I’d been so nervous about how Lasair would respond to me, or if I’d even be accepted. I’d also wanted to murder Cailean for kidnapping me, but I’d found my family because of him. Instead, I’d discovered a family who accepted me for me and had fallen in love with them, too. There was an eerie silence that filled the world now, as if it was holding its breath, waiting to exhale. I picked up a stone and chucked it at the castle gates.
It hurt because they’d left, but not by choice. If Ryder was correct, and I really hated that the asshole usually was, I was to blame. I blamed myself enough for the both of us, so it was a possibility. The thought of that sent a pang of regret mixed with guilt rushing through me. It was a lot of pressure for a twenty-two-year who never planned on facing anything like this. I’d thought I was doing pretty good, considering I’d been thrown into the fire and hadn’t allowed myself to get scorched by the flames.
I picked up another rock and threw it as hard as I could. Silently, I watched it bounce off the crumbling gates and landed in a pile on the ground. If accepting Faery would have prevented this tragedy, why hadn’t they tried harder to make me? I’d let everyone down, and if I were them, I’d hate me. Maybe I didn’t belong here, after all.
A noise sounded from behind the battlement. I narrowed my eyes, sifting to land on top of the wall. I peered down at a group of men with swords, lying in wait to ambush whoever walked through the hole in the gates. They were all wearing random armor with both the Light and Blood Kingdom’s emblems on their chest, indicating these men were at both battles. These were members of the mage army in disguise, which meant they needed to die horribly.
I sifted, landing between them, watching as their eyes widened. “So, what are we doing? How are we today, and which team are we on?” When they started to respond, I waved their words away. “I don’t actually care about you, or which team you’re playing for. That’s a moot point, considering the armor you’re wearing. Let’s talk about me, shall we? I have a dilemma. I was told that I have to pick a side, and I don’t know how to do that. I’m actually from Faery but brought up by humans in their world. You know, kind of like you assholes. So, how did you choose a side?”
They stared at me curiously, and I could tell that none of them knew who I was. One mage opened his mouth to respond, closed it, and then opened it again. “Uh, I was told there was a war coming, and that if I fought in it, I could go where people would understand me. All I needed to do was come here to Faery, and then just do what they said without question.”
“And just like that, you signed up to fight in a world with creatures who hated humans?” I countered, narrowing my gaze on his too-thin build, noticing the pain in his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t eaten a decent meal in a long time, or ever known a good home.
“Oh, well, as someone who was working his way through the human food chain and bound to get killed by the guild, it was an easy choice. I wanted to claim Faery as my world so I could slip in and slip out while dining and dashing, I guess you could say.” He shrugged.
I wiggled my fingers and watched as he burst into flames, falling on the ground, screaming. “You have to admit, you had that coming. Eating humans is bad. Next?” I asked, turning to find the others running away from me. “Oh, no, sorry,” I called out at their retreating backs. “That wasn’t on the list of options from which you could choose.” I sifted, landing in front of them as they drew swords. My hand lifted, and the moment they moved to lunge, they were engulfed in flames as well. “You guys really should learn to use your words.”