“It’s not only possible, it’s true.”
She leaned forward, her hands sinking into the mud. “How can that be? How is it that I’ve never been told? That no one—”
“Your race is quite skilled at ignoring that which they do not wish to see. They chose to forget their origins. They chose to believe that Elves were of a different ilk, but they are not. At least, they weren’t when I was just a single sapling alone in this part of the land. Back then, there were no Elves or Pixies, just the Alfar. But those were days long ago, when the gods still walked in this world, before the Crown, before the Throne.”
“But why? Why did they . . . we separate?”
“It was the gods’ fault really. The Alfar were the gods’ servants. And as you know, the wars of the gods never end. The division began there, those who served one side and those who served the other. When the gods were forced to retreat from here, taking their wars to other worlds, the Alfar were left behind. They were crowned as rulers by their masters and held onto the old grudges of the gods.”
Magda shook her head. “I can’t believe we would just... forget that.”
“From what I hear, the Elves have not forgotten.”
“What do you hear?”
“All kinds of things, thank you for finally taking the time to ask. There was a reason the old Elf King wiped out the oracles, for one.”
“What reason?”
“A prophecy, of course. What else? Isn’t that always the way?”
“What was the prophecy?”
“I’ve been told many versions. It’s hard to say exactly which is true. That was the point of wiping out the oracles, so that no one else would know. But I’m told it has something to do with bringing together the Crown and the Throne, uniting the whole of Alfheim under one rule. Something about a stolen child whose birth would bear sigil to the advent of this.”
“That’s why Endreas has come, looking for a Pixie to be his queen... He’s trying to lay claim to the Lands.”
A bubble appeared on Tamia’s face, grew, and popped, splattering Magda’s jeans.
“Perhaps,” Tamia said. “I have heard many rumors about the King’s plans, but I have learned not to believe every bit of imp gossip that passes my way.”
“Mother always thought the Elves were preparing for war,” she said, “gathering all the resources and driving out anyone who might oppose them. That is why they favor the dire creatures...”
“Elves have always favored the ogres and the dragons and maligned ones, because their gods did. You should take care not to speculate too far beyond what you know for truth. And to be honest, sweet Magda, you have never known much truth.”
“You sound as though you want to defend the Elves. Haven’t you heard the rumors about what they’ve been doing to the Realms, clearing the forests—?”
“My roots are very old, Pixie child. I have fostered this forest and all the creatures in it for an age and a day. I have no wish to be laid waste. But I am deep in this land and I reach high, high above it. I know when change is coming. And it is coming.”
Magda’s shoulders sagged. The weight of the forest and the sky and even the earth weighed upon her. “You think I should vie for Radiant.”
“It does not matter to me,” Tamia said. “But I think you know that your Elf Prince is right.”
“He’s not—”
“Do you know why I speak to you, Magdalena? Many of your kind have called out to me, and I ignore them. But I speak to you. I give you my blessings. I help you. Why? What makes you so different from all the others?”
“I’m not different,” she said. “I’m like all the other Raes.”
“And that answer alone is what sets you apart. Do you think your cousins would claim they are not special? That they are not different, better, than you and all the others? You have been raised a Rae, but your heart, Magdalena, is different. Though you became who you were expected to be, a part of you remained untouched by the violence and the lies and the hatred. Do you remember what you said when you first came to this gully and called out to me?”
“No.”
“You said, ‘Please, Forest Mother, may I speak with you?’ Do you know how many Pixies have ever asked to speak to me?”
“No.”
“None. They all came and they demanded. They threatened. They screamed. They felt entitled to an audience. They acted as though I was their servant, and I could be summoned at their command. But I am no one’s servant, Magdalena. I helped you because I chose to, because even in that small gesture of asking, you showed more humility than any other of your entire race for the last thousand years.”
