War of Shadows

Contagious Fear

Chapter 19

My trousers fit snug around my waist for once, not sliding and drooping down as I walk down the hallways of the palace. The soft sleeves of the shirt I wear sit low enough to hide the scars decorating my wrists, but I know they’re still there. They all do.

The guard assigned to me for the day says nothing as he follows at a respectable distance, his hand resting expectantly on the hilt of his sword, as if he were afraid a monster would jump from the shadows and snatch me away to deliver me to the devil. Unlikely, considering the open archways that make up the wall to the outside of the castle. Not much opportunity for a monster to hide, in my opinion. Still, I appreciate the quiet company.

I turn down a familiar hallway and inch the door to the private dining area open for breakfast. There, I find Daine, Dasia, and Cici hunched over the table in a heated discussion. They halt their words and swing their heads in my direction as I walk in. Plates with scrambled eggs of an orange hue, wedges of potato, and dried meat sit before our respectable places from yesterday. A large bowl of cut fruits I’m unfamiliar with sit in the center of the table, spilling over in vines of clustered bright pink pearls.

“I’m sorry for my outburst yesterday.” I unashamedly look them all in the eye. Not much of an apology, but that’s what they’re going to get.

“Come eat, Stella.” My mother offers with a warm smile.

I lower myself into my seat next to Daine.

“We’re not upset with you, we were just shocked and a bit insensitive to your position,” Daine reassures me. Once, his reassurance would have warmed my heart but today it doesn’t do much to ease the turmoil gathering in my gut.

“Stella?” Dasia calls for my attention and I shift my gaze to hers. Both she and her brother are dressed in lilac tunics with matching pants. “Is everything okay?”

Is everything okay? As if any of this is normal. As if I wasn’t just a normal girl going to her boyfriend’s house just a few weeks ago.

“Yeah, I just didn’t sleep well last night.” I give her a reassuring smile and dig into my food.

The three of them carry on with their chatter, bantering and giggling throughout the meal. I nod, smile, and force a laugh out here and there, but everything seems so far away from me. Like I’m watching through a lens and I’m disconnected from myself. Maybe I just need some rest.

I didn’t even notice Caziel sneak into the room, taking up a spot by my mother.

“Caz, you should be resting. Why are you-”

“I’m well rested, Cici.” Caziel reaches and grabs her empty plate, piling fresh fruit on top.

He’s not well rested at all. His eyes are dull, hair disheveled, and clothing rumpled.

“You’re not eating.” I raise my gaze to Caziel’s.

My plate still sits in front of me, the potatoes and meat idly mixed together.

“What’s it to you?”

“Stella,” My mother hisses under her breath.

“What’s it to me, is that you’re going to need the energy.” He passes me a knowing look, and I know he means I’ll need it when we sever the mating bond. I ignore him and turn to Daine.

“What gifts did Atlis have?” I ask him.

He passes an uncomfortable look to my mother before deciding that I’m allowed to have this information. The weight of everyone’s attention sets my teeth on edge as he explains.

“Some of us Fae inherit one gift from the Goddess, but not everyone is blessed. These gifts can come in a range of abilities, but it can be divided into two categories: elemental and spirit. Elemental is pretty self-explanatory, but for a spirit wielder the capabilities and limitations are blurred. It’s been around since the beginning of time, but there’s still little understanding of how it manifests. Some can influence your emotions, decisions, and actions, while some abilities manifest in visions, resurrection, and spell-casting. Spirit wielders are extremely rare.”

“Was he a spirit wielder?”

“He was an elemental, possibly the strongest we’ve had in many, many years. Atlis controlled two elements: fire and air. Controlling two elements at once is unheard of to the Fae, and nobody has figured out how it’s happened or if he was proof that we’re evolving.”

“But doesn't the air control fire?”

Daine’s eyes twinkle in mischief. “Precisely. By harnessing both gifts at once, Atlis was relatively untouchable. He could control the fire on its own, of course, but with limitations. When he was able to manipulate the very thing that fuels his fire?” He whistles in admiration. “Unstoppable.”

I think for a moment, turning over questions in my head before responding. “Do you think I inherited both as well?”

My mother clears her throat from across the narrow table. “We don’t know. The odds are slim, but if there’s even a chance that you could be even a fraction as powerful as your father, then we need to move proactively.”

“Proactively as in…”

“Your uncle will come for you,” Caz chips in. His head remains tilted down as he speaks between mouthfuls of food. Nobody interrupts him. “He’s already after you now that he knows you exist, but as far as he’s concerned he’s just trying to take out a potential threat. The second you begin to manifest any kind of power, you become a threat.” He lowers his cutlery and leans back in his seat, a dangerous glint in his golden eyes.

“What if I just reach out to him? What if I just tell him that I don’t want to-”

“Nonsense,” my mother chides viciously. “That man killed his own brother to get to where he is now. Don’t be such a fool as to think he would spare the life of a niece that he’s never met. These are not playground games, Stella. I understand that you’ve just had your entire life turned around and upside down, that you’ve already had a brutal taste of what lurks around the corner for you in this world and i’m so sorry that I can’t change any of this for you. But It’s time that you kick it into high gear and adapt to it because reality will not slow down and wait for you to catch up. This reality is coming at you full swing with everything it’s got, and if you don’t redirect yourself then it will overtake you. You are Atlis’s daughter, Stella. You will not bend, you take everything this world gives you and you use it to forge you into the strongest version of yourself that you don’t even know you could be.”

Her words hang heavy in the quiet air between us all. She’s right. I can see that she’s in pain. I can see it in the red on her cheeks, the shine in her eyes as she looks at me with flashing emotions. She’s afraid too.

Maybe I don’t have to be afraid alone.