Stone Magus by Stephanie C. Marks

Author:Stephanie C. Marks [Marks, Stephanie C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stephanie C. Marks

Chapter 25

***Ruby***

A wingless fae bent to help me to my feet and glanced at the pendant around my neck. “You must be Ruby. You will be pleased to know that Beryl did an exemplary job.”

My head twisted to look for Baer. He lay in the grass next to a tree. I ran to him and rolled him onto his back to check for breathing.

“He’ll wake with a headache but is otherwise all right.” Startled by her sudden proximity, I jumped. “Many refuse to hear the music, and for those who do, well . . .” She gestured toward Baer. “Especially the song Beryl chose.” She scratched the side of her lip with her thumb, pulling down a smile.

“Is she all right?” I asked.

“For someone not full fae, you lasted far longer than others have. Beryl finished the entire piece, and you survived. That is a major accomplishment.”

Baer stirred and gasped before bolting upright and grabbing his temples. I turned to ask another question, but the faerie had vanished. His head snapped up, and he sighed in relief when he saw me resting back on my heels, waiting.

His eyes settled on my necklace. “Ruby! Are ye all right? I dinnae know what happened!” He stood with a groan, and giggles erupted from the tree above, making him growl. “Ye didna mention a faerie. How many are there in yer head?”

“I haven’t counted,” I said.

My worst fear was unfolding before me. No one trusted the fae—not even me—and now that he knew, he would leave. My eyes watered, and I turned away to wipe them. He helped me stand and dusted his hands off before gesturing for me to join him at the pond. The pebbles I tossed made rings when they splashed.

“After what just happened, it’s a fair question and time I told you,” I said.

He avoided eye contact and tied knots into a blade of grass while he waited. “I’m listening.”

“I guess we should start with me being part fae,” I said. He nodded for me to continue. “I’ve never been to the Vale myself, but Beryl has had business to attend to here before. I didn’t even know until recently. I mean . . . I did, but I’d forgotten.”

“Well, isna that convenient?” he said.

“You don’t believe me?” The tears welled again. It wasn’t my fault I couldn’t remember everything, and I did my best to be as transparent as possible with him.

He stood and paced a few steps as he spoke. “I feel like there is a lot ye dinnae tell me, Ruby. We’ve been taegether over two years now, and neither ye nor yer sister saw fit tae tell me about her. I still dinnae even know anything about how ye got tae be this way. Ye just want me tae accept it, and I love ye, so I have. But what else am I going tae find out?” he asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” I sighed. “I seem to have a lot of gaps in my memory, and so many new ones have been pointed out lately.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.