Page 45 of Hidden Kingdoms

“Ok. Where am I?”

“This is the Palace of Ignify.”

“And where is thePalace of Ignify?”

“In the Kingdom of Incaendium.”

A kingdom?

“Never heard of it.”Great start.

So, hewouldanswer my questions, but this was getting me nowhere. If this was how every question was going to go it was going to take all fucking day. I started walking and as Kaius mirrored my steps, I became acutely aware of his eyes on me.

I needed to do better, ask better questions before his generosity ran out, but I didn’t know the right ones. The sweet aroma of the flowers drifted to me as energy simmered in my veins, and I allowed some to pool to my fingertips, the gentle sparks dancing.

“He said you needed my help. Is that why you brought me here?”

“Yes and no.” Not really an answer at all.

I huffed a breath of frustration. “Help with what?”

He arched an eyebrow, he wasn’t going to answer. I needed to change direction, looking down at my hands, I knew what to ask next.

“You have magik, too, you and the others.” It wasn’t exactly a question, but it was a start.

“Everyone here does.” I bit at my bottom lip as I took in his answer and Kaius’ eyes flicked to my mouth.

Everyone here had magik? How was that possible? Until a few days ago the only people I knew who were capable of calling energy were Nanna and Briar. Now he’s telling me a whole palace full of people can do it, too?

Where the fuck was I?

“How? How does everyone here have magik?” There were pieces of this puzzle I was missing but would he give them to me?

“Because we’re Fae, and something tells me you are, too, Goldie. You might look human, but I meant what I said. I’ve never heard of any human able to access magik anddefinitelynot the way you did earlier,” he replied.

Look human? He looked like me. Sure, he was unbearably beautiful, but still.

“Fae,” I answered sceptically as irritation flashed. “I thought you said you wouldn’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying, and I know you know that.” Despite his promise, I still rebelled against the idea.

It wasn’t the fact that Fae existed that made little sense; I had grown up on tales of them and found that I was strangely unbothered by that revelation. It was that he was trying to say I was one of them.

“How would that even be possible?Youmight be a Fae but there’s literally no wayIam. That would mean my parents were, and they weren't!” My voice grew louder, shattering the tranquillity of the garden as I forced myself to think about my parents. I had been so young when they died that the small number of memories I had of them were unclear, but now as I pushed harder to remember anything of them, it was almost impossible.

Like they had been shoved behind a wall of fog and no matter how hard I pushed, the fog reshaped around my efforts.

Had my memories of them always felt like that?

I was the first to admit I rarely thought about them, but I was sure when I did it hadn’t been as hard as this.

“I don’t know,” Kaius admitted. “I didn’t even know you existed until a few days ago, but I do know thatthisis where you belong.”

Where I belonged? This wasn’t where I belonged. I belonged back home. With Nanna. With Titan. With Polly.

“I know you can feel the pull of this place. It calls to you, doesn’t it?” He took a step forward, running a hand through his hair as my heart raced with the possibilities he was presenting.

Because he was right, this place did call to me.

---