all twelve will bring her back from where she slumbers. Only then can she restore Faerie.”
Restore Faerie? I leapt up and shook myself. “No. This is fucked up. Way too much pressure.” I backed up until I hit the wall. First, I had to save Faerie, and now my undead, half aunt’s life was on the line?
Hard fucking pass. I would majorly screw this up.
Indra looked alarmed, like she expected a twenty-year-old whose mother died a few days ago and was tasked with not only saving the world but also saving the sleeping queen to act differently.
I laughed, I couldn’t help it, I was losing my grip on reality. “You just thought I would take this news great? That my only living relative is a fucking queen and she’s dying? You expect me to march out there and get all the crystals for you? This is crazy! My mother should have told me sooner! I. Can’t. Do. It. Alone!” I shouted, feeling the stress of the past few days weigh on my mind.
I was in shock; I was finally losing it. Indra’s face became angry, crumpling into a mass of dark wrinkles. Reaching behind my head, she grabbed the back of my neck and dragged me forward.
“Ow!” I shouted as she pulled me by the back of the neck over to the bed. “Did you hear a word I just told you?” She shoved my face closer to the woman and tears sprang into my eyes. She was the spitting image of my mother: dark pink hair, long lashes, high cheek bones. She smelled like lavender and just being near her made some of my madness ease. My heart ached to be with my mother again.
“Your mother’s sister is alive. You have family. You are not alone. This woman, our queen, needs you. The people of Faerie need you. You cannot give up because you are one person, or you are too young, or you are scared. If your mother had done that, we would all be dead.”
I sighed and she released my neck, straightening her blouse. She was right. I reached out and touched the woman’s cheek. It was soft but cold.
“Does that make my mom … royalty?” My mind spun with what this all meant.
Indra frowned. “No. The mother they shared was a garden tender Fae. Dahlia’s father was the Spring prince with royal blood, but your mother’s father was a warrior Fae tasked with guarding the Spring prince. It was a big scandal.”
Damn.
“Why is she sick now?” I remembered the tree branch—the black ashy branches.
Indra shook her head. “Your mother’s energy was helping her, helping the tree, now without it … I don’t think she can hold on for much longer. We need the crystals.”
The queen was alive … this was so huge. “The people don’t know?”
Indra shook her head fiercely. “I love our people, but they cannot be trusted with this. Not while she’s in this state and cannot protect herself. We have no warriors. She could be too easily assassinated and then Faerie would surely fall.”
I hated that what she’d said was right. You just couldn’t trust everyone, and many blamed the royal court for not acting swiftly enough to mitigate the damage to Faerie. Their followers were few and far between in the end.
I stood, brushing my sweaty palms off on my pants. “I’ll find the next crystal and bring it back, no matter what.”
But if she told me one more deep dark secret, I was going to lose my mind.
Indra nodded. “I’m sorry you had to find everything out in this way. Your mother wanted what was best for you … I think she assumed she had time to let you grow into a woman before throwing this at your feet.”
I was sick of hearing that excuse, even though I understood it. I just nodded and walked out of the room, away from the dying tree and back to the blue door.
The biggest thing on my mind right now? Where the fuck was Liam?
When I reached the door, Elle was there, fully suited up. “What’s with the earthquakes?”
I shook my head. I knew I could trust her with anything, but now wasn’t the time to delve into the freaking queen being alive and me being related to her.
“The Tree of Life is dying. We need to get that seventh crystal, stat.”
I reached for the handle and threw the door open. Mara was sitting on her desk, looking right at me.
“Oh good, it’s just