Finding the Power Within

by C. C. Masters

  “Never mind.” I muttered. “I don’t care why he did it. How do I fix it?”

  Airmed tilted her head to watch me. “You won’t be able to sense the magic that he used on Cody, only the prince can remove it.”

  I cursed. That damn prince had fucked with me for the last time. A knock sounded on the door and Caylee opened it to see one of the prince’s guards standing there. Good. That meant that the prince was nearby, and I could get him to fix whatever he had done.

  I stomped over to the door and Caylee scampered out of my way. “Where is he?” I growled at the guard.

  “Downstairs, my lady,” he replied with his eyes downcast. “He requires your presence.”

  “I actually require his.” I snarled as he stepped back to let me through the doorway. He led me through the castle and to Froston’s hall where we saw the prince striding towards us. I felt my magic swirling around inside of me and wanting to rise to the surface. I tried to stuff it back down but my anxiety was making it difficult. The more I practiced using my emotions to manage my magic, the more it seemed to be tied to them.

  “Finally,” Drake grumbled as he tried to take my arm. “We have somewhere to go.”

  I evaded his grasp. “No, you have something that you need to fix.” I told him defiantly.

  Caylee and the guard gasped and the prince’s head snapped to them. “Get out!” he shouted.

  I braced myself for a fight. Drake was going to reverse whatever he did whether he liked it or not.

  “Cody hasn’t been feeling well but I think you expected that.” I accused the prince.

  He rolled his eyes. “Oh, is that what you’re so fired up about?”

  I stepped right up to him so that the hem of my dress was brushing his boots, tilting my head up so that I could hold his eyes. “You. Will. Fix. Him.”

  He grabbed my upper arms. “We can discuss this later. Right now, we have more important things to deal with.”

  “There is nothing more important than Cody right now.” I snarled. “If you want me to go anywhere with you, you are going to fix whatever you did to him.”

  The prince huffed. “Or I can have one of my guards toss you over his shoulder and carry you like a sack of grain.”

  “You can try.”

  The prince and I stared at each other but he was the first to break. “Fine,” he grumbled. “We fix your wolf and then you come to court with me. But I expect you to be on your best behavior.”

  “Fine.” I stomped to the door, glancing back to make sure that he was following me. He sauntered after me as if he didn’t have a care in the world, which made me grit my teeth even harder. What I really wanted to do was let go of the tight control keeping my magic inside and lash out at the prince, but that wasn’t going to help Cody.

  Caylee met us outside the doors with a terrified look on her face, but Drake’s group of guards just stared at me with stony faces. I could care less if they thought I was being disrespectful to their prince.

  I led the procession back up to my room and motioned for the prince to step inside before me. He bowed elaborately. “Oh, after you, my lady.”

  The smirk on his face made me want to punch him, but I needed him to help Cody. I could always punch him later.

  I stood next to the bed and smoothed Cody’s hair back tenderly. He looked even worse than he did before I had left the room. The prince stood on the other side of the bed and scowled down at Cody.

  “Why would you do this?” I asked him softly.

  Drake met my eyes. “Isn’t the more important question, what did I do?”

  I didn’t look away from him, meeting his gaze straight on. “It’s compulsion, but with the magic inverted so that I can’t sense it to remove it.”

  He smirked. “What would I use compulsion to do to your friend, here?”

  My heart started to beat even faster. “Make him compliant? Like you did before?”

  He laughed. “That was the easy compulsion that I showed you how to remove. This one was more complex and subtle. It’s actually a shame that you can’t see it, because it’s quite the work of art.”

  I growled at him.

  “Oh, all right,” he sighed dramatically. “You seemed a little tense. Like maybe you needed to relax in order to get a handle on your magic. Imagine my surprise when I go into your friend’s mind to find that he is completely in love with you, but doesn’t have the courage to tell you. I went all the way to the human world to get your lover for you, only to find out that he isn’t even your lover.”

  Drake shook his head. “I merely put a few suggestions in his mind to make him act on his feelings for you.” He paused with an evil grin. “And, of course, do everything in his power to seduce you. The plan was for him to dump you after that, break your heart so that I would be there to pick up the pieces...”

  Drake shrugged. “But things never got that far, so I guess that game’s over.”

  “Just fix him,” I spat out. Emotions were swirling through my mind. Cody and I had spent close to a week here together. He and I had become friends, lovers, and confidantes. Every morning I would wake up beside him and look into those gorgeous eyes of his – it still made me smile every time. We shared everything, and the thought of some of the things we did at night made me blush.

  Had anything that I shared with Cody been real? Or had the prince’s compulsion made him confess to feelings that weren’t really his? I lowered my head. How was he going to feel when the prince removed the compulsion? Was he going to be disgusted and horrified? Was he going to be angry?

  If someone had put me under a compulsion to seduce someone, I would be beyond angry, I would be furious. I was so embarrassed. How could I have not suspected that Cody wasn’t himself? If he hadn’t gotten sick, I would have never realized he wasn’t acting like himself. What did that make me?

  “Oh, relax.” The prince rolled his eyes. “I can feel you worrying from here. I didn’t make him feel anything for you, I just made him act on what was already there.”

  The prince placed a hand on Cody’s forehead and closed his eyes. I became even more nervous as the seconds passed. What made me think that I could trust the prince to fix this? What if he made things worse? How could I stop him?

  “Stop,” I told him. “I need to see what you’re doing.”

  Drake laughed. “Why not?” He grabbed my hand and connected. I felt a moment of worry when I realized that our connection was forming more quickly and easily each time we made it. How many times would we need to connect before it was permanent?

  Instead of delving into my well of magic like Drake usually did, he pulled me towards him. My awareness changed as I was surrounded by his magic and inside of his mind. I could see his magic from his perspective, and the little bits of his magic inside Cody were obvious now. Being inside Drake’s mind gave me a little insight into him. I could tell that he was impatient to get this done and eager to get somewhere. I tried to probe a little but he quickly shut me down.

  Do you think you can undo it? Drake asked in my mind. I looked at the web of magic that was threaded all throughout Cody and doubt flooded me. This was Cody’s mind, did I really want to take a chance at fumbling around with my clumsy magic? What if I did more harm than good?

  Guide me. I felt Drake’s amusement, but he did as I asked. He guided me through unraveling the complicated web of magic that he had woven through Cody’s mind. This magic went deeper than any of the compulsion magic that I had seen before, the tendrils of magic were much smaller and woven all together in a delicate mesh that drew in parts of Cody’s own magic. There was no way I would be able to do something like that, even undoing it was beyond what I could have done on my own. Drake had to step in several times to work with me when we reached a complicated snarl. Eventually, I was convinced that we had gotten all the magic out of Cody and I withdrew from Drake.

  Drake took his hand away from Cody, but Cody didn’t react. “Well?” I asked the prince nervously.

  The
prince smirked at me. “Consider him fixed.”

  I glared at him. “Last time I removed his compulsion, he sat up and was completely normal.”

  Drake laughed. “This compulsion has been affecting him for far longer, he just needs to sleep for a while so that his mind can heal.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “How can I be sure that you really fixed him?”

  The prince shrugged at me. “How can you be sure that I didn’t?”

  I had more than enough of all of the fae. If I never had to see a fae for the rest of my life, I would be happy. Their callous indifference to the pain and suffering that they caused to the people around them for the sake of their own entertainment was infuriating.

  I felt Cody’s hand twitch in mine before he gave it a firmer squeeze. “Anna…”

  I leaned over so I could murmur in his ear. “Cody, I’m here. The prince just removed his compulsion from you.”

  I could tell he was struggling to stay awake. “Anna… I just want you to know… I love you.”

  I felt tears come to my eyes and I gave him a kiss on his forehead. “I love you too, big guy.”

  His eyes closed again and his breathing was deep and steady.

  “See? I told you he was fine. Now let’s go,” The prince said, holding out his arm. “Your father should be in the courtyard any moment to transport us to court.”

  I have never wanted to punch someone more in my entire life than right now. I took his arm but sank my nails into his flesh. “If I get back here and he isn’t 100% better you are going to regret the day you were born.” I hissed at him.

  Drake chuckled and watched me with heated eyes. “I love it when you threaten me,” he purred. “But I promise that your lover will be just fine.”

  I held his eyes, debating on whether or not I could trust his word. Was I willing to leave Cody here and hope that he was healed by the time he got back?

  “Airmed!” The prince shouted. She appeared in the doorway, her posture stiff.

  “Stay with the wolf. Anna doesn’t trust my word that he’s healed.”

  Airmed gave a slight bow. “Of course, Your Highness.” Her eyes dropped to our linked arms and she gave me a look of pure hate. I guess this meant that our temporary truce was over. Airmed was back to hating me again.

  Drake and I made our way down and Froston met us in the courtyard. He ran his gaze over my airy purple dress. “Perhaps we should let Anna dress for court?”

  “We’ve already wasted enough time,” Drake snapped. “We need to do this now, before my brother-“ he took a deep breath and looked towards the sky. “It’s important that we do this now.”

  Froston and I exchanged glances. There was something that the prince wasn’t telling us, and I didn’t like it. I just wanted to get this over with so that I could get back to Cody.

  Froston waved his hand and created a portal that led into another courtyard. This one was lacking in snow or ice, and had some plant life growing. I peeked through, curious as to what awaited us on the other side, but I couldn’t see much.

  The prince waved a few of his guards through the gateway and they spread out on the other side. Checking to see if it was safe for the prince? After a few moments, one of them bowed to the prince and said something to him in their language.

  The prince grinned and strode through, waving for the rest of us to follow. I looked around with wide eyes once we reached the other side. The king’s castle was definitely ‘prettier’ than Froston’s. Where Froston’s castle looked like it was built as a defensive structure, this one was art straight out of a fairytale. It was made out of white stone that glimmered in the sunlight whereas Froston’s was a dreary grey. This one also had towers and spires with glittering blue tops compared to the plain boxy shape of Froston’s.

  Servants rushed to fawn over the prince and offer him food, wine, and a bunch of other comforts, but he turned them all down and waved them away. He turned to me and held out his arm. “Anna, darling, this is your time to shine.” I swallowed nervously and gave him a glare, but I took the arm he offered after Froston gave me an encouraging look.

  The prince tucked my hand in under his arm as if he was afraid I would try to get away. I just sighed. I knew better than to try and run - I wouldn’t make it far.

  I walked beside the prince with Froston following close behind, and the guards in formation around all three of us. We crossed through a large archway that led into the castle and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the shadowed halls. The inside of the castle was just as impressive as the outside with thick carpeting covering the stone floors and woven tapestries to decorate the walls.

  As we walked, I tried not to look like a complete tourist, but I still received more than a few curious and some disdainful looks. “Court is already in session,” Drake murmured to me as we strode down the hall. “We will be announced when we reach the throne room. Try your best to curtsy without falling down.” He smirked at me and I rolled my eyes. I would probably end up embarrassing myself somehow, but a fall from an attempted curtsy probably wasn’t going to be the catalyst.

  We paused at two large doors and the prince straightened his clothes before taking my arm again. A fae dressed in some fancy clothes straight out of medieval times gave the prince a deep bow. “My prince,” he said in a nasally voice.

  The prince gave him a nod. “Geoff. You already know Lord Froston.” He gestured towards my father. “And this is his daughter, the lovely Lady Anna.”

  Geoff gave my simple dress a doubtful look but the prince simply glared at him and he straightened up. “I’ll announce you right away, my prince.”

  The guards pulled open the two large doors and we walked through an opening that was large enough for a dragon. Geoff tapped a long ornate staff on the floor to get everyone’s attention.

  And there were a lot of people in there; there had to be over a hundred fae dressed in fancy court clothes with servants darting between them carrying food and drinks. Everyone in the huge throne room stopped to stare at the sound of the staff echoing through the room. I tried to keep my cool, but there were way too many eyes focused on me to be comfortable.

  There were fae like Froston and Drake – beautiful and perfect beyond belief. But there were also other fae that didn’t fit what I had been expecting. There were fae with horns, fae with extra limbs, and fae with distorted features that would never be mistaken as human. I wondered if this had been what Caylee had spoken of – were these what she had called ‘lesser fae?’

  “Presenting Prince Mandrake, Lord Froston, and his daughter the Lady Anna,” Geoff called out. The whispers started as soon as we walked past the threshold and the guards tugged the doors closed behind us. They shut with a loud thunk that sounded ominously final.

  I swallowed nervously but tried to keep my head held high as we strode through the room. The crowd parted as we walked closer to the throne that was the centerpiece of the room. I tried not to be obvious about staring at the fae as we walked through them, but I couldn’t help it. Some of them were tall and lithe with an ethereal beauty that I had started to associate with the fae in general. But others had horns, tails, or extra appendages. Some looked like they had begun to shift into an animal form but gotten stuck in between. Others looked like they were made from darkness and shadows, only taking the most basic of human shapes. Not all of the fae were human sized either. I spotted what could have been pixies or sprites floating beside giants and ogres.

  The room itself was a work of art with gold embossed paintings on the walls and an elaborate floor mosaic, all leading to a shining gold cupola that contained a dais to hold the king’s throne.

  If I had been expecting a glittery gold throne, I would have been disappointed. The throne that the king lounged on was dark and twisted, more like something out of a nightmare than a fantasy. But the king himself? Absolutely gorgeous. He was tall and lithe with blond hair and a golden tan. His cheekbones were high and defined, his lips full. But despite his physica
l beauty, there was something missing. As we got closer and I was able to look into his silvery eyes, I realized what it was. He was like a stone statue - perfectly beautiful but cold and hard. There was no depth or warmth to him.

  The prince paused within the empty semicircle of space before the king’s throne and released my arm to perform an elaborate bow. I took that as a cue to perform my curtsy. Froston came up beside me to bow as well. The two men stayed bowing instead of rising, so I paused my curtsy halfway through. My legs trembled a bit as the minutes ticked by, and I realized that the princes warning not to fall when curtsying might not have been that far off.

  I kept my head lowered just like Froston and the prince, but peeked up through my lashes to see what was taking so long. I was guessing that we were waiting for some kind of signal from the king. The whispers from around the room had stopped, and the silence echoed around us.

  “You may rise,” the kings melodious voice floated through the room and I was surprised at just how much it affected me. The prince had mentioned that his father was considered an incubus by humans, but I hadn’t expected the raw sexuality that oozed from him.

  The prince stood with a grin, seemingly unaffected by how long the king had made us wait for acknowledgment. “My king, it’s my pleasure to bring you the project I’ve been working on.” My brow furrowed. I was a project?

  King Illian flicked his hand in my direction. “Lord Froston’s daughter? Explain.”

  The prince circled around me. “Not just his daughter. She’s also a product of the shapeshifters we left behind in the human realm thousands of years ago. They have developed a very strong connection to the earth and its magic in our absence.”

  “Hmmm.” King Illian eyed me curiously.

  The prince kept talking. “I’ve felt her magic for myself, it’s not limited to one element or even a small range. She has access to every type of magic imaginable.”

  I heard murmurs start in the crowd around us, but the king just watched me without saying a word. “Drake speaks the truth.” Another fae pressed through the crowd to stand near us. “She’s not the first of her kind, the Summer Court has one of their own.”