Ailan sucked in a breath. “You met Fanon?”
“I did. I met Ferrah too, and she tried to burn me alive.”
Ailan’s throat bobbed. “I’m sorry for how you were treated, Cora. I will not let them treat you like that again. When I return, I will have the authority to keep you safe. I may not be Morkara, but I am something like a regent until Noah comes of age.”
“How dare you talk about Noah coming of age, like you have any say in his future,” Mareleau hissed through her teeth. It took all her restraint not to shout, lest she wake Noah. “I am his mother.”
“In El’Ara you will be respected as Edel Morkara’Elle. That is like a queen mother?—”
“I am more than that already. I am a queen in this world. I don’t care what I am in your fae realm, or what Noah is.”
“It is his birthright, and he’s already claimed it just by being born. Unless he chooses to pass the role to someone else when he comes of age, none of us can change that.”
“I can refuse. You can’t take him from me.”
Ailan released a trembling sigh. “No, I won’t take him from you, nor will I force you to come. Instead, I will trust that you will do the right thing. That you will put his safety ahead of your personal ambitions.”
Mareleau’s jaw went slack. The words stung more than Ailan likely intended, for although she hadn’t used the wordselfish, that was all Mareleau had heard. Mareleau had been called selfish numerous times, but only in the last several months did she start to feel it was true. She’d done terrible things to get what she wanted. Lied. Schemed. Hurt people she loved. Was she acting selfishly again? Was refusing to take Noah to El’Ara truly selfish? Would he be safe there?
Her lungs tightened as the weight of this choice squeezed her from every side. She’d made poor choices before. Like when she’d given her cousin Lurel to Cora as her lady’s maid—a choice that ultimately resulted in the girl’s death. Or when she’d lied to her father about being pregnant, driving a wedge between them. How he’d died before they’d gotten the chance to reconcile.
Ailan’s tone softened. “Themorachose him, Mareleau. While I believe you and Cora are more important to the prophecy than the whispers have made it seem, there are still reasons it chose him. Themorahas seen something in him, something El’Ara needs, that no one who has come before him has been able to provide. Fate has seen a future for him in the fae realm, and that same future can be yours. Being the mother of the Morkara is no small thing in El’Ara, and should anything happen to me before Noah comes of age, themorawill recognize you as regent over the magic instead.
“I know you love your kingdom, and I understand how much it burns you up to think of leaving it. But El’Ara is vaster than just a kingdom. It’s an entire world. A world made up of more than the Elvyn. More than the Faeryn. The Morkara is responsible for redistributing magic to the farthest reaches of the world, over the seas of the Mermyn, down to the fire dunes of the Djyn. There are fae creatures besides unicorns and dragons, homes and communities across the world, innocent beings who depend on El’Ara’s magic for survival. They need their Morkara in order to thrive.”
Mareleau couldn’t help but be moved by the portrait she painted with her words. True, all she’d seen of the fae so far had given her reasons to fear and resent El’Ara. But there was an entire world beyond the Veil that she truly knew nothing about.
A world her son had been chosen to rule.
“Even if you only want to consider your world,” Ailan said, “there are additional reasons you must come with me. While I can guide the dragons back to El’Ara, if you and I are separated again, the dragons will sense my blood in you through your magic. They will find you. Stifling your magic with wards may keep them from locating you, but that doesn’t mean they won’t enter the human world to look.”
“Can’t you seal the tear in the Veil once you’re on the other side?” Cora asked.
“The Veil is more complicated than that. Sealing the tear won’t bring El’Ara’s heart back. That’s a problem we will need to solve after we defeat Darius.” She turned her attention back to Mareleau. “You don’t have to promise to make El’Ara your home just yet. We will figure out the future later. Together. For now, we need to defend two worlds. You won’t have a kingdom to rule if we don’t work together to keep Lela and El’Ara out of Darius’ hands. And for now, Noah is safer behind the Veil. Trust me in this.”
Her lungs constricted further. She didn’t want this burden on her shoulders. She wanted someone else to choose for her, yet at the same time, she railed at the thought of being ordered around or putting her fate in someone else’s hands.
She had to make this choice.
For herself.
For Noah.
For whatever consequences awaited.
She was nearly dizzy with the responsibility, yet she managed to form the words, “When will we leave?”
Ailan didn’t answer at first. Instead, she closed her eyes, lifted her hands, and linked her forefingers together. Then, angling her palms, she laced the rest of her fingers and pressed the tips of her thumbs to her chest. Mareleau had never seen such a strange gesture. The silence that followed told her Ailan was focusing. Or…listening? She had droned on about her precious whispers.
With a slow exhale, Ailan opened her eyes and slowly unlinked her fingers. “Tomorrow by midday,” she said. “We’ll take the wagon and find the tear in the Veil before Darius sets foot on this land.”
Gods above, she hoped Ailan was right. More than anything, she hoped she was making a choice she wouldn’t soon regret.
29
Cora had forgotten the quiet melody of dawn so deep in the forest. It had been too long since she’d experienced the soft hum of awakening activity in the commune, the scent of the morning cookfires, the peaceful silence of those still sleeping. It seemed not even the chaos of last night could disrupt the Forest People’s daily routine. The only differences were the extra figures tending to the destroyed common area, lighting new cookfires, raking the earth, and rearranging the stones and logs that served as seats.
She pulled the hood of her cloak lower, hurrying her steps as she passed the bustle of activity. She was determined not to be noticed by the others on her way to find Valorre. Though Ailan had spoken with the elders last night—after offering Cora and Mareleau her wagon to sleep in—she didn’t know how that meeting had gone. Cora hadn’t seen the High Elder since she’d left with Salinda and Bernice.
