Page 27 of The Reaping Rose

“Celestial magic is not like that of this realm. The only limit to our magic is us. The only containment is us.”

I don’t agree when I’ve found a number of limits to mine, especially now. But I don’t bother arguing.

“Our magic—” Idunn cuts herself off, her head whipping to the other side of the cell.

I step back, ready for something to break through the shadows, but nothing comes.

Idunn pinches the bridge of her nose, her freckles flaring as she shakes her head. Her jaw tightens, and when she drops her hand and her gaze meets mine, her eyes are brighter than ever.

“It was not him,” she snaps, turning her back to me again. “Of course it wasn’t. Not yet. Not yet.” Her nails dig into her hair, which moves like a curtain. “It was not him, but that is not my fault. I did not change it.”

I don’t know how long she’s been locked within these walls, but clearly long enough for it to have broken her mind. Maybe coming here was a terrible idea. I’m seeking answers from a female who doesn’t even understand the extent of the Beating. Even if she could help me understand my magic, how can she give guidance on fixing a realm she doesn’t realize is broken?

I move back a step, and Idunn erases the space between us. “Wait.”

In a heartbeat, she moves from the back of her cell to the front. For a moment, I think she’ll break free of the runes completely, but she’s stopped by them. They’re luminescent where she’s closest.

“I was not always like this.” Her hands relax at her sides as if she’s calming herself. Idunn glances to where there is no ceiling. No end. She stares as if she’s watching the clouds change or the stars flicker. Her gaze drifts as if she sees beyond this prison to somewhere else. “The Crown refused to see that I was not only this.”

I take a cautious step closer. “Why are you here?”

“Why are you not?” she counters, her gaze finding mine. “They saw what you did, who you woke—an aether wielder—did they not? They saw the boundless power you wielded?”

I nod, swallowing hard.

The smile that climbs her cheeks lacks any joy. “Yet they put a crown on your head, while they put me in chains.”

“It didn’t happen like that.”

She huffs out a laugh. “Humans and their literal interpretations. They saw what you were capable of, and they deemed you worthy, while they buried me away for being just as strong.”

“You’re saying they put you here because you’re too powerful?”

“They did not understand.” She turns again but doesn’t walk away; she simply refuses to look at me. “After all I did for them, this is how they repay me.”

She wraps her arms around herself, mumbling.

I take a step forward when maybe I should be running away. But whoever this Fae is, whatever she’s done, doesn’t change that she’s my mother.

My toes brush the edge of the runes, and she looks down at the spot that glows. “I’m sorry if they didn’t understand you. I’m sorry they locked you in here. There was a time I wasn’t understood either. But thankfully I had my father to protect me.”

“Your father.” Her nose scrunches.

“Laef,” I say gently, trying to remind her.

“The guard. Yes, I remember. I simply fail to see his relevance.”

The ice in her tone is a punch to my stomach. “You must have cared about him. You spent time with him. You… created me.”

“He told you about me?”

I frown. “No. He didn’t tell me who you really were. I didn’t find out until after.”

“After?”

“He died.” I clear my throat, choking back my emotion. “I never got the chance to ask him these questions.”

“Hmm.” Idunn’s steely eyes scour me, not appearing the least bit heartbroken over the news of my father’s death. After a long pause, she huffs. “Your father did not understand me. So no, I don’t see his relevance.”