I dropped my head. “I don’t know what to believe.”
We were quiet for a moment, before Vara’s fingers brushed against my skin. “That’s a very special bracelet you’ve got there,” Vara said, nodding at the key around my wrist.
“Oh, this?” I lifted my arm up to show her. It was the bracelet Odette had made me. The key Professor Calliope had given me was attached. Scattered around it were the three charms that my friends had gifted me the night before my wedding. “It’s one of my favorite things.”
“It is very special. You’ll want to keep it safe,” Vara said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it, and I’m not sure I will again.”
“It’s definitely unique.” The bracelet wasn’t worth much, but it was meaningful to me, a gift from my friends. I wouldn’t part with it for a fortune.
Vara squeezed my fingers. “Emma, you’re one of my closest friends. There’s not a person like you in all the world.”
I gave a small smile. “Yeah, I know. The prophecy, and all that.”
“It’s not because you’re the Worldweaver. It’s because of who you are,” Vara insisted. “Not many fae would give themselves up for their friends, but I’ve seen you be willing to, time and again. I know this is a tough time right now, and you’re not sure how you’re going to make it through. But youwill, and everything will be better than it ever was. Just surrender, and let the seasons pass as they will. I promise you, time heals all wounds.”
Her words made me choke up. I didn’t want to break down in the middle of this park, so I wiped my eyes and said, “Wow, Vara… that really means something.”
“I’m glad,” Vara said. “I’ve done my best to be a good friend to you since I’ve known you. We all make mistakes, and I know you’re still beating yourself up for the mistakes you’ve made in the past. But sometimes, those mistakes can lead to the correct outcome. Nobody, not even you, can truly know what the gods have planned. And Iknowthey’ve got big dreams for you, Emma. We all do.”
I sniffed as a tear rolled down my face. “I’d just like to be able to get through the day.”
“Take one step at a time. Before you know it, you’ll be on top of the world again. You’ll see.”
Vara gave me a wink, and hope lifted in my heart. If she could be this optimistic, after all she’d seen, and still be excited to be bringing two children into the world, I could get through this. I just had to keep holding on.
We spent the entire day shopping, until night settled over the village. Once it got dark, tiny lights hovered over the area and all around us. I thought they were fireflies, but on closer inspection, I saw that they resembled balls of lights with dragonfly wings.
Ethan caught me peering and went to explain. “Fortune Fairies are a type of faekin. They’re more or less sprites. They’ve been known to grant you good luck, if you catch them.”
I reached out and grasped one of the glowing lights in my palm. It dimmed before shining vibrantly again. “They’re not hard to catch.”
“Not unless they don’t want to be caught, but they’re fair-tempered things. They love being chased by children. If you plant the right kind of flowers, sometimes they’ll hang around your house permanently and bring you luck.”
“They sound likemalyludwy.”
“They are similar, but Fortune Fairies don’t bond with a particular fae. They’re more fickle, and will move from place to place even if they like where they’re living. They get bored staying in one location too long.”
“Don’t other supernaturals sell them?” I asked. I’d seen a couple of carts in Dolinska pawning Fortune Fairies off at a low price.
“It’s a scam. Fortune Fairies can’ttrulybe caught,” Ethan stated. “Even if you trap them in a jar that’s magically bound with a ward, they can vanish from it at any time. Vendors who sell Fortune Fairies have made an agreement with them. They’ll pose in the jar to sell, and once the buyer brings them home, they’ll vanish and return back to the seller. The seller gets to keep the money, and he gives the Fortune Fairies some shiny coins in return.”
“Oy, you’re keeping us up!” Babcia’s voice echoed across the village— she and Bapa had retrieved the carriage. “We best be on our way, if we’re to start supper!”
Vara giggled. I helped her up, and we walked toward the carriage together as the boys trailed behind. Arthur had to boost her into the carriage— I needed help, too, as I was too tired to take the step up, so Ethan lifted me into it. Bapa shook the whip and clucked his tongue, and the horse pawed his hoof before we set out of town.
I’d had a nice day. I found myself falling asleep against Ethan’s shoulder as the moonlight streamed gently across my face. The wind whispered through the leaves of the trees, and everything felt right again in the world. It’d been so long since that happened, I could hardly remember what it felt like.
Just as I was settling into a gentle sleep, there was a loud slamming sound, and the carriage rocked sideways. Vara let out a scream. My eyes violently shot open and my stomach dropped out just as the carriage tipped over onto its side. We all went sprawling out of it, rolling into the dusty road.
What had happened? I hadn’t seen. The horse that had been pulling the carriage let out a high-pitched whinny, which died out mid-cry.
My heart stopped cold. I felt blood underneath my fingertips. It was streaming out of the horse. Ethan let out a growl as he changed into a wolven, and I dared to lift my eyes to see what faced us.
They were deer… stags made of shadow, their velvet horns dripping blood and eyes burning like coals from hell. They were the size of horses, but had gnashing teeth and hooves sharp like razors. They resembled Droga so closely it made my gut churn.
“Karkans,” Babcia hissed as she staggered to her feet. “Demonic minions of Droga.”
So that’s it, then. He’d found me. We were surrounded by them— there was a group, too many for me to count.
