I raised an eyebrow. “So who was my mother?”
Penelope’s tone was low and serious. “Elayna was a princess of the royal house of Elfi.”
“Elfi,” I repeated, trying to remember what Kalen had told me about this world. My eyes widened when I did. “My mother was fae?” I had presumed that my mother was either an ordinary person or a mage like my father. But fae!
“And not just any ordinary fae,” Penelope responded. “Your mother was High Fae and an immortal fire-fae warrior of Elfi.”
My eyes narrowed. “If she was immortal, how could she have died?”
Penelope clasped her hands in front of her. “Most of the fae have very long lives, spanning centuries, and the High Fae are virtually immortal. But even High Fae can be killed using the right weapon.”
I nodded, thinking back to my dream where Morgana stabbed my mother with the dagger. That dagger must have been one of those weapons.
“So if a fae and a mage have a child together, what does the child become?”
“Well.” Penelope furrowed her brow. “They take on either trait or power, or the magic can skip the generation completely. If you do have the potential for fae magic, I should be able to sense it.”
My eyes gleamed. “Can you sense anything? Do I have any magic?”
Penelope held my hand in hers and closed her eyes. I could feel a tingling sensation in my hands when she touched them.
Eventually she opened them, looked at me, and shook her head. “No, nothing.” She hesitated. “But do not be distressed, Aurora dear, you’ve probably taken on your father’s magic. The magic of the mages is different from that of the fae. The Duke of Silverthorne is a very powerful and experienced mage, and he will be able to sense that.”
“But how will he know if I’m telling the truth?” I looked at Kalen. “What if he doesn’t believe me?”
Kalen came over and put his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Aurora, the duke has his ways. Rafe trusts him, and so does my mother. If you really are Aurora Firedrake, then there is no safer place for you than Silverthorne Castle.”
I glanced at Penelope, whose eyes were still trained on me. “Kalen is right, the duke is very influential in Eldoren and is chief advisor to the king. If Oblek tells Morgana you have escaped, it is only a matter of time before she sends the Shadow Guard to hunt you down. But the duke can protect you, provided you are who you say you are.”
A twinge of fear ran down my spine. “Who are the Shadow Guard?” I didn’t like the sound of anything hunting me, especially something with a name that began with shadow.
“They are the scourge of Illiador; Morgana’s personal guard, loyal only to the queen and the archmage. They are hardened warriors, trained by Lucian himself and enhanced by a powerful magic to further intensify their mage powers.” Penelope gave me a pointed look. “You do not want to run into them.”
I nodded.
“But Mother, I wanted to take Aurora to see the night market,” Kalen insisted. “Rafe will only be back in the morning to take her to Silverthorne Castle. At least she can have a little fun while she’s here. The market is safe, you know that.”
I did really want to visit the magical fairy market. I didn’t think I would ever get a chance like this again.
Penelope nodded. “All right, you can go to the market. But have her back early, she will have a long journey ahead.”
“Is it far?” I was not too keen on riding for hours to who knew where.
Kalen shook his head. “No, not really, it’s on the other side of the Cascade Mountains.” As if popping over mountains was a simple feat.
I stared at him in disbelief. “You want me to travel over a mountain? On horseback?”
Kalen furrowed his brow. “Of course, how else were you going to get there; fly?” He chuckled at his own joke.
I hesitated. Now that I thought about it, I should have known better. It was going to take me a while to get used to this world. “I know how to ride, but how many days will it take?”
“It’s not too far. We are right on the border,” said Kalen. “About five to seven nights, depending on the weather.”
“What! Seven days? Where will we sleep?”
“Outside, where else? Don’t worry, you will be safe with Rafe. His magic usually keeps away the wild creatures.”
Wild creatures, camping outside—this was not my idea of safe at all.
“And we must get you some suitable clothes,” said Penelope, eyeing me from head to toe with a practiced eye. “I think I have something that may fit you. My eldest daughter, Dewdrop, left some of her things here when she moved away after her marriage.”
Kalen smiled. “You can change and try to get some rest, Aurora, and tonight we will go to the night market.”
The Midnight Market
Later that night, after I had eaten a delicious dinner and rested, we set out for the midnight market. I followed Kalen along the small path that led from Pixie Bush into the very heart of Goldleaf Forest. The full moon shone brightly through the rustling leaves, and the forest path was dappled with dancing specks of silver that flitted ahead of us, guiding the way.
I had changed into a pretty linen dress, dyed a lovely emerald green, with wide bell sleeves. It was bound at the waist with a green-and-gold-trimmed sash and flowed down to my ankles. My feet were wrapped in soft muslin bandages, and I wore supple leather boots, which also belonged to Kalen’s older sister. Mrs. Plumpleberry had healed my hands and feet with a magical ointment she made herself.
I wrapped my cloak tighter around me. The night air was chilly in the forest,
