Home > The Fate of Crowns (The Fate of Crowns #1)(8)

The Fate of Crowns (The Fate of Crowns #1)(8)
Author: Rebecca L. Garcia

I forced myself to stay awake, but every part of me wanted to slip into the comfort of unconsciousness. I bit down on the inside of my cheek, pushing the pain to keep me alert.

“She’s a fighter,” the man said, pressing me to keep going.

I whimpered when ointment hit the wound on my leg. Heat pushed up through my veins, setting every nerve ending on fire.

“This will put her to sleep,” a woman’s voice said.

My mouth was forced open. I tried to shout no as a foul-tasting liquid was forced down my throat, but it was too late. I fought the waves of tiredness, but they relentlessly wore me down, pulling me to the edge of slumber I was afraid I would not awaken from.

“We’ll be in Berovia soon!” a man shouted, robbing me from any relief as I drifted into nothingness.

 

 

SIX

 


A cloudless sky greeted me upon my awakening. I rubbed my temples, to feel some relief from the throbbing inside my skull, and pulled myself up into a sitting position. I yelped as I breathed through a pinched pain in my stomach. The memory of the men on the ship aiding me floated in my mind. Unable to focus on one shred for long enough to piece together everything, I sighed. All I knew was I’d been bitten by a mercreature and then saved by Gods-knew-who. All I remember was drifting in and out of consciousness, I was in a cabin on a ship, and someone kept giving me medicine saying it was for the bite, medicine that made me sleepy.

I looked down at my legs. The skirt of my dress had been torn. Its tattered and frayed edges of blue nestled around my thighs. On my left leg was a clear bite mark. Pinpricked spots of red and pink ran in a circle. An inch above my ankles was a wound accompanying the bite. I reached down and touched it, then flinched, ready for pain that didn’t come. Whatever they used to heal the wounds had worked. I hardly felt a thing, which was shocking considering the depth of them. There was one on my arm too, but it was already a thin scar. I was lucky. Mercreatures were not known to leave anything left of their meals, and out of the few survivors who had escaped their attacks, most had later died from their venomous bites. I marveled at the marks, feeling high from the invincibility that came with narrowly escaping death.

“It’s about time you woke up.”

I hadn’t noticed him before now. I’d been too busy inside my head. I instinctively reached around me for my staff, then remembered I’d stupidly left it behind. I reached up to touch my crown, but it was gone. Lost to the ocean, I imagined.

He stepped around into view. I flinched at his presence. Gold strands of his hair feathered over his forehead.

“I’m Cedric.”

I squeezed my eyelids shut. I needed comfort in the blackness for a moment. When I opened them again, he was still standing there. I wouldn’t usually be shocked. I had met many fae, but this one was different. His wings shone gold, matching his brilliant eyes. A thousand shades of red and orange glistened behind him as a breathtaking sunrise matched his demeanor.

He held his hand out to help me up, but I couldn’t stop staring at him.

“Take my hand,” he said.

I stared at his palm as if it were poisonous. Fae were the enemy, along with our rival sorcerers, the solises. Either would kill me given half the chance, like they had done to my brother, and here one was trying to help me up to my feet? I would not play to its charm; I knew fae, and they were elusive creatures with a compulsion to lure and charm.

“Where am I?”

He lowered his hand. “The Gardens of Aeternum.” When I didn’t respond, he elaborated. “We’re not far from the Royal Castle.”

I held my breath. We were close to the coast. I could see the golden sands in the distance.

Anxiety washed over me as the final words I had heard before passing out floated back into my head, bringing with them a terrifying revelation: I was in Berovia.

Panic silenced my next question.

I couldn’t be there, or I’d be dead already.

Whoever had saved me had taken me right into enemy territory, meaning they weren’t sailors with the Magaelorean Navy. They must’ve been pirates, but I had to find out for sure.

Cedric watched me with mild amusement. “You look like you’ve been through hell.”

My mouth pinched, and my fingers curled. They were the people who had killed my brother and attacked us. I eyed him with daggers but quickly bit down on my lip, repressing my base urges. Every second I stayed brought me closer to death. I had no staff and no allies there.

“Who brought me here?”

He scratched the back of his neck and flushed red. “Uhm. Some friends of mine... They said they found you in the waters. Left you in my care.”

“What else did they say?”

His eye twitched. “Nothing of importance.”

I didn’t like the way he’d skirted around my questions twice. “Where are they now?”

He hesitated, carefully regarding my question. “They could be anywhere.”

I ground my teeth. “Can you find them?”

His eyebrows knit together. “What do you need from them?”

“What does it matter to you?”

Sunlight spilled onto his face, gilding his sharp features. “What were you doing out in the sea?”

“Um...” I pulled my fingers up to my mouth and chewed on my nails. I needed to get out of there before I got tangled into something I couldn’t get myself out of. As I looked around at the gardens, I realized how outstandingly perfect they were. Vast stretches of trimmed grass surrounded us. Healthy green blades sprouted from clearly fertile soil. Nothing was out of place. Every flower was as beautiful as the next, the colors fading into one another as if they were planted to be that way.

“Hello?” He snapped his fingers in front of my eyes, making me scowl. A grin unfurled across his face. “Anyone home?” He pushed his fingers through his golden-brown hair. As the strands were pushed back, I caught a glimpse of the pointed top of his ear.

“I need to go.”

Worry replaced the amusement on his features. “Let me at least take you.” His wings fluttered. Fae could fly short distances, not far enough to take me across an entire ocean. “They made me promise to take care of you.”

“No.”

His eyes narrowed. “It’s not every day I offer to fly someone home, you know.”

I inhaled sharply. “Thank you for the offer, but I need the walk.”

My chest heaved as I took him in. His gaze matched mine in intensity. Neither of us looked away. He was captivating, luring me to fall deep into the pools of gold in his eyes. I shifted my gaze up to the clouds.

“Will you at least tell me your name, mystery girl from the sea?”

“Winter,” I told him, forgetting myself. I knew the pulls of a fae’s allure, and this one felt intensified by the danger I was in. The free spirit inside me burned with curiosity. For a moment, I recognized the part of me that was brought out in mine and Jasper’s stolen moments.

“Are you sure I can’t accompany you?” he asked. “You really don’t look well.” He eyed my cuts and torn dress.

“Maybe another time,” I said, knowing full well I’d never see him again. I quickly turned away before he could badger me further.

I didn’t look back. The paths were nestled between beautiful beds of flowers. Golden sanitas bloomed under the sunshine. Berovia was beautiful, unlike Magaelor. The sun soaked into my neck and shoulders. Everything shined like pixie dust, and the weather was perfect.

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