“Let me sing, lovely,” Darian whispered, his body tense as he eyed the approaching soldiers.
“No,” I said to the king with a soft smile. “You should listen to me, because I’m the one trying to help you.” I paused, feeling the weight of the fae gazes on me. “And because I’m Queen Izla’s descendent, and a member of your royal bloodline.” The words that tumbled from my mouth felt so strange. I mean, I still hardly believed them, but at the same time, I could feel the truth settle inside me.
King Chalir’s face reddened. “Ridiculous! My sister had no offspring. Your words are heresy.” The flames rose higher on his arms. “There’s no limit to the lies your kind will spill.”
The cloaked figure who’d been healing the wounded twisted their cloaked head toward me. A word escaped from their mouth, but I didn’t hear it.
I focused on my power, searching for that spark inside myself. The spark that I hadn’t been able to touch since I’d turned into a monster. If I could show him my magic, maybe he’d believe me.Come on, Raine.But even when I found the spark, it was buried so deep I could hardly grasp hold of it with my mind.
“No, you were a threat as humans, and now you’re dangerous as monsters. You cannot be allowed to live,” King Chalir spat, his flames beginning to crackle.
“Stop!” The cloaked figure shouted, scrambling to their feet and rushing toward the king.
Darian sucked in a breath, his mouth opening as fire burst from King Chalir, spearing toward us. Before Darian could utter a note, answering blue fire exploded from me, engulfing my body and racing up the fae swords I held in my hands. Power hummed through me, and I stepped in front of Darian, my swords crossed in front of my chest as I blocked the king’s fire.
The force of his magic pushed me back, but I dug my heels into the dirt and braced. Focusing my power, I sent out another blast of energy. My fire swallowed King Chalir’s flames and raced forward, propelling the king backward until he landed a few feet away.
As the king’s flames extinguished, the cloaked figure rushed forward, stepping between me and the king. “Stop!” the figure cried, their voice oddly familiar as they held up their arms.
King Chalir lifted to his feet, and I glared at the stubborn male.
“You need to stop!” the cloaked figure shouted again.
“Fae, at the ready!” King Chalir commanded.
“She’s telling the truth!” The cloaked figure yelled as she moved closer to Darian and me. Spreading her arms, she turned to King Chalir as if to shield us from him.
What the hell?
The figure pulled down her hood, her gaze locking onto mine. With her pointed ears and long, colored hair it was obvious we’d never met before, but…Those eyes…
The fae female gave me a small smile before turning back to King Chalir. “I know she’s telling the truth, because she’s my sister, and I’m a descendent of Queen Izla as well.”
The world quieted, the air squeezing from my lungs. My legs wobbled as I stared at the fae with colorful gems glittering on her face. I only had one sister.
The fae female’s brow creased with concentration, and before my eyes her form shimmered and changed, her pointed ears shrinking and the tops becoming rounded, her hair turning to a mousy brown, and her face changing shape. The gems remained over her face, but when she smiled…
No, not a fae, she is…
“Cara?” my voice cracked as the name slipped from my lips.
My sister smiled, and I could have sworn the gems on her face lit up like little stars.
“What is the meaning of this?” King Chalir bellowed. “What have you done to my jewel!” He stepped forward, his face twisted with anger as he went for Cara, but blue fire burst from me, creating a wall and stopping him from taking another step.
And then I was running toward her, barely aware of the ground moving beneath my feet. My arms wrapped around my sister, and she hugged me back, tears streaking down her face.
“How?” I wheezed, but she turned to the fae around us.
More outliers had circled around the fae army, and they were climbing the dirt wall the fae had mended.
“Wearefae, and you must listen,” Cara said loudly, projecting her voice. “We fight with the rebels, or we die. I can’t heal you all, and as you speak, your kin are dying.”
The generals looked to King Chalir, but he only stood speechless, his mouth opening and closing like he couldn’t get the words out.
Three outliers dropped from the top of the wall and charged toward us, and Darian squeezed my shoulder. “Protect your sister.”
I watched him run toward the outliers in horror, torn between joining him and staying with Cara. “You need to get away from here,” I whispered to her. It didn’t take much to understand why she was there. The king was using her to heal him, but while healing was an amazing power, it wouldn’t help her much against Warrick’s creatures.
