Perfidious Read online

  “Elisia?” Greyson asked.

  I quickly pulled my hand out of his sight. I didn’t want him to know it was broken.

  “You okay?” he continued. “I didn’t hurt you in the landing, did I?”

  I shook my head and hoped the pain wasn’t showing on my face. “Nope, all good.” Standing up, I looked at Greyson who was still sitting against the tree. “Greyson, you flew! You grew wings and saved us!”

  His eyes widened as he attempted to look at his back. He felt his shirt and found giant slits cut through the cloth. His smile was huge as he attempted to jump up. “I can fly? I can fly!”

  While Greyson continued to talk and repeat that he could fly, I searched for our backpacks along the path in the dirt where we tried to land. Most of the underbrush was uprooted. My bag wasn’t too far from where we first touched down, but Greyson’s pack was nowhere to be seen. I picked up my bag to find it squished yet still intact.

  Greyson was still rambling.

  I interrupted him. “We need to take some time to heal, and then we need to meet Noah and Kalvin before it gets dark.”

  I studied the sky. The blues started to darken to the east. The sun would set soon. It wouldn’t give us enough time to get back to the village before dusk.

  I returned my gaze to Greyson.

  “Shouldn’t we leave now? What if the shapeshifter comes after us?” Greyson asked, looking up at the cliff we fell from.

  I shook my head. “We both need to rest and heal. That requires food and water.”

  Greyson didn’t look convinced.

  “I just need ten to twenty minutes to rest. I don’t think I could make the hike right now to get to the meeting spot.”

  Greyson’s eyes scanned my body. I made sure to keep my broken hand behind me. He parted his lips but didn’t speak. He only nodded.

  “Go search for your backpack. It probably broke off when you opened your wings. I’ll get some food and water out of my pack for us.”

  Greyson nodded again.

  I waited until he was far enough away to examine my hand. It was throbbing. Bad. It was all I could think about. There weren’t any bones sticking through the skin, but I’d have to see a nurse. It would probably take weeks to heal, even with my enhanced healing.

  The first aid kit held several small packages of ibuprofen. I took two, hoping the pain would start to dissipate, even just a little.

  It didn’t.

  Grabbing some granola bars and crushed toaster pastries from my bag, I tried to push the pain from my mind. My eyes scanned for Greyson absentmindedly, but he was nowhere in sight. He hadn’t been gone for very long; maybe he was still looking for his bag. Or maybe something got him. He wasn’t very knowledgeable about Perfidious.

  I’ll just check on him.

  A cool breeze descended from above. Confused, I looked up to find Greyson at the top of the trees, trying to figure out how to fly. By the looks of it, he hadn’t noticed me.

  Smiling, I grabbed a low hanging branch and slowly climbed up the tree one-handed. I made it close enough to his level and leaned against the tree like I’d been there for a while. Whatever he was doing, it was nowhere near graceful, and I wasn’t sure it could be called flying, but he was at least staying in the air.

  “You’re getting better at that,” I casually called to him.

  He spun around and almost hit himself in the face with one of his wings. I tried not to giggle.

  His cheeks flushed. “How long have you been there?”

  “Not long.” I shrugged.

  “I couldn’t find my backpack,” Greyson said.

  “Come on. We should eat before we have to hit the road.” I started to climb down.

  “Want a lift?” He offered me his hand as I reached for another branch.

  “No need.” Once I was about ten feet from the ground, I jumped and landed perfectly on my feet.

  “Oh yeah, I forgot—you’re not human,” Greyson stated as his feet collided with the ground.

  I laughed as he steadied himself. He closed his eyes tightly. It took a minute, but the wings eventually retracted.

  “And you’re part shapeshifter and part fairy, apparently,” I said without thinking.

  Greyson spun around a couple times, examining his shirt. “I think I’ll also have to invest in some new shirts.”

  “There is a shop in Coalfell that sells clothing. We can get you a shirt that has wing slits.”

  “Really? They make those?”

  I nodded.

  “Sounds good.” Greyson lowered his head and spoke more to himself than to me. “But I’ll have to leave them somewhere Noah’s parents won’t find it. It's not something I can just casually wear.”

  He was starting to understand what it meant to hide everything he was from the people around him. Greyson’s life had been normal until I saw his Anchor, while mine had been divided since I was born. I was a little envious of him. He got to live a normal life, even if it was only for a little while.

  “Mhm,” I replied, stuck on my train of thought. I shook my head. “I mean, you could probably keep them at my cellar if you wanted.”

  Greyson lifted the corner of his lips but quickly turned away.

  We ate our food and drank a bottle of water each. It worried me a bit that Greyson remained silent, but I tried to keep my mind busy as we ate our food. I kept looking to the sky. Clouds had started to creep in, making it seem later than it was. We needed to get to the meeting spot before it got any later.

  I checked Greyson for injuries after we picked up the stuff from dinner. His injuries had already begun to heal. The cut on his face was barely bleeding and would probably be healed by the time he got home. I leaned back to see if there were any injuries on his back, but all I saw were defined muscles, probably from all the time in football practice.

  My gaze returned to his face. Greyson’s expression was tight, and his eyes were narrow as he looked off into the distance.

  “You okay there? If you think too much, your brain might explode.”

  His features softened at my joke, but he didn’t respond immediately. I waited patiently as I repacked my bag.

  “Do you know what the King’s Legacy is?” he asked.

  I paused. He shouldn’t be thinking about that.

  But to him I said, “Yeah, what about it?”

  “What is it?” He still hadn’t looked at me, staring at nothing with the same expression.

  I explained the best I could. “It’s this story about the last great king that ruled over Perfidious, King Lawrence, and his bloodline. He was a shapeshifter, and according to the history books, a great, fair leader. But the monsters didn’t like that he married a fairy. They thought their king had become tainted. A group of purebloods attacked the castle one night and killed him for it.”

  Greyson straightened and looked down at his lap.

  I continued. “His pregnant wife escaped, but no one really knows if she survived or not.”

  Greyson wasn't looking directly at me. He was just sitting on the ground, and I couldn’t tell what he was feeling. Nervously, I fidgeted, picking the dirt out of my nails. The idea that he might be the king’s descended heir was too good to be true, but I was also worried about how he would take the information.

  “So, the king was a shapeshifter, and the queen was a fairy?” His monotone words told me exactly what he was thinking.

  “Yes.”

  “And according to the shapeshifter we just met, I’m part shapeshifter and part fairy.” Greyson's sparkling eyes met mine.

  “It looks that way.”

  He said nothing.

  I looked up to the sky. More clouds crowded over to make the blues barely visible. “We should start walking before it gets too late.”

  He nodded but still didn’t speak.

  “Are you okay, Greyson?”

  He remained silent for a few minutes. “Since I’m part shapeshifter, part human, and now know that I’m also part fairy, tell me hones
tly, how likely it is that I’m part of that king’s bloodline?”

  “It could be likely that you are a descendent of him, but there’s no way to know for sure.” I placed my hand on his shoulder so he would look at me. “I also wouldn’t go around telling others that you could be the king’s heir. It’s not safe.”

  His eyebrows raised as he gave me a sidelong glance. “So, the king’s heir is a bad thing?”

  I shook my head. “Not at all. The king’s heir is something for which half-breeds have been hoping for as long as I can remember. To us, the king’s heir or any descendent means a difference in the way we live. We wouldn’t have to be in constant fear. But if the purebloods found out there was the slightest chance, you’d be a target.”

  He quickened his pace so he could stand in front of me and face me. “What would you do?”

  I shook my head, unsure how to respond. “What do you mean?”

  Greyson searched my eyes. “If you were in my shoes and taking on the title as the king’s heir would mean you could help people you cared about, would you do it?”

  I backed away from him, nervous about the question. Perfidious wasn’t something I wanted for Greyson in the first place because of the danger it held for half-breeds. For him to declare himself as the king’s heir, it would put a definite target on his back. He could not make a hasty mistake.

  “Whoa. Slow down.” I put my hands up. “No one said you were even related to the king. No one even knows if the queen survived or if her baby lived to produce a lineage. There’s no need for you to put that kind of stress on your shoulders.” I stared into his eyes, trying to read his thoughts.

  Greyson had proven to be unpredictable.

  “Okay. Then, hypothetically, say I’m the king’s descendent. What should I do?”

  I put up my hands in surrender. “No. That’s not—”

  “Elisia, I don’t know what to think about this. Any of this. Thursday, I was…I thought I was normal. Now, I can grow wings.” He paused and took a deep breath. “And I might be the last descendent of the king. Then, there are all these expectations that go along with it. I need some advice. I’m not sure of my own thoughts right now.”

  His outburst made him freeze. He looked around us, probably to make sure no one else heard him, then lowered his eyes to the ground. It seemed like he had more to say but wasn’t going to say it.

  “Don’t decide anything yet,” I said softly.

  He looked up at me.

  “If this was happening to me,” I continued, “I’d see if there was any proof. Nothing needs to be decided right now.”

  Greyson raised his eyebrows at the thought. I saw something change in his eyes before he turned around and continued walking.

  “It’s just…” Greyson said without looking at me, “if I am the king’s heir, I’ll have a family tree, a heritage. I would know where I came from.”

  I reached out and brushed my hand against his arms. He looked back at me, his eyes full of trust. “Don’t think about it too much, okay?”

  He nodded.

  Slowly, the tension released in Greyson’s shoulders.

  “Wanna know something?” he asked, nudging me. “I’m glad I turned out to be part monster.”

  I almost lost my footing and scrunched up my nose. “Why?”

  He laughed and scratched the back of his head. “Well, for starters, it gave me an excuse to get to know you. You were always by yourself at school—I guess I understand why now—but it made me wonder what kind of girl wants to be by herself. Now, I know it’s because she’s the strangest girl in the school.”

  My jaw dropped open, and I elbowed him in the gut.

  “In the best way possible?” He shrugged his shoulders, but there was still a grin on his face.

  We chatted about nothing for a while, just things that seemed insignificant given the circumstances like school and football.

  It was the only way I could think of to help him.

  13

  Noah and Kalvin waited for us on the trail at the crossroads like we had discussed. Greyson asked me to pull Kalvin aside so he could talk to Noah privately. I assumed it was about him thinking he was the king’s heir.

  I grabbed Kalvin’s arm and didn’t say a word until we were far enough away that Greyson and Noah couldn’t hear, but Kalvin still could.

  Kalvin looked like he wanted to say something, but I stopped walking and interrupted him. “Listen to them.”

  I crossed my arms as he tuned into their conversation. His eyes widened a little. I nodded.

  Kalvin shrugged. “I kinda put the pieces together back in the cave. The entire place smelled like the shapeshifter. It was easy to pick out the fairy in his scent. Think he will be strong enough to overthrow the Council?” Kalvin asked, acting more serious than I had seen him in a while.

  “If he even is the heir, but this is all up to him. He’s smart and picks up things quickly. Just look at how fast he ran from that shapeshifter. He had to have transformed the muscles in his legs to match my speed. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten away. He might just be that fast, but I think it was more than that.”

  “Okay. What do we do now? The king’s heir is what we need to change Perfidious, and actually make it safe…” He trailed off as Greyson and Noah began to walk towards us.

  “Nothing. Not until we know for sure,” I answered quietly.

  Kalvin nodded as he looked over to the guys, who were taking their time. “Come on, slowpokes.”

  He softly grabbed my left forearm with a reassuring squeeze. He then slid his hand down as he let go, grazing my broken hand. It hurt like hell, and I made a small yelping noise. Kalvin looked back, his worried eyes meeting mine. I knew I couldn’t hide the pain from him.

  His eyes trailed down to my hand.

  “The hell? What happened?” he asked, bringing me into a section of moonlight to get a better view.

  The base of my fingers, my knuckles, and about a half inch down my hand was a deep purple color.

  “The shapeshifter stomped on my hand to make me let go of the ledge so we would fall,” I spat at him. “It’s nothing. It’ll heal. I’m fine.”

  “I don’t believe ya. That looks bad, Elisia.” Kalvin took a step forward, his eyes never leaving my hand.

  “Either way, it’ll heal. The perks of being an elf,” I dismissed it, hoping he would let the subject pass.

  Greyson and Noah approached. I took my hand out of the moonlight and hid it behind my back causally, giving Kalvin a look that told him not to tell. He sighed but complied with my silent request.

  “Ready to go?” Noah asked, reaching Kalvin and me.

  I nodded and continued walking. We were almost back to the cellar anyway.

  The crickets stopped chirping, and footsteps sounded in the dark. Something was running straight at us. I glanced at Kalvin, but he was already moving into position to get behind whatever it was. I took out my blades, pushed Greyson and Noah behind me, and prepared for a fight.

  A shadow moved through the forest, looking almost human.

  I took a step back and made a quick note of everyone’s location. It was two steps from the edge of the brush.

  I was ready to charge.

  “Elisia!” It was the harsh voice of my father.

  I stopped and cringed.

  “Dad?” I said, loud enough so Kalvin could hear and wouldn’t attack. “What are you doing here?”

  Dad looked completely terrifying in the moon-lit forest. “Greyson, Noah, Elisia, come with me. Now!” he demanded, his voice reverberating through the forest.

  His nostrils flared as he pointed back the way he came.

  We followed him all the way to my backyard where three chairs were positioned on the lawn. I walked over and sat down in the chair furthest away with no need for him to tell me. Noah and Greyson timidly followed and sat down in the other two. My father stood in front of us, arms crossed and lips pursed, a technique that worked on me when I was little. He would st
and there, looking exactly like he did then, and I would spill my guts to him.

  That time, no one said a word.

  He saw it wouldn’t work. “Elisia, I am very disappointed in you. Taking a human and someone new to our world into Perfidious is dangerous enough, and to go as far as the base of the mountain…” He took a couple harsh breaths. “And you did it twice. Twice! Noah, your parents thought something happened to you and Greyson when they came home to find you two gone and no word on where you were. Elisia, you’re lucky your mother went over there searching for you before they called the police.”

  He paused, and the guilt set in.

  “Elisia, inside,” he scolded. “Noah, Greyson, go to the car out front. The story is that you lost track of time studying.”

  Dad motioned for the boys to follow him. They got up to leave without hesitation. I stood to go inside. Greyson looked at me, opening his mouth to say something but shut it as he looked at my dad. He glanced back at me with sad eyes.

  It seemed like he wanted to tell me something but didn’t want my father to hear.

  I waved to him. “See you at school tomorrow.”

  Greyson nodded.

  Once inside, I stayed in my room and did homework until Dad returned. He was mad at me and probably wouldn’t talk to me the rest of the night.

  He slammed the door as he walked back in.

  “Hey!” I heard Mom yell at him.

  “What?” Dad snapped.

  “You have no right to treat them like that without an explanation. You don’t understand what’s going on.”

  I snuck to my door to sit and listen.

  “I know what’s going on. Elisia isn’t following the rules. She’s traveling to places she shouldn’t and putting herself in danger. She needs to be disciplined. Maybe we should ground her from Perfidious. See how she acts after a few weeks.”

  Mom huffed. “Um, no. You may think you know what’s going on, but you don’t. You don’t listen to her when she tries to explain herself. You pretend our daughter isn’t a half-breed and do everything you can to ignore that fact.”