5. Chapter 5 #2
The essence of The Isle, the potion Lily had created, inside the crystal was connecting with the energy from outside. The two forms of magic were trying to find a way to merge—to allow a flow of power between them as natural as a river where it converged from two separate streams.
“It’s working!” Dr. Lewis said. “I can see it.”
The moment he exclaimed in glee, my concentration shattered. My magic flared with a jolt, and the crystal cracked down the middle. Lily’s potion evaporated, retreating into the earth from which it’d come.
“I’m so sorry,” Dr. Lewis said. “We were so close. Could you feel it working?”
“Yes. I could. I’m still stumped as to how to get the outside to converge with the inside. If these are to work for any amount of time, there needs to be an easy flow of magic. I can’t sit here night and day powering the wards like this. It simply isn’t feasible.”
“How did it happen before?” Dr. Lewis asked. “Do you have any idea?”
I shook my head. “I think there must have been some spells in place to allow magic to flow in and out? Whether those were crafted by scientists or the Fae Queens, though, I have no idea.”
“That makes sense. I think this is promising, though. If we can figure out how to maintain a flow without you sitting here, physically, the whole time…we might be in business.”
“We might,” I said, thinking that was quite an insurmountable challenge indeed.
“Let me try a spell that will allow passage through the glass. Maybe I made the bonds too tight. And when you have time, maybe you can study your Fae manuscripts again for more ward magic spells. Something more specific this time that addresses the flow.”
Then it was my turn to sit still and rest as Dr. Lewis set to work at once with his newest idea, fiddling with the last crystal in his box. He muttered under his breath, and I spotted a greenish glow coming from inside the container.
“There,” he said, once he’d finished and the glow had faded.
“I’ve made an allowance. It’ll let Fae magic pass through.
It’ll recognize what’s inside and link to what’s outside.
I won’t bore you with the technical details, but suffice to say I made some adjustments to the magical coating of the crystal. ”
I returned to my seat as Dr. Lewis hurried back to his perch between the trees. His enthusiasm was contagious. I felt a flutter of hope that maybe he was right. If so, could we prevent the Darkest Lord and his spirit army from entering the island realm altogether?
I repeated the process. This time, Dr. Lewis didn’t gasp when things started to work, and I didn’t lose focus as we got going. The orb began to glow with the white-blue light of ley lines, the color of magic as I’d come to know it on this island.
This time when I opened my eyes, I kept my hands raised and the flow of power steady and slow. Dr. Lewis crept toward me, his eyes wide as he watched in awe.
“You’re doing it,” Dr. Lewis said. “It’s working.”
“I think so,” I agreed. “But this is just the start. I can’t sit here and moderate my power forever, it’s just not possible.”
“Of course, but if we could find a way to do it for you…” Dr. Lewis paused, scribbled something in a notebook in his hand. “I’ve got ideas. Try to ease a little more magic into it, Alessia, if you can. Are you holding back?”
“I’m not actively funneling magic at all. I’m just a conduit between the magic of the island and the crystal orb. I’m not actually infusing magic of my own, if that makes sense.”
“Mostly,” Dr. Lewis said, but in a tone of voice that told me he wasn’t completely understanding what I was trying to tell him.
Which made sense, because to him, my hands on the orb probably looked like I was infusing it with magic, when really, my hands were the brakes holding back the flow of magic to stop the orb from cracking in two.
“Can you try to do it?” he asked. “Infuse your own magic? We’ll need to incorporate your magic to successfully power the wards.”
“I can,” I said. “But it will probably be too much.”
“Maybe, maybe not. We won’t know until we try.”
The second I added my own source of magic, the orb cracked in two. I looked up just as the flash of disappointment on Dr. Lewis’s face faded into one of disguised nonchalance.
“Aw, drat it,” Dr. Lewis said. “I was so sure that was the one. No matter, we’ve made excellent progress here today.”
“It’s still early,” I said. “This is only our third try today. Fourth overall. Not bad.”
“We’ll try again. I’ll reconvene with the glassblower. Tinker with the spells. I’ll speak with Lily about updates to her potions. But we’re getting there. I’ll also work on finagling some sort of meter to see if there’s a way we can manage flow without your direct intervention.”
I smiled along with him, wishing I shared his optimism that this could work.
I didn’t doubt it probably could work at some point in the future, but likely with the help of a roomful of scientists, years of trial and error, and me getting a better handle on how to wield magic in the first place.
To get all that done in the matter of a week?
I know Silas didn’t like the word impossible, but this felt pretty close to it.
“I’m afraid I’m done here for the day,” I said. “The coronation ceremony is tonight, and I’m due to start getting ready shortly.”
“Yes, yes.” Dr. Lewis picked up the remnants of the final shattered orb.
“I’m thrilled for you, Alessia. Just so you know, I won’t be in attendance, but I want to make it very clear it’s not because I don’t support you.
I’m a huge fan, big supporter, but since I’m not a member of your court, I can’t participate in the actual giving of the heartbeat ceremony.
Otherwise, I would be there with bells on, but considering the circumstances, I think my time is better spent with my head to my desk working on a solution to the wards. ”
“Thank you,” I said. “That means a lot to me. I completely understand, and I think you’re making the right choice. Thanks for all your work here, your help with the wards.”
“I look forward to working with you again tomorrow.”
As I left the clearing and strolled barefoot through The Forest, shoes dangling from my hand, I made my way to the castle in record time. The scene before me no longer felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable. If anything, the image of the castle shimmering above the stream felt welcoming and peaceful.
My gaze switched to the glittering surface of the river, to the circular patch of water where the spirits had passed through a portal just days before.
In just a few hours, I would be standing on the second floor of the castle, accepting the title of Queen of Isles, once and for all.
There was no going back after the coronation ceremony.
A Fae Queen’s duties lasted for a lifetime.
“Are you ready for tonight?” Liza asked, appearing at my elbow. “The ceremony is supposed to be incredible. I’m excited to watch.”
I was used to Liza popping up like a little prairie dog by now, as if she had a tunnel system running beneath The Forest and could poke her head up at will.
I grinned down at her, at her excitement about the evening, at the first real smile I’d seen on her face since she’d watched her mother go through the portal.
“If you’d like, you can come get ready with me,” I said. “I’m sure Lily has something for you to wear to the ceremony. I’d really like you to be there, if you’re willing.”
“I’m fine with this.” Liza absently rubbed the fabric of her threadbare dress between her fingers. “Unless, of course, it’s inappropriate.”
Liza gestured toward her simple, dirt-streaked dress. She looked beautiful in it, regardless of its state. She always did. She looked like sunshine sparkling on the surface of the lake, so brilliant and natural and full of life that you can’t exactly put your finger on what makes her that way.
“Of course you’re fine in that,” I said. “You can wear whatever you like. Why don’t you come with me to the castle and decide there?”
Liza nodded, and we headed inside the castle doors.
She looked, for a moment, like any child I might have known in New York.
A little girl, bobbing along behind the grownups who were getting ready for a big event.
It warmed my heart to see her happily included in a way I wished I’d been included when I’d been little, instead of passed off to a nanny while my parents completed their social calisthenics.
“Liza! You came with Alessia, that’s perfect. I have the cutest dress for you.” Lily greeted us as she bounded out of the castle, obviously expecting us. There was hustle and bustle behind her as preparations were made for the upcoming ceremony. “I need both of you upstairs, stat.”
Liza’s eyes glowed like moonstones at the invitation to join us upstairs. She eagerly bounced up the marble stairs behind us.
Lily led us to the second level of the castle, to a room tucked off to one side I’d never seen before.
A beautiful alcove made of the same white stone that wound throughout the rest of the castle.
But as we passed through the arched doorway, I noted that this room was much softer than any of the others—a cozy bedroom with plush faux-fur rugs covering the floor and gauzy curtains fluttering in the breeze from the open window.
The view from the open window was dazzling: the horizon stretched out endlessly over the lake and sparkled beneath the sunset.
Though the room faced east, I could still see the sun’s reflection on the water, the oranges and pinks dancing on the surface like bold-colored fireflies.
A tall four-poster bed stood along one side of the room, and a simple but elegant dresser stood on the other.