He bowed his head toward me. “Yes.”
“I don’t know what to say. What if I’m not enough? What if I let you down?”
Silas looked at me so earnestly that the expression alone almost destroyed me. “You could never let me down. You are already enough.”
“How can I possibly be more powerful than you if you’re also Fae?” I paused. “And if I’mnotmore powerful, then why can’t you do it?”
“My mother was Fae. I’m not full-blooded.” Silas gave a heavy sigh, like he equally admired and hated what he was about to say. “I believe you might be the last pureblood Fae in existence.”
My eyes pricked with tears at the way he looked at me, with such hope and admiration in his gaze.
“It’s why you might be able to save us all.” Silas cradled my face in his palms. “And why it might get you killed.”
I couldn’t speak for a long time.
Finally, I muttered, “No pressure.”
He gave a rough laugh, dropped his hand from my face, helped me to my feet.
“You don’t have to do any of it alone,” he said. “And now that we know what you are, it will be easier to instruct you. We’ll have a crash course in magic and spells and potions and enchantments. A quick history on paranormal species. A quick crash course on breaking curses.”
I gaped at him. “This is where it gets easier?”
Silas grabbed my hand with his, gave it a squeeze. “You will never be alone again. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“It counts for a lot,” I found myself saying as he tugged me forward.
We walked hand in hand through a pasture glittering with tall grasses and bobbing flowers and chirping birds. Sunlight dazzled in the distance, glancing off green leaves. Rustles came from around us, from creatures I’d never believed to be real. The sensation of promise and peace embraced us in this magnificent space.
Without warning, I doubled over in a sudden onslaught of pain. It felt like my stomach was a puzzle, and the pieces had all come apart. A jagged hot streak oflightning had seared through my body, sizzling me to my core.
“Alessia.” Silas’s voice was grated and hard. He’d felt it too, but he hadn’t buckled, not to the extent I had. “Are you all right?”
“You felt that.” It was a statement. I could barely speak through the intensity. “My body feels like it’s falling apart.”
“You are becoming more connected to your magic the longer you’re here. It’s good because you’ll grow stronger. But it’s a double-edged sword, because you can feel when your court is being attacked.”
“What was that?”
“The wards are collapsing.” Silas’s tone tried and failed to hide his urgency. “We need to get back. Can you travel?”
In answer, I grasped his other hand in mine, so both of our hands were interlocked. “Take me to the wards.”
Chapter 14
I’d managed to pullmyself together by the time we Phased to the wards. Phasing was a lot easier than pixie dust, and apparently having the portals closed to the outside world didn’t stop inter-island travel. At least, not yet.
We arrived at the wards the same time as Ranger X, who was flanked by a slew of men dressed in black, probably the other Rangers. X’s eyes landed on me.
“You did it.” Ranger X’s voice was quietly accusing. “You activated the spell to retrieve Silas without me.”
Silas stepped forward to interfere on my behalf. I put out a hand to stop him. It wasn’t his place to stand up for me this time.
Instead, I faced Ranger X myself. I felt the eyes of all the Rangers watching me as I spoke to their leader.
“I’m sorry we went behind your back. Atlas shouldn’t have lied to you,” I told Ranger X. “But we made the right choice. If we hadn’t activated the spell when we did, we would have lost Silas.”
“It was a rash decision,” Ranger X said. “All three of you could have been killed.”
