She was right.
“But what if some of them come back to Faerie and… take the crystals or kill our people or—,”
“They might try.” She nodded. “And hopefully, I’ll awaken before that happens, but this will test your leadership. You’re a Queen now with the blood of our ancestors running through your veins and the magic of sunlight.” Her voice was a growl, and pride swelled in my chest as she continued. “They don’t have that. You will always be superior in power to them. That’s not ego, just fact, and if you need to demonstrate that fact to make them see, then so be it.”
Whoa.
“Okay.” I gulped.
She dropped her hands from my shoulders. “Every new fae who comes from Earth to live in Faerie must pledge an oath of loyalty to you and join the royal guard.”
I nodded, palms growing sweaty.
“You will treat them all equally. Give them a job in society, give them food and shelter.”
“But why would they want to come here when they can just stay there with the king?” I didn’t think he was giving them jobs and making them join the royal guard.
A twinkle shone in her eye. “Because nothing will ever replace Faerie. Not Earth, not Mars, nothing. Their souls yearn to return and be with their motherland. It’s time to end the war, Lily, and I need your help to do it.”
I nodded, about to respond when I felt a tug at my navel.
“Lily!” Jasper roared, his voice echoing through the space. The Queen flinched, grabbing her head.
She looked at me desperately as if she wasn’t ready for our time to be cut short. I wasn’t either. She was giving me advice on how to fix all of this, and I was actually getting to know her, my mother... Seeing her right in front of me was so crazy. She looked so much like my mom.
We both rushed forward at the same time and crashed into a tight hug. I felt that pull at my navel again, and I knew Jasper was going to pull me out.
“I’m going to wake you! I have a healer with you—”
She grabbed the sides of my face. “Be strong. Be confident. Don’t worry about me. As long as you’re okay, I’ll be fine.”
Moisture pooled in her eyes, and I nodded.
“Lily?”
“What?”
“If Indra comes back, cut her fucking head off.” Her voice was a growl, and it was the last thing I heard before my body was ripped from hers. I flew backward, a glowing white light rushing after me, slamming into me from every angle. It hit me so hard that I felt it in my bones and instinctively knew this was her power. She was giving me her power.
A scream tore from my throat as heat and light seared my skin.
‘Be strong.’ Her words echoed in my head as my body slammed onto the ground and my eyelids snapped open.
“What the fuck, Lily!” Elle was standing over me, tears streaming down her face. “I thought you were dead.”
“You were barely breathing.” Trissa shook my shoulders as if that act would wake me up further.
My chest heaved, and my gaze went to Jasper next, his hands were out, stilled in the air, and he looked at me with a worried gaze. “I couldn’t find you. It’s like your soul… left your body.”
Damn.
I swallowed hard. “I… was with the Queen. In her mind, she created a link with the tree.”
Trissa and Elle looked at me like I was crazy, but Jasper nodded as if this made perfect sense.
I sat up fully, and Trissa handed me some water. “The Queen? How is she?” she asked.
I gulped the water, catching a droplet from falling off my chin. “She’s… good. Mad about Indra, sad about me, but… good.”
The more I thought about our encounter, the more I realized what a great Queen she was, a strong Queen who could make quick and hard decisions.
“She told me what to do. How to fix things until she can wake up and take over.”
They helped me stand and watched as I chewed nervously on my lip.
“Out with it!” Jasper hissed.
“Don’t talk to her like that. She’s the Queen,” Elle snapped at him, but he waved her off.
I took in a deep breath and then exhaled. “I’m going to invite all the fae from Earth to come home and live back in Faerie. Halflings included.”
I paused for the collective intake of breath.
“The Sons too?” Elle looked worried.
I nodded. “Everyone. Then, we’ll have an army to defend Faerie against future attacks. I can bring the crystals back, and when the Queen wakes, she can restore Faerie,” I said it all in a rush, and they blinked at me like I was crazy.
“Invite them here?!” Elle shrieked. “What if they steal more crystals or hurt our people?”
“Then I’ll kill them,” I said matter-of-factly. One thing I’d gained from the Queen was that I could not go into this soft-hearted.
“Oh, I love the new you.” Jasper rubbed his palms together conspiratorially.
“She said that? To invite everyone back?” Trissa looked worried, and I reached out and grasped her hand. “She said to bring everyone home, that it was time to end the war.”
A single tear welled in Trissa’s eye before she swatted it away and nodded curtly. “Then, that’s what we’ll do.”
I stood, feeling lighter, taller. The burden of doing this alone was lifted from me. I had the Queen, Trissa, Elle, Jasper, Liam and so many others.
“Did you get the activation? The powers?” Jasper asked.
I shrugged. “I think so. Stand back.”
They all took a generous step backward, and I held my hands out toward the ashy burnt floor. Leaning down, I placed my palms onto the dry brittle ground and pulled up my power. Pulses of light and heat trickled from my chest, down my arms, and out my fingers.
