Page 37 of The Curse of Golden Blood
"How?"
"The details are inconsequential, but it would have been because of her decision to marry a mortal."
My breath caught. "She… what?"
"A man from the Driftlands. He was a soldier, a powerful one, and his loyalty to Emystra was unquestionable. However, he was not a fae, and thus their union was forbidden. "
"Why is it forbidden?"
"Because if a faerie falls in love with a human, their magic becomes corrupted. Not only do they slowly lose their powers, but those powers poison the realm. "
"The Rot," I said, and she nodded.
"It went beyond the High Sovereign and spread through our entire realm. Then Queen Ylvena killed her mother, thus ending her reign."
"Killed her own mother?" I asked, frowning.
"And her mortal husband, and their child," Narietta finished. "Regicide."
I stared at her, trying to understand the words. "This is all very tragic, but it has nothing to do with why I'm here. I don't care about ancient history or dead queens or political intrigue. I care about one thing."
"Miralyte—"
"My sister." I turned to face her fully, my voice rising. "Ciradyl Tavora. Remember her? The person you somehow know well enough to use the nickname she made up for me?"
She smiled then, but it was sad, almost pitiful. "Oh, my dear child. There is so much you don't understand."
"Then explain it to me!" I wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her. "Stop speaking in riddles and tell me the truth. Did you know my sister? Did you meet her? Was she here, in Thunder Court?"
"No," Narietta said quietly. "I never met Ciradyl."
The simple answer caught me off guard. "Then how—"
"The night you arrived at Thunder Court, I had a vision." She stood and walked to the edge of the garden, her fingers trailing along the ivy-covered wall. "It's a gift I gained during my exile in the Fog Courts. The ability to see into dreams, into memories that aren't my own."
I stared at her back, trying to process what she was saying. "You saw my dreams?"
"They leaked out of you like water from a cracked vessel." She turned back to face me, her violet eyes distant. "I saw her through your eyes, Miralyte. Your sister, calling you Summerchild on a winter morning. I saw her teaching you to hunt, to track, to fight. I saw the love between you."
I bit back my disappointment. There were no answers to be uncovered here. Just a bit of fae magic used to gain leverage. Angrily, I dashed back a tear with the back of my hand.
Gently, Narietta took my arm. "Come. This has all been too much for you."
We left the garden, walking side by side down the pebble path that weaved its way through the manor grounds, our footsteps crunching in the quiet. A light rain had begun to fall, creating ripples in the surface of the nearby pool, and I couldn't help but wonder if the weather was the product of magic, or simply a change in the natural climate.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I want to show you something," Narietta answered.
She led me across the courtyard, towards a pair of carved oak doors that opened with an eerie groan. As I crossed thethreshold, I could feel my shoulders tense, instinctively fighting the panic that threatened to spill over, to freeze my legs, to root me to the floor. But I kept walking, following Narietta down the darkened corridor, until it turned to a staircase, leading down into pitch black.
With a flick of her wrist, she ignited the torches that lined the walls, her hand shimmering as light danced over the cuff.
We descended the stairs together, the air becoming cooler, the tension seeming to thin the farther down we went. Eventually, the narrow space gave way to an antechamber, a doorless arch in the far wall.
"What is this place?"
"This is where we keep those who suffer from the Rot."
