Emerald Mountains (The Dream Traveler Series Book 2)

by Nicole Knight

  He looked to me and then to Beetie standing next to him. His eyes came back to me and then gave me a nod.

  “I will secure the ingredients, and together you and I will make the potions. Then you can test my love’s words, but you have to convince Axel,” he told me.

  “Consider it done.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  “What in the Goddess’ name are you saying?” he asked me again.

  “I am saying that Victoria left me special instructions on a potion to restore my magic; and a few other potions to heal one’s body and whatnot.”

  “Victoria heard of a rumor; there was a magic worker who brewed potions for a price, to block one’s magic. I think one was given to you. I want you to drink a potion too; to see if there was a block on your magic like there is on mine.”

  He let out an exasperated breath.

  “Why do you think I have blocked magic?” he asked me. Truly not believing he had even the potential for magic.

  “I’ve been doing a lot of reading, and I have a secret to share, but first the reading. When others say that according to the prophecy, we are reincarnated from the Goddess, it is not a lie. We truly have a line to her endless supply of magic. The longer we are here, and the more experienced we become, the more knowledge we uncover from the ancient knowledge of the Goddess.”

  If this were a cartoon, Axel’s head would have blown its top by now. He was in shock and couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He was going to catch flies in there or my tongue.

  I was a fan of the second option.

  I put my hand underneath his chin, and closed his mouth, placed a quick, chaste kiss to his lips, and continued with what I know.

  “Anyways, I’m sure that Victoria was a seer like I am. She spent more time here and got older. She uncovered more and more of her magic; it’s endless limits and knowledge. She knew that I was going to follow her. When the ancient knowledge knew that it was time, it gave her visions. I don’t know exactly what she saw, but she must have seen some of the bad things I went through, she must have known that I would lose my magic. So she did what she could to help me. She left me hidden messages in her journals, knowing that I would read them. These potions were on a hidden page.”

  “What does this have to do with me, though?” he asked.

  “That has to do with ancient knowledge and sight. Victoria states that while she was unbound to her true love, that she saw the one follow her in the prophecy, her heir, would bond with her true soul mate.”

  I heard an audible gasp from Axel.

  “I don’t know what all that means, I haven’t gotten that far, but it sounds like you do,” I prompted.

  “Yes, anyone can bond and be happy. But with magic comes the idea of a true soul mate. That is the person the Goddess creates specifically for you. Most people never meet their soul mate or start a courtship. They are incredibly rare,” he said.

  “Indeed, we are rare,” I said with a smile and flutter of my eyelashes at him.

  “But that’s not all; this is where the magic comes in. When you bond with your soul mate, you feel what they do. If they are hurt, you feel it. If they are happy, you feel it. Magic links you, and if one of you dies, then the other one is not far behind. If they don’t die immediately, they die from a broken heart,” he said.

  “That explains why we feel so strongly about each other,” I said.

  “But this only happens between two magic workers. That’s why it’s so rare,” he added.

  I could see the gears turning behind those fully gold eyes of his. He put together the pieces and figured out what he refused to believe only a few minutes ago. He had to have magic.

  I could see the moment he came to the same conclusion. I knew everything he shared with me, but he needed to explain it so he couldn’t discount the truth. He couldn’t argue with himself like he could with me, stubborn man.

  “So you think I have magic. Is that the secret?” he asked me.

  My face got red because now I would have to share a secret about my magic that no one knew about.

  “No, part of my ever-growing magic, until my poisoning, is the ability to enter minds.”

  Axel’s eyes got huge, and then his face turned red. He must have immediately jumped to the correct conclusion.

  “Yes, I have entered your mind, only by accident. Except for in the pond, that was intentional.”

  His eyes grew wide again.

  “Don’t worry, I can’t read your thoughts, just your emotions,” I said.

  He let out a sigh of relief and drug his hand across his forehead to wipe off the sweat that had been collecting there.

  “You must have had some excellent thoughts about me,” I said to tease him.

  He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” he said.

  “Good,” I said with a smile.

  “Anyways, that’s what I did to Jessica in the dungeon to make her pass out. I did the same thing to the dog in Andraya’s burning home, so he would let me pick up her baby. Also, I’ve been in your head several times.”

  It was my turn for my face to go red.

  “I wondered at first how you did that with Jessica, but I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot. With everything going on, my brain never circled back to that.”

  “Well now you know, and in confidence. I have never told another soul and never will. This is a card that has to stay close to my chest. As my soul mate, I trust you with that secret.”

  With that, Axel’s lips were on mine, and he was on me, on top of the bed.

  He broke the kiss.

  “Your soul mate. I love the sound of those words,” he said with a seductive smile.

  “Me too, but I need to finish before you kiss me again and erase all thoughts of this conversation from my head.”

  He smiled again and rolled off of me and then helped me sit up.

  “Like I was saying, it was easy to enter your mind, easier than anyone else’s. I think one, that’s because we are soul mates and second, because you have magic,” I concluded.

  “So you are proposing that someone gave me a potion to block my magic?” he asked.

  “Yes, I think that’s a conversation you may need to have with your mother. Did she give it to you, or did someone else? I would think she did that to hide you. She may have known that Eduard would eventually find you. It was better to block your magic than for you to be killed.”

  “I have a hunch you are right. This is a conversation I need to have with my mother.”

  He stood up and began to go to the door.

  “Axel, be easy on her. If she is behind it, she did it out of love. Remember, if that wasn’t done, Eduard would have killed you, then and there in front of your family. Get the conformation without the judgment and resentment.”

  “Good Goddess, I love you, Violet. You keep following the bread crumbs and keep me posted with what you find. I promise I will keep you and your secret safe. If my mother confirms what you said, I will take that potion with you, and then we will reach our full potential together.”

  With that, he was out the door. I could hear his footsteps slapping against the stone floor. He was a man with a mission, and no one was going to come between him and seeing it through.

  My man is a magic worker, and I am going to help him like he did me.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Iwent back to my room to have a conversation with Eduard, as he had a lot of explaining to do. I locked my bedroom door and sunk to the ground. I used my sword to lift the stone, which covered my secret hiding place.

  I lifted his transparent prison into my hand and fixed him with a murderous glare.

  “You have left out large chunks of information,” I told him.

  “Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t,” he answered snidely.

  “Why don’t you tell me what you learned, and I’ll let you know if I forgot to tell you.”

  I wanted to smack the smile right off his face. Without m
y magic, I would have to settle for shaking the ball. A quick shake, and he was knocked back onto his ass, looking not amused.

  “Good, now we are both not happy,” I told him.

  “Now look here, you don’t get out of here until I get my magic back. I lost it when your friend Prince Kennan from the Kingdom of Tate tried to have me poisoned. So I suggest you help me fill in more blanks before you get left here to rot. I can’t even kill you quickly for mercy, even if you begged for it.”

  His face turned as white as a ghost. He was banking on me, holding up my end of our bargain, and playing on my nature to not harm. Now that was entirely out of my hands.

  “So the hidden magic workers in the dungeon, what was their real purpose?” I asked.

  “Some of them could make precious metals. Some had other special abilities I can’t quite remember. It has been some time since I imprisoned them. They were a bargaining chip. Tate took advantage and was threatening to attack and overthrow me. I did not have the resources to fight two wars at once. Now that I think about it, that was probably strategy. After all, Corone started the war.”

  “What did they start the war over?” I asked.

  “They stated that their Queen had been murdered. She was poisoned, and a dagger with the Morthsoul flag was found near-by. They stated we killed the Queen, and the war was retaliation, they wished to dethrone me.”

  “So, you were framed?” I asked.

  “Yes, I was set up, but I wasn’t sure by who. None of the other Kingdom’s liked me. Hell, my own subjects didn’t like me. The set up could have come from anywhere,” he said.

  “But now, I think we know where it came from,” I told him.

  “I think we may,” he answered and hung his head low.

  “So, what was to happen with the prisoners?” I asked.

  “They were going to be sent to Tate so that they would leave me alone. I could hopefully figure out a way to convince Corone that it wasn’t me, and the war would end.”

  “So, you didn’t just start a war to keep your Kingdom in line and enslaved to you?”

  “Of course not. When I killed Victoria, who was a great woman, I had plans for the Kingdom. She had made many improvements, but I was going to make more. I wanted to look more into what Victoria described as ‘science,’ like magic for those without magic. To get the Kingdom to do this, I needed to get people to stop relying on their magic, so I banned it.”

  “What other plans did you have?” I asked skeptically.

  “I assure you none of my plans started in hate. I really wanted to improve the Kingdom and get everyone to like me, but they liked Victoria too much. They would never forget that I was the one to kill her, even if necessary.”

  “Why was it necessary?” I asked him. I was genuinely dumbfounded that he found a way in his mind to make an excuse for his actions.

  “Because she asked me to.”

  I gasped and tried to keep my cool.

  “That was my reaction when she asked me. She said that her power was slowly killing her. She had aches and pains and mood swings when she wasn’t in a weird meditative state. Her eyes would turn purple, and she would be non-responsive. Most of her time was spent like that, and it was driving her insane. She begged me to do her a favor. She trusted me to do it, and she asked me not to tell anyone why. The kingdom needed to rally and find a new cause to put their faith in. I had no idea at the time that they would put that into hating me. But I did what Victoria asked, because she was my friend, despite our age difference.”

  I had no words, absolutely none.

  “So I took all of the blame and let the Kingdom hate me. I had honestly been waiting for the next in the prophecy to arrive. Many people claimed they were you over the years, and I became hardened to everyone. I wasn’t even sure that you were the reincarnation until we started this conversation. You look so much like her; you carry yourself the same way, and when you gasped, your eyes flashed purple. So I will now willingly assist you, as you are the kin of my friend, and she would want me to help you.”

  I started heavy breathing because my world was tilting on its axis. I set his cage down on the ground and steadied it so it wouldn’t roll around. I put my hands on my forehead and my elbows on my knees and focused on my breathing.

  “Now calm yourself, that is not how the great Queen Violet should act. You have the traits of the Goddess herself. Pinch yourself and then look back to me, we have more to discuss.”

  “I don’t know if I can handle much more,” I answered, feeling vulnerable with this man, even though I shouldn’t.

  I should want him dead. He confessed to me that he killed my Great-Grandmother. Yet, he was honest with his reasoning, I could just tell. He mentioned my eyes flashing purple, maybe that meant there was hope I could still access my magic with the potion Wisdom will make.

  “What else is there? I asked.

  “There is another heir to the Smart family. I assume you know the top players in the family?” he asked.

  “Yes, and I know about the other player. The funny thing is, he is my father.”

  This time I had tilted Eduard of his axis, and he gasped in shock.

  “I know right, that’s how I felt. The best part is that it makes Kennan my cousin, and he’s been trying to get me to agree to a bonding. By bonding, he wants to assume control over my Kingdom. I’m not sure if he realizes that I should be third in line for his crown, and not him.”

  “You don’t think he knows your relationship?” he asked me.

  “No, at least according to my father.”

  “That is very interesting. Should your father take care of Alexander, then he would take his rightful place. One day you would be the Queen of two separate kingdoms. There were rules against this very thing, and yet the fates made it so. None of this was planned, and yet here you are.”

  “Try three Kingdoms,” I told him.

  “What do you mean?” he asked me while turning pale white again.

  “The King and Queen of Ubrem Glacies made me the heir to their kingdom should anything happen to them. They were murdered by Kennan several weeks ago, and I was made the new Queen of Ubrem Glacies.”

  Eduard had a full-on anxiety attack in his prison.

  “It can’t be,” he said.

  “It is so,” I told him.

  “Queen Violet, you find yourself in the ultimate seat of power. I hope for the world’s sake that you can handle it. Because, if not, I’m afraid the other two Kingdom’s may rise up against you.”

  “I don’t plan to give them any reason to. I will win this war with Tate, officially end the one with Corone. My Dad will take over when his father passes, of natural causes and not a day sooner. There will be peace because it is what I will, and what the prophecy expects of me.”

  “I pray you are right,” he said as he lowered his head in respect.

  One of my enemies has become a secret ally, and my current situation has made itself a little clearer to me.

  Once again, I find myself drifting through this world like a leaf in the wind, reminding me that I don’t know much for someone with the sight.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Trin

  While Violet was away, and we discovered her father was missing, I did my own digging. It was challenging to do with Thomas always nearby.

  This man was totally a distraction dripping in a heaping helping of manly attraction. It didn’t help that he was a total gentleman, but he was demanding more from me.

  “I want to teach you to defend yourself,” he told me.

  “As much as I want to do that, I don’t have time. Do you see the Queen anywhere? I haven’t seen her in hours. That means she is up to something. A quiet plotting Queen has a way of getting me into trouble that you can’t begin to understand,” I shared.

  “But you can use that time to your advantage,” he countered.

  “No, it only benefits me. I need to use my time wisely. There is only one of me, and so much that needs to be
done around here. The Queen’s hands are full with trying to prevent a full out war against Tate and Corone and keep her Kingdoms intact. She has a lot of difficult decisions to make and things to plan, and she can’t do that on her own.”

  “I do not doubt that she needs you Trinity, but she can spare you one hour a day to train with me. What happens if another guy finds you with a knife. What happens if someone threatens the Queen, and you are the only one around to help her?” he asked.

  “You damn well know that the Queen can hold her own in a fight. You were there for her and Axel’s sword fight. She can keep up with the best knight in the Kingdom. Don’t try to manipulate me,” I countered, pointing my finger at him.

  “Then do it for me. Is it so hard to believe I don’t want to see any harm come to you? I have spent so much time with you in the past weeks, and you have become dear to me. I hate to think of anything happening to you if I am not around.”

  “What if I get so good I no longer need you around?” I asked, feeling like a flame.

  I could feel heat rush to my face. It was almost like admitting that if I never learned to protect myself, I would always need him around.

  “Won’t happen,” he said with a smile.

  “Is that so,” I countered. “You don’t think I can do it?” I asked him.

  “No,” he said with another smile.

  He was still manipulating me, but I liked it this time.

  “Fine, challenge accepted. I will learn to defend myself. What do I get when I win?” I asked.

  “You get your choice, keep me around, or ditch me to get your freedom back.”

  “And if I lose?”

  “You are stuck with me forever,” he said with a sly smile.

  “You’re on,” I said.

  This may be a challenge I want to lose.

  ☼

  It’s been five days since Violet and Axel brought me up to speed with what was happening. Violet found recipes for potions in Victoria’s journals, and they would help her get her magic back. Not only that, but Violet insisted that Axel has magic too, that was blocked in a similar way to hers.