Page 2 of Whispers of Fate

She bounced her shoulders, leaning her weight on the railing to stare down into the glacial spring that gurgled below us. Its water flowed through the courtyard in a steady stream, feeding the Tree of Life. I followed her gaze to the thriving tree, anxiously examining the crimson petals that mimicked blood dripping from the branches.

“My sisters are with Alden now. They’ve agreed to see if he can feed from a goddess or two.” She studied me, smiling softly before she added, “He shouldn’t be able to consume them, and if he does, then we’re all fucked. Just in case, I placed runes and added layers to the wards.”

“Thank you. Do you know what he’s saying? None of the guards have any idea, but they think it’s something archaic. I figured since you’re older than the dirt we built this palace on, you might have some idea,” I said, pushing hair away from my face while ignoring the biting, icy wind.

“I can understand his words, but you will not like what they are, Syn.”

“It matters little if I like it, Erie. He’s singing and freaking everyone out. I need to know what he’s saying. I can feel something coming, and this sense of unnatural weather and unease wrapping around everyone is becoming a larger problem.”

“It’s not that something is coming.” She expelled the air from her lungs, worrying her lip before continuing, “It’swhois coming and why they’re coming now. They’re coming to take back what your mother stole from them.”

“And what would that be?” I hedged.

“This world, Synthia,” she predicted without sugarcoating it at all. “They’re returning for Faery, and they aim to seize it by force.”

Chapter Two

Erie’swordsechoedthroughmy mind, and the storm and the sensations of something coming for us made a lot more sense. It also brought up more questions than it answered. Questions like who exactly was coming, and how long did we have left before they finally showed themselves? The hand resting on my belly tightened, and fear sparked in my mind. Erie only dropped her head back, chuckling softly without mirth.

“Your mother was a bitch, and she liked taking credit for everything, Syn.”

When she looked back at me, her brow had relaxed and there was a small smile on her lips.

“I’m fully aware of that, but I fail to see how that has anything to do with us or this world.”

She expelled a tired sigh, peering out over the darkening skies. “Danu didn’t create Faery. She came here and found it thriving with the people of the Etherlands, which was what this place was named before she seized control of it. She intended to rule over them, but they weren’t so agreeable to bowing to a goddess who demanded they worship her. Still, Danu planted the Tree of Life, which created an imbalance in the land. As you’re aware, the Tree of LifewasBilé and in order to free him, the tree’s roots had to reach the underworld so he could escort lost souls into the circles of the tree. The original inhabitants tried to rid the world of the tree, which . . . well, you can imagine it didn’t go well. Danu began executing the ones brave enough to argue against her or disagree with her claim on the world.”

My heart sank, and my stomach threatened to spew its meager contents. “You’re really saying that she stole Faery and murdered those who’d previously inhabited the realm?”

Her eyes sparkled with mirth, as if she found it funny. “Danu didn’t create Faery, not any more than she created Ireland.”

I groaned. “I guess it makes sense, considering how beautiful both Ireland and Faery are, and then how pathetically self-serving she was. I’m guessing she didn’t murder all who lived here before she seized the land?”

“No, but she did remove them from the land. Danu placed those who survived the initial invasion into a separate pocket dimension. To be certain they couldn’t return here, she placed a barrier around the walls of their new home, making it inescapable.”

“And now it’s unstable because the barrier I walked right through was linked to it.”

“Whether it happened when you escaped the prison or when she died, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. The barrier is weak enough for them to breakthrough now.”

“I just wish I knew what Danu had done, or fucked with before inheriting the mess she left us here.”

“Speaking of Danu,” Erie started, narrowing her gaze on me. “If I remember correctly, there were some ruins built into a rock formation, and they were rather beautiful.” Her head tilted, and she pursed her lips before continuing. “Have you seen them? It’s where the original races worshipped, and held ceremonies.”

“Yes, Ryder took me there once.” I smiled at the memory of what we’d done there, causing her to scowl at me. “He informed me that Danu and Bilé couldn’t agree on what to do about people who resided within, and in the end, she executed most of the first attempt to create a race inside of the temple.”

“It’s partially correct. The temple Ryder took you to was actually an etherian palace and the home of the etherians who were the source of ether magic, which was, and still is, the core of the land—not fae magic as you’ve been taught. It was their home, and the denizens of their race lived in the surrounding mountains. Danu didn’t execute them, but she did demand they leave the palace, and when they refused, she enlisted Bilé’s help. He created a race in his own image, which were hideously deformed beings. Once they’d run the etherians off, Bilé created more of his creatures and unleashed them to hunt the royal family.”

“Shit, that doesn’t sound reassuring. I bet they’re a little pissy about that?”

“You could say that since they succeeded, capturing them one by one, and then Danu and Bilé used the prisoners for entertainment before feeding them to their monsters. It wasn’t until she realized that the more etherians they killed, the more unstable the land became that she had a reason to rid herself of Bilé’s monsters, though. After they realized it was connected, they locked them up. Personally, I think that her slaughtering them and feeding their corpses to the ether pools is why the land became so . . . let’s go with sadistic and savage. They added part of Bilé into the very essence of the land. With the original race securely locked behind a barrier and the world stabilizing around the Tree of Life, they got to work on creating the fae.”

“The fae aren’t the original ones,” I stated, knowing she was very aware of it.

“No, there were a few attempts at creating races. There were several creatures Danu created before she created the fae, but they were quickly locked away where no one would ever find them. She and Bilé worked on one race together, but they ended up filled with darkness and malice, much like the ones who were forced into the ether. So, she created an expansion on the pocket dimension where she’s locked away the etherians, added another barrier, and locked the dark creations away. Of course, Danu did not know that Bilé had fucked the seelie queen she’d created, spawning a new race that held his and the queen’s magic. When she finally created the fae, they were beautiful, otherworldly beings that fed on emotions because she lacked the ability to feel anything past her own desires or needs.”

“So, these rejected creations and the etherians are escaping because the walls of the prison fractured?” I muttered, moving back into the apartment to rest on the settee, relieving the discomfort in my back.

Erie entered after me and settled into a chair across from me. An attendant appeared from the doorway, delivering cookies and steaming-hot tea onto the small table between us. Erie waited until we were alone again and then flicked her fingers to conceal and prevent others from listening in on our conversation.

---