3

THREE

Ember

Worst birthday present ever. I couldn’t have asked for anything worse than finding a smokeshow of a mate in my favorite bar on my 21st birthday. I honestly think he’s the hottest thing to walk this– NO.

I immediately stripped and got in the shower once I arrived home. Being in water just helps me feel grounded, connected with the universe. I let the trickling wash away the chaos of the night.

“Ember, get yourself together this is just the moon’s mating pull bringing out crazy emotions,” I say to myself while the water runs down my back. Sitting on the ground with my knees pulled up to my chest and makeup running down my face, this is how Amara finds me.

“Oh sweet Em, I’m so sorry. Look on the brightside, you’re going to be a princess!”

What the stars?

“Excuse me?” I choke out under the water, tears rolling down my cheeks. “What are you talking about?”

She reaches in and turns off the shower. I stand up in all my naked glory. Amara is a fire & air faerie so she uses air magic to dry me off and brush my sad pink strands. She knows I’m emotionally drained from this shit show of a day. She’s truly my twin flame and my mate, in friend terms. I honestly don’t think I need anyone else in my life.

After she helps me remove my makeup, we climb into my cozy bed together, surrounded by cotton, linen, and satin blankets, in multiple shades of pink. She holds me and begins explaining what happened, helping me process in a time that is more suitable for my overwhelmed brain right now.

“Sweet Em, that was the Crown Prince Willow Bryton.”

I don’t respond for several seconds as those words sink in. Then, it feels like a tsunami of emotions has flooded my chest. “Excuse me?”

Hissing through her teeth, Amara continues. “You are mated to the Crown Prince of Estrallume and he was beyond devastated when I informed him you hate love, romance, and mates especially,” she whispers as if her quiet tone would help the gut punch not hurt so much while she tells me who I’m mated to.

“Good. I won’t be falling in love with a prince. You’ve got to be kidding me.” I scoff and bury my face into my pillows and let out a mild scream.

“Honey, he is the world’s sweetest slice of elderberry pie. You better fall in love with him. You deserve what he can offer you, Em. You’re such a gem, and not just because you own a gem shop.” She gently hits me with a pillow.

I let out a sad laugh but continued to sniffle my tears away. I can’t do this. My parents died because they blindly followed each other into the mystic forest for love. They were murdered because of it. The mate bond is too strong, it’s too risky. Barely anyone is able to resist the pull of the moons. I have things to accomplish and I can’t be some Prince’s royal prize? No way.

Don’t get me wrong I love luxurious things as much as the next Fae but I refuse to let someone else own my heart. I refuse to give up that much control. With the rebellion taking larger strides, I have to stay focused.

I cannot be selfish.

“Amara, I really don’t want this. I’ve never wanted anything less than this. We are finally making strides with The Ascension and it’s possible in a few years we could see serious change in these villages. Estrellume, Faerelle, the whole world needs to experience revolutionized courts and civil freedom. We deserve our peace to be restored.”

“You could be that new court, Em!”

“No.” I shake my head and say quickly, “Not like this. I don’t want that kind of power. I’m not cut out for that level of pressure. Leading the Ascension is one thing, leading a kingdom is just outright terrifying.”

I’ve been a co-leader in the Ascension for about 2 years now. I joined the rebel guild after my 19th birthday, a year after I graduated from university. We’re doing everything we can to eject the useless Bryton’s and denounce their claim to the throne. After the previous Moonlace regime was slaughtered, The Brytons stepped in and have caused more poverty and crime, magic restrictions, food shortages, and countless murders, than any regime known in history. The king has hidden in his castle the entirety of his rule and barely made any efforts to help the fae. We’ve had to look after ourselves, which has sadly resulted in many selfish faeries only looking after their own coin. There’s no order, no balance.

There’s a particular fear that hovers over our lands now.

The Decay is causing irreparable food shortages, high trade costs, and starving families. Even the greatest scholar-talented faeries can’t determine the cause or cure for our Decaying lands. They believe it’s a magical curse that has been infecting our lands for years now but no one knows what the catalyst was. If ingested through food, it will sicken even the strongest of fae.

Not to mention the countless babes that have gone missing in the night from several districts of the capital city. The faerie peace is no longer being upheld.

Shaking that terrible thought away, I sit up in bed. “I want my cake. I deserve my cake.”

Amara flicks her wrist and uses her air magic to lift the cake from downstairs, along with some forks, and floats it over the loft railing. It hovers just above our hands and drops perfectly into our laps, then we begin digging into my glorious cake.

“Cheers!” Amara laughs and clinks her cake covered fork with mine. She makes everything better.

Just before we’re about to inhale the remaining piece of cake, Brooks busts through the door downstairs. “Ladies, Ladies.. Did you actually forget about me? That’s my slice!” He makes his way upstairs and scoots into bed on my other side.

After we’ve devoured the sweet treat, I fall asleep being held by my two favorite people on the hardest day of my life. Along with Amara’s fire orbs providing us warmth and soft lights, we peacefully drift off into exhaustion.

The next morning, I woke up without my two favorite people. Instead, being greeted by the smell of eggs, toast, and berries being prepped in the kitchen below. A smile slowly spreads on my face.

I’m so grateful for my friends and their continued ability to help me see the good in life.

I don’t know what I’d do without them most days. In truth, Brooks and Amara are the best family I could have ever dreamed of.

I decided I’ve done enough pouting and climb out of the cozy covers. I put on a black tunic with rose gold trim, black leggings and my treasured star covered dagger strapped to my outer right thigh. I tie my hair back in a braid and head downstairs. I find Brooks sprawled on my soft pink sofa, and Amara plating breakfast for us.

They both turn to me and drop their mouths open, stunned in silence.

“What?” I  ask.

Brooks sits up, “Dude, those are the brightest mate rings I’ve ever seen. It’s like they’re glowing by starlight themselves!”

“Ember I think the moon and stars have blessed this mating bond… Your eyes are truly glowing. Wow, it’s like they were bathed in the stars!”

I drop my head back and sigh. “Screw those damn stars.”

“You don’t mean that!” Amara gasps.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I level her with a stare. “Of course I don’t mean it, it’s just that this is utterly ridiculous and came at the worst timing. I couldn’t have planned it worse myself. Now, can we please just ignore it?” I sigh and sit in a stool at the kitchen counter. “We need to get prepared for tonight’s run to the inner city.”

I begin browsing through maps of the underground tunnels that flow and run through all of Estrallume.

Brooks whistles. “Oh yeah, they’re going to be so easy to ignore when they shine brighter than Amara covered in glitter. This is going to be one hell of a time.”

“Em, the stars would never give you something you couldn’t handle. Especially a mate for life. They would have hand selected him to be your equal. You have to at least talk to him, please.” Amara starts to gaze off with dreamy eyes. “If you don’t I will.”

A hot sensation starts buzzing in my stomach. My skin feels flushed and prickly. Looking at Amara makes me want to tackle her at the same time. What is this? Jealousy? Ugh, the moons are really going to make me crazy with these emotions. I don’t even know the guy and already feel a sense of territorial claim over him.

I ignore their protests and continue, “Okay, we’re not talking about this anymore. And B, you know tonight is important. If we can catch sight of the assailant, then we’re one step closer to capturing them.”

Brooks stands from the couch to join Amara on the other side of the kitchen counter. I watch him attempt to steal a few slices of bacon and Amara blows a gust of wind, pushing him out of the room and back towards the couch. Brooks exhales, and walks towards the couch and falls back into his slouching position.

Amara chimes in that breakfast is ready.

After eating in silence for a majority of our meal, I offer them a break. “I really can’t thank you both enough for being there for me yesterday. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

We quickly devour our food and drop the dishes in the sink. I use my water magic to splash thin streams over the plates, then Amara uses her air magic to dry them bare. She floats them back to their cabinets and softly shuts the ornate doors. We all smile at the little blessing it is to have magic from the stars in our human forms. That is something we are taught to be grateful for by the ancient texts.

Being lunar blessed creatures, our faerie form can charge the magic of our human forms, allowing us to have the size and agility of being human along with our elemental magic. It’s one of the main reasons why faeries stay in their human forms most often. We’re significantly less delicate, but can still access our fangs, wings and magic.

We flash into our faerie forms at the same time, heading for the windows, just as Amara shoots a gust of air to shove them open. The three of us hover above the courtyard to my shop, Amara’s Sparkles. My loft is directly above the shop, making the commute to work a major convenience.

The gardens below which lead to the entrance of my shop, consist of natural herbs and spices which are used in some of my regularly stocked elixirs. Along with a luscious collection of peonies, poppies, and petunia flowers which bloom year round with soil rich of my earth magic. In the back, my shop contains a crystal lab, where I analyze and test the quality of each crystal. This is how I guarantee the highest quality gems, crystals and minerals for my customers. I’ve built rapport among the community and guilds. I take pride in being the most successful crystal supplier in Faerelle.

Under the sun, our faerie forms won’t charge their magic. We can only charge magic under the light of the 3 moons. This means we can only fly for short distances in the sun. Otherwise, we’re draining the strength of both forms and have to await the rise of our moons before we can replenish. Or, we have to use moon charged products like bath milks, moon dust, moonstones, moon wax candles, or consume moon charged elixirs. Flying under the moons allows for faeries to not only gain access to magic in their human form, but also experience a sense of home with the stars.

Our goddesses.

Our gods.

Some say, the ancients are the moons themselves. That we are descendents of them.

The first moon, La Luka, is the smallest of the three moons. It was named after Luka Lamone, the prince of the north continent, who won the first war against Kalderr in the early years by brute strength alone.

The moon of strength and power.

Although we still won the second war, it was thanks to the sacrifice of the lune lovers. The last two ancient’s to walk this earth who made the decision to sacrifice themselves to destroy Kalderr and with them, destroying the remaining ancients. So we call our second moon La Lune.

The moon of love and sacrifice.

Lastly, the third and largest moon. La Lieta is the youngest moon, gifted to our planet after the third war. Tribute to the longest and bloodiest war against the shadow king. King Morak and Queen Meelis Moonlace were the prime’s that led us to victory and restored peace to our lands. They were the last regime to rule Faerelle before the Brytons.

The moon of perseverance & patience.

Combined, the six values of our moons create The Waning Will, a treaty binding the remaining faerie race to serve the will of the moons and stars, trusting that their path is prosperous and peaceful.

If faeries can strive to uphold the standards of each moon, then they can always be sure they’re living a life of honor for those that fought for our freedoms. The only problem is, we’re seeing more and more signs of our freedoms being taken each day. And that’s why we fight in the rebellion, in The Ascension, against The Bryton’s reign. That awful, preposterous family is a joke and continually fails to lead this realm to the peace it deserves.

Somehow, even after the third and final war, calm has not been felt in our lands. It’s as if a cloud of death and chaos is crowding over  us. The family that is supposed to be protecting and leading us just continues to hide in that fucking star covered castle.

Tonight, we’re praying the moons are shining in our favor so we can gain some footing with our investigations of the murders and kidnappings taking place within the twelve districts. We suspect the reason they’re only taking place in the capital is because it’s crowded and easy to go unnoticed. The only problem we’re facing is that we fail to see them come and go each time and every time they leave a massacre in their wake.

“Okay, first we need to stop by Pete’s to grab ammunition for tonight’s run. Brooks, can I send you to The Mort to gather cloaking leaves? I’ll be able to make cloaking spells in the laboratory at the lab back at base.” I ask Brooks.

“You got it. I’ll catch you guys later. Please look after my girl, Em.” Brooks says as he leans down to kiss Amara on the forehead. He then takes off to The Mort, our local trades and goods market. Amara and Brooks have had a subtle fling for years. They’ve never fully acted on their feelings, and I suspect that’s because they’re impatiently waiting for a mate bond to register between them. In all honesty, I don’t know if it ever will since they’ve known each other since they were babes and it hasn’t happened yet. It’s been an unspoken concern for years.

I’ve managed to use my supplier connections from Amara’s Sparkles to get us access to less publicly available materials. Having earth faeries that trust my place in The Ascension has helped us tremendously as we get our footing in the rebellion. The new base was just developed by builder-talented faeries and earth elemental faeries in the Mystic Mountains, just north of Doom’s Grove. Brooks is a builder-talented faerie, making him extremely strong and a brute force to be reckoned with. Along with a faerie’s elemental powers, you can also be assigned a talent.

Talents are assigned on your 12th birthday, alongside your elemental powers when you accept the moon’s essence into your soul and discover what magic you are blessed with. More common Fae are assigned one element, two elements are more rare, and three or four elements are nearly unheard of since the primes left our world.

I sorta always knew I’d be an earth faerie.

Since I can remember, I’ve had such a passion for nature, and the way things grow and die. The cycle of life.

So on my 12th birthday, when the 3 of us headed to the Cosmic Chapel outside of Estrallume to drink the essence of the moons, I wasn’t even surprised to be assigned Earth and Water powers. Alongside those elements, I was given a talent for empathy. It’s not a common talent, but it comes in handy when you’re trying to decipher what gems are real or not, or determine which vendors are lying to you about the quality of their products.

As we hover in the sun’s rays just above my garden, I can only hope we gain ground tonight on the issues we face.

FOUR

Ember

Comet Cottages is a small village, the  farthest away from the capital city. It’s covered in charming cottages so closely packed that most alleyways only fit one person at a time. Some people have trees growing inside their homes, and balconies on their roofs that face the moonlight. Fae orbs liter the air and provide a small glow at all times. Vines grow on all the buildings, stone pathways, and plentiful blooms of flowers surround each home. And of course, the Lumon Creek that runs through all the land glowing bright for all to see. The creek holds a new meaning for me now, reminding me of the prince I never asked to be mated to.

As Amara and I fly northwest towards the Mystic Mountains, we spot a single birch tree turning red at the base of its trunk.

I nearly flew headfirst into the closest tree at full speed.

A flash of light and we’re both back in our human forms, slowing walking towards the dying birch tree with hesitance.

I hold my tears back and kneel before the tree. I reach out with trembling fingers to touch the strange red bark. “I think it’s in pain, Amara. I can feel it weeping.” I whisper on a shaky breath.

“Oh Em, I’m so sorry.” She rests her hand on my shoulder and stands behind me, providing some amount of comfort. “This is the first I’ve seen of The Decay spreading this far north. It’s going to take over the village in just a few years. We need to let the others know right away. We can start preparations.”

“You’re right. It’s possible that this year’s crops are already ruined.” I press my forehead to the bark and send a prayer to the moons. “I just can’t believe it’s finally here. I thought we would have found a cure by now.”

“Would you like me to put it to rest?” Amara asks kindly.

I sniffle and try to center my emotions. I often become overwhelmed with empathy when I’m touching another living thing. No matter what mental blockers I have in place, physical connection can be such a strong conduit that I’m unable to block out the emotions.

“Please,” I whimper and begin to pull away from the tree.

Once I’m far enough away, and the emotional connection begins to sever, Amara sparks the tree into flames. My heart burns with it. Using her air magic, she is able to contain the fierce fire to only this tree. The birch wood turns to ashes quickly. I watch with tears trickling down my cheeks.

Amara looks at me over her shoulder and sees the tears building in my eyes. She nods her head sympathetically and invites me to help her send the tree into its next life. Together, we gather the ashes in our hands and stand to face each other.

With our eyes closed, we say in unison “From the moons, to the moons. May you rest and return to peace. Awaiting your next journey among the stars.” We allow Amara’s magic to whisk the ashes away, scattering them among the wind and completing the death process.

We open our eyes and watch as the wind carries the tree’s remains on a breeze brought by Amara’s air magic.

Then, our gazes turn to the remaining red tainted roots and burned grass. The Decay resembles veins on a fae’s body. Red lines jutting in all directions until the tree withers from the inside-out. The fungal disease started when the remaining Moonlace royal bloodline were found dead over 20 years ago. I was just a babe during that time, so I don’t recall the Decay being of substance until I was almost 10. It spreads painfully slow.

It began with one sunflower farm, just outside the capital city. At first, we didn’t understand what it was. A disease on the land? An infestation?

It’s said that the Decay was brought to our lands when king Morak Moonlace witnessed the vicious murder of his mate, the queen, Meelis Moonlace. His heartbreak cursed all of Faerelle.

When her heart stopped beating, the mate bond was torn in half. Rumors say king Morak’s heartbreak cursed the land in the name of vengeance for his family’s brutal deaths at the hands of a shadow beast that infiltrated the palace.

king Morak and Queen Meelis were never blessed with children. So, after the loss of his mate, king Morak didn’t see a purpose in living anymore. The pain of a bond tearing is too much to bear.

No one was able to find or track the shadow beast summoned to destroy the Moonlace bloodline, the last remaining royal line that had primal blood flowing through their veins. Some say the shadow beast disappeared from thin air. It’s all speculation at this point. Truths twisted through sharp tongues in dark hallways.

We still don’t have much knowledge on the cause of the Decay but we do know it takes years to spread and devour the land. Once it’s taken over the lands, the crops within a mile radius are no longer safe to consume. It’s a poison that will kill even the strongest Fae if ingested. It’s taken nearly 20 years for it to spread this far north from the outskirts of Estrallume.

If I’m being completely honest, I blame the Bryton’s. But I blame their rancid family for most issues in this kingdom. Including the insanely high trade cost for basic meat and produce.

UGH.

I can’t believe I’m mated to King Bryton’s oldest son. He’s probably equally as terrible as his father. Hidden behind the walls of their precious palace.

“Em, I can see you simmering with resentment from here,” Amara says, calling me back from the depths of my thoughts. She stands facing me from the outer trees of the clearing I remain in.

I roll my eyes and begin walking towards her. “I just can’t process that I’m mated to a Bryton. It’s an obvious joke, right?”

“Based on those shining mate rings, I don’t think this is much of a joke.” She offers me a soft smile with sympathy in her eyes. “You might be avoiding him but the stars and moons are up to something. We just don’t know what yet. You have to be patient and listen to their guidance, Em. We’ve been raised to trust in their mate choices and I know love is scary, but maybe it’s time to try something new?” Amara says with a soft smile.

I exit the clearing and reachout to join hands with Amara. Together, we begin walking northeast, continuing our journey to the glimmer caves.

“I don’t think I want to find out what’s planned for my love life. Amara, I don’t have room in my dark heart to love another person right now. I’ve barely coped with my past, I can’t even begin to think about the future. I can’t give another person, prince or not, a piece of myself when I feel like I’m nothing more than bones and faerie dust. We have so much to accomplish with The Ascension and I dedicated my life to see it through.” I look to the stars as if they’ll give me an answer. Of course, the sun is the only thing to look back at me during this time of day.

“Maybe you’d be surprised what you’re capable of accomplishing when you allow others to give back to you.” She squeezes my hand and starts to sway our arms between our bodies, just like when we were younger and walking the halls of Astrelle University.

I scoff. “You sound like your mother.” We giggle and flash into our faerie forms again. Travel is much faster in this form, and since we’re conducting our mission after moon rise, we’ll be able to recharge our magic along the way.

We continue on our flight to the Glimmer Caves, where the Ascension has made a homebase, buried in the Mystic Mountains. The tunnel system is known as the glimmer caves among our guild, since the opening has been anointed with ancient magic and hidden from those not initiated into The Ascension. You have to navigate through the mountains thick, milky mist, in order to journey to the cave entrance. The thick white mist covers most of the land, except the stoney peaks which jut out high through the clouds.

The mist hinders seeing anything more than a few feet in front of you.  It will dissipate and reveal a different path for you to follow each time. Without fail, the magical fog of the Mystical Mountains sway and move like the tides of the sea, making it nearly impossible for anyone to track us.

The peaks are home to many mythical creatures such as unicorns, trolls, sprites, sirens, shades, and more. Thank the stars, I’ve never encountered anything hostile since following the glimmer’s paths set for our guild. Although, we have had members accompanied by unicorns and sprites along their trek – making for far less boring travel.

In addition to creatures of all sizes, the mountains are sprinkled with multiple landscapes that blossom and thrive with magical life. The Decay thankfully is nowhere near this area yet. One of the more famous landscapes are the rare moon milk pools.

The moon milk pools are one of the most famous celestial centers for connection to the cosmic realm. It is said that if the Mystic Mountains guide you to a moon bathing chamber, then you are to experience a life altering event. Many faeries leave the caves becoming beings of legends. There are myths that faeries have departed the milk baths with restored health and fertility, brute strength, additional talents, riches and wealth, along with more outlandish rumors. Maybe I’ll find a moon milk cave this trip and wish for my mating bond to never exist.

One can only hope, right?

✶

We arrive at the base of the mountains, where we flash into our human forms to preserve our magic for the night.

As I pass a bunching of blueberry bushes along a parted pathway within the clouded peaks, I find myself thinking of my dilemma. I’m reminded of his dark blue hair, the way it shined under the moonlight the night he tackled me to the ground. The way it felt to have his muscular body pressed on top of me. His legs were strong and toned, pinning me down, all I wish is to stay trapped underneath him forev–

What the stars?

I groan with frustration and throw my head back, running my hands down my face,

“The moons are driving me insane with this mating pull. I just thought about his thighs, for fucks sake.” I glance over at Amara walking beside me as we pass through a forest of blueberry bushes. She’s looking away from me, hiding an obvious smirk.

“We don’t know much about the prince. He could be charming, gorgeous, kind, and not to mention gorgeous…” she pauses like she’s considering if her next words are worth my annoyance. “You really ought to give it a shot, Em. He was drool worthy. There’s a possibility he’s nothing like his father?” Amara beams at me with hope in her eyes. I roll my eyes at her and continue trying and failing to not think about the crown prince.

In truth, hearing her admit she noticed him being stunning, gorgeous, and outright delicious makes me want to rip her head off. I’m not the jealous type, but the moons are driving me to be territorial over someone I’ve barely even met. How is that possible? How do the moons know he’s right for me?

We don’t know each other and I refuse to do the proper acquancy rituals to help with that. The next time I see him I’m going to make it abundantly clear I’ll be rejecting this bond. Since, I know I’ll be seeing him again soon, regardless of whether I like it or not. The moons find a way of forcing us into close proximity, that much I know from what I was taught at the Cosmic Chapel growing up.

I remind myself I owe him nothing.

His family is enough of a giant red flag as it is.

Not to mention, Prince Willow is such a mystery to the lands of Estrallume. The king has kept all his children out of the spotlight. We aren’t even sure how many children he truly has. He rarely lets them leave the palace grounds. There’s been rumors about appearances, magical elements and talents, but nothing of substance that would have aided in recognizing him at the Twinkle Tap last night.

Some reports say that the prince is following in his father’s footsteps. Preventing trade outside of the markets of Estrallume, implementing magical restrictions, allowing crime and murders to go unpunished.  Not doing anything to help combat the Decay and starvation it’s causing among our villages. I think the Bryton’s are lazy, selfish rulers who care only for the coins they sleep on.

As we continue to follow the glimmer’s pathway to the caves, I start to wonder what I need to do to break this mating bond. All faeries have the power to reject mate bonds, but the issue is that you will never be mated again. The cosmic chapel believes in true mates.

One mate for every fae. And only one shot to complete it.

A bond that is blessed by the cosmos, forever.

When a faerie is born, the moons carve your soul with a missing piece that only your mate can fill. The moons decide who you’re bonded to and faeries are only able to produce children with their true bond, and enjoy an eternity being loved by someone. I don’t know if I even want children. You can deny your bonds but the Cosmic Chapel will never bless a union outside of a traditional mating bond.

That doesn’t stop fae from fucking around and enjoying pleasure until their mate is finally assigned. Although, some fae respectfully wait for their bonds.

My heart stings a bit at imagining life without my bond. I reassure myself it’s just the moons driving me mad, and not a real desire to keep him close.