I frowned and lifted my chin. This wasn’t the easiest situation, but I would just have to find a way to deal with it. “Do you know how I escaped?”
Rafe shook his head. “I have no idea. But I know this: whatever saved you that day was extremely powerful magic.”
“Did my parents have magic?” I ventured.
“Of course,” said Kalen. “All the nobility are from magical stock. It has always been like that since the kings of old, since Auraken Firedrake walked the world and was high king over all the known lands.”
Despite the situation, I felt a thrill course through me. “Does this mean I also have magic?”
Rafe’s eyes narrowed. “Not everyone is born with the gift of magic. Sometimes it skips a generation or a sibling, and even those who have the gift may never truly learn to master it. We will have to wait and see if you have the potential.”
That was not the answer I was looking for, but it was a start. I flashed him a glare. “So you believe me now?”
He shrugged his broad shoulders and stood up. “It’s possible that you could be telling the truth. But only one person can tell us for sure.”
“Who?”
“The Duke of Silverthorne, your granduncle.”
We left the little clearing and Rafe led us deep into the forest on foot along a small, winding path. He had put on his mask again, and his black cloak rippled around him as he moved surely and effortlessly through the trees as if he knew this forest like the back of his hand.
“Where are we going?”
“Tonight you will stay with Kalen’s mother in their village. She is a gifted healer and will tend to your wounds.” Rafe glanced at my feet. “I have some important errands I have to take care of. Tomorrow I will return and take you to Duke Silverthorne.”
Dried leaves crunched beneath my feet as I walked beside him. “Do you know him well?”
Rafe’s brow furrowed. “Who? Oh, Silverthorne?” There was a hint of a smile on his lips. “Yes, I know him well. He’s your father’s uncle, and if you are truly Azaren’s daughter then he will be the only one who can confirm it.”
My spine stiffened, and I stood up straighter. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful.” I shot him a quick look.
Rafe’s mouth quirked to one side. “By all means, be my guest.”
Kalen sniggered beside me but had the sense to keep silent when I glared at him.
“Don’t get me wrong, but if you still don’t believe me, then why are you helping me?”
Rafe’s sharp eyes softened. He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. “There was a time when I knew your father. He was an exceptional mage and king. One who genuinely cared for the common people, and they loved and revered him for it. He was also a fearless warrior, and his courage was the stuff of legends.”
I smiled at this. My father sounded like a wonderful man, and I wished that I could have met him, even once. “But that still doesn’t answer my question.”
Rafe’s eyes narrowed and he threw me a pointed look. “Once, when I was barely five years old and living in Neris, your father was on an official visit to the city. I was standing in the crowd, but I was too close to the cliffs. I slipped and hit my head on a rock and fell into the sea. Azaren saw me fall and jumped in after me. If it weren’t for him, I would now be resting in a watery grave.” He paused, and the look in his eyes held a dash of sadness. “If you really are his daughter, I can repay my debt to him by helping you.”
I nodded. “Fair enough.” I was grateful for Rafe’s assistance, and his story explained why he wanted to help me. Maybe I could trust him. But he could just as easily be making this up.
I was apprehensive about meeting the duke. What if this was all a mistake? What if I were the wrong girl—where would I go then? I had nothing left in the world I grew up in except disappointment and heartache. It was going to be harder here, I could tell, but at least I had family, real family. I wanted to meet my granduncle, I wanted to learn about my real parents, and for once in my life I wanted to know who I really was.
“You will be safe here in Pixie Bush,” said Kalen, breaking my anxious reverie. “And my mother can find you some suitable clothes to wear.”
I looked down. In all the confusion, I hadn’t realized that I was still wearing floral pajamas and a pink, woolen dressing gown, and I was walking around barefoot. I blushed furiously. I had forgotten that I had changed into my nightclothes before I had gone looking for the library in Redstone Manor. It was just last night, but so much had happened since then.
Rafe seemed to find my embarrassment funny and was chuckling to himself as he turned to me. “This is where I will take my leave, Aurora.”
“Thank you for all your help. I really appreciate it.” What more could I say?
Rafe’s full lips curved in a dashing smile. “It was a pleasure.” He bowed briefly. “Until tomorrow, my lady.” He turned and disappeared into the trees.
I looked back at Kalen. “Now where?”
I was famished and exhausted. I hadn’t slept the whole night, and I was eager to change and eat something. I hoped Kalen’s home was not too far from where we were, because I was too tired to walk much farther.
Kalen beamed. “Now we go home to Pixie Bush.”
The Fae
As we moved farther into the sunlit wood, I could feel a palpable change in the atmosphere. The leaves rustled gently in the warm summer breeze, and golden rays of
