The wish part of the tale was accurate, but the legend never mentioned anything about paying for it. Then again, nothing is ever free. Least of all a wish from the Fairy Queen, especially when her name is Isabeau Archer.
“A deal with the Troll was necessary to secure what is required to detach Eliyana from your less-than-adequate brother.”
My right eye twitches and I rub it, ignoring the voice that seems to speak from the shadows. A combination of problems could cause these hallucinations. I’m not getting enough sleep, or any for that matter, and I’m stressed. My Ever blood has gone mortal, weakening the natural strength I’ve always been accustomed to. I only recently learned I have a brother. Finally, the weight of the Reflections and Callings falls to me. A strange voice is simply a figment of my wearied mind.
Or is it?
I sit up, reach over, and tug on my boots. No use lying here if I’ll not be gaining rest. Standing, I survey my surroundings. Dai Island isn’t much to look at with its slick, rocky terrain and want for trees. No one would ever guess a Fairy Fountain is hidden in its core.
I’d heard of Fairy Fountains but had never experienced one. According to Isabeau, they’re easy to find if one knows where to look. Each Fountain is connected to all the others throughout the Reflections. They’re like Thresholds. The difference is you must obtain permission from the Fairy Queen to pass through their territories.
Isabeau controls the pathways between Fountains and sent us on a direct route to the Fairy Fountain of the Fourth—a hidden lagoon in a pocket cave beneath Dai Island, which is where we are now. It’s one of five islands surrounding the Fourth’s main Island of Tecre.
How much longer until daybreak? If it were up to me, I’d have already crossed to the main island for reconnaissance. If this rose is so valued, it won’t be sitting out in the open, and the Fourth’s center is full of nooks and crannies. I’ve been here but once before, during my first year of Guardian training. It was Jonathan who brought me, in fact.
As if on cue, he snores and moans in his sleep.
I cast a glance behind me. Isabeau insisted the traitor accompany me, and he agreed. When did he turn from respectable Guardian leader to the Troll’s errand boy? Because that is all she will ever be in my eyes. Queen of the Fairy folk or not, you can’t make something what it isn’t. Her beauty in her Fairy and human forms may be sights to behold, but they are mere sights, illusions covering what truly lies beneath.
A monster.
Jonathan stirs again, so I move farther down the shore, peering out across the water. The lights of the Fourth’s city are fireflies in the distance. I gaze skyward and take in my favorite sight. No matter the Reflection, the stars never change. They’re the one thing I can count on to remain constant. They stay where they are, they do not fail. I can look up and see precisely what I expect. Why can’t El be that way? Why must she insist on being unpredictable?
I scratch the back of my head. She’s a mystery, which is indeed part of what charmed me from the beginning. Now I can’t keep up. Come back to me, El. Come back.
“You really should get some sleep.”
My jaw tightens at the uninvited sound of Jonathan’s voice. He’s not in error, but I’ve no intention of letting him in on this information. Instead I continue to move farther away, walking the line between sea and rocky beach. Stones crunch beneath my tread and I kick them up and into the waves. Jogging steps thud behind me and I grunt beneath my breath.
“If you’re heading on a walk, I have to come.” He’s been running but lacks no breath. “Isabeau’s orders.”
“About that.” I shove my hands into my pants pockets, and my sword shifts at my side. “What is going on between you two? Is lackey really your greatest aspiration?”
Out of the corner of my eye I catch him shake his head. “It is a fair price to pay for the wish she granted me. That is all.”
“And what wish is that?”
He huffs. “What do you care?”
I shrug. “I don’t.” It’s the most honest reply I can give. What concern do I have for a traitor?
We march in silence, and after a substantial amount of time has passed, I can almost believe we’ve traveled back in time to when we’d train together in the early hours of the day. What began as a leader-recruit relationship quickly transformed into a friendship. Long after I exceeded the need for instruction, we continued to work out side by side. While other Guardians chose to wait and warm up with the majority, Jonathan and I preferred the quiet minutes before the sun awoke. We’d run along the worn Haven path, our breaths as fog in the air. Sometimes we’d race, while other days we’d jog as if one unit. He was like a brother, another reason his betrayal burned like chaff.
“I had no choice.”
I lift an eyebrow at his freely offered words.
He picks up his pace and walks a little ahead of me. I remain silent. This, too, is a tactic we were taught in training. Sometimes the best and most valuable information is given without any interrogation whatsoever.
“My father was Called, and his father before him,” Jonathan says. “When the Threshold water manifested nothing in my soul, I was a disgrace to the family. My father booted me out quicker than Preacher can draw and nock an arrow.”
We’re halfway around the miniature island now. The surface is level enough I can see from one end to the other without effort.
“Moving up in rank as a Guardian became my life. If I could be the best at something, even without a Calling, perhaps my father would be proud. Of course, that wasn’t the case.”
It never is.
“When the girl came to us, I knew she was the key to getting what I’d always lacked. My first inclination was to offer her up to Crowe, of course. He carried the Void, and though dark, it is powerful. If the Verity could give a Calling, what could the Void do? My first Void injection was painful, but the surge of strength was undeniable. I relished it. For the first time in my life, I felt like I could become the man my father hoped I’d be.”
Out of habit, my right fist clenches the hilt of my sword. I’ve felt it, too, the power coursing through my veins since the Void entered. So different from the Verity. The Verity’s presence was—what’s the word?—calming? No, it was more than that. With the Verity inside I felt as if life was in constant bloom. I never knew anything different, not until the light left and was replaced by darkness. Only then did I sense the great and tragic loss.
Jonathan clears his throat. “But then a Fairy found me, told me Isabeau was looking for the girl and would offer an even sweeter deal for the return. Something even better than what Crowe could provide with the Void.”
We’re nearly back to camp now, and the sky is beginning to lighten. “Which was?”
He stops and faces me. “A Calling.”
I shake my head. “Only the Verity can give a Calling. One from any other source would be a farce.”
His face is as hard as his voice when he says, “A farce, perhaps, but enough. Enough to show my father I was a man. Enough to prove I was worthy of the name Gage.” He trudges away, back to our resting place. He’s already packed his things and is headed toward our small rowboat when I reach him.
I possess nothing but the clothes on my back and the sword at my side, so I follow after him. He didn’t let on what his Fairy-manufactured Calling is, but there’s no question it aided in healing his eyes, which El said were clawed shut by Lark’s talons. I almost feel sorry for him. He sought power from the wrong source entirely. Power from darkness only wields more darkness.
The sun blinks over the horizon as I enter the boat. As Jonathan rows to the Fourth’s main shore, I ignore the throbbing in my Void arm, attempt to shut out the voice becoming louder each hour. But the fatigue is making the effort too great. When the voice speaks I close my eyes and exhale against it, as if somehow this will carry it away. It doesn’t work, however, because the voice’s whispers turn to shouts.
“Darkness wields darkness, yes, but much is gained in the night. Rest and solace. Peace. Let me give you rest. Let me . . .”
I don’t hear what else the voice says because with each row of the oars, I drift off into the first sleep I’ve had in days.