Faylin put a hand on her hip. “I suppose you need help discovering your destiny, Worldweaver.”
My mouth fell open. “How did you—”
Arthur blushed and said, “I might’ve told them about the prophecy.”
I rolled my eyes. That was Arthur. He was such a blabbermouth. I trusted him not to tell anyone else, but still— he couldn’t have kept it quiet until I came to meet them?
“Don’t blame your brother. We guessed, after your mother took you away and left Arthur with us. Worldweavers are common lore within Unseelie circles,” Faylin explained. “The story of the sorceress who would raise Droga is very old amongst our kind. There are few of us left now. It wasn’t a great shock to us that you were chosen.”
“Do most of the Unseelie live in Ireland, in the communities you were talking about?” I asked.
Vocheck nodded. “Yes, though no one is pure Unseelie anymore. We all have Seelie blood within us. These communities specifically remained in Ireland after the war so the Seelie wouldn’t purge the world of our kind. It is the only reason the Seelie believe all the Unseelie fae were wiped out. If the secret of these communities were discovered, or if the Seelie fae knew there were still Unseelie who existed, our kind would be exterminated. Since the Unseelie remained in Ireland instead of relocating to Eastern Europe, we maintained our Celtic roots.”
“It’s in the red hair.” Arthur tugged on my locks, and I giggled.
“I’d like to see these communities someday,” I said. “They sound fascinating.”
“You would have to be welcomed in. Since you didn’t grow up there, you’ll have to prove you’re adept at Unseelie magic.” Faylin raised an eyebrow, and gods, it was stern and piercing. “Can you do Unseelie magic?”
I blinked. Then I called out to the magic of the hearth. The brew within the cauldron stopped bubbling as I harnessed its energy to use as my own. I opened my palm to reveal dark birds made of shadow. They fluttered around the room, disappearing as their wings hit the sunlight streaming through the window.
Arthur appeared awed, while my grandparents nearly shook with delight. “Very good!” Vocheck praised. “An excellent illusion.”
“You’ve got my blood, all right,” Faylin confirmed with pride.
“I’ve tried Unseelie magic, but I’m not very good at it,” Arthur confessed. “That part of the gene pool didn’t go over well with me.”
“Unseelie magic is easy for me. Easier than Seelie, anyway,” I said.
“And we can teach you.” Faylin rapped the ladle against the pot. “From the old stories, we know that Unseelie magic will be very important to your quest as the Worldweaver. You will depend on it to survive. Maybe you can teach your brother how to pick up a few things, instead of just reading books.”
“Books are power. They contain information,” Arthur objected.
“Put them to use, then,” Faylin said, and Arthur scowled.
“This is a big family secret, Emma,” Vocheck said. “Faylin and I can teach you everything we know about the dark fae and their magic, but you must keep it hidden. You understand the danger if others were to find out.”
I knew too well. Unseelie magic was forbidden in Malovia. Merely being who I was born to be was a crime here. “I won’t betray your trust.”
“Of course you won’t,” Faylin said. “Family is everything.”
My heart warmed within my chest. For the first time since the prophecy had been spoken, I actually felt like I had guidance. I’d never gone at it alone, because I had my friends, but what I really needed were mentors to guide me along my path.
I’d finally found them. And though I didn’t know them yet, it felt like I did. Their experience and wisdom could be crucial to my mission. They trusted me with their secrets. Now I had to trust them with mine.
I crossed my legs and sat back as I said, “Have you heard about the Crystals of Harmony?”
My grandparents didn’t know anything about the stones, or the Alicorn Court. But they did prove to be very knowledgeable about Unseelie magic, which I was sure would help along the way. Arthur and I had a bowl of my grandmother’s famous Irish stew— which was amazing by the way— before returning to campus later.
I had ice practice, so I said goodbye to Arthur and headed out to the rink. I did my warm-ups, but Lady Magdalina wasn’t here.
It was highly unusual for my coach to be late. She was always right on time,