26. The Most Powerful Magic
THE MOST POWERFUL MAGIC
Irene
The palace had over two thousand rooms and more than nine thousand hectares of land around, but I hadn’t realised how long it took to go from the bedrooms to the kitchen, even taking hidden passages and shortcuts. The kitchen could be in another county.
Alex held my hand softly in his, and a warm, fluttery sensation filled my chest.
I love you.
If my soul searching power worked on him, I would detect his love, and I didn’t deny I longed to experience his feelings. But the tender, sweet way he’d said he loved me had been a good replacement. The snakes slithered away from us, hissing. That was the strength of love.
Tears blurred my sight. I had to stop in the middle of the hallway.
“What is it?” His concern travelled through our bond.
“I’m happy we’re together.” I rested my head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me.
Being safe and protected in his arms was the best sensation in the world.
He was shaking but not as badly as before. With my ear against his chest, I heard the slow thump of his heart. I counted more than twenty seconds between two of them.
He ran a hand down my back, and I remained still, lest his anxiety be triggered. He’d overcome his fear, for me, without spells or tricks.
When we resumed walking to the kitchen, he put an arm around my shoulders, and I held his waist.
The fog was dense in some spots along the corridor and almost absent in others. The snakes stayed away from us as if frightened of our presence. We’d reversed our positions.
I went down another flight of stairs. “I can’t believe the butler and the footmen have to walk all this way to serve the food.”
“They don’t. The servants who work in the kitchen give the plates and trays of food to other servants who bring everything to an anteroom on the ground floor, close to the dining room. The footmen take the plates from there, and you know, they all have a magic power or two.”
“How many servants are employed here?”
“A few hundred. Only the gardeners are over fifty. Many sleep in Crowsbury.”
I was astounded. “I had no idea.”
“When Koschei was the Dark Duke, Raven Hall hosted over four thousand supernatural beings. The corridors were packed with valets, ladies’ maids, chambermaids, and personal cooks.”
I took his hand in mine. “Where are all those people now?”
“Many joined the Fair Court. Some went abroad. Others live among humans. Some of them are lords and ladies in human society. I can’t say I miss them. Those who left agreed with Koschei’s behaviour and expected me to shower them with gifts and privileges.”
“Good riddance then. You’re way better than that horrible man obsessed with kidnapping maidens.” I rose on my tiptoes and kissed him.
“Anyone is better than a horrible man kidnapping maidens.” He laughed and kissed me back.
The tension that had stressed our bond in the past few days was gone. Only lightness and warmth were left, and I burst out laughing too.
He lifted me by the waist and made me twirl. My skirt flapped around us, and my glowing light sparkled, enveloping us in a glittering bauble. When he put me down, we hugged each other tightly.
Our laughter worked better than Darius’s spell to dissolve the fog. It vanished from the corridor, and a blade of sunlight speared through the window to shine upon us.
He cupped my face, staring at me with an intensity that weakened my knees. He didn’t say anything, but there was no need for words. The happiness on his face and the warmth in our bond were eloquent enough.
We both smiled, hand in hand, when we entered the servants’ quarters.
The kitchen was as big as the ballroom with four long tables, shelves filled with jars, and shiny copper pots. Bunches of dried garlic hung from the walls along with sausages, sage, and thyme.
Wheels of cheese, sacks of potatoes, and bags of dried fruit lined a wall. I inhaled deeply the scent of cardamom and rosemary.
The pantry had rows and rows of shelves filled with baskets of apples, jars of jam, and loaves of bread.
The fog slithered backwards in front of us. It was like a living creature, recoiling at our passage.
We filled two baskets with bread, salted meat, chocolate for Darius, biscuits, and everything else that didn’t need to be cooked.
“If Esmeralda doesn’t occupy Raven Hall, we’ll kill Rothbart first.” Alex carried the heavier basket filled to the rim with food. He didn’t seem to struggle under its weight. “Then we’ll reason with Bethlen after Rothbart is dead.”
“So you don’t want to kill Bethlen.”
He worked his jaw. “Getting rid of my curse would be wonderful. But if we can lock up Bethlen and keep the streets safe, I can wait to see what happens to Lucy.”
I put down the basket and threw my arms around his neck. “I know how much the decision cost you.”
He buried his face in the crook of my neck.
The walk back to the central part of the palace took another fifteen minutes, but I didn’t complain. I was holding Alex’s strong arm and resting my head on his shoulder. It couldn’t be better than that.
He dropped the food in the anteroom where there was a large cast-iron cooking stove. The servants had left in a hurry, and leftover vegetables and sandwiches were scattered on the table.
Alex lit the fire and put the kettle on, and I watched him as he moved silently around the room. He’d never been so calm and serene.
I prepared a tray for Darius while Alex set aside something for Cara.
The ever-present fog swirled inside, carrying a few smoky snakes with it.
I kept an eye on them, trying not to give in to the fear. “I’m glad the fog doesn’t attack us.”
“Cara is succumbing to its power. We need the mansion to be clear of the fog before the servants return.”
I was about to go upstairs when he took my hand.
He gently pulled me closer. His body was trembling, but he wasn’t shivering because of his condition, judging by how the bond was relaxed and warm. He dipped his head and kissed me. It was a sweet kiss that made the bond hum with pleasure and tenderness.
When the tip of his tongue darted out, I parted my lips, and he slid his tongue into my mouth. It was the first time he’d kissed me like that without the tension from his fears, and the sensation was ten times sweeter.
The way he pressed me against him made the kiss more pleasant and precious. But the sweetness didn’t last. The kiss became a clash of lips and tongues. No longer sweet but fierce.
Heat built up between us. I arched against him and ran a hand over his chest, feeling his taut muscles.
The kissing and touching became all pulse and pleasure and ache.
The real, physical contact with him was overwhelming in the best possible way.
I wanted his heat and muscles to cover my naked skin.
How could a single kiss turn me into a desperate woman?
He cupped my cheek and rested his forehead against mine. When he’d kissed me after the deal, I’d enjoyed his kisses and touches, but this was genuine and real.
“Pain?” I stopped touching him.
“A little, but there’s love above everything else.”
He trailed his lips along my neck, and my muscles tightened in anticipation. My pulse sped up. I expected him to bite me, but he planted a kiss on a sensitive spot on my neck before pulling back.
He reluctantly stopped. “We’d better go. Darius is starving.”
“Quite right. He becomes nervous when he’s hungry.” I composed myself, but the kiss had left a hot turmoil within me that wouldn’t settle.
He picked up the tray and headed to Darius’s room. “Join us when you have delivered the tray to Cara.”
I entered Cara’s room, glad the air was finally warm. “Here we are.” I put the tray on the nightstand.
Even covered with the blankets, she was so thin and pale that a gust of wind would break her.
“Do you need help to change?” I poured the tea, eyeing her dirty black gown.
“No.”
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I took a bit of everything.”
She barely glanced at the tray.
I had no idea what to tell her to make her feel better. We hadn’t talked much before this disaster, and her grey aura wasn’t encouraging.
“You wanted more power, didn’t you?” I said, not sure if I should add lemon or milk to the tea. “That’s why you asked me about my wili powers.”
“Myrtha gives a new life to almost dead women. I wondered if turning me into a wili would have allowed my spell to be stronger. But only the queen of the wili has that power. That’s why I asked Ravenhill to change me into a vampire.
I wanted to acquire more strength.” Her aura turned indigo with sadness. “Everyone wants more power.”
“Darius—”
“Even Darius.” She whipped her head towards me. “Especially Darius. Do not let his wit and charm fool you. He’s a power-hungry, ambitious, cunning, and conniving wizard.”
Her comment piqued me. I was a soul-searcher.
I saw auras. Darius didn’t have a single evil thought in him.
“Maybe he wants more power too, but he knows his limits. He would never put us in danger or risk hurting someone to gain more power.” I gestured at the shimmering cage protecting her from the snakes.
“Look what he has done for you for no other reason than to make you feel better. You didn’t thank him, yet you’re ready to disparage him. ”
“No one does anything just to be kind.” Scarlet anger slipped into her aura.
Now that I looked at it more closely, it was missing the multicoloured layers and flashy tendrils. She had truly lost her powers.
“We do. We might regret it, but we do.” I pointed at the tray as proof of kindness. “Just because you don’t act with kindness, it doesn’t mean everyone is like you.”
“Everyone is like me. They don’t want to admit it out of cowardice.”
The dark vines on her skin gave her a grotesque look as if the rain had washed down ink on her face.
“I’m sorry for you. You see only darkness and gloom. There’s much more to this world. You’re surrounded by good people and refuse to see that. It’s your loss.”
She hid her face in the pillow. Sorrow dominated her halo. “Leave. You’re tiring me.”
“The snakes will keep tormenting you until you leave that sorrow behind. Eat something. Drink some hot tea and think about what’s around you.” I left the room and shut the door softly.
I’d been bold with Cara, but facing the fog without Alex wasn’t easy.
The hallway was dark after the sun had set.
Without the lit gas lamps, I barely saw where I was going, and I had to release my light to see.
Fear threatened to rise. Darius’s room was at the end of the long corridor.
The moment two snakes slithered towards me, I stiffened. Alex’s words echoed in my head.
I love you.
The snakes shrank until they became two thin tendrils and floated away.
Well, love was truly the most powerful type of magic.
I entered Darius’s room with a smile. A blazing log fire spread nice warmth in stark contrast with Cara’s room.
The light from the flames and the gas lamps reflected on the polished brown walnut furniture, adding brightness.
Everything was clean, polished, and tidy.
Even the coquelicot cushions were perfectly arranged on the bed and matched the curtains of the four-poster bed.
“Is there something left for me?” I asked, closing the door.
“Here.” Alex trailed his fingers over mine when he passed me a plate with bread, cheese, and grapes.
“Tea?” Darius poured me a cup. “How’s Cara?”
“Sad. Angry. She thinks you’re an ambitious, hungry-for-power mage who doesn’t care about anyone.”
“That’s outrageous.” He scowled. “I do care about myself.”
I laughed, and he winked.
“I do have ambitions, of course, as does everyone.” He flipped through the pages of his magic book. “But I’m already the most powerful mage in the kingdom. What could I possibly want more?”
Alex shot his gaze towards the ceiling.
“Have you found anything useful about the fog in your book?” Suddenly ravenous, I took a stuffed chair and devoured the bread.
“I don’t think we should get rid of it.” He chewed on a bite of salted meat.
“Excuse me?” Alex stood next to me like a bodyguard.
He wolfed down a chocolate bonbon. Apparently, he didn’t mind mixing savoury food with sweets. “It can be a useful protection around the mansion, and modifying it is easier than getting rid of it. It would help if we had to lock up the strongest vampire in the world and prevent him from escaping.”
“What about Cara?” I asked. “Will she regain her powers?”
He lifted his shoulders. “If I were her, I would learn how to do everything like a normal human. Depressing, I know.”
“She’s terribly miserable,” I said. “I know she treated us badly, but I feel sorry for her. She cast the last spell to help the poor princess. She regrets her actions, and the failure broke her.”
Alex stroked my shoulder and brushed a curl of hair from my cheek. “I’m not fond of her, but I’m not going to abandon her.”
I put my hand over his, enjoying the fluttery, warm feeling in my chest.
The new Duke of the Dark Court was going to bring happiness and harmony.