Crow’s POV

I slammed into the rock-face with enough force to rattle my teeth and taste the metallic taste of my blood staining my mouth. The rocky and slippery cliffs of Wyrd were cruel, old things- mountains said to have been carved by the first war between gods and mortals. Mist clung to every ledge like it was a living beast, curling between cracks as if whispering secrets to the stones.

I heard my brothers in arms hit the rocks below me and groan in pain from the impact to their bodies. Blake looks up at me and yells, “Is this close enough for you?!” sarcastically.

I throw my head back and laugh while looking down at my friends, my brothers not related by blood but closer to me than my own family. They stood by me growing up as I was forced me to be a warrior, a protector, and a prince, all in the name of my father, King Mathis of the Dark Fae Kingdom, Raventorn.

Wyrd Cliffs lined the border between kingdoms, a jagged wound carved between shadow and sun. The Dark and Light Fae Kingdoms are on the continent called Valis. There are other continents located outside of the Fae Kingdoms, but we cannot venture there because of war with the other species. A previous king from long ago created a barrier called the Veil that keeps Valis safe from any outsiders who might wish us harm.

Zagon, with his long hair tied back into a ponytail, piercing blue eyes, and tattoos climbing up his neck, mutters under his breath while eyeing the sheer drop with disdain, “The exact location would have been more helpful”.

Zagon, the serious one of our trio, with a heart that he only shows to those closest to him. He is the one who would worship having a mate because his own parents treated him like trash they could throw away. His parents only cared about their status and having a son that was an asset to the King. That was more important than bonding with their only child. His heart desires that family and connection that he lost out on in his childhood. For him, to be blessed with having a true mate would be the ultimate gift the Gods could bless him with.

Blake landed beside him with less grace, wings folding as he rolls his shoulder with a grunt. He whips his head towards Zagon, his short black hair dancing in the wind, and glares at Zagon with his deep gray eyes and snarls, a sound that would send anyone else flying away but Zagon, having grown up with us, only smirks. Blake is the one most fae women want to bed for the night. With his strong, well-built warrior body and charismatic personality, he draws the most female attention. He is a fun party fae who only wants a good time and nothing serious. To Blake, a serious relationship like a mate bond will only be a weakness to because of a mate being kidnapped, tortured, or killed, would destroy our minds and turn us into the monsters the Light fae already think we are.

“We should be there by sunrise,” I call down jokingly. Groans and mumbles were my only response, but they knew full well we would be there in a matter of hours.

I can imagine the sight of us three fae warriors must be to anyone watching. The Dark Prince and his two closest friends, climbing up the side of Wyrd Cliffs instead of using our wings, scouting for a fabled pool that could reveal one’s deepest desires. But nobody knows what we are doing or searching for, which is exactly what I want. The more people who knew what we were doing the more they could use it against me.

Wyrd Cliffs is more that just stone and legend- they are sacred to the old tribes, a place where the magic of the world still bled through. Below us, tucked within a hidden cavern, was the Datrith Pool- a relic whispered of in broken songs and half-burned scrolls. They said it could show you what your soul desired most… if you had the strength to survive its truth.

I am proud of my heritage as a Dark Fae. We are like humans but have magical capabilities and longer life spans, not to mention the pointy ears and dark-colored wings we can use to fly. By being a Dark Fae, it means I am of the night realm where the fae are tan skinned and known for being tricksters. Light Fae have been rumored to be more honest and trusting. Where the Light Fae represents good, Dark Fae are known for being exclusive and secretive about our lives and our capabilities. That is how my people have survived for so long, isolated from the Light Fae and their resources that are not available to us and our eternal night land.

Many centuries ago, the Light and the Dark fae used to live together in peace and prosperity. Centuries ago, Prince Draken of the Dark fae and Prince Haml of the Light fae were brothers born as twins to the last couple who ruled both the Dark and Light fae together. They grew up as close as any brothers could be, roughhousing and secret keepers for one another. But as they got older, and it came time for their father to step down as king, only one son could be pointed as king. Draken was a Dark fae and was the least likely to get chosen as he was the second twin to be born. But Draken wanted to be king so badly, that he was willing to kill his twin brother and best friend, Haml, to be king. There was a war that lasted for an era while they each fought for the right to be the only king. The civil war caused the Dark and Light Fae to fight each other, brother fighting brother, friend fighting friend, and eventually enemy fighting enemy. Draken attacked mercilessly his brother, Haml, trying to gain the crown and rule the continent.

Prince Draken wanted the Dark fae to have the power of the kingdom, and the Dark fae were already known for being greedy and wanting to control the Light fae. Prince Draken was an ambitious ruler who wanted to spread out and take control of other species that lived on other continents. Whereas Prince Haml did not want that at all, he wanted the kingdom to remain as it was and to grow with more advancements and bringing in a better time for all fae. So, the two kings went to battle with the Dark fae fighting the Light fae. Finally, after some time of war, the two kings meet each other in battle, and fought each other while the warriors stopped and just watched, unsure of if they should intercede on behalf of their kings or watch the spectacle unfold. The brothers were evenly matched in skill and strength, blades clashed with the ringing of steel for what seemed like an eternity, swing after swing, jab after jab of the swords, until one twin made a fatal mistake a slipped on the blood-soaked earth under him. Prince Draken was slain with a sword that went through his throat, spraying his ruby colored blood over King Haml and the ground they stood on. After the victory by Prince Haml and the Light fae, he banished all Dark fae to the other side of the continent and were told for their punishment in following Prince Draken that they would no longer be welcomed in Caradlia and no longer receive any help or trades from the Light fae kingdom. The Dark fae learned how to survive first by stealing and thieving, then by learning trades and farming, and eventually, under the guidance of my grandfather, King Caol, the Dark fae prospered, until the plague.

My kingdom is dying. The dark fae people are dying, the crops are dying, a disease is spreading that none of our healers and farmers can cure. The greatest fear is that I cannot help my people and my people will perish from this plague. This plague is a mystery that does not have a known cure. No medications, spells, or power seems to slow down the progression of this sickness. But long ago, a seer wrote a prophecy that will be the only way to save our people. There are many innocents that live in the Dark fae kingdom who deserve a chance to live without the worry of this plague. This prophecy states:

When the sun no longer shines

When the corn no longer grows,

When a curse spreads to all you know,

When all hope is lost

Look for the Dark prince’s true mate.

For she is the key

To save them all.

Lost in thought, I almost miss seeing the cave opening protruding from the Wyrd Cliffs and my heart races with anticipation. I reach up and grab hold of a large rock and pull myself up and over the ledge, half expecting to be met by a beast of the cave. When I see nothing in sight, I reach down to help my brothers climb over the ledge. Finally, we stand at the entrance to the cave that holds the Datrith Pool, the last chance we have to save the Dark fae.

“Are we going in or just going to stand here?” exclaims Blake with a raised eyebrow at me, looking at me expectantly.

I look at him and reply, “Are you going to save everyone and take on a mate?” with a snarky voice.

“Nope, that’s all your pleasure.” He laughs at me.

“Forgive me, if I am not running inside wanting to see what hag I will be forced to spend eternity with,”

“She might not be a hag” pips in Zagon, with his romantic heart. I know he wishes to find his own true mate someday and I pray to the Mother that he will. The Mother is the Goddess of the Earth that granted us life.

Blake and I look at him and laugh out loud. Neither of us is looking forward to giving up our bachelor days and becoming a mated fae. Who would want to be stuck with the same female for the rest of their life? In unison, Blake and I sigh and step forward into the darkness that is going to change my life forever. Zagon follows us with his longing heart.

The cave wall is glittering with emeralds and amethysts that send reflective light onto my face and the path ahead of me. Purple and green flashes of light highlighted the cave walls and floor, reflecting off my black leather warrior gear as we moved forward as a unit to ensure that a predator did not ambush us. My senses are on high alert as we walk down the hallway of the cave. Our fae senses are stronger than those of any human, so our eyesight allows us to see better in the dark. Our hearing is near that of a feline predator, so we can also hear any footsteps that do not belong to us and help us be prepared for an attack.

I can hear the clicking of nails on the cave’s floor in a tunnel that veers to the left, but it does not come any closer. Eventually, it fades away as the sound grows softer. Even the cave beasts seem to know better than to attack three fae warriors.

My shadows creep ahead of us too and allow me to feel the crevasses in the cave where anything might be lurking. Zagon has the ability of fire wielding that he can call upon whenever he needs it. It is especially useful in the dark to help light the way forward or to use against anyone who might want to attack us. Blake’s fae power is unique and my father, King Mathis, has exploited his power whenever he has wished, or else Blake will have to be punished in my father’s dungeon until he submits to the King’s wishes. Blake can turn back time or jump through time to another time and place. It is truly a unique gift that only one other fae has ever been known to have and that fae died many centuries ago.

After what feels like days but is only hours, we come to the end of the cave tunnel and crawl through a rock opening big enough for a small child to walk through easily. I hear water falling as I step through the opening. I look around in awe as a waterfall descends from magic to fall into a pool that shimmers as if made from diamonds. I am so caught up in the beauty that surrounds me I cannot notice my shadows coiling around me in protection.

Suddenly, from the darkness, a shadow swoops down upon us, blocking our exit as a creature that we believed did not exist and was just a bedtime story made to scare children slams into the rocky ground, bits of rock flying in all directions. A towering form covered in black fur that stands on two legs with a massive tail that sweeps behind it, with a face that looks as if only skeletal covered with leather with sunken in eyes that glow like onyx, claws with 6-inch-long nails that look sharp enough to stab a fae as though cutting through butter. Saliva dripped off fangs that were borne in a snarl. Large droplets of saliva fell to the floor at its feet. “Haardam!!!” I heard Blake yell, “Take position…NOW!”

Scrambling out of a stupor of seeing what I thought was only a myth, the demon itself, Haardam, as a unit, we grabbed our weapons, preparing to enter the fight for our lives. Suddenly, a voice spoke inside my head, which caused me to drop my sword and to take a step back into a trance.

“Hello Dark Prince, I have been waiting for you” this inky voice whispers inside of my head.

Who are you? I replied back in my mind.

“I am the one you are searching for. The one who has the answers you seek.” The voice hisses.

If you know what I want, then tell me.

“You prove you are worthy of such a precious gift first. Defeat the Haardam and I will grant you what you seek.” The voice whispers through my mind.

“We have to defeat the Haardam to find my mate,” I tell Blake and Zagon.

The Haardam roars at my statement, saliva flying everywhere, lowering its body to a squat before running at us on its long, muscular legs with talons. We scatter around the cave, trying to find a ground that will put us at an advantage as we surround all sides of the Haardam. Blake, being headstrong, charges the Haardam with his sword raised above his head, meeting the beast’s giant claw as it swings at his head. I see Blake’s sword find purchase in the flesh of the Haardam. Blood sprays out and splatters onto Blake’s face and leathers. The Haardam roared with anger and hurt as Blake sliced part of the Haardam’s talon off. I crept my shadows to the Haardam and used them to attack the Haardam’s mind by causing confusion and pain. The mind is a unique organ, and my shadows can manipulate it. My shadows can cause physical pain as well. My shadows are the most powerful weapon in fae powers. I use the talons of my shadows to grab hold of the Haardam’s evil mind and slice at it so that the Haardam screams in agony at the pain my shadows are causing.

Zagon just sits by watching us fight, knowing that Blake and I got it handled. I see him leaning back against the rock wall with a look of longing on his face as he stares at the pool of water. With the Haardam on the ground holding its head, Blake shoves his sword through its heart, causing the Haardam to distinguish into ash. The Haardam turns into ash, that shifts away with the breeze from the underground waterfall, disappearing as if the Haardam was just a figment of my imagination.

I walk over to Zagon and put my hand on his shoulder and give it a squeeze. I can see the longing on his face to walk into that pool so he can find his true mate. I wish I could trade places with him so he can find what his heart desires. I know that whoever Zagon mate is, she will want nothing again. Zagon is the best of us. He is the real deal when it comes to being a mate. He will lie down his life for his true mate. Even though I know he wishes he could find his today, I know he does not resent me for finding mine. The pool only allows one to enter the water out of those who pass the test it gives. One day, we will return to allow him to find his mate.

I walk over to the pool and kneel to stare at my reflection in the pool. I see my black shaggy hair framing a tan face that houses bright lagoon green eyes, the scar that runs from the top of my hairline down to right above my left eye, my black wings behind me showing the talon at the tips, wearing an expression that only shows hopelessness and despair at needing to find a true mate to keep my people safe.

“Step down into the pool, young prince,” the voice whispers to me once more.

I rise to my feet, look over my shoulder at my brothers one last time before I step down into the pool. I walk towards the center of the pool until I am standing right before the waterfall. Contemplating how different my life will be after finding out who my true mate is and if my feelings will change. I step under the waterfall and duck under the water until my whole body is submerged in water.

“Hello young prince, are you sure you want to see your true mate?”

I am ready, I want to save my people.

“And so, you shall...”

The voice fades away and suddenly I see bright lights and what looks to be a picture show flash so fast all I see are colors. The picture reel slows, and a face fades into view. I see dark auburn hair, sparkling hazel eyes, and the most adorable splay of freckles across the bridge of a petite nose. She has golden wings, which means she is a Light fae, she is in a field surrounded by sunflowers and somehow; she is more beautiful than all of them.

I realized right then that she was going to be the most important part of my story;, she was my mate, therefore she would be the one I would do anything for. My heart now beats only for her and to make her smile. My lagoon green eyes snapped open, desire and intent flashing in them to find my mate.