access to the Celestial Temple, where bonding ceremonies took place. She and her siblings took turns helping with the ceremonies at each equinox. Queen Embry would often be there, just to be near her people during such a sacred ritual. Evelina had just had her rotation during the most recent spring equinox. She could remember the fae coming to the doors of the temple, unable to stop themselves from touching their mates even in the presence of others.

But Annora’s parents—as lovely as they were—would never approve of their daughter bonding with Aldric. The stories of those who chose the wrong fae—thinking they were their bonded when they weren’t—haunted every forest, village, and fae alike.

To go before Eurydice on the night of the equinox and try to bond one’s soul with the wrong person led to forever being separated from one’s true mate. There was only one chance to get it right, and it was partly why fae couples often chose to not bond.

“But more than that, I need my friend there,” Annora said quietly, the tips of her ears tinged pink.

There were days Annora felt more like family to Evelina than her own siblings. She loved her siblings deeply, but Annora was someone she chose to be her family.

Evelina lurched forward and gathered Annora into a hug. Annora squeezed her back, both of them laughing and crying.

“I’m so happy for you,” Evelina said through the tears.

“It pains me to do this behind their backs, but my parents would never let me risk it,” Annora said softly, pulling back from Evelina. “They can’t break a soulbond once the ceremony is complete. And I need Aldric like I need air. My body sings when he’s around, and my heart is already his. He’s the other half to my soul.” Her voice broke.

Evelina gave her a reassuring smile, but Annora didn’t smile back. She had a contemplative look on her face. As sacred as this ceremony was—happiness in its purest form—Annora’s eyes were heavy, sad. A cool wind swept through the glade, rustling the flowers around them.

“I’ll do it,” Evelina promised. “Of course, I’ll do it.”

“I never would’ve thought I would be lucky enough to find my soulbonded,” Annora whispered.

Truthfully, Evelina understood Annora’s parents’ fears. But she found it easy to trust in Aldric and Annora’s connection, because she knew the feeling too. That absolute certainty that stilled all the worry and stress, a love like the lunaria flowers that hid them away now in safe protection.

She and Annora sat in the glade the rest of the evening, reminiscing on their childhood and all that had changed. Their conversation was a mixture of sadness and joy. They talked until they both felt a little less empty inside.

A hollow ringing bounced in her mind, the memory of the grove still haunting her. She could still hear the warning bells piercing the air. Each time the Riders sang their cries of battle in the sky, Evelina’s heart would thrash in her chest. When she heard that awful warning, her mind drifted to a certain aerial commander, wondering if he would be racing into battles of his own.