I gazed into his eyes, waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t, I said, “Tell me.”
His expression fell, his touch turning cool against my skin. “Ninety percent of the Spirit Fae died of unknown causes that day, destroying the kingdom. Your mother died with them. Mortus lived. And it seems to have awoken a curse, or that’s the myth, anyway.”
“A curse?” I repeated, my gaze darting back and forth across his face. “What curse?”
“No Spirit Fae has been able to procreate since that day. It’s said your mother’s betrayal cursed the Spirit Fae, sentencing their species to death.”
I gasped. “What?”
“There’s more.” He looked away, staring at the vines on the wall beside us. “Spirit Fae are life and death, the balance between all the elements. Without them…” He paused, clearing his throat and finally glancing back at me. “Without them, we’re expected to die.”
Claire
I stared at the vines above me, Titus’s words repeating over and over in my mind.
My mother cheated on her betrothed with my dad and created me.
Then fought her betrothed to the death.
And created a curse that would apparently kill fae kind.
I blinked. Numb. Cold. Alone. How did one just accept all that information? It wasn’t as if I cared much for my mother, having been abandoned by he
r at birth. But holy shit, what kind of person did this to other people? Er, fae, or whatever. It didn’t matter.
My mother had caused a pandemic. On purpose? By accident? I didn’t know. But that sort of legacy painted my mom in a horrid light.
It made her sound evil.
“Claire?” Titus murmured, having moved to sit beside me on the bed.
“Still processing,” I replied.
“Maybe we should talk about it more tomorrow?” he suggested.
I nodded mutely, not sure I could handle any more tonight. Hell, I couldn’t handle any more, period. “You must hate my mother,” I realized. “Oh God, everyone will hate me, too.” My chest ached at the sudden understanding. I would be condemned with her as the result of her infidelity, not just to Mortus, but to fae kind.
“Depends on their opinion of the prophecy,” Titus muttered, blowing out a breath. “But yeah, I think sleep is probably a good idea.”
“What prophecy?” I asked, ignoring his idea despite knowing I was at my limit for information.
“It’s a tale, Claire. A myth. It’s not true. Honestly, I think the whole curse thing is bullshit, too.”
“Then what is it?” I pushed. “Why would it impact someone’s opinion of me?”
“Because the prophecy says a fae with access to all the elements will break the curse,” he replied flatly. “Or doom us all.”
“Oh.” I started nodding. “Yeah, that’s brilliant. So I’m the daughter of a woman who destroyed the Spirit Fae, and possibly all fae. And I have access to all the elements, which could either rectify the situation or kill you all.” I gave a hysterical laugh that bubbled into a sob as I curled into myself. “This is just too much.”
I’d never experienced an easy life, having lost my parents before I could walk and being raised by two aloof grandparents who saw me as more of a burden than a gift. But this definitely took the cake.
“And you all want me to go to an Academy tomorrow? With a bunch of people who will clearly hate or fear me?” Another chuckle burst out of me. “Yeah, that’s going to go well.” Fuck. “Fuck.” I wanted to scream. To rant. To run. To fly. To something.
“Claire,” Titus murmured, his hand on my shoulder.
I brushed him off, but he gripped me harder, tugging me to him.
“Claire.”