Under different circumstances—for instance, if I hadn’t heard the smirk in his voice—my rational mind may have kicked in, and I may have calmed down. But he was being an absolute little shit, and it had worked.
I turned around again. “Do you think this is funny?!”
“I do.”
“How is this funny?” I asked, advancing on him this time, my dagger gripped tightly in my hand. I could feel a current building, but I couldn’t stop to think about it. I was like a train off the tracks, unable to stop.
Toross smirked, then laughed as he backed away. That only made me angrier.
“This isn’t funny!” I shrieked, and I whipped the dagger toward his feet.
Lightning shot out of the tip of the dagger, leaving a sound like a thunderclap echoing through the valley below us. The lightning had struck with so much force, it had melted the snow in an instant, leaving a puddle of steam over scorched, dark earth. I stared at it in total wonderment. The current I had only just about felt a second ago was still there.
What’s more, the turquoise gem embedded into the dagger’s small cross guard was glowing.
“There…” Toross said, exhaling. “There she is. Can you sense her?”
“Sense who?”
“Your mother. Evelynth.”
“Eve…” I said, the word slipping out of my mouth on the back of a sigh. I looked around. “It’s her, she’s here…”
Toross nodded and looked up. I turned my eyes up too, only to find snow starting to fall from the sky. It wasn’t much, a light dusting, but it was coming from nowhere. There were no clouds hanging over us, only clear blue and bright yellow.
More snow fell as the seconds passed, little snowflakes that dissolved as soon as they touched my skin. I thought I could smell flowers, too. It was as if the snowflakes themselves were carrying the scent all the way from the garden down in the village. That was impossible, but that was the impression I got.
I fell to my knees, staring up at the sky. Shutting my eyes, I let the snow fall over me, experiencing every single flake as it turned to water against my cheeks. A moment later, the snow stopped, but the scent lingered for a while longer. The dagger in my hand, though, was still humming with power, the stone glowing with inner light.
Toross came over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I am proud of you,” he said. “Well done.”
I looked at the dagger in my hand, turning it over once, twice. “Is this… her?”
“No, it’s you.” He pointed at a rock jutting out of the snow up ahead. “Hit that rock.”
I glanced at him, then turned my attention on the rock. Gripping my dagger, I whipped it quickly toward the rock. The current moving through me surged, lightning erupted from the tip of the dagger and instantly struck the rock, breaking it apart and sending tiny splinters of it in all directions.
“Holy shit,” I said, breathless. “That was incredible.”
“It is only the first step,” he said, “But now… now I can teach you the rest.”
“Am I going to have to get angry every time I want to use my magic?”
He shook his head. “Once the door to magic has been opened, it cannot be closed. The trick will be controlling it, shaping it into what you want it to be. Come, we have more to do today.”
I got up. “More? I’m exhausted.”
“I know, but the sun still burns in the sky, and our work has only just begun.”
Dusting my knees, “So, that thing about you and Mira?”
“What about it?”
“Did you say that just to get a rise out of me, or…?”
Toross cocked an eyebrow. “Or… what?”
“Well, is it true? Are you really going to eat with her tonight?”
He grinned. “Would you like me to lie to you?”
“I thought you didn’t lie.”
“I don’t, but if it will get us working again, I will lie to you and tell you I am not seeing her tonight.”
I shook my head, huffing out my frustration. “You know what? Lie to me about this. I’ll allow it.”
Toross gestured down the path. “Very well,” he said, “Tonight, I’ll eat alone. Let’s continue.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
I went to see Melina later that evening, after spending the day training with Toross. My body was still entirely buzzing from the magic I’d been able to summon, as was the dagger I kept in a little ankle sheath I had made for it.
I couldn’t understand any of it.
A few months ago, I’d just been a human who made magic dresses. Now, I was a shapeshifting fae who could blast lightning from the tip of her dagger. Now there were some words I never thought I’d string together in a sentence, especially not when referring to, well, me. Add to that the whole sleeping with a prince thing, and the whole situation just became absolutely bonkers.
It was weird, walking around constantly feeling like I had to pinch myself. It was even weirder walking through a camp where, all around, people had looks on their faces like they wanted to do more than pinch me. The moon children still hadn’t accepted me, despite the week of grueling training Toross had put me through.
Toross had explained to me that each member of the pack had to find their place by challenging another. It was a rite of passage for young moon children who wanted to figure out where they fit. I wasn’t about to go challenging anyone, and that meant I would remain an outsider to these people for a while.
A smattering of giggles trickled out of Mel’s tent as I approached. I was about to pull the flap open and go in, when I decided to stop and make myself known first.
“Hey,” I called out.
“Hey Dee,” Melina replied from inside, “Come in. It’s just us two.”
Stepping into the tent I found Mel and Gullie sitting on opposite sides of a large, wooden hoop. There were colored marbles scattered throughout the hoop, as well as obstacles in the form of lead chunks. Two lines of white fabric—one near Mel, and one near Gullie—acted like goals, it looked like.
Mel had a marble in her hand, and with her eyeline low to the ground, she was lining up a shot. “I’m gonna get it this time,” she said.
“What’s this?” I asked, stepping around the hoop and sitting on a bed. “A game?”
“Marbles!” Gullie said, “They play with marbles, too!”
“Wow, I haven’t played with marbles since I was a child,” I said.
Mel shushed us. “Silence, both of you. I can’t let her beat me again.”
“Two to nothing for me so far,” Gullie said, grinning, “Show me what you’ve got.”
With a screwed-up face, Mel flicked her marble right between two leaden pillars. It smacked another marble, which then hit another. That last marble rolled over to the white line, but it didn’t quite cross. Mel cursed.
“Almost!” she hissed.
“Close, but no cigar,” Gullie said. “You’re really bad at this game. How are you so bad at it?”
“You’re using magic, you have an unfair advantage.”
Gullie stretched both her hands out toward a marble sitting near her. Compared to her size, lifting it must’ve been like me trying to lift a boulder. There was no way she would’ve been able to pick one up with her own hands, let alone throw it. But somehow, the marble was moving—and quickly. It came up, following the path set by Gullie’s hand movements.
The pixie paused, considered the field, then hurled the marble into the space, but it didn’t hit another marble—this one struck one of the pieces of lead and bounced off. “Dammit!” Gullie yelped.
Mel shot upright and jabbed a finger at the pixie. “Ha! Disqualified! That’s two to one, now.”
“Dahlia threw me off. Let me go again.”
“Nope. If I have to follow the rules, so do you.”
“Alright, fine, but let’s take a break. Telekinesis takes it out of me.”
Mel nodded, walked over to a small table, and picked up two pieces of fruit. She then sat on the bed n
ext to me and offered one. “Hungry?” she asked.
“No, I just ate,” I said. Then I glanced around the tent. “No Mira tonight?”
A grin spread across Mel’s lips. She cocked an eyebrow. “You know where she is.”
I groaned. “There’s literally nothing I can do to keep those two apart.”
“As well you shouldn’t. Just let it run its course. Maybe they’ll hate each other.”
“Or maybe they won’t, and then what?”
Mel shrugged. “I didn’t see her trying to get between you and Colin.”
“I doubt all the King’s horses could come between those two now,” Gullie said, fluttering over to us.
My cheeks instantly flushed. “It’s different,” I said, mounting a flimsy defense.
“Is it? Just because you’re supposed to be soulmates or something. How do you know they aren’t soulmates? They come in all shapes and sizes.” She paused, glanced at Mel, then floated back over to the table with all the food on it. “Or, you know, so I’m told.”
I shook my head. “I really don’t want to talk about Mira being on a date with my uncle right now. How are we on the whole storm problem?”
“Actually, I think we may have had a breakthrough,” Mel said.
“Really?”
“Well, yeah, that’s why we were playing marbles.”
I brushed my hair behind my ears. “Okay, so, what did you find out?”
“It’s kind of Gull’s theory, but it makes sense to me.”
Gullie turned around. “I might be wrong,” she said.
“Okay?” I asked, “Lay it out.”
She flew over to me and sat on my shoulder, so she could keep her voice down. “So, none of us know when Radulf happened. Not even he does, right?”
“He’s pretty sketchy on the details, yes.”
“It’s possible Radulf has been part of him for a while, though he may have been dormant for a long time; influencing his decisions subtly while not totally taking control of him. If that’s true, then I think I know when exactly Radulf gained enough power to fully manifest.”
“When?”
“That day in the forest, remember? With the Wenlow.”
“I remember. You were there, too,” I said to Melina.
She nodded. “I remember you, though I was way more focused on trying to find orbs that day. When the storm started getting heavy, I headed back to the court… you were still deep in the woods at that point. I never saw the Wenlow.”
“The Wenlow didn’t arrive on its own,” Gullie said, “It came with the storm. Remember that lightning strike? I’m sure that’s how it came to be in those woods. I’m also sure that being so close to the storm is what woke Radulf up or gave him enough power to take hold of the Prince. He’s been getting stronger ever since.”
“How does this help us?”
“This is all just pure theory, but hear me out. The Veridian has come close to the castle before, but every time that’s happened, Windhelm’s sorcerers have been able to fight it back. That’s what Mel and Mira have told me. This time, it didn’t come close enough to the castle to warrant the sorcerers having to come out to fight it off—it came to the forest well outside of the city.”
“It came because the Prince was there,” Mel put in.
“It’s attracted to him?” I asked.
“I think so,” Gullie said.
“But the Prince has left Windhelm many times before. Why did it go for him that time?”
“Okay, so, this is the part where it gets tricky. I think the Prince alone isn’t enough to draw the storm. I think he’s a beacon, but most of the time that beacon is unlit. Except for that day in the forest.”
“Why is that?”
“Because we were surrounded by courtiers, and contestants, and all sorts of magic was in the air that day. If he soaked it up, it could’ve activated the beacon within him and brought the storm down on us like an avalanche. Again, this is only a theory, but it’s the best one we have.”
I nodded. “Supposing that’s true, what does that mean for us?”
“If it’s true,” Mel said, “Then all we have to do is pump the Prince full of magic and it will come to him. We don’t have to go to it.”
“But won’t that… I mean, if all of this holds water then the last time he came into contact with it, it only made Radulf stronger. Wouldn’t that happen again?”
“And there’s the good and bad news,” Gullie said. “I think we can draw it to him, but it may only make things worse.”
“He thinks the solution to his problem is in the Veridian, thought,” I said.
“Is it possible that’s Radulf talking? Influencing him? Trying to lure us all into a trap so he can gain more power?”
“I guess… I think I’ve gotten pretty good at figuring out when he’s the man I… when he’s Cillian, and when he’s Radulf. Radulf doesn’t get out much if I have anything to say about it.”
Mel nudged me with her elbow. “I bet you have a lot to say there.”
“Stop it,” I snapped. “You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, you screw his brains out,” Gullie said, “I get it. I’m also thankful to have someone else to bunk with when that happens. I have a spring in my step these days because I’m not constantly having to turn myself into a tattoo.”
“There’s a silver lining, at least,” I said, though if I could’ve hidden inside of my hair and hide from the embarrassment, I would’ve. “So, we can maybe bring the storm to him, but we don’t know what’ll that do. Is there a spell we can learn to… I don’t know, exorcise Radulf?”
Gullie tapped me on the nose. “There’s the right question. Yes, there are plenty of spells we could try—the moon children have a few varieties of exorcism ritual depending on the spirit. The only problem is, none of us have ever used one, and botching an exorcism ritual could do more harm than good.”
“What about the Veridian?” I asked, “It sounds like the storm might just make things more complicated.”
“I really don’t know. You may have to ask him about that one. Are you sure he has no idea when Radulf did his thing?”
“He doesn’t know what’s waiting for him in the Veridian.”
“Or, at least, that’s what he’s telling you,” Mel put in.
“Are you suggesting he’s lying to me?” I asked.
“Not lying, no. But maybe he’s leaving things out.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he has an evil spirit inside of him that makes him say and do evil things. You don’t need to be able to do mental acrobatics to piece this one together. I still think he wants to get to it because he’ll gain more strength from it.”
“Then again,” Gullie said, “The Veridian may have exactly the right kind of conditions for us to remove the spirit without hurting the Prince. Because you know, with exorcisms, there’s always the risk of killing the host.”
I shook my head. “Fuck. This one’s tough. I don’t know what to do.”
“Join the club,” Mel said, “That’s why we started playing a game. I mean, what else can you do when faced with something like this?”
“I wouldn’t know. It’s my first Armageddon.”
“You need to talk to him, Dee,” Gullie said, “You need to really talk to him this time.”
I looked over at her. “What if that breaks… this?”
“This?” she frowned.
“I’m happy, Gull… here, in this place. I know these people don’t like me very much, but I have you guys, and I have him. For the first time since I left home, I’m happy.”
“And you think that by talking to him about his brother, you’ll lose this?”
“Not talking about Radulf seems to help keep him away. What if bringing him up… you know, brings him up?”
“Then we’ll deal with it. All of us.”
What if we can’t stop him?
I left that last thought unsaid. She was trying to be supportive. They both
were. I appreciated that, but I didn’t know if they fully understood the situation I was in. I hadn’t told them what my mother had told me, that I could either save the Prince or the moon children, but not both. I also hadn’t told them how I felt about him.
The right moment had never come up; then again, when is it a good time to bring up portents of someone’s impending doom?
Or your feelings for that person.
We had already been here for a week. I had spent most of it training and hand-stitching a fresh blue dress in my spare time. The girls, meanwhile, had spent it trying to figure out how to help the Prince. In truth, the right way through this wasn’t going to present itself to us even if we had a whole year to work on the problem. We were going to have to roll the dice and hope a six came up.
I stood. “You know,” I trailed off. “Even if we did agree to call the storm somehow, we wouldn’t be able to do it here.”
Mel shook her head. “We should go to the forest on the other side of the stones,” Mel said, “Find a wide, open spot. If we do this, we don’t know what the storm will bring with it.”
“Wenlow,” Gullie said, her tone low and dark. “At least that.”
A pulse of dread pushed through the room, dampening whatever happy spirits had lived here a moment ago. “I’ll go talk to him,” I said, “I’ll let you know what he says.”
“We’ll be here.”
Nodding, I headed out of the tent and went to find the Prince—Praxis, however, wasn’t going to make that easy for me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I’d barely taken five steps out of the tent when he tackled me to the ground like a wrestler. The entire world tipped upside down, I saw the stars and the full moon in the sky, and the next thing I knew I was on my back on the warm, wet earth, with this tank of a man on top of me.
“Get the hell off me!” I yelled.
“I know your secret now,” he breathed against my ear. “You brought the Prince of Windhelm into our camp, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He arched his back and roared. “Liar! I just heard you and your little bitch friends conspiring.” He wound back his arm and made a closed fist with his hand. “Deny it again!”
Marked (The Coldest Fae Book 3) Page 14
