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The Healing Souls
Undercover
Undercover2209words
Update Time2024-11-01 09:40:41
[Shayle]Whatever I thought this group was it was proving to be much more. In the month that I had been in the community, I had met a lot of people. All of them had issues with the goddess and felt strongly enough about them to follow a deity who promised them the sun and the moon for their patronage. The more time I spent with them the more I was learning, even though I still wasn’t allowed to meet with the prophet. I had been brought into the community through one of his assistants. Since then, I had spent a lot of time with Craig and met other people. Not all of them had stupid reasons for following this god over the goddess. There were shapeshifters who had been cheated on or abused by their fated mates. Witches who had been born without magic were pretty prevalent. There were a few fae who generally shied away from me when I tried to talk to them. From what I gathered, they were long lived fae who either didn’t seem to have a true mate or who found their true mate was a shorter lived person. The one who actually talked to me didn’t even think of trying to turn his mate into a fae. A lot of the time, it was something the goddess couldn’t change. The doubt was caused by the freewill she gave us. It didn’t seem to matter to the people who were here, though. I asked a few questions in my first week, as any new member might, but soon started mimicking their bіtching. I couldn’t stand out or they would know I didn’t really believe. Whenever I needed to get angry, I thought about how Pyla embarrassed me in the middle of the forest village. It was always enough to get me in a mood. Before I left, I met with Queen Maeve and she revealed that no one could detect lies from trolls. We didn’t function the same way as other creatures. As long as I had confidence in what I said, people would believe me. I could understand why they kept that a secret from trolls. We were just asshole-y enough to never tell the truth to anyone who wasn’t a troll again. We would fuсk with people so badly if we knew we could lie without giving it away. I was glad she told me that and completely willing to agree to not tell any other trolls. The community was hidden in a cave in the woods. It was some sort of magic, though. The cave wasn’t this big. There was a portal that took people somewhere else. No one else seemed to care, if they even realized it. Whatever kind of fae the prophet was, it was a powerful one. Permanent portal connection was a rare ability. They were in a series of caverns. One was for a mix of supernaturals. A lower level was for the vampires. There was another even lower level and that is where I was told the god resided. At least, that is how it was explained.It sounded like he was trapped there, as if he had been sealed into the cavern where he was. I was curious about how the prophet found him, but no one seemed to know. Queen Maeve would need to know that. So far, no one had told me the name of the god. I was still too new, I guess. I spent most of my time in the main cavern, where the mix of supernaturals gathered. It was a bustling hub of activity, with people coming in and out, discussing their issues with the goddess and their reasons for joining the prophet’s cause.“Shayle, it’s been a few days since I saw you last. Are you finding your place in the community?” Craig asked as he approached. “I think people are a little nervous about talking to me. I’ve been trying and even keeping myself from replying to people with whatever pops into my head, but it’s still slow going,” I replied. “It can be tough when you’re new. And they are always like that with fae. Have you tried talking to some of the other fae?” “Most fae aren’t fond of trolls, so they’ve been keeping their distance for the most part. Maybe this isn’t the place for me. I thought things would be different here, but I’m excluded here almost as much as I would be at home after Forrest’s true mate was proven to be that lizard bіtch.” I sighed and turned away from him. He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. Pretending to be emotional was easy. Trolls are well known for not liking to show any emotion that isn’t anger. All I had to do was turn away and people respected that I was hiding a shameful expression or emotion. I used it to hide when I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes. “The prophet would like to meet you. He has been watching you trying to be part of the community and he decided it was time to meet you. He usually takes a little longer to meet with fae because of how hard it was to break away from the fae community for him. He knows you need time to acclimate to a new place,” Craig replied. I stared at him for a moment. That was unexpected. I nodded and he took my hand, leading me out of the cavern where the bulk of the community lived. This was the first time I had been able to wander further in because I wasn’t really made for sneaking around. As we walked, I made sure to look appropriately curious while I worked to memorize every inch of the caverns. We walked past the lower cavern where the vampires lived. I couldn’t see them, but it was my understanding that it was daytime outside, so they were all asleep. We walked deeper into the caverns. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding. The deeper I went, the more the feeling intensified. It was as though something was watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake. But I couldn’t turn back now. I had come too far to give up.Finally, we arrived at a large cavern with a few lit torches on the walls. In the center of the space was a throne and a figure sitting on it. The prophet. I felt a chill run down my spine as I gazed upon him. He was an imposing figure with long, white hair that flowed down to his waist. His eyes were piercing, and he had an air of power and authority that was hard to ignore.There was another opening in the wall next to the throne. This wasn’t the deepest it went. I wasn’t a cave troll, so I couldn’t read how deep the caverns actually went. I’d been going mostly off what I’d heard people saying. So now, I knew it went deeper. “Thank you, Craig, we don’t need you any longer,” the prophet said. Craig bowed and left the room. I stayed where I was. I wouldn’t move until I had some sort of sign of what this was. “Welcome to my service chamber, Shayle. I know you haven’t been included in our worship of our god since you joined. You must understand that we have to be careful about who we trust.” He got off the throne and came over to me. It was an interesting approach. Instead of keeping himself above me, he put us on equal footing. Even if it meant he had to look up at me. “You are a very beautiful troll. Craig told me about what happened. The man you deserved was given to another woman by the goddess. I’m sorry she didn’t see how good you would be as a match for him. You’re from the Stanvale family, right?” he asked. “I am. You know about my family?” “The noble families of the trolls aren’t unknown to other fae. They just pretend as a way to ‘keep trolls in their place’ and make it seem like they aren’t important. And the man you wanted was the youngest son of the Montblanc family.” The prophet shook his head. “I have a proposition for you, Shayle. I can make it so that you never have to feel excluded again. You can be a part of something bigger than yourself. All you have to do is join me, and become one of my worshippers.”I raised an eyebrow. “And what does that entail?”He smiled at me and held out his hand. I cautiously put my hand in his and he covered it with his other hand. They were warm and soft. He looked up into my eyes with a caring expression. “To become one of my worshippers means to devote yourself to our god, and to me as his prophet. It means that you will be part of a community of fae that understands and accepts you for who you are. You will be part of a family, Shayle.” The prophet’s voice was calm and reassuring, and I found myself drawn to him despite my reservations. “What do I have to do?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest. “Simply pledge your loyalty to me and to our god. Swear to do everything in your power to help us achieve our goals, and to never betray our secrets. And in return, we will not only accept you, but our god will give you what you desire. You will have Forrest Montblanc for your mate and the lizard troll he is mated to will disappear.” “How do I do that?” “You only need to pledge your heart to our god and to me. My name is Oberon our god is called Drekariz.” “Oberon? Like the Oberon?” “You’ve heard of me. Yes, I am the ancient fairy king. I gave my kingdom up in favor of following my god when I found him. My true mate and queen never took me back. I gave up on the goddess when she didn’t change my mate’s mind. I tried to get over her betrayal, but I never did. Not until I found Drekariz,” he said. The entire time he talked to me, he maintained eye contact and spoke in a loving and caring tone. He talked to me as if I was someone he truly cared about. Part of me pushed against him, saying he was manipulating me and none of this was real. It was all a scam.But as I looked into Oberon’s eyes, I saw only sincerity and kindness. He truly believed in what he was offering me, and I couldn’t help but feel drawn to him.“I...I don’t know what to say,” I stammered.“All you have to say is ‘I, Shayle Stanvale, dedicate my whole heart to the god Drakariz and his prophet Oberon.’ This will bond you to our cause and community. Come now, Shayle. You can finally have everything you desire all we require is your faith.” Vows were dangerous things among the fae. They were more than just words spoken. They were promises forged in the magic that surrounded us. If I didn’t make this promise, I would be kicked out of the community and I needed to be here. Dear goddess, help me. I don’t know what to do.Make the vow. If that was her will, so be it. I knew the goddess wouldn’t lead me wrong. She was watching out for me. “I, Shayle Stanvale, dedicate my whole heart to the god Drakariz and his prophet Oberon,” I whispered. As soon as I made the vow, I felt a strange energy course through my body. It was as if by making the vow, I had become a part of something greater than myself. Oberon’s grip on my hand tightened, and his eyes glowed faintly.“You have made the right choice, Shayle,” he said. “From this day forward, you will have everything you desire.”“I appreciate it.” “Now, I do have a few questions about people in the fae lands. Please come with me and we’ll talk for a while. Once we’re done, I’ll take you back up to join everyone else. Will you answer all of my questions honestly?” Oberon asked. “I will,” I answered without meaning to. It was some sort of spell. Now that he had the vow of my heart, he could get any answers he wanted. I couldn’t stop him, either. I had the feeling that I would answer any question he asked truthfully and honestly. I prayed that he didn’t ask if I was spying. Oberon led me to his throne and let go of my hand before taking his seat. He pointed at the ground in front of him. I dropped to my knees and crawled the rest of the way to him. I didn’t want to, but it was as if I couldn’t control it. It was more than just promises and whatever else the humans used to control people in cults. It was real mind control. “Let’s begin, sweet Shayle....” He smiled in a way that made me nervous, but I smiled back at him anyway.