AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s not.” She dusted her hands and sighed again. “It’s what many defectors do, however—mimic fairy magic.” She scowled but then placed her hand out in front of her defensively. “I respect the Prasanna, mind. But a foolish business it was for their ancestors to bind their magic.”
I leaned against my knees, and my heart lurched. Sai felt like a pulse just beyond the walls, a warm hum I could feel. Every inch of my flesh longed to go where he was. He trusted this woman, though, and this was my chance for answers. “Sirens don’t normally bind their magic?”
“No. We can knot into each other’s powers, siphon from them to strengthen our magic. That’s what my group is doing with me currently. But wrapping an entire race’s powers in one being is foolishness. The fairies have to possess heart stones, and if the holder of their powers dies before they mark someone, the magic shifts to the heart stone which can be stolen. It’s all a mess, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” I gripped the dirty edge of my shirt and ran my fingers along it. “I hold the magic of my group’s powers. Can they be unbound?”
Rainoe clicked her tongue. “Yes, but you must be physically present with every member of your group, and they must all consent. Hence why it’s foolish to wrap the powers up in the first place.”
I pulled Sai’s bag tighter against my chest. Rainoe’s voice was thick with disdain, but I felt hope for the first time since Mother had forced the magic on me. I wasn’t sure she’d ever consent, but I was sure I could convince the others in the group. Maybe with enough pressure from them, Mother would begrudgingly agree as well. I could leave Mother and be with Sai… I snapped my face up. “Is Sai asleep now? Can I go to him?”
Rainoe’s expression turned gentle for the first time since she’d started speaking to me. “So, the marriage was a love match, then?”
Heat flamed across my cheeks, but I smiled. “In a way.”
She ran her fingers along her chin as the door opened and another group of half a dozen women stepped in. Rainoe gestured to me. “Meet the new Princess of the Prasanna, Lira. Please tend to her.”
I jumped to my feet. “But what about Sai?”
Rainoe stepped over to me and brushed a lock of hair away from the bruise on my face. “He will be asleep for at least a day, likely more. You should rest and heal while he’s out.”
“But what if—” I cut myself off. Even the idea of Sai dying felt like death crept over me too.
“I believe our prince will survive. He’s too stubborn to do otherwise.”
I released a sob. However, I let the women lead me to a bedroom, usher me towards a bed, and sing me to sleep. As their voices rushed around me, two thoughts twined together in my mind.
First, everything I’d ever believed about sirens—about myself—had been a lie.
Second, Sai. The dark sparkle of his eyes, the way one side of his mouth tugged up in a smile, the kindness and love he’d shown me despite me being stubborn and annoying. He’d always seen the good in me. And I hadn’t done the same for him. Yes, he’d handed me off to Lennox but even in that he made sure I had an escape. And he might die without knowing how sorry I was.
Those uneasy thoughts were the last on my mind as I drifted away, and they were the first to come to me when my eyes sprang open again. The texture of the curved ceiling above dappled in cool blue light.
“Oh, you’re awake.” I sat up, ignoring the unfamiliar girl, and looked for Sai’s bag. As soon as I had it in my hands again, I shifted to her. She tangled her pale, curly hair back and tied it with a ribbon. “How do you feel?”
I felt amazing, all the aching pains and exhaustion washed away. But that wasn’t what mattered. “How is Sai?”
She smiled and stood up, gesturing for me to follow her. “He’s fine. He’s not awake yet but you can sit with him if you’d like.”
“Yes, please.”
I walked with her back past the main room of the house, through another door, down a long hall, then into another bedroom where Sai lay sleeping, blankets tucked around him though his shoulders were bare and rose in slow undulations. I turned back to speak to the woman to find Rainoe stood beside her. She must have been in the room, and I hadn’t noticed.
“When will he wake?” I whispered.
Rainoe nodded at the woman who then disappeared out the door. “If he wakes,” she said delicately, “perhaps in a few hours. He’ll be a bit sore still.”
I rolled up to my full height and stretched to see if I had any lingering tenderness, but I felt completely refreshed. I couldn’t even think about the implication that he might not return from the sleep. “Why?”
Rainoe’s brow furrowed. She seemed to consider what she might say before she offered a shrug.
“Oh, God.” I turned back towards Sai. “It’s my fault, isn’t it? I did something wrong. I’ve… I’ve never tried to heal before and…”
Rainoe placed her hand on my shoulder. “You didn’t do wrong. Healing with our magic takes a great deal of practice. The body is complex. Your approach was sort of”—she clapped her hands together—“aggressive.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to…”
“Save his life?” She patted my arm again. “I believe he’ll forgive you for that.”
