Chapter 6 #2
I grinned again, not sure what else to do.
It was the typical fallback on my part. Smile.
Laugh. Find humor. See the positive side.
For full seasons, it was how I’d dealt with my problems. Usually, it worked, and no matter how difficult a conundrum was or how awkward a situation appeared, my sheer determination to see the bright side shone through, and those around me began to share in my good nature.
But Kole didn’t even crack a smile, and I had the most ridiculous urge to begin babbling. Unfortunately, that was exactly what I did.
“Are you going to cuff me too and let the kingsfae pick me up?” As soon as I said that, I wanted to smack myself.
Kole hadn’t made any further conversation about my illegal use of travel to this area, and while Imperial Council Warriors weren’t known to deal with petty crimes and so forth—the kingsfae had that pleasure—it didn’t mean that he couldn’t if he chose to.
I held my breath, my stomach suddenly heaving.
I’d ridden my carpet over the Wood’s canopy after all, even if the distance had been short.
But because of that, if Kole chose to enact the law that forbade non-royal fae from flying haphazardly above the tree line, he could have me arrested, and then I wouldn’t be able to hunt the Stone and save my uncle.
None of my preparation would amount to anything, and all because of my stupid need to—
“It’s fine,” he replied. “I won’t arrest you or report you.”
“You won’t?”
“Like you said, you were trying to help. In situations like this, I tend to look the other way.”
My heartbeat calmed a little. “Thank you,” I breathed.
“You’re welcome.”
At my feet, one of the males suddenly twitched. Kole glanced downward, a lock of dark hair falling across his forehead. He toed the male, who still showed no signs of regaining consciousness despite his involuntary jerks. “How did your magic do this?”
His question was asked calmly, but it struck me that I’d been so caught up in the past few minutes of speaking with Kole that I’d forgotten to release the would-be murderers from my hold.
I immediately sucked all of my psychic magic back inside me, then slammed my Shield down hard and fast, just as a new fear began to grow. Granted, I hadn’t completely taken control of the would-be murderers’ minds. I hadn’t turned them into catatonic puppets ready to do my bidding, but still . . .
I avoided the urge to twist my hands together.
“Um . . . I . . .” I stalled, trying to figure out what to say because nobody else could do what I could, not that I knew of at least. Sure, plenty of fae in my kingdom had psychic magic.
Some even had similar magic to mine that allowed fae to control others with verbal commands.
Mistvale was the land of mental powers after all, but the depth of my magic, the utter strength of it and how it operated so covertly, with no words being spoken, and the other fairy not even being aware of what I was doing, was entirely unheard of.
Little did Kole know that if I wanted to, at this very instant, I could shred through his Shield, wrap my magic around his mind, and completely overtake his free will. All while just standing docilely in front of him.
Just the tiniest flick of my magic would have this warrior, this feared male of the Imperial Council, be a slave to my bidding.
If I’d wanted to, I could have had him killing fae left and right, or had him trailing dutifully after me as my personal bodyguard and companion.
I could totally and completely overtake him if I chose to.
And it wasn’t just him that I could do that to.
It was everyone. I had yet to meet anyone whose Shields repelled me.
Even scarier, I could overtake dozens of others at once.
Perhaps even hundreds at once. Maybe even thousands.
I didn’t know because I’d never fully tested it, but my magic felt bottomless.
And that kind of power terrified fae.
Only my aunt and uncle knew that I possessed such strength because power as strong as mine only created terror and doubt in others.
And if fae began whispering that I had aspirations to use my magic to control the realm, I could be subjected to potent potions that subdued my strength, dulled my senses, and essentially turned me into a mindless, drooling imbecile.
Just a shell of the fairy that I’d been.
So I hid my magic, never using it to its full capabilities, and truthfully, I had no desire to anyway. I’d never once had aspirations to use my magic to hurt others. Just the thought had my smile wiping clean.
Yet other fae didn’t know that. History had shown that magic as strong as mine had always been viewed as a threat, not an asset.
I swallowed the thickness in my throat and reminded myself that Kole hadn’t seen the extent of what I could do, just a snippet.
The warrior looked at me intently, his gaze as weighted as a mountain. “What did you do with your magic for this to happen?”
I reminded myself that acting insecure would only heighten his interest, so I shrugged nonchalantly. “I stopped their minds from communicating with their limbs.”
“And you must have made their minds sleep too if they fell unconscious like this.”
“Well, yes, that too, I suppose. It all rolls together.”
He continued watching me. “How do you classify your magic?”
Dangerous. Impossible. A galaxy of might.
I again avoided the urge to fidget. Mistvale fae had such a wide variety of mental magic, but the majority fell into several categories: creating illusions, getting glimpses into the future, causing hallucinations in others, moving objects telepathically, manipulating another’s emotions, projecting oneself psychically a small distance from one’s body, linking consciousnesses, and performing other mental tricks.
But none were like me.
I smiled blandly and lied through my teeth.
“My tutors always said my mental magic was like a switch being shut on and off. I can activate or deactivate a fairy’s mind, which is why these two passed out.
” I shrugged again, and it took everything in me to continue standing there acting like the portrait of innocence.
“Overall, it’s not that impressive, but it’s obviously handy if someone’s attacking me. ”
“You would have to get through their Shields, though, to do that.”
Shields don’t work on me. “Yes, true. Luckily, these two didn’t have strong Shields in place.”
“They felt fairly strong to me.”
I scrunched my nose up. “Did they?”
But he ignored that perplexed reply and said, “Is that all your magic can do?” He stared at me anew. All knowing. All seeing. As though he knew I was lying.
My eyes widened ever so slightly, but I quickly reminded myself there was no way Kole could know the full extent of what I was capable of. No possible way, so I smiled again. “Pretty much.”
“What about magic from other kingdoms. Do you possess any of those?”
Yes, I also have elemental and sensory magic, but I can’t shift. I don’t have magic from all four kingdoms.
“Just the one.” I smiled brightly. “What about you? Which kingdom are you from?” I had a fairly good idea that he was from Faewood, since he’d used air elemental magic on me back in Whiteolf, but I wasn’t certain.
A breeze rushed through the trees above, jostling branches and swaying vines, but instead of answering me, all Kole said was, “I see.”
A shiver rolled down my spine, and I wondered how much he truly did see.
But even though my own curiosity was burning to have him answer my question, I took a step back and forced another guileless smile. “Anyway, if you’re not going to report me or arrest me, then I should probably get back to my camp.”
He watched me, his eyes once again hooded. “Are you going to fly your carpet illegally again in order to return to your camp?”
His question had my hand stopping mid-reach for the tree branch.
I dropped my arms to my sides. “Oh, um, no. No, of course not. But I do need to retrieve my carpet. It’s still, you know—” I waved upward and again resisted the urge to fidget.
“It’s all right.” He gestured to my carpet. “You may return to your carpet and camp, traveling back the way you came, but you’re only allowed that short journey.”
I swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
I wasn’t even sure what made me respond in such a formal way, but at least I managed to stop the salute I’d seen the kingsfae give to one another.
I wasn’t sure what it was about this male, but Kole had a way about him.
A way that demanded those around him submit, and damned if I could stop my ridiculous, if slightly cheeky, response.
But I’d gotten myself in enough trouble for one day. I didn’t need to press my luck further.
“Goodnight then!” Before Kole could change his mind, I jumped and grasped the tree’s branch, then scampered upward, thankful once again that I was wearing pants and not a heavy gown.
My braid swayed behind me, but my feet were quick and my movements sure. Ree and I had spent enough of our childhood climbing trees that it came back to me like second nature.
But even though I was in a hurry to flee, my magic still registered Kole’s presence. Even without meaning to, I caught how he watched me on my entire climb upward, and stranger still, that his attention followed me after I’d leaped onto my carpet and zoomed away as fast as I could.
And it was only when I was back at my camp, my map and seekerill safely stowed away, that I lay on my sleeping mat and gazed upward while realizing that I’d never asked him the question that was now burning inside me.
Just why was an Imperial Council Warrior in Whiteolf, and now in the Wood, all alone and far away from any fighting or true conflict in our realm?