My fingers gripped Lioran’s. “He’s been using everything he can figure out about me against me—against us.”
Cora swallowed hard, her gulp echoing through the chambers.
“I know the High Court assigned him here, but he can do serious damage if he stays,” Fyn said.
“It may do more if he goes. I want him here where we can keep an eye on him.” Lioran shifted behind me on the sofa. “As if the blight spreading wasn’t enough to deal with…”
“Speaking of the blight. I had a vision—one that may hold the answer you’ve been looking for. It’s been in front of us for a while now, but you may not like it.” Cora fidgeted with her pale greengown.
“Why will I not like it?” Lioran’s fierce voice echoed in the quaint study.
“It’s Aelira.” Her emerald eyes widened.
“How?” I still struggled to control my magic at times, it still felt so new.
“I have only seen pieces, so there has to be more to it than I know. She restored the land by connecting her magic to the tree in the center of Myrwood Grove.” Her words trembled along with her fingers.
“Absolutely not.” Lioran shot to his feet. He paced the length of the study.
Guilt hovered over me. It lingered in the stillness that followed the council meeting. Threat of rebellion loomed over Bailoc. My choice only made things worse. If I had any way to fix the land, to ease the blight, I wanted to hear how.
“Connected how?” I asked.
Cora shifted, her nerves gripping her with each breath she took—even her eye twitched.
“That grove is full of dark magic that settled after the war. It has a way of undoing the most powerful of fae. It doesn’t matter what she saw. You can’t just go there and expect to return.” Fyn shook his head.
“Or so we’re told…we don’t know anyone who has faced it before,” Cora said.
No one they knew had faced it. None that remained to tell the tale, yet suddenly I found myself hanging on her every word.
“Tell me what I can do.” I glanced past Lioran.
“I’ve been waiting, hoping more would be revealed to me.” Cora’s eyes stilled, her expression shifted as if her mind was somewhere else entirely.
“What did I do?” I squinted at her.
“You gave your magic to the land. You gave all of it…until the blight reversed.”
“All of it?” I played with the loose fabric on my gown.
Cora blinked back tears that pooled in her eyes. “All of it.”
Lioran’s voice boomed. “Enough! I’m not letting her do that.” He bolted upwards, stopping inches from Cora. “I’ll do it instead.”
Cora flinched. “Lioran, you weren’t in my vision—it was Aelira.”
If she saw it, maybe I could do it.
I couldn’t blindly agree to it, but if it was an answer, I would hear whatever she had to say. “Tell me what I would need to do.”
“No.” He pointed at her. “You will not tell her anything else about it. Aelira, I will not let you do this.”
“Let me?” I lifted my chin.
Fyn gripped the arm of the chair.
“I’ve heard enough. It is not happening.” Lioran’s voice boomed. “You should have come to me with this sooner.”
