I look up at the stars.
My magic might be born of the heart of this realm, but it does not come from here. It whispers to me in the night, even through the thickest clouds covering Alyssium. It sparkles against the darkness. It sings where the sun’s shine doesn’t reach.
I do not answer to magic only of this realm. I wield more.
I’m endless.
I reach up and let the stars burn through me. I feel along the endless chasm of darkness until I reach a single thread. A star hanging just within reach. A kernel of power, like the heart of Lyrichia. I wrap myself around that bit of bright white light, and I pull it down.
Chapter 53
Wilder
Elorie isdeathly calm as she stands beside me, listening to Malachi rant and rave. He’s always been slightly sadistic, but there’s more to it as he praises himself for what he’s done. Something different pulses like a current around him.
I look down at Elorie’s pale cheeks—her parted lips. I tried everything to protect her. If it had come down to it, I would have let her choose her realm, no matter how it would have destroyed me. I tried to keep my distance at first, making sure she was safe at the palace in preparation for the Rite.
She was always going to make her own decision, and I accepted that it would mean my kingdom would fall. It was a burden weighing heavily on us both these past few weeks.
But then this thread knotted. She continued to draw closer, unable to resist me like I was unable to resist her.
My mate.
She glances up at me like she hears me say it. Silver spears stab me cleanly through.
Malachi laughs, and then her expression changes. Something dangerously peaceful moves through her. Before I can reachthrough the thread, she takes a step back. Her hand releases mine, and I’m instantly colder.
Her silver eyes glimmer as she looks up to the stars, and it’s as if she calls the moonlight through the clouds. They part, opening a mouth of starshine above us. Her fingers reach, and I realize what she’s doing.
Elorie’s magic isn’t from the ground below. It’s not like mine, even if they’re both celestial. I summon my power from the essence of all things. Life. Being. Aether. But Elorie… her magic is rooted in creation, which begins with nothing. With darkness. With fate.
Elorie calls to the stars.
The flecks on her cheek sparkle as starlight slowly begins to spread across her skin. A flush of light turns her into the moon. It dulls the color of all else around it. Her fingertips glow, and star flecks climb her wrists, her forearms. She’s no longer a flicker of magic. A whisp of light.
Elorie is starfire, brightening the night sky.
White wings sprout at her back. A wave of glittering starlight feathers, fluttering in the breeze.
Most Fae have wings, but they only appear when summoned. When burrowing into the heart of our magic. They’re all unique.
Elorie’s appear now.
Her white wings frame her body as her magic swells, until she draws inward and they vanish as quickly as they emerged. Her magic condenses.
Around us, murmurs turn to screams. The ground begins to quake. Trees shake free their leaves, and creatures scatter. Elorie wiggles her fingers searching for something, and only when she finds it does she still. She blinks once, and then her eyes meet mine. Perfectly calm and peaceful. And then she summons her magic down in a pillar of white fire that sears through the shell thatcontains us.
The moment we’re free, I immediately grab her and pull her from the altar.
Her skin is so hot she scalds my palms, but there’s no time to feel the pain. No time to think as Malachi unleashes the Guard on us.
My mother betrayed me. She led me into a trap to wake my mate’s magic. And while I understand her reasoning for wanting to save the kingdom, I refuse to be taken down again. Not when they’ll take Elorie down with me.
The Guard closes in, two aiming for Elorie. I dig my fingers into the ground, feeling the stir of what was distant just moments ago. My mother was right that I manipulated my magic to confuse others. I let them think I wielded lightning, and I shaped it as such. Elorie is the first person I’ve admitted the truth to. But now, all has been revealed. There’s no more hiding. No holding back. I’ve been careful not to let anyone see just how powerful I am. But as Malachi’s army descends on my mate, I let go of every tether that reins me in. I cling to the bond that ties us together, and I barrel into the realm, clinging to every bit of aether in Lyrichia.
With a swift pulse, I stand, sparking my magic at my palms. It forms a tight ball that condenses until there is no more containing it. No more containing me. With a flick of the wrist, I let it go, and half of Malachi’s Guard turns to fragments.
Elorie’s eyes widen as she takes in the scene. She stumbles, pulling herself to her feet, and I wrap her in my arms to steady her. She isn’t used to calling upon as much magic as she just did.
