Love’s Eternal Fire

Kesiray’s POV "Ray!" my mom screamed, standing in the doorway of our house as I sprinted out into the morning sunshine. A clear blue sky met my eagerness to be away in nature, alone and free. "Don’t wander too far! Make sure you keep to the path!" "I will!" I bellowed back, not slowing down. I was getting closer and closer to the safety of the thick green forest, the wind whipping my long brown hair and making it fly behind me. "I mean it, young lady!" she screeched, her tiny frame growing smaller the further away I became, but the command in her voice rang out loud and clear. Though she couldn't control what I did like an Alpha could, her command always held me to my word. My mom, Maevellia, fears me wandering too far away because the Phoenix shifters lived not too far from our territory. The fairies and phoenix didn’t get along. My mom explained it was from a war many years ago, but I didn’t understand what happened. It was lucky she let me go out alone; usually, she sent a guard with me to watch. Part of me turning ten this year was her agreeing that I was now old enough to go on small walls alone as long as I stayed close to our home. There were paths leading in and out of the woods. I was only to go on those paths and no others. My parents, sister, and I were earth fairies, meaning we could control elements of the earth, such as flowers, trees, growing things, and anything related to the earth. I didn't have those powers or wings yet; those came on your sixteenth birthday, which I couldn't wait for, only six more years. Reaching the quiet safety of the trees, I stopped running. Being outside in nature was my happy place; I loved living with the animals and flowers. Each had its unique quirks and personalities. My mom always said I should have been born a bunny, but here I was, just a fairy, like all the rest. Many fairies lived in this realm: healing fairies, water fairies, and fairies that could talk to the animals. That's what I had always wanted for my powers. If I had been an animal fairy, I would have bright golden eyes, but as an earth fairy, my almond-shaped eyes were bright green, just like my older sister, Thazel, and my parents. Someday, I would leave the fairy realm and adventure somewhere far away. No one left these lands unless they were captured or killed by the Phoenix people; at least, that's what my parents always said. Follow the rules; that's what I was taught. Never leave the paths, never wander too far from home, do what you're told, and above all else, stay away from phoenix shifters. My mom and dad were the heads of the earth fairies, not the king and queen, but the head varies. Each element had someone in charge, but those people were all ruled by the fairy queen, Celestia, who ruled everyone. Queen Celestia was kind but strict. Her mate and king, Novus, had been killed five years ago by the Phoenix people. She became more stringent with our laws after that. It seemed like we were always in some fight with the phoenix kind; they were constantly attacking us and taking people hostage. My parents thought I didn't know this, but I liked listening outside their office door when I was asleep. I would have to enter the fight one day, but I didn't look forward to that day. Today, however, was unique; today was the Divine Ritual, where everyone who turned sixteen got their wings and magic. It was an exciting day that happened every few months when people came of age. Our kingdom had roughly five hundred fairies; about five would usually be in the ritual. Going outside into the woods was my way of escaping the craziness of my parents running around barking orders to anyone and everyone. Sure, they had to get things ready, but they were always aggressive with how they went about it. My sister was right there with them, only one year older and already looking forward to the day it would be her barking the orders. Flitting here and there, I gathered my flowers, holding them in one hand to make a bouquet for my room. I was careful to step from stone to stone; the large granite stones making up the path weaved in and out of the trees, continuing deep into the forest where I was forbidden from going. My place to stop was where the stones turned green; this was to signal it was no longer safe for children to go any further. Looking left, I saw a beautiful red rose bush, just waiting to be picked. It was off the path but only off it by a couple of feet. Standing there, I contemplated what to do. How beautiful those roses would look on my oak nightstand in my room. Going a little off the path wouldn't hurt; I could still see it and make my way back easily. The bush looked completely untouched, and I smiled at the perfectly bloomed flowers, opening and begging to be picked. Adding four roses to my bouquet, I looked at how full and lush it was. Inhaling, each scent hit my nose like a song, telling me where it came from. Something beautiful and white caught my eye a little way away. It was a full hawthorn bush with white flowers spread open, calling me. Leaving the roses behind, I kept walking, picking flowers as I went, paying little attention to the direction I was taking. The cracking of a stick nearby caught my attention. Turning my head from side to side, I tried to spot my watcher. "I know you're there," I called to whomever it was. "Come out!" "Why should I?" a voice answered, peaking my interest in how it made me feel. "Are you afraid? Don't be afraid, I won't hurt me," I told them. "I'm not afraid," they said, almost offended I would think such a thing. "Then come out," I said, still scanning the area for someone. More twigs cracking sounded, and a boy emerged behind a large pine tree from about thirty yards away. He couldn't have been older than me, dressed in a red T-shirt and jeans. The boy began getting closer, and I tilted my head, taking in his appearance. His shaggy light brown hair fell into his eyes, but I could see their beauty when he pushed it to the side—golden hazel with flecks of blue and green, mesmerizing and holding me in place. "Hello," he said, standing right in front of me now. "Hello," I replied, clutching my bouquet, going bright red when I responded. "I'm Solaris; what's your name?" he asked, thin lips pulled into a sheepish smile. "I'm Kesiray, but everyone calls me Ray," I told him, glancing at the ground. "Wait, who are you? And why are you our territory?" "Hm," he contemplated, looking at me. "I'm going to call you Kesi; I think it suits you better." "Okay," I smiled. "This isn't your territory," he told me, looking confused. "Yes, it is," I replied. Did he think I was stupid? "This is the fairy realm, and I can tell you're not a fairy." "You're actually in no man's land right now," he informed me. "This is the area between the fairy and phoenix lands." "Wait, you're a phoenix shifter?" I asked, backing away slightly. "Yes," he said, looking at me strangely. "Can you transform?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously. I had been told not to trust his kind all my life, but he didn’t seem threatening. "Not yet," he said, sounding deflated. "Why not?" I questioned. “I thought everyone could do that.” "They can," he replied. "But not until you’re sixteen. That’s when you get your phoenix. Where are your wings? Doesn’t every fairy have wings?" "I won’t get them until I turn sixteen, too. I'll also get my magic," I told him, slightly smug. "What magic?" he asked, sounding interested in what I was about to say. "My family are earth fairies, so we have power over earth," I explained. "Came you show me your magic one day?" he questioned, lilting his head to the side, hazel eyes lighting up with delight. "Okay," I smiled. "But you have to show me your phoenix." "Deal," he declared, holding his hand out. Hesitating, I looked at his hand. Shifting my bouquet to my left hand, I stretched out my right, taking his hand and shaking it. Solaris smiled wide, dimples popping up on either side of his mouth, small divots framing his face. "Kesiray! KESIRAY WILLOWBEAD! WHERE HAVE YOU GOTTEN TO NOW? I SWEAR IF I FIND YOU OFF THE PATH, YOU'LL BE CLEANING HORSE STABLES FOR A MONTH!" My mom's loud, angry voice echoed off the trees, making me gasp and nearly drop my flowers. "I have to go," I said to Solaris, turning to start running back home before my mom found me exactly where she had told me not to go. "Wait!" he called, making me stop and turn back to him. "Can I see you again?" A smile broke out on my face. "Meet me here tomorrow, same time," I said, dashing back the way I had come, past the half-picked rose bush and back to the grey stone path I wasn't supposed to leave. Dangerously close to the end of the path, I met my mother, her red face staring down at me. Her signature pose of hands on her hips and eyebrows raised was how she greeted me. "Where exactly were you?" she demanded, green eyes swirling with red, which happened when fairies got angry. "I'm sorry, I had to use the bathroom, so I went just a couple of paces off the path to avoid being seen," I lied, hoping she would believe me. Her eyes narrowed, but the swirls of red vanished. "Don't make a habit of straying from the path; you know what could be waiting for you in these woods," she scolded. "You think the Phoenix people would enter our territory?" I asked. "Possibly, they've done it before, and people have vanished without a trace. If you can't follow the rules, I'll have to send Florian out with you," she told me. "Now let's go. The ceremony is starting soon." Following my mom back up the path, I looked over my shoulder. I could have sworn I saw a bright pair of hazel eyes watching me from the trees behind us. Turning around, I smiled to myself. This had to be kept a secret; no one in my family could know I had spoken to a phoenix, let alone agreed to meet with them again tomorrow. Solaris seemed kind, unlike the flying monsters I had been taught about. It seemed strange, though; they had attacked us and killed our queen's mate, along with kidnapping so many others. Maybe they weren't all bad, or perhaps he was too young to have been taught to hate us. Either way, I wanted to get to know him more. Maybe I could teach him that fairies weren't evil and to stop attacking us, though I knew we attacked them just the same. Was it possible to build a friendship with him? Only time would tell, but as I followed my mother back into our house, hope fluttered inside me at what was to come.