Panic pulsed through my veins and refused to stop making laps throughout my body. I knew it wasn't as serious as it looked, but every time I took a glance at Sabre's blood-soaked shirt the memory of the ball haunted my mind. She was okay, I kept telling myself. If she wasn't, she would be passed out or in a lot more agony. I stuck close to her side just in case.

"Shouldn't we see the healer first?" I called out to Griffin who was leading us to the opposite side of Bellgrave Village.

"There's no point in healing her if her life is going to be taken away. That would be a waste of time, skill, and resources," she said bluntly. A gruesome truth.

I would have loved to wander around this village — to talk to the people, find out about their lives and learn how they had managed to stay hidden this whole time— but I could only focus on Sabre.

"Ceerel can try to heal her!" The young fae girl joined the conversation, appearing from nowhere and making us jump. Her sister was the only one who wasn't surprised by her sudden arrival.

"You're still training your magic and you haven't worked on resealing existing wounds yet," Griffin pointed out. "It would be better if you watched an experienced healer do it."

"Fine." Ceerel crossed her arms and frowned.

While the two sisters talked to each other, Lorella fell to the back of the group to speak to us. Her face was pale, almost as if she had been frightened beyond comparison.

"I think my father protected me from enchantments," she whispered, drawing all of our attention. Though, her hushed tone was wasted. If I could hear her perfectly fine with my fae ears, then I had no doubt Griffin and Ceerel could too. "I'm sorry, but I might be the downfall of us." Her voice wobbled, as if she might cry.

Auron nudged her softly with an elbow. "It'll be okay. Are you certain you're protected?"

Lorella shook her head. "No, but I've overheard servants back at the manor talk about it before."

"We'll deal with it when it comes to it," Sabre announced. "We won't let you be killed."

"Thank you."

We stopped outside of a small hut in the corner of the village, one that was isolated from the rest of the houses. Griffin knocked on the door a few times before pushing it open and motioning us inside. I didn't know what I had expected for the inside of an enchanter's home, but it wasn't whatever we laid our eyes upon as we entered.

It was a mess. Books, papers, half-eaten bowls of food and strange small objects were scattered everywhere. There wasn't a clear surface in sight. A desk was propped up against a window, creating an optimal area to work in. Though, it was difficult to decipher what exactly it was the enchanter was working on with so much clutter.

"Sharian!" Griffin called out into the hut. "You have guests!"

A man came running to the entrance of his home with complete joy and shock on his face. "Welcome, welcome! Please, make yourselves at home." He bore the same features as his brother Lathai, making me wonder if the two fae were twins. "It's been a while since I've had human guests! What brings you here?"

Griffin took it upon herself to explain our situation again, mentioning how we got here and what had happened with the Elders before we arrived at his home. She even threw in a few warnings that we might be dangerous to the village.

"I see." The cheerful air about him dampened into a cool seriousness. "So, do you want me to make them forget everything as soon as they leave this village, or force them to not say anything about us?"

He picked up a book from one of the many bookshelves lining the walls. When it touched his palm, it opened all by itself. There was something purple flickering and glowing on the pages, but I couldn't make out what it was from the angle I stood at.

"The former is much riskier as it tampers with the inner workings of someone's mind though. I haven't had much experience with that at all." Sharian continued, turning through the pages of his book in search of something.

I doubted we had a say in what enchantment we got, but I would have preferred to only not be able to talk about the fae that lived in Bellgrave Village. Forgetting about them completely, going back to thinking my mother and I were the only fae to exist, was a lonely idea.

Griffin hesitated as she thought. "Go for the last one if it's easier. The one where you're only sealing their ability to talk about us. You need to know that the High Fae might be protected, though," she added.

"High Fae?" Sharian looked up from his book and scanned us until his eyes planned on mine. "Your highness." He bowed curtly — a slight lower in his head and body — before he returned to normal. "You must have travelled far to get to this village. I apologise for not noticing your status sooner."

"That's okay. There's also no need for formalities. Just call me Kayne." Sharian's respect was the most I had gotten from anyone in this village.

"Of course." He smiled and resumed searching through the book he held. "Ah, here it is," he declared moments later. "Now, do we have any volunteers to go first? It will only hurt a little bit for a slight moment, I promise."

I saw Sabre begin to put her hand up and I was about to hold it down to volunteer myself instead, but Auron spoke before I did.

"I'll go first." He stepped towards the enchanter, ready to have the information of the hidden fae's existence sealed within him forever. Considering Sabre was injured and we didn't know if Lorella or I were protected, it was the best option.

"Alright. Please hold as still as you possibly can."

Sharian held out his free hand and held it in line with Auron's move, keeping his eyes focused on the text in the book. As the enchanter began to mumble a few words, two glowing violet circles of runes appeared — one on his hand and another on the weaponsmith's mouth. When Sharian continued his enchantment, the runes began to spin and panic flared through Auron's eyes. The enchanter muttered a few more words, his brow dripping with sweat, and the circles vanished.

Auron breathed heavily, falling to one side and about to pass out. His skin turned paler than ash and he stuck out his hands to grab onto something to stop him from falling to the ground.

We all rushed to his side, but Lorella helped him before Sabre or I could get to our friend. She steadied him on his feet and Auron clung to her, lowering his head while his dizziness passed.

"Apologies." Sharian winced at Auron's reaction to his enchantment. "That was a little rougher than I would have liked. I'm a little rustier than I expected."

Griffin only watched with amusement from where she leant against the wall next to the exit. Her arms were crossed and a thin smile was spread across her lips. How could she be getting enjoyment out of it?

"I don't get many customers to test my skills on with this village being hidden." He waited for Auron to regain his composure before pushing him further. "Well, why don't you test the enchantment out? Try and say something about some fae hidden in the Racaea forests."

Auron's mouth opened as if to speak, but nothing came out. His throat bobbed and his brows furrowed in frustration. He really couldn't say anything about it.

"Okay, that's enough trying." Sharian sighed and chuckled nervously at the same time. "I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do it."

I couldn't believe I had seen an enchantment cast in front of me. It felt wrong, like I should report the dangerous crime. Though, at the same time, I was in awe of Sharian's skill. How did someone even learn the craft of enchantments?

"Wait," Sharian began with panic in his tone, "say something that isn't related to the fae. Anything. I haven't taken away your speech completely, have I?"

"You're good," Auron croaked, easing himself out of Lorella's hold. He smiled at her gratefully and patted her on the shoulder.

"Thank the forest for that." The enchanter removed a stack of paper off of a chair and placed it onto his already cluttered desk before sitting on it. He rubbed his hands together, grinning excitedly. "So, who wants to go next?"

Next to step up for the enchantment was Lorella. She had a determination in her stance as she approached Sharian, as if willing into existence that she wasn't protected. The enchantment went smoother than the previous one. Sharian was able to cast it much quicker and the lady even had fewer side effects. She was asked to perform the same test that Auron had done and it proved successful. Lorella hadn't been protected after all.

Now, it was time to see if I would also be as relieved.

I approached the enchanter and braced myself for disappointment, for a death warrant to be placed on my head by Griffin. The fae girl had several weapons strapped to her legs, so she wouldn't need to wait to do the job. I had a feeling she wouldn't hesitate to give the killing blow either. If it protected the village, she would do it.

Sharian held out his hand and a purple circle of runes appeared on my mouth. At first, it didn't feel of much — perhaps it tickled just a little — but then a sharp pain burned in my throat, causing my eyes to widen. It felt as if a hand was wrapped tightly around my neck, preparing to rip out the part that allowed me to speak. After a moment, the pain subsided and the runes disappeared, allowing me to breathe properly again.

Did the enchantment work? Had I been protected?

"Well, try it out then," Sharian urged, eager to see his successful work once more.

I tried to express how much I loved the village and how nice it was to see fae existing outside of my mother and I, but it was no use. There was something that dragged my words back down my throat, pushing me to say anything but what I had planned. The enchantment had worked. I didn't know whether to be relieved or saddened by the fact that neither of my parents had thought to protect me from them.

"Nice." Sharian smiled, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, just one more to go."

Sabre stepped forwards nervously. Her eyes found mine, wondering if the enchantment had truly worked on me. I nodded in confirmation but also in comfort to let her know I'd be there if she needed me. Though I knew she was strong enough to handle whatever was thrown in her way.

Sharian held out his hand, his arm now shaking from the exhaustion casting so many enchantments was causing him, and a purple circle of runes appeared on her mouth. As he began to murmur the words that bound the information to us, the circle flickered and disappeared much too quickly for it to be finished.

The enchanter frowned. "That's strange. I must be pushing myself too much, let me try again." He shook and stretched out his body, as if that would help him focus on his work.

Sharian began the enchantment again, the circle of glowing runes materialising once more, and this time he spoke the necessary words faster than he had done before. His brows furrowed as he strained himself to keep the runes on her mouth, but this time it stayed until it was completed.

He wiped the back of his hand over his forehead to remove the sweat resting there, a look of uncertainty on his features. "There we go. Why don't you test it out for me?"

Unlike the rest of us, Sabre hadn't seemed to pale and have a bad reaction to the enchantment. The weaponsmith opened her mouth and nothing came out, but something didn't feel right. I could tell she was holding something back.

Had Sharian's exhaustion been the reason the enchantment had failed the first time? Or was there something else affecting it?

The enchanter leant back in his chair, sighing deeply. "Excellent. I'm glad it worked. I didn't want to have some of the only guests Bellgrave Village has had to be killed by our Elders." He chuckled anxiously. "Though, I don't think my brother would do that to you."

"Thank you for your work." I lowered my head in Sharian's direction to show my gratitude. I was still surprised that Lorella and I hadn't been protected.

"It's my pleasure!" Some of his previous energy returned. "Thank you for letting me use my enchantments again."

"Alright," Griffin concluded as she pushed off of the wall. "Now we're going to see Wyantha."