Page 17 of Fae's Mate
“Seki! Over here!” Calls Alana, who is sitting on the floor amidst a pile of cushions and books.
Riley is sat beside her, his nose firmly planted in the book in his hands. Beside him sits Amber, who is braiding Willow’s hair.
“Look what I found.”
She spins a comprehensive book towards me and, sprawled across both pages, is a beautifully drawn map. It’s a wonky circle—an island—divided into four territories. A mountain range stretches along the entire north coast, and there are several large forests and two great lakes, one in the northeast, and one in the south.
“Ethea…” I read the calligraphy name that swirls along the top of the page. “That’s the name of the fae realm?”
“I assume so, look—” she points to the north-west corner, “that’s the autumn palace, that’s where we are. I can’t see a gauge for the size of the island, but… its split into the four seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… This book explains about each of the courts. It turns out they are in some sort of perpetual state… like is it always autumn here, always springtime in the Spring Court and so on.”
She explains the climate and brief history for each as I scan the map in front of me. The Winter Court looks almost entirely cut off, the mountains to the north reaching down through the border between Autumn and Winter. There is a small opening between Winter and Spring, running from the edge of a forest in the middle, to the east coast.
“I’m not sure if any of this helps, but… I figured, at least it’s nice to know where we are.” Alana explains.
“Have you found anything on magic yet?” I ask, “Where it comes from? Who has it? How its… channelled? The High Lord made it sound like there was a limit to how much a fae could use.”
Alana shakes her head. “No, but I’ll keep looking.”
“He said they need to ‘gather’ more magic to re-open the portal,” Charlotte confirms.
“And earlier he told me that his brother used so much… that it rendered him unconscious.”
“But there were two unconscious Fae in the woods. Who was the other one?”
I’d forgotten that, and shrug. I wonder if the second fae had just been assisting the High Lord’s brother, or if they had also sought to drag through a ’mate’.
“What else did the High Lord say to you?” Alana questions me.
“Well, it turns out his brother opened the portal because he thinks one is us is hismate.”
“Mate?”
“Yeah… I don’t suppose you have found anything on mates in your research?”
“Nope.”
“You mean like soulmates?” Riley asks with a scoff, finally lifting his head from his book.
“I don’t think so. He didn’t finish telling me, but I feel it’s a big deal if his brother was willing to risk so much to drag his here.”
“You don’t believe in soulmates Riley?” Amber asks, as she deftly weaves Willow’s blue locks.
“No, I think sometimes you’re lucky and find someone decent, but destined to be with one person, pre-ordained by fate or whatever… no.”
“I think it’s nice to believe that there is someone out there who is perfect for you.” Alana says with a wistful grin.
“You’ve been reading too many fairy tales!” Riley teases.
A ripple of laughter passes through the group.
“We need to find out how magic works here, and how much is needed to send us home.” Amber suggests, and she finishes Willow’s braid.
“And what it means to be a fae’s mate, how we work out who the portal wassupposedto drag through.”
“Why does it matter who?” Willow asks. “It’s not like any of us are going tostay.”
She has a point.
