Chapter 12 Silver
Silver
The academy staff had already left my room by the time I arrived back.
Ash’s things were piled in the middle of the room, neatly packaged in boxes or bags.
It wasn’t much, but it represented a massive problem.
I was bound to a witch, either by a mate bond or a true love spell, and that was not going to fly with my parents. Period.
And the worst part was, I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or terrified.
If this was a mate bond or a spell, there was nothing they could do to get rid of it.
But at the same time, I knew that if my father caught wind of it, he’d be on campus in seconds with an army at the gates.
He wasn’t the kind of man that took no for an answer.
My mother wouldn’t help calm him down either.
When it came to my father’s tantrums, she made it a point not to get involved.
I liked Ash. Quite a bit actually. But I needed help and possibly a solution. There was only one person in the Twilight Realm I trusted with such a thing.
Shutting the door tight behind me, I headed to my desk and pulled the drawer open.
There, lying in a pile of discarded writing utensils and scrap paper was the enchanted mirror.
I lifted it up, swiping my fingers across the ornate frame to activate it.
The dark surface swirled for a moment before I saw a face that wasn’t my own.
“Hello, young master. How can I be of service?”
“Caldwell, are you alone?” I asked. “No other servants? No parents?”
“Yes, sir,” he nodded. “I’m in my office at the moment with the door closed.”
“Good,” I replied, relieved to catch him at a good time. “Don’t open the door for anyone. I have something I need to talk to you about that must be kept strictly private. Even my mother and father cannot know what I’m about to tell you.”
“If this is about a bastard child,” Caldwell nodded. “We have protocol in place for such a situation.”
“Ew, Caldwell. No. Gross.” I couldn’t help making a face. “I’m not into women.”
He stared at me for a long moment. “That… explains a lot.”
“Yeah, I figured it might.” I reached up, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I… uh… got mixed up with a guy and there’s been… some complications.”
“Royal assassin types of complications?” he offered. “We have protocol for that as well.”
“Jesus, Caldwell,” I sighed. “No. Not that bad.”
“Please explain.”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “I… uh… I might have a… a mate bond. The fated kind. Or a true love spell? I’m not sure which. We don’t know.”
“To a man?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “To a male witch. And a shadow walker at that.”
Caldwell stared for a long moment, clearly trying to compose himself. “Are… Are you sure this isn’t a job for the royal assassin?”
“I don’t want him dead, Caldwell!” I cried. “I kinda… well, I kinda really like him.”
“But dark elves don’t form mate bonds. And especially not with witches. Your father would never—”
“Allow a human in the realm, I know.”
“And he would execute any shadow walker that did,” Caldwell continued. “Once they’ve been to a realm once, they can return at will. Your line has spent generations strengthening the barrier between the Twilight and the mortal realms. A shadow walker would put all of that in jeopardy.”
“I know that, Caldwell,” I snapped. Then I forced myself to breathe and compose my emotions a bit.
“I know. But this isn’t something I can just get out of.
We’ve got the school staff working on it as well.
But I need you to research on your side and send me whatever you find.
Books, historical scrolls, spells… anything that might help me figure this out or convince my father to let it stay in place. ”
Caldwell’s expression shifted from shock to concern. “Young master, I’ll do what I can, but you must understand the gravity of this situation. Your father has already selected your future bride. The alliance with her family has been in negotiation since your birth.”
“I know that too,” I groaned, running my hand through my white hair. “But this is different, Caldwell. When we touch, it’s like... electricity. And his magic responds to me in ways that aren’t normal. He accidentally teleported us through the school’s wards when we... when we were together.”
Caldwell’s eyebrows shot up. “Through the academy’s wards? That’s impossible. We had them checked for security before you left.”
“That’s what everyone said,” I replied. “But he did it. The school’s making him wear enchanted bracers now to contain his magic, and they’re moving him into my room so they can keep an eye on us.”
“Moving in together?” Caldwell looked alarmed. “Young master, this is highly irregular. If your father finds out—”
“He won’t,” I interrupted firmly. “Not yet. Not until I figure out what this is and what to do about it.”
“And if there’s nothing to be done?” Caldwell asked quietly.
I hadn’t allowed myself to consider that possibility. What if this bond couldn’t be broken? What if I was tied to Ash forever?
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “But I need options, Caldwell. Real ones. Not just what my father wants.”
The old butler nodded slowly, his expression softening. “I’ll search the royal archives discreetly. There are ancient texts that might provide some insight. But please, be careful. Don’t deepen this bond until we know more about it.”
I laughed bitterly. “Too late for that warning.”
Caldwell sighed, looking every bit his considerable age. “I’ll contact you as soon as I find anything useful. In the meantime, perhaps some distance would be wise, despite your... living arrangements.”
“Yeah,” I nodded, though the thought of keeping my distance from Ash made my chest ache in a way I couldn’t explain. “I’ll… try.”
“And young master?” Caldwell added, his voice gentle. “Whatever happens, know that I am on your side.”
That caught me off guard. “Even against my father?”
“I have served the royal family for three centuries,” he replied carefully. “But I’ve watched you grow from a child. Your happiness matters to me.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Thank you, Caldwell.”
“Of course, young master. And, if all else fails, we still have the royal assassin.”
“Caldwell!”
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “It was a just a joke. Now, I must go before I’m missed. I’ll be in touch soon.”
The mirror went dark, and I set it back in the drawer, feeling both relieved and more anxious than before. At least I had Caldwell on my side, but would that be enough?
A soft knock on the door startled me from my thoughts. I closed the drawer quickly, making sure the mirror was safely hidden before I called out, “Come in.”
The door opened slowly, and Ash stood there, looking uncertain and more than a little miserable. The obsidian bracers encircled both his wrists, thick bands of polished black stone that seemed to absorb the light around them. They looked heavy and uncomfortable, and my heart twisted at the sight.
“Hey,” I said, trying to sound casual despite the hurricane of emotions swirling inside me. “They got you all set up with those, huh?”
Ash nodded, stepping hesitantly into the room. “They’re... not as bad as they look.” He lifted his arms slightly, the bracers gleaming dully in the light. “Professor Blackwood said they’ll adjust to my magic over time, so they won’t feel so restrictive.”
“That’s good,” I replied, not knowing what else to say. The atmosphere between us was thick with tension and unspoken questions.
Ash’s eyes fell on his belongings piled in the center of the room. “Sorry about all this,” he muttered. “I know you didn’t sign up to have a roommate.”
“It’s fine,” I said quickly. “There’s plenty of space.” I gestured to the empty desk on the other side of the room. “That can be yours. And we can figure out the sleeping situation.”
Ash’s cheeks flushed immediately at the mention of sleeping arrangements. “I can take the floor. I don’t mind.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scoffed. “The bed’s big enough for both of us. Unless... you’d be uncomfortable with that?” I tried to keep my voice neutral, not wanting to pressure him.
“No, it’s not that,” he said, fidgeting with one of the bracers. “I just... I feel terrible about all of this. This is my fault.”
“It’s not your fault,” I insisted. “You were twelve when you cast that spell. You couldn’t have known.”
“But I did cast it,” he argued, his blue eyes finally meeting mine. “And now we’re both stuck with the consequences.”
I moved toward him, stopping just short of touching him. “We don’t even know for sure if it’s the spell or a mate bond or something else entirely. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
Ash nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. His shadows, though clearly subdued by the bracers, still seemed to reach for me, stretching as far as they could before being pulled back.
“Does it hurt?” I asked, nodding toward the bracers. “Wearing those?”
“Not exactly,” he replied, looking down at them. “It feels... muffled. Like I’m trying to hear something underwater. My magic is still there, but it’s quieter.” He paused, a small frown creasing his forehead. “This must be what the other members of my family feel like.”
“Your family...” I nodded, understanding washing over me. “You said they barely have any magic.”
“Yeah.” He shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable in the bracers. “It’s weird to think that I have so much they need to contain it, when my mom can barely light a candle.”
I wanted to reach out and touch him, to feel that electric current between us again, but Caldwell’s warning echoed in my mind. Don’t deepen the bond. I shoved my hands in my pockets instead.
“Let me help you unpack,” I offered, moving toward one of his boxes. “We can get you settled in.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to,” I insisted. “We’re roommates now, right? Might as well make the best of it.”
Ash gave me a small, tentative smile that made my chest tighten. Even with everything that had happened, that smile still affected me in ways I couldn’t explain. Maybe it was the bond, or maybe it was just… him.
We worked in silence for a while, unpacking his clothes and books. His possessions were few and well-worn—threadbare t-shirts, jeans with frayed hems, textbooks that had clearly been purchased second-hand. It was a stark contrast to my own designer clothes and brand-new everything.
“So,” Ash said finally, breaking the silence as he placed a small, framed photo on the desk. It showed a modest house with a middle-aged couple standing in front, their hands on a younger Ash’s shoulders. “Are we going to talk about what happened?”
I paused, a stack of his books in my hands. “Which part?”
“Any of it,” he shrugged. “All of it. The fact that I apparently cast a spell that might have bound us together for life. The fact that we...” His cheeks flushed. “The locker room.”
“The locker room was pretty great,” I said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.
It worked. Ash laughed, the sound warming something inside me. “Yeah, it was. Until I teleported us into the woods.”
“Even that was kind of exciting,” I admitted. “In a ‘holy shit’ sort of way.”
His smile faded. “Silver, what are we going to do? About... this?” He gestured between us.
I set the books down and sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t know yet. But we’ll figure it out.”
“And if we can’t break it?” Ash asked, his voice small. “You said humans aren’t allowed in the Twilight Realm. And you have to go back after graduation.”
“I know,” I said, the weight of our situation pressing down on me. “I’m working on it. I have... resources. People who might be able to help us understand what this is exactly.”
“You mean back home?” Ash looked surprised. “They way you talked about it… I didn’t think anyone would be willing to help.”
“Caldwell agreed to help.”
“Your butler?”
I nodded. “He’s very fond of me. Practically raised me, in fact. He’s a good man and he’ll keep this secret until we can find a solution.”
“If there is one,” Ash murmured, his gaze dropping to the ground.
I stepped forward, grabbing his chin with my thumb and forefinger before I could help myself. That same jolt was still there, maybe a little lighter than before. I lifted his chin, our eyes meeting.
“We’ll figure this out, Ash,” I said more confidently than I felt. “I promise. And even if there’s no solution then… well, we’ll make one up. But I’m not going to just leave you behind. I like you too much.”
“Is that you talking, or the true love spell?” he asked, fear in his eyes.
I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter. It’s the truth either way. You have my word.”
He nodded slowly before I pulled him into my arms, savoring the heat of him against me.
Even in that perfect moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d just made a false promise to him, one that I could never keep.
The time would come when I’d have to return home.
That much was certain. And Ash, despite the circumstances, would not be able to follow me.
And that thought terrified me more than anything else ever had.