Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“You said they were stripped of their powers, but I’ve seen Amell do some magical things,” I point out.
“Many fae now have stronger abilities thanks to stone magic, but Amell has powers granted directly from the god of Life, Zora.”
“Stone magic?”
“From a meteor that crashed to Earth thousands of years ago. The stone had magical properties. Pieces made their way into the Underworld. The Dark Fae nobles had power again, and they evolved over time. They’re not what they were in their former glory as angels, but they’re strong, immortal, and the nobles can wield deadly magic.”
“Why does Amell have wings, though, if they were stripped? Did Zora give them to him?”
“No clue,” Will says. “But he had the wings before he became king, which wasn’t all that long ago.”
“You mentioned Queen Kymaris.”
“She ruled before Amell,” Will replies with what sounds like a nasty taste on his tongue. “Evil incarnate. She almost succeeded in opening up the veil between here and the First Dimension so all her demons could escape and destroy that world.”
I feel like I’m losing my grip on reality. “Amell mentioned dimensions. What does that mean?”
Will sighs. “This is going to take a long time to educate you.”
It feels like it takes hours for Will to fill me in on everything, but without clocks, I can’t be sure. I’m exhausted and need about a million hours of sleep, but I want to make sure I understand everything. The more knowledge I have, the better I can defend myself.
“Let me see if I have this straight,” I say from my position on the floor. I’d long ago laid down, curling into a ball. My long hair feels weird and abnormal. It’s been so long since it’s had any length. “And this is in no particular order… big rebellion in Heaven. Angels tossed. Really bad ones came to Underworld and they are Dark Fae. The not-so-bad went to Earth and they’re called Light Fae. Magical meteor touched down on Earth and was hacked away, pieces stolen to use its magic. With that magic, alternate dimensions were created… sort of like different worlds layered on top of the one you and I come from, which is known as the First Dimension. How am I doing so far?”
“You’re an excellent pupil,” Will replies with a chuckle.
“Okay, so, Kymaris was an original fallen angel ruling the Underworld, and they don’t get any more wicked than her. She attempted to take over the First Dimension by doing a ritual to tear open the veil between our world and this one.”
“A changeling ritual,” he confirms.
“Right. A baby was stolen from the First Dimension, held here in captivity, and stuffed full of dark magic. After twenty-eight years, it projected Kymaris into our world, and she was able to perform a ritual that tore open a huge whole in the veil that separates the worlds.”
“Go on,” he urges.
“Kymaris was defeated by a human named Finley, although she was aided by other creatures. I think you said demigods, Dark Fae, Light Fae, and daemons.”
“And her sister, the human who was held here for twenty-eight years,” he adds.
“Zora.” Such a pretty name. “Who died in the battle against Kymaris but was reborn as the god of Life, and thus death.”
“I think you have the gist of it,” Will says with a yawn.
“What about the Light Fae?” I ask, still buzzing with so many questions. “Where are they?”
“They live in a dimension they created called Faere. Their queen, Nimeyah, was an original fallen but was killed by Kymaris. Nimeyah’s daughter, Deandra, rules Faere now.”
“And why is Amell the king?”
“Because Zora decreed it so, and she’s a god. It’s as simple as that. I’m really tired, Nyssa. Let’s get some sleep.”
“Okay… but one more question.” Will sighs but doesn’t object. “How many humans are down here? I’m assuming it’s mostly fae and daemons who inhabit the Underworld?”
“From what I can tell, there are a handful of us. Those you see in these cells and some who are servants in noble households. Most are dead, though… like you. Which I guess means you’re immortal.”
“And you’re not,” I breathe out, a sudden sadness filling me. It’s not in my nature to care about people. I don’t have the bandwidth for it, but I realize… Will was taken from our world. He has a family back home that misses him, I’d bet.
“You’ll be here forever, Nyssa. At least I’ll age and die at some point. Or get killed by an angry fae. At least I can hope that my soul leaves this place when that happens. I didn’t ask to be here, and I don’t think I’ve ever done anything to warrant the Crimson River.”
“I’m sure you’ll go to Heaven,” I say, although I don’t know Will really at all. But I hope he does.