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Chapter One
Aria
Onceuponatime,I’d desired nothing more than to walk within the Nine Realms. To stand on the imposing cliffs that had acted as sentries for the far-reaching Dragonaries Ocean. An ocean which epitomized the color of Knox’s eyes, perfectly. I wanted to climb a giant tree in the Carnivora Forest before exploring the remaining Kingdom of Fire. I’d been in love with the history of the realms, seeking the knowledge they held. It had been an addiction to learn everything about the deadly, unforgiving, merciless lands that had once called to me inside the Tenth Realm.
The girl who’d once gobbled up every morsel of information on the Nine Realms, had died. The sweet, naïve, gullible girl had succumbed to the betrayal of those she had idiotically followed, those who had beaten and broken her down. That Aria hadn’t known she was born to die. She hadn’t known the woman she’d doted on, the woman who she’d believed saved her from the monsters, was actually her mother. Nor had she known that those she’d called sisters, who weren’t even her sisters after all.
I no longer trusted people blindly. Instead, I looked for the motives behind why they’d want me close at hand. My loyalty was no longer freely given. It had to be earned because, since I’d come to the Nine Realms, those I’d once considered my closest allies had put me through hell. They couldn’t seem to comprehend that I didn’t crave power as they did, nor did I covet crowns. I’d watched and read enoughGame of Thronesto understand I wasn’t up for that role. The poor child who’d been tossed from a window had become the king, and the guy who pushed him had betrayed the badass with dragons. Moral of the story? Nothing but calamity came with being a ruler. Hard pass.
Knox had changed, too. He no longer hunted me—for the most part. Nevertheless, he had allowed me to escape from Aurora, who’d entered the chamber to come here, to the Kingdom of Fire. A place that shouldn’t exist. I’d wager that the library had learned what happened by forging another realm, when Griffon had constructed this one.
The Kingdom of Fire was vibrant with life flourishing inside the township. The reality was a replica of my dream. I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it hadn’t been this. As the crowd’s excitement grew, I turned my attention to the spectators, who were watching me closely. The path was crowded with people in vibrant attire as we walked toward the palace. I smelled freshly baked goods mixed with earthy scents from nearby shops. Griffon chuckled at a small boy who followed us through town.
The sound of wailing forced my eyes toward the cliffs, where smaller dragons were flying over the edge. My head tilted to follow the smallest dragon’s flight down the face of the sheer cliff, until he vanished. Parting my lips in amazement, I watched the waterfalls sloshing over the edges of the high cliffs that surrounded the palace. Several waterfalls lined the edge of the towering cliff before shooting over it. The water dropped hundreds of feet to the river it created below, causing a mist to form at the base, before joining the flow that surrounded the village and palace. It also passed through them. Inside the canal through the village, ferries loaded full of denizens passed beneath the small bridge as we walked across.
Wooden bridges crisscrossed along the edge of town, but they all led to various entrances of the palace. That structure was a sight to behold, and when my gaze eventually tracked to the glowing archway in front of me, my breath faltered. Stones glowing with a welcoming pulse beckoned me closer, drowning out the chatter of those we walked by as the hum grew louder.
Lofty, wide perches hung over the edge of the cliff, as if created for the dragons and phoenixes to observe the township and palace below them. Behind a curtain of water created by a soothing waterfall, light flickered from torches. Beyond the torches, an intricate web of pathways leading to various entrances were visible. Lights flickered from the openings throughout the extensive network of passageways within. At least that’s what I assumed the light came from behind the sheet of the translucent screen of water.
I’d never expected to see the Kingdom of Fire. Logically, I knew this wasn’t the original kingdom. The recreated Kingdom of Fire brought to life one question: had Hecate truly decimated it and she falsely manufactured the stories. Using it as a warning to others who might rise up against her? What it had once been was now lost in history books written by the victor, which of course were never correct. Of course, it had been by design, not that I’d known it then.
“My mother, Scylla, named it the Palace of Fire for the shimmering rainbow prisms that are cast around the valley when the sun hit the towers,” Griffon stated, which meant I’d been staring at the palace long enough to draw his attention. “My mother’s people built it soon after the land hardened enough to build on it. The outside walls of the courtyard are translucent quartz, and buried beneath them is selenite to charge their power throughout the monthly cycle until the full moon can charge them again.”
“It is so cool,” I whispered with nervousness, crawling up my chest to strangle my words. The castle itself was unreal, but outside of those crystal gates that Griffon spoke of were lofty, malicious-looking wrought-iron gates with spikes dissuading anyone from seeking to climb over them.
“Cool?” he parroted.
“It means it’s magnificent,” Eva supplied. The girl’s side-eye was strong when it slid toward me.
“I fear I’m not adept in the colloquialisms of your land, Aria.” My lips jerked up at his admission of not knowing something. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected him to be like, since I hadn’t allowed myself to think much about him. Sure, I held hope of him being a good guy, and that he’d accept me as I was, but hope was often a worthless emotion within the realms. “I’m sure you know that what I showed you in the dreamscape I brought you to, was real.”
“I figured it was at least similar,” I admitted. “The thing I don’t quite understand about that ishowyou could construct a dreamscape? They taught me that crafting a dreamscape, or entering one, was something achievable only by witches.”
“Druidry, mana, witchcraft, and siphoning are various types of magic existing throughout the Nine Realms. Of those, druids, mana users, and witches are the ones who can construct a dreamscape. Hecate merely altered the history to make others think only witchcraft remained inside of the realms. I constructed what I did by using mana. Mana comes from the land and nature. It is weaker than what Hecate uses, as it can only be comparable to white magic. But what I showed you, that was my home before Hecate invaded, leaving a once beautiful, fiery realm nothing more than a cemetery.”
“I wish I could’ve seen it before she’d left it in ruins,” I muttered, shame heating my cheeks. The very fact that I had her blood in my veins used to be something I was proud of, but not anymore.
“If I could make your wish a reality, I’d do so. Our kingdom’s the oldest of all the realms.” The wonderment in his tone forced a twist of jealousy. I’d have given anything to see it in all its fiery beauty.
“I want to understand how you crafted a dreamscape. They taught me that only witches wielded enough power to create one and bring another’s slumbering mind and awareness into it.”
“Magic doesn’t solely belong to witches, daughter. You know that already. But then, you are living proof of that, aren’t you? Hecate uses reserves of power, but you use the magic fed to you by the realms.”
I contemplated his words, nodding slowly. What he said made sense. Even if I didn’t know precisely how I was connected to the Nine Realms or why it gave me its power, I knew it did.
“Why is it the realm fuels the magic or mana inside of me?” I asked, to see if he’d give me the answer without seeking shackles to hold me here. Turbulent, blue eyes clashed with mine before his lip twitched. A vice clenched around my heart as my hope of Griffon wanting me for me, diminished. I’d always wanted to know how I’d been able to yank magic to me from the realms. I hadn’t cast like the other girls.
“Mana, daughter. The land chooses those worthy of wielding its mana. As it has chosen to give you an endless supply to wield against your enemies. Those shields you raise? They’re something only a few witches can actually craft, but something you do effortlessly. You also use alchemy, sorcery, enchantments and incantations, along with witchcraft. A balance of power is inside every universe, and it is that balance that strictly forbids the ability of one entity from wielding both mana and witchcraft. No one else has ever held the ability to house two sources of magic.” A frown tugged at my lips and pinched the skin between my eyes until it creased. “At least, until you were born. Eva disclosed that she felt you wielding both a few times.” His explanation cleared the confusion.
“And if I were to tell you that, I’ve witnessed the use of a magic-wielder also channeling mana?” Because Knox had siphoned mine. He’d carried it out without effort, which had been terrifying the first few times he’d done so.
“First, I’d say it’s a new world, with new creatures appearing.” Griffin hesitated, then exhaled slowly before asking the next question he’d struggled with. “Aden tells me you’ve mated your dragon king?” Unhappiness seeped into Griffon’s tone. When I failed to respond one way or the other, he continued. “Second, I’d tell you that mates sometimes are able to access the mana stored in the well existing in their significant other, but mostly through the connection shared. Though, none had ever held their own magic before they’d accomplished such a feat.”
“You’re saying that since I mated Knox, the land now sees him as a part of me?”
Griffon’s eyes sparkled with pride at my deduction. “Indeed. Tirsynth, my father, was not blessed with magic, but he was able to draw mana, which was stored inside his mate. It’s likely why King Karnavious forced you to the altar, ensuring it trapped you in marriage.” My lips parted to argue his statement, but he held up his palms in mock surrender. “Those were his objectives, Aria. Regardless of how they may have changed, King Karnavious bound you to his side for the power you house.”
I couldn’t argue it, not when what Griffon had stated was fact. Facts didn’t care about feelings, and if I were going to keep an open mind about his role in my life, I needed to leave my feelings out of it for now.
