Chapter 16

The rest of the day was a rush of having to do and be in too many places at once. His princess and her cousin spoke to the queen about what they had found out. Firo was thankful he hadn’t been required to be in the room for that. As soon as they were finished, it was off to Alterealm to fill in the royal family on the information. He had helped Liri add things to her timeline wall.

Firo was happy that the information to the prince from Veiltide was relayed through a call, because he wasn’t fond of being in that realm at all. There was land, of course, but for whatever reason, the residents preferred to be on the water, so it was long bridges of travel from one destination to another. He’d been told stories as a child of what lurked in their water, and as an adult, he still had no desire to find out for certain if they were right.

Once they were finished that, it was off to check on Aldis Hayden, Princess Reagan from Alterealm’s father. Aireese and Mystral had been slowly removing the spell from his mind to help him remember what had been unwontedly removed.

He had to admit that his princess was definitely in the category of working royal because even after the long day, they were still standing outside the café in Interealm in the early morning hours so she could check for any trace of magic.

He looked at the ceiling in the dark, hoping that sleep would come soon. His false relief that the mention of Avaline in Cenyerly Valley had been forgotten vanished when he heard the door to the adjoining sitting room open.

“I know you’re awake. We have to talk.”

He sighed. “I’ll be out in a moment.” Throwing the covers back, he grabbed his robe and quickly put it on. This talk was going to require some of her illegal human alcohol, that much he knew.

When he stepped into the room, he spotted the two full glasses sitting on the table between the furniture. Without acknowledging her, he sat down, picked up the glass, and drank down a quarter of the contents.

She smiled at him in a not-so-friendly way. “At least I don’t have to explain what we need to talk about.” She picked up the glass and sat back, pulling her feet up and covering them with the material of her robe. “Why does Amyas believe that Avaline had a child?”

He could have lied. Probably should have, but didn’t. “Because she did.”

“A son?”

He shook his head. “Daughter.”

She blew out a loud breath and then took a sip of the drink. “Mother doesn’t know.”

His eyes widened.

“No, I didn’t mention it to her.”

Firo sat back, relief flooding through him.

“Did you see her? The daughter?”

He nodded.

“She’s still lives?”

Another nod.

“Firo—” She huffed out a breath. “How come you didn’t tell me?”

He looked at the glass in his hands and studied the way the liquid was transparent, but not at the same time. “I made a promise.”

“To my sister?”

“Yes.” He looked at her and could see the hurt in her expression. It felt like a knife stabbing through his chest.

“She hid it well. No one could have known she was pregnant.”

“I didn’t even know.” He felt like that was something he needed to say. Avaline had hidden it so well that her own guard, who was with her fifteen hours a day, hadn’t noticed.

“Well, she was very good with magic.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t she want us to know? Mother would have been so less heartbroken to know she had a granddaughter—” Her eyes rounded. “The father wasn’t from FaTerra.”

His heart was beating erratically. Aireese was very intelligent and was going to fit pieces together that would release him from breaking a promise made to her sister.

“It doesn’t matter. Mother would still love a child that was half human.” She scoffed. “She would still be royalty.”

He flicked his eyes back to the glass.

“Firo.”

He clenched his teeth; he had no choice but to look at her. “Princess.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Her lover wasn’t human, was he?”

Firo shook his head and wished the reality was different, that he could tell her everything.

“Where was the child raised?”

He cleared his throat. “Interealm.”

“She arranged this before she died?”

He lifted his shoulders and then shook his head. “No.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You arranged it.”

“I did.” He took another big gulp of the liquid that burned all the way to his stomach.

“Is she still in Interealm?”

He nodded. Fewer words would keep him safer.

“Does she hold magic?” Airese was sitting forward now, her feet back on the floor.

“I’m—” He wasn’t sure if her wings could be called that. “Uncertain of that.” He knew she held strength, but her wings may be her only source of magic.

“So, you know her, still.” She nodded.

“I do.”

“Does she know what she is?”

He sucked in a breath and tried to sort through possible answers before he spoke. “I don’t believe she does, not really.”

Aireese stood up. “We have to go to her. She’ll have questions and need…”

He got up. “We can’t.”

A look of surprise on her face was replaced with suspicion. “Why can’t we?”

He looked at the floor. How was he going to explain this to her without landing himself in solitude for decades?

“Firo. Look at me.”

He did.

She came over and jabbed her finger in his chest. “We are more than guard and princess, you know that. We’re friends, and you can tell me anything.” She dropped her hand away and stepped back. “I know you promised my sister, but this is my niece.” Her eyes teared up. “A part of my sister and I want to know her.”

He wasn’t sure what was shattering more, his mind or his heart. “You can’t know her.” He set the drink down. “Not yet, at least.”

“Why? I’m not going to blurt out that she’s a member of the royal Fa Terra family—I do have some sense. I’d just like to meet her.”

“She doesn’t even know who I am.” He said it clearly, hating that it was the truth.

“But you said you…”

“I said she was alive, and I knew who she was.” He paced over to the cabinet and stood there. “I arranged for her to have a home and someone to care for her. I brought them whatever was needed, but she doesn’t know.”

“Why?” She was right behind him.

He turned around. “She can’t ever come here, Aireese. Your niece would be forfeited if she did. If your mother found out…”

“No.” She put her hand over her mouth. “She’s the halfling, isn’t she? Your intended is my sister’s halfling daughter.”

It was like a bomb went off in his head. He’d wanted to shout it a million times over the years, but now that the words were spoken aloud, he was afraid. “Yes.”

She paced away, her hand over her mouth again. When she stopped and her spine stiffened, he knew she had fit the final piece of the puzzle together. She spun around and looked at him. “It’s Ava, one of the Gemini women.” Her eyes were boring holes into his soul.

“It is.”

She put both hands over her mouth and looked at him.

He nodded and went over to where he’d set his drink and picked it up again. He swallowed down what was left in the glass and then turned and went over to the cabinet to get more.

“I don’t know what to say.” She whispered.

“What is there to say?” He scoffed. “I have a match that fate has provided me, to become the other half of my soul, and I can’t have her.” He filled the glass and put the bottle back in the cabinet. “I can not tell her who she is to me or this realm. I can’t even tell her who her father is, because I failed in my duty and had no idea my charge, your sister, had been seeing an angel when she evaded me and went to Interealm.” He turned around and lifted the glass in a toast and then took a drink.

Shaking her head, she went and sat down and picked up her glass. “That’s why you could find her when she was in trouble.”

He nodded to the back of her head and then went around and sat down across from her. “She doesn’t know what she is aside from part angel, she doesn’t know.”

“She has a lot of power, Firo, I know that much.”

“I know. I knew you would feel it from her, I can when I’m near her.”

“She has a lot of anger.” She said it quietly.

“Can you blame her? She thinks she was abandoned.”

“Avaline died giving birth to her.” It wasn’t a question.

“She wouldn’t let me bring her home for help.” His throat ached as he choked the words out. “She made me promise I would look after her child and protect her from your mother and our kind.” He leaned forward, set the glass on the table, and rested his elbows on his knees. “I agreed, but intended to get her here just as soon as the child was out, and then…”

“You touched her and knew she was for you.”

He nodded and then dropped his face into his hands. “I had no choice.” It didn’t make it right, he knew that, but it was the only defense he had.

“You were there at the end? Avaline wasn’t alone?”

“I was. I sat there holding her daughter as the rainbow stretched wide across the sky, and the air and earth reclaimed her.” He sucked air into his body. His chest was tight, and breathing was hard.

“You told mother you were there at the very end and had arrived too late.”

“I did. She knew she wasn’t alone. I told the truth, all except the child I held in my arms.” His princess sat there looking at him, and he was glad to see the compassion in her eyes. He knew it wouldn’t change the fact that he needed to answer for his sins, but to know she cared meant much to him.

“I wish—” She sighed. “I wish we could tell Mother and know that she would just be happy she had a grandchild, but…”

“But we can’t.” He finished for her.

“No. We can’t.” She picked up the glass and sat back. “She doesn’t look anything like Avaline.” She whispered.

He picked up his drink and emptied the contents in one swallow. “When her wings are full, she does. She looks just like her.”

Aireese gave him a puzzled look. “So, without her wings, she looks like her father?”

He nodded. “Her wings day-to-day are opaque because she doesn’t know how to reach her magic, but when the life of a child was at stake…”

She cocked her head to the side.

“The fire was a bus on fire, and she was inside with an injured, unconscious child.” He waved his hand, “I told her to use her wings, and she, at that moment, was able to find her magic. Her wings are very much from her father’s genes, then, but she looks like your sister with the wings of an angel.” He smiled, picturing how lovely she had looked.

Aireese sighed. “I would love to see that.” She cleared her throat. “What type of angel? Do you know?”

He shook his head. “He abandoned your sister, so I never gave him another thought until I saw Avalie’s wings…”

“Avalie?”

He sucked in a breath. “Your sister named her.”

“A family name.” She cleared her throat. “You need to find out what type of angel her father was.” She scowled. “Obviously, his intentions were not good, but we should know more.”

He watched her for a moment. “You’re not going to…”

“Punish you?” She snorted. “No. You are my only sanity in being part of this family, and I’m not giving you up.” She set the glass down and stood up. “We’ll find a way, Firo, I promise.” She gave him an understanding look. “It may not be right away, but you should be able to spend time with the one made for you at the very least.”

He stood up quickly. He wanted to hug her, but that was breaking a protocol that had been drilled into him. Instead, he bowed his head. “Thank you, Princess.”

She snorted. “Don’t thank me yet. This isn’t going to be smooth sailing, as the humans say.” She turned on her heel and went out the door leading into her quarters.

Firo stared at the door for a moment and then dropped down into the chair and leaned his head back on the back of it. He felt like a boulder had been lifted from his shoulders. Someone knew. After all these years, someone else finally knew his secret. He sighed and then froze and sat up. Of course, if it were Ava, that would be better. In no scenario he’d ever pictured was it going to be safe to tell her. He glanced at the window to see it was still dark. He had to try to sleep, even if it was only for an hour. His princess was too high-energy for him ever to allow himself to be tired.