COF 1: The Fairy Legacy

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"Xanthy!" Nyxis called just as she was making her way out of the Temple.

Xanthy whirled to find Nyxis elbowing his way past priestesses streaming through the corridors doing their daily jobs. Nyxis muttered an apology and ducked his head at a woman carrying a broom when he almost collided with her.

Xanthy waited for him at the top of the Temple stairs. Down on the wide, paved roads, Nobles drove around in their slick carriages, going about their usual day. Animals growled, filling the air with their noises and the stench of their sweat-soaked fur. Estates, with their shiny gates and sprawling gardens, stretched far beyond what Xanthy saw.

Nyxis slid next to her and braced his hands on his knees. Xanthy raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" she asked.

"I am coming with you," Nyxis huffed before straightening his back.

Xanthy crossed her arms, noting his pressed tunic and immaculately tousled dark hair. A stringent smell reached Xanthy's nose as she sniffed. Was that soap? Unbelievable. "Why would you come with me?" she jerked her chin at him. "I thought you did not want to go?"

Nyxis grinned. Xanthy had never seen such whiteness in teeth before. Was that the effect of having been raised in a castle? "Do you know your way out of the Nobility?" he cocked his head to one side.

"No," Xanthy crossed her arms. Oh, so that's where this was going.

"Do you know how to get inside the Palace?" Nyxis braced his hips. "Or how to get out?"

"No and no."

"Do you even know where the purged are being kept?"

"No!" Xanthy snapped. A priest looked up from scrubbing the Temple floor to glance at their direction. Oops. She drew closer to Nyxis and dropped her voice. "Vikara never let me near any briefings after she told me I am not supposed to go with them."

Nyxis shrugged. "So...?" he prodded.

"So," Xanthy frowned. "I need you," she met Nyxis's stare despite the dread curling in her gut. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

He snorted. "It is what anyone wanted to hear," he gazed into the road. A carriage pulled by a dappled white kephras stuttered to a stop at the base of the Temple's stairs.

Nyxis shielded the side of his face with his hand as the carriage's door opened and a Noblewoman stepped out. The sound of fabric hitting the road had never been so loud in Xanthy's ears as the woman's gown left the vehicle.

Nyxis began pushing her away from the Temple's door. "What—" she knitted her eyebrows as he practically dragged her towards the priest mopping the floor. The boy simply rolled his eyes at them, picked up his bubbly bucket, and walked off.

"What are we doing?" Xanthy hissed at Nyxis, craning her neck over the column as the Noblewoman with the voluminous dress strode up the stairs and disappeared into the Temple's only entrance.

Only then did Nyxis relax and stepped away from Xanthy. He sighed. "Nobles might recognize me," he scratched his chin. "I mean, with this face, they probably will."

Xanthy rolled her eyes. "Shut up," she smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "I could figure out my way without you. You do not need to do this."

"I want to," Nyxis glanced at her. "And I could not ignore the feeling that I need to."

Their eyes met and for the first time, Xanthy saw his green eyes live up to their namesake gem. Of course. He has a stake in this, too. There was no way she could deny him at this point. It would be cruel of her to do so.

She nodded. "Okay," she whispered. "We go to the Palace. Together." Then, she knitted her eyebrows. "How are we going to do that?"

"We hitch a ride," Nyxis's smile told her enough.

"What about not being seen by the Guards, by Vikara and her henchmen, by June and Reeca?" Xanthy challenged.

Nyxis winked at her. "Just trust me, Xanthy," he peeled off the column and strode towards the Temple's stairs. Well, she prayed to all the gods she knew that she could. Should she offer part of her wages to the Temple? It's added good luck.

Xanthy exhaled her dread out and followed Nyxis as they tackled the stairs. Her quiver bounced against her leg. She adjusted the bow slung across her torso. This was going to be a crazy journey.