Page 86 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

“I don’t know what I want,” I admitted.

“Well, you had better figure it out. Because you don’t sound like the Emelin I know and love.”

“Maybe it’s time for a new Emelin.” I lifted a shoulder.

For a split second, she looked taken aback before she smiled softly, her wise eyes looking at me, into me. “You know that I want you to be happy, but true happiness rarely blossoms from spite. Here is my advice if you want it. Heal your heart first before you decide who to give it to.”

“I trust that you have gained a deeper understanding of Fae magic from my journal,” the Sorceress said in a measured tone after we had returned from Nasyra. She had glimmered us from the chilled stillness of the royal gardens at Clairborne Palace to the lively warmth of the gardens at Castle Argent.

“I have, though I must admit some aspects of it I still find confusing. For instance, how are the Fae lords bound to their respective provinces?” I asked as I rolled up my sleeves, already feeling flushed in my dress and leggings.

“A binding spell is performed when one becomes a lord.”

“Like the one you performed on Oberon?”

“No, that spell was unique because it defied the rules of nature and bound him to the entire realm.”

“Will you ever disclose the price Oberon had to pay to accomplish that?”

“I don’t know if I ever will, but he was not the one who made the sacrifice.”

“The sacrifice?” I shuddered at the gravity of the word. “What about the other spell? The one you used to make Rosalie the conduit? Did it require a sacrifice as well?”

“It did, though of a different kind. Have you wondered how you were able to defeat Sorin?”

The memory of that day flashed through my mind, and I shuddered again. I had pushed the thoughts of Sorin’s death aside in the past two weeks, refusing to take the time to fully process what I had done.

“I thought I was able to…kill him because I had some of Adrian’s magic in me.” I paused. “But that explanation doesn’t make sense. Sorin was all-powerful. I couldn’t possibly have had enough magic in me to defeat him.”

“Oh, but you did. A trace of Silberium had always been present in Adrian’s blood because he’s an Argent. It was merely a drop to the bottomless ocean that Sorin possessed but present nonetheless.”

“Are you saying Silberium was present in me when I defeated the king? But you said Adrian had possessed only a drop.”

“Only an ember was needed. You see, the spell that made Rosalie the conduit came from the Isle of Lumen. Light magic dwells there. Magic that seeks to restore balance. When the spell turned the first mortal queen into a conduit, it also granted her the ability to kill Oberon. Through siphoning Silberium from him, she gained the power to save his life, but she also became the only being who could take it.”

I swallowed and wrapped my arms around myself, feeling cold despite the warmth that surrounded me. “I never wanted that kind of power.”

“Which makes you the right person to possess it. You have to be careful, though. Balance is only achieved when the pendulum can swing both ways. Silberium can kill you if you ever take too much.”

“I’m not the only one who can siphon the ancient magic, am I?” I asked, my mind working on overdrive to put all the pieces together. “That power lies with the Clairborne bloodline. It could have been my father, my aunt, Sebastian, or even Luna who defeated Sorin and siphoned Silberium from Adrian.”

“It could have been. In fact, I thought Luna was the ‘child of light’ from the prophecy. That’s why I convinced your father to send her to Zalie to help reinforce the wards. I wanted for her and Adrian to meet.”

“Was that why you got upset when you caught Adrian and me kissing at the Solstice Ball?”

“That was part of it, yes. I was also trying to spare you both the heartbreak of being caught on the opposite sides of the war when Sorin inevitably attacked.”

“So you were going to stand by and watch Sorin invade Emeraldia? Why not tell him that there was another way to save his kingdom?”

“I couldn’t. Not unless a Clairborne brought down the wards. I was bound by a blood oath.”

“A blood oath?”

“Keep reading the journal, and most of your questions will be answered. For now, let us train. I want to teach you how to use the elements for self-defense.”

“Self-defense? Why do you think I need to learn that?” The cold feeling in my chest intensified.

“Because you have become very important. The fate of two realms rests on your shoulders, and when the stakes are high, the world becomes a dangerous place. You need to learn to protect yourself in it.”