She Awakens Page 6

  8

  Attina

  I tie my saddle bag, filled with my clothes and necessities for the trip, to Oak’s saddle and haul myself on top of him. When I get settled into my saddle, I reach down to pet his neck.

  “Are you ready for another adventure old man?” Oak turns his head towards me and bows his head.

  “Yes, my lady.”

  Ever since I had found out our horses could talk, Oak would call me “my lady”. I'm not sure why he does it. It’s not like I asked him to. By no means have I ever felt like a lady.

  My father walks out of the back of our house and for the first time he looks old to me. Today I can see the years weighing on him, and it seems like he has added ten years to his life overnight. His face seems haggard and limp and somehow his hair even looks grayer to me.

  With his head down, he walks over to Raven and ties his last pack to her, making sure each pack is balanced perfectly to ease the burden. As soon as father has checked both horses’ packs, he glances back at me with something akin to sorrow in his eyes.

  “Are you ready, pumpkin?” he asks with a sad voice.

  His broken tone shocks me so much I feel my breath catch, and I can only give him a curt nod. Raven then knickers at my father and for the first time in Raven’s life he doesn’t pat her in acknowledgement. Something must be tremendously wrong if father is too caught up in his own thoughts to acknowledge his horse.

  The trip to our yearly camping grounds is a slow trek this time. The horses are weighed down heavily, which means we will probably be camping for more than a week. I know the town is leaving in two weeks, but I trust father and I know he has a plan to get us back to town on time. With all the extra weight, a trip which would’ve normally taken us about a day, takes three days instead.

  Each and every year, Father and I would travel out to this same spot with Oak and Raven, only the four of us. We would leave town and all our responsibilities for a long weekend, spending our time fishing, hiking, and unwinding. I learned so much on these trips over the years; how to set up a tent, how to gut any animal, how to start a fire, and so much more. They were some of the happiest times in my life.

  Our camping grounds are one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in my entire life and I’m constantly so taken aback by its grace and peacefulness. We’ve been riding through the forest for days, so walking up to the meadow clearing we use as a campsite is a sight for sore eyes.

  As we walk into the round, green, spacious clearing, I take a scan of the area. Surrounding the clearing on three sides is the lush, thick forest we’ve been riding in for days. A large knoll is hugged up against the last side. Running along the bottom edge of the knoll is a creek which curves and sways with the rolling hill.

  The creek is the thing that makes this the perfect spot for camping. It makes for a short walk to get water for the horses and us. The creek also happens to have the added bonus of being brimming with fish each spring. Camping here always makes me feel happy and whole. My father told me when I was younger he and mother found this spot together shortly after they got married.

  As soon as we enter the clearing, father gets off Raven, and without a word, starts putting camp together. He’s in an ominous mood, so I start working to get camp set up too. I begin untacking the horses and getting a fire started since the sun is starting to set.

  Nothing is said between us until camp is completely set up and we have some fresh fish cooking on the fire. Our fire is built in the center of our little camp and we have two rotted out logs on either side, which we use for chairs. Finally, my father gazes at me from across the fire. It seems like the first time in days he’s actually seen me.

  He clears his throat. “There are a few things I need to get off my chest and you are old enough now to know the truth. You’ve found out about the Solis and there is no way the timing of this is a coincidence. I have some things I need to tell you about your mother. First and foremost, your mother was Fae.”

  My jaw drops. Over the years, I’ve asked my father incessantly about my mother, trying to cling to any little piece of information about the woman who gave birth to me. All Father would ever tell me is I am the spitting image of her from my beauty to my personality. She had my same long, brown flowing hair. We have the same hourglass figure, but where my eyes are lightening blue like his, hers were fiery. I’m not sure what color fiery is but it's how he’s habitually described them.

  The only other things he would tell me was that she was brave, fierce, a force to be reckoned with, and she died not long after giving birth to me. Anytime I asked for more information, he would get tears in his eyes and tell me it was too painful for him to talk about her. Now he’s telling me I’m half Fae?

  He pushes on. “Attina, I know I haven’t ever told you enough about your mother, but you must’ve figured out by now I was protecting you by keeping the truth from you.”

  “Protecting me from what?”

  His face falls, he stares down at the ground, and his shoulders drawn in on themselves. The air radiating from him is grave and uncertain. His voice becomes shaky. I haven’t ever heard his voice crack out of him in such a trembling way before. He clears his throat.

  “Your grandfather—”

  “I don’t have a grandfather. Your father died when you were a small boy and you told me my mother’s father was non-existent in her life. I would assume by now he would have passed away anyway.” Even as the words leave my mouth, I realize if he is Fae then it’s possible he has a much longer lifespan than a human would.

  My father averts his eyes and stares deeply into the fire between us. In them I notice the nervousness has left. Now I can see an extreme anger rising, and something I haven’t seen before; an intense, burning inferno blazing hotter than the fire we're sitting by, the fire of death and destruction.

  I perch there on my log across from him quietly, waiting for him to compose himself. He stays quiet for longer than I thought possible. When the quiet intensity becomes almost too much, he finally glowers back at me, but the anger in his eyes leaves a trace of sadness.

  “No Attina, your mother’s father, Henrik, is alive. And if he ever finds you, he will kill you.” I suck in a sharp breath. My vision goes black for a second and a coldness, which wasn’t there before, seeps into my bones.

  “Wait. Henrik? Like the Henrik—”

  “Yes, the same Henrik that Nathan talked about at the town meeting. Seeing the look on your face, I can tell by just hearing his name again, I know you can feel what he is—pure evil.”

  My father says the words with a horrifying coldness, and his shoulders slump forward like a weight has literally been taken off them. My eyes shoot to his dark and now menacing face.

  I purse my lips and my jaw ticks. There are hundreds of questions begging to escape my lips, but before I can voice them, Father clears his throat. He lifts his hand and puts one finger up, silently asking me to give him a second to talk.

  “Before you ask all the questions which are obviously bubbling out of you, let me explain who your mother actually was.” He takes a deep breath before continuing.

  “First off, your mother didn’t die giving birth to you. She had to leave us for our safety. Your mother was the princess of the Fae world, the next in line for the throne, but she wasn’t simply a princess. She was the fiercest, most feared warrior in her realm. She even became the King’s personal slayer. Titania was your mother’s given name, but I always called her my darling.”

  “Before I continue, I want to tell you your mother was an amazing, wonderful person. You remind me a lot of her actually. She was compassionate, caring, sweet and funny but could also take care of herself in any situation. Your mother was a total badass who had the biggest heart out of anyone I’ve ever met.”

  My brows raise and I shake my head. I lick my chapped lips and interrupt him. “Why did she abandon us then if she was as you say? How could she leave someone she supposedly loved and a newborn baby if she had such a
big heart?” I swallow the giant lump in my throat as tears threaten to spill into a heavy downpour.

  “Pumpkin, she never wanted to leave us. She was forced to leave. We weren’t supposed to fall in love. She should’ve killed me on the Day of Destruction, but it was love at first sight and she left everything and everyone to be with me. She left the life she knew, her people and her responsibility. Then you came along, and our life was perfect. We were happy. Until the day her father found us.”

  “Henrik sent his own Fae soldiers to find her. He didn’t know about the two of us, he only knew she had shirked her responsibilities and he sent those soldiers to bring her back to him.” At this memory he takes in a shuddering breath and blows out the air slowly like he's trying to steady himself.

  “You were in your mother’s arms when her own soldiers and friends came for her. All three of us were sitting in our cottage around the fireplace relaxing before bed when the door burst open. She shielded you with her body and when the dust settled, we saw five soldiers blocking the only way out of our cottage. Titania handed you over to me as she spoke to her soldiers. She told them she couldn’t allow them to live and report back to the King, so she took them on one by one. When all was said and done, she’d killed five of her soldiers and came out of it with a nasty gash across her chest. When she came back into the hut she was crying, but not from pain. She told me she had to leave. She had to keep us safe and the only way for her to do so was to head back to the king and her people. She said she would end that life and return to us, but the only way to keep us safe was to kill Henrik before he found out about you and me. Your mother promised to return as soon as the deed was done, but she never came back. I can only guess she lost in the fight against her father. Before she left though, she wrote a letter to you for when you got older, in case she wasn’t able to return. I have her letter and I want you to read it.”

  I am completely speechless. This is too much information to process. I have no idea where to start. Father stands up and walks over to his saddle bag where he pulls out a piece of parchment with long, gracefully flowing and sparkling writing across it. He hands me the letter.

  “Your mother wrote this in Fae ink, magic ink, which she spelled so only you could read the contents. I only know the general gist of what’s in it.”

  I take the parchment in my hands. It’s absolutely gorgeous, an off-white color with the texture of leather and dark blue ink sparkling in the light of the fire.

  “Now, pumpkin, I’m going to hit the hay and give you some privacy. I want you to take as long as you need to read the letter and then get some rest. If you need me, just yell. Tomorrow we will start your training, so you’ll need your rest”.

  “What training?” I burst out.

  “It’s all in the letter.” He smiles down at me.

  “Is that why you’ve been wearing those weird leather clothes?”

  “Yes, they’re fighting leathers.” He rolls his eyes and laughs. “Just read the letter.”

  I stand up and walk over to Father and give him a big hug.

  “Thank you for letting me know about Mother.”

  He hugs me back then pulls away and messes my hair. “Of course, pumpkin, I'm so sorry it took me too long to tell you all this.” He rubs a hand over his face. “It’s hard for me to talk about her.”

  I nod. “I understand.”

  After Father disappears into his tent, I sit back on my log holding the letter in my hands and stare at it. This contains the only words my mother has ever said to me. The realization makes my hands shake and I take a long, deep breath. The pungent, woody, sweet smell fills my lungs. I steel my nerves and slowly open the parchment.

  Dear Attina,

  If you are reading this, then I must be gone. Let me say first I am so sorry, baby girl. I never would have left you and your father if this wasn't the only way to keep you safe.

  My father, the Fae King, is an extremely controlling and evil man, and if he ever found out about you or your father, he would kill you both, and I would rather die than see that happen.

  I know this is difficult to understand at the moment, but if your father is giving you this letter, it is because your grandfather or his Solis are becoming a threat and your life is in danger.

  Be a good girl and listen to your father. Everything he tells you is true. I am Fae, which means you are half Fae. I know you probably hate the Fae by now, but don't let your hatred of Fae seep into a hatred of yourself. If you are anything like me, or your father, you are smart, tough, and resilient. Use this to your advantage.

  Your grandfather is the king of all the Fae. Which wasn’t always the case. He is vile and a trickster, he will use any form of deception to achieve his goals. Those goals are to rule all of Arealea. He took over both Fae kingdoms (West and East) at a young age through deception and trickery, so don’t let your guard down when it comes to him.

  The Day of Destruction was the excuse he needed to get the royal Fae families to agree to go to war for him against the humans he wanted enslaved. Once he has all the humans as slaves, or turned into one of his monsters, he will be the sole ruler of Arealea, and he will unleash a darkness, which no one will be able to escape. You cannot let his darkness consume the world.

  Silas will teach you everything I taught him about being a slayer. You will need those skills to overthrow your grandfather and take your rightful place on the Fae throne.

  Baby girl, you are human and Fae. You are the only one of your kind I know of in the world. This also makes you the only one who can sway the hearts and minds of humans and Fae alike. You are the best of both worlds and Arealea’s only chance to finally unite everyone.

  I am so sorry I won't be there to help you through your Awakening when your magic appears. The best advice I can give you is to listen to your body, and if all else fails ask your father or Oak what to do. They are there to support you, use them for guidance.

  Most of all though, I am so sorry I didn't get to see you grow up. I would give anything to see your first steps, hear your first words, and help you navigate through your life. I love you more than the moon and stars, my baby girl.

  Love forever and always,

  Mom

  P.S.

  You are the true heir to the Fae throne. Don’t ever forget that. I know you hate the Fae, but someday you will have to come to terms with who you are and reconcile your feelings over your people and yourself. I say your people, because that is exactly what they are. All the Fae are your people and your responsibility, Princess Attina.

  Your father will teach you everything you need to know to take back your kingdom. Do what I could not and take down my father and save our people. Become the queen I could not.

  Queen Attina?

  My parents seriously expect me to kill my grandfather and become a queen? How is such a thing even possible? I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around all of this.

  9

  Attina

  Today is to be our first training session. I had a fitful night's sleep thinking of everything Father told me last night. Reading the only letter my mother had ever written me and what Father is going to teach me today, kept my mind racing. Mother was a Fae princess. Does that make me a princess too? Even though I’m only half Fae?

  I’d grown up hating the Fae for appearing on that fateful night and destroying our world. Father said the three of us had moved to the middle of nowhere to hide from the Fae and the Solis. What would life have been like without the Fae? What would life have been like if we’d lived with the Fae? What am I thinking, such a thing couldn’t ever happen? A half-breed like me would never be welcome, and they would probably enslave Father. But what could have been didn’t matter anymore. The Fae and Solis were a part of our lives and there’s no way it would be changing anytime soon.

  I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to live up to my parents’ wishes. I agree I need to learn to protect my loved ones and myself, but I have no clue if I will ever be up to the task of taki
ng over an entire kingdom. My mother was the greatest slayer in the Fae world and she obviously had failed against Henrik. She was a trained slayer, not a nobody like me. How could I ever dream of having a chance against someone like him?

  Thankfully, she’d taught my father everything she knew. I can only guess she knew they wouldn’t ever be safe, so she wanted him to survive any attack even if she wasn’t there to protect him.

  The first thing I see when I climb out of my canvas tent is a round clearing in the grass behind our campsite, which wasn’t there last night. Father must have gotten up at the crack of dawn to knock down the tall grass covering the ground to clear this space.

  I focus my gaze over to where Oak and Raven are happily eating by the creek. When they see me regarding them they glance between each other and seem to arrive at a joint decision. Oak lifts his gorgeous yellow, buckskin colored head.

  “You will do great.”

  Then Raven’s dainty, red head jerks to the side and she snaps at him, “Don’t lie to her! Girl, you will never be as strong, cunning, swift, and fierce as your mother, so don't even try to be. Just try to learn enough to keep yourself from getting killed.” This was typical Raven, we’d consistently had a love hate relationship over the years.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Raven.” I retort, rolling my eyes. “At least now I know which horse is getting apples tonight.” I wink at Oak. Raven can underestimate me all she wants, but I know in my heart I will become something special.

  As I walk into the circular clearing, I spot Father, holding a pile of split wood, walking out of the tree line toward camp. When he sees me, he nods his head.