The Last Daughter of Elysia

Chapter 28

Morgana sprinted all the way to Aelys's bedroom and burst through the door. The inside was like a crystal cave with a garden inside it. Light filtered through the open balcony and over the sparkling sapphire walls. In the corner of the room was an oozing pot of honeycomb that had a few bees buzzing around it. Potted plants and flowers dotted the room, like a lush garden in the middle of summer.

Aelys wore a light green chiffon gown, and Brighid wore a silky orange dress. They were lying on Aelys's four poster bed with their feet peeking through the gossamer lavender curtains. Brighid was reading and Aelys was writing something in a book. Both sat up when they saw Morgana in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" Aelys crawled over her resnim petal covers and hugged Morgana, who burst into tears.

Brighid glanced between them and gave Morgana a sympathetic look. "I'll see you later," she whispered to Aelys.

Aelys mouthed a thank you to Brighid as she shut the door.

"Sit down." Aelys guided Morgana to a gold chaise longue that had velvet cushions. Morgana hiccupped as Aelys poured her a glass of white wine. "Tell me what happened."

Morgana took a sip, then told Aelys everything. She told her about how Damon and Erik had killed her parents and that they were the ones who poisoned her. Morgana told Aelys about the voice that had been following her, and how she'd been lied to about her heritage by Damon and Erik. That she was a witch and not a human.

"What?" Aelys spluttered. "That can't be true."

"It is!" Morgana stood up. "I'm a witch, and Damon and Erik ..." Her eyes filled with tears, she was unable to continue. Morgana felt like there was a knife wedged in her heart.

Aelys stared at her for a long moment. "But you don't have proof of that, or of anything you just said. What if that scrying thing was a hallucination? If it was, then that means father and Damon didn't kill your parents. What if this is all in your head? What if it's Elysia's magic finally getting to you?"

Morgana stared at her for a moment, and doubt spread throughout her like poison. What if Aelys was right? What if it was all in her head, and she was making connections that weren't there? What if she really was a human who'd lost her mind because of Elysia's magic?

"You haven't lost your mind," hissed the disembodied voice.

A breeze rippled through the pot plants, fluttering leaves and petals.

Aelys jumped. "What was that?"

"That's the voice I told you about!"

Aelys's mouth dropped open.

"You will join Morgana in her journey, Aelys Golah, Princess of Golah Court," the voice was like a wind whispering through a pine forest.

"What?" Aelys was shrill. She spun in a circle, as if she could find out where the voice was coming from.

"I've told you to leave me alone!" Morgana yelled. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I want you to know who you are and to be ready."

Aelys and Morgana shared a look.

"Ready for what?"

"For your destiny and the truth about your history."

**

"This is so weird," Aelys said, turning down a corridor and walking past the kitchens where the smell of roasted chicken wafted, followed by the clang of pans hitting the stove.

The voice had instructed them to go to an address in Golah Village.

"How do you think I feel? I've been listening to that voice for months and I thought I was losing my mind because nobody else could hear it. Except for Elvenia, before she died." And Caliath. Morgana jogged to keep up with Aelys's hurried steps.