Page 13 of A Touch of Iron
I frowned but didn’t say anything. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was trying to keep me from going to the village. The question was why?
7
ALEC
Iwatched through gritted teeth as that Kelpie attacked Violet, yet all I could do was sit back and watch. I wasn’t supposed to be in Air Village, but I opened a portal and there I was. After hours of wandering through the mountains, I found her roaming the forest. She looked lost and vulnerable.
Vi didn’t know much about our world to begin with, but now that the slate had been wiped clean, shereallydidn’t know anything. This would be a prime time for someone to take advantage of her predicament. Someone like this Creed guy. She was right to be wary of him. What was a fire elemental doing in Air Village, anyway? Calypso was adamant that we weren’t allowed to live here. So why washethere?
I was relieved when Creed fried the Kelpie, but my worry ratcheted back up again when I realized I couldn’t follow them when he carried her back down the trail. I didn’t know who Creed was or how old he was, but if I followed them, he could easily spot me even if I stayed a mile behind. Hell, he probably already knew I was near the lake.
Once they left the area, there was nothing to do but return to the castle, dread hanging like a weight in my gut. I extended my hand and familiar orange and gold swirls shot out, opening a portal. I jumped before I could second-guess my decision, the customary nausea churning a second before it evened out and propelled me into the castle’s courtyard. I glanced around, but luckily no one had witnessed my arrival. There was a general rule of thumb that one didn’t portal from within the Fae realm – that luxury was only to be used when traveling to and from the human realm. But that had never stopped me before.
“How was she?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin as I whirled around to face Kazimir. The King’s guard casually leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed over his chest.
“For the love of the fae!” I exclaimed. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
He merely smirked. “You really need to learn how to be more subtle, Alec.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
“How was she?” he repeated.
I sighed. “She’s struggling,” I admitted. “If she was lost before, she’s even worse now, except now there’s nothing I can do to help her.”
“Violet will be fine,” Kazimir insisted. “She’s a fighter. A survivor. This trial will be nothing.”
I hesitated for a second before approaching him. “What does the King have planned for her?”
Kazimir tsked and wagged a finger at me. “You know better than to ask me that. We can’t reveal what a fae’s trial will be.”
“Is he … will he make her fall in love with someone?” I asked, thinking about how Creed saved her from the Kelpie.
Heartbreak was one of the five sufferings. Once she regained her memories, that heartbreak would still be there. Those feelings and emotions would linger. Everything she lived through during the trial would be fresh in her mind and as real as anything else.
For the first time, I wondered if Ansel was the only one I had to compete with for her affections.
Kazimir watched me warily for several seconds and then shook his head. “I don’t know,” he murmured. “The King hasn’t really shared what he’s planned for her. But he won’t spare her. Not even a little bit.”
If Kazimir didn’t know what was going on, that meant the King wasn’t trusting anyone with his plans. He could select which sufferings she would endure, but he couldn’t decide what happened to her. That was the only plus side. But I knew for a fact he’d chosen death as one of her trials. He wanted her to die, and eliminating her through a trial was the easiest route. Typically for fae, it was no big deal if we died in the human realm. We would die in that plane and return to the Fae realm, good as new. But Violet was half human. If she died, there was no coming back.
“Trust her, boy. She might surprise you,” Kazimir cut into my thoughts.
I nodded. “Yeah … I know.”
After my run-in with Kazimir, I headed to the opposite side of the castle where Ansel resided. I approached his room and knocked twice, then waited impatiently for him to answer. Even though he and Violet were on the outs, he deserved to know what was happening. Her mom needed to know as well. Unfortunately everything had happened so fast, I didn’t have a chance to warn them before she left.
The door cracked open and Ansel stood there, his green eyes staring warily at me.
I raised a brow. “Are you going to let me in, or are we going to stare at each other all day?”
He rolled his eyes and opened the door wider, letting me inside with a huff.
Tessa was sitting on the sofa, eating. She froze when she saw me. Her glare was glacial.
“Why are you here, Alec? I don’t think Tessa is comfortable having you around,” Ansel started.
