Heir of Broken Fate (HOBF Book 1)

“We’re going to see a mermaid,” Hazel announces as she walks into the room two days later.

I jump off the couch with excitement. “How do we find them?”

She dumps a sack on the ground, its contents rattling and clanking. “We summon them through offerings. We can’t enter their territory, that would be a suicide mission. There’s a swimming hole that we can visit. You lay respectful offerings on the rocks surrounding the pool of water and wait for a mermaid to appear.” Hazel adds, rolling her eyes, “If they feel like it.”

I furrow my brows. “Have you done this before?”

Hazel’s eyes widen. “God no. Mermaids are horrendous creatures.”

I stare blankly at her as confusion mars my face. If they’re such horrendous creatures then why did they help me?

“They’re manipulative and deceitful; they live for playing games with Fae. They’re also terrifying,” Hazel explains, moving throughout the room as she finds her boots.

“I thought they looked beautiful,” I say.

Hazel sits on the couch as she ties her laces. “Their beauty is part of their manipulation. They’re stunning creatures with cold cunning hearts. We have to be vigilant, and you must choose your words carefully. If you don’t ask your questions correctly, they’ll give you a bogus message.”

I frown. “What the hell is the point? How will we know if they’re telling the truth?”

Hazel picks up the sack, handing it to me. “They helped you that night. For whatever reason, it worked in their favor. Games are one thing, but actively searching for you to bring you here…They have their own reasoning behind it.”

Trepidation lines my stomach, each word coming out of Hazel’s mouth makes my anxiety rear its ugly head.

I peer into the sack in my hands. It’s filled with oyster shells, pearls, hand mirrors, and funnily enough, hairbrushes. “I can’t believe you can summon a mermaid with brushes.”

“Stop laughing at them and hurry up,” she calls over her shoulder as she exits the cabin.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…brushes?” I chuckle.

“Don’t be fooled, mermaids aren’t just pretty fish. They all have individual power, and we don’t want them to use it against us. So play nice.”

I trail behind Hazel, walking into her front garden as I try to imagine what type of powers mermaids could possess when her other words ring through my mind.

“You don’t think I’m nice?”

Hazel bursts out laughing. “From all of that, that’s what you take away?” She shakes her head on a chuckle. “You can be pushy sometimes. Don’t push them.”

“Some would call me persistent,” I tease.

Hazel stares at me flatly. “Are you ready?”

I wave my hand around. “Yes, I was waiting for you to start walk—”

Shimmering red wings blossom from Hazel’s back. Stretching to their full wingspan, they glimmer where the sun shines on them.

My mouth drops open as I stumble back, kicking up dirt as I fall on my behind. I sputter, “You—I—Wings, you have wings!” Of course Hazel has wings; she spoke about flying in her story…yet seeing them in front of me is another thing entirely. They’re magnificent.

Hazel’s boisterous laugh pulls me out of my shock.

“Warn a girl next time!” I shriek.

“It was worth it to see your face!” Kneeling over with laughter, her wings fold around her like a shield.

I stand, moving toward her wings to see what they feel like. My hand’s outstretched when Hazel snaps up.

“Don’t!” she blares.

I retract my hand quickly. “Sorry! I just wanted to know what they feel like. They look smooth and shiny, yet leathery.”

“It’s very personal to touch a Fae’s wings. Some will bite your head off if you do it without their consent,” she explains. “They’re made entirely of muscle and bones so they’re hard to the touch but soft as silk. It’s a very intimate thing…to touch a Fae’s wings.”

My cheeks heat. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, now you know. I should have explained but I couldn’t stop laughing.” Her eyes shine with humor. “Are you ready now?”

“We’re not walking, are we?”

“Not today,” she sing-songs.

“If you drop me”—I point my index finger at her—“I will haunt you for eternity, and that’s a long time for a Fae.”

Hazel rolls her eyes. “Don’t be dramatic. I’ve only fallen once or twice.”

Before I can respond I’m in Hazel’s arms, airborne. I let out a yelp, closing my eyes tightly as I wrap my arms around Hazel’s neck. Her chest shaking on a laugh.

My hair is pulled in every which direction, the crisp cold air seeping through my fighting leathers. The sound of the wind roars in my ears.

The moment I open my eyes, my heart soars.

We’re flying so fast I can barely make out the ground below me. The vast expanse of green forest canopy and mountain hills sprawl out before us. Peering down, the ebb and flow of the forest mingles with the blossoming life of flowers. Every now and then I can see an opening in the forest floor, a peek into what’s below the treetops.

Suddenly, the river’s blue flow appears, gliding through the forest like a snake, veering off into different paths as if it’s a maze.

This must be the river channels the mermaids pulled me through.

I tip my head back, a smile playing on my lips as the sun shines on my face. I have never felt freer than I do in this moment. I splay my arms out, the air rushing through my fingertips, as I soak up the feeling of euphoria.

Hazel’s voice drags me away. “Hold on!” she exclaims.

I lift my head. An opening appears, showing a trailed path on the forest floor. Hazel banks, dropping into the opening so fast I tighten my arms around her as she swoops low, following the natural curve. We bank and turn, the path cutting in every which direction before Hazel begins to slow down, the trees in front of us parting to a wide field. Grass and flowers bloom around the open circular meadow.

Hazel lands gracefully in the center, setting me down on the ground.

Amazement fills my features as I face Hazel, yelling over the deafening roar of water that surrounds us. “Please tell me all Fae have wings and I can magically pop some out too.”

Hazel’s head flies back on a laugh, her smile wide and full of life.

“The majority of Fae have wings. I don’t know if you will though, considering your…odd circumstances,” she says, flailing her hand at my body. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

I turn to follow Hazel, completely awestruck as I do.

The meadow leads to a river that winds into a large swimming hole. The deafening roar comes from a gorgeous waterfall, concealing what appears to be a cave pool behind the falls.

“This is the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen,” I breathe.

Hazel grimaces. “If the tree folk and gremlins didn’t live nearby, I’d come all the time.”

“I take it those creatures are bad?” I deadpan.

“Oh, we will do a full lesson tonight on which creatures to avoid,” she mutters.

Hazel walks in front of me, weeding through the shin-length grass before her entire body freezes midstep. I look up to see what’s startled her. A pod of mermaids stares back at us in the swimming hole.

They have beautiful pointy ears, similar to Fae yet made of scales. Long hair flows in an array of different colors, making it appear like a rainbow. They all bear sharp facial features and vibrant colored eyes. There’s one mermaid in front of all others. Her white hair is slicked back, a turquoise jewel glowing on her forehead, her red eyes solely on mine. Chills scatter down the length of my body. They’re beautiful, yet not a single one of them shows an ounce of emotion.

The pure essence of them is sensually sinful.

The white-haired mermaid’s beautiful, husky voice glides to my ears. “Delilah.”

They know who I am.

I blink rapidly, trying to contain my shock. Blindsided is an understatement.

“We mean you no harm,” Hazel says sternly.

The white-haired mermaid slides her gaze to Hazel. “We know, child.”

I gulp. If they’re calling Hazel a child, how old are they?

My voice breaks through the roaring of the waterfall. “You helped me the other night?” I ask more than state.

“Yes,” she states matter-of-factly.

Her strong features and predatory stillness make my heart pound faster.

“And you’re here because you know I have questions to ask you?”

A slight dip of her chin is the only response I get. I don’t think she’s blinked once since speaking.

“Will you answer my questions truthfully?” I ask hesitantly.

Those vibrant red eyes meet Hazel’s. “You’ve taught her well, it seems.”

Hazel’s gulp is audible as she dips her chin.

“We do not take orders from Fae.” The mermaid turns her gaze back to me. “Or has-been humans,” she says coldly.

These mermaids are nothing like the fairy tales my mother read to me as a child.

“We do, however, have two messages for you, Delilah,” she says, the epitome of cool indifference.

As one, the mermaids speak, their voices coming together as if an enchanting song.

“When I starve, your soul will scream, adding melody to the song I weave.”

The mermaids stop as the white-haired one swims closer, lowering her voice as if she’s afraid of who might hear.

“I have no voice, but I have lots to teach. Your soul is my price, let me speak. Darkness enchanted is my tale.”

Before I can say anything, the mermaids submerge, leaving as one.

I turn to Hazel, her face full of horror as she marches toward me. “We need to leave.”

Walking through Hazel’s cabin, I take a seat on the worn cushioned sofa. “What was that?” I ask as Hazel plops down beside me. “Were they playing a game?”

“The mermaids give riddles for their visions. For pure enjoyment or secrecy, I have no idea.”

“So, we have to figure out the riddles?” I ask, dumbfounded. “Why can’t they just be normal and tell us?” I throw my hands in the air. “I didn’t even get to ask any questions!”

The questions keep piling up with every passing day, all going unanswered.

How am I in a Fae body? Why are some Fae trapped in the human lands? Why are Fae stuck here? Can the Fae help overrule the human king?

I massage my temples as a headache pounds against my skull.

“That, I do not have an answer for,” she drawls.

Standing, I search for pen and paper. “Let me write it down before I forget what they said.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sound of all of them speaking at once,” she says, a shiver wracking her body.

I grimace in return. “Ominous doesn’t begin to describe what that felt like.”

Chewing my lip, I reread the first riddle over and over until my eyes begin to glaze.

“I think the biggest hint in the first riddle is weave. Not a lot of things weave,” I murmur.

“Weave can be lots of things. Hair, flight pattern, streams, nests…Honestly the list could go on.”

Sitting forward, I assess both riddles. “The first riddle has to lead us to the second…or at least I hope it does,” I mutter.

“I can’t think about it anymore. My head is going to explode!”

Sighing, I place the pen and paper down. “Tell me about the gremlins and tree folk.”

Hazel grimaces as she retrieves a white leather-bound book from the bookshelf, placing it on the coffee table in front of us. Taking a seat beside me on the couch once more, she turns the pages, stopping on a picture of a small scaly creature.

My eyes widen as I stare at the drawing of a gremlin. Its green ears are shaped like bat wings, and its red eyes glow as if the burning depths of hell are within them. The body is shaped like a lizard, the underbelly a soft yellow color, its hands and feet clawed with talons.

“It’s horrifying! Are those—”

“Teeth around its eyelids? Yes.”

I shiver as I look at the row of teeth lining its eyes, matching those in its mouth. Its face is truly one created in nightmares.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“They run wild in the forests with no moral compass. They’re the most trickster creatures you’ll ever meet and the most violent.” She snorts. “They give fire breathers a run for their money.”

I look over the various drawings of gremlins. “Do they have powers?”

“No, hence the violence.” Hazel turns the pages, landing on an image of a large tree.

I frown. “It looks like a regular tree.”

“Look closer.”

I lean forward, scanning the drawing from top to bottom. It looks as normal as any other tree in a forest, with its large trunk, various branches reaching out in all directions, leaves—

I suck in a breath. Its eyes are closed yet there’s no mistaking the face that’s subtly hidden in the grooves and bark lines.

“The tree folk are essentially harmless, but they hate it when Fae step on their roots or land on their tree trunks. They’ll snatch you up and hold you for enjoyment until it gets sick of your whining.”

A boom of laughter explodes out of my chest, my belly tightening and burning in pain at how hard I laugh. Easton’s fear about being snatched up by trees comes back to me.

“He was right. They do snatch you.”