Chapter 21 Silver
Silver
Ash and I were sitting in the Dean’s office again.
But this time we weren’t getting yelled at.
Instead, we’d been arranged so that our hard wooden chairs were facing one another with five feet between us.
On the floor was a complicated arcane circle that looked like it had taken hours to draw.
The magic was foreign to me, but Ash took one look and knew exactly what was going on.
“It’s a circle of revelation,” he said, glancing around his feet. “They show every bit of magic contained within a person and any spell affecting them. I… I didn’t think they were legal…”
“They aren’t normally,” Professor Blackwood replied, stepping into the room with a white cloaked figure behind her. “But they have been used in several magical criminal cases to reveal the truth about the suspected caster’s true nature.”
“Are we in trouble?” I asked, my eyes darting to the cloaked figure.
“Not at all, Mr. Erestolal,” the figure replied, their voice soft and feminine. They reached up, pushing the hood back until it fell to their shoulders. “But there is no other way to reveal a true love spell.”
The figure was definitely fae with delicate sharp features and a blonde buzzcut.
Her ears were pierced several times and studded with gold, gemstones, and cuffs.
There was something regal about her that made me think she was definitely part of the Seelie Court.
But there was a commanding presence about her that I couldn’t quite place.
“I am Confiance Eveninglight,” she said, her green-gold eyes flashing as she stepped forward. “One of the thirteen members of the Elder Council.”
That explained the commanding presence alright.
The Elder Council was the leaders of the entire supernatural world.
They were also the judges and executioners of those that had committed crimes against the paranormal.
And Ash, the man I loved, had cast an illegal love spell that was now in question.
“Do not be alarmed,” Confiance said softly, as if reading my thoughts. “I am not here to punish or charge either of you with crimes. I am only here to discover and to try to find a solution to your… situation.”
I saw Ash’s hand twitch, but we were too far apart to touch.
I wanted nothing more than to reach out and take it, to offer him some kind of comfort.
But Professor Blackwood had been very clear when we’d arrived.
Once the circle was activated, we couldn’t touch or it would corrupt the entire reading.
“How does this work?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady even as my heart hammered in my chest.
Confiance moved to stand at the edge of the circle, her movements graceful and deliberate.
“The circle will reveal all magical connections between the two of you. If there is a true love spell present, it will manifest as golden threads connecting your hearts. If there is a mate bond, it will appear as silver cords that originate from your souls.”
“And if there’s both?” Ash asked quietly.
The Elder’s expression softened slightly. “Then we will see both. Though I must warn you, such an occurrence is... unprecedented. In all my centuries of service, I have never witnessed a true love spell and a mate bond existing simultaneously.”
“That’s because it shouldn’t be possible,” Professor Blackwood added from where she stood near the door.
“The two magics operate on entirely different principles. A true love spell is artificial, created through will and intent. A mate bond is natural, written into the very fabric of a person’s soul. ”
“But they could coexist?” I pressed, needing to understand.
“Theoretically,” Confiance replied. “Though the strain on both individuals would be... considerable. The spell would constantly be trying to force a connection while the bond would be pulling you together naturally. It would create a feedback loop of magic that could be quite dangerous.”
I swallowed hard, thinking about all the times Ash’s magic had spiraled out of control when we touched. The hole in the wards. The shadows exploding at the football game. Was that what she was talking about?
“Are you both ready?” Confiance asked, her hands already beginning to glow with pale green light.
I looked at Ash across the circle. His blue eyes met mine, and I saw my own fear reflected back at me. But I also saw determination. Whatever we were about to discover, we’d face it together.
“We’re ready,” I said.
Confiance nodded and began to chant in a language I didn’t recognize.
The arcane symbols on the floor started to glow, first a soft white, then brighter and brighter until I had to squint against the light.
I felt magic wash over me like a wave, searching, probing, pulling at something deep inside my chest.
Then I saw them.
Silver cords erupted from my chest, thick and pulsing with ethereal light.
They stretched across the circle toward Ash, and I watched in awe as matching cords emerged from him, reaching for me.
The moment they met in the middle of the circle, they intertwined, braiding together in a complex pattern that seemed to shift and move with each breath we took.
“A mate bond,” Professor Blackwood breathed from behind us. “A genuine mate bond between a dark elf and a witch. A rare sight indeed.”
But that wasn’t all.
As I watched, golden threads began to emerge from Ash’s chest as well. They were thinner than the silver cords, more delicate, but no less powerful. They wove through the silver, wrapping around each cord in an intricate dance that made my head spin just looking at it.
“The true love spell,” Confiance said, her voice filled with wonder. “By the gods... they’re both there.”
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the display.
The silver and gold were so tightly intertwined that in some places I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.
They pulsed in time with our heartbeats, and I realized with a start that Ash’s heart and mine were beating in perfect synchronization.
“How is this possible?” Ash whispered, his voice trembling. “I was twelve when I cast that spell. It never should’ve worked…”
Confiance stepped closer to the circle, her eyes wide as she studied the magical connections between us.
“The spell must have... adapted. When Mr. Vale cast it as a child, his intentions were pure, and it searched for his true love. So, instead of creating an artificial connection like most love spells, it found the natural mate bond that was already destined to exist between you and amplified it.”
“So, the spell didn’t ruin anything?” I asked, hope rising in my chest.
“Not exactly,” she replied, her expression troubled.
“The spell amplified the bond. It’s why your connection is so intense, why Mr. Vale’s magic responds so strongly to your presence.
The true love spell is feeding power into the mate bond, making it far more potent than it should be at this stage. ”
“Is that dangerous?” Ash asked, his hands gripping the arms of his chair so tightly his knuckles were white.
Confiance was quiet for a long moment, her eyes never leaving the threads connecting us.
“Potentially. The feedback loop I mentioned earlier... it’s already occurring.
Every time you touch, every time you’re intimate, the spell feeds more power into the bond, which in turn strengthens the spell.
It’s creating a cycle that will only grow more intense. ”
My stomach dropped. “What does that mean for us?”
“It means,” Professor Blackwood said carefully, “that separating you two could be catastrophic. The bond is already far stronger than it should be. If you were to be forcibly separated for an extended period...” She trailed off, but I understood what she wasn’t saying.
“We could die,” Ash finished, his voice hollow.
Confiance turned to look at him, her expression sympathetic. “Or worse. The magical backlash could destroy your minds, leave you both empty shells. I’ve seen it happen once before, a couple centuries ago, when a bonded pair was torn apart. It was... not a fate I would wish on anyone.”
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The beautiful display of silver and gold between us suddenly felt like chains, binding us together whether we wanted it or not.
Of course I didn’t want to leave Ash. I never wanted that.
But I knew the couple Confiance spoke of, the two forced apart so much that it destroyed them.
Caldwell had found them in his research.
But they were only bonded. Ash and I… well, if we were separated it could destroy us and unleash a nuclear bomb’s worth of magic at the same time.
“This creates a problem, Mr. Erestolal,” Confiance said, slicing her hand through the air to sever the revealing circle’s magic. The glow faded, replaced by the light of the sconces around the room. “Your father will not take this well.”
The Dean, who’d been quiet up until now, stood from his desk, his brow furrowed with worry. “This could cause a situation, Confiance,” he said, not even looking at me. “Tensions between the Twilight Realm and the mortal realm are already tense.”
“I agree,” she nodded. “I’ll need to inform the Elder Council of the situation. We have a direct line to King Erestolal and his advisors. It may be time for us to make a personal visit to the Twilight Realm.”
The moment the words left her mouth, my heart sank. Nobody on campus, save Karrick and the Dean, knew of my princely title. I felt my blood run cold as the secret was spilled, seeping into the minds of all present and unable to be put back.
Ash’s brow furrowed. “Did you say King Erestolal?” he asked, looking up at Confiance. Then he shifted his gaze to me. “Are you related to them?”
Confiance and the Dean exchanged surprised looks as they realized the truth. I’d never told Ash who I really was. I’d been lying to him for weeks, unable to tell him the truth of my heritage.
“Silver?” Ash asked again, his voice small. “What are they talking about?”
I felt my throat close up, every word I’d been holding back for weeks suddenly trapped behind my teeth.
Ash’s blue eyes were wide, searching my face for answers I didn’t know how to give.
The silver and gold threads might have faded from view, but I could still feel them pulling at my chest, tightening with each second of silence.
“I...” I started, then stopped. How did you tell someone you loved that you’d been lying to them from the very beginning? “Ash, I can explain.”
“Then explain,” he said, and I heard the edge creeping into his voice. His shadows were starting to swirl more actively around his feet, responding to his rising emotions. “Are you related to the king?”
I looked down at my hands, unable to meet his gaze. “Yes.”
“How related?”
I forced myself to look up, to face the hurt that was already blooming in his eyes. “He’s my father. I’m... I’m the prince of the Twilight Realm. The heir to the throne.”
The silence that followed was deafening. I watched Ash’s face cycle through confusion, shock, and then something that looked like betrayal. His hands gripped the arms of his chair even tighter, and I saw the silver cuffs on his wrists start to glow as his magic responded to his emotional state.
“You’re a prince,” he repeated slowly, like he was testing the words. “This entire time, you’ve been a prince, and you never told me?”
“I wanted to,” I said quickly, leaning forward in my chair. “Gods, Ash, I wanted to tell you so many times, but—”
“But what?” His voice was rising now, anger mixing with the hurt. “You thought it wasn’t important? You thought I didn’t deserve to know that the person I fell in love with was royalty?” His face darkened. “Or were you just going to get your kicks and then leave?”
“It’s not like that,” I protested, my own emotions starting to spiral. “I came to Widdershins to be normal, to be just Silver, not Prince Silver Erestolal. I didn’t want people treating me differently because of my title.”
“So you lied to me instead?” Ash stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor.
His shadows were darkening the room now, responding to his distress.
“Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? I told you everything, Silver. Everything. About my family, about the spell, about how ashamed I was of what I’d done.
And you couldn’t even tell me this one thing? ”
“Mr. Vale,” Professor Blackwood interjected gently, “perhaps we should all take a moment to—”
“No,” Ash cut her off, his eyes never leaving mine.
“I want to hear it from him. Why didn’t you tell me, Silver?
Was it because you knew your father would never approve of you being with someone like me?
Some human shadow witch from a cursed family?
Or was it because you never really loved me to begin with?
Am I just another one of your frat party flings? ”
His words hit me like a physical blow. I felt as if my heart was going to stop. The hurt I saw on Ash’s face… it was all my fault. Every last fucking bit of it. And I had nobody to blame but myself.
“You’re not a fling,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “But my father… you’re right about him. He’ll never allow a shadow witch into the realm or one with such low standing. That’s why he already chose a wife for me—”
My eyes went wide as the words slipped out and I knew I’d made a grave mistake.
“So, you were just going to leave me behind after graduation? Make up some lame excuse so you could go home and marry someone else?”
I looked up, a desperate plea in my eyes. “I don’t care about any of that! I love you, Ash! I love you more than anything else in this world!”
He stood there, his hands balled up at his sides.
Tears ran down his face as the shadows filled the room, knocking things from the shelves, shattering windows, and tearing at the walls.
The silver cuffs around his wrists began to glow red hot, then strangely blue before they suddenly evaporated into thin air.
“If you loved me, you wouldn’t have lied,” he said, his entire body shaking. “Go home, Silver,” he growled, his body consumed by shadows. “Enjoy your wife.”
There was a sudden explosion of shadows from Ash’s body.
The magic knocked everyone off their feet, toppled my chair backward, and flipped the Dean’s desk as if it was made of feathers.
When I finally managed to sit up once more, Ash was gone, nothing but a crater in the center of the room where he’d been standing.
Outside I heard the deep thunderous cracking of the wards and a security breech siren begin to wail.
Ash was gone and with him, my heart.