Chapter 18 #2
Kole’s nostrils flared.
I lifted my shoulders again, and the impossibility of what I was facing hit me anew.
“But he won in the end, Kole. He changed me.” The trauma of what I’d been forced to endure punched me in the gut.
Tears sprang to my eyes and began to roll down my cheeks.
“I’m a monster now, Kole, and with how powerful and unique my magic is, Arnel’s been able to do things nobody in our realm should be allowed to do.
He’s making me do exactly what Lady Ryderdim was trying to warn everyone about.
I’ve become the nightmare she knew I could be. ”
Kole gripped my biceps and squeezed me hard. “You’re not a nightmare nor a monster. You’re a pawn. Those are two very separate things.”
“But if anyone learns what I’ve done, they won’t see it that way. They’ll see me as a threat, and then the courts will—”
“That’s not going to happen. I won’t allow that.”
Kole grew blurry in my tears. “But Arnel’s using my magic to do evil things, and I can’t break his hold on me. It’s going to continue, likely indefinitely.”
“I know. That’s why we’re here.” Kole crushed me to him again, and he said quietly in my ear, “Arnel’s magic, or his hold on you, or whatever is compelling you to follow his commands, obviously isn’t working here since I’m still aware of this conversation, right?”
I laughed. “Yes. I don’t feel his magic rising up inside me. Whatever you guessed would help by coming here, so far, it’s working.”
“But there’s no guarantee that will hold once we return to the fae lands.”
“No.” A sick feeling coasted through me. “What if my magic is forced to erase your memories upon our return? What if you forget everything we’ve just spoken about since I’m now certain you know I’m a vampire?”
He smirked. “I’ve already thought of that.” He withdrew a device from his pocket. It was a small metallic box.
“What is that?”
“It’s something one of the creatures from here gave me yesterday.
After I explained what I thought may be happening and my concerns over faes’ minds being erased, I was told to use this.
” He pushed a button on it, and even though no magic emitted from it, the conversation we’d just had begun to play.
The sound of our voices flowed out of it, our words as clear as day.
My jaw felt as though it dropped to the ground. “How is that possible? That device isn’t magical, yet it’s like a looking glass!”
Kole clicked another button on the device, and our voices stopped. “Correct, it’s not magical. And truth be told, I have no idea how it works, but I was told this is a recording device that can work here and in our realm. It was invented here, by these magicless creatures.”
“That’s incredible. I bet Uncle Timith would love to inspect that.” I couldn’t help but grin.
Kole chuckled. “Yes, I imagine he would. Regardless, even if you do erase my thoughts when we return, I still have this device. It recorded this entire conversation just now, and I left something back at my home that will tell me to play it next time I return there. So even if your magic grips me, I’ll still have this to explain what’s happened.
And it’ll be enough for me to understand all over again what’s happened to you. ”
“Goddess, that’s clever.” It struck me that Kole was vastly more intelligent than many fae likely gave him credit for, and my love for him felt as if it catapulted to the stars.
“Oh, Kole.” I hugged him again, and for the first time, it didn’t feel as if my vampire nature took hold of me.
My love was mine, one hundred percent my own. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” he replied in a thick voice. “I’ll always love you, Princess.”
His admission rocked me to my core, but once I composed myself, I drew back. “So now what? What do we do from here?”
“According to Nathaniel’s friend, if we want to learn more about vampires and how their kind functions, then we should venture to the Supernatural Forces’ headquarters in the city of Boise.”
“Boise?”
“It’s a place within this land of Idaho.
I went there yesterday, but time moves differently here, so we’ll have to hurry.
One day here is like three to four days in the fae lands, which means we need to find as many answers as we can within the next few hours before we have to be back for your curfew. ”
A grin split my lips. “Then let’s go.”
Luckily, Kole’s mistphasing magic still worked, but he said it took an incredible amount of effort to use it.
Without the magic in the atmosphere to aid him, he was entirely reliant on his internal intrinsic power, which explained the harsh pants that emitted from him by the time we arrived in a new area.
“You did it!” I placed a hand on his shoulder. He was hunched over, hands on his knees, still panting.
“Yes, but that was harder than I want to admit. Things are so different here, but enough of that.” He straightened and gestured ahead.
“We enter the SF headquarters here. A commander of this organization that I met with yesterday, or rather a few days ago for him, said he would be contacting several vampires in this realm to see if they can help us and provide any assistance in relieving you from your uncle’s control. ”
Love for Kole burst inside me, and I squeezed his hand tightly. “Thank you, Kole. Thank you so much. Without you, I would have never been able to search here.”
“I imagine with enough time under your uncle’s command, you would have eventually tried this, but given how much he’s affected you in only a week, I’m glad we’re here now.”
I dipped my head. “I just hope we can find a way to stop Arnel soon. In only a few days’ time, when a male comes to the palace from Ironcrest, I’m to manipulate him. That’s my next assignment.”
His eyebrows drew together. “When King Riverling visits?”
My eyes widened. “Is that who’s coming?”
Kole’s jaw locked, and he grabbed my hands. “It is. Come on. We need to find a way to stop your uncle.”
Kole pulled me forward to another magical door. However, instead of this one being green, a red wavering line waited in front of us, and for the first time since entering this realm, I detected magic outside of me. The subtle flavor of mint and anise hit my tongue.
“What is this place?”
“The Supernatural Forces’ entryway. This is a portal door created by their witches.” He gestured to it, and I gazed at the milky interior. As if sensing us, a voice spoke from thin air.
“Warrior Swordwielder and Princess Primelle Manafold, welcome.” Another shimmer of magic lit the air, and then a glowing flat surface appeared, also appearing from out of nowhere. There was the outline of a hand on it, and the strange voice said, “Please scan your palm before entering.”
I stood entirely frozen, shock rendering me still.
Kole smirked and laid his palm on the device. “Come on, Princess. I’ll show you the way.”