The Faerie Curses

Chapter Eight: The Price of Being Saved

I nodded silently to Nicholas' parents, and they dropped some red rose petals into my open palm. I approached Nicholas' grave. I had never known him, I had seen him occasionally in the corridors of the academy before I was sent to rescue him, but I had never spoken to him. I had never introduced myself to him. I wish I had.

Nicholas' body looked different than the burnt, scratched one that I had watched get carried out of The Hall of Mirrors. Inside the grave he looked peaceful, as if he were simply asleep on a bed of rose petals. He was dressed in fine white robes, and his hands were gently folded over him. I was almost convinced that he was alive, that his eyelids would flutter open and he would stand up and climb out of the hole and into the sunlight. But Nicholas remained still. He remained dead.

My throat dry, I opened my clenched palm, and the petals drifted out of my fingers. A light breeze carried them into the hole, and they settled lightly on Nicholas' chest. In my head, I promised Nicholas that I would avenge him. I hoped that somehow, he had heard my thoughts and would someday forgive me like his parents had.

My eyes climbed to Nicholas' headstone.

Nicholas, it read. Talented caster, and beloved son and friend. May you rest with the Everwhites.

I felt hollow as I walked away from his grave, watching as Nicholas' parents shook Glen's hand and gave him pats on the shoulder. Glen's usual cockiness had faded for now, replaced with an grim emptiness as he dropped his rose petals into the hole. I returned to my place next to Noel, who gave me a small smile.

"I told you." Was all he said.

I waited, my black dress rustling around my legs. Hundreds of other faeries paid their respects, the slight murmurs to Nicholas' parents was the only sound.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Many told them, but I knew how pointless those words really were. Loss couldn't even cover the concept of losing someone you love. I knew that for sure.

Once each faerie had contributed to the ceremony, everyone opened their wings. Colors cascaded off of each pair, throwing spectacular light into the afternoon sky. I unfurled my wings as well, letting the sun's rays hit them. I stretched them out, so far that they almost hit Noel's gossamer wings. Each faerie joined hands. Hundreds of them, winter and summer, uniting. Noel grasped my hand, and I squeezed his slightly, finding comfort holding on to him. With my other hand, I held onto an instructor from Summer Academy. It was oddly beautiful, every faerie putting aside their differences to join together in remembering one of our lost lives.

Faintly I wondered if one day it could be like this, if both of the kingdoms could live in harmony. It sounded impossible and naive, because summer and winter fae have been sworn enemies since day one. It wasn't until Titania and Mab came into power that all the faeries developed a peace treaty, before their had been endless wars and bloodbaths. At least now both kinds weren't at each others' throats. Summer and Winter lived alongside each other, and we hadn't fallen into war in a long time. But even now as we all held hands, forming a winged chain around Nicholas' grave, I knew that the moment the ceremony was over things would go back to normal. There would be the same discrimination, the same grudges, but what scared me the most was that The Master could create just one catastrophe and send the entire realm into war.

Many of the fae from both kingdoms were just waiting for the next opportunity to slam the blame on each other. And I had no doubt that The Master could make that terrible thought a reality.

I studied each of the faeries, but none of them seemed to be glaring or shouting insults. They had their wings spread wide and their hands joined, and I rolled my eyes when I spotted the two girls beside Glen giggling gleefully at the fact their hands were in his.