“Why didn’t he come with us?” I whisper.
“He was badly injured, and we all knew it was impossible to save him. To make sure no one ever looked for us, he decided to die in the house with the rest of our family. To cover up our escape,” he gently tells me. “Ingrid and I left, and we both never got over losing him. Then you were born, and seconds after, you died.”
All the air leaves my body in a woosh. “Your heart stopped, and I will never forget Ingrid’s screams as I tried to save you. Just when I was going to give up, Ingrid broke the pendant in her hand and pushed the cursed rune magic into your tiny body. You glowed purple, every bit of you, and then you breathed.”
“You both saved me then,” I reply, clearing my throat. “One way or another. My mum with the rune and you by not only getting my mum to the Otherworld, but by holding off the king so I could escape through the portal.”
“Tell me what happened on Earth,” he commands.
“Are you sure you want to know?” I softly ask. “It isn’t a good story, and you can see who I’ve turned into. I’m an assassin, who pretended to be someone else to save her own ass and enter the academy. I’ve spent years killing, thieving and in general being everything you and my mum would have despised.”
My uncle frowns and climbs off the bed. He walks to me, cupping my cheeks. “You did what you needed to so you could survive. I am proud of you. Your parents are watching over you, and I know in my soul, they would be too.”
Tears fall out of my eyes, dropping onto his hand. “I’m so glad you’re here and I’m not alone anymore, Uncle Arthur.”
“Oddly, I don’t think you have ever been alone. You certainly seem to have two very good friends,” he tells me, dropping his hands. “I’m not sure about the spoilt one. Do you get along with her?”
I laugh. “Sit down, uncle. I’m going to explain everything that’s happened since I fell through the portal and how we don’t like the spoilt wanna be princess.”
By the end of the conversation, my uncle looks a mixture of proud and angry as he wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly. I’ve never been a hugger, but after missing him for so long, it’s nice. “I never did thank you for always being there when I was a kid, so I am now.”
“You never need to thank me for that time. It was an honour,” he whispers back. “An honour to be in your life, kid.”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Poppy says, the door creaking as she steps in. Her eyes light up when she sees me, and I grin. “Thank the gods you’re awake!”
“I would suggest thanking me instead, young reaper.” An older woman’s strict voice cuts into our reunion before Poppy steps aside and lets her in. Instantly I feel her power, her pure Unseelie magic, hit me like a rock, and I push it back as it tries to invade my senses. Feel out who I am. The woman arches a thin white eyebrow at me and folds her hands in front of her, dressed in a black cloak and black trousers. Her white hair is a big contrast to her clothes and makes her stand out more. Her eyes glow purple, like my own, and three purple lines are drawn down her face, only broken by the space around her eyes. “The gods will not be happy when they find out Daesyn is the bearer of the cursed rune.”
“At least we both know they can’t kill me,” I reply, crossing my arms and standing up.
“Death is not what you should worry about. The gods could turn this world to dust, and every other world until you have nothing. You are nothing to them but a small threat they will wish to get rid of,” she coldly replies. “The cursed rune is a curse. And you have been cursed, Daesyn Heartlocke, and you should not be happy about it.”
The room drifts into an uncomfortable silence as we stare at each other. “Leave us. I must talk with Daesyn alone.”
“Daesyn?” my uncle questions. I nod. Despite how hostile she is, she helped me, and she wouldn’t have done that if she wanted me dead. My uncle and Poppy leave the room, and I walk up to the clear leader of the Unseelie rebels. “Who am I talking to?”
“Morgania MacCailein.” Her reply is curt as she pulls the door open. “Let’s walk as we talk.”
“I am not here to help you raise an army to fight back against the Seelie king and the reaper queen,” I warn her as I step outside, the warmth of the air brushing against my skin. My long hair flows around me in the warm breeze as I stare up at the dozens of palm trees with yellow glowing leaves and odd fruit hanging off them. Sand brushes into the deck area outside the cabin, and I hear the sound of waves nearby. Unseelie fae and some Seelie fae are walking around, talking and laughing, some carrying boxes or holding babies in their arms. I sense some reapers in the crowd, and not my uncle, either. No one looks our way as we head down the wooden path towards a cluster of buildings in the distance.
“I am aware of your opinion from our guard,” she curtly replies. “But you are wrong. Your mother would have fought for us, for her own kind, and you know she would have done.”
“Did you know her?” I question.
“Yes, I was a cook at the castle, and I liked your mother. She was kind to everyone and fought for the weak with a passion I hoped to see in your eyes,” she replies. “But I suspect you are not your mother’s daughter.”
“I am, but I also know when the odds are not in our favour,” I angrily reply back to her, not liking the label she is sticking on me. “You want war, war against two massive supernatural armies with unlimited supplies when most of our race has been locked up or killed.”
“I want freedom for Unseelie fae and not extinction,” she replies. “And with help, we could win.”
“A battle on two fronts?” I reply. “Maybe, and just maybe, you could win against the Seelie Fae King, but not the reapers on our own. The reaper queen would send help right away if you tried anything.”
“You have clearly thought this through more than once,” she replies, looking pleased. She comes to a stop on the edge of the path, right in front of a huge stone building. People walk in and out of the doors, some looking our way but most going on with their lives on the island. I can see the beach behind the stone building where the waves brush against the shore softly, and then beyond that is more land. The sky is bright and sunny, and I look up as the sun shines through one of the channels of water, casting moving little beams of light around us.
It’s stunning here.
“I have spent my whole life, since I was eight years old, running from reapers and fae but longing to come back here. The Otherworld is magical, and nothing compares to it. It is my home, even if I am hunted here,” I softly reply. “And if I could see a way of helping my race, I would. I would fight to the end to save them, but I cannot.”
“I see it now,” she replies, stepping closer. “Your mother’s bravery. You might not be as kind as she was, but you are as brave.”
“No one is as kind as my mother was,” I sadly reply, even if I wonder if Poppy is as kind as she was. “And being brave won’t be enough to help you win this.”
She smiles. “My council don’t trust you, but I do. I trust you simply because I know your bloodline, your mother and the prediction placed on you. If you are the destroyer of worlds, I would rather have you on my side. That being said, I feel finding the other runes is key to making sure you survive.”