Nights of Fire & Ash

Chapter 11

The next few months, I had taken almost daily walks with Makiel helped heal parts of me that were more broken than I cared to admit. Tatiana helped me learn to engage my emotions by painting even though I was dreadful at it, and I had convinced Caythan to help me get into shape. I had started eating and taking care of myself. I barely looked like the woman who had been in the woods all those months ago.
I had yet to sleep through the night unless someone was in the room with me. I was starting to feel like a whole new person.
That was when I finally found the courage to start asking more questions about what happened to Tatiana, her family, and how she became a High Fae.
"I am curious, Tatiana. You said you were a human before?" We had taken a walk through the hedge maze. I had initially worried that the constant summer season would become too dreadful, but when it wasn't too hot, I didn't mind the warmth, not when I could spend days reading at the beach. Actually, the place where Makiel and I had wondered to that night early in the year became a safe space for me. Makiel would venture out with me, and he would make me smile and laugh.
"Yes, I was. With everything going on, do you really want to talk about this?" Tatiana diverted. "I was thinking that you and Makiel would like to go out to the theatre. There is this lovely little ballet being performed; it has beautiful dancing and music. Zathrian and I are going tonight, and I would just love the company."
"Stop changing the subject." My eyes darted up to her. "If I am not going back to the human realm and obviously no one is here looking for me, then why do I need to be human?"
"I just- if Makiel heard me telling you about this," Tatiana shook her head and looked around.
"I will agree to your sly double date if you tell me about what happened." I cocked my eyebrow at her. I had agreed to wear a gown today just because I had to put up with spending time with the Summer King this morning.
"Fine, I thought I was being a little more inconspicuous. I should have invited Heldius too." I rolled my eyes at her. "There is a pool at the top of the mountain. There is some legends that it is the birth place of the entire Fae World. Everything is tied to it. Rivers run off of it, trees and plants absorb its magic, the Fae magic is derived from there. It is literally the birthplace of it all. Well, humans who are able to travel up the mountain, and take a bath in the pool are transformed into Fae. Most people don't have the strength to make it up the mountain and perform the ritual at the top of it."
Well, that sounds more challenging than I thought. I was hoping that sone witch waved a hand over me and poof, I was all better.
"Whatever you're thinking. You can't just take off and do it. The mountain is a sacred place, and once you're Fae, you're not allowed on there during the passage for a human. Makiel, Heldius, Caythan, myself... We aren't allowed to help you. The magic around the mountain will bar us from stepping foot on there." Tatiana warned me and plucked a stray flower. She twirled it in her fingers.
"You did it though." I pointed out. She looked up at me and immediately back down at her flower.
"I did, but I don't recommend it. The ritual is disturbing, and if I had had any strength to go back down, I would have turned around." We were coming around to the pool of light and the angel.
"Oh, come on. You found your mate who you can spend all eternity with, and you're telling me you'd rather look like a grandma and be with him than the way you are now?" I scoffed at her. For whatever reason she did not want me to complete the ritual, I felt like she was selfish for it.
"I'm serious, Raeva. Think what you want about the way Zathrian and I are now, but I don't think that I would in a million years do that again." She cocked her eyebrow. "And seventy years into this, I am not sure that I want to live for several thousand more."
"I can't find out what happened to my family in the way that I am now." I mumbled. In these last few months, I knew it too. If I found out what happened to them in the condition that I am in, I will be slaughtered by whatever killed them first.
"I understand how angry you are, but believe me, some things are better left in the unknown." She stopped me and grabbed my shoulders. "Makiel and Zathrian promised that they would look and search for something, anything that would give them clues. We just have to wait."
I was so tired of waiting. So tired of not knowing. I had to have some closure to what was happening.
"Fine, but I am not giving up on this. If I am going to live here, I don't want to grow old while all of you stay young and beautiful. It just isn't fair." I rolled my eyes at her. "In ten years, I will start to get wrinkles, and you will just be standing around all perfect. It's just horse shit."
Tatiana giggled. "Well, maybe in time, you will be able to talk to Makiel about this."
And there we go, back on Makiel again. She was pushing me so hard to accept his advances. I found him charming, definitely handsome, but I wasn't sure I was ready to let him into my heart just yet.
"Okay, fine. We talked about the thing, so now, we get to go inside and get all made up for the ballet tonight. I will tell Echa that you will require your most elegant, simple dress to wear tonight. You will love it. The music is light and spectacular, and the dancers move in ways that just astonish me every time I see them." Tatiana was practically squealing as she drug me inside to get ready.