He caught the pendant by its chain before she could grasp it and turned to keep it out of her reach. Infuriated, Nia watched through him as he dipped the pendant into her crystal ball. The black stone screeched as it sank into the light. Nia could feel its pain, and it made her angry. She shoved her arm through Loki’s body to take it from him, making him yell out, but it was too late. The pendant was fully submerged into the light, and the ball became solid, encasing it forever. Even some of its glow dimmed until she could see the pendant’s dark outline in the middle.
It was a strange sight to behold. Nia could still sense the black ice within the orb, but it was getting weaker and weaker, as if the light was slowly destroying the darkness. Soon, she lost all awareness of it.
Loki yanked at the chain, breaking it off, and growled, “Take your arm back, or you never will again.”
Nia shook her head to clear it. What was she doing? She pulled her arm free of him and stepped back. Her entire body was shaking, and she felt as if her skin was stretching, trying in vain to accommodate the power filling her. She would burst with it soon. “Can’t hold this much.”
Though she wasn’t looking at him, she saw Loki glare at her. “I should let you shatter,” he said. “If not for you, it never would have gotten this far.”
Nia hunched her shoulders, trying to keep together. Just a little longer. It was becoming unbearable. The light made her feel at once heavy and light as a feather. If she managed to hop up into the air, she’d never come back down. But she was too stiff and fragile to make that leap, rooted to the ground like a tree.
Loki tossed the orb into the air and caught it in his other hand. “Then again, if you had not made this little toy, I would have had a much tougher time sealing the damned thing. I suppose that balances things out. And I can’t very well leave you as you are. You are as much of a problem now as the black ice was.”
“Fix…me,” she managed to say, having to shift all of her body just to make her voice work. Nothing was where it was supposed to be anymore. She couldn’t feel her heartbeat; couldn’t breathe, either, but she didn’t seem to need it any longer. That frightened her.
Loki scowled again. “I can’t. You did this, you have to undo it. And you can’t do it here.”
He expected her to solve riddles now? A burst of light escaped her body and she screamed, though no sound came out. She hugged herself to keep from breaking apart. The pressure was too much. It was killing her.
“I said not here,” Loki snapped. “Fly up—far up, mind you—and release it there. The stars won’t mind. And you had best hurry up. Any longer and you might as well join them.”
Up? He meant fly. But how?
When she didn’t move, Loki heaved a sigh. “I hope one day you appreciate all this,” he said. Turning his face away, he came to her, bending double. She could feel his hands slipping beneath what should be her feet. “Safe journey, Lady Nialei,” he said and, with a grunt, launched her into the air.
She flew up fast as a shooting star, just as she’d thought she would. No stopping now. Thousands and thousands of lights sang to her. The stars. The higher she went the better she understood them. They were welcoming her among them, eager to hear stories and to tell their own. Their voices were so beautiful, listening to them felt like coming home.
For a moment she embraced this strange place she was flying through, even let herself enjoy it. There were entire worlds filled with people and creatures she’d never seen before. She could peek into them, watch from afar as they went about their lives; watch them like players on stage.
And the plays would never end. She knew this. Eternity beckoned to her with all its charms and Nia was curious to see it.
Saeran.
He will not be here.
Her memory returned, shocking her back to what was really happening. Going too far. Nia willed herself to stop.
The stars were puzzled. She only had a little way to go, why was she stopping?
I am sorry, she thought to them. I cannot stay.
The stars sang to her to keep going. They wanted to welcome her as a sister, share their world with her. She was almost there, almost home.
Nia stopped listening. There was one thing she had to do before she returned, but she had to return. Saeran is waiting. She hesitated for a single moment, just one moment to feel fear and doubt. Then, praying she was doing the right thing, she released all of the light, pouring it out in thick, brilliant white streams. The force of it sent her spinning, and the faster she spun, the faster it drained out of her.
As it dispersed in the sky, the pressure inside her body eased. She could feel herself returning to the way she’d been before. Her heart beat strangely in her chest, but it was beating. Her limbs began to ache, strained and tired, and her lungs expanded, filling with icy cold air. Nia shivered, but it felt wonderful.
She could move with ease again, and her stomach growled for food. Her eyes were stinging with the cold and her mouth felt parched. Wonderful. She laughed into the still night, delighting in the sound of her own familiar voice. It was even better than the stars. She couldn’t hear them anymore, and that was as it should be. The smallest hint of regret faded with the anticipation of everything that was yet to come. An entire lifetime she had here. She would fill it with wonders of her own.
At last the streams of light slowed to a trickle, and Nia started descending back to earth. She used just enough magic to slow her fall, and landed softly on the hill, dizzy, but in one piece. Her ears were ringing, and she walked like a drunk as she made her way down the hill to the castle. She had no way of knowing if Jasper’s spells died along with him. There might still be terrified people frozen in their seats in the great hall. Or what was left of it.
The villagers who had braved coming out silently moved out of her way. The bon fire in the courtyard had been reduced to glowing embers. Nia didn’t know how much time had passed since she’d left the castle, but she was tired enough to guess it was nearing sunrise.
She mounted the stairs and gasped to see what had become of the great hall. The stone floor was all but gone. What remained was a narrow walkway, surrounded by shattered stone and enormous holes. Nia could see straight down to the cellars and there were no pillars to support the walkway, yet somehow it held.
The noble guests were where Jasper had left them. Not because they were enchanted, but because there was nowhere for them to go. Many of them were in tears, all of them looking at her as if she were a demon come to take their souls. She didn’t know how to ease their fears. Instead she weaved her hands through the air to move the remaining tables. They created bridges to the walkway so the guests could escape. “They will hold,” she assured them.
As soon as one stood, they all were scrambling to get outside, giving her a wide berth. She slowed them just enough to keep them from trampling over each other. What they had seen of the battle would have frightened anyone. Nia didn’t expect them to cheer her and write ballads in her honor.
Once the walkway was clear, Nia approached the dais. It looked as horrible as she remembered. The throne was in splinters. Rubble and debris was everywhere, and the floor was sunken where Saeran had landed.
He was still there.
Nia sank to her knees by his side and carefully turned him to lie on his back.
Noises intruded, robes rustling with hurried footsteps. Now that the danger was over, the royal advisors were coming to ascertain the king’s ability to sire heirs. She had no time for them. Saeran’s face was bruised and bleeding and the rest of him was in no better shape.
Nia laid her hand on the center of his chest and let the rest of the world fade away. Without closing her eyes she Saw inside the king. His body was battered and broken. He was bleeding, in terrible pain, but he was alive. Barely. The dragon pendant might have saved his life, but it wasn’t powerful enough to keep him alive for much longer.
Nia called Light into her grasp, but this time she did it the right way. She called it slowly an
d let it pass through her and into Saeran. She shaped it into the tools she needed to mend his bones and close his wounds. The light settled like a blanket over tears and cracks, healing them layer by layer. It burned away bruises with gentle heat, warming him where his wounded heart could not. Nia was meticulous in her task, repairing every injury, no matter how small with infinite patience. She took no chances, left nothing to fate.
Some of Saeran’s injuries were too severe to heal right away. Broken bones needed time to mend. There, she let the Light seep into him and remain, glowing softly. It would speed the natural process of healing and, though he would be weak for some time to come, he’d be able to move about without splints and crutches.
She looked over her work twice before she returned to herself. Saeran slept. He would wake on the morrow, aching and ravenous, but alive.
Behind her, Braith was the first to speak. “My lady, what is to be done?”
“Have the king taken to his chambers,” she replied, surprised at how difficult it was to form the words. She was exhausted again, and this time she wouldn’t be able to keep from sinking into a wizard’s sleep when she laid her head down. Already the need weighed on her so much she couldn’t bring herself to stand. “He will sleep for the time being. See that he has all he needs, but do not disturb him.”
“I suppose you will wish us to redecorate the great hall as well.”
It was the first time Nia had heard Allon make a jest. She smiled at him. “I insist the floors be inlaid with diamonds.”
He returned her smile. “Come then,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “I shall see you to your chambers. It seems to me you are in need of some healing sleep yourself.”
She nodded and allowed him to pick her up. The old man was stronger than he looked. He never once complained, taking her weight easily as he carried her up the stairs to her rooms. “You gave us quite a fright tonight.” He sounded amused.
“I have paid the price for it, as you can see.”
“What should we expect for tomorrow, then?”
When he laid her on the bed, all she could do was sink down and close her eyes. “I will sleep for some days. Do not burry me, old man. I will be very angry if you do.”
He chuckled. “I shall warn the others.”
CHAPTER 39
The snow came up to Saeran’s knee, but he didn’t mind; didn’t feel the cold. He was so tired each step felt impossible. Every time his foot sank into the snow all he wanted to do was sit down and stay there, but he kept going, compelled by some force he couldn’t understand toward the dark cave up ahead.
At last he made it out of the snow, into the pitch black tunnel. He knew this place. His feet moved from memory, leading him down into the depths of the mountain without faltering a single time. When he emerged into the cavern, Saeran breathed a sigh of relief. He was home.
Fire pits were carved into the walls like massive torches, illuminating treasure. Giant crystals sparkled in the ceiling, streams of gold were inlaid forever shining in the floors. Shadows played over painted tapestries, making them move as if they were alive, and diamonds the size of his hand glittered in piles all around.
And in the middle lay a massive sleeping dragon, his tail curled around his body, wings folded to his sides. His scales were like shined steel, reflecting firelight, and long black horns adorned his head. His claws were the size of a man’s torso and each breath he puffed was black smoke.
Saeran wasn’t afraid. “It was you,” he said. “You called me here.” He remembered the great hall, the battle of magics. He remembered the fear that had gripped him to see Jasper closing in on Nia.
He remembered dying. And the dragon commanding him back to life.
A great, slitted eye opened to look at him. “I thought it was time we met.”
* * *
There was a blurry red cloud before him when he opened his eyes. “If the wizard were here, she’d say that was a stupid thing to do.” Braith’s face slowly came into focus.
“Where is she? What happened?” Saeran’s mouth was parched and it was difficult to speak the words, but he managed.
“She is sleeping,” Braith told him. “Jasper is gone and the great hall is in ruins. Be glad the castle has not come down on top of us yet.” She helped him sit up and brought a chalice to his mouth.
Saeran gulped the water down, and glared at her when she took it away.
“Slowly,” she said.
“So you have finally found the courage to order around your king.”
The girl blushed and looked away.
His mouth twitched. “Well, don’t lose it now, I was beginning to enjoy myself.” Braith glared at him, much the way Nia did and Saeran grinned.
“You would not be so cheerful if you knew what has been happening in your kingdom for the last two days.”
“Tell me.” He winced when she arranged the pillows behind him so he could sit on his own. His entire body pained him, but it was a healing ache. He felt warmth where he knew he’d broken bones. Saeran should be dead now and instead he felt better than ever. Aside from the pangs of hunger and the many twinges in his still healing wounds.
Braith took a chair by his bed. “It was bad,” she said. “Those who were able ran at the first sound of trouble. Those who could not…well, they saw everything. Most of them are terrified of the wizard now. She spent so long showing them the gentle, healing side of her magic, none of them realized what she was truly capable of until they saw it for themselves.”
“She has done nothing but defend them!”
“As a blade defends the soldier. But he never forgets how easily it can be turned against him if he lets his down his guard. The wizard is a powerful weapon, Majesty, but a weapon nonetheless.”
“No, she is much more than that.”
Braith lowered her gaze. “Yes. That, too, is quite obvious now. After what happened in the great hall, even those who kept the secret of your illness can’t hold their tongues anymore. Rumors are spreading far and wide. About both of you.”
“What rumors?”
“That the wizard is not human. That she has enchanted you somehow to gain control of Wilderheim. There are some who say they saw you move like a wraith that night, your eyes glowing like a demon.”
Saeran flushed. They weren’t far off the mark. He hadn’t hesitated when he saw Nia go down. He’d moved, and in the blink of an eye he’d been at the sorcerer’s back, a sword he didn’t remember reaching for firmly in his grasp. If questioned by one with truthsense, he couldn’t honestly say he hadn’t used magic that night. Nor could he say he regretted it.
“I am afraid you will have greater issues to contend with when you reclaim your seat than the continuation of your royal line.”
“It would seem so.”
The foreign emissaries would no doubt be returning to their royal courts with wild tales to tell. Halden would understand but Saeran knew Queen Genevieve of Synealee to be dangerously superstitious and King Gavriil of the western kingdom of Ravetia abhorred all magic. He’d outlawed its practice and anyone even suspected of it faced immediate execution. Both regents would consider Saeran a threat if they believed him to be anything more than ordinary.
And then there was the matter of Aegiros. Saeran didn’t want to think about what would happen when this news reached them.
“What will you do?”
Saeran snorted. “What can I do?”
Braith’s brow puckered in thought and Saeran crossed his arms, amused despite himself and very much curious to hear what the girl would come up with. “I would not worry about Aegiros yet. Lyria will ally itself with us no matter what, and their armies as well as ours are well trained now, thanks to you and King Manfred.
“The threat of Synealee lies in their faith and superstitions, but their queen is ancient and not quite right in the head, if you ask me. Their lack of organization and forethought will be their weakness. We can exploit it if need be.
“Ravetia would be my bi
ggest concern. King Gavriil is a warmonger, too eager to draw his sword at the smallest provocation. If they choose to take up arms, we will need every able bodied soldier on the front lines to defend Wilderheim.”
Saeran gaped at her. Hadn’t he just thought the very same thing?
“But with the unrest brewing right here, we will end up fighting a battle on multiple fronts no matter what,” Braith continued with a wince. “I think the situation can be salvaged. It will be tricky, but the people love you, and if you meet them halfway with the truth you can regain their trust. We can win favor for Lady Nia back with diplomacy. The post of royal wizard has been created for an emissary for the Otherlands so that there can be peace between us. It has been held by human wizards until now because there has never been an Other willing to live so openly among us, but with Lady Nia here, it is finally as it should be. Now, if we can explain your dragonblood without inciting panic that the Others are taking ov—”
“What did you say?”
Braith’s mouth snapped closed and she blushed deep red. “Umm…”
Saeran sat up straighter. “Repeat what you just said.”
“A-about the battle on multiple fronts?” She wrung her hands together. “It is something I read in the Histories advisor Allon gave me to study—”
“No, after that. Dragonblood?”
Her eyes grew impossibly wide and she dropped to her knees, grasping his hand in both of hers. “Please, Majesty, forgive me. I did not mean to, it just happens. I swear I will never say a word.”
“For all the gods’ sake, get up.”
As giant tears flooded her eyes, Braith hiccupped and stood, her head bowed. She was shaking with the force of her sobs and trying so hard to be quiet about it.
“Stop it,” he said, keeping his voice low so he wouldn’t frighten her more.
“I am s-sor-ry.”
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