Chapter 19 #2
I reluctantly said, “I’ll admit it’s not what it used to be, most of it has been stolen by the curse, but yes, it does more than kill kidnappers.”
A slight smirk curled her lips, and I was surprised that this human could do more than scowl. I was even more surprised at the strange sensation it ignited.
“What about the other kingdoms?”
“We all can do the same basic magic—Simple Magic—though each kingdom has a different specialty. Every Fae has a colored ring around their eyes, which tells you their type of magic.”
“What exactly is yours then?”
“My magic is golden in nature, and I have the ability to feel another’s emotions which gives me a glimpse into their mind.”
“So you can read my mind then.”
“Like I’ve said before, it’s not reading your mind. More so…guessing based on how you’re feeling.”
“Then how do you keep knowing what I’m thinking if you can’t hear my thoughts?” she asked, cocking her head.
“Your face gives it away,” I said in a bored voice. “You can try to hide it, but between your expression and the emotions you’re feeling, it’s not difficult to guess the direction of your thoughts.”
That slight smirk from earlier disappeared into a deep frown, like I had greatly insulted her.
“I hate you,” she whispered again, and I felt the sharp stab in my gut, the piercing of the balloon of hope that had slowly been inflating in my heart.
She would never love me.
I swallowed, forcing myself to continue explaining as if I hadn’t heard her. “Nefaroth’s magic is violet in color. Their specialty is death.”
Her throat bobbed as she gulped.
Carrow’s threat about severing her spine and stealing the breath from her lungs replayed in my mind, and I fought back a shiver. The Fae of Nefaroth might have shared in being Dark Fae, but they were another type of monster. Not like those that used to reside in Eroth.
“Death?” Maren said, voice dropping in volume.
“There is more than one way to die, Maren. I think it’s better that you don’t know the details. Some things are too terrifying for human minds. Consider yourself lucky that I was the one to bring you to Avalea and not Carrow.”
She looked like she wanted to argue but after a moment thought better of it.
“What about the magic of the Pure Fae? Is theirs as…nefarious?”
I shook my head. “They can still do plenty of damage, but their magic wasn’t built to destroy. It was meant to give life.”
“I told you yours was golden death rays,” she said smugly, crossing her arms.
My eyes rolled of their own accord. “All magic can destroy, Maren. It’s the heart behind it that makes it dangerous. The hearts of the Dark Fae tend to be more…”
“Dark?”
An unexpected snort came out of me, and Maren’s face looked a little too happy to have drawn it out of me.
“Yes,” I replied, forcing any expression from my face, unwilling to let her know her little quip was amusing. The light slipped off her face, her countenance falling in response. But why?
She cleared her throat and looked at the plate in front of her. “So what are Aeros’s and Siris’s specialties?”
“Aeros’s magic is white and they have an affinity for manipulating air and physical objects.”
Maren perked up, spreading her hands on the table in front of her. “Like Avatar the Last Airbender?” she said excitedly.
“What?” I had no clue what she was talking about.
“The Fae in Aeros are airbenders, like in the show?”
“Show? What in Avalea are you talking about?”
Her face fell again, the excitement draining from her face, and I felt a strange pang of…regret? Remorse? It was a foreign feeling, and I couldn’t say I was a fan of it.
“It’s something I watched for entertainment back home.” Sadness filled her voice, and for some inexplicable reason, that weird feeling doubled.
Ridiculous, Rhydian. Stop letting her get inside your head.
An awkward silence settled between us for several moments until she changed the subject. “And Siris?”
Grateful for the distraction, I replied, “Siris’s magic is blue in color and they have the ability to manipulate light.”
“Light? What good does that do?” Maren asked.
“It might seem harmless until you’re surrounded by enemies and suddenly all light disappears. Light is as much a weapon as any physical one.”
The memory of my parents falling in battle decades ago, before the curse, losing to Queen Valianna’s army, to their light magic, made fury surge through my veins like the Scorching Rivers.
Golden magic flared in my palms, out of control, and Maren jumped from her seat and backed up a few steps. It took several seconds of deep breaths before I got it back under control.
Day by day, I was losing more and more control over my magic. It kept lashing out or failing entirely. How long until I hurt someone I cared about like Nico or—
You don’t care about her, Rhydian.
“What’s wrong with your magic?” Maren asked when the golden light finally disappeared. “Did you change your mind about killing me?”
Something about the question got under my skin, forcing me to my feet.
I rounded the table and stalked toward her.
Maren quickly backed up, trying to escape from me, before her back hit the wall.
Her eyes were full of fear, but for some reason, instead of finding pleasure in it, there was that infernal pang of regret again, echoing deep in my gut. What was that about?
The fear in her eyes stopped me in my tracks, though I was nearly toe-to-toe with her already. I leaned down to her level. “If I were trying to kill you, you’d already be dead.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, but she kept her gaze locked on mine. Her fisted hands crossed in front of her chest, putting an extra barrier between us. Those bruises on her wrists were nearly gone now, I noticed, and I found myself, once again, wanting to ask where they’d come from.
“Then what’s wrong with your magic?” she asked, pulling me back to the present. “Why does it seem like you can’t control it?”
I took a step back and didn’t miss the way her shoulders dropped ever so slightly. “When the curse was laid on me, it became a sort of lock on my magic. I have access to only a fraction of what I used to, and each day that I get closer to the Magmara dying, I lose more and more control.”
“Why would the curse affect your magic?”
I opened my mouth to answer her before snapping my teeth shut. I couldn’t answer that. Not without telling her the entire truth. And that I could not do.
I pushed off the wall, turning my back to her. “The curse was meant to ruin me. My magic is part of me. Is that a good enough answer for you?” I snapped.
Her head cocked to the side. “Are you ever not rude?”
I blinked in surprise. Who was this human to think she could speak to me like that? If she knew who—
Stop.
Forcing the thought from my mind, I stalked back to the table to finish my food.
For a second, Maren just stared at me, watching me from across the room as I shoved a piece of fruit in my mouth.
I wasn’t sure where Nico had found it, considering most of the fruit trees in Eroth had withered long ago, and I had told him not to portal to the other kingdoms for a while until the queens and Carrow settled down.
Maren must have deemed it safe to return to the table because her chair groaned against the floor as she pulled it out and sat.
Tension lingered in the air like the heavy feeling before a thunderstorm. My fork scraped against the plate, but I waited, knowing she’d start asking more annoying questions soon enough.
“So when do I climb a volcano?” she finally asked.
I didn’t bother to look at her as I said, “Nico is looking for proper attire for you to wear and then we’ll leave.”
She hesitated, then asked, “How dangerous is this task? What are the chances I will die?”
“Everything in Eroth is dangerous for a human. Outside of these walls, your chance of perishing goes up exponentially.”
“But why?”
“Remember the lava you saw when you first arrived?” She nodded.
“They’re called the Scorching Rivers and they have a mind of their own.
They’re constantly searching for life to devour, especially since there’s nothing for them to feast on in a dead land.
You’re protected inside the castle grounds, where my magic keeps the lava at bay.
Outside these walls, if they sense you, they will relentlessly search for you. ”
My Fae hearing picked up the quickening of her heartbeat, the pulse of terror that accompanied it.
“How am I supposed to climb a volcano then?” she asked.
A valid question.
I laid a hand on my chest. “That’s what you have me for.”
“I’m supposed to believe that you’re going to protect me? How do I know you won’t just toss me into the lava to be rid of me?”
“I could do that,” I admitted. “But then who would try to break the curse on Eroth?” I didn’t add, Who would free me?
Maren considered that for a moment.
“So I’m supposed to trust that you won’t kill me while I risk my life for you?”
“I don’t want to kill you.” The words were out before I thought about them and was surprised to find that they were the truth. I wasn’t sure if that was because she was the last chance of breaking the chains on Eroth or if it was because of another reason.
Of course it’s not another reason. Don’t be stupid.
“Fine,” she sighed. “I’m ready when you are.”
Just then, Nico arrived in the Hall of Feasts, carrying a towering pile of clothes that covered his face. I bit back a chuckle at the sight.
I looked at Maren and nodded toward Nico.
No time like the present.
“How about now?”