Chapter 46 Esmeray #2
There were seven Kingdoms in all, each ruled by a different royal family, and rarely interacted with any type of warmth or friendliness.
The Obsidian and Opal Kingdoms were the only Kingdoms where one royal family ruled the entire continent–Irridessen.
The Slate Kingdom was directly south of Irridessen, mostly unaware of the existence of magic, and was not considered during times of war as an ally or an enemy.
With the large amount of humans living there, the Slate Kingdom was never seen as a real threat to any Kingdom where magic was prevalent.
The Larimar Kingdom, usually called the Larimar Islands, sprawled off the coast of the Opal Kingdom, an archipelago that intertwined its own rich history with a motley of varying cultures.
There was a steady peace between Irridessen and the Larimar Islands–but that was moreso a formality due to the closeness of their borders.
To the west of the Obsidian Kingdom, separated by the wild seas, Ingotheria loomed.
The biggest continent consisted of three separate Kingdoms. The Ruby Kingdom lay imposingly off the coast of the Slate Kingdom and allied closely with the Topaz Kingdom.
With those two empires hosting the largest standing armies, ruled under the iron wills of their royal families, most diplomatic talks with Irridessen ended in all-out brawls.
The Jade Kingdom kept to themselves, self-governed by four deadly Witch Covens, and better off left alone.
For some type of artifact to be given to the Opal Kingdom from the Larimar Islands was odd, but at least we weren’t dealing with witches. My blood chilled at the thought.
“The book may have been given as a sly threat or a gift to a Kingdom that would never be able to translate the dark secrets it held. Or the book may have been discovered in the Larimar Kingdom and taken to the Opal Palace as a piece of antiquated history.” Hale shrugged, picking at a piece of soot on the wooden tabletop.
“This spell is written in a very old dialect if these runes are correct, and is the same spell that you heard spoken. Unfortunately, it’s one that I hoped would never see the light of day. It’s a mirroring spell.”
I looked at Sparrow, alarm registering on her face. “That’s how Adara was able to use your illusion magic to create daggers out of her nails.”
“How would she be able to do that?” I directed my question at Hale.
“If she’s able to pull that magnitude of spell off without killing herself in the process, it would be relatively easy.
All she would need is some hair or blood from the being whose power she wanted to mirror.
” The next words out of Hale’s mouth made my skin crawl.
“But since you are twins, she wouldn’t need anything from you.
Lineage-wise, the same blood that runs through your veins, runs through hers–making the spell much more volatile, yet much more serious. ”
“With that spell, could she transfer something like…a soul tie?” My voice was barely louder than a whisper, my heartbeat pumping in my ears.
Hale considered the question for a long time, rubbing his stubby fingers over the jawbone of some sort of dead animal.
“With that single mirroring spell? It would come down to the gritty technicalities over actual spell work yet… If she was strong enough, it’s a possibility.
But there would be other factors to consider based off the elements of the soul tie in question. ”
Lenna took the quill and ink from the table, sliding the parchment over before fixing Hale with a determined stare. “Like what?”
Hale hemmed and hawed for a minute, before replying, “The spell would need a significant amount of power to replicate Carra’s magic.
She would most likely need the blood of the being soul tied to you, maybe an additional sacrifice for a boost of power, and I would hazard a guess that it would need to be a special full moon.
One with infinitely more power than a regular, monthly moon.
From there, she could potentially use the spell to mirror a shadow of the soul tie from you to her.
But if it didn’t work, both you and your mate would be killed in the process. ”
“A shadow?” Sparrow repeated, as Lenna transcribed the information on the parchment. Hale silently pushed the ink bottle closer to her.
“A shadow,” he confirmed. “Alike in every way except the way that truly matters, that Carra did not bestow the soul tie to Adara. Meaning to try and replicate it to complete the transfer… It could potentially kill all three of you if Adara isn’t powerful enough.”
Pieces started clicking into place in my brain. Adara had been relatively quiet since I was exiled a year ago, and there hadn’t been anything momentous about the last few full moons. But the next moon…
I hissed, the realization dawning on me as dread settled into my throat, “Adara’s been biding her time waiting on the next full moon–the Soul Moon. If she tried to complete the spell with the Soul Moon, would she have enough power to pull it off?
“I hate to be the one to say this, my Queen, but…it would give her power an edge.” Hale said quietly, not meeting my eyes.
Each month’s full moon honored a different god or goddess, on top of celebrating Carra and her gift of soul ties. But only one month a year was the moon venerated as fervently as the impending Soul Moon. The moon for the month Carra herself was born.
The most powerful moon of the year.
The moon where the majority of soul ties bloomed.
Sparrow paled, her tattooed hand covering her mouth, as she calculated the date. “Meer, the Soul Moon’s in three days.”
My chest constricted as, suddenly, time seemed to speed up, my thoughts zinging around my mind, shrieking. I couldn’t get a full breath down.
Adara was going to attempt to transfer my soul tie in three days.
I felt sick, I felt hot.
I felt…rage.
Pushing down the panic, as I was so adept at doing these days, I waited for the familiar numbness to envelope my senses. It didn’t come. It left the rage and fear, and I felt it twist and build in my soul.
We said a hasty goodbye and thanked Hale–Lenna even promised to come visit him in the future.
He smiled broadly at that before sending us home with more baked goods than we could carry.
As he escorted us to the front door, Hale wished me well, and told me he hoped one day soon, Keerian and I would walk through his bakery door.
I extended my hand to shake his, but he grabbed me and pulled me close, hugging me tight.
“Don’t let anyone stand in your way,” Hale said gruffly as he let go.
With a flash of golden light, I waned the three of us home. We had a fight to prepare for, and a lot less time than we anticipated. Hale’s words echoed in my head, and I knew, in my soul, I would burn this realm to ash if it meant I got Keerian back.