Wilder shoves off me, finally releasing my wrist. It’s not a cold day, but the moment he steps back, the breeze makes me shiver. His aura collapses back inward, and I realize it had been extended, casting a bubble around us. One that leaves me feeling empty when it’s gone.
He looks me up and down before turning away, finally unblocking my view of Greer. But she’s not looking me in the eyes. Her gaze is on my hands, and her brows are lifted.
I follow her stare to my daggers, and that’s when I realize they’re glowing.
Notglowing.
They’re nearly iridescent. Like they were crafted from the heart of a star, decorated in constellations.
My heart thrums, and I feel it—my magic.
Chapter 23
Elorie
Fightingwith Wilder leaves a knot in my stomach. Yet again, he’s drawn out my magic when I least expected it. It was a flicker that dimmed as quickly as it appeared, but it was there—proof that my ability exists after resurrecting him.
Part of me clung to this thought that I’d used it all up. That what stirs in my veins now isn’t strong enough to be tapped. But when I stared down at the luminous daggers in my hands, twinkling, even in the daylight, the truth stared back.
I should have been flooded with relief. Instead, I was terrified.
My magic is unpredictable. It feeds on my emotions with little control. How can I wield what I don’t understand?
And even when I do, how will I know if I’m doing the right thing?
After the king kissed me, I’ve been stewing in the reminder that I’m a pawn in a war between realms. Wilder can’t be trusted—that’s been proven. But the king hasn’t necessarily been kind either. He’s barely let me see the kingdom I’ll be tasked with saving, and he’s ruthless in his attempts to wake my magic.
I don’t trust either of them, and I can’t figure out what to do with that.
The knock summoning me to dinner sounds at my door when I’ve barely had time to finish dressing. With the windows masked, I can’t tell the time, but it still feels too early for the Guard to be here.
Isolde isn’t back yet from retrieving a tonic she wanted me to try tonight, and it’s unnerving leaving my room without her here.
When a second knock is more urgent, I walk out of my bathing chamber to answer the door myself. As I swing it open, I’m surprised to find Cyan standing with guards at either side.
His nearly black hair is slicked back, hanging below his ears and feathering out at his chin. His gray tunic buttons up his throat. The iridescent fabric shimmers in a way his eyes don’t. While most Fae eyes spark and glow, his are flat. Shadowed by his thick eyebrows.
“The king needs you.” There’s no emotion in his tone.
No kindness in his gaze.
For the palace of the king—Prince of Light, King of Hope—there’s little walking these halls that doesn’t feel empty.
Cyan steps aside, and I try to see Callum in him. They have the same defined cheekbones and tall stature, but they have little else in common. Cyan’s aura is clouded. Nothing like the airy freedom I feel when I’m around his son.
I follow Cyan down the hall, surrounded by guards on either side. Tonight’s dress has beads adorning its buttery-smooth fabric. They hang heavy at the top before they sprinkle out, allowing the dress to flow freely around my legs. Brushing my hands over the thunderstorm-gray silk, I try to settle my nerves.
Cyan leads me in the opposite direction from the dinner hall, and my stomach turns.
I recognize these paintings. Cold eyes of long-dead rulersfollow me in this ever-shrinking hallway. One smug smile after another, like they watch me from the After, waiting for me to snap.
“I wondered…” Cyan breaks the silence as shadows stew around him. But not shadows like Hazel’s that are a void of death. He’s a true shadow wielder, and it’s no less comforting. “My son refused to visit these past couple of decades, and now I understand.”
He doesn’t look at me, but his attention hangs heavy.
“I wasn’t aware Callum never came back here. He returned to the Ley Court regularly.” My tongue is sand.
“To Ruse Village, yes, but the palace…” His dark eyes meet mine. “It seems we all have our secrets.”
