“The third realm to the east is Eldur, by far the largest. It’s the fire realm. Desert wastelands in the north and hot springs and marshes to the south. Between each of these realms are the Vatlands. Neutral territories you never want to visit.
“Across Loch Villandi and beyond the deserts of Eldur, lie the Eastern Vatlands, also called the fire plains. The Northern Vatlands separate Iskalt and Fargelsi. Vast rocky mountain ranges where you could get lost for the rest of your life. The Southern Vatlands are the marshlands and putrid swamps filled with frightening creatures.”
“Great geography lesson, but that still doesn’t answer my question. Why does a Fae queen have any interest in me?”
“As you can probably imagine, the three realms have not always gotten along.” Griff kept walking and talking, seemingly bent on not answering her question. But at least she was learning something. The most important being that she had never been crazy at all.
“The Eldur queens have always believed they should rule over all the realms and that Gelsi and Iskalt should serve them. Naturally, the Gelsi queen and the Iskalt king don’t feel the same.”
“So you’re at war or something?”
“Not at the moment. But there have been wars over this issue throughout the ages. The Eldur queen wants all the power for herself, but we are determined to maintain our independence.”
“What does any of this have to do with me?”
“I’m getting there.” Griff shot her an impatient look. “We are a people steeped in ancient magic. Here in Gelsi, its people draw their power from the forests and nature. In Eldur, the sun fuels their power, but only during the day. Iskalt is a dark and icy realm, and it’s people draw their power from the moon, but only at night.”
“What does—?”
“Patience, Brea. I’m trying to explain magic to someone who just learned magic exists.”
She inclined her head. “Fair enough. Go on.”
“Each realm has their own strengths and weaknesses. But one thing we all have in common is the gift of prophecy. Our histories are littered with prophecies.”
“So all Fae can see the future?”
“No, not all. Only a select few true seers are born into each realm every generation, and they are greatly revered.”
Brea didn’t like where this was going at all. If Griff was about to tell her there was some kind of prophecy about her, she was getting the hell out of this place.
“All of the seers of the last three generations have spoken about a young girl, born of a human mother and a Fae father. Left to live in the human world, never knowing what she was until she came of age and was unable to control her power any longer. This Fae-human hybrid has the power to save Fargelsi from the encroaching fires of Eldur. She has the power to thwart the Eldur queens and bring peace to our world forever.”
“And you think that’s me?” Brea wanted to laugh but she also felt the hot burn of tears in her eyes and her throat constricted in panic. This was insane, and she had a lot of experience with insanity.
“You fit every single criteria of the prophecy, Brea. That the Queen of Eldur sent Lochlan after you only proves it. She will stop at nothing to get her hands on you. I almost missed it, Brea.” He stopped walking at the edge of the forest. The cottage was in view now, but Brea just shook her head in disbelief. “I almost let him take you, and I will never forgive myself for it. You are far too important to fall into the hands of Eldur.”
“I’m nobody, Griff.” Her voice came out small and shaky. “I’m not important.”
“You belong to Fargelsi. This is your home, Brea. Your father was our queen’s oldest brother. She is your aunt, and she’s gone to great lengths to find you and bring you home safely.”
“My aunt is a queen? A magical fae queen?” Brea couldn’t wrap her head around such madness. “But I don’t have powers.” She couldn’t be this prophecy girl who was supposed to be some kind of savior.
“I beg to differ. You aren’t of age yet, so your true power has not fully manifested, but it’s strong already. Have you ever felt like your emotions spiral out of control without warning? Like you feel things so much stronger than others? Like if you make one wrong move, you might drown in a sea of those emotions?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “It’s like that all the time. Like if I let myself really feel things, there’s this energy brewing just under the surface. It scares me.”
“That’s what happened with your friend, Myles. Unfortunately, he got in the way at a pivotal moment when you weren’t in control. That is why you have to come with me, Brea. We have to teach you how to master your emotions so you never lose control like that again. And we have to do it before you come of age on your next birthday. If we wait any longer, it will be too late.”
“Myles died because I lost control of something I didn’t even know I had? How could she do this to me?” Brea wanted to rage at her mother. “She knew I wasn’t fully human but she just let me think I was crazy!”
“Take a deep breath, Brea. You can’t get upset now. It’s likely your mother never knew the man that fathered her child was Fae.”
“I’m so mad I could just…” She wanted to tear the world apart with her bare hands. Even now she could feel the energy buzzing just below her skin. She couldn’t let her emotions get the better of her.
“We can talk more later. Right now, let’s get you inside and comfortable. You can have a hot bath, and Leith will have a big meal waiting for you when you’re done. And if you want, you can have some more Gelsi berries. I really wasn’t trying to drug you. The berries will help keep your power dormant so you don’t hurt anyone.”
Brea nodded. “Perhaps that is best.” The last thing she wanted was to hurt anyone like she had Myles. She was beginning to realize how lucky she was that Griff had found her when he had. She shuddered to think what might have happened if Lochlan had taken her to the Eldur Queen.
Chapter Six
Griffin O’Shea was unlike anyone Brea had ever met. In a way, he reminded her of Myles with his sneaky grin and twinkling eyes. There was a certain joy in his demeanor. He was also different from her best friend though. Myles never took anything seriously. It was one of the things Brea loved about him, even when it frustrated her.
Griff… After only a few days with him, Brea came to realize he internalized everything, never trivializing. There was a depth to every word he spoke, a meaning behind every action.
Including imprisoning her. He’d said it was for her own good, and she was starting to think he truly had wanted to keep her safe.
She sat atop the stone wall watching Griff work with one of his horses. If she discounted the leather knee pants and loose linen shirt he wore, she could almost imagine they were back home on Myles’ farm.
The Robinsons hadn’t kept horses since she was a kid. Her parents sold Bellamare, her horse, claiming poverty. It probably wasn’t a lie, but some part of her had always thought they did it to get back at her for not being the daughter they wanted.
Had her dad known she wasn’t his daughter? In the two days since her conversation by the lake with Griff, she’d gone over every memory she had of him. They’d never been close, and she blamed herself for that. He’d never known how to deal with her problems—like seeing things that weren’t there. What would he say if he found out she hadn’t been imagining things after all?