Prologue
As tradition would dictate, the king, the high priestess, and the kingdom’s two best herbalists—one for the mother and one for the babe-—were all present as the Fae queen labored to bring the heir apparent into the Fae world of Castara.
After an especially brutal birth, the new prince entered the world just as the full moon crested the night sky, marking the imminent change of reign upon the prince reaching his majority.
Exhausted from the pain, the queen collapsed and tuned out all the noise other than the wails of her new son. Her murmured words, stifled by the chaos of the room, went unheard as a tear slid down her cheek. The priestess and the herbalist for the new babe moved to the side of the room to begin the birthing rituals. The king, pulled between his queen and his newly birthed son, ultimately went to her side upon noticing her distress.
“He looks healthy,” he whispered into her ear while he stroked her hair, his attention remaining on his son who was being fussed over.
“It isn’t done,” she said as she turned her face away, hiding the tears that streaked down her face.
The king’s eyebrows furrowed as he shifted his focus to her and then to the other herbalist, who had gone unnaturally still next to them, color draining from her face.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded, coming to his full Fae height. The tips of his ears quivered.
“I-I don’t…” The herbalist’s wide eyes shot to the other herbalist, who left the babe and hurried over to them. The second herbalist began applying pressure to the queen’s abdomen, her features becoming increasingly more alarmed.
The king questioned the two in front of him. “Has the princess been born? Should we get the herbalists from the other room?”
“It isn’t done,” the queen repeated quietly to no one in particular, shaking her head, eyes squeezed tight.
Everyone froze for one more breath before she cried out in agony, sending the room into greater pandemonium. The high priestess, who swaddled the new prince in her arms, watched as everyone else tried to fix whatever was ailing the queen.
Through her suffering, the queen’s broken words rip through the confusion. “There will be another!”
Shock washed over everyone’s faces, but there was no time to dissect her words since a second babe was in fact coming.
A quarter past the rise of the moon, a second son was born into the Vaylor family. The first known set of Fae twins.
Chapter
One
NISSA
Slamming the door to my flat, I drop my bag, wipe the water droplets from my face, and shove my wet hair off my shoulders. My head leaned back against the door, I pull the wind deep into my lungs and rub the dull ache in my chest.
With the elemental energy depleting and the synthetic options failing, rootwalking has become almost impossible over long distances. I was supposed to be at the heart of the Two Kingdoms hours ago. Normally I would never complain about minimizing my time in Castara’s capital, Solevara, but I’ve missed a fitting. Which guarantees that I’ll have to listen to a lecture from my mother about the importance of all the ridiculous responsibilities that revolve around me being in the Elite City.
Despite her thoughts on it, Icanwear one of my many elaborate dresses collecting dust in the closets at her austere residence. I doubt anyone would remember all the dressesI’veworn here over the years.
I look out the window as the wind whistles through the cracks in my door. A sigh leaves my chest. Goddess, what I would give to not be paraded around and forced to smile for one more day. Maybe this storm will turn into one of the Goddess’sdestructive tantrums. Then I won’t have to worry about a dress at all.
If tonight’s Beltane festival is canceled, I could have stayed at the Homestead with my plants another day. Instead, I’m alone in this one-bedroom flat, counting down the moments until I can go home.
Too bad Gaia rarely attacks the actual kingdom. She prefers to hit us where it hurts us the most—in the elemental lands.
Come on, Gaia, be in a mood.It’s what you do best.
My lips quirk. I turn towards the small cupboard and begin digging through the vials and jars as the thought of the weekend theatrics builds the ache in my chest. I understand that I’m part of the only two sets of twins ever born to the Fae and that our presence is an encouragement during the fertility holiday. But?—
A sharp pain lances through me as lightning fills the room. I knock over a number of glass containers and double over in pain. My knuckles turn white on the edge of the cabinet door as thunder rattles the flowerpots at my back.
After a few slow, deep breaths, the pain eases just enough for me to resume searching through the dried herbs, tinctures, and teas. Something to ease the ache of anxiety from simply being here.
With shaking hands, I set the kettle on and mix chamomile, lavender, blue vervain, and motherwort into a mug. I try to will away the pain until the kettle boils and turn towards my plants, hoping for a distraction.
Communing with my natural energy will help. Like most Earth Fae, plants and herbs have calmed me since I was a child. As I’ve gotten older, the idea of helping something grow from a tiny seed into a magnificent healing plant is my chief source of joy.
