AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“May I present Morgolith to you?” He gestured to the fierce-looking one, who bowed.
“Oh,” I said excitedly with a bright smile. “You are the one who befriended Hava.”
The beefy wraith fae grinned, one of his fangs crooked. “I am, Mizrah.” He bowed his head. “It is wonderful to meet you.”
“And you, my lord.” I knew now that all wraith fae with four horns were nobles of the dark fae and deserved the title lord rather than sir. “Hava has become a dear friend of mine.”
“Indeed, I am glad to hear of it.” He smiled warmly, his orange eyes crinkling. “Hava deserved a good life and a high station in the palace. And our king has given it to her.”
He needn’t speak of the prejudice she apparently suffered in her life with the shadow fae. I already understood she might’ve had similar treatment if she lived and worked in the city proper of Silvantis. But here in the palace under Goll’s guidance and protection, everyone treated her with respect. It raised my esteem for Goll higher still, knowing he was the kind of king who demanded respect for everyone, no matter their origins.
“Have a seat,” Goll urged softly, nudging me toward the chair.
Everyone sat except him. He stood in front of the fire again, facing me. “Now, I’ve caught everyone up to speed. Those here are my most trusted confidants as I had a feeling you wouldn’t want this public yet. Still, we will need protection if we are going near anything that is god-touched.”
I nodded in agreement, remembering it had turned into disaster when I’d gone by myself the first time. “I understand.”
Then I opened my beloved book to the first prophecy I’d collected, the one I first found in my father’s desk. After reading it aloud to them, I said, “This one caught my attention because of the mention of the plague.”
It didn’t surprise me the wraith fae shared a few looks at the rest of the vision, for it predicted a time when their people would reign higher than the light fae. It was just as the old myth had said, the one of Vix and Mizrah. Still, that wasn’t my focus today.
“But this one”—I flipped to the next page—“is where I knew the first text must be at Dragul Falls.” I read the second one, which was quite a bit longer, yet again mentioning a sickness inthe land, “One will steal magick and one will steal the mind, one will curse the light and one the other kind.”
“Madness.” Morgolith’s voice stopped me. When I looked up, he was scratching his chin, his expression in deep concentration.
“What of it?” asked Goll.
“When I left Gadlizel, there were rumors the king was ill of the mind. I never saw proof of it myself because when I’d heard you’d taken the throne in Silvantis, I didn’t stay long enough to find out.”
Goll frowned. “We hear nothing from the shadow fae, so we wouldn’t know if it’s true or not. Something to remember, though.” He looked back at me. “Go on, Una.”
I did, reading the rest where it spoke of the gods’ intervention, offering fae-kind a way to balance the scales and set the world to right. Then the final description where rivers meet in the northlands and fall as one.
Soryn stood and walked to the map on the other side of the room. “That certainly sounds like Dragul Falls,” he admitted soberly. “I can’t see where else it might be.”
“That’s what I’d thought,” I said, Goll’s attention on me.
“And this oracle,” Goll began, a heaviness in his voice, “is he or she still there in Issos? Can we speak to them?”
I shook my head. “No. She was excommunicated by my father years ago.”
Goll’s eyes widened with shock.
“I know,” I added, realizing he must be surprised my father would do such a thing. “He didn’t want any more prophecies about the downfall of the moon fae, it seemed.”
“What was her name?” he asked with serious urgency.
I hadn’t told him the oracle was female. “Vaylamorganalyn.”
“Vayla,” Keffa whispered, standing beside Goll and staring at me with a mixture of shock and sorrow.
Goll turned to him and put a hand on his shoulder. It was a comforting touch I didn’t understand. “Easy, friend,” he whispered to Keffa.
Then I remembered. Right before Goll severed his father’s head, he’d said,Vayla was right.
Keffa’s gaze swiveled toward the fire, but he was the one who broke the tension-filled silence when he said in a gravelly voice, “You would’ve been just a girl when she was exiled.”
Swallowing hard, my pulse tripping faster, for there was something more going on here, I said, “Yes. I was. I found these prophecies at the Moon Temple.”
