Page 66 of The Ruins of the Heartless Fae

“How is that possible?” Kolfinna asked. “If you’re here in spirit form, how come we can see you and how can you be sitting here and talking to us like you are?”

“Because we’re in this dimension and everyone who enters this dimension, whether a spirit or like you, will be corporeal.”

“Are our bodies just lying in the castle right now? Are we spirits?” Blár asked.

“No. There are two ways you can enter a dimension like this: with your body or your soul. If you enter with your body, you’ll die if you die here. If you enter with your spirit, you might be hurt, but you won’t actually die if you die here. You both likely entered through the normal means with your bodies when the gong sounded, unless someone maliciously sent your souls here. But you would know it because it’s excruciatingly painful and it’s a very in-depth process with heavy rune magic to make that possible.” She tilted her head and regarded them strangely. “How do you not know this? Aren’t you here for training?”

“No.” Kolfinna paused. “What do you mean about training?”

“Trainees come here to train and become full-fledged warriors. That’s the whole purpose of the Black Castle,” she said with a wave. “Why are you here then if you’re not a trainee? Who let you into the castle?”

“No one let us in,” Kolfinna said. “We just walked inside.”

“How?”

“The castle ruins have been abandoned for centuries.”

Revna’s lips parted as shock flitted over her face. She opened her mouth and closed it, like a flapping fish gasping for air. “Ruins? What? When did that happen? How was it abandoned? This is the greatest training facility in Drivhus. How … Why?”

Drivhus was the name of the country when the fae ruled, before it was changed to Rosain when the humans overthrew the fae rulers. Kolfinna couldn’t contain the curiosity and awe sputtering in the pit of her stomach. If Revna was truly as old as she claimed to be—if she truly was from before the Great Purge—she must’ve known so much about fae history. Revna was a piece of Kolfinna’s lost heritage and she didn’t even know it.

“There was a war between fae and humans,” Kolfinna said when she found the words. “The humans won and freed themselves from the fae, and then soon after there was the Great Purge, where the majority of the fae were exterminated.”

Revna went very still, the color slowly leeching from her skin. There was a pin drop silence as she absorbed those words. “What did you say? Exterminated?”

“For the most part.” Bitterness seeped into Kolfinna’s tone. “Only a few are left and we’re all in hiding because we’ll be killed if we’re found out. That’s why we cut our wings off and hide our eye colors.”

“That’s ridiculous! How has our society sunken so low? We … we did so much for the humans! How can they just—” Tears glistened in her eyes and she sniffled, rubbing her nose and turning her head away from them. “Forgive me, this is … this is a big shock for me.”

Blár drummed his fingers on the tabletop but, thankfully, kept his silence. Kolfinna scratched the nape of her neck. She hated that she had been the one to deliver such news to Revna, but she also felt … strange. Revna was from a time where fae were powerful and equal to humans. In the span of centuries, so much had changed. If Kolfinna was born in Revna’s time, no one would’ve thought to kill Katla, or her parents, or any of them simply because they were fae.

Revna let out a shaky breath as she dabbed her damp, red eyes with a handkerchief. “I can’t believe it,” she said. “To think we … Forgive me, I’m just so shocked. Are there any of us left? Is there any safe haven?”

“If there were,” Kolfinna said sadly, “I would already be there.”

“And you?” She pointed a trembling finger at Blár, her eyes reduced to slits. “Where do you fit into all this?”

“What do you mean?” Blár didn’t look guilty or ashamed—and why should he? He wasn’t personally invested in the fae, their history, or their genocide. His gaze was level and clear, unafraid and comfortable. “Do you mean where do I fit in terms of the historical aspect? Look, lady, I’m only twenty. I haven’t lived long enough to kill you all, so don’t look at me like I’m a mass murderer.”

Revna clucked her tongue. “I find it hard to sit with a human knowing what your people did to mine!”

“And I find it hard to sit with someone who claims to be over a thousand years old,” Blár said with an eye roll.

Kolfinna kicked his shin, hard. He winced and shot her a dark look. “He didn’t mean to sound so rude,” she explained. “A-Anyway! I have so many questions—”

“Yes, me too.” Blár eased into his seat. “What I want to know is what exactly did you do to land yourself here? You said you were trapped. If you actually were trapped for centuries, you must be here because you were punished. Especially since you say you’ve met other trainees before. Why would the people in charge of this castle, this training ground, as you said it, keep you stuck here unless it was a punishment?”

Revna bristled, likely not appreciating Blár’s accusatory tone or the way he was staring at her like a wolf waiting to devour its prey. Maybe she didn’t like being viewed as a tiny rabbit. Kolfinna had felt the weight of those predatory blue eyes; it was heavy and prickly.

Revna smoothed the material of her cloak with unshaking hands. “You’re correct,” she said. “I indeed am here for punishment, but it’s not as black and white as you make it sound. I was wrongly put here and now … now I’m just stuck.”

Blár leaned forward like a wolf ready to pounce. Teeth bared and ready to sink in. “What did you do?”

“I was part of a faction that wanted to make a difference … That wanted to create a better world for my people, for other fae,” she said with a sigh, waving her hand. “There were others who disagreed, naturally, and they were powerful. This was a long time ago. My group of sisters and I were attacked one night and imprisoned here. Our bodies are in the castle, bringing life to it and helping train the new fae warriors, while our souls are stuck in these dimensions, unable to leave. We’re repeatedly attacked and killed for training purposes, only to be brought back the next day, since only our souls dwell here.”

“That … sounds terrible,” Kolfinna murmured.

“If that’s true”—Blár cut in sharply, not a hint of empathy dredging his tone—“why did you let us in so eagerly? Why would you let us into your home if you thought we were trainees? Didn’t you think we were here to kill you?”

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