Page 43 of A Bolt of Magic

“We live here for now,” Orion says, projecting his voice.

Delphine screeches as we near the ground. Soon after, the door to the cabin opens, and three people walk out. Two women and a man…another fae.

Kian laughs. “Damon is here, too.”

“Yes, indeed.” Orion turns back for a moment. “Xander will be back soon, as well. He had to go to the village.”

“Xander, too?” Kian sounds a little choked up.

“Now that you are free, there are four of us in total.”

Then Delphine lands on the grass in front of the cabin. As soon as she is stationary, she crouches down. Kian is the first off the dragon. He slides down, landing gracefully. Then he holds out a hand to me.

I take it and slide off the dragon, too. He catches me, holding on to me so that I don’t fall, then gently puts me on my feet. My legs are shaky from the flight. Perhaps I was using my thighs to hold on without even realizing it. Orion dismounts as well, patting Delphine’s side before turning to us.

“This is our home…at least for now.” He holds up his arms, gesturing around us. “It is safe. The valley is a natural safe haven. There are only a few places like it. The three of us bolstered a spell over the valley so that she can’t see us here,” hecontinues as we walk toward the cabin. The dragon leaps into the air and flies away toward one of the snow, peaked mountains. “We can use magic freely, so don’t be alarmed if you see me start a fire or… I can’t do much…” He shrugs. “But we feel that it’s important to keep practicing. You wouldn’t understand, Kian, but using magic is like using a muscle; if you don’t use it, it gets weak. We have to practice.”

“That’s interesting,” Kian – I have to remember his actual name – says. He stops walking and reaches out to take my hand for a second to stop me. I do, giving him a quizzical look.

“We’ll be there in a moment,” he tells Orion. “I need a word with McColl.”

He’s right about that. I think he’s about to come clean with me about who he is, but only because he has no choice.

“Take all the time you need,” Orion says, already running for the cabin. He picks up one of the women, who is heavily pregnant. “I told you I’d be back in time,” he says as he kisses her softly on the lips.

One of the men holds up a hand in greeting. He has hair so light it is almost pure white. His eyes are a bright blue. I note that both women are human.

“I’ll be there shortly,” Kian tells him. “It’s good to see you, Damon.”

“You too, Kian,” Damon says as he puts an arm around the other woman.

Kian takes my hand and starts to lead me away. “I need to tell you something.”

“I think I know what that something is,” I say as we pick up the pace, heading out toward the lake and away from the house. I look back, and the others have gone into the cabin. “So, your real name is Kian.”

He nods. “Yes…and I’m…I…”

We keep walking. He is still holding my hand. I don’t know if he has forgotten he has it, or if it is to keep me from running away when I hear whatever it is he wants to tell me.

Once we are far enough away, he lets me go and turns to face me. I can see that he is gathering his thoughts. He looks…nervous. His jaw is tight, and his eyes are narrowed.

“I wasn’t going to tell you anything, but since we are out of harm’s way and…well…” He’s struggling.

“You’re someone important, aren’t you? That’s why Queen Snow wants you captured so badly. So is Orion. I know that not just anyone can bond with and ride a dragon. At least, it is very rare. Dragons will only choose the strongest and noblest of the beastfae to tether with. According to my teachings, it mainly occurs with royalty. He called you friend, and he is more than likely…” I push out a breath, searching his face. “Xander, Damon, Orion… It can’t be.” I narrow my eyes, looking him square in the face. “You’re one of them, aren’t you? One of the lost kings. How? I don’t understand.” I shake my head as all the pieces fall into place.

“Yes, I am Kian of the Emptyfae Court.”

I choke out a humorless laugh. “Don’t lie to me, Alaric…Kian…whatever the hell your name is. You arenotan emptyfae. I’ve seen with my own eyes how you can wield magic. Emptyfae have no access to their magic. You are very powerful. I’ve only ever seen such levels of magical ability in conjurers.” I shake my head again. “Although I know the emptyfae king’s name is indeed Kian.” My eyes lift in thought. Confusion clouds my brain. “This makes no sense. How is it that you can wield magic, King Kian of the magicless fae?”

“Don’t call me that. After all we have been through, I’m just Kian.” He chuckles, the sound not holding much humor. “Just plain Kian. I’ve lost my throne. Hell’s teeth, for years and years, I didn’t even remember who I was. I thought I was the son of afisherman. That I left my village because I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps.” Kian’s eyes have gone hazy with old memories. “I only made it as far as the next village, where I started work as a striker. I didn’t much like it, so I left and traveled some more, working odd jobs in each of the villages. When a band of mercenaries swept through a village I was working in at the time, I talked them into taking me on. I was later captured and taken to the Emptyfae Court to work in the mines. To think I missed the little village I grew up in, as well as my mother and father. I missed people who never existed. A part of me still does.” By now, his eyes are blazing. “It was all a lie, McColl. I never grew up in a fishing village. I’m not the son of a fisherman and his wife. None of it is real. I had an evil spell cast on me to make me believe all the false memories. The false identity. That I was human. I’m not, I never was.”

“You’re a king.”

He nods once. “I am…or will be once more when we defeat Snow. I swear that I never lied to you. It was black magic. We were hidden in plain sight. It explains so much. Like how I knew things…things I should never have known. Like how a regular, everyday smithy hammer would break the chain of your amulet. I knew I would survive the ordeal. I’ve learned over the years to trust my gut. That’s what I called it…my gut. I told myself that I had good instincts. It had nothing to do with good instincts. I knew because I had been taught, or had seen, or had experienced first-hand. It was never my gut; it was my suppressed memories coming to the fore in drips and drabs. A spell, no matter how intricately woven, will never fully dull all memories. It can’t. Only most of them.”

There is sincerity burning in his eyes, and I believe him.

Thinking back, I can still see the shock on his face when he realized who he was. When he realized that he was a fae.

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