I pleaded to the gods, offering themanythingin exchange for his life, then resorted to threatening them. Their silence was deafening as I leaned down and put my forehead against his. I felt a puff of breath against my cheek and pulled back. His eyelids flickered. I gulped down air as I realized he wasalive. We all turned to the red bird in disbelief.
Rafael turned his head to me, eyes half-closed. “Are we dead or alive?” he asked weakly.
Stifling my sobs, I responded, “Alive, somehow. We’re in Erador. We made it.”
I looked over at the bird as it flapped away from us. It shifted and I fell back in disbelief when I sawmy motherstanding in front of me.
“Mama?” I gasped. “Are you a ghost? How is this possible?”
She came over to me, hesitating, then dropped to her knees and hugged me. “It’s a long story… but I’ve always been near, waiting until I could hold you again. When you were born, we knew what you were right away. You had the birth mark on your forehead that my mother had spoken of. Our family had been waiting for you.”
In a daze, I touched my forehead. “What birth mark?”
“It’s under your hair now. You have a white circle above your forehead. Your grandmother had one too when she was born.The mark of a unicorn. I went to the Oracle and asked how I could keep you safe—keep you from being hunted. Unicorns are vulnerable to predators the moment they enter this world. The witch told me I had to die on your tenth birthday and let my sister raise you. She instructed Ophelia to erase all memories of you from your father’s mind. He wasn’t worthy of them anyways. She destroyed any evidence that could lead him or anyone else to you.
“You were protected in the castle—raised to know nothing of magic or the curse. And we didn’t want others to know of you. Aurelius was scrubbed of all magic and faeries long before you were born, but when you arrived, we doubled down on our efforts. The Oracle said on your twenty-first birthday, the gods would lead you to your fated mate—that I’d be allowed to follow and help you, as long as you didn’t see me.
“The price of keeping you safe was steep, a cost I willingly bore. I had to remain hidden until you returned to Erador. The penalty for letting you know who I was before then was true death. I’ve been so proud to be your mother—every day of your life. I-I know this is a lot to process.”
She reached out and touched my necklace. “This is a tracker. I have one too. Each of the original Chosen Six were gifted one from the gods and they’ve been passed down ever since. It helps us stay connected. This is how I kept close in Nymera.”
I tried to take in all that she told me, but I simply couldn’t. I fidgeted with the pendant of my necklace. “How did you come back to life after the poison? Are… are you a phoenix?” I asked, thinking of the statue I’d seen so many times in the throne room.
“Yes. The poison stopped my heart, but phoenix’s have the ability to come back from the dead—to rise from the ashes. We also havethe antidote for all poisons and venom in our tears. It came in handy today.” She smiled at Rafael.
“Thank you,” he said softly, sitting up and resting a hand on my shoulder.
“I’ve tried to help you, even though it might not seem that way after all that you’ve faced. I kept as close as I could… I knocked quite a few guards unconscious over the last few months. You have a propensity for trouble, just like your mother.” She grinned. “Luckily, faerie pride kept most of them from reporting anything. Galen’s valet didn’t know what hit him this evening, but it did buy you some time to escape.
“I followed the group of humans through the portal tonight, so I wouldn’t be spotted, and then anxiously waited for you to come through.You did it, Goldie. You made it back to Erador.” She hugged me and it felt like hugging a ghost, except that she was warm and I was cold. She smelled like soil and sunshine.
“We have much to catch up on. Perhaps we should save the rest for a more private setting. I’m looking forward to being the mother you deserve… now that I’ve paid the cost,” she said, choking back emotion. I didn’t respond as exhaustion, adrenaline, and shock worked their way through me. “I’m going to fly ahead to Ophelia and let her know you’ve arrived. Bring everyone to the castle. We’ll take care of them until we can get them settled into their new lives.”
I watched her fly towards the castle I thought I’d never see again, before searching for Meli in the crowd. She was with Louis, just a few feet away. I’d been so focused on Rafael and my mother, I hadn’t seen them. I held her tightly as we cried. Their child was safe, but there were no words for her loss. Her mate, the father of her unborn child, was dead. I wouldn’t let her face this alone. Taking her hand, we led the group to the castle.
“I love you, Meli. He died protecting his soulmate and his daughter and none of it’s fair. I’ll be here for you in whatever capacity you need me, please know that.”
She responded with a squeeze to my hand.
fifty-eight
Iwas in such a fog of adrenaline and blood loss, I barely registered arriving at the castle. As servants swarmed around us, ushering people to and fro, I saw Queen Ophelia, beaming brilliantly at me through the parted crowd. She looked radiant as usual in a flowing teal gown. Her glow was also coming from…magic.
I pulled away from our hug to look at her through a new lens, one that knew of magic. The tips of her ears were round, but every other feature was pure Fae. She was waif-like with large, glittering eyes—and wrinkle-free, despite her silver hair. She must’ve been old. Very old, indeed, to have so much silver. We looked at each other with a new understanding, and yet I didn’t really know her at all.
“We have much to discuss,” she murmured. “Do you have the energy to come with me now?”
“Yes, but I need to let Rafael know—I’ll be right back.” She waited for me as I found him in the sea of people and pulled him aside. “I need to talk with my aunt in private. I’ll come find you later.”
He managed to show off a dimple with a tired crooked smile. “I have plenty to keep me busy here. I’ll see you soon.”
I exited the Great Hall with Ophelia and spotted my mother a moment later, following us discreetly. Once we were safely tucked away in one of the Queen’s private parlors, she turned to us. “The guards, the advisors… they know very little of what’s going on. It seems that current events have become too large to simply put them back in Pandora’s box now. We’ll have to tell them some truths, while still keeping our most precious secrets safe—secrets I’m sure you’re eager to hear, Marigold.”
I stared at my mother, unable to look anywhere else. “I want to know everything. But I’m feeling quite overwhelmed, and I’ve lost a lot of blood…” They led me to a small floral-patterned love seat. I had endless questions, but didn’t have endless energy. I was slowly coming apart at the seams.
“How are you feeling, sweetie? Should we ring a doctor? Do you need some food?” My mother gave me a warm smile. I shook my head, feeling…shyaround my own mother.
Ophelia cleared her throat. “I’m sorry we kept so much from you. I hope you know that our hands were tied. Your safety was our top priority. It has been, since before you were born. You’re part of a prophecy—”
