Page 2 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

Nothing happened for several seconds until my skin prickled as my father’s magic saturated the air. Raw power poured out of him in waves, flowing into the woods before us, strengthening the barrier invisible to the naked eye—the barrier that served as our only line of defense against our most feared enemy.

A ragged exhale left me, and I swallowed to alleviate the tightness in my throat. The unease in my chest turned into anxiety as I counted down the seconds until I could talk to my father and discover how dire our situation truly was.

Out of nowhere, a gust of cold wind whipped through the clearing, billowing my father’s sable cloak behind him. He seemed unaffected by it; his concentration unwavering as his magic wafted out of him. I scowled and drew the flaps of my cream-colored cloak closer, bracing against the chill. The weather had been turning cruel of late, each shift harsher than the last, a somber omen of the bleak future looming ahead. As the only human kingdom blessed with magic, Emeraldia was the main agricultural supplier. With the help of our powers, we had always been able to produce enough crops to feed our population and export excess to other domains, but the climate change would inevitably lead to low inventories.

I dragged my gaze away from the king and took a sweeping look around. The woods on the Fae side of the border were lush and green, and warmth emanated from them. On this side, many trees stood barren, having lost their leaves during the most recent cold snap. The grass appeared mostly brown, with only a few patches of green spotted throughout. My gaze snagged on a nearby bush, and I watched with a twisting heart as more dead leaves separated from the dry and brittle branches, floating down to settle on the cold ground. Reaching down, I gently touched the plant, wishing I could breathe new life into it. But I knew that even if I tried to bring my magic forth, it wouldn’t answer the call. My powers had always been dormant, locked away inside me as if waiting for something. What they were waiting for, I had no idea.

Everyone in Emeraldia possessed magical powers to a certain degree. Our magic had been bestowed on us by the Stars and manifested in our profound connection to nature. We had the ability to transfer our powers into the land to make our soil rich and our harvest bountiful. The magic of the royal bloodline was the strongest, passed down through generations from the first queen. The women of my bloodline used their powers to aid with agriculture, while the men harnessed their magic to reinforce the wards protecting us from the Fae. My inability to access my powers hadn’t been much of a hindrance for me until now, but standing here, on the border, I felt like I was failing my kingdom.

“It’s done. We can leave now,” my father said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

He turned away from the forest and offered a weak smile. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him as he stepped toward me. Frowning, I slipped my arm through his, in case he needed my support.

“We have one more stop to make before we travel back to the capital,” he said as we strolled to the carriage. “Since Lady May had left Zalie, I appointed Lord Adrian Gray as her replacement. We are going to stop at Bradford Manor and check on how he is adjusting to his new role.”

“Adrian Gray? Have I met him before at the court?”

“You have not. He has yet to visit the capital. I interviewed him and tested his magical prowess when I came down to Zalie last month. He’s an exceptionally gifted wielder, which is not surprising given his relation to Lady May. He’s her grandnephew, and from what I understand, she practically raised the boy.”

The boy? I thought to myself, finding it unusual that he would appoint a young, inexperienced lord in the region closest to Aubrielle. If the wards failed, this area would be the first to bear the brunt of the Fae forces when they attacked. Trepidation curled down my spine at the thought as my father and I approached the black and gold carriage. The guards waiting by the coach helped us inside before perching on the back for the ride.

As soon as the carriage doors closed, and the king settled into the seat across from me, I leaned in closer to him and whispered, “Tell me everything.”

He paled and cleared his throat. “Emelin.”

“Father,” I interjected. “Please. I want to know.”

Traditionally, the women of the royal family were sheltered from political affairs, but I didn’t want him to spare me from the truth, no matter how devastating it was.

My heart pounded in the silence that followed as the carriage jolted and began moving, rolling over the uneven ground.

The king didn’t speak for a long time as his wary gaze searched mine.

“Magic is fading from our kingdom, and I don’t know what’s causing it or how to stop it,” he finally said. “Our people pouring their powers into the land has been staving off the inevitable, but it’s only a matter of time before the climate becomes too unfavorable for agriculture.” He rubbed his eyes before meeting my gaze once more. “I fear the wards will fail before then. That’s why I asked Lady May to relocate to the capital and aid in training Sebastian. I’m hopeful that his powers will soon be strong enough to help me reinforce the barrier.”

Sebastian was my younger brother and the rightful heir to the throne. The order of succession used to fall to the firstborn child, but that law had changed one hundred years ago. After the Fae King Oberon had killed Queen Estelle during the war, Estelle’s brother, Elias, had become king. He had decreed that only male heirs could inherit the throne to protect the royal women from being targets of the Fae. Since I had never desired to be a queen, I was relieved that Sebastian was the future king, especially at the present moment, when so much rested on his shoulders.

“Are the wards growing weaker everywhere or only in this area?” I asked my father, my mind racing. The protective barrier extended beyond the Enwyld Forest, enclosing the entire realm to ward off attacks by seas.

“Everywhere, but the rate at which they are deteriorating is most severe on the border with the Fae kingdom.”

“Have you called out to the Stars?” I asked, looking up as if I could see the sky through the beige carriage ceiling.

“I have. They haven’t answered my prayers.”

Speechless, I lowered my gaze to the window, to the countryside rushing by. Emeraldia. My kingdom and my people. I had to do something about the situation we were in. I didn’t know how to stop the magic from draining from the land, but I could delay its depletion and help my father to reinforce the wards. But first, I needed to learn how to harness my powers.

Truthfully, I should have worked harder to unlock my abilities long before now. The thought surfaced with a bitter sting of regret. I should have devoted all my time and efforts to developing my powers instead of pouring myself into the relationship that, in the end, had not been worth it. My cheeks heated as my mind flashed back to the other night when I had found my fiancé with one of my ladies-in-waiting, who had also happened to be my best friend.

Not now, I told myself. There was a much bigger issue at hand than my broken heart.

“I want to harness my magic and help strengthen the barrier,” I told my father, meeting his gaze.

His brows lifted in surprise before slamming down. “The women of the Clairborne line do not use their powers to reinforce the wards,” he said firmly.

King Elias had not only changed the order of succession; he had also decreed that only the men could harness their magic to fuel the protective barrier. The royal women were only allowed to tend to gardens, tucked away in the heart of the kingdom, away from the border and the Fae reach.

“Father, these are desperate times,” I told him. “You can use all the help you can get to prevent the wards from failing. Who else knows about their deteriorating state?”