The Rise of the Vörður by Kari Robins

Author:Kari Robins [Kari Robins]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fowler Ink
Published: 2023-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

I jumped at the prospect of doing nothing but sightseeing. I was tired of training and wandering around the castle. Today, I just wanted to be Emma.

Before the sun had even peeked through the windows, I barged into Aric’s room without bothering to knock. When he refused to stir, I clambered onto the wide mattress, jumping up and down on his bed like a kid on Christmas morning.

“Get up! Get up! Get up!” I shouted again and again until he opened his eyes. He suppressed a laugh, chucking his pillow at me. “You’re insane, Em!” I fell to the floor in a heap of laughter as he rolled away, trying desperately to ignore me.

I crawled back up the bed, whispering in his ear. “Get up.” I giggled.

“I would,” he strained. “But you are sitting on my wings and I can’t move.”

I jumped off the bed. “Oh, my goodness. I’m so sorry, Aric. Are you okay?” I covered my mouth with my hands.

“They are a lot tougher than that. You didn’t hurt me.” He stood up, unfurling his wings behind him.

I’d seen them before, but that was with human eyes. Looking at them with my new fae eyes, I could see every detail. Billions of tiny hairs sprouted from each feather. Ebony, charcoal, and obsidian mixed with slate to create a stunning grayscale.

Aric turned his back to me and stretched. The spot where his wings met his back was soft, snowy white. The contrast deepened the tan of his skin.

“What?” he asked, when he noticed me watching.

I stood in stunned silence.

“Emma is speechless.” He laughed, ruffling his wings.

“They were beautiful before… but now? I don’t even know the word for them.” I walked around him, running my hands gently over the spine of his wings. The smooth silk tickled my palm. “They’re beyond amazing.”

“You’ve seen them before.” Aric chuckled.

“I don’t know. It’s like I’ve never seen them. At least, not like this.” I couldn’t stop looking at them, even as he tucked them tightly against his body.

“Let me see something. Come here.” He took me by the hand and walked over to his window. “Tell me what you see.”

I drew back the curtains. Colors popped brighter. Violet and fuchsia painted the sky behind the emerald of the treetops.

“It’s gorgeous.”

“I was wondering if that would happen.” I looked back to my brother as he spoke. “Now that your magic is unlocked,” he tracked the fresh lines on my arms, “Your senses are heightened. You’re fae now, in every way. You see like us, hear like us, and even fight like us.”

Aric jumped. His smile was full of mischief. “I bet if you concentrate you could hear something you couldn’t before. Close your eyes. Can you hear what is going on in the hall?”

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. There were footsteps and a rapid heartbeat. It grew louder as the person came closer. They were standing outside my room. The heartbeat grew faster. Then the smell hit me: lilacs.

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