Love’s Eternal Fire

Chapter 21: Familiar Place

Kesiray's POV

The party began, much to Thazel's annoyance because she claimed she didn't have time to make everything as perfect as she wanted. Still, people seemed to enjoy it, except for the kids sitting at a table looking sad. Thazel had instructed them not to get dirty, which seemed ridiculous for an outside party for children ages three to nine. I could see the sparkle vanish from Geneiveve's golden eyes, which were like Indi's. Indi was avoiding me, only glancing over to give me vexing looks. I tried to ignore him, but it seemed like he was displeased with me more than usual. Our entire tribe had come, and we interacted with people we didn't see often, including Queen Aranazelia. I was standing and talking with some other earth fairies. They seemed concerned that the last phoenix attack could have been a warning about a bigger battle to come, but I wasn't so sure.

"We need to be vigilant and ensure our patrol groups are trained properly," Aitlinae said, holding a glass of punch in her hand.

"They don't spend enough time on combat," Morianna added.

"Maevellia and Paric need to talk with the other leaders about amping up our warriors' training," Elowengus said, looking at me.

"I'm not sure why you're all looking at me; I don't have control over what they do or don't," I added, sipping my drink.

"We've heard that you're going to take over for them," Morianna told me.

"Who told you that?" I asked, looking at her confused.

"Everyone is whispering about it, but I don't think Thazel or Indi know because they would bring him** down if they found out," Elowengus said.

"Great, I haven't even made a decision yet, and everyone is already talking about it," I huffed. Walking away from the group, I went towards an area without any people. It seemed in vain because I felt a hand on my shoulder. When I turned around, I saw someone I knew, a fire fairy named Roberron, who was one of our warriors.

"Hey, Roberron," I said, trying not to sound too frustrated.

"Hey, I heard you guys talking over there. Are you taking over for your parents?" he asked.

"I don't know," I told him. "They want me to, but it's not a responsibility that I want; plus, Thazel would hate me for taking her position."

"It's a tough place to be put in, but you would make a great leader. Don't you need a mate before you can take over?" he asked, a little glimmer in his golden eyes.

"I think that's why my mom put the idea of a tribe party into the Queen's head," I told him.

"Would it be so bad to take over this?" a melodic voice said. Turning around, I saw Queen Aranazelia floating towards me.

"Queen Aranazelia," I said, bowing to her while Roberron did the same.

"Why do you sound so upset that your parents want you to take over for them?" she asked, her long blonde hair braided down her back as her large golden wings folded behind her.

"I just never expected to be given the responsibility, and it's a lot of change," I told her.

"My dear, your parents wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't what's best for you," she smiled. "I believe the same after everything that happened to you."

"You mean being attacked?" I questioned.

"You were attacked?" Roberron asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Apparently," I responded.

"What happened to you is in the past, and now we have to look to the future," Queen Aranazelia said. "Since I agree with your parents that you should take over, that will happen. You might not like it initially, but it'll grow on you. And you let me worry about Thazel and Indi. If either of them have a problem, they can take it up with me."

I wanted to argue back with her, tell her no and that I refused, but you didn't say such things to the Queen. She smiled at me like she had all the confidence in the world, but I could see something else on her face. Was she trying to hide something from me? I didn't dare ask because I wasn't sure what would come out of my mouth if I opened it.

"At this ball, you will choose a mate, and we will begin the transition. Your parents will explain everything to Thazel, so don't worry about that," she said. "Now enjoy the rest of the party." Queen Aranazelia glided away, leaving Roberron and me stunned, too stunned to speak.

"I think that settles that," Roberron said, looking at me excitedly. "And I'm available too, so..." I turned and looked at him, frustrated that's what he was thinking about. I huffed, rolling my eyes before walking away into the forest. Stomping through the woods, I came to the stone path I wasn't allowed to leave as a child. So many days I had spent out here alone, which was how I preferred. Why did I have a feeling that I did leave the path? Maybe by accident at one point, but I couldn't find any memories of doing it.

I paid little attention to where I was going, thinking only about what the queen had told me. She agreed with my parents about me taking over, which meant no fighting. The only thing I could think to do was run away, but with rogue wolves, centaurs, and other unfriendly creatures nearby, I doubted I would last very long on my own. Further into the woods, I went, leaving the stones behind and heading into the unknown. My feet seemed to know where I was going, even if my head didn't.

I burst through the trees into a small clearing, a large tree in front of me with thick branches, big enough to walk on. Staring up at the tree, I narrowed my eyes. This place seemed familiar, as if I had been here a dozen times before, but I had no memory of it. The tree looked normal, the branches reaching towards the sky, blooming in large green leaves. Was it possible for someplace I'd never seen before to make me feel at home? Like it held a special place in my heart? Slowly and carefully, I approached the tree. I wasn't sure why I was being so careful; it felt like this place might disappear if I went too fast. Reaching out my hand, it made contact with the tree's scratchy, bumpy, hard bark. The second it did, a man's face flashed in my head, like a slideshow, but only one image. Bright blue hazel eyes bore into mine, making my stomach flip. Pulling my hand away from the tree, I gasped at the onslaught of the sudden picture.

"Kesiray!?" someone was screaming from the direction of the party. "KESIRAY WREN!" Backing away from the tree, I gave it one last look before running back towards the voice screaming my name. His eyes seemed burned into mine; they were all I could see when walking back to the party. Their intensity was beyond imagining, and the way they were making me feel was indescribable. How could someone's eyes I'd never met make me feel like this? Tripping, I stumbled back into the party area, the kids running unsupervised. A lot of the adults at the party seemed to have vanished.

"Where is everyone?" I asked one of the older children who ran past me.

"I don't know," she told me, chasing after her younger sibling. Why would everyone abandon the party and leave the kids to fend for themselves? Some adults were milling around, and one sighed when they saw me. She was a light fairy, and I saw her whisper into her hands, sending out a light beam. This was one way light fairies could communicate with one another. They could send a message via light beam to other light fairies. After a minute or two, people began emerging from the woods. I spotted my parents, and my mom caught my eye, stalking toward me.

"Where did you go?" she demanded.

"Just for a quick walk," I said honestly. "I just got done talking to the Queen and needed a minute.

"You didn't leave the path?" she asked, green eyes swirling with red.

"Mom, I'm an adult. I wouldn't leave the path knowing what could be on the other side," I lied.

"Oh, well, alright," she said, backing down slightly. "You need to be careful, especially after what happened. Your powers might not be fully recovered yet, either."

"Mommy, when are we having cake?" Labivia asked, coming up to Thazel.

"Soon, baby," she told her.

The excitement of going for a walk seemed to die down as the party went on. It seemed weird that most people would have run into the woods after me when I was only gone for a few minutes. It had to have been because of what happened that landed me in the hospital. Once that excitement died down, I was sure people wouldn't care so much about where I went. I would happily get this bandage off my neck tomorrow and start returning to normal. Visiting Gwena was still on my list, but that would have to wait if I was now taking over the earth fairies. Thazel had received all the training about leading these people, which meant I had much catching up to do.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized I could sit and be mad about my parents and the Queen's decision, or I could try to embrace it and be the leader many of these people think I could be. That did mean I'd have to pick a chosen mate, but that didn't need to be all that bad. With all the different tribes coming together, there had to be one person I could find that I was attracted to and had a good time with. Who knows, my fated mate might be one of them, too. Maybe this didn't all have to be bad; perhaps it was time I started looking at things from a positive. I could invoke a lot of change for these people as much as the queen would allow. Maybe I could make us stronger, and one day, we could finally take down the phoenix shifters for good.