The Secret Trinity Unearth (25 page)

He smiled, “It has been a long time. You have certainly turned into a beautiful young lady, just like your mother, except for those eyes of course. The last time I saw you, you were only this tall,” he said holding his hand out to indicate half of my current height.

“Aria, my name is Bryan O’Flaherty. Your father was my best friend, and I was your mother’s guard, and then yours for some years until I became too ill.” I shuddered at how he spoke of my parents in the past tense.

“You knew my mother?” I breathed, slightly stunned by his statement considering he just confessed that I had been watched in secret for my entire life!

“Yes, I knew both of your parents very well. I understand you have heard they are no longer with us. I am sorry you never got a chance to know them, but know that they loved you very much,” he said with sincerity. “Yes, I am sorry for that too,” my voice had become shaky.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” The King motioned to the chair next to the bed. “We have much to discuss and I am sure you have many questions,” he stated. I sat on the edge of the chair beside him.

“What does Liam want with me…why is he doing this?” It was the first time I had said his name out loud today, and the pain of his name on my lips was like a knife plunging into me.

“I’m sure this is all very confusing for you Aria, and I am afraid that is my fault. It was my decision to keep you hidden after your parent’s death. I was the one who found the Darwin’s and gave you to Tom to live as a human. But we never left you entirely and we made sure that you were always protected. I thought the farther from Ireland you were and the less you knew, the safer you would be.” Bryan sighed and looked at me with a touch of regret in his eyes.

“I shall start from the beginning…” he paused before continuing. I was impatient with the buildup.

“Please…tell me who I am.” I reached out and rested my hand over his. He looked at me; his onyx eyes widened with my touch. “Oh my, your energy…” Bryan then looked past me at Clay who was standing against the wall behind me.

“I told you,” Clay said bitterly with a hint of arrogance laced in. He seemed to be pleased to have proven his father wrong in some argument. I felt very self-conscious so I pulled my hand away.

“I am sorry Aria. I did not expect you to be this far developed with no training. You are more powerful than you know.” Bryan said this as though he was answering my question, but everything he said was like trying to interpret a foreign language. I was becoming frustrated.

“What does that mean? I am just a dance major from the Midwest, not an interpreter!” My tone had a noticeable edge.

“Forgive me.” Bryan said. This response surprised me since I was the one who had made the snide comment. “You took me by surprise. You see, you are much more than you describe yourself, Aria.”

He took a deep breath, “Aria… Liam is the Famorii King. I am the Eartha King, and you…you are the Queen of the Aira Fae. We are the three most powerful leaders in our world of magic.”

I blinked several times trying to get that to soak in as Mr. O’Flaherty, or should I say the Eartha King, continued.

“Fae were sent from the ethereal realm dating back a millennia. We are human in form but have been bestowed with special abilities that connect us with the Earth and the Heavens. Our purpose was to watch over the Earth and our people and we have been doing so since our arrival. Our greatest enemies are the Famorii, who descend from hell.” Bryan paused and looked at me with concern. I knew all the blood had drained from my face.

“Shall I continue?” He asked with hesitation, and I slowly nodded.

“Famorii were once grotesque creatures who dwelt in the sea, but over time they evolved to dry land and now they look as human as Fae.”

I now had an image of a slimy, one eyed monster with leech-like tentacles burned in my brain. A shiver of revulsion slinked down my spine. I wrapped my hands over my stomach, suddenly nauseous, realizing I had touched my lips to that creature. The Eartha King paused again, distress crossing his face, but I gestured for him to continue.

“Fae used to be known by the humans. Many rulers were actually Fae, and we protected the people by keeping the peace and using our gifts to keep the land bountiful. The Famorii have wanted to conquer the Earth since the moment they set their greedy two legs on our ground,” he was practically growling when said this. Composure returned to his face.

“We have fought many wars with the Famorii for the safety of our people and this Earth, but it has been more than two hundred years since that time. The Famorii have been waiting for the time to once again declare war and attempt to destroy our world forever. Now that they know the prophecy has come true, they will stop at nothing for fear of their own extinction.” He shook his head slowly and his expression turned to a far off gaze.

Then I looked at him cautiously, asking “What prophecy?” I was not sure if I wanted the answer.

“You are the prophecy, Aria.” He answered solemnly.

I shot to my feet, “What?” I wanted to retreat to the safety of the room covered in glow stars and I even eyed the door considering making a run for it.

“Please sit. I know you are not accustomed to seeing the world in this way, but you want answers and I have them.” His deep voice was now thick with anxiety but also firm with confidence. I slowly inched back down onto the chair knowing he was right.

“During the last war the Famorii were winning, and thousands of Fae and humans had died at their hands. In a heroic, desperate effort to save her Kingdom, the Aira Queen Danu had a last-stand battle with the Famorii King. She won the fight and killed their King, but as he died, he threw an icicle through her heart.” I gulped hard thinking of the icicle in Clay’s windshield only inches away from slashing my throat.

“The legend goes that as Queen Danu lay there dying in her daughter’s arms. She projected a vision into her daughter’s mind before she took her last breath. Queen Danu’s psychic ability is what Fae call the tracing gift.” He paused, looking at me with some slight pity before moving on.

“From what I have come to understand, Clay said this gift has already begun to surface in you. We have not seen this ability in our kind since Queen Danu herself. Her final vision was a tracing into the future, thus becoming a part of Fae history as a prophecy.”

My eyes widened and my breaths became shallow, but this time my reaction was ignored and the story continued without pause.

“The tracing vision Queen Danu had was you, Aria. Passed down through each generation, the legend has been told about the vision of an Aira born of Queen’s blood that would possess new unseen abilities, making her more powerful than any Fae before them. This Aira would have the power to wield all the stars in the sky and destroy the Famorii forever. We would know her by her emerald eyes that glow like the stars from the trinity.”

I creased my forehead, “The trinity?” I said, shocked that I was able to choke out a single word.

The King smiled at me, “Yes, Queen Danu’s trinity necklace was the one she wore when she took her last breath. The necklace was made by my Eartha ancestor solely with his abilities. He gave her the necklace as a present when she gave birth to her daughter. When she died holding the necklace her soul passed through the emerald, forever connecting our two clans as allies.”

He waved at Clay and I looked over my shoulder watching as Clay went to a dresser and opened the drawer. He pulled out a metal jewelry box that looked ornately carved. He walked over to us and handed it to his father. The silver box was beautifully carved with wildflowers, ivy, and what I used to think of as fairies, small whimsical creatures with wings.

“I believe this belongs to you,” the King said as he opened the box. Resting inside was the trinity knot pendent adorned with a large emerald gemstone, the one Liam had given me. I flew my hand up to my throat with recognition.

“Where did you get that?” I screeched with a mixture of anger and confusion at the sight of it. “Clay was kind enough to retrieve it from the floor. This was the trinity necklace worn by Queen Danu.”

My mouth fell open, “but...I…he…” I could not form a coherent sentence. “Yes, I heard,” obviously realizing what I was getting at.

“This was not for King Liam to give. His father stole it from your mother after he…” There was underlying anger in his tone, but he stopped short on the sentence.

I finished it, “after he killed my parents?” I asked, as if it were a question, but I already knew the answer. He simply nodded once, and the pain in my already broken heart doubled.

“After the death of their King and because of Queen Danu’s prophecy, the Famorii retreated into hiding. Both Fae clans agreed to keep the peace and thought it was best to leave the humans out of our Fae world for their safety. From that moment on we lived as humans in public until we became what we are now, a mythical fairytale. The Eartha King then vowed to protect the Aira decedents from the Famorii. We have been doing so ever since, dedicating our lives to that vow and waiting for this day. Unfortunately the Famorii have also waited for your birth. King Liam won’t stop until he sees us at war once again.” His voice was grave and it sent a cold shudder though me.

“Why didn’t Liam kill me when he had the chance?” I asked soberly. The Eartha King took a labored breath before he answered.

“We are not sure yet, but you are the Trinity Fae, so it has to be about the power you will soon possess. The Famorii have become the CIA of the supernatural, stealth and elusive. They hide in plain sight and play mind games for personal gain, as you unfortunately discovered.” He said this sadly, and my throat went tight. I was a pawn in this war of the supernatural and I had played right into it—checkmate, Liam.

“Liam’s father, King Thaddeus had led us to believe that Adam was his descendent, when in fact Adam was Fae all along, snatched from his family, brilliantly leaving Liam unknown and untouched.” Adam had a tough break. He was raised on the wrong side of this war and my pity for him was growing by the minute.

“What will happen if Liam succeeds?” I asked meekly.

The Eartha King pressed his lips together and said, “He will use his power to destroy our world, killing off anything that remains of our people and any humans who get in his way.” I thought I was going to retch. I had actually touched my mouth to his, the devil.

“We must get you out of the country. We don’t think Liam will risk a war if you are alive. He is not strong enough to defeat us without you.”

I creased my forehead. “How can you be so sure that I am this Fae from Queen Danu’s prophecy? I do not feel at all mighty or powerful,” I said in a shaky voice further proving what I had said.

“Clay, would you be so kind to assist Aria,” the King said confidently. Clay took the beautiful box containing the necklace from his father’s lap. He walked over to the dresser where he had first retrieved the necklace and stood in front of the giant full length mirror fastened to the wall by the dresser.

Clay looked at me in the mirror and cocked his head to his side, an indication for me to join him. I slowly stood up, my palms clammy, and every step I took felt heavy. My heart was pounding so loudly that if someone spoke I would not have been able to hear the words.

I took my place in front of the mirror not knowing what to expect. Clay stood behind me, and through the mirror’s reflection his eyes stared into mine giving me a hint of the compassion he hid so cleverly. I was not sure if I was ready as he took a deep breath and broke from my gaze, setting the box on the dresser and taking the necklace from its resting place. I closed my eyes afraid of what came next.

“You must keep your eyes open, Ari,” Clay said gently. He was never this nice or soft spoken with me which only made me more concerned that I needed to brace myself. I hesitantly opened my eyes and nervously looked at Clay, towering over me by a full head length. I had never felt smaller.

He held the necklace across my collar bone and I moved my ponytail so he could clasp it. I let my long blonde waves fall down my back, clenching my fists so hard at my sides that my nails dug into my palms.

My white v-neck shirt left a perfect opening for the bright emerald to lay flat against my pale milky skin. For a few seconds nothing happened. My heart was beating so fast you could almost see it pulsing beneath the emerald that intersected the trinity symbol.

Then I felt a surge. Powerful sparks of energy started at my toes and moved up my body. I took a step back but bumped into Clay who stood at my heels, watching my reflection in awe. I followed his eyes. In the center of the trinity knot the emerald started to glow like a tiny green star. My eyes opened wide with disbelief as the glowing green light swirled inside the gemstone.

The glittering light started to fade and lightning pulsed through my heart. The stone returned to its natural state and I took in a sharp breath. The air that had been sucked from my lungs as my heartbeat raced through me like a rocket. I stared now at my reflection, watching as my emerald green eyes began to glow just as the necklace had. Swirling light shot a bright beam across my eyes like shooting stars cascading through a dark sky.

I was breathing raggedly, watching as the glow danced like green diamonds in my eyes, only to disappear like a full moon evaporating behind a cloud before sending one last burst of energy radiating through my body. The power of it had caused my knees to buckle, but Clay caught my arms before I collapsed.

My head was spinning and my vision blurred. I fought for simple shallow breaths. It had not been Liam that caused this reaction in the capitol. It was the necklace, and this time my reaction was even more powerful. When I put it on back then, I had felt the Aira and the Eartha energy momentarily course through me. I just didn’t recognize it. Clay kept his grasp on my arms to stabilize my sudden wobbly balance.

“Aria, you are the Trinity Fae,” the Eartha King stated behind us with all of the authority of a King. I stared at my reflection for a long time waiting to see if it would happen again, but the glow didn’t come. Everyone was still and silent as I regained the strength to speak. I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out.