AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But she was so powerful,” I cried. “Her pursuers were only human. Couldn’t she hide?”
He shook his head. “The All Mother wouldn’t let her. Meya made sure her location was discovered every time.” He laughed—a short, harsh sound. “I tried to hide too, my queen, and then a cold and barren wasteland sprung up around me. The All Mother won’t stand for an immortal being any more than she’ll stand for not being obeyed. Magic was a gift she gave us. It’s not our tool for disobedience.”
I nodded slowly. “Alisdair, why are you telling me this now?”
“Because there is only this,” he rasped—eyes unfocused staring off in the distance. “There was always only this.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I didn’t ask. “So what happened to her?” I said instead.
He didn’t reply. For a minute I thought he didn’t hear me. “She fled. She had no other choice but to flee. Constance stole a boat and sailed out into a storm, looking for a safe haven.
“She found Elva instead.”
“Elva? Our Elva?” A stupid response, because of course our Elva, but my surprise was warranted. “How could a human stumble upon our land?”
“She was so strong by that point—bloated on the power of thousands of souls. She saw right through the protections around our land, and from the minute she arrived, she was determined never to leave.”
“Why?” I asked, although I had a strong guess.
“Think of the world she left behind, Ana. A twisted, ignorant, misogynistic hellscape where men and women have magic, but only the women die for it. But then she arrives here, and not only is magic free and abound, but women are respected and revered. They’re the leaders and rulers of matriarchies.
“Constance had discovered her destiny. She was meant to be here, live here, rule here... as high empress of Elva.”
It was my turn to bark a sharp, incredulous laugh. “Excuse me? She, a human, thought she was destined to be ruler of our home?”
“By that point she was completely warped by bitterness and hatred. Much had been stolen from her, so she decided even more was owed to her in return.” He shook his head. “We were still simple people then. Farmers and traders. Half of us hadn’t left the forest yet. We had our own way, and it was right for us.
“But Constance only saw ignorant, long-eared simpletons. Weneededher to educate us and lead us into modernity. That’s why she determined she was to be our empress. She was the only one with the knowledge and power to lead us into the future, and she would make that happen by any means necessary. Elva was her prize after a lifetime of suffering.”
My lip curled, mirroring the same scorn on Alisdair’s scarred face. What disgusting arrogance. To see a group of peaceful people living a different way from you, and take it upon yourself to decide their way was wrong.
“I take it all didn’t go to plan.” I scoffed. “Or at least, I pray it didn’t.”
He laughed. “Oh yes, little bird. We long-eared simpletons put up quite a fight. Much more than she bargained for. Every attempted coup was foiled and put down. She was thrashed within an inch of her life by Gisela Raekin herself. And when we discovered her fear of a simple little thing like fire...” He hissed. “She was chased right back into hiding.”
I didn’t fight off my grin. “They discovered a way to hurt her even though she was cursed to transfer pain?”
“Ash from an oak tree. They coated themselves, their fists, and their weapons with it. Constance wasn’t so arrogant then.” He grinned back. “I myself don’t know how they figured out that trick, but they did. You are descended from the brightest and strongest women of an age, and you prove yourself brighter andstronger every day. Never forget that, my queen. Never forget how proud you make them.”
My insides warmed. Not because he said something wonderful. He’d been saying wonderful things about me since we met. I warmed because this time, I knew he meant them.
“Were they able to drive her out?” I asked. “Kill her for good?”
His grin faded away. “How I wish they were. But she was too strong, Ana, and stupid is a word she’d never been called. Our queens proved to be too fierce to defeat... so she created the binding spell.”
I shot up, eyes blown. “The bind— The binding spell?!Shecreated it?!” My mind spun—thrown in the whirlwind of everything I thought I knew flushing down the gutter. “But how? Why! How could she do that to faewomen after what was done to her?”
“To Constance, the bonds of sisterhood only extended as far as unquestionable loyalty to her ended. They became a threat to her, so she ended the threat with a single spell—binding their magic forever.” He sighed, dropping his head. “As you know, knowledge of the spell traveled far and wide, and Elva was forever changed.”
“Because of her,” I croaked. “Some random evil human bitch that never belonged here in the first place.”
He just nodded.
I sat down hard, staring in disbelief at the same spot Alisdair chose in the wall. “Why didn’t I know this?” I whispered. “Why haven’t I ever heard of Constance or what she did?”
“Because all knowledge of her and what she did was erased,” he replied. “By me.”
My lips parted, but nothing came out.
